MSVU – Social Media Place in Communications Plan

1. MSVU – Social Media Place in Communications Plan

2. Marketing Design Activity The Revolution will not be televised~ Gil Scott Heron

3. Media Proliferation • Today, media is fragmented • 13,500 radio stations (4,400 in 1960) • 17,300 magazine titles (8,400 in 1960) • 82.4 TV channels per home (5.7 in 1960) • And the Web: • Millions of sites • Billions of pages

4. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED The Social media conversation • The conversation is not: • controlled • organized • “on message” • The conversation is: • organic • complex • speaks in a human voice • Social media is not a strategy or a tactic – it’s simply a channel.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media is changing our world The power to define and control a brand is shifting from corporations and institutionsto individuals and communities.

6. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Small markets are the new mass market It is about putting the “public” back in Public Relations and realizing that focusing on important markets and influencers will have a far greater impact than trying to reach the masses with any one message or tool. Brian Solis, The Social Media Manifesto

7. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media influences people 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying decisions - JC Williams Group 87% trust a friend’s recommendation over critic’s review - Marketing Sherpa 3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over advertising for purchasing decisions - Jupiter Research 1 word-of-mouth conversation has impact of 200 TV ads - BuzzAgent * Slide courtesy of Digital Influence Group

8. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED People are using social media • Social media sites are the fastest-growing category on the web, doubling their traffic over the last year. • 73% of active online users have read a blog • 45% have started their own blog • 39% subscribe to an RSS feed • 57% have joined a social network • 55% have uploaded photos • 83% have watched video clips Universal McCann’s Comparative Study on Social Media Trends, April 2008. 17,000 respondents from 29 countries, *using internet at least every other day

9. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Canadians are using social media 40% of Canadian internet users have visited a community or social networking site 22% of Canadians over 60 50% of Internet users under 30 25% of users 25-29 do so daily 43% English speaking Canadians and 24% of French speaking Canadians visit these sites

10. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED How you can use social media

11. How you can use social media • Integrating online social media into your overall communication plan • "Integrate" is one of those buzzwords that earned its way to the top of the truism list. The point's been made but it's foundational, that any communications strategy begins with a consideration of: • Goals: what you're trying to make happen. For an NGO they must fall into either category a: advancing our mission or category b, sustaining our organization (i.e. raising $$$). • Audiences = Try not to reach too many audiences, or too large a number of individuals; go deep, not broad (as marketers would say, segment)--the more we are able to segment our audiences the better we can understand them and imagine their thoughts, feelings, needs. We usually say that you have a good sense of your audience when you know what they care most about and how best to reach them--i.e..... what channels are most appropriate. • Messages versus conversations • Communications that involve participation, activation or strengthen use social media tools • Consider the action you want them to take an situated by social media vechile ..link out • Trade off expense..brochure vs picture uploads of events

12. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media is practical • Learn what people are saying about you • Create buzz for events & campaigns • Increase brand exposure • Identify and recruit influencers to spread your message • Find new opportunities and customers • Support your products and services • Improve your search engine visibility • Gain competitive intelligence • Get your message out fast • Retain clients by establishing a personal relationship • Be an industry leader – not a follower

13. SOCIAL MEDIA DEFINED Social media is measurable Source: The Digital Influence Group, Measuring the Influence of Social Media • Engagement & Influence • Sentiment of reviews/comments • Brand affinity • Commenter authority/influence • Time spent • Favourites / Friends / Fans • Viral forwards • Number of downloads • Reach • Website visits / views • volume of reviews/comments • Incoming links • Action & Insight • Sales inquiries • New business • Customer Satisfaction / loyalty • Marketing efficiency

14. 10 KEYSTO SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS KEYS TO SUCCESS

15. KEYS TO SUCCESS 1. Experiment with social media Experiment personally before professionally Try a variety of social media tools Be yourself, make some friends, and share

16. KEYS TO SUCCESS 2. Make social media central • Spend time upfront planning how you will use social media • Think POST: • People • Objectives • Strategy • Technology

17. KEYS TO SUCCESS 3. Listen before participating Find where your audience is participating and identify the influencers Read industry blogs (including comments) Google your company name & your competition Find tools that can help you listen

18. KEYS TO SUCCESS 4. Be transparent & honest Avoid puffery (people will ignore it) Avoid evasion and lying(people won’t ignore it) Companies have watched their biggest screw-up's rise to the top 10 of a Google search Admit your mistakes right away

19. KEYS TO SUCCESS 5. Share your content • Don’t be afraid to share. Corporations, like people, need to share information to get the value out of social media • Make your content easy to share • Incorporate tools that promote sharing: • Share This, RSS feeds, Email a friend

20. KEYS TO SUCCESS 6. Be personal and act like a person Don't shout. Don't broadcast. Don’t brag. Speak like yourself – not a corporate marketing shill or press secretary Personify your brand – give people something they can relate to.

21. KEYS TO SUCCESS 7. Contribute in a meaningful way Think like a contributor, not a marketer Consider what is relevant to the community before contributing Don’t promote your product on every post Win friends by promoting other people’s content if it interests you

22. KEYS TO SUCCESS 8. Learn to take criticism Don’t try to delete or remove criticism (it will just make it worse) Listen to your detractors Admit your shortcomings Work openly towards an explanation and legitimate solution

23. KEYS TO SUCCESS 9. Be proactive Don’t wait until you have a campaign to launch - start planning and listening now Build relationships so they’re ready when you need them

24. KEYS TO SUCCESS 10. Accept you can’t do it all yourself You need buy in from everyone in the organization Convince your CEO that social media is relevant to your organization Get your communications team together, discuss the options, then divide and conquer

25. Three Take Aways Peer-to-peer discussions are more influential than the mass media Participate by enabling and feeding the conversation(follow the 10 keys to success) Be transparent & honest