Social media: time waster or powerful business tool?

Transcription

1 Social media: time waster or powerful business tool? Mari Anne Snow CEO, SophiaThink Consulting 22 June, 2010

2 Agenda What is social media? Current landscape: May 2010 How these tools impact daily life Generational differences in networking How do we keep the connection? How are these tools changing business? Unique challenges for highly regulated industries Discussion

3 What is social media? Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/social_media A category of sites that is based on user participation and usergenerated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction. searchenginewatch.com/define Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.

4 Current landscape: May 2010 YouTube 1B+ Facebook 450M+ Twitter 60M+ LinkedIn 70M+

5 Global overview Global user statistics LinkedIn 50% outside US 22% in the EU Twitter 50% non-english tweets 1.Australians 2.British 3.Italians 4.Americans

6 Examining one tool s growth: LinkedIn July M August M February M June M

7 How these tools impact daily life Information sourcing Information disclosure Networking Influence Business

8 How does the world find things in 2010?

9 What are the current UK trends?

10 Generational differences in networking *Source:

11 Who uses LinkedIn? 60/40 men to women 92% college educated 23% % % % Fastest growing user group? Source:

12 Facilitated discussion groups Source:

13 Live information about my business network Source:

14 Global professional presence Source:

15 Who uses Facebook?

16 Expanded business visibility

17 Specialized communities

18 How do we keep the connection? Smart phones, netbooks, ipads Main information conduits in future Portable handheld devices Instant access to worldwide data and expertise

19 How are these tools changing business Unprecedented access to information for professionals about clients New definitions of community Talk to me, talk with me, not at me New role for clients as brand advocates for businesses they trust

20 Unique challenges for highly regulated industries You need a realistic, structured plan Authenticity often conflicts with regulation This is not a controlled environment Choose your tools wisely Think about your demographic Make sure you have a long term support plan You must balance the two to succeed You need dedicated, skilled resources You need realistic guidelines regarding data sharing There is an inherent business risk, plan for it Your response is often as important as what is said More about two-way conversation, dialogue

21 Discussion

22 Thank you, if you have questions: Mari Anne Snow, CEO - SophiaThink msnow@sophiathinkconsulting.com website: LinkedIn: