Raise your hand if you participate in social networking

In this fast-paced networked society that we now live in, it seems as though you are a lost soul if you are not participating in one way or another.

Just in case you thought that only teenagers and people with ample time on their hands participate, you are wrong. In fact, Forrester recently published a report that explains that buyers in the business-to-business sector are one of the most active groups of people when it comes to social participation.

Josh Bernoff, an active blogger on The Groundswell, published a few important nuggets from the report that everyone should take note of. In The Social Technographics of Business Buyers, a recent Forrester Research study that surveyed more than 1,200 business technology buyers, found that they exceed all previous benchmarks for social participation. Based on methods and tools that Forrester created and uses such as the POST method and the Social Technographics Profile, it is able to ask how people participate in various social technologies and whether they use them to make buying decisions.



Specifically for this chart, which examines the social technology profile for business technology buyers, the results indicate that the audience is involved and engaged in the social networking space. The key points are that 91% were Spectators, 55% were joiners in social networks, 43% are creating media and 58% are critics.

What does this information mean and why is it useful to companies and marketers? Ultimately, it means that these businesspeople are participating by reading blogs, watching user generated videos, joining social network groups, commenting on articles, uploading content and videos, and so on. So companies and marketers must be aware of the levels of audience participation and knowledgeable about what activities work best in order to reach a specific segment or audience. Participating in social networks is not just for teenagers and college students. Mature businesspeople and decision makers are using social technologies and they will continue to do so in the future.

For more information about what these terms mean or to see what your customers, family or friends social profiles are check out Forrester’s Social Technology Profile Tool. This is a free tool that allows you to see how participation varies among different groups of consumers around the world. Ultimately, this information can be used as a guide to figure out what kind of relationship is best to build with customers or the end users.

“Come down from your ivory tower!”

Cried the loyal customer’s and employees of Whole Foods to its CEO. In response, John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods did just that. The economy has deteriorated, the Whole Foods customers seek lower priced but high quality foods and its employee morale is down. In order to combat these problems, Mackey is taking one step at a time and not only putting his ear to the ground, he is taking action and getting his feet wet. A clear and steadfast step—he is back to blogging. When Janet Paskin interviewed the CEO in the February issue of SmartMoney, she asked him why he was back to blogging. “It’s fun. I really do believe that the 21st century CEO is going to be more accessible and transparent. I can’t just live in an ivory tower and expect to understand what’s going on,” said Mackey.

John Mackey is one of the many CEOs that have learned the benefits of participating in the blogosphere. These forward-thinking CEOs get to understand their customers and appreciate the fact that they’re involved and want to share their ideas. Time and time again, people have demonstrated that they want to share their ideas for products and services. These loyal customers can help the company by eliminating the guesswork. Not sure about a new product or feature? When in doubt, just ask your customers. Additionally, the company can also learn what the competition is doing.

If CEOs choose not to participate in the blogosphere, or don’t do a good job of participating, they are missing out on lucrative opportunities. Why would CEOs not want to get in on the fun? At the Forrester's Marketing Forum in 2008, Forrester Research Chairman and CEO George F. Colony shared the five things he's learned after blogging for just two months. His insights explain why CEOs might be frustrated with the process. Furthermore, his observations may help marketers frame the "should the CEO be blogging" discussion within their own organizations.

George’s top observations include:
1. No one is reading my blog.
2. Posting a blog entry is time consuming and I have to run a company.
3. The blog technology and software sucks.
4. It feels like I am talking into a dark vacated house—no one is there.
5. Where the hell is the money in this thing? Why are we giving all these insights and information away for free?

Check out this video for the full scoop.