a b2b social media case study
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©Copyright 2010 Falls Communications
Lincoln ElectricA B2B social media case study
April 16, 2010
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Lincoln Electric
• World’s leading manufacturer of welding equipment, consumables and technology
• Key industries: offshore, pipeline, structural steel, heavy fabrication, home hobbyists, automotive enthusiasts
• Key audience members: CEOs, engineers, production managers, welders, educators, students, welding enthusiasts
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Lincoln Electric • Social media presence: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr
• Social media allows Lincoln to:o Proactively build brand awareness and a community of engaged participants
o Become a destination for industry news and position the company as an expert in the industry and relevant topics
o Interact with and respond to reporters from trade magazines and business publications
o Respond to customer inquiries and provide feedback in real time
o Promote upcoming events, new product launches, special product offers, incentives
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Phase 1
• Establish Lincoln’s presence on the most heavily used social media platforms
• Begin to build robust online communities
• Engage in proactive conversations with customers, prospects, media, trade associations, welding students, technical schools and more
• Provide content that is educational, engaging and relevant
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• Created summer 2009• 2,900 fans• Daily posting, interacting• Company news• Industry insight• Fan photos• Welding projects• Promotions to increase number of fans• International fan base• Fan interaction
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• Created late spring 2009• 1,046 followers• 2-6 posts a day• Conversational• Fun, interesting industry news • Company news• Welding projects• Promotions• Trade show promotion• Interaction with reporters, educators, trade associations
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YouTube
• Created fall 2009• 290 subscribers• 16,000+ channel views• Product videos• How-to videos• Show videos• Video customer case studies• Price Is Right
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Phase 2
• Continue to build social media communities with which Lincoln can actively engage target audiences
• Continue to increase number of fans, followers, videos and overall interactions with audiences
• Identify and implement best practices for commercialization and ways to provide opportunity for income (i.e., Twitter- or Facebook-only promotions, contests, incentives, discounts)
• Continue participation in other social media platforms (i.e., podcasts, internally generated online news site, such as blogs similar to Joe Welder and Carmen Electrode, wikis, forums)
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Questions/Discussion
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