social media 101: joining the conversation

Social Media 101:Joining the Conversation

Where do you start?

First: Jump in personally

• Familiarize yourself with the applications and their unique terminology

• Practice and experiment before you put your corporate image and brand out there

Second (or simultaneously): Listen

• Monitor your company’s name, tagline and key industry phrases to determine goals

• What is being said? How does this relate to your goals?

– Questions? (Customer service)– Looking for discounts? (Sales)– Looking for more information?

(Product specs, how-to resources)

• Where is it being said?– Focus your efforts in the social

media sites prevalent to your audience

Listening tools with notifications

Comprehensive option: news, blogs, video, groups

Flickr, YouTube, Digg, del.icio.us, Twitter, blogs, news

Blog comments

Twitter

Listening tools through manual search

http://search.twitter.com

Track names, key words, phrases in Twitter

Track people on Twitter by name or category

Third: Narrow down your choices

• Be selective. Based on your research, narrow down your choices.

• Choose one or two social media tools to launch in support of your brand.

• You don’t have to be everywhere, but be present somewhere.

Fourth: Engage Your Audience

• Focus on the human touch

• Let your company’s personality show through

• People connect with people

Forrester Research: Six Categories

• Creators• Critics• Collectors• Joiners• Spectators• Inactives

Source: Forrestor’s North American Social Technographics Online Survey, Q2 2007.

Creators: 18% on online U.S. adults

• Publish blogs• Upload videos• Upload music• Write and post online

articles


Discussion: How do you engage Creators?

• Facebook: Allow and encourage fans to upload their own photos and videos.

• LinkedIn Group: Encourage members to start and lead discussion threads.

• Twitter: If your customer mentions you, follow them. And when appropriate, retweet them. Biggest compliments you can pay.

• Blogs: Comment on their blog entries when they mention you. Ask them to be a guest blogger for your blog.

• YouTube: Consider a YouTube competition and ask for submissions.

Critics: 25% on online U.S. adults

• Post ratings/reviews of products/services

• Comment on blogs and online forums

• Contribute to wikis


Discussion: How do you engage Critics?

• Facebook: Upload applications such as “Reviews” and “Poll.” Also encourage testimonials directly on the Wall. Wall postings now can be “liked” or “disliked” by fans.

• LinkedIn Group: Start discussion threads and ask for opinions and feedback from members.

• Twitter: Survey followers. Share results in a follow-up tweet.

• Blogs: Encourage comments. Respond to and thank those that leave comments.

• YouTube: Point your customers to your videos and ask them to “favorite” them.

Collectors: 12% on online U.S. adults

• Use RSS feeds to aggregate information important to them

• Save URLs, add tags or vote for sites on Digg and Del.icio.us


Discussion: How do you engage Collectors?

• Facebook: Post relevant content that is fun, entertaining or educational on your Wall, i.e., events, articles, photos, vidoes.

• LinkedIn Group: Share professional or educational resources, i.e., links to industry trend articles, how-to information, unusual ways to use your product or services.

• Twitter: Provide links to valuable resources. Point to resources on your Web site or other external sources that are relevant.

• Blogs: Add a “share this” widget or button to each blog post for easy social bookmarking and tagging.

• YouTube: Encourage sharing of your videos.

Joiners: 25% on online U.S. adults

• Maintain profile(s) on social networking site(s)

• Visit social networking sites


Discussion: How do you engage Joiners?

Get the word out where you are in social media.

• Facebook: Invite your customers to be fans. Let them know your page exists. Post link everywhere, i.e., Web site, business cards, e-mail signature, print literature.

• LinkedIn Group: Ditto.

• Twitter: Ditto.

• Blogs: Ditto.

• YouTube: Ditto.

Spectators: 48% on online U.S. adults

• Read blogs and online forums

• Watch videos• Listen to podcasts• Read ratings/reviews


Discussion: How do you engage Spectators?

• Like Joiners, let them know where you are in social media.

• Like Collectors, share as much information for them to gawk at as you can.

• Key is frequent, fresh content to keep them coming back for more.

• Let your company’s personality come through.

• Don’t let every message be about you or be a direct sell. Make it meaningful to them.

Inactives: 44% on online U.S. adults

• Keep in mind that some customers cannot be reached in social media — they are not there

• Keep up traditional marketing efforts too


Trends and Best Practices

• Convergence of professional and social

• Building a credible presence in social media

• Acknowledging the conversation where it happens

• Using the name and face of a real person

• Authenticity/transparency

• Regular and frequent updates

Successes

• Facebook– UW-Stout

• Twitter: – @delloutlet– @wholefoods– @southwestair

• Blog– Turkey Hill Dairy

http://icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com

• YouTube/Video– BlendTec

http://www.willitblend.com

Pitfalls

• Domino’s Pizza• FedEx• New hire

• Tips:– Don’t be afraid of negative

comments– Acknowledge problems

where they happen– Nothing is private– Incorporate SM into your

crisis communications plan

Other social media sites and resources

• Flickr• Digg• del.icio.us• Library Thing• Slideshare• Twitterfeed• Add This• Share This• Twit This

Contact

Laura Short

University Relations Specialist

[email protected]

http://twitter.com/laurashort

http://digg.com/users/shortdigs/history

http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurashort

mailto:[email protected]

http://twitter.com/laurashort

http://digg.com/users/shortdigs/history

http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurashort

social media 101: joining the conversation

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