E = Energize the Channel and Community Socially!

Continuing our series on the Angels framework, today, we will discuss “E”: how to Energize your channel and your community, one of my favorites!

Check out the video (do these help?) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?=DBUA7_hmi2k&feature=PlayList&p=0270CF7431B8451D&index=4

We look at how to choose the vessels available in social media based on your goals: dialogue, collaboration, sharing, etc. It all depends on your ultimate goal.
* Serious Gaming: Wii, DS: leverage the power of the games, a teachable moment. Example: Innov8, one of IBM’s serious games is a great example: it progressed from education to customer interaction to forming relationships with partners.  There is a 80% higher recall from teaching with a game vs. in-class education and the average age of gamer is 33 and 47% are in the 18-49 year old age bracket.

Widgets: a virtual briefcase with a set of channels for demos, presentations, etc. Use it internally and externally with customers. They’re great for sharing information and getting feedback on it.

Communities and Social networks: Per IDC, 50% of on-line Americans belong to a social network. Do you create your own or leverage existing ones out there? Both MySpace and Facebook as well as LinkedIn fit in here.

Sharing. I personally love the vessel of Blogging.  Blogging is great way to share information. My favorite of course is microblogs like Twitter. 
Dell created their own Twitter channel to sell excess inventory

There are lots of social tools – to energize your channel and community – here are the key steps to take:

• Learn about the options
• Experiment – try things out
• Leverage them in your current plans
• Plan and execute your social media vehicles