Joining The Groundswell An Interview With Charlene Li
By: Bailey McCann
Recently I spoke with Charlene Li co-author of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technology and analyst at Forrester Research. She spoke to me about how women can utilize the strategies in her book and the power of social media to leverage their networks and engage customers. Li presents five core strategies for using the power of social media, they are:
- Listening
- Talking
- Energizing
- Supporting
- Embracing
Each of these strategies are outlined in detail in the book. In our interview, Li focused specifically on listening, “listening can help market research by engaging the audience and finding what people are saying.” She also went on to point out that by listening to what people are saying, you can avoid social media fatigue by presenting only the most highly relevant content.
“Connecting customers to other customers,” and being a “one stop shop,” for all the information in your business, including information on your competitors can put you ahead in the marketplace.
Li also said women especially, can leverage social networks because they are “natural connectors and good at conversation.” Women can use social networks for personal and professional networking as well as an added way of reaching out to customers. According to Li, women’s networks “run deep but not wide.” If women spend time casting a wider net and smoothing out their networks by nurturing weak relationships via websites like LinkedIn they can leverage those networks more effectively.
She advised women to be power networkers, “power networkers set goals at each event to meet so many people and nurture those connections later.” This is where using websites like LinkedIn can be especially beneficial.
“Women have an advantage in this space because they are really good at having conversations, social networking is really about having a conversation and being personable rather than having a totally controlled or shouting message at the customer. If you understand your customers better than anyone else it will require your company to have you on board because you understand this new sphere.”
Women can do this with their personal networks as well through websites like Facebook or Twitter. Li uses her different accounts for specific purposes, “I’m very open on facebook, I’m friends with everyone – its largely a more personal profile. On LinkedIn I only connect to people I actually know and have an existing relationship with, it’s more professional.”
As a working mom, she has found these networks to help her manage relationships in a time efficient way. Li recently lost her nanny and found a new one through her connections on Twitter. She’s a realist when it comes to juggling work/life balance, “its not about balance, balance is a myth, it’s about survival.” She makes clear divisions between working and family life by trying not to work on weekends and prioritizing what is important in both spheres rather than focusing on every single detail.
“Once at a speaking engagement, literally before I was going to get on the stage I was emailing out my child’s birthday party invitations. Then I went out and gave the presentation. It’s just about getting through things.”
Groundswell has a lot to offer readers about how they can use social networking avenues effectively. Li and her co-author Josh Bernoff also have an interactive website and blog that can show you more about how to utilize these applications. Whether for personal or professional use, social media is the next wave in how people connect and Charlene Li shows us how women can be pioneers in this sphere.