understand your customers' social behaviors

Understand Your Customers’ Social Behaviors

Charlene LiAltimeter GroupJanuary 2010

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Jeremiah OwyangAltimeter Group#socialgraphics

© 2010 Altimeter Group

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Research is the foundation of any strategy –without it, you’re just “fondling the hammer.”

This webinar (Part 1) will focus on how to use socialgraphics to create your own Engagement Pyramid.

Part 2 will focus on developing a social strategy based on goals, and getting your company ready.

A 2-part series


A company who sells ‘snackums’ is trying to reach moms. Brands would find out who has the biggest number of moms,

HGTV, Food Network.

Apply traditional demographics, and broadcast marketing Yet brands miss out on the specific behaviors of consumers –and

their intricate relationships online.

The Old Way? Carpet Bombing3


Socialgraphics4

Demographic

Geographic

Psychographic

Behavioral

Socialgraphic


1. Where are your customers online?2. What are your customers’ social

behaviors online?3. What social information or people do your

customers rely on?4. What is your customers’ social influence?

Who trusts them?5. How do your customers use social

technologies in the context of your products.

Socialgraphics asks key questions5


90-9-1 Principle6

“In social groups, some people actively participate more than others… Social participation tends to follow a 90-9-1 rule where:”


Social technology adoption by consumers is no longer nascent – it’s nearly a mainstream activity.

To be accurate in your social strategy, you must know the specific behaviors of your customer base.

This updated framework provides a modern approach to social strategy.

An updated framework7


The Engagement Pyramid8

Curating

Producing

Commenting

Sharing

Watching


Watching9

Curating

Producing

Commenting

Sharing

Watching


What?: Consume content only, e.g. visit social networking sites, read blogs, watch videos, or listen to podcasts

Why?: Seeking social-created content to help with making decisions, learning from peers, or entertainment

Watching10


Watching11

Most people watch videos on YouTube –

very few upload.


How to Engage?:

• First, understand the content that they are currently consuming.

• Be relevant - what do customers want to read, watch, or hear?

• Create content that engages Watching, based upon existing habits.

Tactics: Engaging Watching12


Sharing13

Curating

Producing

Commenting

Sharing

Watching


What?: Update status on social sites or Twitter, upload/forward photos, videos, articles, etc.

Why?: Want to share the information they have with peers, both to support others, and demonstrate knowledge

Sharing14


Sharing15

Twitter enables real-time sharing.


Sharing16

ShareThis reported a 200% increase in

sharing through the ShareThis button in

2009. Overall, sharing is growing.


How to Engage?:

• Simplify and innovate sharing tools, see “ShareThis.com” and “AddThis.com”

• Advanced should seek Gigya*, Pluck, Kickapps.

• Recognition and rewards• Allow Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter

connect features

Tactics: Engaging Sharing17

* Disclosure: An Altimeter Group client.


Commenting18

Curating

Producing

Commenting

Sharing

Watching


What?: Respond to others’ content, for e.g. comment on blogs or news stories, review or rate products

Why?: Actively participate, support, or contribute ideas/opinions, but usually one-off’s

Commenting19


Commenting20

Facebook commenting and “Likes” simplified how users responded

to other people’s content.


Commenting21

Retail sites encourage ratings and reviews by shoppers.


How to Engage?:

• Allow every webpage to have commenting features

• Develop a community policy• Foster an open and friendly environment

(and discourage spammers and trolls)• Seek community vendors like Lithium*,

Jive, Mzinga, Awareness, LiveWorld*, Kickapps, Pluck.

Tactics: Engaging Commenting22

* Disclosure: An Altimeter Group client.


Producing23

Curating

Producing

Commenting

Sharing

Watching


What?: Create and publish their own content, for e.g. websites, blogs, or podcasts

Why?: Want to express identity, own content, be heard, or be recognized

Producing24


Producing25


Producing26


How to Engage?:

• Become a platform for the voice of your customers.

• Provide public recognition for most helpful community members.

• Sponsored Discussions: Intel Insiders, Microsoft MVP, Walmart Elevenmoms

- Note: Understand and abide by FTC Guidelines

Tactics: Engaging Producing27


Curating28

Curating

Producing

Commenting

Sharing

Watching


What?: Moderate or are heavily involved in online communities, for ex. Wikipedia, fan pages, or discussion boards

Why?: Invested in success of a product, service, or community, want to give back, or be recognized

Curating29


Curating30

The Coca-Cola Facebook fan

page was started, and

continues to be administered, by two regular fans.


Curating31

Dell Community

Ambassadors help manage and support

customer forums.


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How to Engage?:

• Rely on them as trusted advisors, consider them non-paid partners

• Identify influencers or community builders, recognize them in public.

Tactics: Engaging Curating


Read tweets (Watching) Re-tweet (Sharing) @reply (Commenting) Tweet (Sharing/Producing) #hashtag (Curating)

The Twitter Problem33


United States South Korea United

Kingdom

Curating <1% <1% <1%

Producing 24.2% 52.8% 18.6%

Commenting 36.2% 74.3% 31.9%

Sharing 61.2% 62.9% 57.6%

Watching 79.8% 91.1% 77.1%

Engagement Pyramid Data34

Source: Global Wave Index Wave 1, Trendstream.net, July 2009


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Conduct research to identify the social behaviors of your customer base – before you do anything

Also identify:• Where are they online: Surveys or brand monitoring• Who do they trust: Surveys• Who do they influence: Survey or brand monitoring• How they use these tools in context of your products:

Most often surveys. When you first understand your customers, your

marketing efforts will naturally unfold.

Putting it to work


1) Where are your customers online?

• Action: Don’t aimlessly approach social networks without knowing if they are there, if they are in Hyves, go there.

2) What are your customers’ social behaviors online?

• Action: Which social features should we deploy? Example: if they are commenters, allow them to comment.

3) What social information or people do your customers rely on?

• Action: If they rely on their friends, facilitate a marketing program that encourages customers to share with friends.

4) What is your customers’ social influence? Who trusts them?

• Action: If your customers are trusted by others, highlight your customers in front of their community. Example: Intercontintental Hotel features the photos created by top guests.

5) How do your customers use social in regards to your brand?

• Action: Understand how customers use these tools in researching new products, decision making, and support

Socialgraphics makes you actionable36


Situation: A healthy snack food company trying to reach moms, and their goal is to introduce them to a new product called “Snackums”. (fictional)

Where are they online today? • Use monitoring tools to find hot spots of conversations• Use survey to find specific URL locations through and open ended

questions- Example: The data found that a third of the targeted moms visited

Facebook at least weekly, and more than half visited at least monthly.• Conduct qualitative analysis to find out what topics moms are talking

about.- Example: Brand monitoring indicated that the most talked about topic

when discussing health foods was price and convenience. What are their online social behaviors?

• They deployed a survey, and found they are mainly watching and sharing, very few producers

• But those that are producing are highly involved

New Way: Learning about Moms37


Findings: • Through the survey, found that most moms don’t talk

about the product.

• However a smaller group did influence those that are watchers,

• Yet those watchers, don’t share in that greater community, they share it with their immediate friends in Facebook.

Action• With this, this company was able to identify, who the

influencers were, how to reach them, and to spur on word of mouth to the ‘average’ moms reaching a greater segment of customers.

Example: Activating Moms38


Understand the socialgraphics of your customers by conducting surveys or obtaining secondary research.

You’ll need to get the data from multiple sources –we don’t have all the data.

We believe in ‘Open Research’ and we want to share –so the industry can advance together.

Couple with your existing profiles or personas of customers, create an engagement pyramid for each persona.

Next, identify what social goals your organization will take on (covered in our next webinar).

Summary39


Success in the Groundswell requires Open

Leadership

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When people get what they need from each other

Have the confidence to let go and still inspire results


41Thank you 41

Charlene [email protected]: charleneli

Jeremiah [email protected]/blogTwitter: jowyang

Follow the conversation at #socialgraphicsSlides and recording will be available at altimetergroup.com


About Us42

Altimeter Group is a strategy consulting firm that provides companies with a pragmatic approach to disruptive technologies. We have four areas of focus: Leadership and Management, Customer Strategy, Enterprise Strategy, and Innovation and Practice.

Visit us at http://www.altimetergroup.com or contact [email protected].

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