When Chris Voss speaks about social media, mobile technology and its relationship to both the corporate and consumer worlds, many people take note. Chris Voss is ranked #18 in Fortune magazine’s list of the most influential social media experts in the United States. The Chris Voss Blog and The Chris Voss Show are considered indispensable resources in the corporate world, and his insights are looked upon by product and service developers the world over.
Innovation and Tech Today spoke with Chris on October 29 about a number of social networking, social media and
Chris Voss, Social Media Expertmobile technology issues. Here is a portion of that conversation.
I&T Today: First of all, Chris, we’ve seen wholesale changes in technology, publishing, communications and other industries thanks to he relationship between consumers and social media/networking. Why do you feel social media/networking not only took off the way it has, but also changed the playing field in customer relations so quickly and dramatically?
Chris Voss: Part of it is driven by mobile and smartphones. Part of it may have been the recession and people seeking more ways to network and integrate for business.
The large part of it is now this “demand society.” Call it gen x, gen y or whatever, people want stuff now and don’t want to wait for it. They are more vocal and speak their minds. Social Media is an incredible way to amplify your voice.
I&T Today: How is the prevalence of smart phones and tablets further expanding the reach and influence of social media?
Chris Voss: Incredibly huge and growing fast. In 2010, it was predicted mobile would grow by 400% by 2015. The mobile revolution of smartphones and tablets make it so more people can use social media more often.
I&T Today: What major changes have businesses made to their budgets, hiring procedures and marketing strategies to accommodate social media requirements?
Chris Voss: Some companies have massively adopted social media and now expend huge budgets for it in the Fortune 500 arena. Many employers are still trying to understand it and how it translates to the bottom line. The medium is still new and slowly being adopted. But they are all slowly changing and adapting.
I&T Today: What (if anything) surprised you about how quickly customers and businesses became so interconnected?
Chris Voss: I think it’s been wanting to happen for a long time. As a business owner, I’ve always dreamed of something like this. There just wasn’t a vehicle created for it yet. Consumers want more input to what they buy, and business wants the input to better target their business to consumers.
I&T Today: Where do you see the business — and personal — relationship with social media going in the next 3 to 5 years? Do you feel it will be more and more device-driven and less focused on desktop or laptop computers?
Chris Voss: Mobile will be everything. Demand will be everything. All media, cable, news, music, TV, everything will be forced to submit to mobile demand. People will want everything accessible by their mobile devices. There will be HUGE disruption in these industries and serious revolutions of economy. It will also happen in other sectors as they become more technologically driven. As mobile devices get smarter, the apps and phones will know everything about us and help anticipate our wants and needs.
