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A big part of my world is online, and has been since my first website at age 11. (No, it doesn’t exist anymore – don’t even try to find it!) Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies, by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, strikes a chord with me, partly because it validates all the time I spend in the social media world, but mostly because it lays out the best practices of social technologies in a simple and compelling manner.

I’m not the only one who appreciates the book. In 2009, it won the Berry-AMA Book Prize for the best book in marketing.

What is the groundswell in the first place? Li and Bernoff define it as a “social trend in which people use technology to get things they need from each other instead of companies.”

It’s a world where we care about what other people think and we don’t trust the corporate message. Sounds about right. Groundswell outlines how to win in this arena.

The book emphasizes that relationships are the reason the groundswell has, and will have, such a profound and lasting effect. Relationships between consumers and businesses, consumers and consumers, and businesses and businesses have changed permanently because of the new technologies. The book’s overarching message is that it’s the relationships that matter, not the technologies that enable them.

How have the relationships changed?

Groundswell tactics shift the balance of power to the consumers. Not only can they discuss businesses with each other, but they can also call to attention the things marketing departments would rather keep swept under a rug. They can broadcast (or rather, narrowcast) their opinions on blogs, social networks, or Youtube. People create connections and form communities with those they would never geographically meet in order to produce a running commentary on what is going on at any given moment.

Traditional communication and media has become less relevant in the groundswell. Instead of depending on top down communications, people are more likely to get information from their friends and networks. In Bernoff’s blog, he discusses how he was recently able to answer a question more quickly using Twitter as opposed to Google. Brainpower in social networks can be greater than… google power? Who knew?

How can you participate in the groundswell? The book lists five ways to get involved:

• Listen → What are people saying about you? What do they want from you?
• Talk → Engage in conversation. Don’t make your message a lecture.
• Energize → Get people excited, and they will market for you. For free.
• Support → Sometimes, people can help each other. You just need to provide the environment.
• Embrace → Consumer can even generate ideas for you.

Before you decide how to act in the groundswell, you must have clear objectives. In an environment where immediacy rules, Li and Bernoff recommend starting small. Once you get the hang of it, move up the ladder. This is excellent advice. Consequences of botched social media attempts can be huge – after all, “Your brand is whatever your customers say it is.”

Fast fact: over $400 billion was spent on advertising in 2006. This industry “shouts” its messages to people who aren’t inclined to listen. What happens in the groundswell, where shouting doesn’t work?

You must engage in conversations. The book warns that this can be a messy process and acknowledges that it is a complete change in attitude towards marketing. It uses beinggirl.com as an example of what really works to access hard to reach targets. P&G needed a way to market tampons in a way that didn’t make young girls uncomfortable, so, they created an online community where girls could talk about anything. In this community, they had a P&G expert answer the girls’ questions. The branding was subtle, but the ROI was huge. (The book goes into detail about the cost/benefits of this case study. Summary: $$$.)

Instead of freaking out about uncensored communication, companies must evolve from it.

Dell is an example of groundswell hell. In 2005, the “Dell Hell” buzz in the groundswell caused serious trouble for the flailing company. Instead of throwing in the towel, Dell listened to what people had to say, put an executive in control of the situation, and interacted honestly with its consumers. It took a near disaster to whip Dell into motion in the groundswell. The book implores you get involved before your company gets to that point. (Sidenote: Dell now owns ‘Dell Hell’. Talk about groundswell thinking.)

The book puts more value on relationships than technologies. It recognizes that consumers have more power, conversations happen faster online, and that social media must be harnessed correctly to produce results.

It emphasizes that you need to be where your consumers are, not where you want them to be. Even though targeting can be problematic because of the infinite possibilities online, Li and Bernoff recognize that consumers interact in the groundswell in different ways and you need to find out how to reach the ones you want.

Another recommendation is to put someone “high up” in charge of the groundswell. This again speaks to the massive impact the social media world can have on a business. Dealing with it should not be swept to a dark corner of an organization; rather, it should be an integral and high-level part of any company’s plan.

Li and Bernoff tell us that the social media revolution is not a trend, won’t go anywhere, and must be dealt with by someone who knows his or her stuff.

Groundswell’s simplicity and practical application are first class, but for those of us who are already well versed in the world, it is more reaffirming than revolutionary.

This book is a necessary read for business people who are unfamiliar with and scared of social technologies. It provides concrete examples and actionable ideas that serve as starting points for businesses to get involved; however, it might go further to push those of us who are already immersed in the community.