Social Media Strategy Book

9 CHAPTER 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Sustainable Approach to Social Media for Businesses ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [ SANDRO GRAF & TERESA VALERIE MANDL ] Glancing at the agenda for the next executive board meeting, David Wallmer prepares himself for a challenging session. As the senior director of busi- ness development in a company with more than 10,000 employees in two continents, David is responsible for all initiatives labelled ‘social media’. He vividly remembers some of the board’s previous discussions in the topic, which have sometimes been challenging. The lack of understanding of social media’s business value and potential on the part of several execu- tives, as well as his own inability to demonstrate returns on investment from the channels have left David frustrated. The company David has been with for over ten years is very good at gaug- ing the behaviour of its customers, and tailoring its products and services to their specific needs. After great effort, it has managed to position itself as a leading player and innovator in the highly competitive environment of consumer goods and today covers all major markets. David’s department was quick to recognise the digital changes af- fecting society. They observed the emergence of social networks with inter- est and soon initiated their own concept. Well ahead of the competition, David’s team joined forces with the company’s marketing and distribution teams in setting up a Facebook profile. While this initially focused on dis- seminating information to customers, interaction gradually increased. To- day, the company offers customer support via Facebook. Many customer questions are answered directly by other customers, and support is pro- vided by customer service staff only where it is necessary or requested.

Social Media Strategy Book

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