Archive for October, 2009

Can widgets work for the B2B enterprise?

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Widgets

Widgets

I know most B2B marketers are paying close attention to new social media trends and technologies. Many of these are easily and obviously useful. Others, however, while practical for personal use, can at first seem less so for the enterprise. I saw this when speaking with JUNOS Jeff about Twitter as I was writing that post, and I also see it in the slow adoption of widgets (gadgets for Mac users) by B2B marketers.

Widgets can be thought of as essentially either RSS feeds of information that use a graphical interface to update users, or mini applications. They’re incredibly versatile and can be put on a desktop, downloaded for use on a Web site or blog, or even added to a mobile device—anywhere a user wants easy access to whatever regularly updated content the widget offers.

So let’s get right to the heart of the matter: how can widgets be used effectively by the enterprise?

First of all, as with subscription-based media, content is king. A widget has to provide information that your customers, potential or existing, will actually want. But what? Some successful B2B widgets that I’ve seen include:

  • A widget that takes polls for your sites (e.g., using Poll Daddy ) to find out what people think about a particular topic, then shares the results with other users of the widget
  • Widgets created to provide product updates and release information
  • On a purely marketing side, widgets used to promote a sweepstakes or contest
  • Here’s a helpful list of 10 interesting productivity widgets—some geared toward B2B

Not only can widgets such as these be distributed via social media technologies such as your branded, corporate support network, your Facebook page, or your blog, but there are a multitude of third-party sites like gigya that can also be used to distribute your widget—and your brand.

In the blogosphere, WordPress (based on personal experience with this blog) has widgets for “accessorizing” a blog, including bookmarking, top commentator identification, Pandora online radio, IM status checking, and more. Using widgets like these can enhance the stickiness of a blog, even if the information provided isn’t trained on that blog’s particular subject.

I’m in the process of looking into what widgets have worked best for B2B companies. Does your company currently use them? Do you have any insights to share on the matter? I’m particularly interested in whether any of you have seen good widgets for internal communities. Is this a good idea we should consider for J-Net Community?

Some sites that let you create your own widgets:
http://www.widgetbox.com/

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How will iPhone adoption affect enterprise mobility and the spread of social media?

Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Mobile

Mobile

The enterprise has always driven adoption of new technology through product and solution development. Much less discussed, however, is the influence the public has on technology usage by the enterprise. But one look at the rise of social media, and it’s clear that it’s a two-way street. Earlier we found this to be the case with social media such as Facebook  and Twitter—both technologies whose adoption by B2B continues to be driven first by employee usage outside the workplace, then inside the workplace.

Another example is the next generation of smartphones, such as the iPhone 3G S. The iPhone has single-handedly changed the landscape not only of mobile devices, but of how social media is being used. Since the launch of the new iPhone, for instance, mobile uploads to YouTube have risen more than 400%. And though it is still primarily for personal use, it’s “trickling up” to the enterprise slowly but surely. Oracle, for instance, has adopted the iPhone internally for its enterprise use, as have a number of other large organizations. The rapid response of other mobile device manufacturers to create similar user experiences led Forrester to declare in May’09 that the term “smartphone” was dead, since all phones are quickly becoming smart. And I think the impact is going to be huge.

Mobile applications have long been developed for smartphones—here’s a list of the top 10mobile apps —and already there are a number of mobile applications being made for iPhone by companies like Oracle, SAP, and Sybase. There are also a host of next-gen iPhone competitors like the Google phone and, most recently, the Palm Pre . With more platforms to choose from, I expect to see more enterprise IT support for the devices, and by extension, more business-ready applications being developed.

A couple I’m excited about are those that take the most advantage of the video capability that will soon come standard on these devices. 12seconds  is a great example: an application that lets users easily record and share quick video updates. Though this obviously has potential for personal use, imagine it being used at a trade show to quickly capture and distribute an exciting new solution (or a scary new competitor). Or in brainstorm meetings to capture that dramatic inspiration captured on a whiteboard. 

Your employees are quickly getting used to having access to the Internet and Internet applications wherever they are. It seems to me that harnessing this potential should be a priority for the distributed B2B enterprise. What do you think? Is the iPhone 3G S crucial new technology or a workplace distraction? I predict we’ll have to live with it regardless—how do you think it will change enterprise mobility?

Suggested reading:

  • Ian Fogg, “The ‘Smartphone’ Is Dead: Long Live Smart Phones and Smart Gadgets,” Forrester, May 15, 2009.
  • Noah Elkin, “Mobile Applications: Moving Beyond Apple,” eMarketer, June, 2009

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