39. Skittles redesigned its website to function as a Twitter page in March 2009, with new updates for every Skittles-related tweet, as well as links to a number of social media pages on YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia and Flickr. It was praised at the time for being innovative, experimental and brave, and for giving consumers some control of their brand reputation. It allowed Skittles to engage with customers who may not normally have visited their home page and traffic increased dramatically. The success was however short-lived as interest dropped off dramatically. In the long-term, the site did not engage with customers or offer them any content of value. Skittles didn’t actively participate or contribute to online conversations, they merely pulled in streams from different social media sites. Pranksters also decided to add to the Skittles Twitter feed with vulgar language and profanities so they would end up on the website, forcing the Mars family to abandon the campaign as the Skittles’ target market includes families and children.
How many get overwhelmed just thinking where to start? Well, forget what you know. Forget all of the platforms, the technologies, the war between whether Facebook or Twitter is better. They won’t be around in 5 years. Okay, maybe they will, but that is irrelevant. WHAT the technology is doesn’t matter – as it is always changing. That is the tactical implementation part. The key to social media and engagement marketing is strategy and communication. There has been a fundamental shift not only in the way we communicate but in how we expect to send/receive information. Find it in Yellow Pages/Catalog. Find it on website. Find it on phone – with reviews from those that are like me. Social media is probably the most mis-understood term in the world of marketing today. There are as many definitions as there are technologies. In essence, while I use the term “social media” (and will in this presentation), “social media” really means a collection of media that allows one to be social. It involves three things: conversation, media and portability.
Lecture v. Discussion Linear communication – how we typically think of “traditional” communication One to many. One to one. One to many: newspaper, television, website, print ad, online ad, OpEd, classroom lecture One to one: telephone call, IM, conversation with friend Key is “one.” Conversation follows a prescribed, linear pattern. “Traditional” does not mean medium it means construction of conversation. Speaking. Listening. Feedback. Follows traditional communication pattern (the one we were taught to abide by as children). “Don’t interrupt. Don’t change the message. The speaker is in control of the message, the delivery and the setting.” Message is delivered, then action occurs. One-way communication. We may both be talking, but the message only flows one direction. “TALKING TO”
Shift to multi-dimensional communication. Anthology – conversational v. traditional Communicate many to many – conversation has different contributors with or without a moderator, contributors may or may not know each other, message is fluid, non-linear. Multiple speakers, multiple platforms, fragmented listening, sharing. Spherical conversation – You are talking with each other, you are talking to me, I am talking to you, I am talking to someone else over here – about the same thing. Contributing to the same topic. Collaborating. TALKING WITH Lecture v. discuss/facilitate Distribute v. share Marketing copy v. marketing conversation Dictate v. guide
Time for a quiz! (This is where I make sure that you are awake and haven’t died of starvation). Here are some forms of communication. Which ones would be used for linear communication? Answer: all of them. The difference between, say a billboard and YouTube is this. A billboard has one of the three “social media” components – it is a medium. Twitter has all three – it is a medium, it has potential for conversation and it is portable. However, it could be used for linear communication – send a tweet, “Buy my stuff.” One-dimensional, linear, one-way communication “one to many.” Change it to, “Give me the best reason to own a widget.” it becomes many to many (many opportunities to contribute with many people).
What makes social media marketing different is understanding this fundamental shift in communication. If you understand what the shift is (linear to multi-dimensional), it provides a benchmark against which you can measure all of your social media marketing efforts, to ensure it is performing the way you want it to. If you master this, you’re 75% of the way to being a social media “expert.”
Admittedly, this is an over-simplified piece of advice, but the more you understand what engages you, the better you understand how to use the tools, the more compelling your business campaign will be.
How I use social media -Friends/family -Trends -Work -Job/Networking Found new brands, organizations and contacts in areas of interest Food Environment Local movement
Social media is about trust – about confidence in what you have to say and how you say it. Part of every campaign is asking supporters to trust what you are saying, what you represent and who you are. If 75% is understanding the communication theory. 10% is understanding that social media demands transparency.
How do they use the social web? Creators? Joiners? Spectators? How well do they know you? Obviously easier to evangelize someone who knows/trusts you. Otherwise, you need to include an “education” component in your plan
80% of female Internet users have become fans of a product or brand on a social network site and 72% said they learned about a new product through social media . As the graph here shows, more than half of Facebook and Twitter users are over 35, not to mention LinkedIn. Social networking is a true cultural phenomenon, and there is no demographic that isn’t represented substantially on one or more sites. http://www.penn-olson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/age-distribution.png http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-5-social-media-myths-debunked/
Defining objectives. What are you trying to accomplish? What messages will your campaign send? Are they the right ones?
Most campaigns are really going to aim for three things: Create Awareness – informational, casual Educate – form opinions, insights, equip to make a decision Inspire Action – financial, advocacy, task (do something) They may take days to move from one step to another (rare), weeks or months. Your audience will come in at different levels, ready for different kinds of interaction.
LISTEN – THE most important step there is. Call to action – TELL people what you want them to do. Ask for their insight, opinion, stories. Share things they post/tell/talk about.
Just as you wouldn’t use a hammer to dig a hole or a pair of scissors to pound a nail, social media technologies and tools are used for different things.
This tends to be where people want to start. This is where it gets overwhelming. It is not as overwhelming though as it seems if you have a plan in place. Monitor = listen/measure Blog = thought leadership, engagement Facebook = social, informal, recruiting, blog traffic, event promotion, media sharing (video/photo), ask questions, post insights Twitter = listening, engagement, learning LinkedIn = engagement, networking, thought leadership YouTube = sharing stories, generating buzz
Engagement marketing isn’t just for marketing. This shift in communications has changed the way we find/view opinion leaders, tell our company story, network, recruit and fill jobs, evaluate the market, respond to news/competitors/market shifts. Different tools can be used for different objectives. Your organization may have different needs that can be filled in different ways by different people. Don’t forget to look at all of your needs/options.
What do you see? How many see a young woman? How many see an old woman? We can look at the same thing and see it two different ways. It’s one of the things that makes measuring social media so challenging. That is why setting objectives is so critical. Knowing where you want to end up will help you determine how to measure ROI and success and what you want to look for. people reached # of subscriptions # of social bookmarks # of interactions # of fans # of comments
Keep your objectives in mind. Get involved. Contribute. Think BEFORE you Tweet/Post/Comment. Learn how engagement marketing impacts/is impacted by other activities: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Public Relations Marketing Website traffic Don’t fall into the “One” trap -Multiple platforms, multiple mediums, - don’t fall into the trap of using “social” platforms for nothing more than fancy linear communication Be in the Right Place at the Right Time Understand where your audience is and target them on the social network where they can be found. Make sure you are on as many social mediums as possible. Don't waste your time selling your carpet business on MySpace Have a clear message – or the whole thing is useless Poor content = the whole thing is useless
Nobody likes to hear negative feedback about their work, product or service. Many businesspeople fear that their social media profiles will be overrun by people posting complaints and competitors “flaming” their brand. But the beauty of social media interaction is that transparency and responsiveness rule the day. If a customer chooses to voice a complaint publicly, you have the chance to demonstrate your customer service ability to a wider audience. If the person is unreasonable and continues to post negative information, people observing the dialogue are more likely to admire your efforts to right the situation, rather take to heart the angry customer’s complaints. Plus, sometimes your customer base does the heavy lifting for you, like this gem from the American Airlines Facebook page. Crowdsourcing
BUT! Know where your audience is. If you ARE targeting Gen Y (18-24), LinkedIn is probably not the best place to do it. Go to your audience, don’t make them come to you.
All kinds of charts/graphs/research that will help you make your decision.
![Objectives ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)