How Companies Succeed in Social Business: Case Studies and Lessons from Adobe, Cisco, Unisys, and 18 More Brands

1. The Building Blocks of Social Business: Leveraging the Power of New Media and Human Connections to Grow Business Value

Shawn Santos

What Is a Social Business?

First, it might be helpful if I told you what a social business is not. A social business is not simply one that has deployed the latest social media tools, and a social business certainly does not conduct itself with the customer-avoidance service strategies and ad nauseam marketing messages that have become the norm over the past couple of decades. On the contrary, a social business is one that has fundamentally shifted the way it connects with people, inspiring meaningful, authentic—and sometimes even profitable—collaboration among employees, prospects, and customers.

The most important ...