社交媒体热潮五大明星公司

社交网络已经走进了公司。大约十年前，马克•扎克伯格在哈佛大学（Harvard）的宿舍里创办了facebook网站。十年后，几乎所有大公司（以及许多小公司）都开始使用社交工具销售产品与服务，招聘和管理员工，以及处理消费者投诉。美国研究机构CMO Survey二月份对营销高管进行的一项调查发现，受访者预计在五年内，公司营销预算中将有21.6%用于社交媒体销售，而目前这一比例只有8.4%。《财富》杂志（Fortune ）对企业界进行了一次调查，同时与部分领先的数字平台进行了交流，以期找出最佳的社交媒体用户。共同的思路是什么？这四家公司和一家研究实验室并不是用社交工具来代替客户服务、营销、招聘和协作，而是利用社交媒体让目前的工作变得更加出色。

最佳客户服务

美国捷蓝航空公司

滞留旅客喜欢在Twitter和Facebook上发泄不满。捷蓝航空会对这些不满认真回复。

网站及社交媒体账号：jetblue.com; @JetBlue

如今，滞留旅客的投诉会像病毒般扩散。而即使有海量的信息，捷蓝航空（JetBlue Airways）还是会及时回复。纽约营销公司Likeable Media的董事长戴维•柯本说：“与捷蓝航空相比，其他航空公司的响应速度太慢。”

捷蓝航空早在2010年就成立了专门的社交媒体支持团队。团队的26名成员与呼叫中心的同事接受过同样的培训，也可以改签机票。

如果有机场关闭或气候延迟信息，捷蓝航空首先会在公司博客上发布。当因意外事件导致团体改签时，捷蓝航空更喜欢通过电话这种传统方式，与滞留旅客进行沟通。但在有需要的时候，社交媒体团队也可以协助客户订票，以及通过Twitter或Facebook信息与乘客进行交流。——艾瑞斯•曼苏尔

The social network has gone corporate. Almost a decade after Mark Zuckerberg started the facebook in his Harvard dorm, virtually all major businesses (and plenty of small companies) are using social tools to sell goods and services, hire and manage employees, and handle customer complaints. Marketing executives polled in February by the CMO Survey say they expect in five years to spend, on average, 21.6% of their marketing budgets on social media outlets, up from an average of 8.4% today. Fortune surveyed the business community and talked to the leading digital platforms to find best-in-class users of social media. The common thread? The four companies (and one research lab) aren't using social tools in place of customer service, marketing, hiring, and collaboration. They're using social media to make their existing practices better.

Best in customer service

JetBlue

Stranded customers love to vent on Twitter and Facebook. JetBlue actually responds.

jetblue.com; @JetBlue

These days complaints from stranded passengers can go viral. But even when there's a heavy volume of messages, JetBlue Airways (JBLU) responds in real time. "Every other airline is slower to respond in comparison to JetBlue," says Dave Kerpen, chairman of New York-based marketing firm Likeable Media.

The airline has had a dedicated social media support team since 2010. Its 26 members have the same training and ability to rebook flights as their call-center counterparts.

The first place the airline turns when it has news of airport closures and weather delays is its blog. When unexpected events force mass rebookings, JetBlue prefers a good old-fashioned phone conversation with stranded customers, but in times of need, the social team can also assist customers -- booking and simultaneously corresponding with the passenger via Twitter or Facebook messages. --Iris Mansour

最佳市场营销

美国运通

这家坚定的社交媒体用户，仍在继续挑战数字营销的极限。

公司网站及社交媒体账号：americanexpress.com; @AmericanExpress

自从2010年登陆Facebook，发起“小型企业的星期六”（Small Business Saturday，为鼓励消费者在当地商家购物而人为设立的一个节日）以来，美国运通【American Express，《财富》500强（Fortune 500）】市场营销团队对社交网络的使用便一直广受赞誉。这项活动迅速扩展，为买卖双方搭起了一座桥梁。

这家金融服务公司继续利用这类社交工具来推广产品。2011年，它开发了一款社交服务，来代替优惠券：将信用卡与Twitter、移动支付服务Foursquare和Facebook账户关联的美国运通用户可以在参与活动的店铺获得特别折扣。最近的#PassionProjects活动支持一个创意社区发布微博表达它们对获得Kickstarter式大众融资机会的热情。

领导者对社交媒体的投入也为美国运通赢得了额外的加分。（美国运通CEO肯•切诺特是Facebook首席运营官谢丽尔•桑德伯格的好友，也有一定的作用。）——I.M.

Best in marketing

American Express

A longtime social media stalwart continues to push the envelope in digital marketing.

americanexpress.com; @AmericanExpress

American Express's (AXP, Fortune 500) marketing team has been winning plaudits for its use of social networks since it took to Facebook to launch Small Business Saturday (a made-up holiday encouraging consumers to shop with local merchants) in 2010. The campaign went viral and helped connect buyers and sellers.

The financial services company continues to take advantage of such tools to promote its products. In 2011 it developed a social substitute for coupons: AmEx customers who link their cards to their Twitter, Foursquare, and Facebook accounts can get special discounts at participating stores. More recently #PassionProjects lets a community of creatives post and tweet about their passions for a chance at Kickstarter-style fundraising.

AmEx gets extra points for its leaders' commitment to social media. (It helps that CEO Ken Chenault is friends with Facebook operating chief Sheryl Sandberg.) --I.M.

最佳小公司

首轮资本公司

为了与更大的风投公司竞争，首轮资本公司为其投资的公司打造了一个平台。

公司网站及社交媒体账号：firstround.com; @firstround

来自费城的风险投资公司首轮资本公司（First Round Capital）是一家很小的公司：公司只有七名投资专家和24名其他岗位的员工。不过在配置社交网络工具方面，首轮资本公司的表现远远超过它的规模。

过去两年，致力于初期投资的首轮投资公司为它投资的公司打造了一个私人数字网络，类似于点评网站Yelp与问答网站Quora的结合，还有一点商务社交网站LinkedIn的影子。如今，这个网络已经成为时间宝贵的创业者们寻求帮助的平台，可以为创业者们提供从债务融资到为资深软件工程师支付多少薪酬等各个方面的建议。

当然，这个工具不仅仅只针对创业者。在首轮资本所投资的公司中，营销人员、工程师和销售人员也会在聚集在这一论坛里。社交平台使首轮资本不同于其竞争对手。此外，融资人也可以直接感受到社交软件的强大。——杰西•亨佩尔

Best in small business

First Round Capital

To compete with bigger venture firms, First Round built a platform for its portfolio companies.

firstround.com; @firstround

Philadelphia-based venture firm First Round Capital is a pretty small outfit: It has seven investment professionals and 24 other employees in various support roles. But when it comes to deploying social-networking tools, First Round punches above its weight.

Over the past two years the firm, which specializes in early-stage bets, has built a private digital network for its portfolio companies -- think Yelp meets Quora with a dash of LinkedIn -- that has become the go-to resource for time-starved entrepreneurs seeking advice on everything from debt funding to figuring out how much to pay a senior software engineer.

The tool isn't just for founders; the private site is also a forum for the marketers, engineers, and salespeople who work for First Round-backed companies. The social platform helps differentiate First Round from its rivals. It also gives the financiers direct insight into the power of social software. --Jessi Hempel

最佳协作

Facebook

利用社交网络，这家先驱公司很自然地提高了员工的效率。

公司网站及社交媒体账号：facebook.com; @facebook

可想而知，Facebook员工肯定可以非常舒服地使用社交网络分享创意；值得注意的是，这些社交工具在公司内部工作中是如何根深蒂固。这家公司的员工使用Facebook群组功能，没错，就是所有人都可以使用的工具，只不过公司员工用的是员工专用版本或不公开版本。

通过群组进行合作一直是Facebook的惯例。管理人员借助这个平台，宣传他们的项目，以期能在公司内部引起关注。（在Facebook，引发关注可以吸引优秀人才加入某个项目。）员工会对产品进行试运行，指出问题，提出一些批评和“喜欢”意见。这种直接的反馈使团队可以现场修改和改进工作，以免白费力气。

目前，Facebook的合作伙伴也见识到了公司超社会化工作方式的效果。今年早些时候，公司与Weather Underground网站合作，在Facebook事件列表中提供详细的天气预报信息。这或许是两家公司最主要的合作方式了。Facebook群组。——布兰登•索斯沃德

Best in collaboration

Facebook

The pioneering company uses social networking (natch) to make employees more efficient.

facebook.com; @facebook

You'd expect employees of Facebook (FB) to be comfortable using social networking as a way to share ideas; what's noteworthy is how ingrained social tools are in the company's inner workings. It uses Facebook Groups -- yes, the same tool the public can use -- but staff use an employee-only or closed version.

Collaboration via Groups has been routine at Facebook for years. Managers use the platform to promote projects for which they hope to generate internal buzz. (At Facebook, buzz can attract top talent to a project.) Employees beta-test products, pose questions, and dole out critiques and "likes." Such immediate feedback lets teams revise and improve their work on the spot, saving wasted effort.

Now Facebook is giving partners a taste of its hypersocial working style. Earlier this year it joined with the website Weather Underground to offer forecasting details inside Facebook Events listings. The companies' primary means of collaboration? Facebook Groups. --Brandon Southward

最佳招聘

太平洋西北国家实验室

实验室的招聘人员通过关注微博内容，找出隐藏在茫茫人海中的人才。

公司网站及社交媒体账号：pnl.gov; @PNNLNews

2011年3月，美国能源部（Department of Energy）下属的太平洋西北国家实验室（Pacific Northwest National Laboratory）希望聘请一名核能工程师担任顾问，条件是日语流利，美国公民，安全调查符合规定，能够帮助实验室，与美国核能管理委员会（Nuclear Regulatory Commission）合作，共同应对日本福岛核危机。

招聘总监罗布•德洛姆格尔求助于职业社交网站LinkedIn，这个网站为他提供了候选人清单，但从这份清单中很难看出到底谁才是最合适的人选。于是他注意到一位潜在人选——爱达荷大学（University of Idaho）教授阿基拉•德宏。他在LinkedIn创建了一个群组，讨论福岛核灾难。德洛姆格尔给他打了电话，当天他们就开始讨论任职的问题。德洛姆格尔表示，LinkedIn是很好的挑选人才的地方。不过要寻找科学家，最好的社交站点是他们与同行讨论工作的论坛和群组。——J.H.（财富中文网）

Best in hiring

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The lab's recruiter tracked down an almost-impossible-to-find hire by following his posts.

pnl.gov; @PNNLNews

In March 2011 the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a Battelle-operated unit of the Department of Energy, was looking to hire as a consultant a nuclear engineer who spoke fluent Japanese, was a U.S. citizen, and had appropriate security clearance to help the lab, in partnership with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, respond to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Recruiting director Rob Dromgoole turned to professional networking site LinkedIn (LNKD), which offered him a shortlist of candidates, but it was hard to tell who might be a good fit. Then he noticed that one prospect, University of Idaho professor Akira Tokuhiro, had created a LinkedIn Group to discuss the disaster. Dromgoole called him up, and within a day they were discussing a position. Dromgoole says LinkedIn is good for screening, but the best social sites for finding scientists are the forums and groups they visit to discuss their work with peers. --J.H.