I want to share a little anecdote about Facebook. I was chatting with a potential client from a large enterprise content management organization this week. We were discussing participation in the Enterprise 2.0 event, specifically opportunities surrounding sponsorship and speaking at the show.
I walked her though the prospectus, and explained our audience and attendee demographics. We discussed the sponsorship levels, their respective benefits and price points. We explored how her company measures ROI and delved into their strategic marketing objectives. The budget and the PO process were also brought up. The items we covered were pretty standard fare for a sales call.
Then things got interesting. I explained to her that the Enterprise 2.0 team had created a Facebook group. The group is an open forum and everyone in encouraged to participate. Members can network with colleagues, share their own enterprise 2.0 initiatives and challenges and be an active voice in the content development for the Enterprise 2.0 Conference. Implementing a social networking tool into the conversation surrounding E2.0 is essential, as it makes my company, as business technology event producers, really drink our own medicine.
I explained to her the purpose of the group, and then I asked her
‘Are you on Facebook?’
The woman on the phone, with a clipped and professional tone, who I assume is in her mid to late 40′s then did something rather unexpected. She giggled. At the mention of Facebook, she suddenly sounded like a shy school girl.
She told me she was not yet signed up for any social network tools, but she was finding it more and more essential in her line of work to be connected through the web’s social graph. I invited her to the group, she created an account and I am proud to say I was her first friend.
After friending her, I was able to see pictures of her dog and discovered we both used to work for Ziff Davis. Our conversations now take on a more relaxed, personal tone. A mutual rapport has been established. She has decided to move forward with a high level sponsorship.
