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Social Media 201 A Recipe for Social Media Success: Developing & Implementing an Effective Social Media Strategy October 5, 2010 Fort Collins Chamber Lunch & Learn
101 vs. 201 ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Do you bake or cook? ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
What about social media? ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Why you need a social media recipe/strategy ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Mobile, Social Dominate Local Search ,[object Object],[object Object]
Social media isn’t rocket science ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
What is strategy? ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Social media is not just another marketing medium ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Why do social media? Is it right for you/your biz? ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
What problem do you solve? ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
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Right tool, right job ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Crafting the recipe ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
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Don’t get overwhelmed! ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
10 Stages of  Social Media Business Integration ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Be authentic! ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Sample social network routine ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
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Advanced Strategies ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
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Thank you! [email_address] @BradleyRoss / @ShannonMarcom www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyrshannon www.shannonmarcom.com/blog 970-420-8793

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A Recipe For Social Media Success

  • 1. Social Media 201 A Recipe for Social Media Success: Developing & Implementing an Effective Social Media Strategy October 5, 2010 Fort Collins Chamber Lunch & Learn
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  • 26. Thank you! [email_address] @BradleyRoss / @ShannonMarcom www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyrshannon www.shannonmarcom.com/blog 970-420-8793

Notas del editor

  1. HUGE topic Just touch on a few things, leave you with some direction, resources
  2. If you are like most small businesses you are aware of most of the ingredients that go into the social media pie, but what you are missing is the right recipe.  A recipe is defined as a set of directions with a list of ingredients for making or preparing something, which by following will produce close to exact outcomes each time.  Are you interested in designing a recipe for social media success that will produce your desired results? Learn how to write your own recipe and enjoy your piece of the pie!
  3. In this session we will discuss developing social media strategies that complement your overall marketing, that improve brand awareness, create online dialogue with prospects and customers & lead generation. Participants will walk away with a clear understanding of how to create a social media marketing strategy that has a measureable ROI and an example of daily activities to do to grow their online presence. http://veryofficialblog.com/2010/02/14/the-missing-ingredient-in-most-social-media-strategies/ Strategy is not a plan Strategy is not a timeline Strategy is not a goal Strategy is not what tactics you will use to achieve your goal “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”  – Sun Tzu in The Art of War. Therefore a social media strategy would be a subset of the communications strategy. It should support the communications strategy in supporting the business strategy.
  4. http://thedigitalblur.com/2009/11/18/consumers-are-just-not-that-into-you/ http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-marketing/develop-a-social-media-strategy-in-7-steps/ The 7 Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy Before you begin, commit to worrying about social media tools last, not first. Why? Because tools will change. They always do. There was a time when Netscape seemed invincible. Yahoo, too. Myspace also. If you fall in love with tools, you’ll constantly be changing directions, with no real plan to guide your way. 1. What’s Your Pitch? The elevator pitch is dead.  Can you describe what your company does in 120 characters or less? 2. What’s the Point? What type of program is this? Awareness, Sales, or Loyalty? Pick one. 3. What’s Your Relationship with Your Audience? What does your audience know about you today? Nothing Aware of you, but never acted Acted once Repeat actions/enthusiasts Advocates Pick up to two of these segments to focus upon, but make sure they are adjacent on this scale. It’s too confusing to have a strategy that targets advocates AND people that have never heard of you. That would be two strategies, not one. 4. How Does Your Audience Use Social Media? Using the Forrester Social Technographics Ladder, understand how your target audience (as defined by gender, age, and geography) uses social media. If your audience skews older, you may not want to engage in a lot of “make a video” contests, since that segment indexes low on the “Creator” scale. You can play with the Social Technographics Ladder data right here: 5. What’s Your One Thing? What’s the soul of your brand. What’s the  one thing that defines you  – and it’s not features and benefits. Volvo = Safety. Apple = Innovation. Disney = Magic. What’s on the other side of your = sign? Note: This is not easy to figure out. You may need to engage in some brand anthropology, and have an agency help you find your one thing. 6. How Will You Be Human? Social media is about people, not logos. How will you let down your guard? If you’re a small company, congratulations, this should be pretty easy. If you’re a big company, how can you act small again? 7. How Will You Measure Success? Lots of ways to measure social media success, so make sure you determine your key metrics BEFORE you get started. I recommend picking three solid metrics to track. Appropriate metrics differ based on what your objective is for the program. See the slide deck for details. Also, see  amazing stuff from Olivier Blanchard , and a  killer Webinar from Beth Harte . Now, you can worry about tools, and outposts, and social media tactics. To help you figure all this out, you might want to download my free social media strategy worksheet.
  5. FB: 500 Million users http:// www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa = Articles.showArticle&art_aid =136989 Trend 1:  Online search is the preferred method for information about local businesses, with 70% of consumers citing online sites as their primary source. Trend 2:  Search engines are most popular, but they are not growing as fast as other media. Trend 3:  Local searchers are more apt to buy. Trend 4:  Businesses must develop a comprehensive search presence with essential information. Trend 5:  To develop a complete search presence, local businesses must consider every avenue. Trend 6:  Print is declining, but it still holds value for today's consumers as a secondary source. Trend 7:  With emerging media on the rise, a diverse media mix must now include social and mobile marketing. Consumers who use social networks and mobile smartphones are more likely to use and write reviews. More than 40% have submitted between two and five reviews in the past 30 days. In fact, 78% of social networkers -- up 3% from the prior year -- and 71% of mobile users -- up 9% from the prior year -- consider consumer ratings and reviews important in making their purchase selections. Of those participating in the survey, 81% believe it's important for local businesses to respond to questions and complaints on social sites; 78% want special offers, promotions and information about events; and 66% believe that company photos are important.
  6. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-steps-for-a-successful-social-media-strategy/ According to the  2010 Social Media Marketing Report  , 67% of marketers plan to increase their use of social media channels including blogs, Twitter, and Facebook . As more companies integrate social media into their marketing and communications plans, emphasis needs to be on  creating a social media strategy .  Without a strategy, you’ll undoubtedly be sucked into a social media time sink . So how exactly do you develop this strategy? It’s easy.  Here’s  a practical approach to developing a social media strategy for your business . The Prerequisite Do you work for a large company? Before you develop your strategy,  make sure your upper-management team believes in social media  and that the first goal is not to sell, sell, sell.  In other words, if your business is jumping into social media because “everyone else is doing it” or because you want to sell product rather than to build relationships, please step away from social media.  Social media is a long-term commitment and not a marketing gimmick. If you’re having a tough time convincing your team that social media needs to be integrated into your marketing plan, then counter any concerns with these responses to  common social media objections . It’s important for the organization to understand that testing and experimentation are keys to success.  This comes naturally to an organization whose culture embraces being proactive and open.   The reason why all businesses need to have a social media strategy is because it prevents any misunderstandings and emphasizes why social media is relevant to your business’ overall goals . Now let's develop your social media business strategy, shall we? Here are seven key points to consider… #1: Determine Your Goals and Objectives Determine who owns social media.  Whether it’s marketing, PR, or communications is irrelevant.  In a perfect social media world for businesses, social media instills a collaborative approach and breaks down silos. What’s important is to  understand your social media goals and objectives and how they tie into your overall company goals . Keep it  S pecific,  M easurable,  A ttainable,  R ealistic/Relevant, and  T imely (aka be SMART!). #2: Research, Research, and Research Some More Rather than jumping into the social media pool with both feet, do the equivalent of the “splash-water-on-self” maneuver so you know what to expect.  Step two of creating an effective social media strategy is research. Develop a list of social media sites where you can potentially engage with people .  The list will most likely start off with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a few select blogs and forums. Check out each of the social media sites on your list and  do additional research to determine relevancy  by searching for your brand name, your competitors, and your target keywords.   Listen to what’s out there, identify, and understand your target audience . #3: Create a Digital Rolodex of Contacts and Content When social media is done correctly, relationships will build naturally.  Begin making connections by following the conversation.  You can do this by subscribing to blogs in your industry and by  making a list of influencers who are relevant to your business . This becomes handy when it’s time to provide content on your social networks.  Read Emily Proctor’s article in which she provides some excellent pointers on a  social media content strategy . #4: Join the Conversation to Develop Relationships Now it’s time to start making use of all the research you’ve done.  You can start joining the conversation by  posting comments on blogs and forums , answering questions on Yahoo! and LinkedIn, joining groups related to your industry and joining  Twitter chats . Begin developing relationships by following and friending influencers and those in your industry .  Don’t just look for people with thousands of followers; you’ll be surprised by the value that someone with only a couple of hundred followers provides.  Here’s an article on  how to network on Twitter . #5: Strengthen Relationships It’s easy to hide behind your avatar or profile picture, but face-to-face is incredibly powerful.  I think more people are now realizing how underrated the in-person interaction really is because of how far social media has come, allowing so many people to “hide.” Attend offline events related to your industry—not only to strengthen your knowledge base but also to network and strengthen relationships with those you might have conversed with via social media but never met in person.  A popular offline event is known as a  tweetup . #6: Measure Results You have goals and objectives, right?  That means you should be able to measure  your success. Remember, what you measure will  tie into the goals and objectives of your social media strategy. Let’s take the four commonly used objectives: Improve brand presence across social channels —The measurement goal here is an increase in the number of followers on Twitter, number of fans on Facebook, number of comments, number of times your brand is mentioned in blogs and forums and so on. Increase positive sentiment about your brand —The goal here is to convert the number of positive mentions while taking note of negative mentions.  Has the ratio of positive to negative comments improved?  With the good comes the bad in social media. Get used to it! Develop relationships for future partnership opportunities —This goal is to keep track of those with whom you’ve connected.  For example, if you met a potential speaker for your webinar, include that person into your digital Rolodex.  If a vendor contacts you through your blog, capture that lead and take note. Increase traffic to your website —Keep track of visitors to your website who come from each of your social media sites.  If you’re promoting an event using social media, consider using a unique code to track the campaign. Measuring social media is a never-ending debate.   What metrics do you use to measure social media?  What objective are you measuring those metrics for? When it comes to measuring social media, it takes a multitude of metrics as well as trending reports to get a sense of what to improve. #7: Analyze, Adapt, and Improve Your social media strategy doesn’t end with measurement; it goes beyond that.  You need to  analyze your social media campaigns , adapt any new findings into your current processes, and improve your efforts. Testing and experimentation will perfect your social media efforts . As you dive deeper into the never-ending pool of social media, you’ll quickly understand what works and what doesn’t. More specifically, you’ll develop favorite tools to use, realize that there are certain days and times where it doesn’t pay to be active in social media, and come to the conclusion that you still have lots to learn.  It’s a wonderful new world and I hope many of you are as thrilled to be part of it as I am. Conclusion Social media strategies will vary for each business and for each industry.  However, one thing is clear: social media needs to have “all hands on deck” in order to be successfully integrated into your company’s goals and objectives. In general, I view social media as a strategy, not a tactic. I consider the social media platforms like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., as tactics that tie into the social media strategy.  In other words,  outline your social media strategy and support your strategy with tactics .  Without a carefully thought-out plan, you’ll eventually be overwhelmed with social media and even worse, get burnt out by it.  Use this guide as a stepping-stone to your social media success.  Cheers! What are your thoughts about strategy versus tactics?  Do you have any tips from your own experience developing a social media plan?  Please share your thoughts in the comments box below.
  7. http://veryofficialblog.com/2010/02/14/the-missing-ingredient-in-most-social-media-strategies/ Strategy is not a plan Strategy is not a timeline Strategy is not a goal Strategy is not what tactics you will use to achieve your goal “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”  – Sun Tzu in The Art of War. You see the tactics – strategy is not as clear. Therefore a social media strategy would be a subset of the communications strategy. It should support the communications strategy in supporting the business strategy.
  8. One misconception around social media is that it's just another marketing medium. It is not. Social media is a collective conversation that opens the door to endless opportunities and improved results. Businesses must continue to shift their thinking and strategy, as online communities drive and shape brand conversations. Small businesses need to have a plan in place to be listening and responding appropriately, and connecting those communities with relevant brand experiences.
  9. http://dmiracle.com/marketing-your-business/what-problems-does-your-business-solve/
  10. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/technology/personaltech/30basics.html?ex=1301457600&en=158d6fdf5c0d17bc&ei=5087&WT.mc_id=TE-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M169-ROS-1010-HDR&WT.mc_ev=click
  11. Social Media Statistics Facebook  claims  that 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would mean at least 175m users every 24 hours . Twitter  now has   75m user accounts , but only around 15m are active users on a regular basis. LinkedIn  has over   50m members worldwide. . Facebook currently has in excess of  350 million active users on global basis. Six months ago, this was 250m…This means over 40% growth in less than 6 months. Flickr now hosts more than  4 billion images. More than 35m Facebook users update their status each day.  Wikipedia  currently  has in excess of  14m articles , meaning that it’s 85,000 contributors have written nearly a million new posts in six months. Photo uploads to Facebook have  increased by more than 100%.  Currently, there are around  2.5bn  uploads to the site each month. Back in 2009, the average user had 120 friends within Facebook. This is now around 130. Mobile is even bigger than before for Facebook, with  more than 65m users accessing the site through mobile-based devices.  In six months, this is over 100% increase. There are more than  3.5bn pieces of content  (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) shared each week on Facebook. There are now  11m LinkedIn users across Europe . Towards the  end of last year , the average number of tweets per day was over  27.3 million. The average number of tweets per hour was around  1.3m. 15% of bloggers spend  10 or more  hours each week blogging, according to Technorati’s new  State of the Blogosphere . At the current rate, Twitter will process almost  10 billion  tweets in a single year. About 70% of Facebook users are outside the USA. India is currently the fastest-growing country to use LinkedIn , with around 3m total users. More than 250 Facebook applications have over a  million  combined users each month. 70%  of bloggers are organically talking about brands on their blog. 38% of bloggers post brand or product reviews. More than  80,000  websites have implemented Facebook Connect since December 2008 and more than  60m  Facebook users engage with it across these external sites each month. http://www.infusionblog.com/entrepreneur/why-your-small-business-needs-twitter/
  12. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10456671-62.html Facebook Users: 116 million unique U.S. visitors in December 2009 (slightly more females) Average user age range 13-34 LinkedIn Users: 24 million unique U.S. visitors in December 2009 (slightly more males) Most have at least a college education, 33% have a graduate degree, as compared to the Internet average of 21% Twitter Users: 23 million unique U.S. visitors in December 2009 (even male/female ratio) peak at the 18-34 age group Generally less wealthy than those on Facebook and LinkedIn While none of these results are too shocking, there are some interesting tidbits. Facebook was recently revealed to be the social leader in the link economy, driving  44 percent of the social sharing  on the Web. And Facebook clearly dwarfs the other sites in terms of raw visitors with a user base that scales affluence fairly equally. Buzz Yelp Posterous Magnetize Geo-aware – 4Square, coming to Facebook Please rob me! http://fastwonderblog.com/2009/04/27/social-media-users-are-older-and-more-business-like-than-you-think/ http://www.garymccaffrey.com/blog/2009/03/19/when-is-the-best-time-to-tweet-for-maximum-twitter-traffic-and-exposure/ Most twitter referrals between 1 and 2 p.m. But you can post between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for best exposure
  13. http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/ HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy 329 Share email share Sharlyn Lauby is the president of  Internal Talent Management (ITM) which specializes in employee training and human resources consulting. She authors a blog at  hrbartender.com . Over the past few months, we’ve talked about whether you should have a social media policy  and  what should be included in that policy . It only seems logical to discuss the next step in the process, which is what to consider when implementing a social media strategy in your workplace. Just having a policy isn’t good enough — you need a plan to put it in place. Here are five areas to discuss when implementing a social media strategy. 1. Determine Your Objective Luis Ramos , CEO of  The Network , reminds us that creating a social media strategy is a complex exercise because “it includes not only looking inside the organization to establish appropriate practices, usage policies and content parameters, but it also includes looking outside the organization to determine the proper degree of engagement.” Figure out why you’re getting on the social media bandwagon and what you want to accomplish with it. This step is absolutely necessary if you plan to  measure ROI  or develop your own internal metrics tracking. When General Motors put together their social media strategy, they had some specific objectives they wanted to accomplish.  Christopher Barger , director of global social media at General Motors, outlined the following: A.  Become more responsive to people/consumer audiences B.  Incorporate audience/consumer feedback into your organization more quickly and effectively than has happened traditionally C.  Make your brand a little more “human” to the outside world, and show people the smarts, personality and passion of the people behind your logo D.  Increase awareness of the strength of your current product lineup, and provide perspective/accurate information about your company The other benefit of defining objectives is that they can guide the timetable for implementation. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen an organization’s list of objectives and knew there was no way they could implement everything at once or in the timeframe they intended. Having well-defined objectives can assist in prioritization and creating the best way to phase-in a social media strategy. Developing objectives and a timetable could also prompt a conversation about content management. Ramos suggests including in the strategy the position responsible for updating content as well as the update frequency. “Many organizations have grand plans of updating content on a regular basis only to quickly run out of topics, leaving content to become stale. As a best practice, a specific employee is typically assigned to create and manage the company’s social media pages, so he/she can respond to messages and questions within 24 hours.” 2. Find an Internal Evangelist This is a constant source of discussion right now on the Internet, but the bottom line is, some department needs to “own” social media. Lots of departments might be consulted when it comes to decision making, but ultimately someone has to be held accountable for the outcomes. Which department ultimately gets the responsibility could be dependent upon the size of your organization and corporate culture. For example, Barger says social media at General Motors is “owned within the communications team, reporting up through the Vice President of Communications, who reports directly to the Chairman/CEO.  Social media leadership has a seat at the communications leadership table and acts as an integral part of the larger corporate communications function.” Smaller organizations might not have that amount of structure, so responsibility might simply fall to sales or marketing. Another option to consider is using external resources (i.e. consultants) for certain aspects of the strategy and internal resources for the rest. Barger explains, “We use internal resources whenever possible; given that two of GM’s main goals are to become more responsive to the public and to incorporate insight back into the organization, these are things we can only effectively do if it is our team who are engaged.  We use agency partners for monitoring/measurement, for identifying new opportunities and new influencers for us to reach out to, for video production, and for counsel on tactics/strategy.” 3. Consider Your Employees This is a biggie. Organizations need to understand their employees’ level of knowledge and interest. Offer training. And one noteworthy item for non-profits is to think about your volunteer base.  Diane Gomez , public relations manager for the  Public Relations Society of America  (PRSA), mentions that not only is PRSA staff involved, but volunteers are as well. “This includes monitoring and interacting with members (and nonmembers) who reach out to us via these channels, and is in addition to pushing out information of interest to our members.” In addition to posting GM’s social media policy, Barger explains several things the company did to convey the company’s approach. “We posted a 45-minute ‘Social Media 101’ interactive training course on the intranet that gives employees the basics on how/why/where to engage in social media. Additionally, we developed a ‘201’ level ‘train-the-trainer’ course that introduces more complete tools and tips. Those who’ve taken this course are authorized to train others within their departments on the basics of social media. Finally, we have an internal blog, ‘Making Conversation,’ that focuses on sharing lessons we’re learning through social media outreach.” Though she’s the president of a smaller firm, Crystal Kendrick used a similar approach with  The Voice of Your Customer . “Our employees are very social media savvy and understand how to technically use the sites. We discussed the spirit of the policy and reviewed examples of ineffective social media policies. Training for our employees focused on the strategic and professional applications of the social media sites. We use ‘key word rich’ content, approved messages and in some cases, scheduled time for posting.” Gomez added they are encouraging staff to participate in social media on behalf of the organization. “We are looking to establish an overall strategy that departments will follow when deciding when and how to use social media.” I’ve found many companies developing job aids, such as flow charts or decision trees, to help employees determine when and how to respond to blogs and inquiries on other social networking sites. 4. Check Your Tech While most social media doesn’t need a huge technology investment, you should still take a look at the technology capabilities of your company and make sure the system can support the strategy. As Ramos reminds us, this includes making sure social media applications aren’t hidden behind firewalls. “Before any social media components are engaged, there needs to be an understanding across the organization of the following: - Who will have access to the sites? - Are there any firewalls that would prevent access? - What are the rules about time spent and content posted on the sites? He adds, “Due to some of the technology access restrictions, some organizations have opted to build their own internal technology to offer social media type forums without the complexities of changing firewalls or altering access rules. This also allows further features like locking down postings to help control inappropriate content.” Kendrick took a different approach to the issue of employee time on social media applications by creating “social media breaks that are very similar to smoke breaks.” 5. Listen First A lot can be learned by watching others. Don’t be afraid to ask questions on and offline so you can learn more. Barger encourages companies to remember “that few ideas should be rejected out of hand; not everything is going to work, but in 95% of the cases, even if something doesn’t work there is value to be gained and lessons to be learned from the ‘failure.’ The only exceptions to this rule are efforts that would contradict the basic etiquette and/or rules of social media – transparency, openness, authenticity, and avoiding ‘pure traditional marketing’ plays, etc.” According to Kendrick, “The first few weeks were a bit hectic.” Like GM, they began to share best practices among employees, identify expert users to follow and recommend connections. She notes, “We matched our target customers to the demographics of our connections and identified gaps in our networks. From there, we began to focus on making connections with persons in target companies, industries and geographic regions and joined groups and lists of industry groups to ensure that we maximized our exposure and business opportunities.” Conclusion During 2010, more companies are expected to explore and engage in social media activities. While some might categorize using a social networking application as easy, that doesn’t mean developing a strategy is simple. Proper planning and execution is the key to integrating social media into your organization. What are some other key factors in developing a social media strategy? Be sure to post your ideas in the comments below.
  14. http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/ The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration Brian Solis  is a principal at new media agency  FutureWorks . You can connect with him on  Twitter  or  Facebook . An overnight success ten years in the making, social media is as transformative as it is evolutionary. At last, 2010 is expected to be the year that social media goes mainstream for business. In speaking with many executives and entrepreneurs, I’ve noticed that the path towards new media enlightenment often hinges on corporate culture and specific marketplace conditions. Full social media integration often happens in stages — it’s an evolutionary process for companies and consumers alike. Here are the ten most common stages that businesses experience as they travel the road to full social media integration. Stage 1: Observe and Report This is the entry point for businesses to better understand the behavior of an interactive marketplace. Listening:  Employ listening devices such as Google Alerts, Twitter Search,  Radian6 , and  PR Newswire’s Social Media Metrics  to track conversations and instances associated with key words. Reporting:  Distill existing social media conversations into an executive report. This early form of reporting is merely designed to provide decision makers with the information they’ll need for continued exploration of social media and its potential impact on business. Stage 2: Setting the Stage + Dress Rehearsal Once the initial intelligence is gathered, businesses will set the stage for social media participation. This is an interesting phase, as it often joins Stage 1 as a more comprehensive first step. Instead of researching the best ways to engage, many businesses create accounts across multiple social networks and publish content without a plan or purpose. However, those businesses that conduct research will find a rewarding array of options and opportunities to target. Presence:  Create official presences across one or more social networks, usually Twitter  and possiblyFacebook  (Fan Pages), YouTube , and Flickr . Early on, this is often experimental, and less about strategic engagement. Analysis:  Review activity for frequency (the rate of mentions), the state of sentiment allocation, traffic, as well as the size of connections (friends, followers, fans, etc.). Provide managers with a limited glimpse into the effects of presence and participation. Stage 3: Socializing Media The next stage in the evolution of a new media business is the proverbial step towards “joining the conversation.” As companies take the stage, they will eventually pay attention to the reaction of the audience in order to respond and improve content, define future engagements, and humanize communication. Conversation:  Representative of an early form of participation, this stage usually evokes reactive engagement based on the nature of existing dialogue or mentions and also incorporates the proactive broadcasting of activity, events and announcements. Rapid Response:  Listen for potentially heated, viral, and emotional activity in order to extinguish a potential crisis or fan the flames of positive support. Metrics:  Document the aforementioned activity in order to demonstrate momentum. This is usually captured in the form of friends, fans, followers, conversations, sentiment, mentions, traffic, and reach. Stage 4: Finding a Voice and a Sense of Purpose This is a powerful milestone in the maturation of new media and business. By not only listening, but hearing and observing the responses and mannerisms of those who define our markets, we can surface pain points, source ideas, foster innovation, earn inspiration, learn, and feel a little empathy in order to integrate a sense of purpose into our socialized media programs. Research:  Review activity for public sentiment, including negative and neutral commentary. Observe trends in responses and ultimately behavior. This allows for a poignant understanding of where to concentrate activity, at what level, and with what voice across marketing, sales, service, and PR. Strategic Visibility:  Introduce relevance and focus. You don’t have to be everywhere in order to create presence, just in the places where you would be missed. Understanding that the social web is far more extensive than Twitter, blogs, and Facebook, brand managers search across the entire web to locate where influential dialogue transpires. Relevance:  “Chatter” or aimless broadcasting is not as effective as strategic communications and engagement. This stage reflects the exploration of goals, objectives, and value implementation. Companies begin to learn that exchange is based on trust and loyalty. Stage 5: Turning Words Into Actions Actions speak louder than words. Businesses must act. Once the door to social consciousness is opened, bring the spirit of your company through it to affect change. Empathy:  Social media personifies companies. It allows us to see who it is we’re hoping to reach, and what motivates them. Listening and observing is not enough. The ability to truly understand someone, their challenges, objectives, options, and experiences allows us to better connect with them. Purpose:  The shift from simple response to purposeful, strategic communication will be mutually beneficial. It is in this stage that we can truly produce captivating content and messages. In order to hold it, we have to give the audience something to believe in — something that moves them. Stage 6: Humanizing the Brand and Defining the Experience As  Doc Searls  says, “There is no market for messages.” Indeed. Through the internalization of sentiment, brands will relearn how to speak. No longer will we focus on controlling the message from conception to documentation to distribution. We lose control as our messages are introduced into the real world. Our story migrates from consumer to consumer. This chain forms a powerful connection that reveals true reactions, perception, and perspectives. The conversations that bind us form a human algorithm that serves as the pulse of awareness, trustworthiness, and emotion. The Humanization of the Brand:  Once we truly understand the people who influence our markets, we need to establish a persona worthy of attention and affinity. A socialized version of a branding style guide is necessary. Experience :  Our experience in dynamic social ecosystems teaches us that online activity must not only maintain a sense of purpose, it must also direct traffic and shape perceptions. We question our current online properties, landing pages, processes, and messages. We usually find that the existing architecture leads people from a very vibrant and interactive experience (social networks) to a static dead end (our web sites). As we attempt to redefine the experience of new customers, prospects and influencers, we essentially induce a brand makeover. Stage 7: Community Community is an investment in the cultivation and fusion of affinity, interaction, advocacy and loyalty. Learned earlier in the stages of new media adoption, community isn’t established with the creation of a social profile. Community is earned and fortified through shared experiences. It takes commitment. As  Kathy Sierra  once said, “Trying to replace ‘brand’ with ‘conversation’ does a disservice to both brands & conversations.” Community Building/Recruitment:  While we are building community through engagement in each of the previous stages, we will proactively reach out to ideal participants and potential ambassadors. We become social architects, and build the roads necessary to lead customers to a rich and rewarding network, full of valuable information and connections. Stage 8: Social Darwinism Listening and responding is only as effective as its ability to inspire transformation, improvement, and adaptation from the inside out. Survival does not hinge solely on a company’s social media strategy. The social element is but one part of an overall integrated strategy. It’s how we learn and adapt that ensures our place within the evolution of our markets. Social Media as embraced in the earlier stages is not scalable. The introduction of new roles will beget the restructuring of teams and workflow, which will ultimately necessitate organizational transformation to support effective engagement, production, and the ongoing evolution towards ensuring brand and product relevance. Adaptation:  In order to truly compete for the future, artful listening, community building, and advocacy must align with an organization’s ability to adapt and improve its products, services, and policies. In order for any team to collaborate well externally, it must first foster collaboration within. It is this interdepartmental cooperative exchange that provides a means for which to pursue sincere engagement over time. Organizational Transformation:  The internal reorganization of teams and processes to support a formal Social Customer Relationship Management (sCRM) program will become imperative. As social media chases ubiquity, we learn that influence isn’t relegated to one department or function within an organization. Any department affected by external activity will eventually socialize. Therefore, an integrated and interconnected network of brand ambassadors must work internally to ensure that the brand is responding to constructive instances, by department. However, at the departmental and brand level, successful social media marketing will require governance and accountability. Organizational transformation will gravitate towards a top-down hierarchy of policy, education, and empowerment across the entire organization. Stage 9: The Socialization of Business Processes Multiple disciplines and departments will socialize, and the assembly or adaptation of infrastructure is required to streamline and manage social workflow. Social CRM (sCRM):  Scalability, resources, and efficiencies will require support, resulting in a modified or completely new infrastructure that either augments or resembles a CRM-like workflow. Combining technology, principles, philosophies and processes, sCRM establishes a value chain that fosters relationships within traditional business dynamics. As an organization evolves through engagement, sCRM will transform into SRM — the recognition that all people, not just customers, are equal. It represents a wider scope of active listening and participation across the full spectrum of influence. Stage 10: Business Performance Metrics Inevitably, we report to executives who may be uninterested in transparency or authenticity. Their goal, and job, is to steer the company toward greater profits. In order to measure the true effects of social media, we need the numbers behind the activity –- at every level. While many experts argue that there is no need to measure social engagement (much the way that some companies don’t explicitly define the ROI of Superbowl ads or billboards), make no mistake: Social is measurable, and the process of mining data tied to our activity is extremely empowering. Our ambition to excel should be driven through the inclusion of business performance metrics, with or without an executive asking us to do so. It’s the difference between visibility and presence. And in the attention economy, presence is felt. ROI:  Without an understanding of the volume, locations, and nature of online interaction, the true impact of our digital footprint and its relationship to the bottom line of any business is impossible to assess. An immerssive view of our social media goals and objectives allows us to truly measure ROI. Stage 10 reveals the meaning and opportunity behind the numbers and allows us to identify opportunities for interaction, direction, and action. Conclusion There is a great distance between where we are today, and where we need to be. Our work in 2010 will be dedicated to narrowing the social chasm. The thing about social media is that it’s always new, and as such, these stages represent a moment in time. They will continue to evolve and expand with new technologies and experiences. In the end, social media is a privilege and a tool — one more opportunity to run a more meaningful and relevant business.
  15. Previous slide – also see http://www.expansionplus.com/impr/social-media.html Mike Phillips – EatSleepSocial.com Amplify word of mouth by motivating influencers  Ignite the existing community and attract new members by amplifying the experience with relevant and engaging content  Harness social currency to drive buzz  Build loyalty & increased engagement through ongoing conversation and brand experience  Drive break through conversations with an engaging viral  Don’t try to sell me crap using marketing speak
  16. The majority of businesses I work with want to know how they should spend their time via social networks. They get past the basic “how to” tutorial sessions and want to build in some semblence of a daily routine. While situations can arise outside the planned activities, I provide them a starter guide. The guide is not meant as a stringent routine and, in fact, typically evolves over time. Each client eventually builds their own routine…this is a little something to get the hang of time management in social networks. I’m sharing here for the purpose of developing and honing this into something we can ALL use. While it doesn’t dive into strategy, the proposed routine does provides a focus on specific tactics. I’m going to get you started with a few ideas for Twitter and Facebook. What advice do you have for other social networks? Based on the feedback, in two weeks I’ll create a “Social Network Routine” document to share. You are welcome to integrate into your collateral and supplemental information and share with clients. Enjoy! Twitter Review follower list and identify people to follow back  (one time, daily) Review lists you’ve been added to, decide whether or not to follow  (one time, daily) Respond to those you mentioned or replied to you   (two to three times, daily) Check and respond to direct messages (DM)  (two times, daily) Read “home” stream and identify people to retweet (RT) and/or respond  (two times daily) Identify new people to follow  (two to three times weekly) NOTE: For those tactics which are listed as two times, it works best if there is time dedicated in both the morning and late afternoon. Facebook Review friend requests  (one time, daily) Review invitations for events, fan pages and applications you’ve received  (one time, daily) Respond to posts, mentions or to those who write on your wall  (two to three times, daily) Check private messages and respond when appropriate  (one time, daily) Read “news” page and identify posts to “like” or comment on  (two to four times, daily) Identify new people to friend or to suggest your fan page/group/event (two to three times, weekly)
  17. - Sales - Registrations - Referrals - Links (the currency of the social web) - Votes - Reduction in costs and processes - Decrease in customer issues - Lead generation - Conversion - Reduced sale cycles Inbound activity Our @DellOutlet is now close to  1.5 million followers  on Twitter, and back in June we indicated that  @ DellOutlet  earned  $3 million  in revenue from Twitter. Today it’s not just Dell Outlet having success connecting with customers on Twitter. In total, Dell’s global reach on Twitter has resulted in more than  $6.5 million in revenue . In fact our Brazilian and Canadian accounts are growing rapidly too – and it was Canadian tweeters who asked to make sure Dell Canada came online to Twitter. Dell Canada responded because the team heard our customers. In less than a year, @DellnoBrasil  has already generated nearly $800,000 in product revenues. Similarly, @DellHomeSalesCA  has surpassed $150,000 and is increasing at notable pace.
  18. http://ow.ly/1hyTP A study of over 1,500 consumers by market research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found that 60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower. And 51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of. http://www.billhartzer.com/pages/study-facebook-fan-pages-are-great-marketing-tool-for-businesses/ Companies that use  Facebook  and  Facebook fan pages  to market their company to potential clients can increase sales, word-of-mouth marketing and client loyalty significantly among a subset of their clients, according to new research from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. The research is  featured  in the March 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review Dholakia and Durham asked customers of  Dessert Gallery  (DG), a favorite Houston-based café chain. Prior to the study, Dessert Gallery did not have a Facebook presence. The research, based on surveys of more than 1,700 respondents over a 3 month period, found that compared with typical Dessert Gallery customers, the Facebook fans: · Spent 33 percent more at DG’s stores. · Had 14 percent higher emotional attachment to the DG brand. · Had 41 percent greater psychological loyalty toward DG. · Made 36 percent more visits to DG’s stores each month. · Spent 45 percent more of their eating-out dollars at DG. According to Dholakia, the results of the study indicate that Facebook fan pages provide an effective and low-cost way of social media marketing.
  19. http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/social-media-strategy-needs/ http:// steveradick.com / http:// www.viperchill.com /social-media-strategy/ http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/04/social-media-strategy-tactics/ http://blog.2createawebsite.com/2010/10/04/is-social-media-distracting-or-helpful-to-your-biz/ http://manchester-seo.blogspot.com/2010/10/seven-sins-of-social-media-strategy.html http://allthings.womma.org/2010/10/04/quality-vs-quantity-sustainable-social-media-strategy/