The recent release of the findings of the IBM Global CEO Study have social media marketers abuzz. As reported in Sonia Paul’s article for Mashable, CEOs are planning a major shift in how they connect to the market place over the course of the next 3 to 5 years. Social media, the report reveals, will move from the last line of communication to second only to face to face interaction.
So what does this mean for professional social media practitioners?
Generally, it means that CEOs across the business spectrum see that social media has matured beyond a fad and is here to stay. They also recognize that it has fundamentally changed the way we connect and interact with one another. The bonus for social media marketers and analysts is CEOs are now moving beyond simply needing to be in the social space to clearly defining what they need to gain from online social interactions.
The IBM Study finds that CEOs would like to accomplish 3 things:
- Gain insight into customers as individuals
- Empower employees to collaborate and create
- Foster business partnerships for innovation
Opportunities abound for savvy social media professionals to step into the gaps facing the C-Suite. Executives are looking for partners that can demonstrate how the social media industry is maturing. They will need help to gain valuable first-hand experience with the variety of social media platforms and analytical tools. They need to find expertise that can help them marry their experience to new communication and collaboration choices. And, they are keenly interested in identifying the talent necessary to quickly move forward in social business.
Alan K’Necht and I have partnered with Anthony Marshall, Program Director of the IBM Global CEO Study, for a live discussion about the implications of this report. Please join us via Twitter on Monday night June 4th at 9:00 PM Eastern, by following the hashtag #SocialChat.
