Prices start at $49.

Harnessing Social Networking To Drive Transformation
November 19, 2009 , 9 pages
by Rob Koplowitz
When one of the world's largest defense contractors says, "We need to move from a culture of 'need to know' to a culture of 'need to share,'" you stop and listen. Competing in an industry driven by the mantra "loose lips sink ships," BAE Systems has identified a greater threat: failing to tap the collective wisdom and actions of its people. Smart organizations are looking to tap into the full power of the enterprise and beyond to drive better and faster decisions and to foster innovation that will keep them at the forefront of the changing economy. One approach that's top of mind for business technology leaders is the use of social networks to drive communities that span traditional organizational structures, or a Facebook for the enterprise. The types of organizations that are leading the trend may well surprise you.

What Type Of Market Research Online Community Vendor Should Tech B2B Market Researchers Use?
Three Choices Exist, Dependent On Budget, Usage Pattern, And Support Needs
November 19, 2009 , 7 pages
by Brad Bortner
Market research online communities (MROCS) are the next wave in qualitative research, due to their combination of new qualitative research capabilities and ability to provide cheaper faster results. There is, however, buyer confusion about what type of MROC provider to use. Too many companies see the price for a full-service MROC and stop there. They don't realize that there are all sorts of variations of cost-effective, scalable, self-service MROCs (or full-service market research vendors) providing services on an à la carte basis. Larger firms (often with a B2B component to their business), with the resources to decide whether to outsource or insource market research labor, have multiple options in this space. Over the next few years, the ubiquitous emergence of self-service MROC solutions will drive prices down and make the decision to use them far more straightforward. Until then, understanding your service-level needs, cost constraints, and the volume of your research needs can help you make an effective MROC provider decision today.

Navigating The Twittersphere
How To Market On Twitter
November 19, 2009 , 6 pages
by Nate Elliott
Successfully engaging with consumers on Twitter requires both the right overarching strategy and a series of small best practices. Interactive marketers must ensure that consumers can find their brands' accounts, confirm that they are legitimate, and easily identify who is tweeting. Marketers must also provide a mixture of promotional and non-promotional content and decide how often — and in what ways — they will directly engage with consumers. To extract the greatest value possible from Twitter, balance department-level control of different accounts with a broad view of how your various accounts work together to reach users.

More recent Blogging & Social Computing research »

Forrester Research Blogs:
Marketing Blog | Devices & Media Blog | Charlene Li's Blog