Archive for March, 2010

“Integration, integration, integration!”

If you’ve been following our posts, you know that we are strong believers in traditional marketing + social media integration (but only if the choice is right for your company!).  If you’ve been thinking through your own efforts, then you’ve also considered a lot of the elements of pre-planning for a social media marketing launch. Now it is time to double check your integration planning!

Five key considerations for any social media marketing manager:

Does your social media marketing plan pull from your current marketing goals and objectives?

The social media marketing plan is just one spoke in your marketing wheel. Therefore, it should feed into your overall marketing goals and objectives. Make sure the excitement of working in social media doesn’t cause you to lose your head and skip this important piece of integration!

Will the brand elements be consistent between traditional and social execution?

Note everything has to be matchy-matchy, but your brand elements do need to be consistent to continue to build your reputation in the mind of your consumers. So make sure your logo is apparent. Ensure people can find your website.  Carry over campaign elements. In other words: I-N-T-E-G-R-A-T-E!

Does your brand messaging match, even if execution varies?

Messaging contributes to the tone of your brand.  If your brand is sassy, sleek or goofy, make sure that personality shines through your messaging. Got a strong call to action? Make sure it shows through your integration efforts!

Are you reaching your target audience?

Make sure your social media integration choices will continue to reach  your target audience. Just because you are familiar with Facebook and Twitter doesn’t necessarily mean those are the social media venues to use. What if your audience is active on LinkedIn? Consider starting a LinkedIn group. And consider integrating in niche market social media activities – there are sites for artists, nurses, and more!

Can you measure impact in a meaningful way so you can compare your efforts to determine ROI?

Measuring ROI can be a challenge with social media, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. On the flip side, you may not want to judge your social media marketing efforts through traditional ROI lenses. Consider your long term plan and objectives, evaluate your execution efforts and then judge from there.  There are tons of great tips on the web on ways to measure ROI through social media (and we’ll be hitting on this topic later!).

So that being said, we go back to our theme for your traditional marketing + social media planning: “Integration, integration, integration!” It can save you a lot of headaches, build your brand, and promote sales. What can beat that?

So you’ve done your due diligence and considered the pros and cons of social media for your business.

And you’ve thought through who will be managing your social media efforts.

Now it’s time to start thinking about your company’s social media policy. Some companies jump into social media without a social media policy in place. Others establish a rigid set of rules. Whatever your company is considering, we believe this topic warrants discussion!

We operate under the belief that developing a social media policy will be a multi-step process: (1) a general overview of guiding policies, and (2) updating elements once you launch your social media marketing plan and know exactly what you are utilizing – and how! Clearly (2) will be something you tackle a little later in your social media process (and we’ll get to that a little later as well!). So backing it up to (1),  let’s make sure you hit the essentials in social media policy development!

Considerations:

• Think integration! I know – we say this a lot. But it applies here just as it applies elsewhere in your marketing efforts. Your social media policy should not require starting from scratch. It should build upon existing marketing/PR policies, as well as overall company policies, then be customized as needed.

• Don’t name names! In other words, consider not naming actual social media platforms in your social media policy. Given the pace at which social media mediums are launching, your social media policy could quickly outdate itself. Not comfortable with this option because of specific issues with a particular social media platform? Then ensure compliance by adding in verbiage that covers all current and future social media usage.

• Be prepared to be flexible! Your company or non-profit may currently block access to social media sites out of concern of abuse by working employees. But what if your events planner uses Facebook to send out requests to volunteers? Or your advertising department needs to load videos on YouTube? Stay abreast of changing trends in social media usage and be prepared to adapt to the changing social media times.

• Know how to speak! Really, we mean it. Determine the tone of your messages; what is and is not acceptable in regards to what can be said or portrayed through social media; and how to respond to both positive and negative comments. You are using a public forum, so ensure you have public relations considerations in place prior to launching!

• Set a schedule! Determine how you are going to handle postings. Do you blog once a week? Send e-newsletters monthly? Post on Facebook one time a day, but three times a day on Twitter? Figure out your posting schedule and stick to it – consistency is part of what branding is all about!

There are many other things you need to consider in a social media policy, but these key areas will help you get started. So while developing the policy may feel like a hindrance, in the long term it should be a huge help in developing your social brand. Good luck and happy social media planning!

Have other ideas about social media policies that should have been considered for this list? Drop us a comment!

As we’ve said before, social media is not for the faint of heart. It requires a sense of adventure, a willingness to take a gamble and the ability to plan strategically, execute quickly, and adapt as needed.

Most of you know our mantra about integration–integrate your plan, your messaging…and your social media manager! Ensure that this person knows what is happening not just in regards to your marketing activities, but also in other areas of your business. This allows the messaging to be a true representation of the company.

But this post is really about considering your social media marketing manager and the immediate power they hold in their mouse tip. It is never easy to take back someone’s words, but it’s even harder when they’ve been broadcast through multiple social media channels.

Common issues to be considered before putting your social media manager in place:

• Want our social media efforts to be perceived as trustworthy and articulate? Your social media manager needs to be both!
• Want to venture into uncharted social media territory? Your social media manager needs to understand marketing concepts and social media tools.
• Answering consumer posts? Your social media manager needs to know where to send those disgruntled customers so they don’t become even more disgruntled!
• Updating your logo? Your social media manager needs to know where to update files online!
• Reposting content from others on the web? Your social media manager should be aware of the associations with those organizations!
• Letting your social media manager go? Have access to all sites and passwords, as well as the ability to change them prior to notifying them of their departure!

When it comes to Integrated Marketing Communications, every message about your brand reinforces your brand.  So before your company launches their social media marketing campaign, there needs to be careful consideration given to who will manage your activities. That person needs to have that rare ability to be tech savvy and social–all with a professional demeanor. After all, what they say via social media stays in social media! Unless, of course, it’s so brilliant or so atrocious it ends up crossing over to traditional media. And that’s why it’s so important to make the right choice.

You know you need to do it. Or you at least suspect it. But you aren’t sure exactly what to do. Or how to do it. Or when to do it.

For that matter, should you really do it?

Choosing to utilize social media in your marketing efforts should not be an automatic assumption. It should be a clear and strategic business choice. Not sure where your company should stand on the issue? Consider these following questions:

Does social media marketing fit your brand?

Some argue that any brand can use social media – and should. We say that while one day that may be true, it may not be the case now. Consider your brand elements, promotions, and target audience (and more!) when determining if social media fits your brand. Not all social media fits all companies!

Will usage of social media resonate with your customers?

Think about your customers and their habits. Are they heavy social media users? Are they non-internet users? Are they teens who use social media for almost everything? Make sure your choice of social media appeals to your customers or the target market you want to reach!

What sites are your customers using?

Are your customers primarily Facebook users? Avid Twitter fans? Do they love YouTube? Or are they less mainstream and more into other niche social media? Just like with other marketing efforts, do your research to figure out what they are using – and when!

How can you reach them through those sites?

There are multiple ways to reach customers – ads, blogs, posts, Fan Pages, Twitter account, YouTube subscriptions, LinkedIn Groups…the list goes on and on. Which medium reaches your customers, and more importantly is likely to drive action? Can you afford it? Can you manage it? And are you comfortable with it?

Do you or your staff have the time to manage the process?

Social media marketing is not a quick process. It takes time to research, plan, strategize, and execute. And let’s not forget follow up! So make sure you and/or your staff has the time to manage your efforts appropriately or you may land your company in a PR mess.

Is your staff properly trained in social media execution?

Anyone can set up a social media account. And to some degree, most people can somewhat use those accounts. But does the staff that will manage your account truly know many of the tips, tricks, and tools of the social media you identify for your efforts? Are they comfortable with figuring out how to keep up with new trends and applications? Is there funding to pay for their training if needed? Not everyone is comfortable exploring all of their options, so make sure you evaluate your social media manager(s) to ensure they have the training they need!

What are your objectives?

What do you want out of this effort? Do you know before you launch? You should, or its just a waste of time, energy and resources! Make sure your objectives are clearly identified and your social media managers are aware of them.

What is your strategy?

Are you launching a specific campaign? Utilizing a spokesperson or character? Speaking with a personal or professional tone? Trying to drive one specific action? Your strategy will dictate much of your action, so make sure you have a clear idea of what it is. Once determined, clearly build your outreach around it.

How often will you evaluate your efforts?

Prior to your launch, establish a timeline for evaluation. If it’s a Facebook Ad, you may want to tweak it on a daily or weekly basis. If its a LinkedIn Group, you may want to join other groups and see what is working for those groups. While your overall strategy should be reviewed annually, your day to day efforts may require more evaluation!

How will you measure your impact?

Measurement – the oft-forgotten tool. “Know before you go” in order to know what you have accomplished. What do you want to measure. How will you measure? What does that mean for your strategy, your staff, and your activities?

These are just a few things to consider prior to launching a social media marketing plan. There are many, many more questions you may need to consider depending on your plan. Some additional topics you may need to discuss include:

- Social media policies and procedures
- Safety and security
- Legal awareness

We hope you find this article helpful in your efforts to launch your social media plan. Need additional help? Let us know and we’ll walk you through the process!

From our perspective, social media is an essential marketing tool. But recent natural disasters have proven that social media and new(er) technology are an essential part of keeping up with real-world events. The earthquake in Chile and the resulting Tsunami scare generated quite a bit of buzz across traditional media but the real star in the reporting process was social media.

At one point, I had all of my Google Chrome tabs lined up: the Facebook Disaster Relief Fan Page, the Twitter @nprnews/chile-tsunami-quake list, YouTube’s site searching for video footage and even the Skype website to learn more about the technology! I had my TweetDeck columns all laid out so I could see what was happening in my #hashtags of choice and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ustream. Oh – I also had CNN on the TV as it streamed live ( via Skype) coverage and steadily referenced Tweets.

I have friends in Hawaii and I was very concerned about  how this situation may effect them. I was tense, I was worried and I  coudn’t tear myself away while waiting to see what would happen with the Tsunami. Luckily, the event was somewhat anti-climatic. However, the irony of being able to watch a possible natural disaster in the making with people there on the ground sending out their comments to a global crowd –  in real time no less!  - was not lost on me. It made me appreciate the value of social media and it held me in suspense.

In addition,  I was irritated by the Tweeters who thought it was funny to post false reports, crack jokes, judge others, spam thousands and use the opportunity to generally act like obnoxious brats. That probably is just additional evidence that Twitter has gone mainstream, but I digress…

Overall, I was  fascinated by the outpouring of information coming across my social media accounts: the love, support and care so evident for the folks in Chile and those in the path of an impending Tsunami;  the amount of useful  information out there from companies and individuals all over the world; and the way the news stations used all of these forms of media for a fully integrated news report.  I mean, here I am watching CNN and they have Twitter posts popping up on screen as they show the same real-time scenes I was seeing online! The newscasters made it evident they could not have given such a comprehensive report  without the assistance of social media. So again I was left to marvel at the fact that social media can be an invaluable tool alone, but even more so when integrated with other communication tools and technology!