Tag Archives: social media strategy

Forever Reach Out! For if you remain a Silo, you will Fail from its Heavy Weight and Loneliness!

Posted on February 23, 2011 by

Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42)

rlavigne42@gmail.com
416-704-0042
http://RLavigne42.com

Engage with Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42) – Enterprise 2.0 Mentor and Leader at The Digital Grapevine (#TDGv)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLlN0BdwXAM]

This is my personal brand.

“Seasoned GenX Leader Capable of Leveraging the Technically Savvy GenY Knowledge Worker”

Nice. Simple. Tweet-able. Tagged. Contextual. To the Point.

My personal brand is a clear indicator of both who I am and who I wish to mentor towards making an organizational shift leveraging the values of Enterprise 2.o, Agile Development, Transparency and Accountability, Collaboration and Engagement, and providing a cultural shift both within your organization and across your customer base.

It only cost me two years and 10,000 hours worth of effort, research, networking, and financing!

Do you have 10,000 hours to waste or money to burn?

No?

Then leverage my findings and social network, and engage with Robert Lavigne(@RLavigne42).

Highlights and Achievements

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ6tY6kPrZs]

Specialties

Enterprise 2.0, Social Media, Social CRM & Personal Branding
Video Production & Editing
WordPress, Wikis, YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter & Facebook
Agile, SCRUM, PMBOK & RAD Methodologies
SaaS, SOA, .NET, JAVA & N-Tier Architectures
Networking, Staffing, Leadership & Mentoring
Strategic Planning, Innovation & Cost Savings
Product Management, Sales & Marketing Support
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Honours Bachelor of Commerce (MIS)
English (fluent), French (spoken)
Work History

Current (2009-Present)

Enterprise 2.0 Mentor and Leader at The Digital Grapevine (#TDGv) (Self-employed)
Social Media Producer, Editor and Director at #TDGv Studios (Self-employed)
Enterprise 2.0, Social Media, Social CRM and Personal Branding Micro-Blogger and Researcher at The @RLavigne42 Tweet Round-Up (Self-employed)

Past (1992-2009)

Director, Applications Development at BBM Canada
Manager, Application Development at Accruent
Development Manager at ADP Canada
Team Strategist at Compass360/Racing
Director, Research and Development at NTG Clarity / Metaplus
Engineering Manager at Daleen Technologies
Application Development Manager at Mediconsult
Manager, Application Development at Akanda Innovation Inc.
Senior Workflow and Messaging Consultant at IKO Technology Services
Systems Engineer at Electronic Data Systems
Recent Publications

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AMMUW7-I8I]

Robert has been responsible for products that have evolved from the “Paper Napkin” stage through to Tier-1 implementation at major Telecommunication Providers.

Robert Lavigne has been recently researching and networking in the fields of Enterprise 2.0, Social Media, Social CRM and Personal Branding to compliment his existing Agile Development and Leadership experience.

This evolutionary knowledge furthers the delivery of Real Corporate Value (RCV). The use of modern social networking tools and related mindsets fully engages business relationships and departmental convergence.

Rob subscribes to the need for further contextualization of accessible content to achieve real returns in the field of Competitive Intelligence and Business Innovation.

Some Highlights of my mindset and skillset for your review.

“What is a Social Media Strategy?” answered by Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pO3RPLcXgM

“How can a Business Leverage Social Media” answered by Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdo91oQHF-M

“The Three Gears of Enterprise Social Media Adoption” by Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42)
http://rlavigne42.wordpress.com/2010/09/16/the-three-gears-of-enterprise-social-media-adoption/

Recent Rave Reviews

“I highly recommend Robert and his organization for getting the best possible business outcomes through the leveraging of 2.0 technology. He makes life easier and delivers to exact project specification on-time and on-budget. He also brings fresh, creative ideas to the table that add value. I can’t wait to work with Robert again on our next project.” January 18, 2011

“Over the past year (2010) Rob has offered extremely valuable advice to our organization – specifically on branding and marketing more effectively by leveraging various social media tools. Rob is a brilliant professional that is passionate about driving change in the business world. His ideas are genius and the amount of value he has to add to any organization open-minded enough to engage his services, is limitless. I am grateful to have stumbled upon him. Thank you Rob, for shaking things up and getting us to think outside the box!” December 20, 2010

“Robert’s numerous years of experience as an enterprise IT director and leader, coupled with his unparalleled passion for Enterprise 2.0, Social Media and Enterprise Knowledge “ROI vehicles” make him a great asset to any organization which is poised for explosive growth in the near future!” May 28, 2010

“It was a pleasure working for Robert. I was always amazed by his ability to excel in managing so many different multiple projects, motivate by his own example so many people. He is a rare combination of the person, who quickly understands the business needs, who at the same time is a bright and aggressive manager and technically competent specialist, proposing the best plans and generating the best ideas, and who at the same time was always warm and interesting co-worker. I would strongly recommend Robert as a director or manager and colleague.” January 17, 2009

“Rob was instrumental in turning a disfunctional, disconnected and difficult to deal with department into one that was effective, organized and much more receptive to business needs. He is a very committed, dedicated and engaged individual who is a also an able communicator. He is a great ‘translator’ between technical and client-facing staff, and learns quickly. As a significant internal client of Rob’s department, I know that our company has benefitted greatly from Rob’s personal involvement and also from the improvements that he made to the department as a whole.” December 19, 2008

“Rob was an integral part of the genesis of Compass360 Racing in Grand-Am. As part of our three-person start-up, he worked with our then-Crew Chief on team logistics, crew travel and per diems, and helped organize components of our one-car effort, including traveling to every race and leading the crew.

More recently, Rob created a detailed written account of not only his experiences during that first year, but also a look at the years between then and our rise to become one of the top teams in our NASCAR-owned series, including chronicling our 2009 triple-crown championship. He has also written extensively about issues and solutions for firms using Enterprise 2.0 strategies.” December 18, 2009 Continue reading →

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“What is a Social Media Strategy?” answered by Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42)

Posted on February 11, 2011 by

Social is just an Element. Media is Media!

Media fundamentally is all about Exposure, Influence and a Call to Action.

There are two forms of measurement:

Quantitative: Return on Investment (ROI) – Tranditional Media Measurement
Qualitative: Return on Engagement (ROE) – The Social Measurement Factor
Social Media scales the level of Call to Action to the Three Degrees of Connectivity.

Remember the Faberge Shampoo Television Commercial “I’ll Tell Two Friends…And You Tell Two Friends…And So On…And So On…”

Social Media (2000^2000) Provides an Exponential Reach that Traditional Media (2^2) cannot.

Social Media has given us a challenge of Scale. A Social Media Strategy allows you to Scale.

Social takes your Strategy across the Board. Social is but ONE Element.

Media Remains Exposure, Influence and a Call to Action

Originally Aired on BlogTalkRadio’s The Customer Experience Show – Episode 40 with Robert Lavigne Continue reading →

Posted in @RLavigne42 Highlights, Life@42: A Leadership Social Novel, Promotional Material | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“How can a Business Leverage Social Media” answered by Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42)

Posted on February 11, 2011 by

There is No MAGIC SAUCE or SECRET FORMULA!

There are however THREE elements to being a Social Business!

Transparency
Engagement
Collaboration
Transparency, Engagement and Collaboration have been in successful businesses forever!!!

Business has ALWAYS been about SOCIAL! Business is about trading Stories and Wares!

Business is Business, and Business is Social! Social Media Success is Business Success!

Transparency and awareness drives Engagement. An Engaged workforce is Collaborative!

Is your IT/Business Strategy Driven by FEAR? Knock Down the Silos to Drive Engagement!

Originally Aired on BlogTalkRadio’s The Customer Experience Show – Episode 40 with Robert Lavigne Continue reading →

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Today I got a call from a recruiter looking for a “2.0 guy”. Needless to say my reply shocked and surprised him.

Posted on January 7, 2011 by

Today I got a call from a recruiter that I know and respect. I was however surprised to hear what company/position he was pitching to me. You see I had previously applied to that company shortly before becoming a “2.0 guy”

When listening to what they were looking for (apart from a “2.0 guy”), I was shocked and saddened to hear that the role was more or less a carbon copy of the role they tried to fill over a year and a half ago.

I know what I have been able to achieve in that same timeframe by embracing the core social business elements of transparency, engagement and collaboration.

I know how much I have progressed in the same timeframe by understanding the real value of being a knowledge worker within a social business.

I know what can be achieved in a short timeframe when you start incorporating communities, crowdsourcing and corporate alignment.

So I struggled to understand how this heavily funded organization could literally still at the starting gate given the parallel timeframe we both shared.

You see not only had I applied for the role way back then, but I also know one of the consultants that used to work for that organization. Between that inside knowledge and the obvious lack of forward momentum on their corporate goals, I issued many challenging questions before even considering sitting down for a potential interview.

There is a strong difference between hiring a “2.0 guy” and becoming a “2.0 organization”. So instead of simply saying no thank you, I attempted to shed some light as to what the organization would actually have to do if they really wanted to not waste another year and a half of their time and someone else’s investment.

When all was said and done, I shared the following e-mail with him that I would like to share with you as well. The e-mail contains artifacts that to me best exemplify the lessons that I have learned about what it means to be a “2.0 organization”. I would hope that you all would take the time to listen and read these before thinking of hiring a “2.0 guy” to attempt to become a social business (and as such not #FAIL in your goals). Continue reading →

Posted in Life@42: A Leadership Social Novel, Promotional Material | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Robert Lavigne (@RLavigne42) featured tonight on the Customer Experience Show (BlogTalkRadio)

Posted on January 2, 2011 by

Tonight I am the featured guest on Customer Experience, a Blog Talk Radio Show.

The message is coming loud and clear. Customers want more! More respect, more choice, and more help! And they also want less! Less hassle, fewer procedures, less aggravation. They want a better experience every time they deal with you. Please join us to learn how to deliver that “more” and that “less” to your customers. Each week, trailblazing experts in Customer Experience will share what’s new, what’s exciting and what you can do to transform how your customers perceive you and your company. Interactive, provocative, test out new ideas, remember classic wisdom. Hear and be heard.

Among the questions that might be asked tonight are the following. If you want to hear my answers, please tune in tonight Sunday, January 2, 2011 at 9pm ET.

Question 1:

Robert, tell us how you got into the social media scene, especially given you are of an age where you did not grow up with it.

Question 2:

As we get started, let’s define in two minutes or less, what you mean by “Social Media” and “Social Media Strategy”.

Question 3:

There are a lot of charlatans out there, claiming to know how to work social media for business. How do you tell those who actually know what they’re doing from those who claim they do?

Question 4:

Give me three good examples of how companies are using Social Media in practical day to day business of building exceptional Customer Experiences?

Question 5:

Can you also give some examples of what they are doing wrong?

Question 6:

Everyone wants to put the tag “Social” on everything. Is Social CRM just another gimmick? What does it really do to enhance Customer Relationships?

Question 7:

In your tag line you make reference to GenX and GenY. What are the differences in expectations of Customer Experience by both groups? What do companies need to know to serve these groups? Can you give us some examples?

Question 8:

Surely not every company needs to use Social Media. How does a company know if it should be looking at Social Media. More important perhaps, what are the signs that a company really doesn’t need to pay that much attention to Social Media?

Question 9:

If a company could only do one thing in Social Media, what should it be?

Question 10:

What is the number one mistake they need to avoid? Give some examples if you can.

Question 11:

If a company is just starting out, what are the top things that they should do to get started?

Question 12:

If it took you 2 years and 10,000 hrs to learn how to effectvely leverage social media, how is a company going to accomplish this?
Continue reading →

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