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For some time I've pointed out the need for the Cisco groups responsible for enterprise collaboration (including unified communications, mobile, WebEx, etc.) to be better aligned with the more consumer-centric, social media-focused EOS group(s). Case in point - below - study released from one side of the house that seems to be disconnected from the broader collaboration message. Eos was not mentioned at the Cisco Collaboration Summit and suddenly it is at the center of a social media social networking storyline that has consumer and enterprise implications. Should be easy to fix ... repeat: "should be" ... I've pointed this out for some time now. That said, this theme aligns perfectly with a recent report (see below) Alice Wang and I authored on social media and social networking that addressed similar issues (e.g., need for governance, decision framework, closer involvement from IT organizations due to issues such as identity and security). Global Study Reveals Proliferation of Consumer-Based Social Networking Throughout the Enterprise and a Growing Need for Governance and IT Involvement Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today released the results of a third-party global study designed to assess how organizations use consumer social networking tools to collaborate externally, revealing the need for stronger governance and IT involvement. The research is the first of a two-part series that Cisco has commissioned to explore the impact of social networking and collaboration applications in the enterprise. The new study is based on extensive interviews with 105 participants representing 97 organizations in 20 countries around the globe. Conducted between April and September 2009, the research was carried out by leading business schools in the United States and Europe: IESE Business School in Spain, E. Philip Saunders College of Business at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the U.S., and Henley Business School in the United Kingdom. The use of consumer-based social networking tools, such as Facebook and Twitter, as collaboration platforms is connecting organizations with the external world in myriad ways. These tools bring technology and business together through innovative experiences, connect people and information, establish potential new routes to market, and enhance customer intimacy and brand awareness. The study findings indicate that the business world is at the early stages of adopting these tools and in the process of identifying key challenges, such as the need for increased governance and IT involvement, which may impact the integration and adoption of these new platforms and technologies. Global Study Reveals Proliferation of Consumer-Based Social Networking Throughout the Enterprise and a Growing Need for Governance and IT Involvement Cisco Eos - Social Networking Branded Online Social Entertainment Experiences Cisco Eos allows media companies to combine social audience features with their high-value, branded content to deliver a higher-value, interactive entertainment experience today's consumers expect. Eos delivers a social entertainment experience where consumers can interact with others around their favorite entertainment content in an environment defined, branded, and monetized by the media owner. Eos enables: Greater online brand visibility and website traffic Deeper audience engagement New revenue opportunities Eos Social Networking Features Over 40 pre-built modules are available to include in each website experience, allowing deeper, more personal consumer connections. Modules include: User profiles Forums and message boards Blogs Content sharing (including YouTube uploads) Commenting and rating Activity feeds and alerts Branded video players Cisco Eos - Social Networking Burton Group Clients Only: Many believe that the main purpose of social media is to improve brand awareness and corporate communications. The result is that marketing groups typically own social media initiatives. Although this approach may suffice initially, as strategies become more comprehensive, the complexity of dealing with different solution providers, and a diverse collection of application scenarios, introduces technology-related issues that marketing teams may inadvertently overlook. IT organizations should have a more prominent role in social media programs to help business management address tactical and long-term implications of governance, social computing, identity, security, and risk management. Social Media’s Cautionary Tale: A Management Overview

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Social Media impacts every business, every brand, and in doing so, connects a network of distributed communities of influence, making the world a much smaller place in the process.  Small businesses are in fact at an advantage in Social Media Marketing as they can focus on hyper-local activity that can offer immediate rewards or at the very least, the real-time feedback or lack thereof says everything about next steps. A recent survey conducted by Citibank offers a contrary point of view, citing small business executives who believe social networks offer no benefit or promise to expanding their business. This isn’t all that uncommon however. The truth is that without knowledge or direct experience, it’s virtually impossible to envision the potential of something where they’re most likely absent as a consumer themselves. But, if a conversation takes place online and you’re not there to hear it, did it actually happen? Of course it did…and it continues – with or without you. The “I” in ROI does not stand for ignorance. It does however stand for investment and in cases where new media is “new,” it also stands for intelligence. We’re learning together and that’s both an opportunity and an impediment. We need guidance to better understand the promise and also how to reap its reward. Ad-ology published its “Small Business Marketing Forecast 2010″ report that revealed that among the other benefits of social media, lead generation is the biggest benefit of online networking. Other benefits ranked as follows… Keeping up with the industry Very Beneficial: 16% Somewhat: 29% Not Beneficial: 55% Monitoring what is being said about your business Very Beneficial: 16% Somewhat: 28% Not Beneficial: 55% Generating leads Very Beneficial: 16% Somewhat: 34% Not Beneficial: 50% Competitive intelligence Very Beneficial: 14% Somewhat: 29% Not Beneficial: 57% Improving customer experience Very Beneficial: 12% Somewhat: 29% Not Beneficial: 59% Resolving problems Very Beneficial: 11% Somewhat: 22% Not Beneficial: 67% Finding vendors/suppliers/partners Very Beneficial: 10% Somewhat: 28% Not Beneficial: 62% Recruiting for new employees Very Beneficial: 8% Somewhat: 19% Not Beneficial: 73% Background checks – employees, suppliers, etc. Very Beneficial: 7% Somewhat: 20% Not Beneficial: 72% Among those surveyed, Facebook appeared as the most beneficial social network. Perhaps tied the reverberation of activity across social graphs. LinkedIn, while cited less often, ranked just below Facebook, but ahead of Twitter – for now at least. Facebook Very Beneficial: 10% Somewhat: 23% Not Beneficial: 14% Do not use: 53% LinkedIn Very Beneficial: 6% Somewhat: 15% Not Beneficial: 13% Do not use: 67% MySpace Very Beneficial: 6% Somewhat: 11% Not Beneficial: 15% Do not use: 68% Twitter Very Beneficial: 6% Somewhat: 13% Not Beneficial: 12% Do not use: 69% YouTube Very Beneficial: 5% Somewhat: 10% Not Beneficial: 12% Do not use: 73% The study shows that education and awareness are needed among small businesses to better understand the promises, advantages and the commensurate commitments necessary to generate visibility and ultimately the activity necessary to sustain or at the very least, contribute to a lucrative and growing business. 31 percent of small businesses claimed that their primary hurdle was the perception that “our customers do not use social networks.” Equally, business owners complained that they do not have the time or resources necessary to run an effective social media marketing campaign. Sound familiar? While yes, it’s true, small business owners must focus on the core products, services, and values of their business. However, without visibility, customers do not possess the information necessary to connect the dots between their want or need and you. The Top 10 Ways to Monetize Real-Time Conversations in Social Media No story is complete without providing ideas to move forward and compete for the future. By competing for the future, we also cultivate a flourishing state of “now.” One of the primary advantages of social media for small businesses is the relatively low cost associated with uncovering relevant conversations within your geographic or service area. It’s how we can identify and personally connect with customers. It’s how we learn what they’re seeking. It reveals interests and cravings. For example, take a moment to run a real-time search activity search using Collecta to get a feel for the volume and velocity for relevant conversations online. Then, run a local search on Twitter (choose by geography) using a keyword related to your business, but not necessarily that of your business or product name. For example, Pizza, Coffee, and local yogurt shops are searching those words specifically to offer specials and free items to those within proximity to stop in and give it a try. Business owners report that while offers and freebies reflect a notable investment, they always increase clientele and business overall. To help entrepreneurs and small business owners capitalize on the “now” or real-time conversations populating social media, Web 2.0 investor extraordinaire Ron Conway offered his vision for the top 10 ways to monetize real-time conversations. 10. Lead generation 9. Coupons 8. Analytics, analyzing the data 7. Enterprise CRM 6. Payments 5. Commerce 4. User-authentication, verifying accounts 3. Syndication of new ads 2. Advertising – Context and display ads 1. Acquiring followers New mobile social networks such as FourSquare , Loopt , Gowalla are also emerging that connect people within local areas based on where they are and what they’re doing. These services require you to “check in” to a location or an establishment and as such, local businesses are encouraging patrons to do so by offering incentives, “check in here on FourSquare and get a free slice of pizza or a free beer.” Why? Each time someone checks in, their social graph follows the establishments they frequent and as such, brands the venue within a very trusted circle. There are also opportunities for paid sponsorships. Each time I check in to venues in Redwood City, a local wine shop and tasting room, Savvy Cellar , pops up with a “nearby special.” If I pop in and show my iPhone with the special, I receive 50% off any tasting. Brilliant. To learn more about specific examples for increasing awareness and revenue using Social Media, please read Forbes’ piece on 21 Top Twitter Tips ( Story | Through Pictures ) Connect with Brian Solis : Twitter , LinkedIn , Tumblr , Plaxo , or Facebook — Get the new iPhone app! — Click the image below to buy the book/poster : — Image Source: Shutterstock

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The Socialization of Small Business

Marketing Podcast with Grammar Girl This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Marketing podcast with Mignon Fogerty (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes For this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast I thought I would grab one of my favorite podcasters Mignon Fogarty . Fogarty is known to legions as Grammar Girl and she’s built an impressive empire dishing out Grammar and a growing list of other topics in Quick and Dirty style. On top of finding a way to build an audience for tips about grammar, she has turned her approach and idea into the the Quick and Dirty Tips Network. The Quick and Dirty Network is a platform created for other experts including Dog Training, Nutrition, Sales, Get it Done Guy and Public Speaking. The brand and approach has led to traffic, advertising and book deals for several of the experts. Fogerty’s the author of New York Times bestseller Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing and the 365 day long Grammar Devotional . Mignon makes grammar fun and lord knows we could all use a bit of that. Make sure you check out some of the t-shirts she’s created. In this podcast: About the Quick and Dirty Network Secret behind the success of the Grammar Girl podcast Five worst grammar mistakes Grammar Girl vs. The Elements of Style Making grammar and usage discussion interesting Resources from Grammar Girl GoToWebinar is the presenting sponsor of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Related Posts: Six Pixels with Mitch Joel 3 Sources of Grammar Inspiration Made to Stick Podcast Tim Ferriss on the New 4-Hour Workweek New Jott Feed Feature Reads Blogs for You Like this post? Share it with others

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Marketing Podcast with Grammar Girl

Stop Trying To Be Better Than the Competition This content from: Duct Tape Marketing And start figuring out how you can be different than your competition. So many business owners or would be start-ups sit around this time of year trying to figure out how they can be better than the competition – better product, better service, better features, and, the real killer, better price. Heck, some even strive to be “best” in class. What they should be doing is figuring out how they can simply be different than the competition. I’m not against lofty goals – the problem is creating a better product or service is hard. Prospects often won’t take the time to understand the subtle differences that make your product or service better and you might spend all your time and energy trying to educate them on better when all they want to know is the price. If you’ve even wondered why prospects are choosing your competitors over your obviously superior offering, you may have just a hint of appreciation for what I’m saying here. Better than the competition is the enemy of different than the competition, and different is where the money is! Instead of trying to be better or exactly like, build a strategy around a simple way that your company is different from the pack. Again, this is sometimes a place where companies will say, “well, we are different we have a better product, or we offer better service.” Really, and do your competitors all suggest they offer crappy service? We can debate the countless intricate ways that companies can use to create a strategy of difference, but it all pretty much boils down to: 1) Better product 2) Better process 3) Better relationships In my opinion focusing all of your strategic thinking, goal setting and actions on building a better process or better relationships is the surest and maybe simplest way to create a true competitive advantage that someone might care about. Would you rather lean on your 5% better product or price or on something so totally outrageous and innovative that people can’t stop talking about it? Creating your own special way to treat customers, creating an experience that’s unique, or creating a totally new and frictionless way for people to get a result is how you stand out from the pack, it’s how you create a difference that can’t be easily copied, and it’s how innovation comes to small business. Instead of spending your precious R&D time on product features, spend it on creating branded intellectual property, a distinct way of marketing, or on developing people and culture inside your organization that enables you to be seen as different. I’ll leave you with two powerful questions to pose to your organization to help you get started. 1) What are we doing that our competitors are not? 2) What are we doing just like our competitors that we could change for good? Image credit: Laenulfean Related Posts: Don't sell something you can't make more of What's So Scary About Marketing Strategy? Your Real Competition Is Perception Be the Red Leaf Stop Wasting Your Time With Social Media Like this post? Share it with others

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Stop Trying To Be Better Than the Competition

As the use of cell phones and smart phones expands, so do the number of options for consumers to discover and interact with brands. From web browsing to email to social networking and even shopping, more people are using their cell phones as portable computers. However, most sites are not optimized for hand-held devices such as cell phones. There are really two things to consider;  web site design and how customers are going to find the web site through mobile search. How do you design for the mobile platform? The good news is that in most cases, you don’t need a separate site, you just need a cascading style sheet (CSS) attached to your website that feeds up specific instructions to a mobile browser. For the most part, mobile browsers are a lot like the web used to be; mainly text and links. Granted, as the iPhone, Google/Android Phones and other more advanced devices come along, the browsing features also advance. Most smart phones like the iPhone view the web as it should be without anything stripped out. But, since everyone doesn’t own a smart phone just yet, it’s worth focusing on the what the mass mobile market has, basic handheld web browsers. When designing your CSS for handheld web browsers, here are a few things to consider: You have very limited screen real estate. About 2

Helpful for social platforms based on Drupal - would like to see relevant features of Friend Connect supported within Apache SocialSite (still hopefull that this effort gains more attention and traction). I'm happy to announce that Google Friend Connect features are now also available for Drupal and Joomla . Now that Friend Connect is integrated with these popular open source CMS platforms, site owners can make registration easier for users and offer them a set of social features -- all without writing a single line of code. Even site owners without programming experience can add these plugins. Both Drupal and Joomla integrations include the latest Google Friend Connect features, like Interest Polls, AdSense, Newsletter Subscriptions, Featured Content, and well-known gadgets such as Members, Comments, Recommendations, Activities, Reviews and the Social Bar. When a user joins a Friend Connect site, an account is created and automatically associated with his or her external account of choice (Google, Yahoo, or Twitter, for example). The social gadgets can be placed anywhere in the site using the standard Drupal and Joomla administration interfaces. Site owners can moderate reviews and comments, create new polls to collect information about community members, and then advertise on the site using that information. The newsletter feature allows site owners to create and manage their newsletters using Friend Connect's interface, and site members can subscribe and unsuscribe as desired using the newsletter gadget. Social Web Blog: Add social features to your CMS: Friend Connect now available for Drupal and Joomla Other relevant information: Friend Connect Drupal integration Google Friend Connect APIs (Labs) Social Graph API (Labs)

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Google Friend Connect now available for Drupal and Joomla

Getting More From Your Google Maps Profile This content from: Duct Tape Marketing Mobile and desktop surfers alike are turning to Google Maps to find local and sometimes nearby businesses. Optimizing your web pages for local search has become an extremely important part of the local marketing mix. Claiming and building strong profiles in the local search directories is another must for the new local search habits. Today’s post and accompanying video explains a bit of tweak that I suggest can make your Google Maps profile even more local search term friendly. As shown in the video above, once you claim your Google Maps Profile (Go to the Google Local Business Center ) you have the freedom to do lots of customization, including customizing the very important “category” listings, which Google relies very heavily upon to determine when to show your profile. You must choose one category suggested by Google, but are free to add up to four more that can contain city names as part of the category. In my opinion, Las Vegas plumber is a much stronger local category than just plumber. Watch this quick video and then go strengthen up your profile Related Posts: Adding YouTube Video to your Google Local profile Google Adds Wonderwheel Search Results Option More Local Marketing Tools from Google Some Video Thoughts on Social Media TweetDeck Adds Lists and LinkedIn Like this post? Share it with others

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Getting More From Your Google Maps Profile