Why Anyone Can Create a Successful Social Application

As These Case Studies Show, You Have No Excuses

Posted by Josh Bernoff on 10.29.09 @ 11:08 AM

Josh Bernoff

What hit me about this year's winners were that they prove that excellence in social media can come from anywhere.

The consumer and employee winners sell car races, yarn, security software, credit scores, books, and shipping. The B2B winners sell computer products, marketing services, online services, regulatory compliance services, environmental services and enterprise risk services.

The finalists came from a diverse set of industries including travel, education, retail, financial services, auto, media, wine, weight-loss help, insurance and steel manufacturing. Not to mention a product that lets women go the bathroom standing up.

The methods are diverse, too. The winners included online market-research communities, blogs, podcasts, a word-of-mouth campaign and online communities. Finalists used YouTube, widgets, avatars, idea communities, Facebook and online events. And a number of successful entrants created campaigns that spanned multiple social channels.

The geographic diversity wasn't as great, but one winner was from Australia and one finalist came from Brazil. In the past we've gotten some fantastic European entries.

Look, people, the message is this: Do not tell me you cannot do this. People in every country and in every industry, with all sorts of customers and all sorts of management and all sorts of objectives are creating not only innovative but incredibly effective social applications. I've worked with six insurance companies in the last two years. I just talked to a bunch of milk-processing executives ("got social?"). I have yet to find a company, an industry or a geography that can't benefit from connecting its customers with each other through social.

There are no excuses left. Just do it.

4 Comments

  By JudyGShapiro | new york, NY October 29, 2009 01:53:44 pm:

Hi Josh --

Coincidentally, your post reinforces the point I just wrote about in the Judy Consumer post about Cloud computing... Namely that technology will increasingly be developed, deployed and distributed by "everyman" and not confined to the big tech companies.

People can and will begin to create the real personal web of the future for themselves.

Power to the people :)

Judy Shapiro

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  By jamesbielefeldt | Saint Louis, MO October 29, 2009 03:23:38 pm:

A great variety of functionalty in these sites that addresses key business needs. The web is truly not just for brochure-ware sites any more.

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  By cjrullman | Birmingham, AL October 30, 2009 01:38:31 pm:

I'm curious to know how you did social media for the insurance companies? how would you do utilize social media for financial institutions? love to hear your take.

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  By Kevin | New York, NY November 2, 2009 11:00:22 am:

Almost all the winners were cited as "XYZ created a community"...

What's new is old, what's old is new.

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