A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive

by Ted Coine, Mark Babbitt Narrated by Sean Pratt

Overview

Just like the meteor that likely precipitated the end of the dinosaurs, social media is having a monumental impact on the world's economy; a change so dramatic that it has created a new business era. Welcome... to the Social Age. What does the Social Age mean for your business? Containing stories, analysis of real-world scenarios, and indispensable guidance, A World Gone Social gives you the tools and information you need to survive--and thrive--in a business climate in which customers hold all the cards... jobseekers have the power to easily find out what working at your company isreally like... and expertise has become more democratic than ever as employees collaborate with each other, as well as with vendors, customers, and even competitors. You'll discover what the "Death of Large" and "Flat: The New Black" mean for you and your organization, how to build a socially enabled team that puts the customer experience first, and what it means to create an "OPEN" network of partners, collaborators, and brand champions. Filled with fascinating stories of success and failure at organizations including Barilla, Zappos, Bank of America, Lululemon, Abercrombie & Fitch, Southwest Airlines, and more, the book reveals how to avoid the dangers of insincerity as well as what it takes to become a "Blue Unicorn"--the social leader. Finally, you'll learn how to objectively assess the fitness of your company's current culture and social presence. In the Social Age, companies unwilling to change will play the role of the dinosaurs: destined for extinction. A World Gone Social gives you the keys to avoid this fate--and lead your organization into this exciting business climate.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/18/2014
Social media has changed the way the world operates, and companies need to modify just about every aspect of how they do business to remain efficient and profitable. Coine and Babbitt, self-described "successful veterans of the social revolution," offer an insightful and thorough exploration of how to implement these systemic changes. They delve into the new company/customer power dynamic, where customers hold many of the cards, and show how, thanks to social media, employees are also emerging as a new power group. The authors go on to provide examples of companies that use social media to their advantage, such as Southwest and Verizon, and those which have learned the hard way, such as United Airlines and Bank of America. Coine and Babbitt also describe the disruptive changes social media has spurred in employment recruiting, and predict that social media will permanently change how legacy enterprises act, lead, and operate. Of particular interest to executives will be the book's consideration what it means to be a social leader and what to do if you're just not a good social representative. In-depth discussions of teams, customer experience, and social media marketing round out this comprehensive examination. Illuminating and insightful, this book is essential reading for all levels of the corporate ladder. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

"Illuminating and insightful, this book is essential reading for all levels of the corporate ladder." —Publishers Weekly

"…must read for every leader and manager wanting to move past the trend and into the truth about social media’s purpose, influence, and outcomes." —Kate Nasser blog

"Babbitt and Coiné have written a book you MUST read if you don’t want to fall prey to Darwin’s survival of the fittest.” —Mills-Scofield.com

"This practical and engaging book is a must-read for all business owners and entrepreneurs….of interest to anyone who wants to know more about how social media is driving change…” — Library Journal

"I recently read A World Gone Social...If there is anyone you should listen to when it comes to social media, it’s Ted [Coiné].” —Leading with Trust

“Authors Ted Coiné and Mark Babbitt have presented a present-day survival guide for social media.”—Staffing Success

"With unerring practicality, Coiné and Babbitt show why social media is neither fad nor trend but part of a transformational era driven by 'engagement.'" —Foreword Reviews

"Coiné and Babbitt offer an eye-opening look at fundamental and powerful changes the social collaboration era has set in motion...With compelling stories and dozens of concrete examples." —Healthcare News

"...the book offers plenty of intelligent, practical and pragmatic advice on how to become part of the social media-enabled revolution…A must read…” —IT Organization Circa 2017

"...gives you the tools and information you need to survive —and thrive—in a business climate in which customers hold all the cards." —HVACR Business

“This book is a goldmine for organizations who want to become champions of the Social Age." —BizCatalyst360

"...highly recommend A World Gone Social by Ted Coine and Mark Babbitt! It is a must-have resource to help you #ExerciseLeadership!” —Strengths Builders

"...offers warnings and best practices for navigating this dangerous terrain, with fascinating examples of companies that get it right, and terrifying examples of those that get it wrong." —Accounting Today

“…provides the tools you need to build a socially enabled team [and] must read tips that can benefit HR professionals, recruiter, small business owners and others who interview." —ZipRecruiter.com

“Anyone who has ever had a business—or anyone who sells—can certainly learn a great deal from what Ted has to say.” —PipelinerCRM

“Powerful message and when handled effectively can be a very strategic approach towards organizational success and increase profits.” —PM World Journal

“[A World Gone Social] goes beyond most of the advice you’re reading now… to explain how all of them are changing the landscape of business.” —Accounting Today

“…must read for any social media professional. Written by Ted Coine and Mark Babbitt, two social media extraordinaire..." — Dangerous Cupcakes

“…authors have deep roots in the social media community… [and] they are passionate about spreading the word.” — Anna Jedrziewski, Retailing Insight

Insightly Best Small Business Books of 2014

“…recommended to those readers who cannot go an hour without checking their Twitter feeds, reading their e-mail, or communicating with their families, and also to those who can.” —Choice

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171386429
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	09/15/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

The Industrial Age is dead.

Welcome to the Social Age.

Social media has proven to be an insurmountable market force, changing how we innovate, collaborate, serve our customers, hire and develop team members, motivate others toward a common mission, communicate with stakeholders, display our character, and demonstrate accountability. This isn’t change for the sake of change. Neither is this change to fine-tune the status quo, as we saw in the twentieth century with Six Sigma, Total Quality Management, and the Lean movement, which simply helped bureaucracies function at a more efficient, profitable level. This is real, systemic change.

Human change.

Which isn’t easy.

We two authors—ourselves successful veterans of the social revolution—will help you initiate that change. By discussing the next major era in business, A World Gone Social will enable you to adapt quickly, so you can thrive in the Social Age:

▶ We’ll help you, your company, and your industry get out in front of the social revolution.

▶ We’ll ensure you have the voice, influence, and power to lead engaged, innovative teams.

▶ We’ll help you learn from the successes and failures of the early adopters and companies that have already taken to social (some in a good way, and others that have made community-killing mistakes).

▶ We’ll discuss the power of OPEN, where ordinary people intersect to form extraordinary networks.

▶ We’ll introduce you to some of the fascinating change makers, innovators, and mistake makers in the vanguard of the Social Age.

▶ And, along the way, you’ll learn our secret to social: More social. Less media.

In Section I of A World Gone Social, we’ll talk about the surface changes currently under way—business issues that have caught much attention. We’ll discuss how some old-school leaders seem dimly aware of the new era upon us and so are left grasping in the dark, while others remain unconvinced of the power of social, so they fail to take action. We’ll also take on those who resist for another reason: the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” crowd, oblivious to the imminent change—and the turf protectors who perhaps have a vested personal interest in resisting social’s influence.

We’ll then delve deeper into those seismic changes that have already occurred in the Social Age: how the balance of power has shifted from message-controlling corporations to customers and employees who can now voice their opinions—both good and bad—through social. We’ll show how one customer, or employee, can disrupt operations and the focus of an entire corporation based on one seemingly simple decision. And we’ll discuss how those voices are amplified, and create real impact, through social.

Next, we’ll demonstrate how social has already disrupted critical aspects of every business: the very way we’ll build our teams moving forward, how we’ll engage with (rather than broadcast at) stakeholders, and how five-star, 100 percent transparent customer service will lead to a community of evangelists organically supporting your brand.

In Section II, we’ll take on the “death of large” and show how even the biggest enterprises need to get—or at least think and act—small to survive and that nimble, engaging, focused teams are how business will succeed in the Social Age. We'll ask if “flat” is the new black—a trend that, as social management takes root and grows exponentially, will become our “new” form of collaborative leadership (even though its roots are decades old). Finally, we’ll introduce OPEN (Ordinary People | Extraordinary Network) not just as a method of building lifelong personal relationships but as the foundation of organizational success and as a catalyst for entire business models. Along the way, we’ll introduce you to some people and companies that have already jumped into social, with varying degrees of success.

In Section III, we’ll turn to how you can lead your organization to success in a world gone social. You will discover how to objectively assess the fitness of your organization’s culture and social presence and how to improve every aspect that might be failing while leveraging what works well. We’ll discuss the best possible approach to building socially enabled teams, turning customers into ambassadors, and cultivating passionate advocates and champions for your brand. And, with a world-class collaborative team and customer-centric culture in place, we’ll dive into the dynamics at play in digital marketing—and how best to position your company in a world gone social.

In Section IV, we take a look at the future of social business and discuss how we might measure return on investment (ROI) on what is likely to remain more art than science. Finally, we’ll look at what might be next steps for social media in general and for you as a leader in our new, socially driven economy.

In fact, that’s our primary goal throughout this book: to enable you to lead your organization confidently and successfully through the Social Age.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy what you are about to read. After all, we have a passion for the subject that goes beyond social—to personal. As admirably as it served the first-world economy, we want the Industrial Age—and the autocratic leadership practices and soul-sucking working conditions that came with that era—to die. We want organizations to become more transparent, more accountable. We want teams to continuously innovate and collaborate, rather than be throttled by hundred-year-old “best practices.”

In a world gone social, we want business to become more human.

Let’s get started . . .

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