Strategy for a Video Campaignby Shashi Bellamkonda & Lisa Byrne

02/13/2011

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How does Network Solutions spell social media success?

How about with a 500% increasein .co domain name sales.

We classify that as a NetworkSolutions touchdown (or win) – without running a $3 M Super Bowl ad.

How did we do it? How can you as a small business learn from our experience.

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Set Objectives

Decide on your objectives which could be one or all of theseBrand Awareness

Media

Consumer Buzz around products

A message that people will share

Increased Traffic

Increased sales

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Identify Your Audience

WHO are you trying to reach, where are they, and what do they respond to?

TIMING is imperative for your launch/release – when are you most likely to grab their attention?

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Public Relations

You still needa traditional

press release!

And a Social Media release

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Upload to YouTube

Second largest search engine after Google

Add relevant tags when uploading

Be direct with the title for search purposes

Search similar videos and add a comment

Add your own video as a response to other/similar/competing videos

Engage and respond to people who comment on your video – positive and negative

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Share on Facebook

Create an early buzz by posting status updates relevant to the topic of your video

Post a link to YouTube (or landing page) from your Company Page

Post from personal pages (employees can help a lot)

Link to other relevant Facebook pages

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Share on Twitter

Consider new/separate Twitter account to represent a character or object in the video

Create custom Twitter backgrounds and profile images – add to company accounts, personal accounts, new account (if relevant)

Search for hashtags relevant to your topic, add them in your tweets

Create your own custom hashtag for the video, add to all tweets without or without the video

Prepare a number of tweets ahead of time to allow more real-time engagement with reactors

Set up search queries around your subject and interact directly with people talking about it

Reply to people who interact with you, retweet their comments to continue the conversation

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Paid Advertising

Banner ads strategically placed where your target markets is web surfing

Facebook ads can be specifically targeted also (even directly to the fans of competitors pages)

Consider print ads (add a QR code they can scan to watch the video, bring print to the mobile in their hand)

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Outreach to Community & Influencers

Work within your community to reach out for assistance, advise your network ahead of time that you are working on something big! Remind them when it releases

Consider an outside PR company who can expand this reach to specific online influencers

Interact directly with these influencers through Twitter to help create a buzz

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Email

Send as a special update to your current distribution list

Include a link to the video in your next newsletter and share some of the successes

If you have a large company share it with your employees initially through email

Have your team add a link to the video in their email signature, encourage this company-wide

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Make it Easy to Share

Create a dedicated landing page for the video on your website

Embed the video (code from YouTube so as not to divide the number of views)

Add additional outtakes, production photographs, funny one-liners on this page

Include EASY SHARE options and place them prominently on the page.

Add This has an ideal button that pulls out (highlights) the Facebook Like button and the Twitter Tweet button for one-click sharing, along with an option to share on multiple sites with 2-clicks

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Prepare for a Crisis or Controversy

You can’t please everybody! Accept that and keep going

Consider all possible negative feedback ahead of time

Prepare various responses to possible concerns and tailor themto reply on Facebook, YouTube,Twitter, blogs, mainstream media, detailed emails

Create talking points should you receive phone calls or meet people in person

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Other Things to Consider

Release a pre-promotional or teaser video

Add the video link as status or mood message to your IM accounts

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Go Granny Parody Video

On February 4th, 2011 Network Solutions® launched their Go Granny parody video featuring Cloris Leachman to coincide with Super Bowl weekend, and won the public vote in the social media sphere.

Online sentiment about the Go Granny video campaign is currently at 97.5% percent, and the Twitter stream gained attention from social media notables like Guy Kawasaki, Scott Monty, Liz Strauss and Jason Falls.

A simultaneous launch on the website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, blog properties, Twitter streams and in online banner ads was followed by a three day social media blitz.

On game day, when GoDaddy revealed its new girl, the social media channels lit up with comments.

While Go Daddy took heat for puzzling views with a body double for Joan Rivers, Go Granny /Cloris Leachman was celebrated as a social media sweetheart.

View video at http://networksolutions.com/video

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As of February 12th, 2011

YouTube: 60k views, 135 likes, 4 dislikes & 84 comments

Other Social Media Channels: 8.3M Impressions

Media/Blogs: 14.6M Impressions

Twitter:18M Impressions & 2,600 Tweets

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Thank you

Employees

Network Solutions Social Advisory BoardFacebook fans

Twitter community

Friends and colleagues

Blog readershttp://womengrowbusiness.com

http://networksolutions.com/blog

http://networksolutions.com/smallbusiness

DC community