Interview with Andrew Jenkins, founder and CEO of Volterra Consulting - part 2

To read part 1, click here.

Cendrine Marrouat: North American and European businesses alike have used your services. Have you noticed differences between these two cultures and in the way they 'do' social media?

Andrew Jenkins: I have worked with companies in the US, Canada, the UK and the Netherlands.

The US are aggressive but in a good way. They tend to be willing to take risks and run with an idea.

Canada is a highly connected country in terms of Internet usage and social networks but Canadian businesses still seem to be more cautious in their adoption of social media. I saw the same cautiousness with respect to e-commerce in Canada in the late nineties. The US was at least three years ahead then but now Canada seems to be at a tipping point where companies recognize that they cannot ignore social media anymore. They need to at least have a stated position.

The UK, in some instances, is more connected than Canada when it comes to some of the top social networks and that connectedness is reflected in the way they think. I did a research project on social networks three years ago for a client in the UK. That’s a long time ago in Internet time but they were already convinced that social networks were changing the ways we communicated, collaborated, and shared information.

We also have to remember that only three years ago MySpace was bigger than Facebook, Twitter was in its infancy, and LinkedIn had yet to experience its growth spurt due to the recession. Look at how much change has occurred in such a short time. What do the next three years have in store for us? Will Google+ or a yet unnamed company become a major competitor? Time will tell.

Finally, one of the most represented countries per capita on social networks is The Netherlands. For example, LinkedIn beta tests new features and services there because of how networked or connected they are. A lot can be learned from them and I certainly have been enriched by my collaborations there.

CM: What are some of the most basic steps a company should take before launching a social media campaign?

AJ: 

1. Design a social media strategy to complement the overall corporate strategy rather than exist on its own

2. Be very clear with objectives, how to measure them, who will be accountable, and track progess

3. Assume that not everything will work. It is so new that it is still a bit of trial and error, so allow for failure but give yourself some slack to adjust your strategy. The strategy should not be treated as an event but rather as an ongoing process that gets refined based on market forces and the degree of customer engagement

CM: How can people get in touch with you? 

The company website is www.volterraconsulting.com or email is info@volterraconsulting.com.

CM: Any last words? 

Right now, we tend to talk about social media separately from the other activities that an organization is involved in. In the near future, I do not think that we will talk about social media distinctly separate. In time, companies will have integrated social media into their day-to-day operations just like email and marketing through the company website.

That is why I tend to focus on the operationalization of social media or the establishment of a social media foundation within the organization rather than just campaigns. When campaigns end, it is important to have a social media foundation so that any successes from the campaigns, like new fans or followers, continue to be nurtured for the long-term health of the community.

Finally, I think that social media and community building require a lot of effort and companies need to understand the level of commitment needed. You cannot build a community and then forget about it because, if you do, you will never get the people back.

End of the interview.

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