Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

by Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff

Overview

Corporate executives struggle to harness the power of social technologies. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube are where customers discuss products and companies, write their own news, and find their own deals but how do you integrate these activities into your broader marketing efforts? It's an unstoppable groundswell that affects every industry — yet it's still utterly foreign to most companies running things now.

When consumers you've never met are rating your company's products in public forums with which you have no experience or influence, your company is vulnerable. In Groundswell, Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li explain how to turn this threat into an opportunity.

In this updated and expanded edition of Groundswell, featuring an all new introduction and chapters on Twitter and social media integration, you'll learn to:

· Evaluate new social technologies as they emerge

· Determine how different groups of consumers are participating in social technology arenas

· Apply a four-step process for formulating your future strategy

· Build social technologies into your business

Groundswell is required reading for executives seeking to protect and strengthen their company's public image.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781422161982
Publisher:	Harvard Business Review Press
Publication date:	05/24/2011
Edition description:	Expanded and Revised Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Charlene Li is an independent thought leader and founder of the Altimeter Group. Josh Bernoff is a vice president at Forrester Research and one of their most senior and most frequently quoted research analysts. He created the Technographics segmentation, a classification of consumers according to how they approach technology.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1 Understanding the groundswell

1 Why the groundswell-and why now? 3

2 Jujitsu and the technologies of the groundswell 17

3 The social technographics profile 39

Part 2 Tapping the groundswell

4 Strategies for tapping the groundswell 65

5 Listening to the groundswell 77

6 Talking with the groundswell 99

7 Energizing the groundswell 129

8 Helping the groundswell support itself 153

9 Embracing the groundswell 179

Part 3 The groundswell transforms

10 How connecting with the groundswell transforms your company 197

11 The groundswell inside your company 215

12 The future of the groundswell 233

Acknowledgments 243

Notes 247

Case Index 265

Subject Index 269

About the Authors 283

What People are Saying About This

Cathie Black

"Groundswell provides practical advice on how to stay nimble and flexible in an ever-morphing digital world. Enabling your company to respond to change quickly-especially when talking to and supporting your consumers-is essential for business success."--(Cathie Black, President, Hearst Magazines)

John T. Chambers

"The first phase of the Internet was about getting everyone connected. In this next phase, which changes the way we work, live, play, and learn, we're starting to realize the value of those connections as well as the new communications and experiences those interactions lead to-the 'human network.' Groundswell effectively documents this shift and underscores the opportunities available to all from this major market transition."--(John T. Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco)

Seth Godin

"Groundswell is jammed with big ideas, useful stories, and quotable stats. This is the new industrial revolution. Are you on board?"--(Seth Godin, author, Meatball Sundae)

Clark Kokich

"Groundswell is a comprehensive look at the tidal wave of change engulfing marketers. Nobody should attempt to engage the newly empowered and emboldened consumer without first hearing what Li and Bernoff have to say on the subject."--(Clark Kokich, CEO, Avenue A

Christina Norman

"Heed the Groundswell! It's critical reading and helped us master the new dynamics of social media."--(Christina Norman, President, MTV)

From the Publisher

“If you haven’t read the book, I would highly recommend you buy a personal copy and read it to get a comprehensive understanding of how our world is being transformed by social technologies and how you can take advantage of it.” - Business 2 Community

Scott Cook

"This book will rock your world, if social technology hasn't rocked it already. It's a tsunami of unstoppable force. Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Google, and Dell are profiting from the crest of the wave. Are you? Li and Bernoff are the apostles of the tsunami. This book will be your bible."--(Scott Cook, Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit)

Editorial Reviews

If you haven’t read the book, I would highly recommend you buy a personal copy and read it to get a comprehensive understanding of how our world is being transformed by social technologies and how you can take advantage of it.” - Business 2 Community

From the Publisher

...you can't control users looking to utilize Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis and social networks... CIOs and other business leaders must embrace these technologies in the enterprise, and enable their employees to share and work collectively with each other to foster new innovations.

CIO Magazine

... for Groundswell's intended audience - managers struggling to answer questions such as "should my soap company have a presence on Facebook?" or "why isn't anyone reading our company blog?" - the emphasis on data and analytics is not a bug - it's a feature.

The Financial Times