White Paper
The case for social media marketing
A whitepaper for marketers looking to boost their social media presence Geary Interactive 9.2010 Š2010 Geary Interactive
The case for social media marketing A whitepaper for marketers looking to boost their social media presence
Executive summary This whitepaper investigates the merits of social media as a marketing tactic to engage consumers and cultivate profitable engagements. Exploring user adoption of social media and its marketing benefits, specific areas of focus include: • • •
How social media changed marketing Benefits of social media to other marketing tactics such as paid search and search engine optimization Solutions for successful social media campaign launches
Real Results. gearyi.com
The case for social media marketing Cultivating quality online engagements with consumers is not easy, and those brands accomplishing this task are still struggling to translate these relationships into revenue. Marketers are challenged with finding their target consumers online and fostering engagements that support corporate sales goals. The way people conduct pre-purchase research, consume news and elicit feedback from peers has dramatically changed. The social, interactive nature of digital marketing has elevated the expectations of how brands should respond to and interact with their customers online. Brands that have not mastered the art of social media marketing face a sizeable competitive disadvantage. Consumers are spending more time online than ever thanks to the adoption of mobile devices, social networking and the evolution in how users search for information. Evaluating how a brand fits into an ever changing digital landscape requires careful consideration of how to provide value to targeted consumers. In this consideration process questions arise about how to satisfy customer expectations while supporting business goals. How can I track the success of my social media marketing if most of my consumers make purchases offline? Why would my consumers want to follow me on Twitter? I am on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but now what should I do? If I am a B2B marketer, why should I care about social media marketing? Social media marketing serves as an efficient way to connect with consumers who are active online. Interactions here can forge and maintain lasting relationships that build a foundation of devoted brand fans. This whitepaper explores how marketers can use social media to support their online revenue channels and foster a sense of community among active users.
How social media changed digital marketing The old adage that a satisfied customer tells 3 people about a purchase while their disgruntled counterpart tells 10 takes on an entirely different meaning in the social media era (Gladin). Instead of a customer sharing a recent purchase experience with a friend over coffee or cocktails, consumers are broadcasting their experiences to their entire social network at one time. This amplifies consumer experiences in a way that can make or break a marketing plan. Proving the large scale adoption of
Real Results. gearyi.com
social media, Facebook reports that over 60 millions status updates are added or changed every day (Facebook), and there are 75 million Twitter users (Gaudin). This conversation will happen with or without brand influence, so brands need to make sure they have an engagement plan. Targets Thirty-two percent of online users utilize Facebook to share information with one another, and while this is second to email, the evolution of social networks as a way to distribute information is an important one (ShareThis). From a marketing perspective this means that the lines between online destinations are blurring. Users are not browsing the web like they did because what used to take 4 websites to accomplish can now be executed from one interface. Emailing a friend, posting pictures, searching for a restaurant review and reading news can all be achieved in one place. This means that marketers must integrate themselves into these networks, because users aren’t the moving targets they once were. Power shift Users are in control in the social sphere. They decide which information to share and which videos to comment on, and these decisions affect the success of a social media marketing campaign. Marketers’ carefully crafted slogans, responses and promotions are reduced to a headline or 140 characters, and users distribute them without additional context. Misinformation is likely, and unfortunately, brands can suffer when unflattering comments permeate social networks even if they are unfounded. To benefit from this power change, marketers need to make it easy to distribute company-produced content. This will be discussed in greater detail in the following sections. Time shift Social media also creates a sense of urgency that marketers must acknowledge in their marketing plans. Especially with microblogging forums, users who send out a comment about a company expect a timely response. Social media forums like Twitter combine the art of marketing and customer service in one platform. Just as a customer service representative cannot ignore a guest, a marketing department cannot turn a blind eye to a Twitter post. Social media holds marketers accountable to end users without the luxury of a time delay.
Real Results. gearyi.com
Aligning your social media Social media marketing can augment all of your marketing initiatives. Offline promotions, new office announcements, location-specific deals or product launches are perfect marketing initiatives to incorporate into a social media marketing strategy. The difficult part of connecting the dots between various mediums with social media is moving social traffic and buzz to company-owned properties. Unlike other digital marketing platforms, conversations on social networks are not hosted on a company website. Sure you can include links back to microsites and landing pages, but it still takes users an extra step to complete a conversion process. Marketers need to cross link social-generated traffic to encourage users to transfer from 3rd party sites to their own properties. Example: A financial institution is running a seasonal campaign to promote a new service. The campaign incorporates in-branch advertisements, search engine marketing, broadcast ads and social media. The goal of the campaign is to open new accounts through an online lead form. To convert its social followers, the company directs social-driven traffic to a unique landing page where they can enter in a promo code to receive a discount. After conversion, social fans can add a search engine optimized badge to add to their social properties. Paid search Social media is known to shorten an online conversion process. Users exposed to social media campaigns are likely to use lower funnel keywords to search for promoted services or products. A simplistic example of this trend is a user searching for “ABC Concert at Hotel XYZ” after seeing a branded ad for a concert. This user is much more likely to find your website and convert than someone who queries for “Las Vegas concerts.” Besides improving cost per acquisition ratios, social media helps marketers’ paid search efforts by carving out traffic to call your own. Running a social media campaign that touts a new slogan is a great way to introduce new keywords to consumers who are likely to search for them later. Search engine optimization Search engine optimization efforts are aided by social media marketing. When compared to pay-per-click advertising, search engine optimization lacks the ability to target specific pages within a website. In most
Real Results. gearyi.com
instances, organic search engine results link to a website’s homepage. From here users still need to navigate to desired information, which may or may not lead to a conversion. Paid listings on the other hand can target deep inner pages that help expedite a sales process. For example, a user searching for a particular model of television can click on a tailored advertisement that takes them to a product specific webpage. However with the help of social media, marketers can build inbound links and develop content around less generic keywords that link to inner pages. Customer relationship marketing Maintaining customers has always been an important marketing initiative, but with social media this aspect of marketing becomes even more critical. Customers have the power in social media, and if you neglect them, they will either do the same or fight against you. The latter is a very undesirable circumstance. Marketers should think of social media as a new breed of communication. It acts as a cross between a one-on-one and mass communication model. Consumers expect one-on-one interactions with brands they’ve never had direct access to before, and once they have something to say, they will undoubtedly broadcast it to their own social network. While it is not on the scale of typical broadcast models, it has the potential to influence consumer behavior and their purchase habits. Using social media as a CRM tactic is fairly simple. Engage with and respond to social media users—especially those that interact with you. These users are indispensible in marketing terms because they are active, engaged and proactively interacting with you. Using social media, these users can become brand evangelists who market on your behalf.
Solutions for social media implementation Social media is not a marketing strategy that can run on its own, and building a social following is a time consuming process. However, there is a lot of marketing potential in these engaged users. Much like an email database, social media supporters are users who opt in to hear more about a company, and it’s undeniable that recommendations coming from peers far outweigh those from advertisers. As marketers work to optimize or implement social media plans to cultivate relationships with consumers, they should consider the following questions.
Real Results. gearyi.com
How do I encourage my social network to go to my website? + First, marketers must give users a reason to visit their website. Whether it’s a promotion or discount, research shows that users expect perks when engaging with brands via social media (Marketing Sherpa). It’s also important to cross promote social media platforms. For example if using LinkedIn, marketers should have a link to the careers section of their website. Including these links will make it easier for users to navigate to various web properties. Adopting a new social platform too early seems risky. How do I know when I should get involved? + Timing is important in social media. Those that get involved early make a name for themselves, but some platforms are fads that do not last too long. When making a decision, ask the following questions: + Are my customers here? + Will I be able to contribute and cultivate engagements? + Do I have the resources available to execute this well? If the answer is yes to these questions, the forum in question is probably worth further exploration. How should I track my social media marketing? + Tracking social media will depend on your goals. Analytics software is catching up to social media platforms, and analytics professionals are capable of embedding tracking code and variables to ensure social media performance tracks against business goals. For more on analytics implementation, read our other whitepaper by clicking here. What can I do to add quality content to existing social networks? + Marketers need to resist the urge to just promote their brands on social media. It is about interactions, not shouting a one-way message. Listen to what target customers are discussing, and develop a strategy about how brands can fit into existing conversations. Forcing it will not help a marketing cause.
Real Results. gearyi.com
Conclusions Social media should be an essential pillar of a successful digital marketing strategy, and the marketers who do not employ social media tactics are missing out on valuable, profitable consumer interactions. It can augment multichannel promotions, extend a customer retention management program and become an important gauge of consumer sentiment. Regardless of industry or initiatives, social media marketing cannot be ignored.
Getting expert help At Geary Interactive we believe that social media marketing is about getting REAL. It comes down to relationships, engagements, accountability and longevity. Success stems from creating relationships, holding yourself accountable and the desire to cultivate these engagements in the long term. The Geary advantage means that we partner with you to achieve your digital goals and meet business objectives. We work with you side-byside, as a partner, on every aspect of a project to ensure that the utmost care is given to social media. Our partnership doesn’t end when the implementation stage is complete.
About Geary Interactive Geary Interactive is the leading REAL RESULTS digital marketing agency that provides nationally recognized, full service capabilities in a performance driven model. Premium services include: strategic planning, analytics, digital advertising, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, creative design and website development. As one of the nation’s foremost independent digital agencies, Geary has been continually recognized as one of the region’s fastest-growing private companies and Best Places to Work. Geary is headquartered in San Diego with locations in San Francisco and New York. For additional information, please visit www.gearyi.com or call (619)756-6700.
Real Results. gearyi.com
Works Cited
Facebook. Facebook Statistics. 2010. 3 March 2010 <http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics>. Gaudin, Sharon. "Twitter now has 75 Million Users, Most Asleep at the Mouse." 26 January 2010. Computer World. 10 February 2010 <http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9148878/Twitter_now_has_75M _users_most_asleep_at_the_mouse>. Gladin, Susan. "How Customer Service Works." 2009. How Stuff Works. 4 March 2010 <http://money.howstuffworks.com/customer-service2.htm>. Marketing Sherpa. "What Social Followers Want." 12 January 2010. eMarketer. 2 March 2010 <http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007476>. ShareThis. "Primary Method Used to Share Content Online Among Internet Users Worldwide." 19 December 2009. eMarketer. 10 February 2010 <http://totalaccess.emarketer.com/Chart.aspx?R=90962>.
Real Results. gearyi.com