Here are the top ten questions I am frequently asked about building a Social Business Strategy (“social technologies + business strategy”) firm in India, and my short, often one-line, answers –
Q1. What is the difference between social media and social technologies?
A1. Not much. However, most people associate the term “social media” with social networking platforms like Facebook, Orkut, YouTube and Twitter. We use the term “social technologies” to refer to community platforms, social applications, social CRM programs and social commerce platforms, apart from the popular social networking platforms.
Q2. Can social technologies really transform a company?
A2. Yes, they can, if you adopt them and the value systems embedded in them, both in the marketplace and within your organization, on a sustained end-to-end basis.
Q3. Which companies internationally have used social technologies strategically?
A3. Many companies, but Dell, Starbucks, Intuit, and the Obama administration are some of the best examples.
Q4. Which companies in India have used social technologies strategically?
A4. Unilever, Tata Tea and Dell are some of the companies which have done interesting things with social technologies, but no Indian company has used them strategically so far, on a sustained basis.
Q5. How do you see Indian companies using social technologies differently in future?
A5. A number of India companies have experimented with social technologies at a tactical level, with various degrees of success, and are now ready to up the ante. In fact, several Indian CXOs are very seriously thinking about using social technologies at a strategic level.
Q6. Are 30 million internet users in India enough?
A6. Yes, for some brands, especially those that are targeted at young, urban, educated c6nsumers.
Q7. How do we use social technologies to drive business results?
A7. Dave and I have recently written a position paper on the 20:20 Social Approach to Social Business Strategy. Have a look.
Q8. What exactly does 20:20 Social do, in terms of deliverables?
A8. We develop a strategy to use social technologies to deliver business results, including product and process design, trial, purchase and advocacy. Then, we develop design specifications and detailed tactical plans, select technology and service partners, define metrics and measurement processes, oversee implementation and share responsibility for business results and ROI.
Q9. What is the value added by a pure-play strategy firm like 20:20 Social?
A9. First, we help CXOs think through the opportunities for using social technologies to achieve long term business objectives, and benchmark their initiatives with Indian and international best practices. Second, we help them select the best technology and service partners, and oversee implementation, to ensure that business results are delivered on time, on cost. We are able to add disproportionate value precisely because we don’t do any implementation.
Q10. Why do you charge for the strategy when everyone else gives it away for free?
A10. Some people give away the strategy for free because they primarily do implementation. Strategy is about deciding where to go; implementation is about getting there. Getting into implementation without putting enough thought into strategy is similar to shooting into darkness; you might hit the target once or twice by chance, but you will mostly miss.
For a conversation on how we can help you achieve business results by leveraging social technologies, write to us at contact@2020social.com.
