Linked In Masterclass

Signing up to LinkedIn without doing anything is like going to a networking event and standing in the corner. To make it work, you’ve got to do something once you are there. LinkedIn is a powerhouse of data, connections and content that you can use to position yourself and your business, all of which starts[…]

Should the decline in trust in social media influence business use?

These online conversations, mostly on Facebook but also Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, are markets, influencing purchasing and other decisions. Over the last 18 years, Edelman has shown an almost continuous decline in trust across business, government, NGOs and the media; with trust, high and growing peer to peer and in third-party experts, like academics. That[…]

It’s Official – This week in social media –  24 June 201

Your weekly summary of official social media news from the major social media platforms. You can listen to or read this post. FACEBOOK Coming in 2020: Calibra Big news with Facebook announcing Calibra, a newly formed Facebook subsidiary whose goal is to provide financial services that will let people access and participate in the Libra network. The first[…]

It’s Official – This week in social media – 17 June 2019

Your official social media news from the major social media platforms. You can listen to or read this post. There’s quite a bit of news this week from the major social media platforms. In summary: Facebook has introduced blood donation features in the US, extended its Watch offering (that’s watching videos together as opposed to[…]

It’s Official – This week in social media – 10 June 2019

Your weekly summary of official social media news from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google. You can listen to or read this post. TWITTER Inclusion and Diversity Report 2019 Twitter released its inclusion and diversity report on roles at the company by gender and race. Twitter found that the data and insights were too US-centric[…]

It’s Official – this week in social media – 3 June  2019

Your weekly summary of official social media news from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google. You can listen to or read this post. FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN & INSTAGRAM There’s no official news from Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram since last week. TWITTER Twitter launched two special emojis #EP2019 and #EUelections2019 for the recent EU elections, aiming to drive engagement across[…]

It’s Official – This week in social – 20 May 2019

This week in social – 20 May 2019 Your weekly summary of official social media news from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Google. Facebook Facebook is working with health partners to create detailed, AI-driven maps that pair health system information with data on human mobility to yield insights about diseases spread by human-to-human contact. This[…]

Time – the most important strategic insight you need to power social media

Around this time most communicators are thinking about how to balance their typically competing priorities and limited resources to deliver the best results for the business. Given that in the last months: The most powerful leaders in the world tweeted personally and/or using online armies; and usurped planned media in favour of live broadcasts on social media; or that[…]

Why you shouldn’t treat or measure social media like Amway

We all know what happens to that network marketing evangelist at the party who sees every guest as a sales opportunity and pounces to sign them up for some or other scheme within minutes of ‘hello’. They stop getting invited. Few people like to be seen as sales prospects or consider meeting someone as synonymous[…]

What the #panamapapers taught me about social media & how we consume news

I’ve been watching #panamapapers play out in social and other media this week and it’s reinforced that we need to stop talking about social versus other media. It’s medias.  Most people are sampling a global information smorgasbord and developing a point of view. This is how I followed the story. I first heard about the #panamapapers on Twitter,[…]

Social media influences investors & that influence is growing fast

Investors are influenced by research they find on social media and its importance will grow as younger players inherit, work and look for opportunities to invest. According to Cogent Research of the 90% of high net worth people who use social media, 73% spend it on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter making up the rest. They use[…]

How one Aussie CEO used LinkedIn to expand into 27 countries

A leader who actively engages on social media platforms is good for business and with 7 million Australian and 380 million global users LinkedIn is a strategic fit those seeking to tap into global professional networks. One such CEO is Craig McDonald, head of software security company MailGuard, who was recently announced as one of Australia’s[…]

Is lack of social media know-how in HR negligent?

It’s odd that some professionals wear a disinterest in social media as a badge of honour; given its ubiquity, understanding the business, governance and legal impacts should be a requirement. Social media impacts the employment life cycle from pre-employment to recruitment, training and dismissal and every tier of business strategy from product development, marketing, sales[…]

5 practical ways to gain real social media skills

The social web continues to proliferate and impact every area of our lives creating a demand for social talent that will grow as organisations recognise the impact at every level of the business from Boards (which will want oversight on governance to manage market impacts for example) to marketing, customer service, and recruitment. Right now there’s a skills gap that some have[…]

11 key reasons to make social media a part of business strategy

Social media is integral to business success but competing priorities and a lack of understanding about how it fits into strategy mean it’s often not on the agenda. Because of the way that social media plays out when things go wrong, in particular through traditional media, business owners are disproportionately aware of its risks. On[…]

Why businesses should allow Facebook@Work

The rumour Facebook is building Facebook@Work is a further sign that social media is maturing but will bring the gap between its 2.5 billion users and near absence of senior executives into starker relief. For this kind of enterprise-wide social network to work, these are the people to convince and convert. It can be difficult[…]

When starting in social media pare back and pair up

With 74% of adults online using social media, businesses increasingly understand its importance for connecting with customers, but don’t always know where to start when implementing a social media strategy. The hundreds of choices of social media networks can engender a sense of overwhelm about where to best invest limited resources. Even though it’s possible to narrow the[…]

Why decision-makers must take social media serious

Nearly 2 billion people use social media; evidence shows online engagement converts to sales; yet up at the top, leaders are still lagging when it comes to using or resourcing it. Only 15-30 percent of CEOs have a presence, but most just sign up and don’t use it, a bit like going to a business[…]

Businesses that don’t close the social media gap could face a gaping hole

It seems no amount of noise about social media is enough to motivate leaders to take it seriously. Although some individuals are adapting their leadership style and business strategy to leverage social and manage potential impacts, as a segment the participation of C-suites and in particular CEOs remains disturbingly low. The DOMO Social CEO report[…]

A tweet can cause the share price to plummet. Who’s responsible for social?

If a single tweet can cause a company’s share price to plummet then who is really responsible for social media? Arguably, not the marketing intern. Board directors and senior executives need to update any preconceptions they may have about social media being a distraction for kids and get serious about where responsibility for managing it[…]

Six damaging myths about social media & the truths behind them

Boston Consulting tells us social media will be worth $4.2 trillion by 2016, a jointCapgemini-MIT Sloan study shows digitally mature business are 26 percent more profitable than less mature peers and according to the Sensis Social Media Report of the searches Australians do online and in social media networks, nearly 70% convert to a sale. Yet as I[…]

These executives are leveraging the connected economy using social media

There’s a new kind of leader who ‘gets’ that when over two billion people use social media, it fundamentally transforms connection, communication and the way we do business. They are taking to the airwaves on Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms, building global networks, leveraging online opportunities and listening directly to what their customers[…]

The next billion consumers will have always had social media

If you’re an executive who’s still uncertain about using social media for business, here’s a compelling reason to consider it: almost two billion consumers already do. And that trend shows no sign of abating, with social media having grown by around 18% in 2013 with predictions it will reach 2.55 billion by 2017. Still not convinced? Reflect on the[…]

Is digital literacy the new financial literacy?

Legal decisions in the wake of corporate failures like Enron, WorldCom and, in Australia, Centro continue to reinforce financial literacy as imperative for business leaders. But we are yet to demand the same of arguably the biggest game changer of all, technology. The impact of emerging technologies, including social media platforms that allow instant global[…]

Are digital currencies the future of money or is everything old just new again?

Leaders of smart companies are keeping an eye out for how deeply digital disruption is changing the shape of our lives and the many opportunities this presents for doing things differently. And there are no sacred cows. Take money-as-we-know-it and the institutions that manage it on our behalves, banks. Love them or hate them what[…]

Political impersonation, fake Twitter accounts & owning your social media assets

In 2013 in Australia hours after the shock resignation of Ted Baillieu and emergence of Denis Napthine as Premier of the State of Victoria he announced “at least I’m not burdened by high expectations.” At least, the fake @DenisNapthineMP “not currently the Member for South West Coast in the Victorian Parliament and Premier of Victoria” did.[…]

Is social media a waste of money or a savvy investment?

The hype around social media is intense: eight new people are coming online a minute and there are predictions that by 2016 the internet economy will be worth $4.2 trillion. There have been calls for executives to get online and talk to customers, suppliers, employees. (That’s in their “spare time”, right?) Meanwhile, those same leaders are scrounging for[…]

Don’t leave social media out of the productivity debate

Hardworking executives may have been surprised at research last year that found Australian leaders lagging on many of the key management indicators correlated with productivity. Among the gaps highlighted by an Ernst & Young reportwas a deficiency in people-management capability, particularly with respect to instilling a “talent mindset” across business. The report, called Productivity Pulse, showed that[…]