Building Your Social Media Strategy

BA (Hons) Advertising

Building a Social Media Strategy

What is Social Media??

“The host of online technologies and platforms that allow users share resources and media content whilst communicating with their peers and connect with others”

“Social media are primarily Internet-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.”

“Social media are primarily Internet & Mobile based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.

The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio.”

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/3527-what-is-social-media-here-are-34-definitions

Social Media And The Sales Funnel

• Attention – gain attention by building awareness

• Interest – demonstrate the benefits of your product

• Desire – create & foster desire for your product

• Action – customer completes purchase

• Advocacy – satisfied customers will become your greatest brand advocates

My Approach To Social MediaI believe social media is all about:

• Utilising another communication channel that can be used to support and enhance both online and offline marketing activity

• Building lasting connections with your customers, key influencers and potential partners with an emphasis on quality and longevity

• Adding value to your community by creating engaging and useful brand focused content so you are seen as an expert in your field

• Establishing an active communication channel between brands and consumers

• Giving your brand a personality and presence – people like people!

What I Don’t Believe InI don’t believe that social media is about:

• Driving large amounts of traffic to your site instantly and boosting your revenue by 300% in the first three months

• Having 10,000 followers on Twitter and Facebook

• Broadcasting self promotional messages about yourself and your brand

Remember….

Social Media is about conversations and

connections

Social Media Strategy Process

1. Initial Listening and Research

1. Define Aims and Objectives

1. Identify Available Resources

1. Create Social Media and Content Strategy

1. Decide On Social Media Mix

6. Ongoing Monitoring

http://arengrimshaw.co.uk/an-introduction-to-social-media-for-business/businesslink/

Forrester POST Method

http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html

Initial Listening & Research

Always LISTEN first

Listen – Research - Identify

Listen…All social media activity should start with listening

What should we listen to?

• Brand Conversations

• Product Conversations

• Industry Conversations

• Competitor Conversations

How do we listen?• Social Media Monitoring

• Twitter Search

• Google Alerts

• Google Reader

Research

• Business Profiling

• Competitor Analysis

• Customer Profiling

• Industry Landscape

It is this research that will inform the development of your social media strategy

Research – Business ProfilingWebsite Audit

• Traffic • Performance• Conversion Rate and Sales

Marketing Activity Audit

• Advertising (Print, Radio & TV)• SEO and PPC• PR• Direct Advertising

Social Media Audit

• Social Media Accounts• Social Media Strategy• Social Media Activity• Community Engagement• Investment of Resources• Social Media Management

Research – Competitor AnalysisResearch online and offline competitors then assess:

• Existing Social Media Accounts

• Social Media Strategy and Activity

• Community Engagement

• Social Media Integration and Promotion

Research – Customer ProfilingCustomer profiling should be broken down into:

• Demographic Profiling

• Technographic Profiling

Research – Demographic ProfilingAssess your target customers demographic profile

• Age

• Geographic Location

• Education

• Profession

• Interests

• Media ConsumptionUse ACORN profiling to guide this

http://www.caci.co.uk/acorn-classification.aspx

Research - Technographic ProfilingForrester Technographic Profiling Tool

A consumers technographic profileindicates their level of interaction andparticipation online – useful profiling tool

IdentifyLook at WHO you should be connecting with via social mediachannels

• Customers

• Key Influencers

• Online PR Targets

• Industry Communities

• Partners

Who Should You Be Connecting With?

http://arengrimshaw.co.uk/an-introduction-to-social-media-for-business/businesslink/

Define Aims and Objectives

Social Media can be used for more than just:

• Raising Brand Awareness

• Driving Website Traffic

Other Aims and Objectives• Provide Customer Service

• Build Brand Communities

• Aid Market Research

• Inform Product Development

• Streamline Internal Processes

• Support PR & SEO activity

• Generate Customer Reviews

Customer Service Case Study

Product Development Case Study

Brand Community Case Study

Assessing Available Time & Resources

Available Time and ResourcesNeed to assess available:

• Time • Resources

• Budget

• In House Skills

But just remember…Facebook Account – FREE

Twitter Account – FREE

Time Investment – NOT FREE

PLUS – all this costs money:

• Content Producers

• Website Developers

• Social Media Management & Monitoring

Ongoing Social Media ActivityLeading on from your initial social media strategy, ongoing activity is needed to maintain and grow your online visibility

• Account Moderation • Account Promotion

• Content Creation • Content Placement

• Ongoing Promotions

• Campaign Monitoring

Create Social Media & Content Strategy

HOW are we going to achieve our aims and

objectives?

You need to form strategies to:

• Achieve specific aims and objectives

• Reach different customer sectors and online targets

• Promote your social media accounts

• Establish your tone of voice and messaging

• Create interesting and engaging content

• Specific platform strategies

• Effectively manage your social media accounts & community

• Measure and monitor your activity

Always ask yourself…

WHY am I doing this?

Define Social Media Mix

Define Social Media Mix• Blogs

• Social Networks

• Micro Blogging

• RSS Feeds

• Social Reviews

• Forums

• Social Bookmarking

• Content Sharing: • Photos• Videos• Documents • Presentations

Draw on your research and

strategy

Always ask WHY?

http://www.theconversationprism.com

Ongoing Monitoring

Return on Investment

ROI

Campaign MonitoringDelivering ROI in the form of quantifiable data is the hardest yet most important aspect of social media marketing – a few example metrics could be:

Brand Awareness Metrics

% increase in brand-related keyphrases % increase in brand search volumes

% of sales from brand related keyphrases Number of brand mentions vs key competitors

Engagement Metrics

Number of blog comments, Facebook and Twitter interactions

Content Metrics

Content performance tracking – content clicks, views, shares and reach

Campaign Monitoring Tools

And don’t forget…

This is a circular process

Social Media Module on SlideShare

http://www.slideshare.net/UCFadvertising

Clemi Hardie

clemi@noodlemarketing.co.uk

@clemihardie