This week the Financial Times/Ignites Europe invited me as a speaker and panelist for a live, online panel discussion on the use of social media by asset management companies, called the Exchange.

I presented an analysis I had written a few weeks earlier on http://www.globalfunddistribution.com alongside the head of marketing for Barings Asset Management, followed by a Q&A session with about 30 asset managers from across Europe which had dialed into the webinar (check the links below for the presentation and article).

My basic message was simple:

-The phenomenon and use of social media is changing communication patterns and is here to stay.

-Companies don’t need to rush into social media as there is no first mover advantage, but once they do sign up, need to make a commitment (there’s nothing worse than a five month old tweet).

-YouTube and other services can be used to reduce costs and to communicate in new ways with clients, employees and the public.

-Just like the Internet or IT, social media use at some point will be a necessary but not sufficient condition for brand awareness.

-European and Asian firms in comparison to their US counterparts are early adopters.

Distribution post crisis is about brand and communication. As Bill Gross noted, even the best performance in the world is meaningless if nobody knows about it (you) – he should know: an avid user of Facebook and Twitter, Gross has attracted close to $30 billion in new cash flows to his total return fund year-to-date through August 2009 and now officially runs the largest mutual fund in the world (approaching $200 billion in AUM).

Further proof: when you visit Pimco.com these days, a survey on why you are visiting offers Gross’ Investment Outlook as the first possible reason.

Tweet.

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DSE presentation slides

Ignites/FT Article