Capgemini saw growth in leads generated via social media after implementing its Expert Connect programme
Capgemini provides consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The company employs more than 140,000 people in over 40 countries and saw 2013 global revenues of €10.1 billion. Capgemini’s position as an authority and influencer is dependent on the ability of its experts to be heard by existing and potential clients. The organisation recognised that certain social media platforms represented an important channel through which its experts could raise their profile and act as a significant lead generation tool. Four years ago Capgemini was utilising these platforms, but it was predominantly to amplify the brand; the vast majority of reach and volume of activity was centered on corporate brand profiles rather than those of individual experts. Back then the business had limited visibility of its online footprint, as well as the activity of its experts and the results they were generating, while levels of social media fluency ranged from proficient users to novices.
Expert Connect programme
With significantly smaller budgets than some of its counterparts, Capgemini took the decision to implement a fully digital branding strategy. The Expert Connect programme was developed in 2012 with the objective of creating a community of experts to proactively drive lead generation and enhance its reputation via thought leadership, professional advice and engagement. The programme was to be entirely based on the amplification power of social media, leveraging the individual reputation and network of key influencers for business and branding purposes.
The programme initially focused on a small group of the most influential, high-level personalities within the business. The initiative had to empower them to really embody the group’s motto of ‘People matter, results count’. A dedicated social media team of 15 individuals, based in India where the group now has over 50,000 employees, was created to act as partners and coaches. The programme was built to deliver a tailored approach taking into account the differing levels of digital maturity among experts, enhancing understanding of channel use and identifying relevant topics for discussion. To address the fact that Capgemini people may not always have the time or be in the habit of sharing content with their network, part of the social media team’s role was to help identify and curate expertise-specific content. This meant that experts had a minimal time commitment and could fit social engagement around their busy schedules.
The long-term strategy and goal of the Expert Connect programme is to help each expert build a compelling digital profile, an ongoing stream of relevant and interesting content, and for them to become ‘fluent’ in the use of social channels.
The programme permeates the entire Capgemini Group, linking and amplifying marketing and communications activities. Experts, therefore, not only tap into lead generation thanks to a stronger personal client intimacy, but they are also brand ambassadors; boosting awareness and advising clients.
Results and goals
Since its implementation two years ago, the programme has grown to include over 900 experts online across 40 business themes including digital customer engagement, mobility, cloud and big data, each updated on a regular basis, with 23 countries currently represented. Thanks to its members, the programme allows Capgemini to reach a targeted business audience of 161,000 followers on Twitter, having engaged in over 835,556 discussions. Cumulative LinkedIn connections have totaled 605,000 with over 2800 posts to date. By the end of 2015 Capgemini expects Expert Connect to have more than 1000 active members and for it to be an established social selling programme.
Over a third of the members have been involved in direct lead generation and the programme has even resulted in contract agreements generating an estimated income of around €6 million in 2014 with a target of exceeding €10 million in 2015. One example of this is Manuel Sevilla, global CTO of business information management at Capgemini. As part of his content-driven social activity, Sevilla shared an article with his network entitled ‘What is Hadoop?’ The post was picked up by a VP at Cloudera, a global leading provider of Apache Hadoop-based software and services, who contacted Sevilla via LinkedIn to discover more about Capgemini’s capabilities in this area. The two organisations now have a global partnership agreement, leading to more than 50 new business opportunities and a number of active projects.
Philippe Grangeon, group marketing and communications director at Capgemini, says: “The Expert Connect programme was born because social media isn’t just a ‘must-have’, but is a core strand of strategic marketing. Rather than manage profiles directly and potentially lose the social element that makes these channels so compelling, we structured Expert Connect around the individual and the content that interests them and their network. The expansion and success of the programme to date highlights the innovative approach we’ve taken to social media marketing.”
