On September 30, 2009 in San Jose at Cisco the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals Norcal Chapter (ASAP) presented “Using Social Media to Improve Alliances”.
With the rise of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twiiter, YouTube and others, which should you choose and how do you use them? Experts from around Silicon Valley spoke about what tools and techniques can quickly reach a specific audience. Once a channel is established how do you measure its effectiveness or return on investment (ROI)?
Raja Sundaram of Raja Sundaram of Cisco Global Services Channel opened the evening with a the idea that social media is a conversation compared to old media.
Rajesh Setty of Suggestica wants people to stop denying the changing scene and dance with social media. We must learn to create buzz, engage users, build brands and enjoy this new experience.
Norys Trevino of Cisco moderated Generation Y-Space panelists Johanna Fry, David Habibian and Jessica Williamsen on the generational differences of partnering and collaborating using agreed upon social media. Telepresence and video on YouTube are great collaborative tools. Another tool recommended is Partnerpedia. Outside the office, companies must learn what people are saying about them and address issues quickly. You can learn enough about customers to fish where the fish are. In the future it won’t be customers looking for products or services but the other way around.
Tim Bailey of Alliance-Strategies spoke about the strengths and weaknesses of various social media. As a rule LinkedIn is favored by older users more than Facebook. Twitter is the wild west. Companies are using social media to communicate and train their employees and customers. Develop a corporate policy and strategy but be prepared to change it in the face of new challenges. Regardless of the technology, if you build trust you will build a business.
Jennifer Vessels of Next Step says the current economic downturn is forcing companies to find ways to cut costs. Social media is becoming the standard way people interact in the workplace. Telepresence and WebEx can be cheaper than traveling. Blogs reach customers faster than newsletters. A new generation multitasks as a matter of course speeding up every business process. As for the older generation, don’t think of it as an additional burden but a more efficient way to work with others. Start using social media and stick with it.
Raja Sundaram then held a Q&A session with panelists Tim Bailey, Rajesh Setty, Norys Trevino and Jennifer Vessels.
Copyright 2009 DJ Cline All rights reserved.
