Social Marketing ROAD MapA Practical Method for Mapping

Your Social Marketing Strategy

Harvard University | April 29, 2010

A Practical Method for Mapping Your Social Marketing Strategy

Introduction: The State of Social Media Marketing

Two-dimensional Approach to Social Marketing Success

Exercise: Where You Are on the ROAD to Social Marketing Maturity

Mapping Your Social Marketing Strategy – ROAD Map Method

Case Study: Integrating Website, Search and Social Media Tactics

Constructing Your Social Marketing Architecture

Sergio BalegnoResearch Director, MarketingSherpaLead Author, 2010 Social Media Marketing Benchmark Report@SergioBalegno

Introduction: The State of Social Media Marketing

Social Media has Created a New World of Opportunities. Marketers are Exploring the New Terrain Without a Compass.

Captivated by hype and ease of implementing social sites

Ignoring proven practices, launching without a plan/purpose

Thinking tactically rather than strategically about objectives

Momentous change in the use of social media for marketing purposes

Social marketing is maturing – proven methodologies are emerging

Two-Dimensional Approach to Mapping an Effective Social Marketing Strategy

Exercise: Where You Are on The ROAD to Social Marketing Maturity

How Far Has Your Organization Traveled Down the ROAD to Social Marketing Maturity?

Social Marketing Maturity is in Transition

Where Organizations are in the Social Marketing Maturity Lifecycle

33% no process, platform-centric

40% informal process, randomly performed

23% formal process, routinely performed

Expect majority of organizations to be in transition phase this year

On the ROAD to Social Marketing Maturity

Trial phase launch Devices (social platforms) without a plan or purpose

Strategic phase focus shifts to Research, Objectives and Actions

The more mature an organization’s social marketing, the more effective it is

Mapping Your Social Marketing Strategy – ROAD Map

ROAD Map – ResearchWhat do we Need to Know?

Gather intelligence on audiences, social use and competition

Monitor dialog, social behavior and platform preferences

Profile target audiences by social characteristics – silent majority / vocal minority / social authority

Assess existing resources to determine needsqualitative social metrics

Monitoring the Impact of Social Marketing

What are you monitoring and measuring to quantify social media impact?

Most monitor easily quantifiable metrics

50% track qualitative metrics like “sentiment”

What to Monitor During Research (Competitive Analysis)

Monitoring Tools and Solutions

What type of tools or solutions is your organization using to monitor and measure social media initiatives?

“Free tools” now loaded with features but…

Enterprise level initiative requires comprehensive or custom solutions

Target Audiences by Social Influence

Silent Majority

Joins but rarely participates

Reads/watches/listens to UGC

Low level social influence

Vocal Minority

Joins and actively participates

Shares UGC and commentary

Medium social influence

Social Authority

Builds/moderates communities

Creates and aggregates UGC

High social influence

Profiling Target Audiences

ROAD Map – ObjectivesWhere Are we Going?

Define objectives aligned with target audiences and metrics

Target high-influence audience segments

Align objectives with the audience segments

Try to align objectives with metrics traceable to ROI, to win-over skeptics who control budgets

Targeting Objectives and Measuring Objectives

Does your organization target social media marketing objectives and measure progress?

Web site is the hub of the marketing strategy – so traffic most targeted and measured objective

Missed opportunity is targeting cost reductions

Aligning Objectives with Target Audiences and Metrics

ROAD Map – ActionsHow do we Get There From Here?

Create a social marketing strategy with a tactical plan of action

Roles, policies, procedures

Campaign tactics, resources and timetables

Social marketing architecture to connect audiences with content, landing pages, conversion points

Effectiveness Concedes to “Fast and Easy”

Effectiveness, Effort Required and Usage of Tactics Summarized

Blogger relations is most effective but requires most effort – low usage

Social networks half as effective but a quarter the effort required –high level of usage

Getting Into the Mix With Social Media Integration

Does your organization integrate social media with other marketing tactics?

83% integrating with other online tactics

Social stands alone in 16% of social marketing programs

The Payoff of Integration – Effectiveness!

How effective is social media integration with other tactics you use?

Integration with online easier than with offline

Online integration also enables tracking from initial engagement to conversion

Case Study: Integrating Website, Search and Social Media Tactics

MarketingSherpa Case Study: Integrating Website, Search and Social Media Tactics

Caturano and Company

One of New England’s largest accounting and IT consulting firms

Marketing objective to increase client base during recessionary economy

Situation Analysis

Traditional outbound marketing methods more expensive / less effective

Growing number of prospective clients are using the web, search and social media to find and assess firms

Challenge to transition from traditional marketing to integrated inbound marketing strategy

Campaign Tactic – Website Marketing

Website redesigned as the content hub and conversion point

Recruited partners as subject matter experts and thought-leaders to create relevant content

Added lead conversion capabilities by requiring registration for content

Campaign Tactic – Search Marketing

Optimized website for keywords in copy, titles, metatags and other SEO elements.

Created a partner program to build links

Posted thought-leader articles on blogs creating search engine desirable content, links and listings

Campaign Tactic – Social Marketing

Joined and actively participated in LinkedIn discussion groups on topics of client interest

Facebook brand page to build community of “fans” (clients and prospects)

LinkedIn discussions and Facebook postings channel members and fans to website content and conversion points

Results

68% increase in unique website visitors

First page SERPs for 25 targeted keywords

10-15 new leadsconverted per month

Significant % website traffic from social sites

ROAD Map – DevicesWhich Tools do we Need?

Select platforms that fit tactical plan and social architecture

Platform agnostic to this point - so strategy will outlive technology

Construct architecture to connect audiences with content, landing pages and conversion points

Roll out sequentially

Deploying Social Media Platforms

Which platforms does your organization use for social marketing?

Last step – ID, assess and select the platforms

Focus on tactical fit and effectiveness rather than on “fast and easy”

Exercise: Defining Your Social Marketing Architecture

No Objectives. No Architecture. No Results.AKA – Random Acts of Social Marketing

Constructing a Social Marketing Architecture (Cisco Collaboration)

Target audience is prospects and customers for collaboration solutions

Platforms selected based on social objectives for the audience and their behaviors

Every platform selected must have a clear and manageable purpose

Collaboration Website

Hub of the collaboration marketing strategy

Occasionally updated content with marketing information on solutions / products / services

Primary point of conversion

Collaboration Blog

Hub of social marketing strategy for collaboration

Frequently updated and shareable content and commentary relevant to collaboration

Search engine optimization factors increase SERPs

Collaboration Community

Users “join conversations and share best practices in collaboration.”

Technically-oriented discussions, tools, opinions and member-only events

Adds value through customer service and product development

Collaboration Twitter

Share 140 character tweets with “followers” for quick engagement

Searchable by brand (#cisco) or solution (#collaboration) hashtags

Adds value to relationship by connecting customers and prospects to relevant content

Collaboration Facebook

Building a community of “fans” for Cisco Collaboration

Fans engaged by sharing commentary and opinions to posts

Posts drive traffic to content on other Cisco social platforms and website

Collaboration YouTube

Videos are “most engaging” and entertaining media

YouTube is searchable video content sharing site

Links and drives traffic to and from other social platforms and website

Cisco Flickr

Photos are “most used” type of online multi-media

Flickr is searchable photo content sharing site

Links and drives traffic to and from other social platforms and website

Collaboration RSS Feed

RSS a tool to “broadcast” content to subscribers

Links and drives traffic to source of feed and other social sites and website

Example of strategy outliving technology –being replaced by Twitter and other social site notifications

Social Marketing Architecture for Cisco Collaboration Solution

Hub sites (website and blog) for original content and linking users to feeder sites for engagement

Feeder sites building relationships and driving traffic to back hub sites for conversion

Clear objectives and channels for achieving them

But I Don’t Have Content to do All This!

Big Challenge: Finding the time and resources to produce relevant content

Geeknick Blog repurposes existing content from the Cisco blog

Exchange of value: Geeknick gets content, Cisco gets traffic

Content Sourcing / Repurposing

Constructing Your Social Marketing Architecture

Every platform must have a purpose

What are your content and conversion hub sites?

What are your feeder and engagement social sites?

Take-Aways

Social media has created a new world of opportunities for marketers but many are exploring this new terrain without a compass.

The level of social marketing maturity determines how effective an organization’s social marketing programs will be.

You need a practical, step-by-step method for mapping an effective social marketing strategy.

Thank youSergio Balegno, Research Director, MarketingSherpa@SergioBalegno