Today’s trend in Social Media dances around companies trying to join the beauty and the beast of Social Media.  How do they break the ice? Who should do it? Why? When? Where? And so forth. 

On my top list, we have Chris Brogan who has a blog divided in two parts: The Undiscovered Country of Presence Management and Casting Your Net and Beauty of Fish 

“Who runs all this is a huge issue to companies. It’s also the blood in the water that agencies smell from miles away as an opportunity. (This includes me, by the way.) And then there’s “we, the people,” those consumers that want to feel a genuine connection to these companies, not just marketing-ese pretending to be part of the fabled conversation”

In the second part, he moves on the how to “cast the net”

“The sexiest kind of online presence is a relationship that feels like it’s there for me when I need it. I like that @JetBlue and @WholeFoods are here for the long term, and not just to promote a campaign. Further, companies like Whole Foods keep a blog. So does Ferg Devins at Molson”

Excellent post Chris! however, it’s so hard for a company to decide who will be their public “avatar”
What if he/she leaves? what if it’s the CEO with a ghost writer and the ghost turns into a monster?
What if? What if? What if? So they opt for the easy road, throw a logo as the avatar and a company name as the username.  Often, they fail the whole point of personal connection.  This is still too new to most companies. I think they need more time!
Amazing post Chris! I am sharing it with my readers not only for the great content but also because of the poetic approach.
I also think that a company should have a clear goal and target in place before they jump into Social Media.  Results can be tangible and there are many tools to measure them.  This should be the case specially if the initiative does not come from the CEO or a Board member.  I’ve seen too many cases where the company has a great start but management does not get it.  The often think that is a waste of time and resources.  So a clear strategy that is properly “approved” is key.
Take a look at this interview from Harvard Business. I think it gives great tips:

David  Svet could have a possible solution in his post The Social Network — A Natural Force by proposing a team approach.  But he also gives pretty good tips for leaders on how to handle the team.

“This is largely a matter of empowering members through inclusion in the mission. Each person has a role and adds value. Leaders need to:
• Give members a place to meet, real and virtual
• Provide a range of communication channels, including social media
• Show by example
• Provide inspiration
• Embrace rivalry
• Fan the flames of passion
• Provide praise for taking action
• Publicly reward good behavior
• Provide tools that are easier than starting from scratch
• Be ready to let go — communities defy control”

I also found an older blog Companies Social Media for Business – Who’s Doing it well & How,  by Charlene Li with a neat list of pioneer companies that are doing a pretty good job.

“Oracle
Prior to running Oracle Open World, Oracle changed its home page for two weeks.  The page asked for consumer feedback; community involvement was important enough to interrupt the normal flow.
H&R Block
When H&R Block realized selling was no longer working, they created a page on FaceBook to provide tax advice. They don’t say “come and do your taxes with us,” on FaceBook; they only offer advice.
Comcast
Frank Eliason, Director of Digital Care for Comcast Cable uses Twitter to look for people talking about Comcast, ‘tweets’ them, and offers to help.
Skittles
Skittles has a page on FaceBook called ‘Mix the Rainbow’.
It’s created a spark and now the community is interacting with one another.  The company occasionally steps in with light and fun comments; never with sales talk. 
A recent series of messages on the Skittles wall:
Derek says:  Is it just me, or does there seem to be too many orange ones in the bags now?
Skittles says: Derek despite what you or the Internet may think, we can assure you there is no orange skittles conspiracy – red on the other hand…
Starbucks
Starbucks asks for suggestions on how to make the company better.  If you provide a suggestion, Starbucks CIO will discuss the idea on the site; it’s not just a black hole that suggestions go into.  He explains the back end – or what has to happen on the technical level before they can implement the idea.
Wal-Mart
While most people cringe when they hear about Wal-Mart’s many failed attempts to get involved with their community online (think The Hub, Across America, FaceBook), Li gives them kudos for continuing to try when others may have given up.  Look at ‘Check Out’ Wal-Mart’s latest offering; it took them a long time to get there, but now, this really works.
All of these companies are closing the loop.  The traditional firewall separating customers and companies is falling away; no longer is it an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality; it’s now a ‘we’ mentality”

To that list, I would add two more companies, not because they are clients but mainly because I think they got it. 

Dell – the PC giant has a slew of Twitter feeds rolling at all times, but the one that set the alarm is @DellOutlet. After a successful holiday run on Twitter that generated over $1 million in revenue, Dell began offering exclusive deals and coupons to its loyal following. In February they had 11,000 followers. Now they have 380,674.

FedEx - In partnership with BudyMedia and Atmosphere BBDO, they migrated an existing FedEx microsite to Facebook, adding interactive functionality for virtual gifting and media embedding.  With “Launch-A-Package” They drove more than 300,000 installs in four days and unprecedented loyalty. 

I’m pretty sure that I left a huge number of good examples.  But that’s why the comments are open.  If you have come across or worked for a company that is using Social Media well enough for others to learn from, please list it here and tell us why.  I will make a final list available in the “Downloads” so we can all use it as a reference list.

HAPPY EARTH DAY! Please don’t forget to download iPhorest if you own an iPhone and Green Patch if you are on Facebook.  Most important, please plant something in your garden, balcony, park, street…. Wherever you can grow a little green!