<p>How can your business become a social business? A new report from the Altimeter Group outlines six maturity stages your company will experience on the road to get there.</p><p>The report "The Evolution of Social Business" says the stages for transforming into a social business are Planning, Presence, Engagement, Formalized, Strategic and Converged. The definition of a social business, according to the report, is "the deep integration of social media and social methodologies into the organization to drive business impact." Key Elements of Social Business</p><p>The report said the key issue is that many social strategies are not linked to business goals, but are instead often driven by a "social for social's sake" orientation. Altimeter also noted that, even when goals are aligned, social initiatives frequently must deal with a lack of defined strategy, governance or funding.</p><p>In each of the report's stages, successful social businesses master several key elements, including a clear definition of business goals, development of a long-term vision for becoming a social business, key executive support and creation of a roadmap for initiatives.</p><p><a href="http://www.cmswire.com/cms/social-business/altimeter-report-the-six-stages-of-becoming-a-social-business-020074.php">Keep reading...</a></p>