Success is measured across multiple dimensions. “We track all kinds of metrics,” noted Goff, “including engagement rates, likes, click-through rates, conversion rates, and qualitative feedback. We then use these datapoints to refine strategies.” UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) codes showing tracking links indicate how much traffic is coming from each social media platform. “The feedback is used to adapt the messaging,” she added. “For example, if there are a lot of questions about a product feature, we tweak the content strategy to address those concerns.”
Strella develops long-term partnerships with its clients to help them understand social media. “We spend a lot of time educating our customers on brand awareness,” Goff pointed out. “Each organization has different goals. Some are seeking greater website traffic, and others are focused on increased revenue. Either way, a company can’t just post on social media and expect success. The average person has to see something seven times before they invest.” Continuity and adaptability are key elements for success. Social media has not occupied as large a role in KM as other technologies have, but its use is on the rise.
Synergy of KM and AI
When an organization first recognizes a need for KM, the issue often seems mundane, such as not knowing what information is held within the enterprise, or whether it is still needed. “Many organizations come to us because it is a problem for staff to find what they need. In this day of inexpensive storage, there is a tendency to keep everything,” said Abby Clobridge, founder of FireOak Strategies, a KM consulting company. “They may not have a stated retention policy or an efficient way to remove unnecessary documents.”
Redundant, obsolete, or trivial (ROT) information is a significant obstacle to any company that wants to use automation or AI. “If you want Microsoft Copilot to write a summary of a report you or someone else wrote in the past, and there are multiple versions,” Clobridge noted, “Microsoft Copilot will not know which one to use.” Curating files is becoming increasingly important. AI is dependent on it, and KM is also becoming dependent on AI to expedite collection, analysis, and interpretation of information.
Among the emerging applications of AI are ways to deal with the rapid influx of new information or mining existing information. “Our customers are using AI tools to record and transcribe calls and virtual meetings and then generating key takeaways, action items, and minutes,” explained Clobridge. “Some are analyzing lessons learned or after-action reports, looking for new ideas or meanings achieved by combining inputs from existing data.”
A common thread is the desire to expedite existing processes, allowing AI to take on routine tasks and then providing an overlay of human analysis. “If an AI tool can achieve 70%–80% of a task, and a human can go the rest of the way,” added Clobridge, “that is a significant savings.”
In the past, many information technologies were feasible only for large companies, but with free or low-cost AI solutions available, even small companies can use them. “There is a lot of potential for smaller companies to use AI in innovative ways,” Clobridge observed. “They don’t have to work with multilayered bureaucracies and can often make decisions more quickly.”
KM and AI are a natural team—their combined value can only be expected to increase in the future. As AI-powered technology becomes more integrated with both daily work functions and strategic planning, enterprise knowledge will come closer to achieving its full potential.