The document discusses 10 frequently asked questions about social media and conversation management.
1) The first question addresses whether social media is just for B2C or also for B2B, concluding that conversation has always been important for B2B and social media allows B2B companies to benefit from word-of-mouth and co-creation.
2) The second question outlines two profiles for a conversation manager - operational or strategic. Both are important but a strategic manager can facilitate organizational change.
3) The third question advises that if senior management does not buy into social media, focus on how it helps with customer satisfaction and sales goals rather than talking directly about social media.
4) The fourth
Word-of-mouth is the key driver of growth, so let's manage it. To do so, you need a Conversation Manager. Someone who will drive change in the organization. The key to success: combination of skills & personality
To drive change, you need a conversation manager. Someone who integrates word-of-mouth in everything you do. The personality of the conversation manager is key to success, more than his skills.
Co-creation is a hot topic these days. Involving customers in the decision flow of a brand/company is one of the cool, new ways of doing marketing. In our research we found that some companies go a few steps further. Some succeed in intergrating the voice of the customer in ALL their decision flows. This paper describes the different steps to evolve from a one time co-creation project to structural collaboration.
The Conversation Company is a story about boosting your business by investing in company cutlure, people (internal & external) and social media. A Conversation Company optimizes the conversation potential of an organization.
Changing economy comes with new roads to success. Emerging business eco-systems bring co-creation and open innovation up as key competence and strategic means for competitiveness. How do you recognize multiple roadblocks to harvest benefits and orchestrate collaborative efforts to successfully master the bridge of open innovation?
2011 was the year in which 'power to the people' became real. Arab spring, London riots and occupy wall street are just a few examples where we have seen the power of people.
This market trend has a big impact on companies. Most companies see this evolution as a danger. I believe that leveraging the power of the people in a positive way is a great opportunity.
Until now, managers have treated consumers in a too opportunistic way. The challenge is to really open up and collaborate with them in a structural way.
This presentation offers you a vision and a framework to leverage the power of the people in a truly positive and open way.
Word-of-mouth is the key driver of growth, so let's manage it. To do so, you need a Conversation Manager. Someone who will drive change in the organization. The key to success: combination of skills & personality
To drive change, you need a conversation manager. Someone who integrates word-of-mouth in everything you do. The personality of the conversation manager is key to success, more than his skills.
Co-creation is a hot topic these days. Involving customers in the decision flow of a brand/company is one of the cool, new ways of doing marketing. In our research we found that some companies go a few steps further. Some succeed in intergrating the voice of the customer in ALL their decision flows. This paper describes the different steps to evolve from a one time co-creation project to structural collaboration.
The Conversation Company is a story about boosting your business by investing in company cutlure, people (internal & external) and social media. A Conversation Company optimizes the conversation potential of an organization.
Changing economy comes with new roads to success. Emerging business eco-systems bring co-creation and open innovation up as key competence and strategic means for competitiveness. How do you recognize multiple roadblocks to harvest benefits and orchestrate collaborative efforts to successfully master the bridge of open innovation?
2011 was the year in which 'power to the people' became real. Arab spring, London riots and occupy wall street are just a few examples where we have seen the power of people.
This market trend has a big impact on companies. Most companies see this evolution as a danger. I believe that leveraging the power of the people in a positive way is a great opportunity.
Until now, managers have treated consumers in a too opportunistic way. The challenge is to really open up and collaborate with them in a structural way.
This presentation offers you a vision and a framework to leverage the power of the people in a truly positive and open way.
Chapter 3 is about building the foundation and kicks off section 2. I start off discussing the need to create a centralized editorial team that will responsible for driving change within the organization.
Employee engagement meetings are powerful experiences.
Done well, corporate meetings can have a transformative effect on an organization, unifying employees and elevating the company’s goals and objectives.
However, meetings that don’t live up to their potential can be damaging, with a negative effect on morale, a failure to deliver key messages, and provide little in the way of ROI.
At Jack Morton, we’ve been elevating corporate meetings and engagements for over 75 years, and we’re sharing our thoughts on four principles that are proven to deliver extraordinary results for our clients.
Read our POV, and make your meetings extraordinary.
I was asked to speak at the IPA Strategy Group's Modern Briefing event this morning. These are my thoughts on why participation is so important-it fundamentally disrupts business models-and how we can get better at briefing for participation:
-A business problem is a behavioural change in disguise
-Think about network insights, not consumer insights
-Move from "the single thing we want to say" to "the single thing we're going to make or do"
CES 2015: A No Gadget Report for Marketers & BrandsBen Grossman
A fresh, no gadget take on the 2015 International CES, this report covers the top trends marketers and brands need to know as they enter 2015. Based on the evolution of the CES show over the last several years, the report also documents the rising in notoriety and popularity of CES within the marketing and advertising industry, now rivaling events like the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and SXSW Interactive.
After 48 years in existence, the event shows no signs of slowing down. 2015 marked the largest CES in history, with over 170,000 industry professionals in attendance and more than 2.2 million net square feet of exhibit space occupied by exhibitors. Today, the show sits comfortably at, as the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has dubbed it, “the center of convergence among content, services and products.”
Lean Communications: Process Improvement in PR and Corporate Communications U...Annie Eissler
PR and corporate communications programs are critical to the success of your business. However, there is frequently a lack of clarity around the implementation, measurement, and success of many communications programs. Some believe it’s all about having a relationship with a few reporters or sending out the occasional well-written press release, but with the
fragmentation of the media, everyone is now a consumer and producer of “media.”
Is there a way to create innovative, clutter-busting programs with focused and quantifiable business results without wasting time and money?
This paper examines the application of Lean Six Sigma in the development and improvement of communication programs by showing that the processes involved result in data that can be measured and analyzed to deliver more insightful, targeted efforts with more impactful outcomes. Innovative companies can benefit from growth, adaptability and success while enhancing their brands and reputations with the faster and better results that emerge from improved
communications programs.
Strategies in Corporate Communications: Fostering a Collaborative Culture in ...Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
Strategies in Corporate Communications: Fostering a Collaborative Culture in the Partnership Ranks
No question about it: culture is defined by the leadership of the firm. But if collaboration is a hallmark of the firm's culture, communications can play a large role in energizing collaboration. This session offers three valuable strategies to help facilitate clear, effective communication and foster creativity between law firm partners. Our presenters will address:
• The Vampire Syndrome: Killing Off Deadly Communications Permanently
A step-by-step program to remove impediments to collaboration that include dreadful practice descriptions, chilly biographies, pale internal updates and bloodless newsletters
• Beyond the Drum Circle
Creative ideas that foster and sustain collaboration.
• What's Your Partner's Elevator Pitch?
How to enable lawyers to "sell" one another through collaborative learning.
Facilitators:
Burkey Belser, President, Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
Joe Walsh, Principal, Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
The 2013 edition of the Holmes Report's Creativity in PR study, co-authored by NowGoCreate and sponsored by Ketchum. Based on research of 600 people across more than 35 countries, exploring whether the PR industry is creative enough to sway marketing budgets and develop game-changing ideas.
Facilitate an ideation session with this deck. I chose what I think are the 5 biggest trends from Trend Watching's 2014 report. Please note, I changed TW's "Ubitech" to really be about Internet of Everything and added my own examples.
Business culture is changing, and so will technology, design and communicationHelge Tennø
Today there are three different core principles for running a business. Communication is a strategic tool for all of these models, but in completely different ways. What businesses need to do is accept that these different models exist, understand or decide which type of business they are, and then make sure to use the right type of communications portfolio to reach their goals.
Technology is changing customer relations rapidly. You see that technology is becoming invisible, technology is creating new experiences for customers, technology is democratizing the world and technology is making customer relations more transparant than ever. These evolutions have a big impact on doing business. In this presentation, I give guidelines for your customer strategy in the day after tomorrow. How to create a future proof customer strategy? It is build on 5 pillars: mobile first, data expertise, platform thinking, boundless experiences and customer collaboration.
Free research report based on a survey among 400 senior managers in UK and USA. Goal was to measure the level of social media integration and the effects social media integration has.
The report gives details about social media adoption, social media integration, barriers to adoption and much more.
Chapter 3 is about building the foundation and kicks off section 2. I start off discussing the need to create a centralized editorial team that will responsible for driving change within the organization.
Employee engagement meetings are powerful experiences.
Done well, corporate meetings can have a transformative effect on an organization, unifying employees and elevating the company’s goals and objectives.
However, meetings that don’t live up to their potential can be damaging, with a negative effect on morale, a failure to deliver key messages, and provide little in the way of ROI.
At Jack Morton, we’ve been elevating corporate meetings and engagements for over 75 years, and we’re sharing our thoughts on four principles that are proven to deliver extraordinary results for our clients.
Read our POV, and make your meetings extraordinary.
I was asked to speak at the IPA Strategy Group's Modern Briefing event this morning. These are my thoughts on why participation is so important-it fundamentally disrupts business models-and how we can get better at briefing for participation:
-A business problem is a behavioural change in disguise
-Think about network insights, not consumer insights
-Move from "the single thing we want to say" to "the single thing we're going to make or do"
CES 2015: A No Gadget Report for Marketers & BrandsBen Grossman
A fresh, no gadget take on the 2015 International CES, this report covers the top trends marketers and brands need to know as they enter 2015. Based on the evolution of the CES show over the last several years, the report also documents the rising in notoriety and popularity of CES within the marketing and advertising industry, now rivaling events like the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and SXSW Interactive.
After 48 years in existence, the event shows no signs of slowing down. 2015 marked the largest CES in history, with over 170,000 industry professionals in attendance and more than 2.2 million net square feet of exhibit space occupied by exhibitors. Today, the show sits comfortably at, as the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has dubbed it, “the center of convergence among content, services and products.”
Lean Communications: Process Improvement in PR and Corporate Communications U...Annie Eissler
PR and corporate communications programs are critical to the success of your business. However, there is frequently a lack of clarity around the implementation, measurement, and success of many communications programs. Some believe it’s all about having a relationship with a few reporters or sending out the occasional well-written press release, but with the
fragmentation of the media, everyone is now a consumer and producer of “media.”
Is there a way to create innovative, clutter-busting programs with focused and quantifiable business results without wasting time and money?
This paper examines the application of Lean Six Sigma in the development and improvement of communication programs by showing that the processes involved result in data that can be measured and analyzed to deliver more insightful, targeted efforts with more impactful outcomes. Innovative companies can benefit from growth, adaptability and success while enhancing their brands and reputations with the faster and better results that emerge from improved
communications programs.
Strategies in Corporate Communications: Fostering a Collaborative Culture in ...Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
Strategies in Corporate Communications: Fostering a Collaborative Culture in the Partnership Ranks
No question about it: culture is defined by the leadership of the firm. But if collaboration is a hallmark of the firm's culture, communications can play a large role in energizing collaboration. This session offers three valuable strategies to help facilitate clear, effective communication and foster creativity between law firm partners. Our presenters will address:
• The Vampire Syndrome: Killing Off Deadly Communications Permanently
A step-by-step program to remove impediments to collaboration that include dreadful practice descriptions, chilly biographies, pale internal updates and bloodless newsletters
• Beyond the Drum Circle
Creative ideas that foster and sustain collaboration.
• What's Your Partner's Elevator Pitch?
How to enable lawyers to "sell" one another through collaborative learning.
Facilitators:
Burkey Belser, President, Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
Joe Walsh, Principal, Greenfield/Belser Ltd.
The 2013 edition of the Holmes Report's Creativity in PR study, co-authored by NowGoCreate and sponsored by Ketchum. Based on research of 600 people across more than 35 countries, exploring whether the PR industry is creative enough to sway marketing budgets and develop game-changing ideas.
Facilitate an ideation session with this deck. I chose what I think are the 5 biggest trends from Trend Watching's 2014 report. Please note, I changed TW's "Ubitech" to really be about Internet of Everything and added my own examples.
Business culture is changing, and so will technology, design and communicationHelge Tennø
Today there are three different core principles for running a business. Communication is a strategic tool for all of these models, but in completely different ways. What businesses need to do is accept that these different models exist, understand or decide which type of business they are, and then make sure to use the right type of communications portfolio to reach their goals.
Technology is changing customer relations rapidly. You see that technology is becoming invisible, technology is creating new experiences for customers, technology is democratizing the world and technology is making customer relations more transparant than ever. These evolutions have a big impact on doing business. In this presentation, I give guidelines for your customer strategy in the day after tomorrow. How to create a future proof customer strategy? It is build on 5 pillars: mobile first, data expertise, platform thinking, boundless experiences and customer collaboration.
Free research report based on a survey among 400 senior managers in UK and USA. Goal was to measure the level of social media integration and the effects social media integration has.
The report gives details about social media adoption, social media integration, barriers to adoption and much more.
Content marketing is still hot. The bad news: many marketers think content marketing is about spamming people on social networks. I disagree with this approach. In this deck, I am sharing my 10 insights on content creation, based on my own experiences and best practices. But this is an unfinished document, I would love to receive input from other people in the field and I'd be happy to add their content tips into this deck.
The traditional advertising model is under pressure. Advertising is evolving towards content marketing: instead of a big bang, campaign-only, approach, companies should evolve to an always-on model in which content plays a very important role.
This paper gives our view on content marketing. See it as a pragmatic way to start with content marketing in your company. This approach is created based on market research our company InSites Consulting conducted during the last year.
In his new book, Steven advises companies to become conversation companies. A conversation company is a very consumer oriented company, relying on the power of people and using social media as a perfect partner. The Conversation Company invests in 4 C's to optimize its conversation potential: customer experience, conversation management, content, collaboration. This report gives an update to which extent companies are investing in these 4 dimensions.
Customer relations are in transformation! Pre-sales, sales & after sales are changing at high speed. Companies need to figure out the current customer journey, the role of self service, their data strategy and much more. In April 2014 I conducted a global study on the future of customer relationships in collaboration with data collection company SSI and translation agency No Problem!. The study looks into all aspects of a modern customer relation. This deck describes the highlights of the study.
The 2020 consumer is coming fast. Companies need to get ready for a new form of marketing. This presentation describes the capabilities and the organization needed to be successful in 2020.
Digital first really means customer first without compromise. That is what I learned from visiting more than 50 leading companies in this field of expertise. This presentation shows you the key trends of consumer behavior. This is about the consumer in the future. It's about the consumer in 2020. But the real question is how to deal with this customer. And that is where customer centricity comes in. The digital world creates new opportunities to create new experiences for consumers. This deck takes you on this journey
We are living in times where customer loyalty is decreasing. Is it possible to create a strong emotional relationship with your clients. Or even better: can you become Friends with your clients? In this presentation I describe the difficult road to friendship. It is about doing business with the heart and it is about involving people. That combination leads to the strong emotional bond. In the end, this leads to Friends with benefits: more sales, more word-of-mouth and more loyalty. This philosophy is part of the marketing of the future, in my belief. Doing business with and to the heart will become an asset in these modern times.
In September 2013, Steven Van Belleghem and Peter Hinssen organized an inspiration journey to the West Coast of the US. Together with 20 top executives, we visted a large group of companies. In this paper, we wrote down our conclusions of this very inspiring tour.
We learned the power of combining a customer first mentality with a networked organization and a purpose driven culture. Check out our paper to understand all details.
The Future of Customer Service: From Personal, to Self, to Crowd ServiceSteven Van Belleghem
The corporate world is at full stretch. On the one hand companies must meet ever-growing expectations with regard to customer experience, while on the other hand there’s a need for economic efficiency. The ultimate challenge for the customer service of the future consists in offering improved customer service at a lower cost.
In the years to come, every company will question its customer processes. Any sensible company will strive to create the ideal combination between efficiency and the perfect customer experience. Players who are only active online, such as Amazon.com and Booking.com, boast a highly efficient customer process. Even though their customers rarely come into contact with actual people they still provide a very satisfactory customer experience. Traditional companies have a history of a personal service burdened with a heavy cost structure.
To avoid overstretching, traditional companies must invest in digitization and in forging a personal (emotional) connection with the customer. Technology is opening up new possibilities in this regard but customers also like personal contact. This combination is shaping the future of customer service: a shift to self-service while still keeping things personal. Also, the service package is expanded by involving the customers themselves in the process. The customer-helps-customer philosophy (crowd service) enables companies to be more efficient and improve their service without losing sight of the human aspect. Fifty-five percent of consumers like the idea of other consumers helping them and 58% are prepared to help others . The customer is ready for crowd service.
This paper was written based on my own research (in collaboration with SSI and translation partner No problem!), desk research and discussions with companies. This paper takes a closer look at new trends and evolutions in the field of customer service.
Many companies find themselves at a crossroads. The next few years will decide which business models will survive and which will undergo sweeping changes. Technological evolution, the modern consumer and the total market compel us to answer that one crucial question: who is prepared to re-invent their company as well as themselves?
This deckand the accompanying presentation will introduce you to a philosophy that makes it possible for people and organizations to re-invent themselves. The objective is learning how to be relevant and successful in a tumultuous market.
Consumers want to be in control.The service expectations are increasing day by day. The only solution to meet consumer expectations is a self service solution. The majority of consumers is ready for self service. This report contains the summary of a global research project in which we mapped this trend.
There is an urgent need for an extreme transformation of the customer relationship. Customers live in a world of self service, big data, customer automation and the integration of the online & offline world. If your organization fails to implement the digital relation, your future becomes very uncertain. Succeeding in the digital transformation will not be enough. As a consequence of the digital evolution, there is also a need for the human transformation of your customer relationship. Thinking about the role of humans versus machines, thinking about the role of the warm human touch and considering the power to connect people with people, are the key challenges in this domain. ’When digital becomes human’ is a story about the combination of the digital and the human transformation in your customer strategy. This story will take you on a journey to the future. It is provocative, exciting and scary. Enjoy this amazing view on the future of marketing!
The report offers elaborate profiles of two hundred (200) Social Media Monitoring (SMM) tools and services worldwide including key product features, product applications, product screenshots, pricing and client information on more than 150 SMM tools and services, and much more. The Analysis part of the Report also provides a detailed guide to selecting and using SMM tools and services, definition of important SMM concepts and key applications, and up-to-date information on market trends including M&A activity. Visit our SMM Tools and Services Report page at http://ideya.eu.com/reports.html for more information
We promote Education backed by Direct Selling, something that was never tried before, ever in the world. A Student who enrolls using a starter pack of Rs.6000/-, has the option to recommend our products and services to others, and thereby make commissions, alternately pays for his higher education which costs far more than he could initially afford. We call this program "Earn While You Learn" Program. Currently "EWUL" program boasts of over 35000+ students who are being currently serviced by the company. A fresh sale happens almost every 04 minutes.
We are registered with the Registrar Of Companies, Delhi, and the Company's Registration No. Is: U72900DL2000PTC108691
Kulwinder singh's research paper on The CEO brandKulwinder Singh
In a global economy, with fiercely competitive firms rapidly commoditizing products, strong brands help companies to stand out from the crowd and differentiate themselves on a criterion other than cost. All successful companies leverage their CEOs to derive business benefits. At Mahindra Satyam BPO, leveraging CEO for branding is a full-fledged practice.
Employee engagement ideas and employee alignment best practicesJack Morton Worldwide
We live in a marketing world of explosive change: new channels, newly empowered consumers and a new commitment by brands to re-write old rules. So why is it so much still hasn’t changed about how brands engage their own employees?
But isn’t it all one brand? And isn’t it all dependent on creating a distinctive and great experience—with employees at the core? We think so. It’s time for new words to describe employee engagement—words that speak to a new approach to the field. Instead of employee engagement, how about Brand Experience Alignment?
What Works Where in B2B Digital Marketing [2011]Omobono
The 2011 edition of our annual 'What Works Where' research. The 2012 edition will be released shortly, but until then the statistics and insights here are still very useful.
Project communication breakdown - APM Project ArticleDonnie MacNicol
Communication can be a dangerous word – seemingly positive and action-orientated, but potentially laden with misunderstanding if used without thinking, writes Donnie MacNicol.
Do you have any doubts about how to conduct business properly and ensure its enhancement? The company owners are looking for ways to solve the issue to don't remain this question face to face. For this purpose, it is recommended to pay attention to the Top CRM Experts overview and choose the one can help your business.
Buyer Experience Innovation: Why Ceo's Need to Make This Their Top PriorityCintell
The pressure to achieve top line revenue growth and profitable growth strategies remain as the key challenges B2B CEO’s face today. Compounding these challenges is the rapid transformation underway in the buyer-seller relationship brought on by the advent of digital marketing and social media technology. For many B2B CEO’s, they are witnessing the conventional strategies associated with sales and marketing being dismissed and tossed aside by buyers at an alarming rate. The seller centric world of yesteryears has literally been turned upside down as buyers are seemingly in more control than ever and traditional strategies no longer are effective.
Why the Branding People Don’t Understand the Boardroommarccloosterman
Do you recognise this: A brand manager and his team have been working hard on the preparation of a rebranding. It’s initiated to support and convey the companies’ new strategy. However, in practice the change is visually only symbolised by a change of colours and some shapes, and the name stays the same.
Marketing was so much simpler when there was a limited number of TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, and movies. Marketers scheduled advertising in one or more mediums, waited, and watched for product sales as a result. Today there are myriad channels to utilize—and compete against—for customers’ attention. It’s no longer enough to create an exciting advertisement, let alone to expect a captive audience.
Marketers today must reach customers wherever they are through a variety of new tools, technologies, and platforms. Added to this, marketers need to sew in a genuine, personal, hands-on touch, and partner with customers. It sounds frightening, but the core concepts of marketing haven’t changed.
In this webinar, our panelists stitch together marketing fundamentals with the latest strategies. Specifically you will learn:
-Principles and practices of modern marketing.
-The mix of old and new skills marketers must balance.
-Analytical skills needed to succeed in modern marketing.
-Inbound marketing, web development, and design techniques for marketers.
Does Social Media Really Work for B2B: How B2B Businesses Can Employ Social M...Alex Milo, CSCP, CPL
Social media is dominant in B2C. In B2B social media has been slow to be accepted and adopted. Maybe it's because B2B may not be as easy to "Tweet" or "Like". But that's the wrong way to think. Instead, look at what social media does. It distributes information quickly and engages prospects. And it does both quickly. Social media is not a fad. It is trending and that trend is expanding. To improve your marketing results, B2B companies should use social media now. Why? Becasue it works.
Presentation on marketing to customers in the social era and how to adapt to changing customer behaviors and demands. This presentation was given at the San Diego Software Industries Council (SDSIC) on April 22, 2011.
In the Social Business Journal Volume 1, eighteen thought leaders share their insights on key topics on the road to social business success. Sign up to receive Volume 2 on the last slide. Enjoy!
The world is facing difficult times. I hope to inspire you all about the impact the crisis may have on customer experience. In this presentation, I share some ideas about the future of customer experience. How will customer experience evolve during and after this corona crisis.
In the deck I work with three strategic pillars to focus your customer experience efforts on: digital convenience, empathy and responsibility.
Summary of our social media integration research project. The full paper and detailed results are also available on my slideshare profile.
This presentation describes how you can integrate social media in your organization through 4 phases and 13 strategic projects.
The Social Dynamics model: how to integrate social media in your companySteven Van Belleghem
This is a research paper in which we describe how companies should integrate social media into their entire company. this paper is based on more than 25 in-depth interviews with senior executives working on the integration of social media.
This is one of the tools of the Conversation Manager: understanding conversations about your brand: both online & offline. We use the input of the research to develop brand & company conversation strategies.
conversations are the driver of trial for new products. Companies should be more focussing on managing the conversation than managing the product. Managing conversations is crucial for your success.
We tested more than 1300 tv commercials on their impact. We learned that the impact of likeability is lower than the impact of brand activation. If people talk about the brands after they saw a campaign, the impact on sales increases with 400%.
Social media & word-of-mouth can help everyone in building a great personal brand. This presentation describes in 5 simple steps your way to become a strong personal brand.
The 10 faq about social media and conversation management
1.
2. The 10 most frequently asked questions
about social media & Conversation Management
Since the publication of my book ‘De Conversation
Manager’ (2010), I’ve worked with quite a few companies
to inspire and advise them in this new marketing field.
?
The same questions keep coming back across all regions
and sectors of activity. Social media, community and
conversation managers will definitely recognise them,
because they are the same type of questions they hear
from colleagues every day.
In view of these recurring questions, I thought it would
be a good idea to make a list of the 10 most frequently
asked questions and their answers.
The contents are open to debate and new arguments can
certainly be added to this summary. Please feel free to add
your own contribution.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
3. The 10 most frequently asked questions
about social media & Conversation Management
1. Aren’t social media exclusively for B2C and not for B2B?
2. What is the profile of a Conversation Manager?
3. What if the boardroom doesn’t buy into social media?
4. What is the role of the product in social media?
5. Is operational conversation management something we do ourselves or should we call upon an outside company?
6. Are Facebook likes and Twitter followers important?
7. How do I get a lot of followers and likes?
8. How do I react to really negative people?
9. If I become active on social media, do I run the risk of stimulating negativity?
10. What use do I have for conversation management if my customers aren’t on Facebook or Twitter?
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
4.
5. Question 1
Aren’t social media exclusively for B2C and not for B2B?
The basic philosophy of conversational thinking is pretty simple and as old as For a B2B company, this is simply the next step in their existing approach;
the hills: the best kind of publicity is an existing client convincing someone for a B2C company, including the consumer in the decision-making process
else to work with your company. For years, manufacturers were able to exert often takes some getting used to.
a strong influence on public perception through intelligent and creative
publicity. In those pre-social media days, publicity produced an endless • Customer feedback has always been a first-hand experience. In a B2B
stream of information about everyone and everything, thereby diminishing organisation, direct customer feedback comes with the territory. Since sales
the impact of word of mouth. B2B marketers got to benefit much less from and service people work hand in hand with customers, they get feedback
this luxury and, as a result, conversations have always been important in a B2B on the company’s operational processes and service straight from the
context. Besides, I’m convinced that B2B marketers hold several advantages horse’s mouth. In a B2C context, though, feedback usually comes from a
over B2C marketers: market survey. A slightly lower percentage of reactions is negative, but they
are less personal and less direct than in a B2B context.
• Knowing clients: a good B2B marketer knows who the company’s clients
are (certainly the top clients). For instance, it is much harder for Coca Cola • Smaller volume of conversation. A final advantage is the fact that B2B
to find the consumer who drinks the most Coke in Holland than it is for a companies average a smaller number of conversations. In terms of online
company selling iron ore. conversations, an industrial company will average a lower volume than a food
manufacturer. On the one hand this makes it harder to get the conversation
• Co-creation is ingrained in the mentality: a lot of B2B companies started, but on the other hand it’s easier to manage and follow up.
habitually involve clients in R&D projects. What’s more, a new product or
technology is usually developed for specific client processes. Today, social
media make it possible to convert co-creation into structural collaboration.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
6.
7. Question 2
What is the profile of a Conversation Manager?
Since the publication of the original version of my book ‘The Conversation • Choice No. 2: The conversation manager as a facilitator of strategic change
Manager’ (2010), many companies have gone looking for someone to put in Let’s consider why so many companies are looking for a conversation
charge of their social media strategy. In quite a few cases, the job description manager. The answer is simple: we are living in a time of change. There
was ‘conversation manager’ – thank you very much for that, by the way. isn’t a company out there that doesn’t realise we need a new form of
When we analyse the many vacancies for conversation managers, it’s apparent interaction with the consumer. They want to engage the consumer in
that two profiles are in demand. There’s the strategic approach on the one conversation so they go in search of someone to manage that conversation.
hand and the operational approach on the other. Both jobs are valuable and Logical, isn’t it? What companies are really looking for is someone to aid
both are essential to effective conversation management. I found the inspira- them in that transition. In order to facilitate that change, a strategically
tion to describe both routes in the various papers of Jeremiah Owyang. competent conversation manager is the best choice. In this role, the
conversation manager is proactively involved in determining the strategy.
• Choice No. 1: The conversation manager as a reactive helpdesk The conversation manager heads the most important projects but also
A large portion of the job descriptions for conversation managers remind me involves the other departments in his plans. He makes sure that the learning
of the profile of a modern webmaster. These guys start up the conversation effect ripples throughout the organisation. In his ideas, he takes a proactive
for the brand by sending Facebook and Twitter updates. Every day they go approach to other departments. The conversation manager determines
looking for a small amount of content to put online. They represent major the content agenda of his organisation on a strategic level. He thinks a
brands and help companies find their way in conversation management. year ahead and goes in search of the most relevant content in order to
Every one of these tasks is of crucial importance but they are very operational in maximise the effect of the conversations about his company. He designs a
nature. They execute the assignments they receive from various departments. conversion strategy: how can all these conversations lead to conversion and
When someone is conducting a campaign, the conversation manager is consequently impact our turnover?
there to help him promote it. When there’s a crisis, the conversation manager
monitors the situation on behalf of those involved. Again, each one of these
tasks is important but they still only cater to the operational aspect of the job.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
8. General
HR The choice is yours
MGM
We’ve explained there are two different ways of
looking at conversation management. Both roles
R&D Sales are important: one is an operational, executive
role whereas the other has a strategic focus.
When writing the job description, it’s a good
Conversation
idea to think about the place of the new role in
Manager
the overall structure of the organisation.
Cust
Mkt
Care Most companies simply look for the operational
people. However, operational people need ‘the
(wo)man with the plan’. Combining both profiles
is what generates true change.
Legal IT
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
9.
10. Question 3
What if the boardroom doesn’t buy into social media?
The answer is simple: If you want to convince management of the use of social
media, then don’t talk about social media. Instead you should talk about
things that managers find important. One of the challenges for top managers
is improving customer satisfaction at a lower cost. Another challenge consists
in consolidating sales results in a world where customer contact is becoming a
rare commodity. Base your arguments on the challenges they face. Explain the
Social
long-term advantages of your plan. Contribute to one of the company’s main M edia
Plan
goals through your social media plan.
Also, it’s always a good idea to submit a concrete step-by-step plan. Such a
plan brings clarity and sets people at ease. The plan consists of a number of
pilots. Pilots with a long-term plan have the biggest impact. A successful pilot
survives the initial test phase. The ideal pilot is a pilot with the ability to keep
evolving with time.
Try to include a broad spectrum of factors in the plan. It shouldn’t merely
outline the external communication strategy but also the role that staff will
play. Take the structural changes into account and be transparent about the
investments required for the plan to be successful.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
11.
12. Question 4
What is the role of the product in social media?
It goes without saying that the quality of the product is essential. Analysis of consumer
conversations clearly shows that customer experience is the topic of conversation in Develop
Help customers
more than 50% of cases. This experience is always a combination of product quality conversation Grow an active
with issues,
starters around group of brand
and the quality of the service. When these two elements are satisfactory, you’re off to a thank them for
your advocates
flying start on social media: thanks to the quality of the product, consumers will already compliments
product/brand
be exchanging their product experiences of their own accord. The product has already
created a positive buzz, regardless of what you yourself are doing.
if product/service quality is OK
If your product is lacking in quality then you will be confronted with that fact in a hurry.
Faster than ever before, careful observation tells a company what’s wrong with its
products. We can help consumers by taking part in the conversation, but even more Product
& service
than that, it’s crucial to bring the observations into the R&D department and make
actual improvements to the product.
if product/service quality is not OK
In other words, product quality has a major impact on conversation management.
If your product and the accompanying service are up to par then you can start
brainstorming about creative content campaigns because consumers are prepared to Improve/new
Listen and be
talk about your company. If either your product or the service are below average, then product
empathic for Use consumer
you will need to focus on observation and on neutralising conversation management. negative feedback
Thank consumer
Of course, this also creates an opportunity. Using consumer feedback to improve your feedback
for feedback
product makes a company look good to its consumers.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
13.
14. Question 5
Is operational conversation management something we do ourselves
or should we call upon an outside company?
In a perfect world it’s better to implement conversation management ourselves.
Managing the direct relationship with the customer yourself is undoubtedly an asset.
In some cases, though, it’s better to use a partner:
• If round-the-clock availability is required but the terms of employment don’t allow it.
• If the company lacks the in-house knowledge to take part in the conversation.
• To provide assistance at peak moments. For instance, if a company can handle the daily flow of conversations but needs
outside help for a product launch, they may call upon an outside partner to help them deal with the peak in activity.
• In case of a pressing need for specific competencies that are not available within the company.
In the future, marketing organisations will try to become more flexible. As a result, the number of in-house staff may drop
as companies are quicker to call upon a specialised outside firm. The service providers’ expertise on the subject of online
participation may become so high that working with an outside partner becomes an asset.
The conclusion is that apart from the ideal case scenario, there’s also the everyday reality to take into account.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
15.
16. Question 6
Are Facebook likes and Twitter followers important?
Many social media experts would say ‘no’ but I beg to differ. However, two Still, keep in mind that your efforts should be based on a clear strategy.
conditions must be fulfilled: first of all, the fans and followers must be gen- You can devise a strategy using the four steps outlined below:
uine fans instead of ‘purchased fans’. And secondly, you have to get those
followers involved. An entirely passive audience has little worth. 1. Draw up a content conversion plan
Think carefully about which content areas you would like to tackle. Also,
If these two conditions are fulfilled, building a wide reach is a great asset. it’s a good idea to select a digital location that offers the best odds of
This is true for several reasons: conversion, of reaching your goals. Next you try to bring as many people
to that location as possible.
• The main reason: while the investments in campaigns and content remain
the same, their impact increases. In turn, this generates a bigger impact on 2. Build reach
investment. Once the strategy is in place, you have to build reach. See also the next
question for more pointers on the subject.
• Managers like figures and success indicators. As a conversation manager,
you will have to report to your superiors from time to time. A growing 3. Generate commitment through content
online reach may help you secure additional means. The content should be worthy of conversation. It should invite interaction
and make people feel involved with the brand.
• The perception of the outside world is still determined by volume and
reach. 4. From likes to ambassadors
The final step consists in activating people. When your fans start talking
about your brand to other people, that’s when the likes have been
converted into ambassadors.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
17. These four phases are obviously not entirely sequential; there is an overlap between phases 2, 3 and 4. In our strategy, it’s not that hard to define the necessary
actions for the various steps. In real life, though, we need to be flexible enough to adapt to consumer needs in a moment’s notice. Once a certain stage is
reached, phases 2, 3 and 4 become iterative steps in an eternal loop designed to build reach and create more ambassadors.
Conversion
Convince with
content & interaction
Build reach
through campaigns
Content
Touchpoint plan
TIME
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
18.
19. Question 7
How do I get a lot of followers and likes?
Three conditions must be fulfilled to build reach: • Campaigns worthy of conversation: invest in strong online campaigns to
boost the reach of the online channels.
1. Strong content: the most important way of building reach is sharing • Competitions & free giveaways: giving away free products is an effective
relevant, creative and enjoyable content with your network. Not only should method of building reach in the very short term. The drawback of this
the actual content be good, but more than anything else it should also be approach is there are no guarantees of attracting the right people. Many
visually convincing. Our communications are slipping back toward the age companies get a lot of ‘fans’ this way but their quality is often questionable.
of hieroglyphics: text is slowly but surely disappearing from the online world When using this strategy, the trick is to convince people through high-
and photos and videos are taking over. quality content.
2. Discipline: doing something fun once a year just isn’t enough. You have • Social advertising: good content deserves to be seen. Promote your
to settle on a rhythm for making and sharing strong content. Keep to that content with social media ads.
rhythm even if not much is happening in the short run. Discipline coupled • Activating staff: a company should always have more fans than staff. If
with patience is a second condition. your own staff are not interested in the content then you can’t expect the
3. Be human: don’t fall into the trap of one-way communication on social customer to take an interest. Train and coach your staff so they become
media. Keep it human. Play an active role in the conversation, react to other active ambassadors of your social media activities.
people’s input, joke around… Make the personality of your brand tangible. • Offline communication: building reach goes way beyond the online
channels themselves. Mentioning the online channels in every form of
Then there are also a number of more commercially oriented possibilities to communication will help build your reach on a structural level. Mention the
build reach. The challenge is to balance the scales. Don’t just go for the fast online channels in all communications: TV commercials, banners, posters,
build-up of fans but always concentrate on finding good fans. I have outlined printed ads, publicity at the mall …
a few ideas that work but you should take care to use them in a way that fits • Work with partners that have a wide reach: If you have a good
the brand while still attracting good fans: relationship with strong brands that already have a wide online reach then
you should look into the possibility of them sharing your content as well.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
20.
21. Question 8
How do I react to really negative people?
There are two kinds of negative people. The first kind had a bad experience with your company and the second kind is negative by nature.
The first are relatively easy to convert. The second are the so-called grouchy smurfs that are impossible to please. Both groups require a different approach.
Negative reactions after an incident: open a dialogue Haters: ignore their hate but understand its source
This group often spreads negative content about your company. They feel This group has lost all trust in your company. They are convinced your com-
you should do better (as opposed to positive criticism from those who think pany simply can’t do any better. Everything you say and do comes across the
you COULD do better). Open a dialogue and listen to their feedback. Maybe wrong way. The thought of having anything to do with your company makes
you can make some actual improvements that will change their opinion of them shudder. You won’t change their minds, not even through dialogue, so
your company. Make sure their negative comments are processed in a posi- there’s little sense in reacting to their negative comments. Anything you say
tive, empathic manner. Even if their opinion doesn’t change, at least you’ve will only fuel their anger and it’s a discussion you can’t win. Don’t pay any
neutralised the negative conversation. attention to them. Do not delete their negative comments but simply ignore
their remarks. By reacting, you are giving the impression they’re succeeding
in their mission. The only interesting thing is to determine (listen) the cause
for these extreme feelings. You can learn from the past to keep other people
from developing the same feelings towards your company.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
22.
23. Question 9
If I become active on social media,
do I run the risk of stimulating negativity?
Consumers don’t need your permission to talk about your company. still about understanding your customers and reacting appropriately.
Conversations will take place regardless of whether or not the company itself In other words, it all starts with listening to what consumers have to say.
is involved. If you’re not, then you don’t know what they are saying and you
can’t react; by participating in the conversation, you are aware of what they If your company is hesitant to create an online presence it can be very helpful
are saying and you can react. to fall back on the three steps of conversation management:
Also, your presence will have a psychological effect in limiting the number • Observe: start by listening before you join in the conversation. As long as
of negative conversations. After all, people are reticent to make negative you are uncomfortable participating, the least you can do is listen.
comments when the target of the remarks can hear them. It is very easy to • Facilitate: make it easier to talk to you and about you.
be angry with someone who isn’t in the room. Arguing with someone who is • Join: take part in the conversation. Leave the safety of your brand identity
actually there takes more nerve. and put a face on the brand in your capacity as marketer.
The more human your style of conversation management, the fewer negative
As a manager As a brand As a peer
conversations take place. Nevertheless, a major mistake by your company
will result in an avalanche of negative comments. Again, this is not related to
your presence or absence but to the mistake itself.
Observe Facilitate Join
Not being active on social media means turning a deaf ear to your
customers’ feedback and that’s obviously a bad idea. After all, marketing is
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
24.
25. Question 10
What use do I have for conversation management
if my customers aren’t on Facebook or Twitter?
Conversation management goes beyond Facebook and Twitter. It’s about establish-
ing an emotional connection with customers that results in positive conversations.
These positive conversations are the basis for growth. I’ve never heard of a company
that doesn’t care about positive conversations, regardless of the channel being used.
Needless to say, the new media also play a role in conversation management. While
it is true that not everyone uses these channels, they are still important to every
company. Digital marketing goes beyond Facebook and Twitter. Company’s often
underestimate the importance of their own website. Establishing your own channel
for interactive communication with the customer is also part of a conversation strate-
gy. This involves a larger target group, viz. the entire internet population.
In addition, the indirect effect of social media is often much bigger than the direct
effect. More and more, news is being shaped online. Once the classic media pick
up a story, it grows and may eventually become a fad. The quickest road to offline
visibility is scoring on social media. The opposite is also true: the quickest road to
online success is your offline behaviour. In other words: thinking in silos is not a good
idea. Everything is interconnected and every channel has its own part to play.
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
26. To learn all details about my vision, check out my two books...
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational
27. Feedback & suggestions?
I hope these questions and suggestions for answers help you to tackle
questions and issues in your day to day working environment.
If you have other experiences or suggestions, feel free to contact me.
Steven@VanBelleghem.Biz
@StevenVBe
linkedin.com/in/stevenvanbelleghem
facebook.com/theconversationmanager
Thank you and good luck!
twitter.com/stevenVBe
b-conversational.com |
B Conversational