1. The Little Book of !
Social Business.!
Gramercy Park Consulting!
gramercypark.com.au!
@gramercypark!

2. Contents!
!
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3. The New Social Landscape. !
!
5. What is a Social Business?!
!
7. What is Social Business Strategy?!
!
9. What are the Benefits of Social
Business?!
!
16. What are ‘The 7 Success Factors of
Social Business Strategy’?!
!
19. Contact Gramercy Park Consulting.!
!
!
All quotes, text, trademarks, product names,
company names and logos appearing in this booklet
are the property of their respective owners.!
2!

3. The New Social!
Landscape.!
Business changes fast…but technology
changes faster.!
!
Today, the use of social technologies and
social tools has moved beyond the domain of
the marketing / communications department.!
Organisations big and small are seeing
significant business benefits through the use
of social technologies inside the
organisation.!
!
Just some of these business benefits
include;
!
• enhanced employee engagement!
• fostering collaboration!
• increased innovation!
• better knowledge capabilities!
• increasing customer response times!
• empowering teams!
• engaging the right people and…!
• increased sales.!
!
3!

4. However just like social media strategy,
social business strategy isn’t about the
technologies, the tools or the channels.!
!
A successful social business strategy
requires goals aligned with business
objectives. It requires a succinct vision with
senior executive support. It requires a
detailed strategic roadmap with solid
governance and guidelines. Plus an
organisation will need the financial and
human resources support for technology
investments and social business initiatives. !
!
Todays new social technology landscape
presents a world of innovative and exciting
opportunities for those organisations
prepared to embrace new ways of thinking,
collaborating and working.!
!
We hope you enjoy this little educational
book about social business and hope it
inspires you to embark on a journey outside
the traditional boundaries of social media.!
!
Exciting times!!
!
4!

5. What is a!
Social Business?!
Wikipedia definition:
‘Organisations that have adopted
the social business model utilise
social media tools and social
networking behavioral standards
across functional areas for
communicating and engaging with
external audiences, including
customers, prospective customers,
prospective employees, suppliers,
and partners.’!
5!

6. “By 2015, the 20% of
enterprises employing
social media beyond
marketing will lead
their industries in
revenue growth.”!
!
gartner.com!
6!

7. What is !
Social Business!
Strategy?!
Technology research and
advisory experts Altimeter Group
(USA) describe ‘Social Business
Strategy’ as:
“The deep integration of social
technology and social
methodologies into the
organization to drive business
impact.”!
7!
altimetergroup.com!

8. “Too often, companies
implement social
software without clear
business objectives or
a strategy for making
an impact on
organisational
performance. These
efforts typically fail. ”!
!
deloitte.com!
8!

9. What are the
Benefits of!
Social Business?!
IBM outlines five primary
business functions where
social business technologies
can help leaders throughout an
organisation create a
competitive advantage:!
!
1. Human Resources!
2. Marketing!
3. Sales!
4. Customer Service!
5. Product & Service Innovation!
!
(Source: IBM Social Business)! 9!

10. !
Benefits for
Human Resources!
!
!
!
Engage the right people:!
Source talent by leveraging
social networks and connect
employees to improve
enablement.!
!
Motivate and empower:
Improve employee
engagement, motivation and
effectiveness.!
!
Foster success:
Identify critical issues and
address them with speed.!
10! (Source: IBM Social Business)!

11. Benefits for
Marketing!
!
Target more effectively:!
Address individuals and
build advocacy at every
touch point.!
!
Drive loyalty:
Engage customers in
dynamic, personalised
experiences to keep them
coming back.!
!
Build your brand:
Help your team execute
consistently across all
channels and with every
engagement.!
(Source: IBM Social Business)! 11!

12. Benefits for Sales
!!
Empower your team:
Connect sellers with the right
experts and information to
anticipate and meet clients
needs.
!
Build relationships:
Connect client, transaction
and social data so you know
your customers better than
the competition.!
!
Connect with clients:!
Engage with clients in new
ways through dedicated
communities.!
12! (Source: IBM Social Business)!

13. !
Benefits for
Customer
Service!
!
Anticipate problems:
Listen and analyse
customer feedback to
understand emerging
issues.!
!
Respond faster:
Find the right information
and experts required to
address issues as they
emerge.!
!
Enable self-service:
Help clients find the
answers they need 24/7.!
(Source: IBM Social Business)! 13!

14. Benefits for
Product & Service
Innovation.
!
Collaborate beyond
borders:!
Form global internal
communities of interest to
tackle common challenges.!
!
Unlock innovation:
Improve productivity by
tapping into the collective
intelligence inside and
outside the organisation.!
!
Break down silos:
Share intellectual capital and
content with the people who
need it.!
14! (Source: IBM Social Business)!

15. “A social business is an
engaged, transparent
and nimble organisation
whose culture and
systems encourage
networks of people to
create business value.”!
!
!
!
!
@IBMSocialBiz
ibm.com/social!
!
!
15!

16. What are ‘The 7 Success
Factors of Social
Business Strategy.’?!
1. Define the Business Goals.!
“You can’t align your social strategy with
your business objectives if you don’t even
know what your objectives are. Define &
refine.”!
!
2. Establish Long-term Vision.
“If you’re not striving toward the end goal,
you’re likely to veer off the path. If you want
your team to fully invest in your social
strategy - and you need the support of your
entire team - you’ll need to communicate
your vision with clarity and passion.”!
!
3. Executive Support.
“In the early days you may be able to fly
under the radar, but at some point, if you
want to truly have an impact on the
business, you’ll need the backing and
support of key executives.”!
16! (Source: Altimeter Group)!

17. 4. Strategic Roadmap.!
“You already know your business objectives
and have a clear vision. But how are you
going to get there? Plan out your route, what
roads you’ll travel, and what roads you’ll
avoid.”!
!
5. Governance & Guidelines.
“Who is responsible for executing the social
strategy? What’s your process of listening &
responding to customers? If you clearly
define this process and then stick to it, you’ll
spend less time floating along throughout
the social sphere and more time strategising
your social growth.”!
!
6. Staff, Resources & Funding.!
“In the early stages of social growth, you
might outsource your social media
campaign to an agency, and that’s fine. But
you should also be looking down the road
and planning to develop internal resources
to take your company to the next level as
your social prowess – and your business –
grows.”!
(Source: Altimeter Group)!
17!

18. 7. Investment in Technologies.
“Resist the temptation to jump on the latest
technology bandwagon before you have a
long-term strategic plan in place. Hold off on
making significant technology investments
until you’re equipped with a sound vision
and strategic plan.”!
!
(Source: Altimeter Group)!
“A new Oracle study
recently revealed 97% of
executives place ‘High
Importance’ on becoming a
socially enabled !
enterprise.”!
!
!
oracle.com/social!
18!

19. !
!
!
!
Social Business Strategy.
Social Media Strategy.
Digital Thinking.!
!
Contact:!
Simon te Brinke GAICD!
Perth, Western Australia.
!
E: stebrinke@gramercypark.com.au!
Twitter: @gramercypark!
LinkedIn: simontebrinke
Blog: gramercypark.com.au!