I just started reading Groundswell and I love it so far. I recommend it to everyone who is involved in social media/blogging/community building. The cool thing is that I was fortunate enough to sit through Jeremiah Owyang’s presentation of the POST method twice; one at Intel and the other at the Cluetrain at 10 event.

Groundswell is a comprehensive approach that helps marketers define their social media marketing strategy and has several key components like the Social Technographics Ladder of Participation, the POST method and social objectives to name a few.

The social media objectives revolve around 5 key concepts:

• Listening – using social media as “real time” research and gaining insights from listening to customers
• Talking – using conversations with customers to promote products or services
• Energizing – building brand stewardship; and identifying enthusiastic customers and using them to persuade others
• Supporting – making it possible for customers to help each other
• Embracing – turning customers into a resource for innovation

And, depending on the objectives, marketers can then decide on which social media tools to use (the T of the Post Method) to achieve those specific objectives. In many cases, organizations may use a multitude of tools to get maximum penetration in the market. Here is a really good resource of products, services and agencies that can help corporate clients achieve some or all of the objectives listed above.

Also, here is a tool that allows you to identify your customer’s social technographic profile. It’s extremely helpful.

What are your Social Media Objectives?