An Introduction to Social Media INTRODUCTION You re

An Introduction to Social Media

INTRODUCTION You’re almost an expert. “No profession stands to influence social media more than public relations. ” Paul Gillin, The New Influencers, A Marketers Guide to the New Social Media

INTRODUCTION Outline o Social media defined 20: 00 o 10 keys to social media success 30: 00 o Social media tools 20: 00 o 3 take away messages 2: 00 o Q&A 3: 00

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED What is social media? Social media is a conversation online. Look who’s talking: o your customers o your donors o your volunteers o your employees o your investors o your critics o your fans o your competition. . o anyone who has internet access and an opinion.

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED The social media conversation The conversation is not: o o o controlled organized “on message” The conversation is: o organic o complex o speaks in a human voice Social media is not a strategy or a tactic – it’s simply a channel.

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED The conversation is powered by o o o Social Networks News & Bookmarking Blogs Microblogging Video Sharing Photo Sharing Message boards Wikis Virtual Reality Social Gaming Related: o Podcasts o Real Simple Syndication (RSS)

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media is changing our world The power to define and control a brand is shifting from corporations and institutions to individuals and communities.

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Small markets are the new mass market “It is about putting the ‘public’ back in Public Relations and realizing that focusing on important markets and influencers will have a far greater impact than trying to reach the masses with any one message or tool. ” Brian Solis, The Social Media Manifesto

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Word of Mouth is the Future of Marketing Marketers can effectively use social media by influencing the conversation. One way to do this is by delivering great customer service experiences.

CASE STUDY ZAPPOS – Customer service is central o Zappos, an online shoe retailer, makes customer service central with a focus on “making personal and emotional connections. ” o Divert marketing budget to customer service (they outsource marketing to their customers; they don’t outsource their call centre) o Use Twitter to promote their brand o Website displays any public tweets mentioning of their brand o CEO has over 400, 000 followers o 430 employees on Twitter o $1 billion in sales last year and their expanding into new product categories

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media influences people o 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying decisions - JC Williams Group o 87% trust a friend’s recommendation over critic’s review - Marketing Sherpa o 3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over advertising for purchasing decisions - Jupiter Research o 1 word-of-mouth conversation has impact of 200 TV ads - Buzz. Agent * Slide courtesy of Digital Influence Group

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED People are using social media Social media sites are the fastest-growing category on the web, doubling their traffic over the last year. o 73% of active online users have read a blog o 45% have started their own blog o 57% have joined a social network o 55% have uploaded photos o 83% have watched video clips Universal Mc. Cann’s Comparative Study on Social Media Trends, April 2008. 17, 000 respondents from 29 countries, *using internet at least every other day

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Canadians are using social media o 40% of Canadian internet users have visited a community or social networking site o 22% of Canadians over 60 o 50% of Internet users under 30 o 25% of users 25 -29 do so daily o 43% English speaking Canadians and 24% of French speaking Canadians visit these sites Canada Online, The Internet, Media and Emerging Technologoes

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Reasons Canadians use social media • Younger users (under 45) and women use these sites for socializing • Older users use these sites to obtain and share information • Youth (12 -17) use these sites for entertainment

Top social networking sites (Canada) SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media marketing is growing

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Leveraging social media Social media can help you in all stages of marketing, self-promotion, public relations, and customer service: o o research strategic planning implementation evaluation

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media is practical o o o Learn what people are saying about you Create buzz for events & campaigns Increase brand exposure Identify and recruit influencers to spread your message Find new opportunities and customers Support your products and services Improve your search engine visibility Gain competitive intelligence Get your message out fast Retain clients by establishing a personal relationship Be an industry leader – not a follower

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED What’s the ROI on social media? "What's the ROI for putting on your pants every morning? But it's still important to your business. " Scott Monty, Digital Communications Manager at Ford

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media is measurable Reach o Website visits / views o volume of reviews and comments o Incoming links Action & Insight o Sales inquiries o New business o Customer satisfaction and loyalty o Marketing efficiency Engagement & Influence o Sentiment of reviews and comments o Brand affinity o Commenter authority/influence o Time spent o Favourites / Friends / Fans o Viral forwards o Number of downloads Source: The Digital Influence Group, Measuring the Influence of Social Media

SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social Media is not free Resources required for social media may include: o o o o Strategic consultation Training Creating content Integrating tools Distributing content Relationship management Measuring value

KEYS TO SUCCESS 10 KEYS TO SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS

KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. Experiment with social media o Experiment personally before professionally o Try a variety of social media tools o Be yourself, make some friends, and share

KEYS TO SUCCESS 2. Make a plan 1. Discovery (people, competition, and search engines) 2. Strategy (opportunities, objectives) 3. Skills (identify internal resources and gaps) 4. Execution (tools, integration, policies, and process) 5. Maintenance (monitor and adapt) Source: 5 Phases of Social Media Marketing http: //socialcomputingjournal. com/viewcolumn. cfm? colid=789

CASE STUDY H & R Block – Multi-tier Social Media Approach You. Tube My. Space Facebook Twitter EHarmony “Digits” (their own online community) o Virtual communities – Second Life o o o Source: http: //www. podtech. net/home/5209/hblock-social-media-programs-success

CASE STUDY H & R Block – Clear Goals Leveraged core goals across all networks: 1. Reinforce their brand as tax experts 2. Deliver on advocacy positioning of the brand 3. Present the brand as being innovative o Through “unexpected and meaningful interactions with consumers”

CASE STUDY H & R Block – Observations o Be community appropriate and relevant (interacting on Second Life is different than You. Tube) o It’s not free Human capital increased as media buys decreased – Ask yourself if this is successful how do you scale it?

CASE STUDY H & R Block – Measuring ROI 1. Brand Perception o Evaluated brand metrics through a brand tracking study 2. Engagement o o 600, 000 You. Tube views 1 million unique visits to their community site 3. Word of Mouth o Increased online mentions in blogs, forums, and other social media

KEYS TO SUCCESS 3. Listen o Find where your audience is participating and indentify the influencers o Read industry blogs (including comments) o Google your company name & your competition o Find tools that can help you listen

KEYS TO SUCCESS Crowd Sourcing – Submit, Discuss, Vote o Tap into the wisdom of the crowd to access a wider talent pool and gain customer insight o Companies that use crowd sourcing include: o o o o Starbucks (My. Starbucks) Dell (Ideastorm) Du. Pont Netflix Wikipedia i. Stockphoto. com Threadless. com Mechanical Turk (Amazon)

KEYS TO SUCCESS Crowd Sourcing – Help name our baby Amelia Arlington

KEYS TO SUCCESS Wisdom of the Crowd says: Amelia by default 56 unanimous responses in under 4 minutes from You. Be. Mom. com

CASE STUDY Chevy – Chevy. Apprentice. com o Chevy contest asks people to create a winning commercial for the Tahoe SUV o Website gives people online tools to make their own commercials including the ability to customize text

CASE STUDY Chevy – Chevy. Apprentice. com o Users subvert contest with ads slamming the Tahoe brand o Chevy eventually removes the website displaying videos critical of their product o Many parodies still exist online (number one search result for “Chevy Tahoe” on Youtube)

CASE STUDY Chevy – Chevy. Apprentice. com Lessons learned: o Be careful when you ask for …. user generated content can’t be controlled o If you’re going to ask people their opinions be prepared to have a conversation

KEYS TO SUCCESS 4. Be transparent & honest o Avoid puffery (people will ignore it) o Avoid evasion and lying (people won’t ignore it) o Companies have watched their biggest screw-up's rise to the top 10 of a Google search o Admit your mistakes right away

CASE STUDY Belkin – Fake Customer Reviews o Belkin employee busted offering payment for fake positive product reviews o Belkin president claims it’s an isolated incident o Influential tech blogs expose a larger cover up and name more employees involved

KEYS TO SUCCESS 5. Share your content o Don’t be afraid to share. Corporations, like people, need to share information to get the value out of social media o Make your content easy to share o Incorporate tools that promote sharing: o Share This, RSS feeds, Email a friend

KEYS TO SUCCESS 6. Be personal and act like a person o Don't shout. Don't broadcast. Don’t brag. o Speak like yourself – not a corporate marketing shill or press secretary o Personify your brand – give people something they can relate to.

CASE STUDY NASA Mars Phoenix rover

KEYS TO SUCCESS 7. Contribute in a meaningful way o Think like a contributor, not a marketer o Consider what is relevant to the community before contributing o Don’t promote your product on every post o Win friends by promoting other people’s content if it interests you

KEYS TO SUCCESS 8. See criticism as an opportunity o Don’t try to delete or remove criticism (it will just make it worse) o Listen to your detractors o Admit your shortcomings o Work openly towards an explanation and legitimate solution

KEYS TO SUCCESS 9. Be proactive o Don’t wait until you have a campaign to launch - start planning and listening now o Build relationships so they’re ready when you need them

10. Accept you can’t do it all yourself o You need buy in from everyone in the organization o Convince your CEO that social media is relevant to your organization o Get your communications team together, discuss the options, then divide and conquer KEYS TO SUCCESS

KEYS TO SUCCESS Summary 10 Keys to Success 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Experiment with social media Make a plan Listen Be transparent & honest Share your content Be personal and act like a person Contribute in a meaningful way See criticism as an opportunity Be proactive Accept you can’t do it all yourself

THE TOOLS SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS

THE TOOLS Social media tools o o o Social Networks News & Bookmarking Blogs Microblogging Video Sharing Photo Sharing Message boards Wikis Virtual Reality Social Gaming Related: o o o Podcasts Real Simple Syndication (RSS) Social Media Press Release

THE TOOLS Social networking sites o People and organizations connect and interact with friends, colleagues and fans. o Popular social networks include Facebook and My. Space, Linkedin, bebo, and Ning. o There are niche social networks for just about everything.

THE TOOLS Social networking sites o create online profiles o share photos, video, and audio, links o send private message and instant message o learn more about people and organizations o Follow brands, celebrities, and gain your own fans

Linked In – Professional Social Network o Contains profiles of Fortune 500 executives and leading entrepreneurs o average individual salary on Linked. In is $109, 000 o On Linked. In your can: o Post a profile and resume o Connect with colleagues o Share professional recommendations o Find jobs o Forums to demonstrate expertise and find answers THE TOOLS

THE TOOLS Facebook o Fastest growing social network in Canada and the world (200 million members) o Powerful tools to engage and understand your audience: o o o Brand pages Custom applications Targeted advertising Audience insights/metrics Opinion polls

THE TOOLS Facebook Pages o Your brand’s homepage on Facebook. o Allow you to post photos, videos, events and other messages. o Users interact with you by o o Becoming fans Commenting on your posts Participating in discussions Post photos to your page o Fans see your page updates in their newsfeed

THE TOOLS Facebook Advertising o Facebook ads give you the ability to advertise directly to specific demographic groups o This is unlike paid search, the most popular form of online advertising, which only lets you to bid on keywords the user is searching for right now

THE TOOLS Facebook Advertising - Targeting o o o o o Location Age Sex Keywords (appear in your users profile) Education Workplace Relationship status Relationship interests Languages

THE TOOLS Facebook Advertising - Placement

THE TOOLS Facebook Advertising – Design What you need: o Ad message (title and body) o Image (make it compelling) o Destination URL (where you want the ad to take people) o Social actions (optional)

Facebook Advertising – Social Actions o Social actions show related stories about a user’s friends alongside your ad. o People can vote whether they like or dislike your ad. THE TOOLS

THE TOOLS Facebook Advertising – Pricing o Very affordable and easy to control your budget o You can specify a daily budget o Schedule specific dates for your ad to run o Pay for clicks (CPC) or impressions (CPM)

THE TOOLS Facebook Advertising – Analytics o Facebook Insights provides information about your ad campaign: o Track ad performance with real-time reporting o Gain demographic and psychographic insights about people that view or take action on your ad o Use this information to identify how you can improve your campaign to maximize your results

Facebook Advertising – Recommendations o Identify clear goals for your ad o Know who you’re trying to reach o Ensure ad headline, copy and image is relevant o Experiment to get it right o Monitor your campaign and adjust o Know when to quit THE TOOLS

THE TOOLS Facebook Applications o Applications are entertainment and productivity tools that run within facebook o Give users a unique ways to interact with your brand by developing your own applications, or add existing applications, to your page o When fans use your applications social stories are created that appear in their friends news feed and link back to your page

THE TOOLS Facebook Applications

THE TOOLS Facebook Connect Add social capabilities to your website by integrating with Facebook: o Users log in to your website with their facebook identity o You can access their profile information to learn more about them and deliver targeted content o Publish information back to their friends’ streams on Facebook to bring their friend to your website

THE TOOLS Social networking sites Do Don’t o establish a presence on the o create a page and fail to social networks your customers maintain it and colleagues use o try a hard sell approach o create a page to promote your brand o censor comments o point your fans to your company blog or contest o encourage a discussion and participate frequently o explore targeted advertising opportunities o spam your fans/friends with frequent private messages – you’ll drive them away o post false information

THE TOOLS Blogs o A blog is a website with regular entries of commentary or news o Blogs serve to establish your company as transparent, relevant, active, and expert.

THE TOOLS Blogs o engage in dialogue with your customers o improve your search engine visibility o promote product launches and events o gain expert status by providing useful tips

THE TOOLS Blogs Do Don’t o post on a regular schedule o write press releases – be real about why something is exciting o encourage conversation by asking questions o let complaints go unanswered o respond to people that comment on your posts o use a few bloggers from your company for more viewpoints o make users register to comment – they won’t bother o delete fair but critical comments

THE TOOLS Microblogging o Microblogs are blogs limited to a sentence or two (about 140 characters) o People use microblogging to promote themselves, share content and follow friends, celebrities and brands o Companies use it for marketing, public relations and customer service by giving their brand a voice within the community

THE TOOLS Twitter can help you: o share timely information o promote useful content including resources, contests, deals, etc. (not just your own) o personify your brand o connect with your customers and develop leads o build credibility and influence o listen to consumer buzz o research competitors o network and learn from experts in your field

CASE STUDY Twitter in Church o Churches use. Twitter to: o Ask questions o Share insights o Highlight content o Hype events o Trinity Church uses Twitter to tell Passion of Christ o Westwinds Church experiments with Twitter during services o Distracting or Enriching?

CASE STUDY Charity: Water – From Twitter to Africa o September 08: Twitter founder Biz Stone tweets about Charity: Water, which builds wells in Ethiopia. o Charity: Water asks people with September birthdays to accept online donations in lieu of gifts and raised $4500, enough to build a well o The "social media birthday" was born; asking for donations from online friends to celebrate your birthday

CASE STUDY Charity: Water - $250, 000 raised o January 09: Tweets begin promoting the First Annual Twestival (a Twitter Festival) in support of Charity: Water: o 202 real-life meetups across the globe, hosted by volunteers o $250, 000 USD raised at these events o 55 wells are planned across Africa & India

Charity: Water – Breakthrough Exposure o April 09: The first "well that Twitter built" is dug o April 09: Actor Hugh "Wolverine" Jackman challenges Twitter to tell him, in 140 characters or less, what charity he should support o Convinced by Twitter, Jackman announces his $50, 000 gift to Charity: Water on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, providing huge exposure for the charity CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY Charity: Water – Phase 2 o Social media campaign expands: o Staff post Twitter updates delivering the results of donations o Website hosts videos of drilling progress made in Africa o A driller tweets live from Central African Republic o Hundreds of videos uploaded to You. Tube by charity and supporters http: //www. youtube. com/user/charity water o Facebook Causes page with over $61, 000 donated

THE TOOLS Microblogging Do Don’t o find and share useful content o sound like a press release – you’re in a social space o pose questions and reply to others o keep it fun - put a friendly face on your brand o promote sales, deals, news, updates, and build buzz for big releases or events o know what people are saying about your brand o spam with constant links to your company website, either in tweets or private messages o post useless information – do people really care what you had for lunch?

THE TOOLS Video sharing o Video sharing sites let you upload videos and share them with people. o They’re a perfect repository for video blogs, taped seminars, witty Power Points, commercials, how-to’s and a behind-the-scene look at your organization.

THE TOOLS Video sharing o helps you gain exposure and direct traffic back to your website o sparks interest without a hardsell o videos can be low-fi and cheap to produce immediacy and content is more important than quality. o videos can be a place to showcase your leadership in a field, and spread customer testimonials

CASE STUDY Blendtec – Will it Blend? o Blendtec was a faceless B 2 B/B 2 C blender manufacturer that couldn’t afford a traditional marketing campaign o Published low-cost videos of CEO blending everything from i. Phones, hockey pucks to the financial bailout o Launched the website Willit. Blend. com and a You. Tube channel http: //www. youtube. com/blendtec

CASE STUDY Blendtec – ROI o Videos went viral generating “millions of dollars in brand recognition” o Channel Views: 3, 469, 098 o Subscribers: 183, 949 o Online Blendtec blender sales increased 500% o The videos have made over $50, 000 in ad revenue turning the marketing department into a profit centre

CASE STUDY Blendtec – Will it Blend? Lessons learned: o Be entertaining and keep it relevant to your brand (the videos promote the durability of their blenders without an overt sales pitch) o Experiment – the idea might not have worked, but what could they lose?

THE TOOLS Video sharing Do Don’t o be informative, useful, or entertaining o just upload infomercials o create a summary and detailed description o post video replies to others o allow commenting and participate in the conversation o save bandwidth costs on your website by hosting videos on You. Tube o be afraid to experiment until you find a formula that works. o pull down other people’s videos showcasing your product for copyright infringement o make your video longer than it needs to be – keep it concise and entertaining

THE TOOLS Social news & bookmarking o Social bookmarking sites allow users to save, share, organize, comment on and search webpage bookmarks. o Community votes on your submissions so they either rise to the top or drop to the bottom.

THE TOOLS Social news & bookmarking Do Don’t o link to relevant articles about news in your field (not just your own content) o spam by consistently bookmarking your own material o make friends with other bookmarkers in a legitimate way. o respect the terms of service o (reddit allows self-promotion, digg does not) o cheat by tagging your bookmarks with irrelevant popular keywords o open multiple accounts and vote for yourself – you’ll be exposed

THE TOOLS Photo sharing o Photo sharing sites give you a place to upload and organize your photos o You can invite friends to check out your photos and people can find your photos by searching for the keywords (tags) you apply to your photos.

THE TOOLS Photo sharing o detail the launch of a new product, from initial sketches to the launch party o promote special events, charitable campaigns, and awards ceremonies o provide an inside look at your organization, making it appear glamorous, busy, fun, or innovative

THE TOOLS Photo sharing Do Don’t o tag your photos with relevant keywords o stuff linked keywords into your photo descriptions or comments o use your web site address or brand name as your Flickr screen name o upload quality photos of your products/services, and things related to your business o link prominently from your web site to your Flickr photostream o plaster your URL all over the photos you upload o discourage people from using your photos (as long as they provide attribution such as a link back to your website)

THE TOOLS Message Boards / Internet Forums o An Internet forum, or message board, is a bulletin board system in the form of a discussion site o conversation takes place between registered members who post topics (threads) and make public comments (posts) on those threads

THE TOOLS Message Boards / Internet Forums Do Don’t o keep the message board active o build it and expect people to by regularly participating in start participating without the conversation encouragement and seeding o collect minimal information during registration o forget to moderate spammers and trolls will drive users away o keep focus and attract users by clearly identifying your o censor or allow militant community purpose and moderators to take too much target audience control over the conversation. You want to encourage open discussion, not stifle it. o promote popular discussions throughout your website

THE TOOLS Wikis / Reference o A wiki is a website that allows visitors to easily add, remove, and edit content – this makes them great collaboration tools o Wikipedia, for example, is an encyclopedia is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world; anyone can edit it

THE TOOLS Wikis / Reference Do Don’t o find references to your organization and have inaccuracies updated o rely on social reference websites to be accurate o read the terms of use to ensure you are allowed to edit an entry about you o research competition o use wikis to collaborate with your team o spam or overtly advertising – it could get you banned o use it for Search Engine Optimization (Wikipedia prevents search engines from following links) o Don’t sabotage competitor’s entries about competitors (You could get caught)

THE TOOLS Virtual reality o Internet-based 3 D virtual worlds like Second Life reimagine our world with all its potential for commerce and branding o people interact through characters called avatars o residents explore, meet other residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade items and services with one another

THE TOOLS Virtual reality o hold media conferences in Second Life to generate buzz (World Bank reports in world) o create and sell branded products accompanied by coupons and advertising for real-world stores o purchase land, build stores, and open for business o publish streams of audio or video on people’s properties

THE TOOLS Virtual reality Do Don’t o Use it to generate publicity for real world activities o find experts to imagine and manage your brand presence in this virtual world, or do thorough research – it’s complicated! o be inventive – for example, when someone drinks your product, you may create a script that makes people dance, turn into a cute animal, or speak only in song for 30 seconds. o just try to recreate your realworld brand experience – leverage the possibilities of the virtual world since fantasy is what brought people are there. o be afraid to site this one out. If your audience isn’t there and you don’t have a vision to create a meaningful experience don’t bother.

THE TOOLS Podcasts (Personal On-Demand Broadcast) o A podcast is a series of audio or video files which is distributed by syndicated download to your computer, for use on an MP 3 player or computer. o Podcasts can be simple recordings of conversations, presentations, or interviews o They’re a chance to provide build an audience around your brand or message.

THE TOOLS Podcasts (Personal On-Demand Broadcast) Do’s Dont’s o come up with a format (form, topic, and duration) o worry about length o prepare don’t script (or you’ll sound stiff) o invest in a lot of equipment – simple tools and software all you need to get going o use a good microphone (but no need to over produce) o promote your podcast on your website and podcast directories o leave too much time between podcasts – it could prevent you from building an audience

THE TOOLS Really Simple Syndication (RSS) o RSS is a way for content publishers to make blog entries, news headlines, events, podcasts and other content available to subscribers. o an effective way to distribute your content and lead users back to your website

THE TOOLS Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

THE TOOLS Really Simple Syndication (RSS) Don’t o offer RSS feeds for your website’s blog, news, events, and podcasts o spam your subscribers by including excessive advertising in your RSS feed o subscribe to RSS feeds relevant to your industry or interests o go overboard – limit RSS feeds to content frequently updated o include a title and description only so subscribers need to visit your site for the full story o track your subscribers o freak out when a splogger hijacks your content – this could actually help your search engine rank

THE TOOLS Social media press release

5 TAKE AWAY MESSAGES 3 TAKE AWAY MESSAGES

3 TAKE AWAY MESSAGES 3 take away messages 1. Word of Mouth peer-topeer discussions are more influential than the mass media 2. Participate by enabling and feeding the conversation (follow the 10 keys to success) 3. Be transparent & honest

REFERENCES Useful Resources o PR 2. 0 Brian. Solis. com o Groundswell Blog o Social Media Today socialmediatoday. com o Chris Brogan chrisbrogan. com o Social Media Trader socialmediatrader. com o Micropersuasion micropersuasion. com o Web Strategy by Jeremiah web-strategist. com/blog o Six Pixels of Separation twistimage. com/blog o Online Marketing Blog toprankblog. com o PR Squared pr-squared. com blogs. forrester. com/groundswell

INSPIRATION & CREDITS Inspiration Credits o Social media Is. . slideshare. net/leewhite/social -media-is o Groundswell Blog blogs. forrester. com/groundsw ell/2007/12/the-postmethod. html o What the F**K is social media o Shannon Paul's Blog slideshare. net/mzkagan/whatveryofficialblog. com the-fk-social-media o The Social Media Manifesto briansolis. com/2007/06/future -of-communicationsmanifesto-for. html o Measuring the influence of social media slideshare. net/Digital. Influenc e/business-impact-of-socialmedia