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Hi 

Here is your latest issue of Social Business Bites. 3 items this week:

• Valuable Tips on Handling Social Business Risk
• Brands into Social-Mobile Shopping
• Buying Power of LinkedIn Members as Consumers

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Social Media Policy & Governance: 17 Tips to Mitigate Social Business Risk

Short link:  http://bit.ly/1tl1ukj

As a social media specialist, I used to be irritated but am now somewhat amused when business people tell me about the risks of social business and do so in such as way as to suggest that this might be news to me! :)

Of course there are risks. But as in business generally, and in life, there are also opportunities. And there is no lack of strategies and best practice principles available to manage the risk. Or, if you prefer, to mitigate the risk.

This article, with its 17 tips on social business risk mitigation, is by an acknowledged leader in the field, Pam Moore, and is well-based, thoughtful and of practical value for anyone who has concerns in this area. 

As Pam says:

You can't mitigate what you don't acknowledge. The first step is to acknowledge there is risk associated with social networks and your brand. The key is to acknowledge, identify, mitigate and plan for the risk. Manage it proactively versus letting it catch you by surprise.

3 brands that are driving the future of social-mobile shopping

Short link:  http://tnw.co/RzEy4o

We know that social-mobile shopping is seriously on the rise. But what examples are there from the real world of business?

This article provides three interesting examples, Wanelo, Starbucks and WhereToGet.

Wanelo, shorthand for "Want, Need, Love," is one social shopping success story. It's like Pinterest but with a more commercial spin.

Starbucks is an example of how brands are putting social-mobile marketing strategy to work in a brick-and-mortar environment. 

(This is an interesting example, even though locally in Australia the Starbucks venture has been a floperoo - they still have over 23,000 locations worldwide.)

WhereToGet - fashion app

Users (of the app) can take a picture of an outfit they see on the street or post a picture they've found online. Once uploaded, other users can "like" the outfit, and tell the original poster where they can purchase the particular garment they're after.

It's Simple: Consumers on LinkedIn Have More Buying Power 

Short link:  http://linkd.in/1kJgMyj

We know LinkedIn is the professional social networking platform par excellence. 

What should be of great interest to businesses with products and services to sell - and specifically Business to Consumer (B2C) is that LinkedIn is where you will find many "prosumers" (in the sense of "Professional consumers"... excellent, better informed consumers who are buying top-grade or best-value products, or think they are.

And according to this article from LinkedIn, research shows that  "These Prosumers are 152% more likely to be active in online conversations. They are brand conscious, with 80% willing to pay more to purchase from a brand they trust."

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Till next time

Be well, be social :)

Des

PS: If you are not on the list yet to receive Social Business Bites in your email inbox, and would like to try it, you can register for that at this link (there is an easy unsubscribe link in every update).

PPS: My VIP Days are for any business owner or entrepreneur who sees value in having my undivided attention for a whole day (or half day) to focus just on his or her business, with a special emphasis on the integration and optimisation of social media with the overall business strategy. Using a video connection means you don't have to travel. And yes, of course a special rate for any reader of Social Business Bites! :)

My contact details

Phone: International +61 413 089 355    Australia 0413 089 355

Skype: userid is deswalsh (if you want to connect with me there, just type in "Social Business Bites" - or email me and we can set it up).

Email: deswalsh@webartsco.com

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