Social Media MarketingHow can you make the most of it? Claire Lancaster – Social Boutique

Introductions

• I am NOT going to say: “Engage your audience with relevant content”

• I am going to share my enthusiasm for social media marketing

• I am going to share some of my favourite examples of social media marketing

• I hope to simplify what often seems to be unnecessarily complicated

• I hope you gain some ideas of useable strategies and activities you could undertake

Background• Marketer for over 15 years • 2007 started blogging www.CheshireMum.co.uk – Top Wikio ranked parenting blog

• Early 2009 - Hello Twitter @Cheshire_Claire– Top 10 UK Parents on Twitter 2011– Broadcaster & influencer of influencers– Specialist in Blogging, Family (via Klout)

• 2009 starting working with brands as a blogger• 2010 established “Social Boutique”

What we are going to cover

• The scale of social networks• Reasons not to fear social marketing• Is your brand social marketing ready• Profiles – what could / should you have?• Who is using social media• What are people doing with social media• Some of my favourites • What does it deliver• My long list of things brands can do

The Scale of Social NetworksTotal visits, March 2012:

1. Facebook: 7 billion2. Twitter: 182 million3. Pinterest: 104 million 4. LinkedIn: 86 million5. Tagged: 72 million6. Google+: 61 million• Instagram: 10.2 million• Foursquare: 2.9 million

Source: The 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark & Trend Report by Experian

Total users, March 2012:

• Facebook: 800 million • Twitter: 100 million • Pinterest: 11 million • LinkedIn: 147 million• Tagged: 20 million• Google+: 90 million• Instagram: 32 million• Foursquare: 10 million

Source: The Real Time Report, March 2012

Pinterest• Growing source of traffic

– OMG! Lots of Traffic!

• Analyse & understand– Where are visitors going, doing

& converting?

• Work traffic as you would from any source– Hit landing pages, go through a

conversion path

• Is Pinterest traffic valuable? – Might be! Test, track & adjust is

the only way to find out.– Needs specific goals

Reasons not to fear social marketing

1. Email & websites proved not to be scary 2. It really isn’t rocket science 3. These are just new communication tools 4. You can take small baby steps 5. There are successful case studies & learning's6. There are lots of tools to help 7. There is lots of help available & you can ask questions8. Mistakes avoided with planning & often opportunities 9. Learning should be constant, marketing must evolve 10. Employees, consumers, clients & competition use it

Is your brand social marketing ready?

• Does your brand answer the phone to customers, without knowing who they are, and say “P**s off, I’m busy”, before slamming the phone down?

• Does your brand ignore the phone entirely? • Does your brand speak badly about customers

behind their back (or to their face)? • Does your brand make racist, homophobic, sexist

or other offensive references? • If the answer is NO, then welcome aboard!

Profiles: what have you got?

• Personally & corporately

Profiles

• What could / should you have?– Secure your brand name and identity online– Across ALL social networks & geographies– Simply state the account is not monitored – Link to your brand site

• Why– Online customer experience – Search Engine benefits – Prevention

e.g. Coca-Cola and “Dusty & Michael”

Profiles: If you can only have three

• Facebook, Twitter & You Tube are now considered cornerstones of most social-media strategies in larger companies:– 94% Facebook top three platform priorities – 77% Twitter– 42% You Tube *

• LinkedIn would be a joint third for B2B* Source: Search Engine Watch

Who is using social media well?Business to Consumer• Dominates• B2C companies are more in the

public consciousness• Social media lends itself to

creating a large volume of fans and then engaging them

• Top of the “leader” boards are big global brands with their big global budgets!

– Coca Cola– Disney– Starbucks

Business to Business• Not new, it is more prevalent

than many realise • B2B social works differently• Niche & focussed is effective • Increasing addition to the

marketing mix• Can work very effectively & has

for:

– American Express– HSBC– IBM, Dell & HP

Some of my favourites

B2B• Gorilla Glass• Ship Serv• Qui Recruitment

B2C• Princes Fruit Breakfast• Zappos• Nissan Leaf – 100 days

B2B

• Extensive marketing campaign to introduce consumers to Corning® Gorilla® Glass and its exceptional damage resistance.

• Aim was to encourage consumers to demand Gorilla Glass for their touch screens. Here are some examples of the marketing elements involved:

Advertising Mobile Videos Social

• Unconfirmed by Apple or Corning widely believed that Apple iPhone 4 & iPad 2 onwards now use Gorilla Glass

B2C• A blog outreach campaign was undertaken with no brand social profiles • Supporting above the line advertising activity, promoting canned fruit products as

a great, healthy addition to breakfast• The objective was to raise the profile of canned fruit at breakfast and stimulate

traffic to the Princes brand website• Activity

– 8 week campaign focussed on influential parenting bloggers – 25 bloggers were recruited, provided sample goody box to review– Princes also supplied prizes for bloggers to run competitions– Day of radio interviews undertaken with 2 bloggers

• Results– 31 blog posts published– 60k unique blog visitors – 2.5k comments left on posts– Over 800 tweets hashtagged #PrincesBrekkie– Over 250k profiles received hashtagged tweets in timeline – 60 pieces of national radio coverage

B2B

• Leading e-marketplace in the maritime industry

• Providing technologies & services to support efficient global shipping

• Started using social marketing in 2008 with a focus on content to:– Increase traffic– Drive awareness– Attract new sales leads– Engage with the industry

• Key activities:– Research customer needs– Revamped website – Created a blog– Developed a Quarterly content

plan– Promoted & distributed content

socially– Created a series of white papers – Established an online industry

community on LinkedIn – Established a lead “scorecard”– SEO campaign informed by

social insights

B2BBusinessCommunityWebsite

•59% Increase in site visitors•70% increase in page views•25% increase on visit duration•1000+ white paper downloads

•378 LinkedIn group members •300 blog visitors•Over 600 video views•LinkedIn & Twitter top traffic sources

•Improved conversion •Contact to lead up 150%•Lead to opportunity up 50%•Campaign mgt costs down 80%•Sales ready leads up 400%•Significant lift in brand awareness

From an initial $30K investment it is estimated that the results achieved would have cost $150k through traditional media

B2C• Clothing and shoe retailer• Best in class example of how to do

social & launched using Twitter• Entire business is aligned to social with

a single mission to provide the best customer service possible

• Entire team (500 users!) use every available channel to connect with customers & are genuine

• Facebook is used for conversation, keep it active by spotlighting the "fan of the week" and chatting via wall posts

• Regularly posts videos that give users an inside look at the company's unique culture

B2B • “Rec to Rec” Recruitment Consultancy – they place recruiters in recruitment

agencies• Social platforms

– LinkedIn, Twitter & Blog are primary platforms– Facebook is secondary platform

• Content focussed plan – Created specific groups on LinkedIn– Calendar of blog posts & twitter communication plan – Follower strategy identifying & connecting with prospective candidates – Listening & identifying prospective client leads – Expanded to now writing monthly column for industry title

• Results– Broke even on the first placement – Delivered incremental revenues– Connected with new candidates gone on to place– Connected with new clients where we’ve now placed candidates– Received PR opportunities never have found offline

B2C

• 100 days, 100 facts, 100% electric driving• 40 hand-picked drivers take part in 10 electrifying challenges

to prove Nissan LEAF is ready. Will they turn you on to 100% electric driving? #NissanLEAFTBTO #NissanLeafCar28

What does it deliver?• You’ll never know if you don’t track it!

– At a basic level use custom URLs in your tweets, Facebook updates, Pins, Check-ins etc

• Influencers – those who recommend you to customers.– When you find out who yours are, they’re out there and they will show

themselves, give them some love. Give them some discounts. • Why likes & follows when I want sales?

– Because then you’ll have more opportunities to sell to those people.– A Facebook “Like” is a billboard that pops up regularly in front of your target

customer. If it’s interesting, they might even look at it more than once (that’s a big hint about the importance of content - make sure you have lots!)

• But what if I make a BIG MISTAKE?– You’re not likely to!– Not everyone will agree with everything, that’s life– Make sure there is a valid reason to say it, do unto others etc.

My long list of things brands can do• Facebook

– Brand & product pages – Content distribution– Campaign launch platform– Social listening – Customer service– Community thought, feedback & input – Competitions & games – Advertising & recruitment

• Twitter– Social listening – Customer service, acknowledgement &

management – Following & interacting on a personal

level– Tying in with major sporting & world

events– Shift to valuing expressions over

impressions– Driving traditional PR and media mentions

• LinkedIn – Industry & community groups & forums – Recruitment – New business generation

• Blogging– Create own blogs & write posts – Work with influential bloggers– Specific blog ambassador programmes – Product trial & review – Product launches and events

• You Tube– You Tube virals – Video blog “Vlog” posts – Explain company's origins & history– Highlight depts & employees

• Content – Branded content worth sharing – Written blog posts – Quick, momentary topical activities – Informal, funny, PR “stunt” content – White papers and downloads

Thank you!You can find me in all the usual places...

Link to me: http://www.linkedin.com/in/clairelancasterLike me: http://www.facebook.com/socialboutique http://www.facebook.com/clara.lancasterTweet me: @Cheshire_Claire @SocialBoutique_Call me: 07970 798802Write me: Just kidding!