How IT works for your brand?

I have posted before about the renewed strength of the Internet as a business channel. The other day I was listening to a conversation from a very important client and I realised about the following: the IT budget for the Internet Site was doing more for the brand of that company that the marketing department budget on itself.

As the FT report I previously mentioned (download here) very well covers, the corporate website is, in some business, mediating more transactions with clients, potential customers, partners and investors than any other channel is. This means that the customer experience that is built by a majority of users is happening through the web. Nothing new, I know. But, the question then is: Is this recognised by IT departments? And, is IT being recognised for this? And how is this changing the way things are done inside companies?

In this particular case, the IT team was participating in strategic committees to design and decide how the brand is protected and the customer experience augmented through the web. They are supposed to contribute with ideas that retain customers and deliver the value they are looking for. In that context, the discussion about creating social networks and using web 2.0 tools was a vivid one.

However, this is not always the case. How frequently is the IT department only implementing what someone has previously decided is what needs to be done? How useless can a discussion be, for example, about creating a customer community online if both (marketing and IT) teams are not discussing as peers?

It would be good to see IT people more frequently participating in strategic corporate discussions. And as a lateral effect, this will be good for IT aswell, as it will force them to think beyond the latest tech buzz and concentrate on serving the customers better.

The art of virtual communities for clients

In a conversation with a colleague today an important topic has kept me thinking for a while: how do you create powerful virtual communities with your customers?
Yes, we've all heard about the powerful stories of creating communities on the web to attract and retain customers. But, the reality is a bit more complex. Here's why.

Why do you join a community? Normally, you have an interest, there is a strong passion that motivates you to join. Either you find it intellectually stimulating or you find it rewarding (think of your football club community, for example)

What is the value of the community? The fact that members regularly go there is only related to the positive equation attention invested x value obtained. That value normally comes from other people with similar views and interests that bring the value to you.

Why is this difficult in customer communities? Because companies creating customer communities are not perceived by members as a trusted members. They trust another member, but they don't trust the organization that's creating the space with the obvious intention of selling them something. I.e. their agenda is not the passion, the interest; it is the business. Hence, why is anyone going to be candid and open in his opinions when he knows they will be used to try to sell him something?

How to solve this problem? No magic words I'm afraid. But some simple advice to follow would be:
- concentrate in the long term- communities need momentum and creating it require time and dedication
- avoid the selling approach- concentrate in creating sense of belonging, obtaining value. Put your experts to discuss real issues with no marketing pitch
- listen- if you want to learn about your customers, read what they say and learn what motivates them. Use that to improve your products or services.

Synthesizing: the most important talent

With the proliferation of information that we're all experiencing, we all struggle to find ways to extract the essence, simplify and define understandable patterns in the complexity of the world. I'm realising that the ability to synthesize and present the complexity in simple understandable terms is an extremely valuable asset.

When you become conscious of the limited attention capacity that you have, you tend to recognise and reward those who have the ability to synthesize for you. That's why I believe the ideas about the attention Economy and the concepts of Return on Attention are so relevant.

Do the exercise: Can you still sit in a meeting room and keep your attention as someone goes through 50 slides in a presentation? Don't you appreciate when someone comes with the basic points and conclusions and give them a structure that makes sense and allows for decision making?

It would be great if we could start recognizing synthesizing talent in the corporate and media world. Instead of celebrating the exhibitions of deep knowledge, I definitely celebrate more the exhibition of synthesizing. I hope more people do the same.