Module 5: Social media strategy, PR Bootcamp 2015

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Module 5:
Strategy
Building the community
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Determine where you are today
• Level 0: Near-zero use of social media
• Level 1: Passive integration
• Level 2: Limited integration, some commitment
• Level 3: Committed to strategy, integration,
training
• Level 4: Full turnaround, seamless integration

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Level 0
No social media strategy, planning, training
• Management sees social media as time-wasting,
unproductive and not aligned to business goals.
• All employees are banned from use of social media
during office hours.
• Employees “steal” time to view social media feeds via
smartphones or “illegal” access on office PCs.
• All communication still relying on traditional means.
• Rivals start implementing social media tactics and
start showing results.
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Level 1: 90 degrees
Passive integration
• Management allowed access to social media but still
views social media with suspicion or as a passing
fad. Does not see integration as important to
business goals.
• Employees are allowed to implement social media
tactics on their own, with little or no management
support or direction.
• A marketing or communications exec may
collaborate with an ad agency or outside consultant
on a single project.
• An occasional deal struck whereby social media
elements are introduced in an important event or
activity – product launch, promo or contest.

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Level 2: 180 degrees
Limited commitment, some integration
•Management curious about benefits and integration
process, but still without a defined strategy,
budget, timetable and training process
•Employees experiment with social media, some
training available, social media policy adopted
•A social media lead may be appointed at junior level
in some departments
•Communication and marketing teams see clear
benefits and integrates social media in planning but
still working in silos
•Social media integration starting to be planned in
advance rather than as an afterthought
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Level 3: 270 degrees
Commitment to social media
strategy, integration and training
• Social media integration under implementation.
• Appointment of social business-savvy director at board
level. Management team have budgetary and
managerial power for social media integration, and
a social media lead for the integration process.
• Full commitment to ongoing training required for
social media integration in production, management,
communication, marketing, sales, human resources
and innovation.
• Social media strategy rolled out through cross-
functional, multi-department teams.

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Level 4: 360 degrees
Full turnaround, seamless integration
• Employees and management not learning about
social media, they are living it. No distinction
among new or old staff in social media-savviness.
• Company transformed into a “social business
engine.”
• Processes in place where social media is a primary
source of revenue-generation.
• Management decisions flow from a social media
perspective, all business processes are fully
integrated with social media platforms and channels.
• All internal and external communication is rich with
community elements; constant feedback loop;
transparent and accountable processes in place.
Engagement: Richness and reach
REACH
RICHNESS
Strong potential to explode
- Devoted social team, tight
community
- Seeding conversations,
adding value
- Risk-averse, conservative
and not open to new ideas
Eg: Viral videos
- May not reflect your brand
values
- Easily forgotten
- If badly executed can do
damage to your reputation
- Flashy, bells and whistles
but no real tangible ROI
Social media complacency
- No resources devoted to
actually connect with
audience
- Ignore online complaints
and feedback
- Poor response times
Real connection with real
people
- Followers are brand
ambassadors
- Your community will defend
you in times of crisis
- Listen, connect, add value
and measure engagement
- Take engagement seriously

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Social media: strategic planning
1.Objectives = the broad goals and the
measurable steps to achieve them
2.Identify key target audiences, platforms
3.Tactics = the activities, apps, tools,
channels you will use, including offline
activities
4.Resources: internal, external
5.Budget
6.Metrics, targets, KPIs, success criteria
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1a. Objectives: Examples
• Improve internal
communication
• Improve external
communication with
media, vendors,
suppliers, partners
• Connect and engage
with present customers
where they are
• Increase customers,
generate leads, drive
sales
• Reach and educate
new customers
• Build awareness of
products and services
• Humanize brand,
service, management
team
• Establish thought
leadership, become
subject matter expert,
go-to industry
spokesperson

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1b. Objectives: Specifics
Example: Improve external
communications with the media
– Challenges: Media lacks information
about our products and services, technical
expertise to cover event
– Execution: Set up a closed group to reach
specific reporters to connect informally,
educate and inform them about new
products and services that may result in
stories in media
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2. Identify key audiences, platforms
• Objective: Connect and engage with
present customers where they are.
– Challenge: Unaware of which social networks
customers are using and what they are saying
– Execution:
• Run a survey of present customer base
• Listen and monitor conversations
• Follow product ‘keywords’
• Determine content shared in which platforms
• Identify fans, competitors, critics, trolls
• Identify gaps in which you can add value

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Spectators/Watchers
Sharers
Commenters
Producers
Curators
Engagement pyramid
Source: Open Leadership, Charlene Li
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Advocacy: Help the fanbase
Satisfied customers,
Fanboy/girls: People who have
used your brand, product,
service. “Help them help you.”
Ideas: Blogger/Facebook/Twitter fan
outreach programme. Provide content they
can use, link, share, mashup, send to others.
Eg: company tour, photos, videos, free fun
apps, widgets, games, promos, prizes for
their readers.

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3. Tactics and methods
• Choose platform: Blogging, Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube
• Apps or tools: Free or custom-built
• What activities?
– Contests, conferences, events, concerts,
themed monthly features, video uploads,
community activities
• Offline activities:
– Outreach programmes, tweetups, tours,
exclusive giveaways for loyal customers,
community gatherings
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3. Tactics: Examples
Platform Description Objectives
Internal blog
Multiple individual/group
blogs
Gauge social media talent:
For employees and interns
only
Internal forums Technology discussions
Better communication, support
for customers
LinkedIn Business networking
Engagement: Make
employees, partners, suppliers
upload profiles, start a group
Wiki Collaborative publishing
Improve knowledge database
– open to employees,
partners, customers, students
Facebook Page
Showcasing new products,
services, launches, events
Engagement with advocates
Twitter Microblogging, open
Engagement, brand
awareness, media relations
YouTube CEO’s speeches, talks
Promote CEO thought
leadership, start conversations

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4. Resources: Internal, external
•What can the company handle?
•What resources can we dedicate
in terms of people, tech, etc?
•Accept that staff, customers may
be critical or negative.
•If the company’s culture is top-
down, command-and-control,
you need to break mould by
seeking third-party expert help.
•Third-party may not share
authentic voice of company
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Internal resources: The rollout
• Fail fast: People will appreciate
transparency. Don’t fear failures - first
time you make a mistake, try again.
• Lobby: Personal motivations matter: eg:
if there’s someone wanting a promotion
approach them individually. Get them on
board and to champion project early so they can claim
benefit later on. It’s all lobbying skills.
Champion: Champions come from all depts. Age is not
an issue. Just because someone is young doesn’t mean
he/her is innately ‘digital.’
Skeptics: Get some pessimists and skeptics on board.
Give them the tools, learn from their criticisms.

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Scenario 2: SWAT team: Get a small
team sneakily doing something and rack up
some small wins. (This method can backfire
though. Eg: A page that attracts attacks.)
4. Resources: scenarios
Scenario 1: Corporate-wide awareness
training: Drum up support for social media, identify
talent, bring in trainers, speakers.
Scenario 3: Start small with a few
external committed bloggers, social
networkers and tweeters and roll out
wider if necessary.
NOTE: Document successes and failures
and lessons from above.
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5. Budget
• Agency costs
• Custom-built apps
• Web design
• Additional internal staff
• External freelancers: bloggers,
photographers, videographers, designers,
database programmers
• Prizes and giveaways
• Sponsorship for events

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6. Metrics, KPIs, success criteria
• You cannot improve what you don’t
measure
• Quantitative and qualitive metrics
• Set up monitoring tools to measure
downloads, views, followers, likes,
engagement, sentiment
• Don’t be afraid to set high numbers,
ambitious goals to grow community
• Constantly challenge the team
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On management buy-in
ROI: There is no silver bullet to building a
business case for using social media
• The 1st question is often ‘How can this make money?’ but it
should be ‘How can we help our customers?’
• Evaluate the cost to achieve the same by traditional means
ie: print advertising, marketing, support and IT dept costs.
• Justification: “If we don’t, our competitors will take market
share.”
• Financial Dept: Give them the numbers.
• HR: Talk about staff retention.
• IT: Talk about leverage to buy new toys.
• Legal: Aim of legal dept is to reduce risk to zero. Businesses
work by taking and managing risks.
• Executive buy-in will expedite the financial, legal, HR teams
getting on board.

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Example of social media policy
•Use common sense (don’t piss off
your boss)
•Do not post entries that are
personal attacks or culturally
sensitive or religiously offensive
•Do not discuss unreleased
products and features
•Post a standard company
disclaimer on your blog, profile
page and disclose affiliation to
company or specific projects
•If you post all or parts of an
internal email, conceal the names
of the sender and recipients
• When expressing an opinion,
emphasize that you speak only for
yourself, beginning a sentence
with "IMHO"
• If you doubt the appropriateness
of a post, ask a peer what they
think and then read it again the
next day as if it were headline in a
newspaper.
• Do not post too much noise (ie:
inane accounts of your boredom
with life)
• Respect the platform, be an adult
• Keep it friendly, and have fun
• Be wary of copyright issues
EG: http://channel9.msdn.com/About/
http://womma.org/blogger/read
http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-media.htm
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Dealing with the trolls
Source: Forrester Research

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Signs of success… on Google
When company or brand is Googled:
1. Leads me to company website, Facebook page, Twitter
account, official blog, other owned media or staff’s social
media pages
2. Leads to news stories, active discussions and commentary
on social media sites on issues related to company
3. Does not lead to something controversial or negative,
(unless a lesson to be learnt)
When staff are individually Googled:
1. Doesn’t come up blank.
2. Leads me to their online blog, webpage or social media
profiles and company is identified.
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Signs of success on blogs
 They have interesting things to say about your CEO, your
company, products, services and your industry
 They share and link regularly to interesting ideas, stories and
posts from your official accounts
 They provide glimpses into how you are humanizing your
brand for them
 They do not bad-mouth your company or staff (caveat: unless
there is a lesson worth learning)
 They seem genuine and honest in their opinions of your front-
facing staff, company, brand, products, services
Adapted from Boris Epstein, CEO and Founder
of BINC

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Signs that your social media
strategy is working on Twitter
 You often find positive tweets about your
company, many re-tweets of your posts
 Your replies are viewed positively and seem
genuine and authentic
 Your official account is growing steadily and as
a diverse set of followers
 You keep a healthy balance between personal
and professional tweets
 You engage in discussions related to your
business and seem to be an authority in your
field
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Signs your community is
working on Facebook
 Community is responding well to your regular
updates with increased Likes, Shares, Comments
 Fans sign up on your Events fast
 Fans leave comments and show genuine interest
in wanting to engage with brand and admins
 Fans are enthused and constantly finding new
content to keep conversations fresh.
 Fans find updates relevant to their profession and
industry

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Signs of success on LinkedIn
Users in your group have complete profiles
They make genuine recommendations
about peers, managers and colleagues
They voluntarily answer questions
They are linking to their employer, blog and
other projects of interest.
They are participating and getting involved
discussion in the community.
2015 and beyond
1. It’s early days yet… go for it.
2. Be a sponge: Learn as much as you can, all
day, everyday, from anyone.
3. Begin with the end in mind: Plan how you will
integrate your new skills with workflow
immediately. Have incentives and rewards in
place.
4. There are no shortcuts. Building online
communities surrounding social content takes
time, your entire team AND your community
needs to be behind you.
5. Expect to fail: It is still a period of
experimentation so try, fail, try, fail, try, fail, try
again.
6. You will get better at it.
7. People will care, if you care.