Major corporations swing into social media sites

While they may have started Twittering later than most, major corporations have jumped into the social media arena and are using it in a variety of ways.

Some corporations have different missions they want to accomplish online. Kraft Foods Inc., for example, uses such sites to strengthen brand awareness, while McDonald's Corp. promotes its social responsibilities, said Andy Sernovitz, CEO of GasPedal, a marketing firm that oversees the Social Media Business Council.

Also, corporations use such sites to reach customers and strengthen customer service.

"These sites provide a much tighter connection with customers," he said. "And this isn't a kid thing. It cuts across all groups."

The Chicago-based Social Media Business Council, which recently changed its name from The Blog Council, has been helping major corporations build their social media programs since its inception a year and a half ago.

The group has about 60 corporate members, including Libertyville Township-based Abbott Laboratories, Northbrook-based Allstate, Oak Brook-based McDonald's, Northfield-based Kraft, Downers Grove-based Sara Lee Corp. and Naperville-based ConAgra Foods.

The group was pioneered by Dell, Proctor & Gamble, Microsoft and others, said Sernovitz.

"It's an intensely different experience for these companies because they already have hundreds of thousands on Facebook and other sites," said Sernovitz.

Major corporations also have different issues when diving into social media, including Twitter, Facebook and others. They need to decide who blogs, who is the voice of the company, how to maintain the social media platform, among others, he said.

"It's not how social media affects the company, but how all these new technologies affect all the departments of the company," he said.

Surfing: Speaking of social media, Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holding Corp. said it has launched the Open ID platform for its Sears communities, which connects about 1 million monthly visitors to MySears and MyKmart Web sites to the major social media. It will provide universal login for visitors to consolidate their Internet identity and for online transactions. So they can log into the Sears communities using their social IDs rather than set up new accounts. This includes Google, Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo and Twitter.

• Vernon Hills-based CDW Corp. issued a study that said large and medium-size businesses are planning to invest in technology products and staff as confidence among IT decision makers returns. But signs of IT investment among small businesses has slipped.

• Aurora-based AAA launched a new senior safety and mobility Web site at www.AAASeniors.com. It includes content and resources based on research, provides families of older drivers with information about senior mobility challenges and tools to help extend safe driving and assist in difficult decisions about no longer driving.

• And, the infamous bar code, found on most product packaging, marked its 35th anniversary last week.