Peter F. Drucker

'The critical question is not 'How can I achieve?' but 'What can I contribute?'

‘Cool’ is A Powerful Marketing and Social Force

Posted: July 27th, 2010 | Author: Isman Tanuri | Filed under: Management & Leadership, Marketing 2.0 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | View Comments

I had an enjoyable chat over coffee with Anol and Josh from B2Bento last evening. Among other topics, we spoke and debated about how ‘social media’ can be an organisational tool to encourage employees to be advocates of their employer’s brand. I got stumped over a few tough questions, but nothing is more enjoyable than intellectual stimulation.

Among Anol’s many questions, one particularly touched the very foundation of my arguments for enhancing social connectivity in the workplace. Here it is, paraphrased.

What then is the winning formula to encourage employees to speak openly and favourably of their employers’ brand? How do you create employee brand ambassadors?

Read the rest of this entry »

Social Belonging (Not Money) is Key to Employee Brand Ambassadors on Social Media

Posted: July 19th, 2010 | Author: Isman Tanuri | Filed under: Management & Leadership, Social Media | Tags: , , , , , , | View Comments
After letting the previous post run happy (Happy Employees = Best Brand Ambassadors), I received a tweet question from @thangdynasty thrown into the mix:

@thangdynasty asked (read more about @thangdynasty) :
What about monetary incentives? Do you think these will taint or complement the positive effects of the rise in social currency?

The Short Answer

The Beatles said it best. Money can’t buy you love.

That is my sole conviction. Just as the practice of paying bloggers in dollars to endorse products is a thorny and questionable issue, providing employees with monetary incentives to engage on the social web comes with considerable risks to reputations, both employer’s and employees’. The integrity of the corporate and personal brands will be questioned. Don’t forget, we are dealing with social media, everyone is ready to pounce on you at the whiff of a questionable practice or the slightest mistake (see Google search results on ‘I Hate Tiger Airways’).

Furthermore, to quote Daryl Tay:
‘Will paying get the same kind of emotions and authenticity? Will your paid post even be remembered a week from today?’

But I know you will still ask, why would employees openly and willingly talk about their employers on social media when they are not compensated for it?

Read the rest of this entry »