social media as a cost-effective marketing tool: for mgc hayles

MGC Hayles Social Media Presentationby Ann Goodwin

Chartered Marketer, FCIM, DipMwww.winmarketing.co.uk1

Using social media as a

cost effective marketing tool



Social Media

• What is this new media?• Do I need to use it?



Look at this video . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w



Social Media

• Changing the way businesses build relationships online

• It is easier than ever to target customers– create a community around your brand– converse online– allowing customers to build a

relationship with the brand



• 5,000 people aged over 18 across Europe were asked the most important source they consider when making a purchase



Source people consider before a purchase

6



Survey with 50 of the UK’s top advertisers

7



Benefits and opportunities

• See what people are talking about• Develop new products/services • Communicate • Promote • Highlight qualification benefits• An early warning system • Up to date and transparent• Develop partnerships • Not a direct selling tool



Web updates and readers• Specific RSS feeds from websites• StumbleUpon• Yahoo news

– Track news related to your industry• Google news

– Instant updates of news mentioning your keywords

• Copernic – Track changes on a site



Public relations and social media

• Companies developing strategies to benefit

• Respond to or correct a rumour– Provide accurate information

• Integral to your PR activity– Journalists monitor



How to maximise social media opportunities

• Develop a social media plan

• Branding• Content• Management

– Roles and responsibilities

– Training needs• Planning

• Monitor• Social Media tools• Risk Management• Employee guidelines• Negative comments• Legal Implications• Link building activity• Implementing the plan



Develop a Social Media Plan

• Provide direction • Confirm• Sustained relationships• Increase online credibility



Social Media Success



Branding• Who do you want to be?• Make your brand corporate • Add real value:

– Be consistent – Report any violations



Content• Basics of PR must be core

– Use words that make sense • Beware of cultural issues• Be sure of your facts• Be real• Keep it interesting and compelling

– Not just word format• Demonstrate your credibility

– Not how great you are• Only re-Tweet from a credible source• Integrate messages seamlessly across all

media



Plugged in

• If you talk about an idea early, you will get more exposure because the threads of conversation stem from what YOU said.

- if you’re late, you will get lost in the noise.



When developing content….

• Keep comments interesting• Make people smile have

fun• Be transparent and be

honest• Be genuine• Be judicious• Write what you know• Create some excitement• Monitor the news

– Adapt a story, refresh and expand

• Remember perception is reality • Be consistent• It’s a conversation• Question – are you adding

value?• Check your content and

consider it fully before posting – don’t post in haste!



Be proactive, not just reactive.

• Be relevant• “Know me, like me, follow me”

– Social media guru Penny Power

• Work at developing and maintaining relationships



How should you manage social media?

• Training needs?• Who will implement?• Set up systems• 30-60 minutes per day on social media.

- monitoring trends/conversations- writing micro blogs/blogs- distributing press releases online- responding to conversations



Planning• Plan ahead• SMART objectives• Agree the roles and responsibilities • Develop scenarios

- Establish set of template answers• Monitor the objectives • Agree tools



Monitoring and social media tools

• Listen and react– In real time– What is “trending”

• Align with communications monitoring and evaluation



Tools• Hootsuite or Tweetdeck - Dashboards

– Several sites open at once– Comments posted simultaneously – Use on PC, phones or tablets– Schedule posts

• Other organising tools– Pageflakes, netvibes, Cotweet,

Knowem.com– Del.icio.us, Digg



Subscribe to social media analytics

• See what is being “talked” about • Free service

– In time you may benefit from one of the paid services.



Advertising• Adwords

– Build up a pattern of behaviour and key words

• Not just Google– Other search engines– Ad.ly – pay per click campaign for

Twitter – Banner adverts and links on specific

sites



Followers• Acknowledge followers• Don’t be fooled by numbers• Klout and Peerindex measure

influence users have



Management• Be prepared

– Remember public domain, Comments will remain

• Build a social media crisis plan – Develop scenarios and responses– Combine with traditional PR

• Training and processes– Facts– Re-Tweet from credible individuals

• Employee guidelines– Confidentiality, mass email distribution,

Freedom of Information Act.



Negative comments or constructive criticism

• Don’t take it personally• Reply within 24 hours

– Beware of emotions

• Inform anyone who needs to know• Supply information which might

address the issue• Don’t delete criticisms• Remember its in the public domain



Legal implications• What is the legal position?

- currently there is no such thing as “social media law”



Implementing the social media plan

• Develop a regular blog on your website– Submit to blogging sites– Tweet links

• Send to PR distribution sites• Visit knowem.com

– Protect your name



LinkedIn• Recruitment companies• B2B Companies

– Build network – Use database– Source suppliers– Generate customers

30



Facebook• Set up a corporate Facebook page• Follow any events and news• Post any events you are organising• Communicate using the media



Examples - Facebook

• Steel Master Buildings– Regularly updated – keeping

momentum and familiarity– Lots of media – photos, videos– Interaction – Free stuff – quote calculator,

newsletter, resource centre http://www.facebook.com/SteelMasterBuildings

• Alton Towers– Lots of media – photos, videos etc– Interaction – questions, competitions

etc– Routine – getting fans used to

activities on particular dayshttp://www.facebook.com/altontowersresort



Twitter• Set up a corporate twitter page• Set up tool on your phone, pc, tablet• Monitor trends, post responses• Develop people to follow• Engage with your followers• Post information about news• Links to free and interesting

information• Post any events you are organising



Example - Twitter

• Innocent Smoothies– Regularly updated – every

couple of hours– Lighthearted and fun– Asking questions– Sharing interesting stuff– Interaction, replying to

tweetshttps://twitter.com/#!/innocentdrinks



You Tube• Set up a corporate You Tube account• Develop material

• Slides or videos• Relevant to your target audience• Demonstrate yourself as the expert

• Put material on other slide sharing sites



Example – YouTube• Old Spice

– Fun, innovative videos– Responses to people online – gains

interest• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=d1JxgdWDzdQ&feature=BFa&list=PL484F058C3EAF7FA6&lf=plpp_video

– Involving people in campaigns, asking opinions, gaining votes etc

– Regular campaigns, keeping things different

http://www.youtube.com/user/OldSpice

• Total video views reached 40,000,000 in a week

• Since the campaign launched, sales are up 27%; in the first three months up 55%

36



Examples – similarities• Strong branding – making your brand

recognisable and consistent across all networks.• Regularity – regularly updating your networks

gives people a reason to check them often. • Interaction – people like to know a brand may

respond to their conversation, makes them feel valued.– Also invite them to interact between themselves –

competitions and opinion polls invite and provoke discussion – user generated content

• Fun – don’t take things too seriously, ask questions, play games, have competitions, relax your ‘corporate voice’ a little.



Link building activity• Be proactive • Develop other social sites over time• Develop a blog on your website • Register with sites that journalists

follow• Link social media to website

– and wider communication activities

• Increase the audience • Seek out influencers



Return on investment• Invest in social media

– Maximise the opportunities – Minimise the risks

• Not easy to quantify specific value • Aspects to assess its value . .



Monitor to assess value• Increase in number of visitors to the

website • Increase in online publications• Increase in number of comments • New approaches from journalists for

stories• Increase in followers and database• Increase in enquiries• Decrease in other marketing

communications spend



‘Five Don’ts’1. Don’t just talk – listen, interact2. Don’t be boring – share interesting images,

videos, content (can be industry relevant or not – provokes interaction)

3. Don’t be sporadic - barraging people with content, then ignoring it for weeks or months at a time.

4. Don’t talk like a robot – this is a chance to promote the ‘human’ aspect of your company which people can relate to and interact with

5. Don’t assume they will come to you – be proactive, find people in your industry and communicate with them



In conclusion• Consider the range, reach and

purpose • Confirm strategy and tactics• Share out duties• Train the team • Monitor and engage • Start to build advocates• Social Media is a cost effective

marketing tool



In conclusion• Remember, social media is dynamic,

and today’s Twitter may be tomorrows forgotten website

• “Don’t assume that what works today will work tomorrow”– Tom Austin at Gartner.



In conclusion

Use the

SHARE approach

in yourSocial Media



Thank youAnn Goodwin, Jo GoodwinWin Marketing (UK) Ltd

14, The Office Village, Charnwood Business Park, North Road, Loughborough,

Leicestershire, LE11 1QJTel: 01509 265890Fax: 08707 060941Mobile: 07957 509931

Follow us on Twitter: @anngoodwin or @winmarketing

social media as a cost-effective marketing tool: for mgc hayles

Business

social media opportunities

social media companies

social media success

ann goodwin chartered

new media

source people

online credibility

content basics of pr