This document provides an overview of social media, defining it as online conversations that include customers, employees, investors, critics, fans and competitors. It notes that social media conversations are organic, complex and speak in a human voice rather than being controlled or having a single message. The document then discusses how social media is influencing people's opinions and decisions and outlines how people are increasingly using social media tools like social networks, blogs, microblogging and photo/video sharing. It concludes by addressing some common myths about social media and noting that effective social media use requires experimenting, listening, being transparent and contributing meaningfully.
4. What is Social Media?
Social media is a
conversation online
Who is talking?
– your customers
– your employees
– your investors
– your critics
– your fans
– your competitors....
– anyone who has
internet access and an
opinion.
5. The Social Media conversation
The conversation is not:
– controlled
– organized
– “one message”
The conversation is:
– organic
– complex
– speaks in a human voice
Social media is not a strategy or
a tactic – it’s simply a channel.
6. Social media is changing our world
The power to define and control a brand
is shifting from corporations and institutions
to individuals and communities.
7. Social media influences people
• 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying
decisions - JC Williams Group
• 87% trust a friend’s recommendation over critic’s
review - Marketing Sherpa
• 3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over
advertising for purchasing decisions - Jupiter
Research
• 1 word-of-mouth conversation has impact of
200 TV ads - BuzzAgent
8. People are using Social media
Social media usage is finally taking off in the UK.
39% of UK Internet users—more than 15.4 million people—will
use social networks at least once per month in 2009.
Source: eMarketer April 2009
9. People are using Social media
Social media sites are the fastest-growing category on the web,
doubling their traffic over the last year.
– 73% of active online users have read a blog
– 45% have started their own blog
– 39% subscribe to an RSS feed
– 57% have joined a social network
– 55% have uploaded photos
– 83% have watched video clips
Universal McCann’s Comparative Study on Social Media Trends, April 2008.
McCann’
17,000 respondents from 29 countries, *using internet at least every other day
every
10. Social media is practical
– 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
11. Some differences in tactics
SOCIAL MEDIA
BROADCAST
Audience in control
Brand in control
Two way / Being a part of a
One way / Delivering a
conversation
message
Adapting the message
Repeating the message
Focused on the audience /
Focused on the brand
Adding value
Influencing, involving
Educating
User created content
Organization Creates Content
13. Social media tools
• Social Networks
• News & Bookmarking
• Blogs
• Microblogging
• Video Sharing
• Photo Sharing
• Message boards
• Wikis
• Virtual Reality
• Social Gaming
• Real Simple Syndication
(RSS)
14. Social news & bookmarking
• Social bookmarking sites
allow users to save,
share, organize,
comment on and search
webpage bookmarks
• Community votes on
your submissions so they
either rise to the top or
drop to the bottom
15.
16. Blogs
• A blog is a website with
regular entries of
commentary or news
• Blogs serve to establish
your company as
transparent, relevant,
active, and expert
17.
18. Microblogging
• Microblogs are blogs
limited to a sentence or
two (about 140
characters)
• People use
microblogging to follow
their friends
or build a personal
brand.
• Companies use it to
market their product or
services by giving them
a voice/identity.
19. Microblogging
• share timely information
• spread useful links
• personify your brand
• build credibility and
influence
• follow competitors
20. RSS feeds
• RSS is a way for content
publishers to make blog
entries, news
headlines, events,
podcasts and other
content available to
subscribers.
• an effective way to
distribute your
content and lead users
back to your website
21. Social networking sites
• People and organizations
connect and interact
with friends,
colleagues and fans.
• Facebook and MySpace
pages provide a micro
site for your business
within the social
framework.
30. Social networking sites
Do Don’t
• create a page to • create a page and fail to
promote your brand maintain it
• point your fans to your • try a hard sell approach
company blog or
contest • censor comments
• encourage a discussion • spam your fans/friends with
and participate frequent private messages –
frequently you’ll drive them away
• explore targeted • post false information
advertising opportunities
32. 1. Experiment with Social media
• Experiment
personally before
professionally
• Try a variety of
social media tools
• Be yourself, make
some friends, and
share
33. 2. Make Social media central
• Spend time upfront
planning how you
will use social media
• Think POST:
– People
– Objectives
– Strategy
– Technology
34. 3. Listen before you participate
• Find where your audience is
participating and indentify the
influencers
• Read industry blogs (including
comments)
• Google your company name &
your competition
• Find tools that can help you
listen
35. 4. Be transparent and honest
• Avoid puffery
(people will ignore it)
• Avoid evasion and lying
(people won’t ignore it)
• Companies have watched their
biggest screw-up's rise to
the top 10 of a Google
search
• Admit your mistakes right
away
36. 5. Share your content
• Don’t be afraid to share.
Corporations, like people,
need to share information to
get the value out of social
media
• Make your content easy to
share
• Incorporate tools that
promote sharing:
– RSS feeds, Email a
friend etc.
37. 6. Be personal and act like a person
• Don't shout. Don't
broadcast. Don’t brag.
• Speak like yourself –
not a corporate
marketing shill or press
secretary
• Personify your brand
– give people something
they can relate to.
38. 7. Contribute in a meaningful way
• Think like a contributor, not a marketer
• Consider what is relevant to the community
before contributing
• Don’t promote your product on every post
• Win friends by promoting other
people’s content if it interests you
39. 8. Learn to take criticism
• Don’t try to delete or remove
criticism (it will just make it
worse)
• Listen to your detractors
• Admit your shortcomings
• Work openly towards an
explanation and legitimate
solution
40. 9. Be proactive
• Don’t wait until you
have a campaign to
launch - start planning
and listening now
• Build relationships so
they’re ready when you
need them
41. 10. Everyone is a stakeholder
• You need buy in from
everyone in the organization
• Convince your CEO that
social media is relevant to
your organization
• Get your communications
team together, discuss the
options, then divide and
conquer