Google has only developed 3% to 4% of the potential of Internet search. Daft.ie staff are incentivised with real time bonuses. Facebook hires job candidates who have done their homework and have the guts to challenge some of its thinking. Jolt is investing in community managers to manage the conversations and online interactions about its games.
These, and other, gems from digital businesses are relevant to traditional businesses as many struggle to make sense of the digital era and change their business models.
They were discussed at the Digital Landscape conference hosted by UCD Business School which packed out the O’Reilly Hall earlier today.
“The sexiest jobs will be for statisticians”
– Google VP John Herlihy
Google VP John Herlihy offered insights into the search giant’s strategy and culture. Google has only started to exploit the power of search, with as much as 96% of the market potential untapped.
The next wave will be about mobile, connectivity and collaboration. Given the wealth of data available on customers and transactions, marketing is the new science. “The sexiest jobs will be for statisticians,” he said.
Celebrate failure
Google’s culture is about speed, flexibility and adaptability. “We celebrate failure,” he added and there is a “brutality about execution.” Staff feedback on managers is shared and objectives for a financial quarter are known and shared across the organisation by the third day of the quarter.
Daft.ie founder Eamonn Fallon hates spreadsheets and shared drives. He said he keeps tabs on sales and customer service activity through a simple, Twitter-like interface which is continuously updated and gives instant updates on activity.
There is a real-time bonus system where staff can make a direct connection between what they’ve done and the incentive. At year end, he argued, few would make that connection.
The Internet is presenting multiple opportunities in local markets, particularly in eCommerce.
He argued that traditional media will need a significant reduction in the cost base to respond to the loss of revenue to online advertising.
Integrating Facebook
Facebook Director Colm Long said that some traditional media organisations are beginning to embrace platforms such as Facebook.
The New York Times has integrated its online channels into social media sites, which means that a user can use a Facebook ID on the newspaper’s website. Facebook is now the third-largest referrer of traffic to newspaper sites.
Jolt CEO Dylan Collins said that the single biggest mistakes for businesses which want to do more business online are resourcing and the user interface. Jolt itself has had those issues.
As the online gaming company gears up following the acquisition by GameStop, Jolt needs more people to manage discussions and customer relationships. Basic usability – the positioning of important buttons on a page, for instance – can also stymie an internet project.
