Your Social Media Strategy Is Wrong

James La Porte @jlp

Table of Contents •  On Social Media •  Earned Media and Moments of Truth •  The Path Forward

On Social Media

When asked, most people will say that social media is Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, or one of the hundreds of logos on this slide.

What is Social Media?

They’re websites and platforms, that’s all.

But those sites are just tools…

Social media, in it’s simplest state, is a conversation. People talking to each other, brands talking to fans, fans talking to brands. Technology is finally catching up with the way we’ve communicated forever

Social Media is a Conversation

By 2014 there will be over 1.8B people who use social networks.

Source:  h*p://www.sta2s2cbrain.com/social-­‐networking-­‐sta2s2cs/  

A Large Conversation

Facebook users spend spend over 700 billion minutes on Facebook every month.

Source:  h*p://www.sta2s2cbrain.com/social-­‐networking-­‐sta2s2cs/  

A Large Conversation

The conversation doesn’t end. There will always be people talking to each other online. " Sometimes they’ll be talking about your brand.

A 24/7 Conversation

As long as people communicate with each other there will always be some form of social media.

Some people think social media is a fad

But there will always be ways for people to communicate with each other online.

It may not be any of these platforms

To communicate To express themselves To discover information

They could be talking with their best friend, someone they’ve never met or a brand.

Just as we express ourselves in the real world (i.e. the way we dress, the music we listen to, et c) we shape our online personas to the way we want people to perceive us.

Information can be the new viral video, world news, or a picture of your sister’s newborn.

Why People Use Social Media

~27% of time spent on the web in the United States is spent on social networking.

Source:  Experian,  2012  

They use social media a lot…

Stay ahead of consumer needs and wants

To Shape Brand Perception

To create functional and emotional bonds

with consumers

Extend customer service offerings

To Augment market research with real time data

Why Brands Use Social Media

Consumers are now empowered and their voices have the potential to be louder and carry more weight than brand voices. Harnessing their thoughts and feelings is how brands will be successful in social media. Brands need to focus on earned media.

Why Social Media Is Powerful

Earned Media and Moments of Truth

Paid Owned Earned

Content that is served to prospects via ad-

networks or paid placement.

Content you post on channels you control

(e.g. Facebook, owned website).

Content created or perpetuated by a third

party – typically a consumer.

The Types of Media

How Most Brands See Social

Most brands focus on paid and owned media, it’s the easy part of social media. They like the idea of earned media, but they aren’t too good at making it happen.

Paid Owned

What Brands Should Focus On

If you are effective at creating a sempiternal ecosystem of earned media you will always be top of mind with your consumers, this is easier said than done.

Earned

Moments of Truth Zero

Moment First

Moment Second Moment

Ultimate Moment

What it is When a consumer is researching which product is the best

for them.

What it is When a consumer is in-store/online and is about to purchase

your product.

What it is When a consumer uses and has an

experience with your product they have

purchased.

What it is When a consumer

shares their experience with your product with others.

Where it happens •  In the

consumers life

Where it happens •  E-Commerce •  In-Store

Where it happens •  Social Media •  Search •  Owned Website •  E-Commerce •  In-store •  Social Graph

Where it happens •  Social Media •  Blogs, websites,

comments •  E-Commerce •  Social graph

This is Earned Media

The Consumer Decision Journey

0 1

2 U

Check out your product on Google & Facebook

Examine

product on shelf, like it

Use your product, have an experience

with it

Like what they see, go to the store to check it out

Enjoy using your product

Tell your

friends how great of a

product it is

“Your current consumers’ Ultimate Moment of Truth becomes your potential consumers’ Zero Moment of Truth”

Earned Media Manifesto

Every experience, both digital and physical, with your brand, through every moment of truth, has to be crafted with the knowledge that the consumer is going to share their experience with someone at some point in time.

Earned Media at Scale Digital, social media more specifically, gives consumers the ability to share their experiences more often, with a larger audience, and at a faster pace than ever before. It also gives brands the ability to augment, perpetuate, and build upon existing experiences as well as creating opportunities to create future ones.

The Path Forward

This Talk Will Cover… - Why focusing solely on your owned properties

is the wrong strategy. - Where you should focus your social media

efforts. - Social Media’s role in the consumer decision

journey