Do’s of Social Media
Get permission: Ensure your company policy allows you to blog or podcast in the first place; otherwise you could find yourself looking for a new job.
Have fun: Make blogs and podcasts entertaining. Choose someone readers can relate to and who can write with a conversational and lighthearted tone.
Keep it current: Remember to regularly update your blog, including links to other bloggers and related parts of your website.
Don’t of Social Media
Censor: Avoid deleting or ignoring comments, even if you don't agree with them. Customers in particular should feel free to say what they think.
Have fun: Monitor blogs regularly to ensure they comply with law and company policies, including keeping trade secrets under wraps.
DON’T FORGET
To link to your news articles from relevant pages within your own website.
What do I say?
The key it too keep it compelling and interesting, it’s not an advert. So remember its not 'winter maintenance' its 'my motorway breakdown nightmare', its not 'the new family car' its 'driving on holiday, childhood memories'. Have a go it’s easier than you think!
REMEMBER:
A campaign must be designed so that social influence takes place. It must be word of mouth performed digitally, its needs to engage individuals and allows them to easily want and share that information. Execute campaigns specifically where conversations are taking place about your target- do not try to get them to move somewhere else. You must engage with official and unofficial sites before you start any campaign they can be the biggest helpers (PROMOTORS) but also the biggest DETRACTERS or even saboteurs. The goal is to get groups to be ADVOCATES of your products. Measurement metric points could be how many people reached, signed up, purchased.
SIM PROTOCOL
- Be yourself and use your own voice.
- When publishing your thoughts and opinions don’t do so anonymously, readers don’t want to read an advert.
- Respond quickly to everything and on the same platform i.e. don’t send a press release out to respond to criticism on Facebook, use Facebook and don’t get caught on the defensive.
- Don’t ignore people even if it is to criticism, be honest and use humour it shows a human side.
- Quid Pro Quo- People will give something for something. This means respond or if they ask for an opinion give it, if the want advice give it.
- Treat everyone as equal high authority bloggers and newbies alike.
- Think of yourself as a PARTICIPANT rather than the owner of a campaign
- Campaigns generally don’t have an expiry date. Once it’s out of the radar don’t just turn it off, start again, research and customise it.
- Encourage others to set up groups and swap followers
The Marketing Funnel
Social Media Marketing can be used in slightly different ways at each stage of the cycle.
AWARENESS
- Publish and tag adverts (amusing/interesting/informative) on YouTube (embed in main site as well)
- Develop relationships with Expert influencers i.e. those that own popular blogs targeted at your market e.g. Sports Car Blogs/Forum Owners, Low Car Emission Blogs/Forum Owners, Expat Blogs/Forum Owners, Pension Blogs/Forum Owners, Healthcare Professional Blogs/Forum Owners
- Set Up a Facebook/Twitter/MySpace Account and Webpage. Run interactive polls, offer information, give something away, give member discounts or offers.
- Make sure your webpages have the technical capacity for users to bookmark and share information e.g put Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, RSS icons at all appropriate places.
CONSIDERATION
- Publish and direct potential customers to product reviews, testimonials, product reviews.
- Enable and plant discussions on your own forum or on popular/ authoritative forums about your products to encourage debate and recommendations good and bad as this builds trust.
- Use your twitter account to quickly respond to customer service NOTE: never be put on the defensive and always admit mistakes, improvements, shortcomings etc.
PREFERENCE
- Publish a blog or several; customers want to hear from an open contactable human being more than ever at this point to feel confident that they going to get excellent service.
- Have a range of Podcasts that you can give a link to for propsects to explain the product further. Use software like Audacity to record “self” interviews to FAQs. This can be Video (YouTube) or Audio (iTunes). It builds trust and confidence in the brand.
ACTION
Probably best not to interfere here, maybe showcase or upsell other products as long as it doesn’t interfere with closing the sale.
LOYALTY
Invite customers who have purchased or used your service to write a review and comment on it (People actually loved to be asked and most are willing) Make them part of your elite reviewer crowd! Are there any people in your LinkedIn network who may endorse your good or service i.e. are any Expats? Do any drive a Lexus? Have any experience of relatives in care homes?
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