Facebook and Twitter Change Industry

This is so strong… How big BIG companies are using Social Media…

Read it here

1. Expansion

These companies are increasing the number of employees dedicated to social media. Cisco’s Brill currently manages a team of 7, she predicts that will rise to 20 to 30 by 2011. Comcast’s Eliason says he’s adding two more to his ten-person staff this year. The rising headcount naturally reflects the companies’ growing online initiatives— Cisco already has 25 blogs and more than 100 Twitter accounts

2. Identity

Within corporations, social media is also breaking out of its silo. Companies may be building out specialized teams for social media, but many are also encouraging other employees to use social CRM tools and to become active external agents. For the last few years we’ve been focused on how companies should push out their content and interact with the market, the less apparent power of social media is how it will disrupt the mechanics of business. Eliason says that it has the potential to completely restructure companies, flatten organizations, and democratize the workplace: “We’re going to see a real big shift with employees, whether it be employees talking externally or even talking internally…it’s going to be a new way of having a little bit more power than they did before
3. Stay Focused On Your Business Objectives

This is related to Owyang’s first (oddly phrased) rule, “don’t fondle the hammer.” The executives warned that companies shouldn’t be caught up in specific platforms or rough metrics. Everything should be done in the context of your businesses’ objectives and broader strategy. For example, when it comes to return on investment, Eliason says “The real approach to ROI in this space, is to get all these groups together, PR, marketing, HR IT, and talk through what’s important to you. So we get huge return on investment when we listen to these things and then we act or fix things because we’re listening. The dollars are huge. You could have a 30 minute event that pays for my team for well over a year.”  Meanwhile, Virgin America’s Payson says a flexible model will help you meet your objectives and stay responsive, he balances flexibility with structure by working in three-month cycles. The team plans for developments and initiatives on a three-month time line, but will constantly readjust according to buzz activity and user feedback.

Complete Awesomeness!