The Social Employee

The Social Employee

How Great Companies Make Social Media Work:  Success Lessons from IBM, AT&T, Dell, Adobe, Cisco and Domo

 

The Social Employee offers an unparalleled behind-the-scenes look at the social business success stories of some of the biggest brand names in the business world, including IBM, AT&T, Dell, Adobe, Southwest Airlines, Cisco, Acxiom, and Domo. These cutting-edge brands have all come to the same realization: the path to social business lies through empowering the social employee.

The brands that leverage their employee base in order to engage customers and prospects through social media are the ones destined to win the marketing wars. This book not only details the astronomical rise of the social employee, but also outlines the innovative methods that leading companies have employed to foster cultures of enthusiastic and engaged workers.

Buy This Book
Great brands have always started on the inside, but why are companies taking so long to leverage the great opportunities offered by internal social media? . . . The Social Employee lifts the lid on this potential and provides guidance for businesses everywhere.”

–Jez Frampton, Global Chairman and CEO, Interbrand

Maybe social media is “everything.” Or maybe it’s not. Either way, it’s a bunch of baloney unless the nature (“culture”) of the inards of the organization is aligned to bring social media alive and keep it energetic and growing. Enter the fully empowered … Social Employee. This book is a landmark that converts the power of social media from fiction to fact.

For me theory and ideas are the icing on the cake. The cake, in books like this, is case studies. And though I buy, big time, the all-important intellectual structure offered here, it’s the rich, detailed, compelling cases I love.

I used the word “landmark” a couple of sentences ago. There’s not an iota of hyperbole. Cheryl and Mark Burgess have taken the power of “social” many steps down the path to impact and excellence. Without this “stuff,” social is close to a joke.

–Tom Peters is the Red Bull of management thinkers and co-author of In Search of Excellence

“Practical and insightful, The Social Employee is sure to improve your brand-building efforts.”

–Kevin Lane Keller, E.B. Osborn Professor of Marketing, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; author, Strategic Brand Management

“Get a copy of this book for your whole team and get ready for a surge in measurable social media results!”

–Mari Smith, author, The New Relationship Marketing; and coauthor, Facebook Marketing

“This book will change how you view the workplace and modern connectivity, and inform your view of how social employees are changing how we work and create value in today’s networked economy.”

–David Armano, Managing Director, Edelman Digital Chicago, and contributor to Harvard Business Review

“The Social Employee makes the compelling argument that most organizations are sadly missing a key opportunity to create a social brand, as well as to build a strong company culture.”

–Ann Handley, CCO, MarketingProfs.com, and coauthor, Content Rules

Mark and Cheryl Burgess show real-world examples of how social is fundamentally changing brands. An important read for the legions of newly minted social employees eager to jump into the fray and start making an impact.

—Jennifer Aaker, General Atlantic Professor of Marketing, Stanford University, and coauthor, The Dragonfly Effect

In today’s socially connected world, companies have to leverage their internal talent in order to drive business results. The Social Employee will help any company become more social, relevant, and innovative.

—Dan Schawbel, bestselling author of Me 2.0 and Promote Yourself and columnist for TIME and the Wall Street Journal

Anyone struggling to harness social media will want to read this important book. It provides a fresh perspective—focusing on empowering and motivating the “social employee” to represent the brand. Using a host of case studies, the authors explain that success involves supporting those employees with a social listening program, C-Suite commitment, communication prioritization, systems to deliver the culture of the firm, and methods to manage risk.

—David A. Aaker, PhD, Vice-Chairman, Prophet, and Professor Emeritus of Marketing Strategy at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Author of 15 books and widely recognized as the founder of the strategic branding discipline

Big brands, big changes, big stakes . . . what’s not to love? For the brands tentatively dipping their toes into the social business pool, The Social Employee is a much-needed push into the deep end: it’s time to learn to swim. This book belongs on the desk of anyone serious about learning what it means to be an employee in the new social era.

—Mark Fidelman, Managing Director, Evolve Capital; Forbes contributor; and author of Socialized!

The Social Employee perfectly describes the current business environment, the challenges companies face, and how the more pioneering brands are leading us to the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether you’re a new hire working your way up through the corporate ranks or a C-Suite executive, you need to read this book.

—Jacob Morgan, author of The Collaborative Organization, Principal/Cofounder of Chess Media Group

The Social Employee is more than a window into how the workplace has changed. It is your must-read guide for how to unlock the power of your employees to build your brand’s reputation, productivity, and profits. Buy this book to empower your leadership and employees; in fact, buy them all a copy and watch your company transform.

—Simon Mainwaring, New York Times bestselling author of We First

Passion. Engagement. Authenticity. The Social Employee shows us why these traits above all others are the key to success in the new social era. This book belongs in the collections of executives, employees, and students alike. An absolute must-read for those ready to be pioneers in a brave new era.

—Ann Charles, Founder & CEO, BRANDfog

It’s a giant step for brands to both grasp and act upon what it truly means to be social. Mark and Cheryl have captured powerful examples of companies doing both, adding clear insights to make them actionable. The Social Employee demonstrates how companies that authentically connect with things that are meaningful to employees and customers reap rewards of loyalty from both.

—Andy Smith, coauthor, The Dragonfly Effect

This book is a must-read for aspiring social businesses! Companies need to teach customer-facing employees how to nurture their personal brands as they build the company brand. The Social Employee lays out the why and the how to empower any sized business to transform their team into a network of authentic, socially savvy brand ambassadors.

—Jon Ferrara, CEO, Nimble; Founder of GoldMine, a CRM Pioneer; coauthor, Social CRM for Dummies

If there’s one thing the incredible success stories of big brands like IBM, Adobe, and Southwest Airlines show, it’s that going social isn’t a predetermined, paint-by-numbers process. Companies have a duty to listen to their employees and encourage them to chart the course on their social journeys. Today, corporate brands come alive through the personal brands of their people. The Social Employee is a fantastic testament to this, masterfully marking this watershed moment in business.

—William Arruda, author of Ditch. Dare. Do! and Career Distinction

The transition from simply using social media within the business to becoming a true social business—where content sharing and social networking are integrated into processes across the organization— is an imperative yet frightening journey. Cheryl and Mark Burgess show how it’s done, using examples from top global brands. The Social Employee is a must-read guidebook to empowering and energizing workers to build powerful brands from the inside out.

—Tom Pick, Digital Marketing Consultant and Managing Editor, Webbiquity

Order Here »

Free Chapter Download

Click here »

More Places To Buy

Available from: