Social Media Tools – The Channel Top Ten

Social Media is confusing. What is it anyway? There are dozens of different definitions (check the blogosphere) and even more perspectives on how it can be used to improve channel performance. Unfortunately, there are still partner managers that are struggling to accept social media as a transformational technology. They cannot yet see the future, even as it begins to overwhelm them.

So in response to all the questions about what it is and how social media might be used to help channel partners be successful, here is a list of the top ten social media applications. The sites are used primarily for marketing, although sales results are definitely being impacted, especially by business networking sites like LinkedIn. (The use of social media to solve technical problems is already well documented.)

This ranking is mostly based on our on-going Channels of the Future research, with some fine-tuning from client projects. Every site mentioned has a least one worthy competitor vying for attention. This is the briefest of summaries, which only hints at the impact of these gathering places.

1. On-Line Communities: There are already thousands of partner-centric on-line communities in Google Groups and Yahoo, plus hundreds of branded and closed communities managed by the largest vendors (IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco, etc, etc. etc.) The amount of information exchanged is staggering – and the number of deals influenced is beyond counting.

2. LinkedIn: There are hundreds of thousands of reseller salespeople visible on LinkedIn, plus reseller groups, events, jobs and more. Salespeople who are not already using business networking for prospecting and customer communications are probably already on performance plans.

3. Blogs: Resellers rely on vendor and industry blogs for information. They have replaced newsletters and magazines as the primary reference point for new technologies and product releases. (Which means marketing managers also have to understand sites like Digg and Delicious.)

4. Facebook: Business has invaded this once personal/private site and vendors, resellers, and customers are scrambling to change their photos and update their profiles to make them more professional.

5. MySpace: There are more reseller groups and channel job postings than Facebook, maybe because MySpace is older and more basic in its approach.

6. YouTube: Resellers can view instructional videos on everything from changing printer cartridges to keeping products under warranty. Among others, Cisco uses it as a training platform, creating playlists that group videos by product or specialty.

7. Yahoo Video: Channel partners can check out the latest vendor pronouncements (IBM is very visible, among many others) on products, programs, and customers.

8. Twitter: There is already a whole micro blog ecosystem to communicate with resellers about special pricing, new products and programs, big deals, and company gossip – all in 140 characters or less.

9. Flickr: Perfect for posting pictures of products and schematics that help resellers maintain hardware products. Vendor-provided photos can also be used in marketing materials, websites and communities.

10. Tactical Sites (SlideShare, Issuu, Podcast, etc.): There are hundreds of free sites where channel managers (sometimes without “official” sanction) can post presentations, white papers, documentation, and podcasts so they can be easily linked to on-line communities or emails.

Vendors that do not understand and take advantage of these social media gathering places are already well behind their channel competitors. If you work in a partner organization that is not active on most of these social media sites, perhaps you should be updating your resume. (If you do not personally use most of these tools, then probably you should be thinking of retirement.)

Michael Dubrall is the Managing Director of Gilwell Group, a research and consulting company that researches “Channels of the Future.” He is a regular contributor to Channel Champion and other industry blogs on the subject of next generation partnerships. Join the Channels of the Future group on LinkedIn.

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List of Social Networking Sites

Social Media Tools – The Channel Top Ten

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Channels Of The Future Breakfast With CMR

There was a great discussion this week in Santa Clara. Here are the slides. There are several good follow-up posts in the Channels of the Future group on LinkedIn.

The concensus was that social media could be developed into an exciting and productive tool for communicating with resellers and customers. But it will take time, discipline, and a good plan.

Channels Of The Future Breakfast With CMR

View more presentations from Mike Dubrall.

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List of Social Networking Sites

Channels Of The Future Breakfast With CMR

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