Monthly Archive: February 2009

Pipe International shows how any topic could be interesting for a corporate blog

February 27, 2009

Corporate Social Media Case Study: Pipe International

Pipe International, a company that installs subsea cables, created a blog to follow the construction of PPC-1, a $200 million project connecting Australia to the telecommunications hub of Guam — arguably not the most exciting of topics.

But 20,000 hits in less than four hours following the site’s launch suggests there’s a bigger audience for the topic than most might assume. Another potential reason for the success of the blog is a few of the techniques Pipe International is using. Here’s what they’re doing:

1. Lots of photos and videos

Almost every post includes a large photo or a video clip.

2. Lots of conversation

Most posts have at least a couple comments, and the team is generally quick to respond.

3. Lots of details

Each post has lots of details on what some folks might consider “boring” (such as the -48V DC system that serves as the Power Feeding Equipment), but folks interested in the project clearly appreciate all the information.

Learn More: Pipe International

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Interview with an unofficial corporate evangelist

February 26, 2009

When marketing blogger Mack Collier ran into frustrating delays while flying home on US Airways, he tweeted about how upset he was with the situation. Moments later, he received a tweet from someone with the name @usairwaysgirl asking if everything was all right.

But the friendly note wasn’t from an official at US Airways. Rather, it was from Jody Gnant, a former customer service and sales agent for the airline who was a big fan of the company (despite having left the company more than a decade ago).

Jody agreed to an interview with Mack, which resulted in an interesting look into what motivates her as a US Airways evangelist and how she’d respond if the company reached out to her.

Here’s a snippet from Jody on why she enjoys helping US Airways customers:

People fly for some of the most important moments in their lives, and so when they have trouble getting there it can be super stressful. I just thought that since I have a really great understanding of the policies of US Airways that I might be able to help some of my fellow Twitterers get through those times.

Learn More: Read the complete interview

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Humana opens their boardroom up to Twitter

February 25, 2009

Corporate Social Media Case Study: Humana

Thanks to Bill Ives of the FASTForward blog, we learn how Humana used Twitter to share their social media policy-shaping meeting. By posting the highlights on Twitter, they created a digital archive of the meeting minutes in a forum where anyone in or outside the company could read and comment.

Here’s Humana’s thoughts behind the concept:

The idea behind the Humana Social Media Chamber of Commerce is that no one organization will own “Social Media” for all of Humana. We are a large organization made up of individual departments with separate customers/demographics, individual social media needs, and budgets. We want to use the Chamber of Commerce and Electronic Commons areas that we are creating as an extension of the Web 2.0 world that we all live in today on the internet. The need to share and exchange best practices will replace the need to control.

Learn More: Humana Social Media Chamber of Commerce

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Blogging from the CEO's perspective

February 24, 2009

Corporate Social Media Case Study: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

A CEO isn’t always the best person to run the corporate blog, but when they do they can offer unmatched perspective and influence on an industry.

Running a Hospital is Paul Levy’s blog about what it’s like to be the CEO of a large hospital. He shares opinions on medicine and health care issues, and does it all in a candid, open format. His posts cover topics such as a ranking system for physicians, congratulating his competitors, and challenging his industry to better share best practices.

Learn More: Running a Hospital

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The Social Media Business Council, formerly the Blog Council, is a brands-only community focused on helping large organizations build successful social media programs.

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