Panel Discussion on Social Media Strategies for Business by Kristin Parrish, Josh Neckes, Katherine Malone. Kennesaw State University, Decmester 2009

1. Using Social Media for Business Kennesaw State MBA Decmester Josh Neckes, MS&L Kristin Parrish, Ogilvy Public Relations Katherine Malone, Fleishman-Hillard 1

2. Introduction 2

3. Intro to Social Media 3

4. Intro of Social Media Social networks are the 4th most popular online activity Ahead of email, behind search Facebook has more than … 350 million active users 700,000 local business Facebook Pages Twitter has had a growth rate of 752% in 2008 (Compete) 4

5. Using Social Media for Business Customer Relations Product Promotion and Sales Event Activation Crisis Management Corporate Reputation Management Issue Advocacy Getting Started: Tools 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 5

6. Strategic Approach to Social Media Listen>Plan>Engage 6

7. Customer Service Anyone who has customers – B2C, B2B, G2B, G2C, etc... – can use social media to quickly listen and respond to customer feedback before problems escalate and to activate brand ambassadors…. 7

8. @comcastcares Frank Eliason at Comcast started @comcastcares in April 2008 in response to the customer conversations he and his team found on Twitter through monitoring. Offers customers specific troubleshooting tips, online resources, new product info and a key customer relations personality (i.e. Frank’s). 8

9. Product Promotion and Sales A successful sales and promotion plan is based on identifying your audience, providing useful content, and being prepared to engage in the conversation. When done right, influencers can be activated to not only become loyal customers, but also evangelists for your brand and your promotions. 9

10. Coca-Cola Zero Building upon the launch of Coke Zero, Coca-Cola has developed and maintained a strong Facebook community of fans. As a key to building a strong Facebook community is ongoing and quality engagements, Coca-Cola has developed a sharable application – the Facial Profiler – that entertains fans and encourages word of mouth about the product with other Facebook users. 10

11. Event Activation The real-time ability to connect with others and share experiences makes social media a great outlet for individuals, or companies, to use during a major event. Live, online coverage of an event can be used to create a completely new channel of conversation and a way to enhance the physical experience of the event. Combining Twitter with blogs, video and other social media efforts provides more ways to interact with the content and experience you’re creating. 11

12. @fordfiesta To build buzz around the upcoming launch of the Ford Fiesta in the 2010 US market, Ford developed the Fiesta Movement - recruiting 100 online influencers to receive a new Ford Fiesta with the instruction to complete a series of missions, or challenges, throughout the course of a year with their Fiesta. To build momentum and allow these drivers, as well as the larger general audience to interact with Ford, the @fordfiesta Twitter handle and #fiestamovementhashtag were created, to publish challenges, get updates from drivers and engage in an ongoing conversation around the Fiesta Movement. 12

13. Crisis Management Using social media for crisis communications is as much about preventing an isolated issue from becoming a full-blown crisis as it is about communicating to the public once a crisis has hit. Social media can be used as a fast way to respond and maintain an open channel. Social media monitoring and response should be integrated into the broader crisis communications strategy. 13

14. 14 Additional Thoughts…

15. Uh oh. 15

16. 16 Pre-Established Social Media Architecture, Response Plan in Place

17. 17 Story Broke on Morning of 3/6/2008 – Real-time Response

18. It might be a bumpy ride… 18

19. …but the process works. 19

20. Again, and again, and again… 20

21. Corporate Reputation Management Social media offers a an opportunity to portray the “face” of your company. Social media can help businesses create relationships with those online – making it easier to communicate with industry peers and target audiences. 21

22. Boeing’s B2B Blog – Randy’s Journal As the basis of Boeing’s social media presence, Randy’s Journal was started over 4 years ago to build the online conversation around commercial aviation. Creating a personality, and a “face” to Boeing, Marketing VP, Randy Baseler (now authored by new VP, Randy Tinseth) cultivated relationships and engaged over 500,000 viewers in its first two years. 22

23. Issue Advocacy Through online communication platforms, message boards and communities, social media provides the ability to connect people with similar interests can be harnessed for the greater social good with non-profits and issue advocacy organizations. Creating a community of support by providing useful information to those they serve, volunteers, donors and other supporters. 23

24. LiveStrong Led by the LiveStrong Blog, @lancearmstrong and @livestrongceo, the LiveStrong Foundation spreads the word about cancer and provides people with the tools they need to “live life on their own terms.” These communication platforms are aimed to provide communication and support to those dealing with cancer, while also building awareness and raising funds for the foundation and cancer research. 24

25. A Strategic Approach to Using Social Media 25 ENGAGE PLAN LISTEN STRATEGY Customer Relations Crisis Management Corporate Reputation Management Event Coverage Product Promotion & Sales Issue Advocacy Answer questions, respond to comments about your brand Content relevant to your customers: tips, company info, etc. Your customers and potential customers Direct to additional resources, updated information, explanation Answer questions, respond to comments, raise issues, provide info Your brand, products and relevant issues Insights, expertise, become a thought leader Jump in the conversation. Be transparent and add value Industry leaders, similar interest groups, news/media Event information, updates, behind the scenes coverage Set up online events, talk to attendees, ask and answer questions Those interested or attending event, media Links to online promos, insider info on upcoming sales, discount codes Provide incentives, exclusive online offers, opportunities to review product Current and potential customers, those interested in similar products Those interested in your cause, industry leaders, news Added value: health tips, disaster alerts, fundraising info Know your online supporters, express gratitude and get them involved

26. Tools to Get Started with Social Media 26

27. Do Some Research Talk to customers offline Where are they online? What sites do they use? Are there sites or groups already? What are people saying? Set up Google Alerts and Google Analytics 27

28. Strategize What is your goal? Set achievable goals Overnight success vs. long term rewards 28

29. LinkedIn Create your profile Add a Company Logo, locations, feeds LinkedIn will pull in information automatically Job listings, current and former employees 29

30. Facebook Search for established groups Check out competitors’ pages Set up a Fan Page Tell people Buy Facebook ads 30

31. Twitter Do some research Keywords , competitors Your company Set up account Find people to follow Tell, listen and engage Check out the Twitter for Business Guide: http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/ 31

32. Set up a Social Media Policy Set foundations and empower employees Pull from established guidelines Kodak: Transparency Intel: Content Moderation IBM: Social Media Value Source: http://mashable.com/2009/10/02/social-media-policy-examples/ 32