Our take on where marketers fall short in social media. Lots of data and examples, as well as a new way to view "engagement".

1. SOCIAL
SUCKS
a.k.a.
I Guess a Twinkle in Her Eye
is Just a Twinkle in Her Eye

2. I love social media. (And yes, that
declaration should confuse you based on the title
of this piece.) But let’s face it – most of us suck at
it. Completely, wholeheartedly, blindly, suck. I’m
looking at you, marketers. And I’m most certainly
looking at you, agency-who-only-pitches-tactics-
that-will-win-you-some-bullshit-industry-award.
In and of itself, social media can absolutely be
valuable for marketers, brands and even
consumers. But not until we all decide to see it for
what it is and consider a different overall
approach in light of what’s been going on around
us.
That’s the goal of this paper. I intend to present a
succinct, but powerful argument for a new
perspective on social as an “engagement”
platform, supported by statistics and data as well
as insights from marketing heavyweights.
And that’s where we absolutely need to begin: the
www.mydisruption.com concept of engagement.

3. Maybe it’s time we collectively agree to reinvigorate the power behind the word
“engagement”. Thanks to the recent egregious overuse of the term, I’m not
entirely sure we can confidently identify a real moment of conscious interaction
between Brand and Consumer.
I give you the Cheshire Cat…
According to an iMedia Connection analysis of Facebook activity for a specific
week in February 2012, Disney had some remarkable “engagement rates” and
took home “share rate of the week”! How did the iconic brand pull off such an
impressive feat?
It posted this picture with the truly connective call-to-action, “Smile! Pass it on.”

4. What if we’re fishing in the wrong pond?
A study published in Q1 2012 identified the ability to
engage consumers online as the #1 digital-related
challenge facing marketers today. On the surface, this
makes sense. The emergence of and passion towards
social media has had significant impact on our
personal and professional lives. I doubt this can be
argued. And when you look at the usage numbers for
a Facebook or Twitter, how can a marketer not get all
excited pants about the potential?!
But, what about the consumer?
Almost 65% of people say they “hate” when a
company targets them through social media and
nearly 60% labeled social media marketing as
invasive.

5. INVASIVE ENGAGING

6. Social media is for the people, not the brands.
“We signed up (to social media) to connect with each
other, not with commerce”, states Jay Baer, speaking for
the vast majority of us. I know I didn’t join Facebook to
enter toilet paper application naming contests; I’m there
to hear all about groundbreaking developments in the
lives of my friends and family.
I hear ya, man, but there are like a billion
customers online that we can sell to even easier
(and cheaper!! OMG!!!) now!!
True, the numbers are quite staggering. Ignoring
Facebook, Twitter, foursquare and the ilk would certainly
be career suicide. Then again, that only takes into
consideration the perspective of your VP of Marketing.
What about Joe Schmo? Less than 5% of us desire
brand offers via Facebook or Twitter…even those that
gave permission to do so! Only 4% of us head to
Facebook first to find a deal from a company.
Approximately 60% of users on both Twitter and
Facebook claim they don’t mention brands online…at all.

7. A quick aside
Email marketing beats the ever-loving crap out of
social media. Research shows that email drives
1,350% more traffic than social media (!!).
Remember the study we mentioned that noted
less than 5% of consumers want product offers
via social media? Yeah, well it also found that
77% of the same respondents said they prefer
email for such matters.
www.mydisruption.com
@MyDisruption

8. There are four additional danger zones inherent in social
media.
1. Social media, as a whole, is maturing faster than most us
are with our participation. The quantity of sites continues to
rapidly grow (Path, Pinterest, Google+, etc.), outpacing most
brands’ ability to keep up. Additionally, new developments within
each platform are routinely rolled out, consistently changing the
rules of the game.
2. Fragmentation is a result of increased social options.
Nearly 2/3 of respondents in a Microsoft Advertising survey
stated their brand fan/follower base has high turnover rates,
making reliable interaction a major challenge.
3. Privacy concerns are, well, a concern. Consumers are
starting to witness how information transmitted on various sites
can be used by third parties (brands, employers, jealous
boyfriends) and that realization may be sparking a privacy
management revolution.
4. Most troublesome is the recognition that marketers do
not own the relationship. Make no mistake, Facebook and
Twitter are the ones who own the data and analytics behind
brand-consumer interactions. It’s their world, we’re just playing
in it. There are three parties involved, and that’s an unsettling
notion for your CRM efforts.

9. Okay, back to this silly “engagement” thing.
In doing research for this piece, I ran across an article entitled “Orbit Facebook
Contest Driven by Fan Brand Engagement”. Read about the promotion and you tell
me: Is this the definition of “engagement” that we’ve all settled on?
Some sobering stats on Facebook marketing.
Care of the brand advocacy enthusiasts over at Zuberance:
 88% of Facebook users never return to a fan page once they “Like” it
 Only about 16%-18% of fans actually see brand posts in their newsfeeds
 Only 1% of Facebook fans engage with brands

10. Before we introduce a new, better engagement model, I thought it wise to
address some concerns the smarter of you folks will undoubtedly have
about this piece.
1. Your stats are complete bullshit.
 Fair enough. I’ve cited sources where applicable and, for what it’s worth, I am a 100%
believer in the idea that anyone can make numbers tell whatever story they choose.
In my research I found plenty of data that paints social media in a very positive light,
none of which I argue. This paper has a purpose, and a focused one at that.
2. Are you just arguing semantics here, regarding the use of “engagement”?
 There’s a good chance of that, yes. Maybe that’s part of my positioning – we need to
use that term more strategically. But from a philosophical standpoint, this is much
more about being honest with ourselves, injecting some self-awareness into the
marketing approach, and most important, implementing efforts that benefit the
consumer.
3. That Orbit example is a little unfair, brah.
 I tend to agree, but a guy’s gotta illustrate a point! The author notes that “this contest
is part of a continuum of cross-platform marketing programs”, which certainly made
me happy. Viewed as just one spoke in a larger branding execution, or analyzed as a
deliberate one-off promotion intended to spark short-term brand awareness, the
promotion was certainly valuable.
4. You reference Facebook quite a bit as opposed to the other networks.
 Unfortunately, that’s where most of the research and stats live. However, I hope the
thoughts presented here translate seamlessly across all platforms.
5. Dude, I see you on Twitter all the time, ya damn hypocrite!
 Nice, thanks for following @MyDisruption!

11. The new engagement model
O2O + Mobile x Social

12. Online to Offline is the center of this new approach. Why? Because
over 90% of brand-related word of mouth conversations happen in-
O2O person. That’s the headquarters of engagement. But the best way to
maximize offline interactions is, coincidentally, to integrate online
venues at each stage. It’s two worlds functioning at their peak because
they complement each other so well.
Over 90% of mobile internet access is for social, compared to less than
Mobile
80% on desktops. Mobile is the present and the future. The reality we
face is that customers now read Yelp reviews while standing outside
your restaurant deciding whether to walk inside. They check in, share
pictures of themselves using your product, and compare purchase
options while inside your store.
The Empowered Consumer now reigns supreme. Recommendations
Social
from “people I know” and opinions posted online account for the bulk
of trusted sources by today’s consumer. If face to face marketing is the
bicycle that powers engagement, social is the handlebars and pedals.
Without social, offline doesn’t quite move with full velocity.

13. There are significant, proven psychological and sociological factors at play
here.
1. Very different factors fuel people’s desire to communicate online versus
offline. Primary drivers of online word of mouth are social, functional, and
emotional (in order). Offline drivers are the reverse; emotional, functional and
social. Put simply, offline interactions are more intimate and allow for emotional
exchanges, while online interactions are designed for broadcasting and
demonstrating “uniqueness”.
2. There are two main reasons why people share. The first is an amazing,
blow-you-away-unexpectedly product experience. The second is self-fulfillment and
(let’s call it like it is) attention-seeking.
3. Social media users purposely “manage” the way they are presented
online. Studies show that more than half of social users say Facebook doesn’t
reflect the “real me” and almost 65% disagree you can learn more about someone
online than in person.

14. So, if we know…
…millions of people are accessing social media sites every
single day, with the goal of interacting with friends and family,
completely happy with no brand interactions whatsoever,
intending to accumulate social currency by sharing unique
information…
…most brand conversations and recommendations occur face
to face, where emotional connections are forged, during which
“unexpected and amazing” incite the desire to share…
…smartphones are everywhere, are becoming a natural and
important part of any in-person experience, are the main
platform for social media use, are utilized to compare, seek out
reviews and broadcast to social circles…
What should we do about it?!

15. 1. Center efforts on driving consumers to
in-person experiences
2. Give them AMAZING
3. Offer customized, real-time, unique
content aimed specifically at
mobile…that’s easily shareable

16. 1. Center efforts on driving consumers to
in-person experiences
Hugs & Handshakes Lessons From: Chobani
Chobani Greek Yogurt approaches
social media with a consistent eye
I use this term, Hugs & Handshakes, in many client towards in-person interactions with
conversations, to refocus all attention on the its fans. To celebrate its new
undisputed champion of “engagement”, in-the-flesh Olympics sponsorship, the brand
interactions. Does that mean your brand should executed a huge live viewing event in
immediately think of ways to throw huge outdoor its hometown, which was powered by
parties? Not necessarily. Never forget the immense Facebook promotions and Twitter
power of brand advocates and strong communities. hashtags.
On the mobile front, fans can follow
O2O….2O? Chobani on foursquare to learn the
whereabouts of its CHOmobile
I’m gonna go ahead and amend the “O2O” thesis by sampling tour and visit the brand’s
adding “2O”. Using online communication to drive Facebook page to check out the next
folks offline is great, but let’s keep that train rolling location of the Champions Bus.
by then guiding them back online. An all- “When you…provide ways for people
encompassing effort that understands offline is the to interact, it’s possible to achieve
results that transcend traditional
foundation, but online plays a significant role before, marketing”, observes Nicki Briggs,
during and after, is a winner. Chobani’s social strategist.

17. 2. Give them AMAZING
“People spread awesome, they don’t spread Lessons From: Ritz-Carlton
Many of the world’s greatest
meh.”
customer experience stories that
involve AMAZING are the result of a
A quote care of Scott Stratten, but shared by many strategically designed and
great business people. When’s the last time you ran consistently demonstrated company
to tell a friend about a decent experience with a culture. Ritz-Carlton is known for this,
brand? If you give people what they expect, you’ll but the following story could have
always be viewed as just that, average. Mediocre. happened anywhere. With just a little
Nothing great. But when you offer AMAZING, you’re extra attention, effort, and creativity,
this stands as The Greatest Customer
now unexpected and remarkable. You’ve provided a
Service Story Of All Time And
natural reason to talk. Beyond:
Surprise! READ IT HERE
AMAZING doesn’t have to be grand, expensive, or There is no checklist or procedural
complicated. It can be an out of the ordinary manual that can be responsible for
newsletter unsubscribe page, a unique addition to a such an astounding performance of
extra effort and care. Only a kick-ass
product order, a hand-written welcome sign for a
culture that truly values its customers
new client, or fun signage to make customers smile. could offer AMAZING like this.
Opportunities are absolutely everywhere.

18. 3. Offer customized, real-time, unique
content aimed specifically at
mobile…that’s easily shareable
Make it easy. Lessons From: EpicMix
With well over 10,000 downloads, the
Fact – mobile is social (and everywhere). It’s time app receives info from RFID tags in
we turned our attention toward it and recognized the the clothing of Vail skiers, tracking
considerable impact the mobile-offline combination distances traveled and automatically
can have on outreach plans. Offering exclusive and syncing with social media accounts so
you can effortlessly share your
real-time content that is specific to mobile, adventures. It also is location-based
particularly as a consumer is interacting with your and allows you to connect in real-
brand, can have tremendous effects. time with nearby friends.
Check me out, guys! Lessons From: Nike+
There aren’t many better examples of
Help your customers express their unique selves and a product (acting as a service) that
share that with the world via social. “The top-down has ongoing effects on the
consumer’s life, all of which are
messaging of the past has been replaced by a two- constantly shared and talked about.
way dialogue that has amplified the voice of the Tapping into existing passions is a
consumer and empowered them to demand a sure way to stay relevant.
greater level of participation and sway.”

20. Folks, it’s time to rethink what we’ve been
doing. Social media has the ability to be a
game changer. Still in its infancy, we’re all
learning as we go along. And I truly hope
these pages made you think. Perhaps you
disagree with the thoughts presented, but
at the least, I hope they inspired you to
create your own new approach to
engagement and social media.
P.S. Those cool pictures in
this document were
graciously borrowed from
the folks over at
theantisocialmedia.com.
They are fantastic.
Check em out.

21. THANK YOU
FOR READING!
We appreciate you sharing this with anyone
you believe will value it. Any questions,
concerns, requests, hit up our Founder at
dave@mydisruption.com
about.me/DisruptiveDave
www.mydisruption.com
@MyDisruption

22. Originality is…a by-product
of sincerity.
– Marianne Moore, poet