Is the conversion, this obsession for preparing communication strategies: how to get users to sign up to our newsletter? Or how to get to respond to guest satisfaction? If you already found it difficult in the web 1.0, social network seem to be more complicated. This is at least what I concluded the consulting firm Booz & Co. in a recent report (PDF) that advocates this path with data: six (from 5,000 million dollars this year 2011 to 30,000 in 2015) in five years will multiply sales through social networks. And this assumes that success, because all too often, the network has far exceeded any forecast.

This means for many companies are still trying to figure out how to position themselves in this world that will have to learn to march forced to get a direct benefit, but with the advice of Booz & Co. it will be easier:

1. Arrive early and learn by doing
2. Develop a strategy to obtain the data needed
3. Define what the customer experience should be
4. Social mainstream trade into a general multi-channel strategy

The survey conducted by the consultant makes a conclusion already known for working on the conversion: the follow on Twitter, the “Like” on Facebook, the subscriptions in general are not a commercial link. According to Booz, 71% of users say they feel no inclination to buy products from companies that you like on Facebook.

That does not mean that the quantitative variables are not relevant to business: the collection of data on shopping behavior and consumer profile or follower to define their tastes and interests far and adjust to them the information being transferred. And even more: the level of their social environment. Facets define what a user is capable of influencing their friends, relatives and professional contacts. If your opinion about basketball or policy are valued by some of his contacts and, at the same time, if you follow the advice of a third on technology or restaurants.

A translation of the theses on the opinion leaders in a digital world interconnected partial leaders. Although commercial use of this information will also require a change in monitoring.

Sadly, even many candidates think that seeking employment is to look at every day Info jobs (the most popular portal in Spain by the candidates and more used by companies). Of course they should continue using it but have to stay there. Need to supplement it with many other tools. For example, there is increasingly more job offers published in professional networks like LinkedIn and Xing. There are also specialized channels and on Twitter about any job.

Likewise, increasingly, personnel manager is looking for talent in the network as well would you to display what you know to do and know that poséis in the forums and portals where they are. In professional networks, for example, can initiate direct conversation with them on various topics because there is a “here and here I catch you I’ll kill you.” You must pave the way slowly.

For example, imagine that a social graduate looking for work and cannot think of anything new. I could watch the Official Gazette of their autonomous region and province to meet its aid or grants for new projects to be granted to enterprises in this sector professional and able to contact them and offer their services directly, interest in this project for if they could find staff. And now I ask myself is this what everyone does? I do not think that is a way of showing and will differentiate.

Another task that you can greatly facilitate the work is to use the RSS feeds of the job boards to receive personalized alerts to your email account offers of your interest on a regular basis depending on the parameters indicated for the type of position you seek.

Also, you may be aware rather than news having to do with your business sectors and projects in the area and to be informed of developments. Likewise, rather than going to choose us for your special events and related profiles to meet people from the “scene” and that you can know and why not, count on you in the future. No matter how good you are, if you appear to others, you are invisible to them.

Then there is the alternative offered to take imagination and imaginative way companies, making them see a need. For example, consider a career in marketing or human resources who knows about this issue and, in addition to sending resumes to companies in the sector, what other choice does he have? For more than one. To mention one, you can prepare a plan of action to present to various media, the new sections on topics that dominate, explaining goals, objectives, approach, focus, etc. It may be that many will not answer you, however, one day might receive an affirmative answer or that you contact one of these means for a meeting and you can give them more information.

Of course, even with new and different things to reach out to employers, you must be realistic, no one pretends that it is easy or that the first may obtain positive results. What it does is clear is that if no results are obtained when using traditional tools, perhaps it was time to approach things differently. In seeking employment, as in all aspects of life, there is not only Jack, the Horse and the King, but there are many other characters poll.

Internet power these relations to a point never experienced in human history and transforms the social networking groups, using the possibilities offered by communication between them. Therefore, a group of people is nothing without the tools to communicate and reach to create a social network.

So far, consumer groups lived isolated from the rest, except when we went shopping with friends or acquaintances. Today, thanks to the Internet can join a group looking for the best deals Or inform, share tastes, products or services and experiences, thanks to developments that are experiencing social tools. We have spent, therefore, be isolated consumers informed and connected users.

As Clay Shirky says, a revolution happens not when people adopt new tools, but when adopting new behaviors. We live that reality today thanks to the Internet because we not only consume, but also think of the products and services, recommend them to friends, comment or share them to show what we have, want or desire to acquire.

This change in behavior is clear the impact of tools and ease of access to them, which has become hunters (as opposed to readers) with a strong social component, since according to Nielsen increasingly use social tools such as source when looking for information and means to discover content (or products and services) based on what they share our contacts.

Undoubtedly, lack of trust in traditional media brands and we rely more than other people like us than any speaker or CEO of any company. Therefore, companies and new tools are trying to shift toward building relationships with this new consumer, who has plenty of sources to access the content previously, contributed brands and many of the same media to talk about what you want. In this new scenario trademarks and should not advertise, but related.

Without doubt, the brands are using this new reality (Geolocation, Real Time …) are changing the reality and game rules. Some rules that are determined by the user and technology. In Spain is a long way to go in this field of social shopping, despite the ever increasing use of social networks …

When penetration of smartphones acquire relevant figures may see as a reality that consumer multi, user tools and applications of geolocation and real time … or maybe with the advent of Facebook Places? Some time ago we discussed here some of the major social trends shopping.

We will be watching to see what steps are given in the next few months, until then I wanted to share a presentation that incorporates and expands upon some of these ideas with interesting examples of steps being taken in this field.

The other day I read somewhere, I do not remember the source that the followers of brands in social networks began to demand VIP treatment because follow or be a fan of a particular brand. In addition, the only reality is that ever more people on Social Networks and the brands will have to rethink how they will care for your community.

It is absurd to think of Social Networking as a way station was or purely promotional press releases. The reality is that we are aware there are brands that offer another view, as seen in the recent study by Spanish brands on Twitter or for example, www.bestbuy.com and Twitter, @ Twelpforce, from which offer a pioneering service customer service won them the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2010.

In conversations with friends who do not have a presence in social networks or are on a testimonial, I often ask, “But … what good is to be on Twitter?” Moreover, I pose: why should serve as a mark to follow on Twitter in 2011?

This situation reminds me very much at the beginning of mobile telephony, which professionally lived very closely. I remember the same arguments for not having a phone: “Yeah man, that I have located all day” and stuff like that, just 15 years later, resonate very far and that resolved as soon as the mainstream to its potential.

I am increasingly convinced that social networks should add to what we already know “utility.” Of no use to have a presence in social media if you offer to your community a valuable service. (Del lat. Utilis). Adj. Who brings or causes benefit, comfort, fruit or interest.

Since the value we attach, say what we do, instruct and, above all, give an interesting service, practical and differential. On Twitter we have the example of @ digitalmeteo, someone who builds personal brand, gives visibility to their project work. We instructed the neophytes in meteorology, involve us and makes us experience a snowfall like the World Cup final and also tells us what the weather was going to do at the wedding of some friends who were married in Salamanca last weekend. Hard not so useful to follow someone who lives his own with such passion.

In short, the impression I have is that we come into a room, we had installed and started to get comfortable and now we have to open a door that remains closed and see where it leads. Knowing that each time you open a new door will be back in diapers and we must adapt and learn again to walk.

That’s my challenge for 2011, re-learn to walk in Social Media.

I think the theory is attractive to make the complex simple and quantify somewhat difficult to determine. But even if I lack knowledge to assess, ensure that the size matters, I remember those theories weighing brains to determine their capacity, and even came to ensure that the brains of the smartest were larger.

Furthermore, and in another context, the virtual networking capabilities allow us to break away the barrier of 150 contacts, making it possible to maintain a much larger number of contacts in diverse communities.

Without wishing to argue on the basis of the theory Dunbar, the differences between the relations “real and virtual” think they are basically the definition and context.

While in the real world and as defined in the SAR, friends are people I feel pure and selfless personal affection, usually reciprocal, which is strengthened by the deal. In many social networking “friend” is one that simply sends you a message: “Will you be my friend?”, You agree and sometimes, sometimes almost immediately asks you something.

Due to the invasion of outsiders, some social network will allow “defrieding” or what is the same block the connection with a person with whom you were attached and which wants to end the “relationship online.”

With the natural need we have to connect and build our social capital, often for professional reasons, it might be wise to re-ask before accepting a new connection: why are you friends?