social media...meeting the needs of your business
DESCRIPTION
This was a presentation I gave, along with a colleague, to business representatives attending a lecture on social media at University Campus Suffolk (UCS).TRANSCRIPT
Meeting the Needs of Your Business
Genesis PRAmy Dawson
Aisleen Marley
Social Media
Planning Social Media Activities
o What are you hoping to achieve?
o Who is your target audience?
o What are your key messages?
o Which tools will be best?
o Who will manage and implement?
o What risks may exist?
o One-off campaign or on-going programme?
Content really is KING!o Quality content delivers online success
o Fresh, provocative, newsy, creative – but don’t try too hard!
o Compels people to take action
o Not just words – images and video too!
o Don’t be too precious
o Style and tone
o Timeliness
o Keep it simple and sustainable
Day to Day Managemento Define objectives, audiences, messages
o Identify which tools to use
o Put in place an owner / team - trust your employees
o Time, resource, budget
o Overtly bureaucratic or hierarchical processes will not work in a
crisis or day to day
o Integrate into your wider comms activities
o Monitor and evaluate
Keeping Control
o Massive online world out there!
o Messages can spread like wildfire
o Use tools to keep tabs on what’s being said
o Have a plan
o Respond (if appropriate) quickly
o Think about what you say – ambiguity
o Reflect your company values
Bloggingo How
- Choice of platforms, company website vs. separate blog
o Why- Share news, information, engagement, SEO, brand-building,
o What - Think about your content, plan it out
o When- Regularity, consistency, make it manageable
Blogs: Why?1. They’re free2. They’re easy to set up3. You can change the theme in minutes4. It’s easy to publish content5. Google quickly picks up blogs6. A blog won’t crowd your current website7. They encourage visitor interaction8. Can improve your main website SEO9. Blogs make you look like an ‘expert in your market’10. A blog can put you ahead of your competitors
o Business blogging is no easy task.
o Blogging for a large brand or corporate is even harder in terms of striking the right tone and building an audience while keeping readers engaged.
o Reflect your company’s ‘personality’
o Have a ‘plan’
Blogging: The good, the bad and the ugly
Blogging: The Goodo One of the World’s most well-known car brands has been
embracing blogging for some time, and it has some stunning content to share.
o Its blog is very much focused on cars and engineering, as you would expect.
Blogging…The Bado Under pressure because of massive flight delays and
cancellations due to equipment problems, American Airlines launched a simple ‘blogger blog’ to tell its side of the story.
o Even today it is so overtly promotional it has consumers switching off in their droves.
Blogging…The Uglyo In Sept 2006, a blog called Wal-Marting
Across America was born.
o It features the journey of Laura and Jim, a couple on their maiden trip in an RV (recreational vehicle), capturing lives and stories as they journey from Las Vegas to Georgia, and park for free at Wal-Mart Stores.
o Every Wal-Mart employee that Laura and Jim run into, from store clerks to photogenic executives, absolutely loves to work at the store. Sound like a great Wal-Mart publicity campaign? That’s because ‘Laura and Jim’ are Wal-Mart employees
o Faking it is NOT acceptable
A quick word about Twitter
o Company Profile – basic presence / starting point– include keywords in the description of your group – include company website / blog URL– add a(n appropriate) photo
o Discussion Groups – create a new group related to your business sector – engage in existing groups
o Industry News – opportunity to promote / enhance knowledge
Effective Tactics for increasing engagement
o Moderation
o Stay exclusive
o Commitment
o Sub- groups / niche groups
o Regular Polls – weekly / monthly
o Utilize the status updates
Do’s and Don’ts
o Don’t just duplicate content
o Do keep your personal life out of it - Linkedin is for professional networking
o Don’t use the standard ‘I’d like to connect message’ – personalise it instead
o Do ask questions and build presence / credibility
o Don’t fall into the trap of shameless self-promotion
o Began using social media in 2009
o Active on Twitter, FB, Youtube and G+
o Most popular building society on Twitter (2,075 followers)
o Generate discussions with local communities, raise awareness
of initiatives, build relationships
o Primary objective is brand awareness
o Very rarely mentions sales products
o The annual awards scheme encouraged tweeting throughout
the event using the hashtag #SWA12
o It enabled alternative audiences to hear the discussions and
understand the impact of good social work
o Over 100+ tweets were sent using #SWA12
o Helped support the awards primary objective – to showcase
excellent practice
o Business Support Services
o Business Plan development
o Two staff members
o Marketing…
- Word of mouth
- Website enquiries
- Networking events
- Trade Fairs
Local Case Study
Social Media
o YouTube - personal video
o Website blog - dormant
o Facebook - personal account
o LinkedIn - personal profile
o No Social Media links from website
o Difficult to find online
Recommendationso Separate personal from business
o Management (an issue with just two people)
o Choose one or two platforms as a priority
o Create a LinkedIn Group or join one
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/On-Startups-Community-Entrepreneurs-2877
o Become a thought leader
o Keep content current and frequent
Popular Social Media Platforms
How do I know it’s working?o Qualitative – what is being said
o Quantitative – traffic, SEO, leads, ‘mentions’
o What ‘activity’ provokes the most ‘response’?
o Listen to feedback - adapt
o Free and paid for monitoring tools
o Specialist measurement software
Remember....o No need to use every SM channel – consider your objectives
o Know your audience
o Everything posted is in public domain
o Get some expert advice
o Traditional marketing/PR is still important
o How will you ‘manage’ your SM? - practicalities
o Keep content current and frequent - Don’t be afraid to have a sense of
humour
o Start off slow