Companies have systems that they need to adhere to.
Without systems, the natives will run amok and sense and sensibility will come crashing down.
Without systems, nothing will be done because we’ll all be headless chickens and the wolves will be circling the coop.
And yet…
Systems saw Wall Street come crashing down. Systems saw auto manufacturers on the brink of destruction. Systems saw oil companies put profits over people.
Systems don’t always work.?
A lot’s been written about the Roger Smith Hotel in New York, and how it’s “doing social media right.”
But that’s just one hotel in one city, and as much as they’re doing a great job, it’s the adoption of social media by the “big boys” of any industry that really show how well social media uptake there is.
Enter Toronto-based Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts group.
What’s cool about their entry into social media is not that they’ve done so, but how they’re doing it.
While a lot of companies dabble with a Twitter account or a Facebook fan page when it comes to their social media outlets, Four Seasons takes that and adds it to the power of many.
If you check their Social Media At A Glance page, you’ll see that not only does Four Seasons have a presence on Twitter and Facebook, but also YouTube and mobile/web applications. Yet, again, it doesn’t stop there, as you’ll see if you click on each social outlet.
So, all in all, a pretty comprehensive social media presence. And that’s just for now – imagine where they could take it.
While it’s great to see a large company like Four Seasons adopt social media and adopt it so well, they’ve got a great opportunity to really stand out from the pack in their industry.
They already have the iPhone app, but why not transfer that success to Android or BlackBerry? Both of these platforms have great app stores and a healthy slice of the demographic that Four Seasons attracts.
Taking that up a notch, they could also introduce a loyalty card that could be tied into both their Facebook app and their mobile app(s). Pre-book your stay either via Facebook or your iPhone, and you immediately get points added to your loyalty card to use at the resort. Or check-in via GoWalla or Foursquare and become the Mayor of a certain area to receive extra spa treats or facility use while at the resort in question.
I’d also like to see the YouTube channel being used more. Have guests make their own holiday videos to upload and share, to give a personal view of the Four Seasons approach. And use it as an educational channel as well – what shots you need for what countries, local characters, cultural differences to respect, etc.
These are just some ideas that Four Seasons (or any hotel or resort group) could add to enhance any social media experience from both their point of view and that of their guests. Some might be better suited than others to different companies, but it’d be great to see the buttons being pushed on how social media (and mobile) is being used.
In the meantime, hats off to Four Seasons for their current social media approach. Nice to see larger companies get on board so well.
How about you – any hotel or leisure groups stand out for you? And how would you like to see them using social media?
Hey there guys. So I have a favour to ask, if that’s okay?
I’ve been toying with the idea recently of redesigning the old blog. Don’t get me wrong – I like the way it looks now and how it feels.
Yet I’m often antsy, always wanting to change something here or fiddle with something there. To that end, I had been looking at changing the design to one that has more defined typography, and visually-led.
Since you guys are here as often as I am, I like to take your thoughts into consideration too. After all, this is pretty much your home as much as it is mine. So, with that being said, I’d like to know what you think. Should I change or stay the same?
Over to you.
One of the best features of using a self-hosted WordPress blog are the plug-ins that are available.
Because WordPress is an open source community, anyone can develop themes and tools for it.
Plug-ins are community-built applications that add extra features to any WordPress blog, from back-end resources to enhancing the reader experience.
Lately I’ve been asked about some of the features that are on this blog that aren’t native to the theme I use, so I thought it might be fun and useful to share them with you.
A couple of things. First, plug-ins can add load time to your blog, so only use ones that you really want (says he with 17 active plug-ins at present). Secondly, not all plug-ins and themes are compatible with each other, so make sure you check first. So… on with the list.
These are the 17 WordPress plug-ins that I use to complete my blogging experience.
There are some hugely popular ones I don’t use, like All-in-One-SEO for example, because the Headway theme (affiliate link) already has its own incredibly robust search engine-friendly options built-in. And I’m a fan of the simple WordPress comment system as opposed to the widely-used Disqus Comments, so that’s why that’s not on here.
How about you? If you’re a WordPress user, what are your favourite plug-ins and why?
photo credit: Eric M Martin
Note: This blog no longer runs on the Headway framework. Instead, it’s a custom WordPress design by Lisa Kalandjian of SceneStealer Graphics.
I received a message from a friend today.
She told me that the company she works for were removing Instant Messaging (IM) access for all employees as of June 1st, ?due to employee abuse (they currently use IM as their internal communications platform).
What made it funny was that she used MSN Messenger to tell me ? you have to admire the irony.
Yet it then got me thinking. The company she works for is one of Canada?s largest business communication solution providers. They have approximately 6,000 employees and revenue of over $2 billion.
They service some of the most forward-thinking companies in North America today by providing some truly leading edge communication tools. So why so poor at internal communication?
I can see why they?d remove an external instant messaging service. Productivity could be impacted as well as there being security issues. But to not have any kind of internal messaging system apart from email? This doesn?t seem like effective business practice, particularly for one whose core business is in the business communications field.
It?s not as if there aren?t a host of options available.?Yammer is an excellent Twitter-like option that?s ideal for business use. There’s also?Jabber , which I used during my time at FedEx and again this was a great way of instant communication. These are just two ? there are many others offering even more solutions, like?Socialtext for example.
Email is a great tool, but in today?s business place it?s fast being superseded by instant messaging services. Faster response time, multiple users, less compatibility issues with networks ? these are just some of the key benefits of using IM.
For anyone not using some kind of IM service for their business, perhaps it’s about time you start, and look at the benefits. And for my friend?s company?
Perhaps you should communicate with each other as well as you do with your customers.
photo credit:?Victor Bezrukov
