PR DAILY – Dec 12 - Thanks to Forrester Research, we now have a succinct model that enables companies to identify where they stand in terms of social media maturity and adoption. Trying to jump from the dormant phase to the empowering phase too fast might have horrifying effects on a brand. It can lead to mixed messaging, social media faux pas, duplication of efforts, and incorrect budgeting. Sean Corcoran of Forrester Research takes the social media maturity model a step further by defining personae for companies moving through the model. He identifies them as:
• Laggards – He estimates 20% of companies are not using any social media
• Late majority – Corcoran describes this persona as “distributed chaos” and recommends that a senior digital marketing manager step in to be the “shepherd” that coordinates efforts.
• Early majority – consists of management that recognizes the risks and rewards of social media use
• Early adopters – Have already coordinated social organization and is now focused on optimizing social media activities. (Starbucks, Best Buy, and Coca Cola)
• Innovators – have all relevant employees trained and empowered to use social media.
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch and DailyDealsObserver.