Deloitte Social Media Report

Deloitte Australia has issued Social Media Report 2012.

Bruce Kneuer told me about it.  Mr. Kneuer lives in Laconia, New Hampshire, and works as a social media manager at Kenexa.  We had never met, and until a few minutes ago we didn’t know the other existed.

He posted a link to Deloitte’s report on a LinkedIn group–Social Media in Organizations (SMinOrgs)–to which I am a member.  I clicked on the link and read the report.

Then I got back to Mr. Kneuer about it, “[I] wonder how you, with no obvious connection to Deloitte, came to post it on this list.”

He replied, “My work involves watching for and reviewing (albeit quickly) efforts that involve the intersection of Social Technology and Human Resources/Human Capital Management. I often contribute such findings to this group and others.”

We both made comments about the report and then our interaction ended.

And that’s how it goes out in the world of social media.  Two professionals briefly interact to the benefit of both.

Financial professionals (including accountants) and their employing organizations should use social media.  Leave aside for the moment the use of social media for marketing.  Social media usage can help financial professionals and their employing organizations better perform their work.

I use social media constantly throughout the day.  It is integrated to such a degree that I no longer recognize that I’m using it.  It is simply a tool, like my laptop, e-mail and  Office.  To show how much I rely upon it, last year someone put me on a list of the top 50 most social media savvy professors in America.

It is no secret, however, that many financial professionals lag far behind.  At the firm level, the task of social media marketing is outsourced to someone outside the firm.  And many professionals don’t use social media at all.

That’s why I jerked to attention when I was notified of the Deloitte Social Media Report 2012.  That the report exists at all is a big deal!

I eagerly read the report, hoping to use Deloitte as an important example in my future presentations.  What a let down. There is as little content in the report as there is in a Deloitte audit opinion.  Never-the-less, there is a report.  Let’s take a look.

Social Media Report 2012
Celebrating how our communities connect and share online

Deloitte showcases how it uses social media through the eclectic and authentic voices of our people. In this visual Social Media Report 2012 we show how we use social media internally to share, seek advice, problem solve, socialise, and post ideas. Externally our recruiters have changed the game through Facebook and YouTube. And we use Linkedin and Twitter for business.

This report captures our collective sense of excitement as well as the hard business value social media offers. It covers game changers, governance, collaboration, business and what’s next.

The first quotation, by the CEO of Deloitte Australia–is powerful:

When I first heard about social media, I thought it was a thing best avoided.  I’m really pleased that I’ve gotten to understand the power of this medium.  Although it’s complex, fast changing and full of risks the rewards are unbelievable.  Without social media you’re just not going to communicate with your younger team members.  So my advice is this—–you can’t ignore it.  Join in.  Giam Swiegers, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Australia.

Congratulations Mr. Swiegers and Deloitte Australia.  I wish you many happy social media encounters.

Debit and credit – - David Albrecht

---

Want more of The Summa? Sign up to receive email notification of posts.  And please follow me on Twitter (@profalbrecht).