collaboration

Mind the Gap-10 Tips for Coordinating Service Providers

Last week, the Globe & Mail published an interview with Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, the world’s largest PR firm. In the article, Mr. Edelman is quoted as  saying, “That which is advertising, that which is digital, that which is PR is all converging.”

The need for collaboration between disciplines is a favourite topic of mine. It seems obvious that bridges are needed to span the divide between web design, SEO, digital strategy, PR and advertising.  However, we’re not there yet.  Many businesses still rely on multiple suppliers to manage their communications plan and web presence.  That means disparate companies with different skill sets, philosophies and agendas are often paddling the same boat.

Here are 10 few tips to help businesses get their teams rowing in the same direction.

1. Convene A Group Meeting.  Get the key players from each of your external suppliers and internal communications department at the table for a group meeting. If it’s not possible for everyone to be together, use Skype or video conferencing so everyone can see each another.  It’s less likely for suppliers to feel threatened or  to create a “bad other” scenarios when they can see and get to know your other vendors. That may mean your ad agency, PR firm, web design team, SEO, PPC, copy writer and marketing manager being in the room.  Keep the atmosphere upbeat and set a deliberate tone of collaboration. Often these firms work in isolation.  If that’s been the case, use the meeting to launch a new approach.

2. Establish clear, realistic, and measurable goals for the overall online and mobile strategy. Encourage the input of everyone at the table and before the goals are solidified, ensure you have buy in from each supplier.  If there is a vendor that doesn’t get the plan or is interested in starting a turf war, turf them.  Noone’s got time for a team that can’t play nicely with others or lose the “but that’s not the way it used to be done” attitude.

3.  Establish clear, realistic, and measurable goals for each component of the online and mobile strategy. Examine each objective to ensure it supports the overall plan.

4. Clarify the roles and deliverables for each supplier (internal and external). Map them out in a rough org chart like this one.  Examine the overlaps / potential gaps between roles.

5.  Appoint a Quarterback. Identify a project lead (may be internal or external).  The individual must be a “doer,” respected by each of the players, someone with strong project management and superlative communication skills.  It should go without saying the lead must be a person you trust, who will give you the straight goods.

6. Develop Communication Protocols. Create a communications distribution list.  Figure out what info needs to be shared with the group (e.g. weekly/monthly Google Analytics analysis) and what requires limited sharing (e.g. billing is likely to be a private matter between supplier and client).  Copy everyone on the email and phone list.

7. Set up Metrics. Establish how each element will be measured and who will collect, analyze and report on the data.

8. Hold Regular Meetings. Set up regular meetings (weekly or monthly) to review findings and adjust course.  Group calls are fine, but meet in person once a quarter, if possible.

9. Refine the team. Add and subtract suppliers until you have the right mix. The whole should be greater than the sum of the parts.

10. Celebrate the successes! All suppliers like to be told when they are doing a great job.  All the better if the positive outcomes are the result of your suppliers working together.  Reward the collaboration and build on each success.

One day, it is likely there will be fewer specialists at the table.  PR teams may also have proficiency in social media.  Ad firms may be expert in PPC ads, tracking and analyzing metrics.  Web design firms may also offer mobile app design.  However, even then, it will be important to create clear roles, meaningful objectives, and measurable results.

Have fun out there.

Best,

Moyra

Tags: collaboration, goals, metrics, skype, strategy

Social Media and Revolution

I just read an interesting article about social media and the effects that it has had in world politics and, specifically, revolution.  This has been most recently demonstrated in the fall of dictatorial leadership in both Tunisia and Egypt.

Social media has reached its point of critical mass, allowing users to raise awareness, get attention and even cause revolution.  It could be said that social media is revolutionizing revolution.

According to Fast Company’s expert blogger Kaihad Krippendorff, in his article ‘Social Media Does More Than Support Revolutions’, social media does far more than help us ‘connect’ or ‘organize.’  He says there are four fundamental ways social media is changing society: Speed, Syndication, Integrity and Transparency.  Let’s take a further look:

Speed: One of the biggest impacts of social media is the speed at which it can be effective.  By increasing the speed that we are able to share, spread and send messages there is a greater impact felt.  But that is only part of the puzzle.

Syndication: Easy syndication of a message is made possible through the tools of social media, like Facebook and Twitter.  There is great ease in getting a broad message out, and this allows for momentum to build behind the message.

Integrity: Through social media, unlike other forms of communication, a message maintains its integrity and meaning.  There are fewer communication errors (providing the initial message is correct).  This means that messages can provide more details and therefore carry more meaning.

Transparency: Social media provides somewhat of a veil for people to stand behind when sharing or creating messages.  This allows for greater expression because there is a sense of being anonymous.  Users tend to feel safe and often share more information than they might normally.

These four fundamental ways social media is changing society are refreshingly evident in the cases of both Tunisia and Egypt.  With far reaching power, social media has proven that it can do a lot more than inform us of what someone ate for lunch or how bad the customer service was at the local grocer.

What other fundamental changes has social media made to society?

Taylor

Tags: change, collaboration, facebook, revolution, Social Media, society, Twitter

A Different Spin on Crowdsourcing

Every month I take some time and check out the latest videos posted to TED. The latest talk to catch my eye is by Chris Anderson, previous publisher and now curator for TED. He speaks of the rise in web videos fueling a cycle of innovation in a talk titled “How web video powers global innovation”.

Anderson states there are three things needed for crowd accelerated innovation: crowd, light, and desire. A crowd of people who share an interest. A light, as defined as a means for people to see what others are creating. And desire, inspiring people to participate.

So, unlike crowdsourcing (where tasks traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, are outsourced to a large group of people or community (a crowd), through an open call), crowd accelerated innovation is less controlled or contrived – it just happens. The web has made it easier than ever to form crowds, as well as shine a light on what is being created. And the desire, we know is out there. “We are a social species,” Anderson says. “We spark off each other.”

Anderson speaks about how the accessibility of video on the web (and the abundance of it), allows for people to teach themselves (and share with others) how to do things they might never have done before. He speaks to how video is accelerating the speed at which we are innovating (an interesting thought when you consider that Cisco predicts that within four years more than 90% of the web’s content will be video).

The world of dance has evolved with dance videos being posted online. Kids are able to teach themselves, and challenge others. Jonathan Chu, a director, writer and producer, also part of a dance crew called AC/DC (Adam/Chu Dance Crew), is quoted saying:

“Dancers have created a whole global laboratory online. Kids in Japan are taking moves from a YouTube video created in Detroit, building on it within days and releasing a new video, while teenagers in California are taking the Japanese video and remixing it to create a whole new dance style”.

This type of accelerated innovation in effect produces a new kind of dance dance revolution (check out this kid’s moves).

I agree with Anderson whole heartedly and can see that power in numbers has served us well when it comes to many things, take for example: programming. Open source practices lend themselves well to the internet, which allows code to be easily shared and distributed. Thus allowing for more collaboration, resulting in further innovation and creativity.

TED, probably without realising, is actively promoting the idea of crowd accelerated innovation. By crowdsourcing and appealing to audiences to help translate their talks online, they have managed to provide subtitles in 18 different languages. This accessibility allows millions of people to access the magnitude of intelligence, creativity and innovation surrounding technology, entertainment and design that TED shares with us daily.

We are part of their crowd. What innovation do you think is worth accelerating?

Taylor

Tags: collaboration, crowdsourcing, innovation, video

The Era of Collaboration

The internet imitates life. Or does life imitate the internet?

I’ve been contemplating this lately. I am fortunate to belong to a network of powerful business owners. These days when we meet, the same theme resurfaces — that the new era of business is all about collaboration. This from even the most crusty Alphas in the group! The trend is away from competition simply for the sake of winning, or watching your competitors bleed. Leaders and smart entrepreneurs are spending more time building alliances, looking for opportunities to collaborate with other businesses.

At first glance, this may not seem revolutionary. Since the beginning of time, successful businesses have been built on relationships. But, this is different. It’s about actively seeking collaboration with similar and complimentary businesses, rather than reserving relationship building for customers. It’s the realtor who collaborates with the accountant, conveyance lawyer, mortgage specialist, and home staging company. In our case, it’s alliances with the PR firm (the Tartan Group), boutique branding/design studio (Ideastream Design), WordPress specialist (Bluelime Media) to create a delicious win-win. Such collaborations mean one stop service for clients, no gaps, overlaps, miscommunications, or turf wars between service providers. For each contributor, it means a wider net for attracting clients and a forum for creative exchange.

Collaboration is what the internet is all about. Wikis, open source software, and mashups are now the norm, proving unequivocally that we can achieve greatness when we decide to work together.

So the question remains, is internet culture shifting real world business or is real world business simply following a course that began long before Google became a verb?

- Moyra Rodger
CEO, Magnify Digital Inc.

Tags: brand design, collaboration, new era, pr firm, women in business, WordPress