Blog Council Blog

Garmin uses blog for new customer service

Posted by Blog Council Staff on January 5, 2009

Corporate Social Media Case Study: Garmin

With the end of year holidays recently finished, Garmin knew that many customers were going to have questions about their new GPS units. Rather than write a self-congratulatory “We had a great Christmas!” post, the blog was used to welcome new customers and point out the right directions to find answers to common first-time questions. This has a direct ROI benefit as a good portion of customers will now go to the blog for questions instead of calling a tech support call center.

Learn More:
Ask Garmin: Getting to know your gift

Disclosure: Your humble blogger was a recipients of a Garmin Nuvi as a stocking stuffer, but does not have any connection to the company besides being a new (and happy) customer.

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Offer your customers your experience and expertise

Posted by Blog Council Staff on January 2, 2009

Corporate Social Media Case Study: Best Western

Best Western’s self-described “girl on the go” and travel blogger Amy uses the blog to answer to customer questions about travel and doesn’t always talk about the company when dispensing her advice. In a recent post, for example, Amy posted a Q&A from “Dan, Illinois” asking about advice how to keep a 2-year old happy during a driving trip to Disney World. Written in a folksy and effortlessly charming manner, Amy cheerfully dispensed advice with the experience of being a mother herself to lend credibility: “You can expect to hit some low points along the way but when you’re daughter starts screaming in the backseat just imagine that you’re in a Chevy Chase comedy and try to laugh at the situation.”

Learn More:
Ask Amy: Help! I’m driving with a 2-year old to Disney World

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Welcome to the newest members of the Blog Council

Posted by Blog Council Staff on January 2, 2009

We want to publicly thank the most recent companies to join the Blog Council.

Abbott
Alticor
SWIFT
United States Coast Guard
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Have you ever wondered why people and companies join the Blog Council?

The Blog Council is hiring — Executive Director / Community Manager (VP level)

Posted by Blog Council Staff on December 30, 2008

Blog Council Executive Director

Lead the Global Adoption of Social Media in Big Companies

We’re looking for a senior executive who will provide day-to-day leadership and management for the Blog Council (http://www.blogcouncil.org).

The Blog Council is an organization for senior executives in charge of social media at the largest corporations in the world. Members include Allstate, Coca-Cola, Dell, General Electric, Home Depot, Intel, Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, Molson, Nestle, Nokia, Procter & Gamble, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, UPS, United States Coast Guard, Walmart, and Wells Fargo.

We support those people who are teaching big companies how to listen and engage with their customers and communities. If you think blogging and social media is important, imagine what you could do with truly committed leaders providing big budgets and lots of people to do it right. Our members are awesome people doing great work, and you’ll really like them.

You will have responsibility for all programs, fundraising, and day-to-day management functions. This is a fast-growing organization looking for a leader to take it to the next level. Our primary goal is increasing the quantity and variety of member benefits, including online and teleconference discussions, webinars, member meetings, collaborative projects, and publications.

You are a proven community leader or association executive with a track record working for corporate-backed organizations. You should have strong knowledge of social media, blogs, and marketing. You should be comfortable and experienced working with the SVP-level contacts at Fortune 500 companies on a daily basis.

We’re looking for solid management experience, preferably in a similar organization or community with budget exceeding $2 million. You should have the skills and experience necessary to be the primary executive responsible for all day-to-day management of the organization. This is not a learn-on-the-job situation.

The Blog Council is a division of GasPedal: http://www.gaspedal.com. It’s a great place to work. This is a full-time job in Chicago.

How to Apply

Send cover letter, resume, and salary requirements by email to Andy Sernovitz at andy@gaspedal.com. The subject of your email should read: “BC101. Executive Director, Your Name”

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Social media case study: Intel, presented by Ken Kaplan at BlogWell

Posted by Blog Council Staff on December 30, 2008

Come to BlogWell on January 22 in Chicago where you’ll hear social media case studies from Allstate, H&R Block, The Home Depot, Mayo Clinic, Procter & Gamble, Walmart, Sharpie and the U.S. Coast Guard - all for $200.

BlogWell is the only conference where social media executives from large companies come together to share their case studies, offer practical how-to advice and answer your questions.

Here’s the video, slides and audio of Ken Kaplan’s BlogWell San Jose case study presentation, “From Grass Roots to Global Scale: The Four Phases of Social Media at Intel,” where Ken describes how Intel’s culture has helped its large and diverse base of employees jump into social media:

Video:

Click to play

Slides:

BlogWell Social Media Case Study: Intel, presented by Ken Kaplan

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: culture kaplan)

Audio:

Download the MP3 audio file here.
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American Red Cross displays impressive social media lineup

Posted by on December 30, 2008

Corporate Social Media Case Study: the Red Cross

The American Red Cross is a huge brand in its own right, so it makes sense that the organization would fully embrace social media. In a recent post, Claire Sale (the Red Cross “social media guru”) shared some of the different ways that individuals can interact with the brand:

American Red Cross iGoogle theme (The theme rotates disaster relief photos throughout the day)
A custom Red Cross avatar for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
A Red Cross Banner
An embeddable Red Cross PSA for Facebook, your web site, etc.
An invite to become a supporter on Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Ammado, SocialVibe, or LinkedIn.
Ten American Red Cross chapters with blogs of their own

Learn more:
American Red Cross: ‘crossify your life

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Roundup of upcoming Blog Council member events

Posted by Blog Council Staff on December 29, 2008

Here’s a rundown of the upcoming member events the Blog Council will be hosting:

January 6 — Guest Show and Tell with Ellis Booker: Best Examples of BtoB Corporate Social Media
January 13 — Show and Tell with Megan Parker: How GE Started Using GEReports for Investor News
January 22 — BlogWell Chicago

Note:These events (except for BlogWell Chicago) are member-only. However, watch this space for details on upcoming public events. Interested in joining the Blog Council? We’d love to have you on board. Give us a shout.

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