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Best use of Social Media in Aerospace: more about the Webbie winners February 24, 2010

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter.
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3 comments

Earlier this month, I was asked by Flight Global to judge the “Best Use of Social Media” category for the annual Webbie awards. I was joined by industry executive Jim Muttram, Online Strategist and Managing Director at Reed Business Information. Although the results were published with a short comment from the judges, this category was just one amongst many and there was no room to expand on our choices. So here are Jim and my full comments on the three winners, my “lessons learned” from each entry, as well as a review of another best use scenario that would have done well if it had been nominated.

First Place Winner: Northrop Grumman  –  [ Website - Twitter - Facebook ]

  • Full judges’ comments: In 2009, Northrop Grumman took the lead in the implementation of Social Media amongst their industry peers – often quite conservative in the social media space. They established outposts on Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube and LinkedIn. They interlinked all of their resources and featured them prominently on their main homepage. They have successfully spurred meaningful conversations on many platforms, used Twitter to guide followers to them, and built dedicated channels, websites, and fan pages to serve “internet tribes” with common interests. They are leveraging all of these platforms for communication with employees, suppliers, customers, and the general public, for information gathering, for education, and for recruiting.
  • Lessons learned: I liked…
    …the full frontal approach to social media and the recognition that multiple platforms and audiences exist out there. I liked the interlinking and reuse of content amongst multiple platforms. Often people think that Social Media means creating new content. Actually it is about guiding audiences to existing internal and external content.
  • Lessons learned: Improvement is needed…
    …in the interaction portion of social media. Although it may be happening behind the scenes, there is not enough “conversation engagement” on the platforms. Soliciting public comments and reactions, polling, answering questions, and contributing to conversations started by others should be a major part of the social media strategy. Secondly, Northrop Grumman is inconsistent in its use of Social Media at tradeshows. Although I understand they cannot “tweet” from every event they participate in, they should do it from all the major ones. For example, they were all but silent during the recent Singapore Air Show.

Second Place Winner: Manchester Airport  –  [ Website - Twitter ]

  • Full judges’ comments: When Manchester Airport decided to use Twitter to communicate with its patrons, they went beyond the traditional “Press Release Distribution” usage many companies implement. They started immediately with a very clever and useful flight departure board feature. But most importantly they engaged with their audience by listening to the conversation and responding to it. The airport shops promotion tie-in to launch and grow the follower base was also very innovative. Manchester Airport have fully appreciated just how flexible and powerful the Twitter platform is, and are to be applauded for their use of it.
  • Lessons learned: I liked…
    …how they launched the service with a promotion and an interactive feature. This is a great way to grow a base of followers very quickly and guarantee that users will remember the service. I like how they listen to the channel and respond to questions.
  • Lessons learned: Improvement is needed…
    …in what the next interactive application will be. This is a two-way platform, what can patrons contribute? Employee nominations, report maintenance issues, parking issues, traffic issues? They should entice users to be part of a community of frequent users (segregated group?) that can feel an “ownership” in the airport operation. Also, using location based technology (such as FourSquare!) to run store promotions might be an interesting development.

Third Place Winner: NYC Aviation  –  [ Website - Twitter - Facebook ]

  • Full judge’s comments: NYCAviation started with a group of NYC plane spotters with limited resources and is growing to a large community of aviation enthusiasts. They have successfully taken the feverish interaction found on their “traditional” website forum to the new FaceBook and Twitter platforms. This has translated to community growth and recognition.
  • Lessons learned: I liked…
    …how they transitioned from a somewhat restrictive bulletin board platform to fully open social media platforms. They are often quoted in professional and main stream media because of the “freshness” and exclusive content provided by their members.
  • Lessons learned: Improvement is needed…
    …in crowd sourcing applications. The main audience of the site is Plane spotters. Why not turn NYCaviation in a more interactive platform for them? Allow registered members to enter plane spotting locations and reviews. Use location base platforms to promote interaction in the field. Allow them to track interesting tail numbers in a database (similar to “Where is George”) and make it a game by keeping scores and showing top lists.

Should have been Nominated: ATP’s AskBob Community
[ Website - Twitter – Facebook ]

  • My comments: AskBob was started by Aircraft Technical Publishers (ATP) in 2006 as a simple blog for communicating with customers. As more and more customers started to interact on the blog, Bob Jones, ATP Product Marketing Specialist, started to foster forums between himself, his customers, other aviation mechanics and other experts on a number of subjects. In 2008, the blog grew to a full fledged community and embraced the idea that there is a wealth of experts in the industry who can share information, news, tips, and stories with a large community in search of answers. Expanding to Twitter and FaceBook was an easy next step from there and has allowed Bob and ATP to serve a growing community of almost six hundred members.
  • Lessons learned: I liked…
    …how there is real sense of community on the site. “I cross post a lot of articles on LinkedIn and other forums, while others like NATA do the same on our site. Although I work for ATP, this is truly about sharing information and not at all about marketing. It is a real community service”, Bob told me during a phone interview. Beyond the aviation maintenance specific news posted in the forum, the features most important to the members are their ability to ask questions and to get training tips. Bob also goes out of his way to provide answers. He said: “once I figured out how to use Twitter as an interactive platform, I was able to get a huge amount of information from it and engage industry folks in real conversations.”
  • Lessons learned: Improvement is needed…
    …in opening and delegating the community tasks. I am worried about what would happen to the community if Bob moved on. Others need to be allowed to get involved and help manage the site. In particular, the platform could be used by local mechanics communities and companies to deal with their own issues. Opening up usage to other associations and groups will also insure that the community grows and thrives for the long run.

I am sure there are many more examples of best use of Social Media in aerospace. Please visit this blog or follow me on Twitter to keep informed on this subject. Don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you’d like me to review your efforts or help getting started.

Social Media Score Card for top Aerospace Associations January 13, 2010

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, International Business Development, Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter.
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3 comments

A few months back I wrote about the “Three must-do for industry associations’ websites.” I received promising feedback from several prominent groups, so I thought I would check out their progress as we begin this New Year. I reviewed the websites of 42 Aerospace, Aviation, and Defense Associations websites, and the results are unfortunately dismal.

With every other industry embracing Social Media whole heartedly, it was not surprising to me that our community would be slow to react. However, recent signs of movement have appeared and I am starting to see traction from major Aerospace companies and many Airlines. All that have tried it are indicating early success and are eager to grow the use of Social Media in 2010.

Most of the associations I researched had very similar goals: promote the members’ capabilities, provide networking opportunities, gather feedback and create a “representative” voice. You would think that with these goals, associations would jump on the benefits that Social Media has to offer. But yet, most are completely ignorant of this new trend.

FAILING GRADE

For example, the Air Transport Association (ATA) who’s many members have seen great benefits from social media (See article from SITA), has remained on the sidelines. Elsewhere in the United States, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the Helicopter Association International (HAI), and the Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA) have no Twitter presence, no website interaction beyond email, and have no way to share their information on other social media sites. In Europe, the Aerospace & Defense Industries Association of Europe (ASD) as well as all but one of its 28 members have no social media features on their website. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) does have an unpublicized twitter account (@iataevents) which it uses for a few of its big events.

That seems to be the approach the National Defense Industry Association (NDIA) is taking by having twitter feeds set-up for some of events in 2010. This was no doubt inspired by the pioneering social media work done by its subsidiary the Association For Enterprise Information (AFEI) (Disclaimer: I supported those efforts in 2009). Despite some of its most prominent members such as Pratt&Whitney, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman going full speed ahead with Social Media in 2010, NDIA remains mostly uninvolved. But there are some rays of hope.

COULD DO BETTER

The venerable Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and its UK counterpart A|D|S (former Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC)), are both active on Twitter. Although @AIA_News mostly posts the main headline of its daily briefing, a couple of more interesting posts have appeared lately. Also the last few editions of their AIA eUpdate newsletter finally have the standard “Share” button at the bottom of their pages. I do not understand how this is not used more throughout the site. From the UK, @adsgroupuk has been a fairly active and militant account and I have seen a good bit of interaction with them. However, neither AIA nor A|D|S publicize their twitter account on their home page. There also doesn’t seem to be a Social Media strategy from A|D|S for the upcoming Farnborough air show, but that will be the subject of another blog post.

Patrick Carlson, Online Communications Manager at AIA, says that Social Media is a major agenda item for the association in 2010. The experimentation they did last year with the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) was very successful and they now need to determine the best way to engage various portions of the AIA audience from young people, to industry, and to staffers on the Hill. “We believe there is an opportunity here” said Carlson, “and you should see a lot more from us this year, particularly during the upcoming major Aerospace events.” That is very encouraging.

TOP OF THE CLASS

Three associations are noticeably ahead of the rest.

The National Air Transport Association (NATA) has established a presence on Twitter (@NATAaero) as well as on FaceBook. They responded to some of their pioneering members such as Duncan Aviation, Cutter Aviation, Priester Aviation and DB Aviation who are all active users of Social Media. They advertise their presence right on the home page, and they maintain an active blog. They provide members with the ability to interact mainly on the blog, but they do not have the ability to share information on other Social Media sites.
Score Card: B-

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has been the most active and vocal about Social media. They have established a strong and active presence on Twitter (@NBAA) and on FaceBook. They have used social media at their events by taking advantage of hashtags. They even have had dedicated Social Media sessions at their conferences (See #NBAAsm). These sessions have generated huge interest and been very well attended and received. They are advertising their social media activities right on their home page and they have a “Share” button on just about every page. I would like to see a regular blog to round out their presence, but I guess it would be duplication the great job Benet Wilson is doing at AviationWeek’s Business Aviation Now blog. Patrick Dunne, NBAA Communications Manager, says: “Social Media is a great way to reach out to our community, participate in the conversation, and offer support. Even though our members have interacted on our AirMail forum system for years, we find the social media platforms offer new opportunities for engagement.”
Score Card: B+

But by far the best implementation of Social Media by an Association can be found at the Air Force Association (AFA). No doubt encouraged by the US Department of Defense superb use of Social Media, the AFA has taken advantage of all the benefits of these platforms in its activities. From Twitter (@AirForceAssoc) to FaceBook as well as LinkedIn, AFA is omnipresent. Much activity is generated before during and after its events. The content on the site can be shared on other social media sites. And there are many good opportunities for interaction on the site and on the blog. Chet Curtiss, Director of Communications at AFA says their implementation of Social Media was an absolute requirement: “Our mission is to advocate and educate the American public and the younger audience in particular, about Aerospace Power. As technology started to evolve, we could not be left behind and Social Media is where the conversation is taking place.”
Score Card: A+

CONCLUSION

In the days before the Internet, associations were necessary to help members of an industry interact with each other and to represent their common interest to the public and the government. However, with the advent of technology and Social Media, such tasks can be achieved easily without such intermediary and often opinions and information circumvent the associations.

Don’t get me wrong, I think trade associations are needed, but they need to adapt. They need to find ways of brining new benefits to their members and they need to embrace and exploit new ways of doing so. I believe Social Media is a great opportunity to be more involved with the membership and carry-on a true conversation. It can also be used in trade events and associations could do far worst than leading the way in its implementation and teach their members how to do it in turn.

Tweet for Tweet: Competing Defense Programs Resort to Social Media to Make Their Case January 7, 2010

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, International Business Development, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Twitter.
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4 comments

The Aerial Refueling and JSF Dual Engine Programs are two major US DOD initiatives that have pitted several major Defense contractors against each other in search of elusive government budget awards. Even though these battles have been chronicled regularly in both industry and mainstream press, they have also been fought on the Internet through the use of Social Media. I thought it would be interesting to see how targeted websites, blogs, and Twitter have been leveraged by the various players. I will be using some of the measures from my “Social Media Report Card for the Top 10 A&D Companies” post to evaluate these initiatives.

Aerial Refueling:
Boeing KC-7A7 vs. Northrop Grumman/Airbus KC-45

Except for Northrop Grumman, these companies’ main websites do not use Social Media and yet, for this particular program, they have gone out of their way to provide a direct information channel. Here is what they are offering:

  KC-7A7 KC-45
Website UnitedStatesTanker.com BestAmericanTanker.com
Photos Yes Yes
Videos Yes Yes
Blog (#Posts) Yes (31) No
Twitter (#Posts) @USTanker (35) @NorthropGrumman
FaceBook Page No Northrop Grumman

Positives:

The Boeing Site is nice, clean and harmonized. It features a very active blog as well as a news feed right on the home page. The Blog is also available from an RSS feed or via email subscription. They have good comment solicitation in the blog and via a “Share Your Story” page. You can even request to be sent a free Boeing Tanker sticker (success measurement technique?). The Twitter account is advertised right on the home page.

The Northrop site does not have a blog but does have a number of additional functions to make its case. There is an interactive map of where the jobs for this program would go. It also has a “Contact Your Elected Representative” section that provides all you need to send a message to the appropriate official based on your zip code. The use of FaceBook is also unique and, although not specific to the program, it gives the KC-45 another channel to deliver its message.

Negatives:

The @USTanker account has been under utilized which is a shame since it could at a minimum post the press links published on the home page. There is also not a way on the website to post a link to the blogs or press releases elsewhere via a now standard “Share” button.

The KC-45 message is very fragmented. One can find news and facts about the program not just on the website mentioned above, but also on northropgrumman.com/kc45, eadstankerupdate.com, aerospacealliance.com/the-tanker, and keepourtanker.com.

Verdict:

I think Boeing has a better platform, but they don’t seem to know how to use it beyond the traditional way of putting the URL on printed advertising. They should take advantage of the Twitter account and implement ways for people to spread the content.

Northrop Grumman should take some of the innovations it has recently implemented in its main site and put them on this site as well. They might want to create a dedicated Twitter account for the program and then retweet the posts in the main account as appropriate. Finally, the KC-45 message seems to be fractured with multiple voices trying to tell the same story but not coordinated or linked to each other. Coordinating facts, blogs, and news through a central website and twitter “mash-up” might be more beneficial.

JSF Dual Engine:
Pratt&Whitney F135 vs. GE/Rolls-Royce F136

Where the Tanker debate has essentially focused on the DOD Procurement process, the JSF Engine battle has been much more about head-to-head combat. Social media has been used in this case to put forward a lot of arguments and opinions against the opponent. It has had much more negative undertones than the Tanker debate. Here are the platforms that have been used.

  F135 F136
Website F135Engine.com F136.com
Photos Yes Yes
Videos Yes Yes
Blog (#Posts) Yes (70) No
Twitter (#Posts) @F135engine (299) @F136 (57)
FaceBook Page F135-Engine No

Positives:

The Pratt&Whitney site is very professional and complete. It has all the main features plus integrated social media and blog. It has also a “Contact Congress Now” page. The @f135engine account is used very effectively and is very active. The blog is written expertly to amplify information that surfaces as well as dismantle counter-arguments from the opponents. The dedicated FaceBook page is also very active.

The GE site is a bit more austere and does not feature a blog. However, it does display the Twitter feed from @f136 which is a nice touch. The “Tell Your Senator” page is featured prominently and is much more elegant than the outsourced tool used by Pratt&Whitney. It offers the option to Tweet the Senators which is very smart. The program is also supported on Twitter by GE corporate accounts @ge_reports and @GETech_Infra. The later account has been an extremely vocal defender of the F136. I also like the fact that most of GE’s arguments (particularly on Twitter) are attributable to a specifically named employee or outside source. GE reports that traffic on f136.com has surpassed 100,000 unique visitors since the summer.

Negatives:

The F135 site offers very little direct feedback other than the “Contact Us” page. One can leave comments on the blog (powered by Blogspot) but they are moderated so it might not represent a true conversation. The parallel campaign waged by Citizen Against Government Waste has been called into question by some, and might have tarnished an otherwise very professional and effective use of Social Media.

The Rolls-Royce website offers very little information about the program and does not link to the f136.com website at all. There is also very little information in the official team website at f136engine.com. It seems to be redundant with the main site. Like the F135 site, the GE site provides little opportunity for feedback or conversation. The @f136 account is not very active.

Verdict:

Pratt&Whitney is practically setting the standard for Social Media use in this scenario. One small improvement would be to have tweets from @f135engine reposted to @PrattandWhitney rather than the other way around. Management is reportedly very pleased with the feedback it is receiving and the effort has been deemed a great success. Erin Dick, Communications Manager for Pratt&Withney Military Engines says: “By using Social Media we have been able to move into a conversation about the program rather than a one-way information distribution. We have been able to engage thousands of people from all over the country in the debate in a way we could have never achieved using traditional methods.” To that point, I would like to see more solicitation of feedback from the site.

GE needs to add a few of the elements used by the other companies to this website to make it more integrated and useable. A blog would be very nice to amplify the points made in the quotes and on Twitter. The excellent arguments and posts generated by @GETech_Infra should be reposted to @f136 (or vice-versa). There should be more links from the GE and Rolls-Royce sites to the program site.

Conclusion

Pratt&Withney seems to be the only one that has a well organized all encompassing plan of attack (pun intended) where others seem to have pieced a few tools together to “have a go at it”. All seem to still treat these new methods as another information distribution channel and I wonder when they will try to start “listening” more and react to the conversation rather than trying to drive it. You can follow the development via the two Twitter Lists I will be maintaining: Tweet4TweetTanker and Tweet4TweetJSF.

Nevertheless, I applaud all these companies for exploring the use of social media to address challenges in a new way. Hopefully, this will provide lessons and expertise that will lead to more use in the main business processes.

Jeff DeMarais, Executive Director of Global Communications at GE, (and the voice behind @GETech_Infra) seems to agree: “The social media campaign is viewed as a very successful component of a well-rounded and successful communications effort. We learned a great deal about the platforms and continued to optimize their use as the year went on.  If you look back at GE Aviation’s social media efforts during the Paris Air Show and Oshkosh you’ll see that we’d been doing some very different things in 2009. The JSF dialogue helped us identify new areas to develop and we’re ready to tell our story in 2010.”

Online 787 First Flight: A Missed Opportunity for Boeing? December 16, 2009

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, International Business Development, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, eBusiness Applications/Services, iPhone.
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10 comments

Yesterday was a really exciting day for the Aerospace industry with the fantastic first flight of the Boeing 787. After more than two years of delays, the beautiful bird finally took off and she was majestic. The event was covered worldwide in the main press and television, but many of us were simply riveted to our computer screen and iPhones for play-by-play of the action at Everett.

After the first flight of the Airbus A400M last week, this was the second such event where Twitter was a great source of up-to-the-minute information. FlightGlobal’s @flightblogger started posting the night before and delighted us with stories, pictures and even video of the event. Reading him made you feel like you were almost there. We got weather updates, a look behind the scenes, and even a detailed flight plan! Right before the flight, many of the folks lining both sides of the runway were posting updates and pictures. In total, the #787 and #787FF hashtags recorded over 2500 posts on Twitter in a span of 24 hours. Although CNN and FoxNews had live video streams (with ATC!!), their journalists were not well versed in the matters surrounding the event. Boeing also had a live webcast featuring seven different cameras but most of what was reported there had already been posted of Twitter earlier.

When the moment arrived, I had the CNN and Boeing videos side by side on my screen, as well as the twitter feed at the bottom. My very own news desk! I could feel the excitement build in my stomach as I saw the plane started to taxi (from two different angles) and could hear the cheers from the crowd. The Twitter posts were coming fast and furious from all corners of the world, in many different languages! This was an historical event and everyone in this great industry was overjoyed. @VictoriaOnAir posted what many felt: “So, did the eyes water as she took off :O) we cried like babies, here.”

As the flight continued, we could follow the aircraft’s every heading, altitude, and speed change live on Flightaware.com, and when ZA001 headed back to Boeing Field early because of weather, we were all ready to see the landing live online! In the evening, Randy Tinseth, Vice President, Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes posted a nice entry on his blog with great photos and informative links. All in all it was a remarkable and unforgettable day. And yet, I cannot stop wondering if Boeing missed a HUGE opportunity.

In the age of social media and instant communication, why didn’t Boeing take charge of online coverage and capitalize on this event (and the rest of the flight test program) to upgrade its imagine as well as inspire future travelers and young generations of Aerospace engineers? The industry always talks about attracting new talent, so what better image than this revolutionary aircraft taking off to foster new dreams?

Here are four things Boeing could have done to take advantage of this milestone:

1. Take charge of Twitter. Set up the hashtag early and start sharing information directly from the “horses’ mouth”. Select a few key personnel to share their behind-the-scenes adventure: ramp engineer, flight planner, program engineer, etc… They could each send one or two posts a day with a couple of exclusive pictures to create early buzz. Then on the day, they can take 30 seconds to send an update: “787_Ramp_Bob: ZA001 pushing back!” Set up a Twitter List of all the partners on the program and encourage them to share their views from a supplier and customer point of view. Finally, taking a page out of NASA’s strategy (see @Astro_Mike), even have a couple of posts from the pilots during the flight (i.e. relay them by radio! No distractions in the cockpit, please). Continue the stream of information throughout the test program. I guarantee many will follow.

2. Reach out to the fans. Set up a 787 FaceBook fan page and select 10 Boeing employees aged 30 or less to run it and share their adventures. Give them Flip cams and have them post videos and notes as well as answer questions. Young people want to “hang” with other young people. Show them Boeing is a hip and cool place to work. Run a video contest on YouTube for a 30 second clip about “Why I can’t wait to fly on the 787!” First prize: two seats on the first delivery flight! Again, take a page out of NASA and invite 50 non-professional bloggers to cover the event. NASA did that for the launch of STS-129 and it was a resounding success. Word of mouth is the best publicity one can get!

3. Use the technology. The Victoria Secret fashion show had its own iPhone App for a two-hour television show. Why wouldn’t the nine months 787 Test Flight Program have one as well? News, photos, videos, merchandise, job postings, contests can all be part of it. Again, coming across as a “modern” company is crucial to attract new generations. Finally, don’t try to do it all yourself. Boeing should partner with Flightaware.com to continue to show test flights. Partner with local tourism bureau to make it easy for people to witness the planes by providing tips, hotel and restaurant info, and up to date take-off/landing info.

4. Educate the students. Over the next nine months, multiple test aircrafts will take part in a grueling flight program with almost daily developments. Why not partner with educational publishers or local universities to develop high school lesson plans around the program. Think about the subjects that can be covered: math, physics, geography, environment, history, and information systems. Students want to see that what they learn is relevant to the real world. This airplane is very relevant and it may well inspire them to join the Aerospace industry.

So I wish we could have done this yesterday, but may be it is not too late. Many of these ideas can still be applied by Boeing and others (are you listening AIA?). I look forward to seeing what comes next and how the Aerospace will continue to venture online in 2010.

But I am not holding my breath. Are you?

Business Aviation and Social Media Survey Results: 5 Findings and 5 Opportunities November 5, 2009

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, eBusiness Applications/Services.
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1 comment so far

Based on the great success of the Social Media session at the recent NBAA annual event, I decided to further explore the topic with the business aviation audience through a very quick survey. The purpose was to quantify participation, catalog the interest, and collect (anonymous) demographics.

The survey was designed as a collaborative effort and then posted online for 5 business days. Participation was solicited mostly via Twitter, but also through posts in LinkedIn discussion boards. The complete result summary is available for download here (PDF). You can also contact me if you want the raw data in Excel. After reviewing the survey results, here are the 5 findings and 5 opportunities I discovered:

MY FINDINGS:

  1. Contrary to many reports, 73% of respondents indicate that social media platform access is NOT blocked at work. However, companies that prevent access generally do it for all social media sites except for LinkedIn. Only 41% of companies have a Social Media policy.
  2. LinkedIn is the premier e-Networking platform amongst business aviation professionals. Over 91% of respondents use it, but they indicated that looking for job postings was the least important use. They mostly use it to connect with colleagues and customers.
  3. Social Media is used in the executive suite. 60% of respondents were at a Director level or above. 57% were 40 year old or over.
  4. Twitter ranks highest amongst the platforms used by companies. Although it seems like all platforms are used fairly evenly.
    Click to Enlarge
  5. Companies have added social media as an additional news/marketing channel. 67% of respondents indicate that publishing news is the most important use of social media platform, followed by marketing/promotion (44%). A full 48% indicate that recruiting is the least important use of Social Media.
Did you spot something else in the survey results? Do you have your own take? Please send me your feedback or post comments on this post and I’ll add it to this list.

OPPORTUNITIES:

  1. Business Aviation is embracing social media at a good pace, probably faster than the rest of the A&D industry. Structuring the communications and properly combining websites, LinkedIn and Twitter will continue to be the trend. More can be done to use blogs as only 36% of respondents indicated their companies use them.
  2. The best way to combat the perception that social media is for kids to play with their friends on FaceBook is to do two things. First, as John Keller (Chief editor, Military & Aerospace Electronics) discussed in a recent blog, start calling it e-Networking. When social media is used for business, e-Networking is really its purpose. Second, get your executives to start using e-Networking effectively.
  3. I am a big believer in using e-Networking to enhance industry events and conferences. However, it seems like NBAA missed an opportunity, as most respondents indicated that the use of social media platforms made NO Difference in their experience of the event. There is much to be done in this area.
  4. E-Networking is about interaction and conversation. Only 35% of respondent said that soliciting ideas was the most important use of social media for their company. I think that e-networking is about sharing and collaborating not lecturing or selling. For example, companies should move away from looking at Twitter as another channel by which to distribute press releases. It is much more than that.
  5. Industry media and associations can take the lead in transforming the industry by facilitating the dialogue and the sharing of information through e-Networking platforms. Aerospace and Defense seems stuck in a “chicken and egg” loop: companies don’t use social media because no other company is using it. This survey shows that it is not true and that others are indeed using it. We need more opportunities to educate and encourage the industry.

I would like to thank the people that dialogued with me before and during the survey. Also, I would like to thank the tweeples that helped soliciting survey answers: @AWyss, @AvWeekBenet, @nonnyjorris, @NBAA, @CDHeisermann, @CutterAviation, @AeroPR, @ShowalterFlying, @GretemanGroup, @HeisteComm, @kevinmerritt, @FlightGlobal, @AviationWeek. What started as an experiment actually provided very interesting results. I would have liked more responses, but I wanted to run this survey as a Social Media platform experiment to validate its use as an interactive medium for our industry.

I would love to hear your feedback on this survey or on other surveys you think would be interesting. Please do not hesitate to contact me.

Social Media Report Card for Top 10 A&D Companies October 20, 2009

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, International Business Development, Internet Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, eBusiness Applications/Services.
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4 comments

When Northrop Grumman announced their new website and solicited feedback on Twitter, I immediately checked out how they had used social media in their new design. Although there was a lot of progress from their previous version, I decided to analyze how they ranked against the websites of the other top Aerospace & Defense companies. Here are the companies and websites I analyzed:

Company URL Main Twitter
Account(s)
GE Aviation http://www.geae.com @ge_reports
@getech_infra
EADS http://www.eads.com @airbus
Boeing http://www.boeing.com @boeingairplanes
United Technologies
Pratt, Sikorsky,
Hamilton
Sundstrand		 http://www.utc.com @prattandwhitney
Lockheed
Martin		 http://www.lmco.com @lockheedmartin
Northrop Grumman http://www.northrop.com @northropgrumman
BAE Systems http://www.baesystems.com @baesystems
General
Dynamics		 http://www.gd.com  
Raytheon http://www.raytheon.com @Raytheoncompany
Thales http://www.thalesgroup.com @thalesgroup

TWITTER

Even though most of the companies have a main twitter account, there are some notable exceptions. GE is the most prolific with a number of accounts covering every aspect of their large business. They even have a really nice blog site (http://www.gereports.com – What’s happening at GE) that makes full use of social media. Boeing, EADS, UTC, and General Dynamics are the only ones that do not have a main twitter account although some of their subsidiaries do. (Note: @boeing does exist but is not owned by the company). Most puzzling is that Northrop Grumman is the ONLY ONE listing their twitter account on their home page. Why aren’t the other companies doing this? It makes no sense! Pratt&Whitney is listing their twitter account at the bottom of their contact page. Lockheed and Raytheon are referencing their accounts in some press releases and trade show pages (e.g. Paris Air Show). However, Raytheon has a special Twitter account for recruiting prominently featured in that part of their site. They also leverages FaceBook in their recruitment, the only company to publically do so from their main website.

(You can now follow the 10 companies’ Twitter streams
from this Twitter List)

SHARING FORWARD

One of the important uses of social media is to be able to share news and information about a company or its products in other environments. Although all companies except for General Dynamics offer various RSS Feeds from their site, only three offer the ability to share information on other social media networks. Lockheed, Northrop and Raytheon provide the full social media “share” icon allowing users to broadcast a link to news and other information on Twitter, FaceBook, Digg, etc… The advantage of this method is that it allows companies to track where the news is posted and to subsequently follow the conversation. This is a major loss opportunity for the others.

INTERACTION

Soliciting feedback from the masses seems to still be foreign to the top A&D companies. Although a majority provides “private portals” were registered suppliers and customers can probably interact to a great extent (Note: I was not able to test this), NONE try to engage the website visitors in meaningful interaction. GE Reports has a “Submit your ideas” portal, but it is not specific to Aerospace. Raytheon has a “Connect with us” link at the top of the site, but it requires login. Sikorsky has a “Feedback” button at the bottom of most pages, but it is a generic email contact page. This is the one area where the Northrop Grumman site really disappointed me. Boeing recently launched http://www.unitedstatestanker.com that is a modern, interactive, social site with all the bell and whistles! (More on that here) Why wouldn’t they do that for their other offerings? I understand that our industry requires controlled and confidential discussions and collaboration, but is there no value is soliciting input from unknown suppliers and customers? Not all feedback needs to be public, but wouldn’t these companies want to know what other ideas or comments are out there? All the other industries seem think so, so why not us?

REPORT CARD

Based on all my observations above, I compiled this report card for each company:

  Visibility Sharing Interaction Overall
Northrop Grumman A A F B
Great other than sharing
Raytheon C A C C+
Extra points for social recruiting section
Lockheed C A F C
Good sharing, references to Twitter
GE Aviation D D D D
Extra points for gereports.com
Boeing D D D D
Encouragement points for unitedstatestanker.com
United Technologies D F F D-
Extra points for Pratt and Sikorsky efforts
EADS F F F F
BAE SYSTEMS F F F F
General Dynamics F F F F
Thales F F F F
Overall: D C F D

Having the newest website, Northrop Grumman takes the lead unsurprisingly. Boeing would be top if it expanded its tanker approach to the rest of the site. And GE could take a page of its GE Reports site and apply it to its aviation business unit. I also note that the three European companies rate at the bottom of list when it comes to Social Media. Many suspect this approach is not yet as popular in Europe as it is in the USA.

CALL TO ACTION

Based on my observations, all these companies could and should do much more if they want to stay in sync with their younger employees, evolving customers, and high tech suppliers. I suggest all of them take the following three simple steps as a good start:

  1. Put a twitter badge on the home page and start publicizing and leveraging their account. This is an easy step and it will start the conversation. As discussed previously, get the executives involved in the process.
  2. Put a Social Media “share” icon at the bottom of every press release, white paper, and product page of the website. Help people promote the information and track the conversations that ensues.
  3. Create a “submit your idea” page and promote it in context throughout the site. Copy the mechanism and structure of http://www.defensesolutions.gov/ which has already sorted out the confidentiality and IP challenges this kind of page could generate.

I feel there is a definite first mover advantage for the A&D companies that will leverage social media in the near future. Integrating various communication methods and shifting from pulpit shouting to trusted conversation are the two most important steps these 10 companies can take to improve.

How to effectively combine website, blog, and Twitter? August 18, 2009

Posted by ludozone in FaceBook, Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, eBusiness Applications/Services.
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Several people have recently asked me how to combine multiple internet communication channels most effectively. Most companies have an official website but find it difficult to integrate blogs and micro-blogs (Twitter) effectively with it. Although “old” websites should be updated as I suggested in a previous blog, I will assume here that we start from a “classic” and established internet presence.

The way I see it, the three channels represent an information pyramid with Twitter at the top, blogs in the middle and websites at the bottom. Here is how each element fits:

  • Website: This is your reference library. This is the “big bucket” of information about your business. It contains practical information (contact, eServices login, support, events) which will be the most accessed. It also contains reference information (solutions description, customer testimonials, press releases, documentation, white papers) that can be voluminous. Even though it will hopefully have a basic navigation and search feature, the website will still be too massive and intertwined to be useable by your curious prospects. For example, think about how many clicks it would take from www.Raytheon.com to find a specific niche product or service (Answer: 5 to get the Interdaptor® product sheet if you even know that is what you need). In these days of information overload, chances that someone will land on your website and start sifting to the many reference pages is very slim. Prospects will need a reason to get there and have a pre-existing interest. That is why well tagged reference pages will get visitors from Google and Bing search engines. Someone typed a query and then jumped into the middle of your website. But competing for attention based on Search Engine Optimization is more an art than a science so blogs are another way to bring people in.
  • Blogs: These brief “discussions” are no more than one or two pages (a dozen paragraphs) and provide highlight of ideas or news events that are easy and fast to consume. To be successful, blogs should be educational and thought provoking rather than commercial. They should definitely contain links to reference information on your website, so if someone is interested they can “dig deeper” to, for example, a white paper or a customer testimonial. Entries should discuss all relevant subjects of interest in hope of positioning the company in the role of a trusted source of information and expertise. This means the blog should also discuss news that may not translate directly into a product sale, but rather in reader education. There should be plenty of external references and links to other sites to encourage “exploration”.
    To increase exposure, blogs should be available as an RSS feed so they can be integrated into other sites from news organizations and industry associations. Links to blog entries should also be posted on other forums such as LinkedIn discussion groups, FaceBook pages, or community sites such as AeroLeaders2. Surprisingly, blogs can have a fairly long shelf live, especially when they are linked back from future entries. Keeping old blog posts up to date is a good practice. Most importantly, they should be created to solicit feedback and “engagement” with prospects. Comments and poll answers from potential prospects are excellent audience barometers.
  • Twitter: Think of this as the “Headlines News” channel to your company and blog. Unlike blogs and websites, Twitter entries will only have a very brief life. People that follow you or a particular subject (like #aerospace), will rarely read an entry that is more than 36 to 48 hours old. This should be used as an “alert” system for your community that there is something they should pay attention to. It could be a new relevant blog post (from you or someone else), a new document on your website, or some related breaking news. Because of this, quality is much more important than quality. Unless you are at an important event where many things are happening (e.g. ParisAirShow), companies do not need to post every day. I would say that a minimum of once a week is a good measure. As with the blogs, don’t just post news about your company. Posting other relevant information such as partner or customer news is as important. Re-Tweeting other posts can also be an effective way to stay “interesting”. The bottom line is to stay in the forefront of your prospect’s mind with little gems of interest without become boring, irrelevant or, worst, annoying!

How do you combine these three elements? What has worked well for you? What has not worked? Please leave your comments and suggestions here for further discussion.

Three “must-do” for industry associations’ websites July 29, 2009

Posted by ludozone in Aerospace, FaceBook, International Business Development, Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, eBusiness Applications/Services.
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3 comments

When it comes to conservatism, control and prudence, very few beat the Aerospace industry. Unfortunately, these virtues indispensable in the field of defying gravity often permeate in business support practices where they quickly become impediments to progress and efficiency. As the business world dramatically changes the way it communicates and collaborates with the advances in Internet bandwidth, technology and tools, the Aerospace industry seems to be on the trailing edge of those innovations. This is particularly noticeable in its public websites (and general Internet presence) as well as those of its associations.

But there are some signs of an awakening. The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance recently requested feedback about its website via their twitter account (@OKAero) in an attempt to “make it effective for aero pros and the public to get excited about aerospace.” Even though I could have written this review about many websites, I thought they provided a good case study applicable to many others. Simply put, this website is a fantastic example of Web1.0 technology. Unfortunately, the world has evolved to Web2.0.

Here are the three changes that must be implemented to keep up with innovation:

  1. Provide members with the ability to relentlessly interact. The main difference between the old and new way of constructing a website is that the basis for Web2.0 is two-way communication. This should now be the guiding principle for any association: solicit feedback at all times. Every area of the site, from overall design to specific small content, should promote the ability for the readers to “answer back”, provide suggestions, and share with others. The website should also include forums and direct messaging to promote member-to-member interaction. Feedback should be viewable, summarized and influential. However, the association remains in charge. This is not management by committee; it is instead the unabated search for good ideas for the common good of the association’s members. Often there is a fear that public comments would be inappropriate or negative. Knowledge in the 21st century results from a debate of ideas rather than the opinion of a single trusted source. An association can increase its usefulness by providing a platform for such exchange of ideas (positive and negative) while moderating the extremes. However, all comments should always be attributable, focusing the embarrassment and consequences of inappropriateness on the contributor.
  2. Choose the right tools for the right context. Today communication through short videos (2 minutes max) is the most efficient and effective way to share important information. However, there is no need to create a video library on the site. Instead the website should create and link to a YouTube channel. Why recreate the wheel when other sites already have the tools? Generally, services targeted at the general consumer or public are better served by tools like FaceBook (e.g. community involvement, sponsorship). Similarly, employment and business career/advice services can take advantage of LinkedIn. The site should have “cousin” areas in these other networks and provide links back and forth between them. Individual members registering on the site should be encouraged to enter links to other networking site they belong to. The boundaries of the association need not be the limits of the information contained on its own website. As such, the association should provide its own RSS feed for others to aggregate into their own context.
    Members will look to the association for advice on the tools and techniques to use to communicate, engage and collaborate with their customers and suppliers. The association must be a shepherd in this field providing information, case studies, training and brainstorming sessions. In some cases, like secure information sharing or indirect procurement, association-hosted tools could even be provided directly to the members.
  3. Transform the association website into a platform. The association website should be a “mash-up” of content and tools provided by and for the members. The association should be acting as a content cheerleader/care-taker and moderator rather than a content generator. Turning the website into a platform where members can post their own news, events, blogs, WIKI entries or photos will make it the richest possible. The information can then be presented by topic, company, calendar, map, or any other aggregation technique. The idea is not necessarily to provide all the content in one place, but more to link to other content within the context of the association.
    The “build it they will come” mistake should be avoided. The association should take advantage of tools like RSS, Twitter Search and Google Indexing to generate and index content automatically rather than force members to have to post in multiple places. For example, the member’s official website address and twitter account should be collected in their company listing. Then, an aggregated (and archived) Twitter “association stream” can be provided. Also, a capability search would pick up on keywords in the members’ own websites rather than in an always outdated directory.
    For the website to be successful, it must be used regularly. And to be used, it must be active, customizable and innovative. The site should be public but membership must have its privileges. There should be three basic “profiles”: guest (read-only, generic), participant (read-only except for comments/suggestions/polls, customizable view, subscription email alerts), member (content provider, customizable view, dashboard, voting rights). There must also be exclusive content such as executive blogs, video interviews, and online training not found on other sites (but no necessarily generated by the association). All content should be very short and concise at the first level, providing links to deeper content if the reader is interested.

If you want to see a glimpse at excellence in this field, check out FlightGlobal.com. Although not technically an association, they provide mush of the information and online services association members are looking for. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Editor Michael Targett (@flightglobal), they have embraced all of the above principles and have seen a huge jump in on-line readership as a result. Perhaps they will become the Global Aerospace Association of the future?

For more on this subject, check out also the “Social Media Score Card for Top Aerospace Associations”.

Personal FaceBook and Professional LinkedIn: my own practical policy June 30, 2009

Posted by ludozone in FaceBook, LinkedIn, Social Media, eBusiness Applications/Services.
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When I see companies like AP rushing to develop “adhoc” social media policies with disastrous results , I keep wondering why the more practical approach I use couldn’t work for businesses.

I have always taken pride in keeping my private and professional life separate so when I came across FaceBook and LinkedIn it was natural for me to use them to support of my good habits.

Professional LinkedIn
LinkedIn is naturally suited for my professional work. It already contains my work history, my references, and my professional network. Using LinkedIn, I can develop and maintain my personal brand by participating in professional groups and answering expert questions. I can participate in and conduct surveys, extend my network, and reach out to new contacts through very beneficial introductions.

Sure, my personal friends can be in my LinkedIn network, but they should only anticipate “shop talk” from me there. I will have links to my VisualCV to showcase some of my work, my status updates will be strictly professional, and I won’t recommend anyone unless I have actually worked with them. I keep my public profile open with a nice professional picture and relevant business information for anyone interesting in talking Aerospace eBusiness with me.

Personal FaceBook
On the other hand, I keep FaceBook strictly for personal use. If you look up my name in the public directory, you will find a fun picture and a link to send me a message or request to be my friend. That is it. You will not be able to see any additional info about me, access my wall, my photos or any other information. Now, this is not the default configuration and locking down your account can be a bit tedious, but it is worth the time.

Inside FaceBook, I keep three nested “circle of friends”. At the center are my family members (at least the ones I get along with), and other close friends. They have access to everything. The next layer contains my regular friends who have access to my wall, my posts and most of my pictures (they don’t need to see my grand father’s funeral). Finally, I have a last group that I would describe as acquaintances, and I restrict them to my status, basic wall posts and a few picture albums. I make sure to set the access rights for each photo album I create and application I join, but using friend groups, it is pretty easy.

If a business colleague sends me a friend request on FaceBook, I decline it and send them back a message telling them that I am reserving FaceBook for personal use and ask them to connect on LinkedIn. I regularly review my friends list and “purge” connections that do not contribute or that I find little interest in staying connected with. Remember that no one gets a note if you drop them (guilt free!).

By keeping my FaceBook private, it allows me to interact with people specifically in a “non-business” capacity. I can express my opinions independently and associate with people I enjoy outside of work. On LinkedIn, I then interact in a professional manner conducting myself with the rules and policies appropriate for such platform.

“Clean” Business Policy
If corporations used this model to guide and educate their employees it would make social media policies much simpler. They could encourage the use of LinkedIn for professional purposes (e.g. customer forums, working groups, etc…). Companies worried about compliance could go as far as having their employees declare their FaceBook account to verify that they have them locked down.

It would also help companies wanting to be active in the Social Media scene to choose the right platform. Consumer oriented companies would want to have FaceBook pages, while companies targeting employees and corporations would focus more on LinkedIn.

What about Twitter?
For Twitter, I would follow a similar model. Since they allow multiple accounts, you should have one account for professional updates and discussions, and a separate one for personal matters. Although you could “lock” your personal twitter account (limiting the followers), I think that would defeat the purpose of the tool. I would simply keep things separate and try not to embarrass myself (or my employer) on the personal account. Always remember that Riesling and Twitting don’t mix!

Using FaceBook while working in Aerospace? Take steps to protect your identity. April 21, 2009

Posted by ludozone in FaceBook, Social Media.
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This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that computer spies had breached the Joint Strike Fighter project, exploiting vulnerabilities in subcontractor networks (See Full Article). Most people reading this article would immediately think about Chinese hackers busy “cracking” the firewalls of foreign companies. The reality is much simpler and at the same time much more alarming.

This article reminded me of a famous chart that has for long made the rounds of the IT security offices in A&D companies.

Security Breach Breakdown

That is right, the vast majority of breaches occur through internal access. Although very few users intentionally steal data from their employers’ systems, many fall prey to simple tricks orchestrated by unassuming “spies”. Although the DoD has not revealed how the data was lifted from the subcontractor systems, the fact that the article mentions the environment had to be “cleaned up” points to malicious software installed on end-user systems or laptops, copying data under a valid access account.

But how would a spy target a JSF end-user? A visit the Spy Museum in Washington, DC will provide you many ideas, but I was wondering if FaceBook has not made things easier for spies? I opened my personal account and simply searched for JSF, Joint Strike Fighter, and F35. In my local network, I found a dozen OPEN profiles of people that list JSF in their job information. I was able to see their email address, some of them had their home addresses, their phone number, etc… In some cases I was able to access their spouse’s and kids’ profiles including cute family pictures. If I was able to find 12 people in ten minutes, I wonder how many one can find in the Fort Worth (Texas) network? You get the point!

If you use FaceBook for your PERSONAL social networking (as you should), there is absolutely NO reason to keep your profile open for everyone to see. Unfortunately, this is the default setting so many novice users have an open profile unbeknownst to them. You should also make sure you limit the information you list about yourself (Don’t your friends already know you work for Lockheed?). Finally, shouldn’t A&D companies instill a policy requiring employees to declare their FaceBook account so they can verify they have been reserved to their friends and not open to spies?