Social CRM: Controversial, Complex, Critical!

Here at The Social CMO we have a number of experts, definers and those interested in the implementation of Social CRM Strategies. Everytime we make a post on the topic, there is always many responses both positive, negative or debating one interpretation or another.

See our recent post from @HKotadia entitled Definition of Social CRM – Explained! and the subsequent comments discussion as just one example of how active a topic that Social CRM is currently.

Also, for those looking for a frank and simple discussion of Social CRM and the approaches and differences from traditional CRM, the below two part interview videos with Lithium CMO Sanjay Dholakia are a great starting place.

Part One of interview with Lithium CMO Sanjay Dholakia



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Making Social Media Happen in Your Company

New video from @ChrisBrogan recorded at SAS’s headquarters in Cary, North Carolina in which he lays out some concrete steps people and companies can take to make social media happen.

Notable are the points on the utility of social media in undoing the lobotomy that seperated functions such as marketing and PR to now create a unified development and communications capability.



Looking forward to meeting Chris at #BroganMemphis as it seems he shares some of the unification goals of @TheSocialCMO through C-Level Social and smashing the silos with social media is currently one of our favorite pastimes!

Jeff Ashcroft

In search of the smorganization

The concept of smorganization was born out of my desire to find one word to first grab the attention and then communicate the dramatic changes to organizations of all types which are currently underway facilitated by social media.

Most have still not grasped the depth or realized the breadth of the communications revolution happening around us, but it is real, it is impactful and once these titanic forces are positively focused by forward thinking leaders within the organizations of the world, smorganization can and will take us to a better place.

So smorganization in its’ simplest interpretation is Social Media Organization or just smorganization, a one word conglomeration representing what in its’ entirety is a complex and rapidly evolving transformation process.

Social media organizations will be in a continuous listening and communication mode with all stakeholders both internal and external, monitoring the employee and customer experiences they create and the feedback and ideas they generate creating an ongoing improvement continuum.

But smorganization is not just a noun, it is very importantly also a verb and this transition and those organizations which survive it, will be led by visionary leaders who learn how to work with their people, customers, suppliers and communities to continuously smorganize and resmorganize themselves effectively based on feedback, goals and always with a sustainable action orientation.

These same channels of internal/external listening and communicating will also fuel these entities as they truly strive to become Learning Organizations as depicted by Peter Senge in his book Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization.

New systems which support the People, Processes and Projects each organization needs to deliver on their goals will have to be developed connecting all three of these critically important features in order to co-ordinate, create and maintain the harmonious movement and growth of smorganizations as they proceed towards delivering on their mandate.

Emerging models of leadership based on using the above approaches will allow leadership teams to “lead from the middle” making decisions based on the best available knowledge and participation from both within and outside the organization.

The tools and approaches necessary to build or convert companies into social media organizations are already at hand and some firms have already begun to embrace these with amazing results. Our desire going forward is that smorganizations at all levels and functions within society will emerge leading to a new vibrancy of human engagement and achievement.

Jeff Ashcroft

Smashing the Silos with Social Media

Smashing Silos

Our world is made up of silos.

People seem to instinctively create barriers around what they feel is their territory and so a silo is formed. Many people also feel the need to classify everyone and everything mentally tossing it into the bucket or silo where they think the person, thing or idea belongs.

Whether due to demonstrating personal power or simply for mental convenience, our instinctive urge to build a silo, or pop everything and everyone into one, inhibits both communication and performance.

And both of these actions divide us.

Silos inside companies, between companies, silos of nation, of class, of race, of religion, of politics and of sex have led us to today’s uneasy stalemate of apathy and inertia.

Living among these silos and allowing them to instantaneously limit our thoughts and actions as well as our perceived ability to create any change has in itself become a self fulfilling prophecy.

By so suppressing our urge to speak and the belief that anyone is listening, these silos have also effectively taken away our voice.

Social media gives us back our voice.

As employees, consumers and citizens the first thing we must do with this emerging communications ability is break down the silos.

Smashing the silos inside and between companies and interacting dynamically with employees, customers and suppliers with a single focus on goals through social media will determine which companies will thrive in the future verus those that will die along with the siloized past.

Effective communication mobilized into action is the key capability that has gone missing in our world and this competence can now be restored utilizing social media as the catalyst for change.

Jeff Ashcroft

Lighting the social media fire @TheSocialCMO

When I was a boyscout I learned how to best set and build a fire. First you needed the right place, then some kindling, small wood and finally to lay on the logs. Then comes the most important element required to bring a roaring fire to life and that is when you strike the match or scratch out a spark.

Over the last several weeks we have been learning to build a new kind of fire by combining people, ideas, technology and community to build something called The Social CMO. This upstart social media fire began with the construction and linking of two simple WordPress blogs in combination with the @TheSocialCMO Twitter account.

The kindling for this fire was collected imperceptibly through participation in a growing network of likeminded tweeters, great people like Amy @HowellMarketing, @TedRubin, @KentHuffman and @EricFletcher to begin with. And of course every team needs some cheerleaders and one of our most fervent from the start has been Cheryl Burgess @ckburgess!

Shortly thereafter we were joined by @SamDecker, Ryan @sauerscomm, @AnneDGallaher and of course the one and only @b2bspecialist Chris Herbert!

The small glow already emanating from this modest group led us to believe that something more was happening here but clearly some really large logs were now needed. However, it turned out that not elongated chunks of wood, but social media and community pros @Ambercadabra, @TreyPennington and @TrendTracker Glen Gilmore were all that was required to fuel the spontaneous combustion that is now taking place.

It took man thousands of years to fully understand and harness the power of fire to form tools and sharpen weapons, melt sand into glass and launch ourselves into space. But there seems little doubt this new fire will have the strength to not only improve us all as individuals, but also to create and deliver grand new discoveries through this collective entity The Social CMO.

@JeffAshcroft

Social Media Capital: New paradigm for Value Creation, Learning & Leadership

For anyone who has “seen the social media light” there is no longer any doubt that the social media genie is out of the bottle and never going back. Regardless of which tools, sites and plumbing are in favor today or in the future, it matters little, there is now a collective will to communicate and mobilize people in this manner and thereby create greater value for all. Social Media Capital: New paradigm for Value Creation, Learning & Leadership

Welcome to the world of Agile Social Marketing!

Listening to Rob Katz CEO of Vail Resorts describe their dramatic shift from traditional long horizon glossy high end ad buys, to holding onto the lion’s share of ad dollars until the right moment, reminds me of the concept of agile manufacturing. Welcome to the world of Agile Social Marketing!

Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape

Web 2.0 Expo NY: Gary Vaynerchuk (Wine Library), Building Personal Brand Within the Social Media Landscape

Still as valid now, if not more so, than when presented in September 2008!

Hustle.
Stop doing things you hate – you can lose just as much money being happy as hell.
Do something. Care about everything. Give a shit.
Have a business model. Make some cash along the way.
Legacy is better then currency. Make your grand children happy.
If you make good stuff people will follow.
You must believe in what you are doing. 100%.
We can only play once. One life.
Brand equity. Build it in yourself.
Believe. Work hard. Know what you are doing.
If you love it you will win.
Be completely transparent. You’re legacy is your life.
Stop thinking about tools. Use all of them. Connect where you can.
Be authentic. Do what you’re about.
How do you get money for what you love? You don’t. You position yourself to make money. Find the time. Work!