1. Marketing Through Social Media
Like Herding Cats ?
Rich Meyer
Online Strategic Solution
March 2011

2. Social media is part of the evolution
of the Internet
I dislike the term “social media.” It is a
misnomer that has caused a boatload of
confusion. It has led managers, marketers,
CEOs, and CMOs to think they can use
social networking sites to spread their
message the same way they use
traditional media platforms like print, radio,
television, or outdoor, and expect similar
results and returns. But what we call social
media is not media, nor is it even a
platform. It is a massive cultural shift that
has profoundly affected the way society
uses the greatest platform ever invented,
the Internet.
The Thank You Economy (Gary Vaynerchuk)

3. But the business world is not
there yet.
Some are but most still have a long long way to go

4. Even though a lot of people
are using social media

5. And social media has become a key
part of the purchase decision making
process

6. Social media is not just about
the younger generations

7. But marketing through social media
can be like trying to “herd cats”

8. Because brands are still struggling
to link social media to ROI
How do take these …and covert them to this ?

9. And too many MBA’s want to
quantify everything on a spreadsheet

10. And there are a lot of barriers
to implementing social media

11. So should you invest in social media ?
When you spend money on social
media, you’re not actually
investing in a platform—you’re
investing in a culture, and in
consumers who can ultimately
become your brand ambassadors.
Businesses
that
aren’t
able
or
willing
to
join
the
conversa5on
will
likely
see
their
balance
sheets
suffer,
and
catch
hell
from
Wall
Street.
That’s
the
best-­‐case
scenario.
Worst
case,
they
aren’t
going
to
be
in
business
much
longer.

12. Yes ! Because the conversations
are happening everyday

13. And consumers are talking about
your brand
Consumer expectations are changing dramatically, and social
media has altered everything about how companies must—MUST
—relate to their customers. From now on, the relationship between
a business and a customer is going to look very different from the
way it has looked in the recent past.

14. Unfortunately change can take
a lot of time to accept
Unfortunately, a lot of business leaders
and marketing professionals can’t see
that change is here. (Not coming. Not
around the corner. Here.) They look at
the business being done on Twitter,
Facebook, and Foursquare, and say
with contempt, “Prove it.” Or they treat
social media like just another mass
channel that replaces the Sunday
paper coupons

15. And there are challenges to
managing change
• Unfortunately, many CEOs are afraid of
implementing change, even when it’s for
the best long-term good of the company.
Many leaders can’t afford to worry about
the long term, because their survival (and
their bonus) depends on short-term
results.
• Wall Street puts CEOs in a near
impossible situation, as described by Chris
Trimble, on the faculty at Tuck School of
Business at Dartmouth: “I’ve had CEOs tell
me that ignoring Wall Street is the only
way to do the right thing for the company’s
long-term future. They choose to invest in
innovation, take the short-term punishment
(in the form of a declining stock price), and
hope that the punishment is not so severe
that they lose their job.”

16. But the coming was foretold
Social media’s arrival was simply the catalyst for a revolution that was
already brewing in the minds of consumers sick to death of feeling
isolated, unappreciated, and ignored.

17. So what is social media anyway ?
A conversation and relationship based
on trust.
• How do people decide they like each
other?
– They talk.
– They exchange ideas.
– They listen to each other.
– And eventually, a relationship forms.
• The process is no different for building
relationships with customers.
• At its core, social media requires that
business leaders start thinking like
small-town shop owners. People
don’t
talk
about
things
they
don’t
care
about.
So
it’s
up
to
you
to
make
them
care,
which
means
you
have
to
care
first.

18. Social media lets you get close
to every customer to say ‘thank you”
• People want this level of engagement from the
companies with which they do business. They
always did, but they lost the power to demand
it. Now they have it back, and they’re indulging
in that power.
• Even the best of what formerly passed for good
customer service is no longer enough. You have
to be no less than a customer concierge, doing
everything you can to make every one of your
customers feel acknowledged, appreciated, and
heard.
• Succeeding is not about simply being nice and
selling in an inoffensive way. Anyone can do
that. It’s about taking every opportunity to
show that you care about your customers
and how they experience your brand in a
way that is memorably and uniquely you.

19. The key to social media success
• It won’t be because of the
platform; it will be because you
acknowledge that culture and
consumer expectations can
change.
• You are more adaptable and
flexible than your competitors. If
you apply social media correctly,
your customers will buy more,
they will be more loyal, they will
spread your message, and they
will defend you should you ever
need them to.

20. So then….

21. Most excuses are from not
understanding social media
There’s no ROI
When faced with two equal choices, people often
buy for no other reason than they associate one
choice with someone they know. The ROI of a
company’s engagement with a customer scales in
proportion to the bonds of the relationship. When
Nielsen conducted a study on what drives
consumer trust, the results were clear: almost 70
percent of people turn to family and friends for
advice when making purchasing decisions.
– There is proven ROI in doing whatever you
can to turn your customers into advocates
for your brand or business. The way to
create advocates is to offer superior
customer service.

22. And they’re being reused over
and over
The metrics aren’t reliable.
• The tools for tracking and measuring social media
initiatives are becoming increasingly sophisticated and
reliable.
• You can’t however use data apps to gather ROI. You
need people who can translate the data into
observations, recommendations and how your social
media program is driving brand objectives.
Social media is just another trend that will pass.
• Yes as so was the Internet when it first started.
We need to control our message.
• You can’t control the message; that ship has sailed
• You may not be able to control the message anymore,
but you can absolutely control the tone in which the
message gets played.

23. Excuses can lead to a dead end
We tried it; it doesn’t work.
• Social media is a long-term play, which is why the
majority of the companies that have tried it have
failed to reach their potential.
• Until managers and leaders are rewarded for long-
term instead of short-term thinking—or, at least, in
addition to short-term thinking—there will be no
incentive to be patient.
The legal issues are too thorny.
• You hired your legal department to protect you; its
job is to be conservative and risk averse…to keep
the company as safe as possible. That’s why
change has to come from the top.
• Only the CEO or another leader of the company
can sit down with the legal department and say,
“This company is embracing social media. Instead
of focusing heat-seeking missiles on perceived
fatal flaws in this, let’s figure out how to take an
acceptable risk and make it possible.”

24. Is social media going to save
your brand ?
Social media is NOT going to save your brand but consumers are using
social media and they expect you to be there.

25. No, social media is best when
integrated as part of your overall
marketing

26. Think about what you’re about
to do. Don’t just implement

27. And today emotional brand
connections work
Social media works best when you evoke an emotion in the people to
whom you’re reaching out. It pulls.

28. So then…
Layering social media on top of traditional media to extend the story is
the most practical, executable, and measurable marketing move you can
make today.

29. What are you waiting for ?

30. Change has to start sometime

31. Yes ! You can…

32. Which road are you going to take ?

33. Who the hell are you ?
Richard Meyer (richardameyer@me.com)
• 17+ Years in marketing consumer and healthcare products
• MBA Marketing
• Http://www.newmediaandmarketing.com
• http://www.worldofmarketing.com
• http://www.richsmanagementblog.com
• http://www.richardameyer.com
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