Paula Mc Nulty

27 October 2011

Social Media…the ‘must-have’ accessory?

Social Media – what does it mean?

Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile

technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue.

It is:

• social interaction

• enabled by accessible and scalable communication techniques

• a change in the way we communicate

• about sharing opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives with each other

technology allows people immediate

access to highly engaging information

and to connect socially

24 hours

of video

uploaded

to YouTube

each minute

750 million active

Facebook users

(250 million via

mobile)

implication: The need to

deliver engaging information and to

connect socially with

audiences to match audience

behavior and expectations.

200 million

tweets delivered daily

PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO

REGARD WORD-OF-MOUTH AS

THE BEST SOURCE OF IDEAS AND

INFORMATION ABOUT

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

90%

control credibility

web 1.0 web 2.0 company audiences

The Landscape is Changing

7

Digital Media

• Media provided a mostly one-way “channel” to audiences

• Journalists use bylines and have a degree of accountability (slander, libel laws apply)

• Drive desirable eyeballs to our forum (corporate website)

• Media influence audiences / consumers; you didn’t typically know about it until you “heard it on the news”

• Relatively clear rules of engagement and conduct (pitch/place, validate stories with three sources, etc.)

Traditional Media

• We can engage - and interact - with our audience directly

• “Netizens” can be anonymous and there is virtually no recourse

• Drive our content to desirable eyeballs in “communities” such as blogs, Facebook, YouTube etc

• Consumers influence media: camera phones, video cams are often the first “on the scene”

• Fairly ambiguous rules of engagement and sometimes unclear codes of conduct (“pitches” frowned upon, highly opinion-based content)

people want their relationships with

organizations to mirror their personal

relationships – personal, accessible,

empathetic and responsible

news media responds to this reality

by producing and sharing stories in

multiple mediums.

implication: This creates the

need for companies to use a variety of ways –

video, audio, text, graphics and photos –

to match media expectations.

content Your business is full of compelling stories, and traditional and social media have an appetite for them. But remember content distribution, syndication and conversation are at your disposal.

advocacy word of mouth establishes company’s point-of-view more effectively than any other com- munication vehicle. Advocacy is driven by word of mouth when relevant and shareable content lives in multiple destinations and formats.

retention people absorb information in a variety of ways, and stories should be told with variation. This improves overall retention and willingness to share information, particularly told by a trusted voice.

economies by resonating with a wider yet more targeted audience on their preferred channels, and activating advocates to further distribute the story, economies are realised – stories work harder for their investment.

So how do you do it...and do it well?

Think strategically!

Things are fusing in our industry

Do we need help to produce a variety of our own stories, formats and destinations to become more “social” – inline with the expectations of our audiences?

Are we providing the media with video, images and graphics to tell our stories – could we? Should we? Are we inline with the new way media produce and people absorb information?

a communications strategy that

fits your business, your needs and helps you

excel in today’s diverse content and

conversation-driven media environment

So in essence...

You need to identify what stories can be told in which formats and where you can drive those stories.

You can become your own media outlet, publishing your own stories on your own channels, as well as share your news with more traditional media in a manner more consistent with how news is produced and absorbed today.

It is about “Content Fusion” - a new way of approaching media relations.

think about it this way…

Stories

e.g. News Knowledge

History

Conversations

Create multiple

Resources

?

Assets

There to be used

& created

Formats

e.g. Photo Image Video Audio

Vehicles

e.g. Tweet News release FB/Blog post

Destinations

e.g. TV/Radio Online/website

Magazine, Newspaper Social media

Apps

Different approaches and always a solution...

• What does your business need?

• Who is best placed to manage it?

• Do we need external help to get started?

• What technology is available to make it easier?

• Are my competitors doing it?

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Maria Robinson

Using social media brings:

• 77% more site traffic

• 56% higher conversion rates

• 42% higher average order value (emarketer)

and:

• 91% of Europeans use internet to research a purchase or buy a new product (marketinggum)

• 51% of Facebook and 67% of Twitter brand followers claim they are more likely to purchase that brand

• 24% of consumers start a purchase search on a brand’s website - 76% start them online in search and social media

• 70% of users say reviews and commentary on social media make them more confident in purchase (Comscore)

The facts speak for themselves...

Social Media…the ‘must-have’ accessory ? !

Questions?

Contact Details:

Paula Mc Nulty Associate Director Weber Shandwick 9 Lynedoch Crescent Glasgow G3 6EQ

www.facebook.com/paulamcnulty

www.twitter.com/mcnult (@mcnult)

www.linkedin.com/in/paulamcnulty

Presentation slides available at: www.slideshare.net/paulamcnulty