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Will social media make us more effective?
Here is where companies are headed next.
In September 2011, Smartertools presented an infographic (see right) that indicated email usage in the billions versus ‘only’ millions of Facebook or Twitter actions, making the daily number of messages far highers than all status messages combined.Why consumers need an email address
Services such as LinkedIn, Tumblr, Posterous, Tencent, etc. are impossible to use without an email address – as required to:
– get an Apple ID,
– join Facebook,
– use Twitter,
– upload presentations on Slideshare, or
– share your videos on YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
The above facts have not changed since 2011. However, consumers are getting increasingly concerned about overflowing inboxes.
For instance, a recent survey revealed that for every 4 out of 10 consumers, more than half of new emails come from marketers.
Bottom line
Marketers must offer ‘opt down‘ options that allow consumers to reduce mailing frequency (e.g., weekly digest, fewer blog posts each week) to lessen churn.
In corporate settings we need to cut down the amount of emails we send and whom we copy. Less is better. How about trying to limit emails sent, such as the first 15 each work day are ‘free’, but you pay $1 into the team’s party fund for each additional email sent.
Oh, and while we are at it stop email delivery from 9:00 – 12:00 and 14:00 – 16:00 (and don’t forget to include posting to social media platforms). This will reduce interruptions and make it easier for staff to focus on tasks at hand (i.e. get your ‘real’ work done first).
Is email dying?
The folks at McKinsey believe that introducing social networking tools in your firm will cut email usage 25 to 30 percent, but will that make communications more effective?
What was once the fastest and most efficient way to communicate within companies as well as with clients is increasingly viewed as outdated and cumbersome. Email overload is certainly a challenge for corporate users. Sending and receiving about 100 emails daily suggests we do not use this tool effectively.
Marissa Mayer‘s approach has been to ban Yahoo employees working from home, which will certainly cut down on the number of emails and video conference calls needed to coordinate work on- and off-site.
Media darling Atos claims that the zero email approach is succeeding, but is it?
As we have experienced, Atos’ internal processes are cumbersome and extremely time consuming. Put differently, ineffective use of email or social media platforms may suggest a more serious problem regarding internal processes that require streamlining.
Bottom line
Google Android mobile OS requires a Gmail address to operate, and my son’s iPod syncs with Apple’s iTunes service, which also requires an email address. And Facebook will continue to send you the next change in its privacy or advertising policy via email, trust me!
Atos may abide by the zero email policy internally, but 9 out of 10 clients will want to be able to reach Atos staff via email or other channels. And whatever you choose (with or without email), make sure you do not fritter time away by replacing one tool – email – with another that is even more of a time-sink (e.g., using an internal social media platform to discuss customer problems, etc.). Unless change means you are more productive and effective, why do it?
Good to know
Yahoo share values have risen 50 percent since Marissa Mayer took the helm in July (though half of its equity value is tied to non-core Asian investments), and with 186 million US monthly unique visitors according to comScore, they outstrip Facebook and trail Google only slightly.
Mayer recently agreed to pay US$30 million for the smartphone app Summly (1 million users = US$30 per user – the same as Facebook paid for Instagram).
Can a smartphone summarise this article in 100 words? Supposedly Summly can, so maybe it will soon summarise your email? Too bad Yahoo plans to shut down this app (though it plans to incorporate the technology)…
Article source: Email is dead; long live email!
More resources
How do you keep your email inbox empty and use texting and messaging effectively? Tips to share?
The author: This post was written by social media marketing and strategy expert Urs E. Gattiker, who also writes about issues that connect social media, strategy, ROI and compliance (click Google Scholar), and thrives on the challenge of measuring how it all affects your bottom line.
His latest book, Social Media Audit: Measure for Impact, was recently published by Springer Science Publishers; he is currently working on his next book, scheduled to appear before the end of the year.
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