Social Media Marketing

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c h a p t e r

3 :

BUILD A S

OCIAL B

USINESS

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Operations Marketing

Social Graph

Social Spaces Social Content

build relationships

listen and

learn

participate

Customers, Constituents and Employees

Using Brand Outposts and Communities

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Figure 3.5 The Social Business

The Profile as a Social Connector

People gather around a shared interest, cause, or lifestyle in pursuit of a sense of col-

lective experience. Important to understand is that they are often motivated by an

apparent desire to talk about a brand, product, or service experience with each other,

relating this to what they have in common. What they have in common may in part be

that brand, product, or service, but it is generally also something deeper. Apple prod-

ucts—and the following they have created—are a great example of this: Apple owners

are seemingly connected by Apple products, but in a deeper sense they are connected

by the ethos of Apple and the smart, independent lifestyle associated with the brand.

For LEGO enthusiasts—and in particular adult LEGO enthusiasts— there is a

gathering that occurs on LUGNET.com along with a variety of other fan-created web-

sites, forums, and blogs. Conversations appear to revolve around LEGO products, but

in reality the higher calling is the shared passion for creation, which LEGO (as a prod-

uct) facilitates. While LEGO creation may bring members to the community, and while

it may be the common thread that unites a seemingly disparate group, the camaraderie

is what keeps members together years upon years. A business or organization is itself in

many respects a social place. In much the same way, the social business is a place where

employees and customers gather together around a common purpose of creating the

products and services that define—and are often subsequently defined by—the brand

and its higher purpose. Employees and customers, together through collaboration, cre-

ate the experiences they want: Together they are responsible for the business. When the

conversations that result are a reflection of this shared interest of both customers and