2. With 800 million users on
Facebook, 200 million on Twitter
and other networks also booming,
the potential to find new customers
via social media has never been
greater. Whether you're already up
and running or a novice, the experts
say the crucial thing is to prepare
carefully and do it right
A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
USERS – SOCIAL MEDIA
3. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
4. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
5. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
Don't know your Twitter from your Tumblr, or your Facebook
from your Flickr? Then a huge well of potential new customers for
your business is lying untapped right now. A recent survey by
Research In Motion, the makers of BlackBerry, found that 69 per
cent of small firms using social networks felt it helped them to
compete more effectively with larger competitors. The research found
that 53 per cent of business leaders who utilise social networking
were pursuing a growth strategy while among those who don't use
it, 70 per cent were focused purely on cash management.
6. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
It's understandable that many companies are yet to take full advantage
of social media – so say the experts at research consultancy TNS, who
recently completed a survey of more than 72,000 consumers in 60
countries and concluded that brands are losing time and money online
with ineffective social media strategies. "Social media is still a relatively
new phenomenon in terms of its mass-market adoption," says chief
development officer Matthew Froggatt. "So companies not having their
stuff together in this area is excusable.
7. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
"There will be people who will pile in with both feet and waste
lots of money, and those who stand on the sidelines and miss
out on an opportunity. It is only through deploying precisely
tailored marketing strategies that they will be able to realise
this potential." Here, then, are 10 Dos and Don'ts for
businesses to consider when seeking new customers via social
networks…
8. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Channel your efforts
"Choosing the wrong channel, or simply adding to the cacophony of online noise,
risks alienating potential customers and impacting business growth," says Froggatt.
So, first, it's crucial to think about which of the main networks you choose to use
and how you approach them. According to Mashable.com, the online social media
hub, Twitter should be seen as conversational and quickfire – the place to give bites
of the latest company news, personal insights from you, the business leader, and
responses to customer queries. Facebook is about sharing and involvement – so use
it to post links to presentations, photos of new products, invitations to events and
to ask customers questions useful for research. LinkedIn is the place to showcase
the complete professional credentials of you and your business to a potential
customer and should always be up to date. Google+, meanwhile, segments people
into groups by their interests and targets them with relevant information.
9. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
BUT DON'T…
Open too many accounts
A new report from Altimeter Group found that the average enterprise-
class company has 178 corporate-owned social media accounts – many
of which lie dormant. "It's just a poor customer experience, because it's
been abandoned," says Jeremiah Owyang, author of the report.
10. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Lead from the front
An interesting, regularly updated social media presence from the leader of
a business can really impress potential customers. Many chief executives
are deterred by the perceived time commitment, but Twitter, Facebook and
Google+ user Sir Richard Branson says it's not such a chore. "It's not that
hard to do," he says. "It's fun to share what I'm doing and who I'm with –
be it at a Carbon War Room meeting with climate wealth entrepreneurs,
the Grand Prix with Rihanna, checking out Virgin Galactic space vehicles
with future astronauts or raising money for the London Marathon."
11. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
BUT DON'T…
Let it become a distraction
Neil Patel, founder of customer analytics company KISSmetrics, says a
chief executive's social media account is less sustainable if attended to on
an ad-hoc basis. "The funny thing is most people get in trouble with social
media because they don't schedule times of engagement," he says. "Because
of this they end up on it all day, being distracted from important work and
then feeling frustrated and throwing in the towel. You are the master of
social media. Set aside an hour each day to check on all your social media
sites."
12. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Be sure to respond
Once you open up a channel of social media
interaction, consistently responding to any
correspondence received is essential, and can
impress existing and potential customers. A
survey by Mr Youth, a New York-based
marketing agency specialising in social media,
found that brands using social networking are
responding to only 61 per cent of inquiries made
on their Twitter accounts, and 55 per cent of
inquiries on Facebook – and yet conversions to
purchase have reached as high as 80 per cent
when potential customers received a response.
13. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
BUT DON'T…
Only answer when you have to
"On the one hand there's the chance to respond quickly when an
answer is demanded, to demonstrate you're listening and you care,"
says Froggatt. "But then there's also the opportunity, when there's
less expectation of a rapid response, to surprise and delight with a
message which demonstrates that the brand is out there, alive and
being sociable."
14. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Keep it real
While demonstrating to people that you're there and you care can enhance their
perception of your brand, businesses should resist the temptation to over-
exploit this direct line to customers. Remaining true to the spirit of personal
social media interactions is key, says Patel: "Chasing followers makes you look
desperate. You should provide great content and discussions on your social
networks that makes people want to join." Froggatt agrees: "Social media space
is not brand space – it's owned by consumers. People's Facebook page is their
space and their world. Brands were not invited to this party, so they need to
think carefully about how they pitch up."
15. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
BUT DON'T…
Fall into the spam trap
"In 2009, when Twitter was all the rage, it was easy to follow someone and get them to
follow you back," says Patel. "That doesn't work so well now because so many businesses
abused those followers with spam." Research by InsideFacebook.com, the tracking site,
notes that auto-posting messages to Facebook decreases likes and comments by 70 per
cent.
16. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Use existing followers as advocates
Users can be cynical about cold contact from brands via social networks, but that caution
appears to ease if this type of contact is passed on via a friend. Research by KISSmetrics
claims that 38 per cent of Facebook users would be more likely to become a fan of a brand on
the network if they saw that a family member or friend had done so. Encouraging your existing
followers to recommend you by giving you a 'like' or sharing a link is a useful tactic of reaching
more potential new customers.
BUT DON'T…
Expect them to do this for nothing
"We asked people why they engage with brands online," says Zoe Lawrence, head of influencer
marketing at TNS. "And the answer in the UK was 'we want something from it – we will
advocate for a discount'. People are conscious of their potential to influence what a brand is
doing." Offering incentives like entry into a prize draw or making people eligible for a discount
by giving you a 'like', or sharing a particular product link, is a way to gain followers.
17. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Use it to test new products
With a growing base of followers in place, brands should generate interest in new products
ahead of launch by making social media an integral part of a broader development and
marketing process, says Justin Cooke, founder of digital agency Fortune Cookie: "These
things can be blended to good effect, as Philips did with their Wake Up The Town
experiment to test its natural daylight lamp in Svalbard, Norway – a powerful campaign
[which included the use of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs] seen and engaged with
by more than 2.5 million people."
BUT DON'T…
Overlook opinions you didn't seek
Making time to read what your followers are talking about among themselves can also pay
off. "If there's a discussion going on about your biscuit brand and someone says 'I wish they
made an orange flavour', and everyone else is agreeing, that's a little piece of insight you
would have never otherwise received that's coming naturally from the consumers," says
Lawrence. "If that's the case, I'd suggest trialling an orange one."
18. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Allocate enough staff to social media
"Once you're in properly, you can't have a good social media quarter and then
run away," says Froggatt. Cooke agrees, and believes staffing properly is
crucial. "A key consideration is the resources you invest to listen, moderate
and respond in social spaces," he says. "Dedicated internal editorial resource
is a key investment priority to maximise the value of operating social media
and provides feedback to the business about how your customers want to
interact."
BUT DON'T…
Fail to provide guidelines
"It's imperative you provide clear guidance on what they can and can't say
about their employer and their work publically in social spaces," says Cooke.
"As we have seen in the media recently, Twitter comments need to be treated
as if you are speaking to a journalist holding a microphone."
19. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Include apps, widgets and tools
London's City Airport has launched a Twitter tool allowing followers to check real-time
details on flights by tweeting their flight number to @lcyflightinfo. The result has been a
Twitter and Facebook following three times more likely to engage with and recommend
the airport via social networking than any other European airport. "Social media has
transformed the way the airport communicates and interacts with customers over the
past two years," says chief commercial officer Matthew Hall.
Simple Google searches can locate an endless array of free, quickly downloadable
interactive elements to add to your sites – from voting polls to shopping baskets.
BUT DON'T…
Lose consistency
The more sophisticated your cross-social media platform activities become, the more
important it is to keep a consistent brand message emerging from all of them. "You need
to think holistically about how you package and integrate material across brand website,
blog, LinkedIn page, Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter feed, Flickr account and
so on," says Cooke.
20. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Get the measure of everything
"Your social media engagement needs to be underpinned by clear objectives and
measurable KPIs just as you would have in any other aspect of your business,"
continues Cooke. "Integrating social media analytics is critical to understanding the
role of social media in your customer engagement. Over time you'll be able to show
the impact of social media on customer activity." With user friendly social media
dashboards such as HootSuite able to track the activity of all your social media sites
at once, this kind of information is easily accessible and, most importantly, not
hugely time-consuming.
BUT DON'T…
Stop there
Keep an eye out for emerging players in the social media sphere who could prove a
useful path to new customers. For example, Tumblr, the well-established blogging
site, surprised even itself with a sudden six-fold growth last year – "all of a sudden,
we started to get a lot of international traffic," says chief executive David Karp of
the uplift that saw three billion extra hits in 2011.
21. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
DO…
Be patient
An effective social media strategy requires time and, if available, extra
resources – but business leaders should resist their natural instinct to see
rapid returns and look at the longer-term picture, says Patel. "When you start
using social media to drive business to your company, set aside the desire to
see immediate results. Build relationships.“
BUT DON'T…
Take negativity to heart
When you open up to opinions from your customer base, it's inevitable that
there will be negative comments – research by TOA Technologies claims that
80 per cent of customer service tweets are negative. But people's tendency to
use social media for gripes isn't deterring Branson. "Social media allows me
to hear what people are saying on a daily level about each business and the
brand, too – the good, the bad and everything in between," he says.
22. A R I S E T R A I N I N G & R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
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