Now that businesses are taking notice of social media and using it to engage with customers, there exists a need to look forward and understand what the next level looks like. The above image is taken from the 1991 book “Crossing the Chasm” by Geoffrey A. Moore.
In a fascinating blog post, Axel Schultze, CEO of Xeesm, founder of the Social Media Academy writes in CustomerThink that social business is about to cross “The Chasm” as illustrated above:
Larger corporations demand a very different social media engagement. A 5,000 people enterprise won’t just throw a fan page at the market, build an online community and hope it sticks. Strategic engagements require teams and consultants who know enterprises and even SMBs inside out. Social Media Consultants need to cross the chasm in order to finally get to the much larger part of the industry. The past 6 years of social media was just a warm up round. The real race is starting now.
The idea that the past 6 years was a “warm up round” is equal parts scary and exciting. For agencies that offer social media solutions to clients, it means that there will be much greater investment in social media and online community talent. And for businesses, it means that the time for sitting around on the sidelines is official over.
First there was Facebook, leading the way and ultimately becoming the focus of marketers and businesses. Then Twitter came around. Now there is Foursquare. Both Facebook and Twitter are still major players — it’s just that now Foursquare must be considered when developing strategies.
In the next six months, there will be another site. That’s just how this industry seems to work. Being passive is not an option. Businesses need to either hire someone to stay on top of these trends internally, or ask an agency to lead them through it. Either way, standing still is not an option.
I agree thinking about the last 6 years as merely a warm up is quite daunting – especially as I can only claim limited social media expereince myself. Helping businesses to find their online voice has been my biggest challenge as I attempt to Cross the Chasm as a consultant. In some ways it seems to be a peculiarly British trait to not shout about what you are doing or refrain from expressing strident opinion. I read a blog entry by Rory Cellan-Jones of the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2010/07/uk_tech_is_anyone_listening.html
in which he argues UK tech companies are ignored in favour of those in Silicon Valley. I just think UK firms sometimes lack the belief and tenacity to shout about what they are doing with sufficient vigour and tenacity.
[...] wrote earlier this week that we’re in the early days of social media. Sentiment analysis is part of the next step. [...]
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