Social media pocket guide

Social Media
Pocket Guide
6 Ways to Use Social Media for Business and
Practical Guidance on Developing Full-Scale Programs

aN iNtroductioN to tHe Social Media Pocket Guide
In just a short time, social media has become a ubiquitous mainstay in the lives of consumers. Popular
platforms have rapidly grown to hundreds of millions of users, and the adoption of social media platforms
has no end in sight.

This social media “revolution” has changed the traditional, corporate monologue into a two-way dialogue
with customers and prospects.

Social media:

• Allows companies and brands to learn more about target audiences easier and more affordably

• Levels the playing field for brands of every size and industry

• Provides cost-effective communications in comparison to traditional channels

• Emphasizes great content, empowering companies to leverage helpful assets to attract fans,
followers and friends

• Harnesses the importance and relevancy of “now” – real-time, immediate communications

• Delivers a greater reach, with a multiplicative effect of pass along, as compared to other
marketing communications channels

What this means for businesses is the time to embrace social media channels to reach customers and
prospects is now. And while social media marketing and communications is no small task to undertake,
there are six objectives every company should consider to have at the core of their social activity. These
include:

1. Building Brand Awareness

2. Making Customer Service Personal with Social Media

3. Adding Events to Social Media Programs

4. Adding Social Media to Product Introductions

5. Embracing Social Media to Build Your Sales Pipeline

6. Activating Your Community to Take Action

This guide walks through each of the “Big Six” objectives and provides a tactical overview of the business
case, team considerations and actual content examples and templates to use for your social media
initiatives.

In other words, the following pages can be used as a cheat sheet on how to get started today using
proven tactics and best practices, with sample content and examples to help jump-start your social media
success.

Social Media Pocket Guide 2

caSe #1 - BuildiNG BraNd awareNeSS

Case #1 - Building Brand Awareness
BuSiNeSS caSe

Using social media to build brand awareness is the number one goal of most social media marketers.
Hundreds of millions of people are talking, learning and engaging through social media channels. If
you don’t have a presence in social media, your company is missing what’s become a fundamental
communication channel in the marketing mix.

It’s arguable that there isn’t a single company or organization that doesn’t have brand awareness as
one of its core organizational goals. Social media has quickly become one the best ways to reach large
audiences who are hungry for information and conversation. For professional communicators, having
social media as a tool in the arsenal for building brand awareness is no longer a nice to have. It’s a must
have.


tHe toP four arGuMeNtS for uSiNG Social Media for
BraNd awareNeSS:

Building branding awareness is centered around reaching more people. One
1. reach of the strengths of social media is wide reach, and employing the use of
these channels can help extend your brand’s presence tremendously.

2. traffic Social media drives traffic to other corporate channels.

As media becomes more fragmented, social media helps reach new and
3. New audiences growing audiences, as well as compliments other efforts to interact with
these people.

Illustrate your domain expertise by allowing staff and/or corporate accounts
to share, educate and provide relevant information to your prospects and
4. expertise
clients. You will be building a public profile filled with helpful information
that highlights the expertise you hold in your respective industry.

teaM traitS & exPertiSe

outgoing, willing to be “face” of the company

Strong knowledge of company
background, its products or services

engaging “online” personality; genuine

Strong writer

understanding of relevant corporate content to share


coNteNt

1. details about the company, including Services and offerings

People follow brands to learn more about them. Don’t be afraid to talk about your culture, employees,
what you offer, services you provide or general conversations about who you are as a company.

examples:

• Tweet pictures or details around a fun • Post a YouTube video showcasing clients
company function. talking about how they use your product.

• Post on Facebook sharing the latest • Upload a presentation to SlideShare
information and updates about your highlighting your industry, services, and
products or enhancements in services. importance of your area of expertise.

2. thought leadership content

Beyond corporate collateral, your business is probably publishing content that illustrates your domain
expertise. This is commonly referred to as thought leadership and is powerful in raising awareness. If your
focus is B2B, this might be a white paper or best practices guide. If you are consumer focused, this might
be tips or creative ideas on how to use different products. Either way, it’s content that provides value,
while elevating your placement as a leader in your space.

examples:

• Share a link on Facebook of the latest • Upload pictures to Flickr, tagged with your
whitepaper or helpful article published by company and keywords, showing your
your organization. clients benefitting from your services in
different ways.
• Create a series of Tweets sharing interesting
product facts tied to interests that resonate • Share a YouTube video of employees giving
with your target audience. advice on how to use your product or service
in creative ways.

3. company News

Every company has interesting activities happening regularly. Maybe you hired a new leader who brings an
exciting or unique background. Or perhaps you have a new corporate initiative worthy of sharing publicly.
All of these news updates help highlight what type of company you are and promote the growth of your
network by building interest in your corporate activities.

examples:

• Interview new team leaders about what they • Post pictures on Facebook of your office and
are excited about and include as a post on teams that work there.
corporate blog – written or videoed.
• Post public facing presentations for product
• Post a Flickr image of a corporate social and service announcement details on
initiative promotion poster to share what SlideShare.
your company is doing to give back to the
community.


4. Questions for feedback

Building brand awareness isn’t just about sharing your own content. It’s also based on asking for content
from others. Asking for input gets more people engaged with your brand and sharing ideas across their

networks. As a bonus, input can be used to learn about your network and potentially used for aspects of
future marketing.

examples:

• Tweet a question of the week about users’ • Always pose a question at the end of blog
favorite aspect of the latest product, service posts asking if readers have any other ideas
or communications campaign focus area. or helpful feedback.

• Introduce a Facebook poll asking what areas • Ask what type(s) of industry-related content
of your product, new features, or services and resources your community finds most
your community cares about the most. useful to help inform what the best content
is for your brand.

5. community content

Many people keep up with social media accounts to learn about industry news. Employees of companies
are followed because they talk about their industry – not just the product they sell. Marketing agencies
are followed because they share content from leaders in their space – not just their services. And millions
of people follow companies because they share noteworthy news about their industry, the people in it and
third party resources – not just for discounts or product news.

examples:

• Write a blog post sharing helpful resources Enhance Your Blog:
from industry leaders. 10 Tips to Make Your
Blog Best in Show
• Share links to industry events in which your http://slidesha.re/f4LJX4
network may be interested in attending.

• Post links to and reflections about thought
leadership content from market influencers.

6. research

Despite the size or industry of your company, new research or community findings are always interesting.
If you work in a B2B company, this may be a study on industry business trends. Companies offering
tangible products may conduct research on user perceptions or quality of ingredients. This research
elevates the expertise of companies. It also can build awareness of product or offering strengths and
unique positioning in your industry.

examples:

• Post industry infographics and charts on • Share your research with well-known
Flickr with relevant tags. bloggers and invite them to share insights
with their readers.
• Interview the person(s) leading research
projects on video to post to YouTube for • Break up interesting findings into a multi-
additional insights. part series of blog posts to grow readership
over time.


7. customer Success Stories

There’s no better way to grow brand awareness than to have customers share their success stories.
Sometimes these are formal case studies based on lengthy results. Other times, they are prompted or

spontaneous content shared by your community. Regardless, sharing customer success allows results and
personal feedback of customers to speak on behalf of your company.

examples:
• Invite customers to write guest blog posts • Ask for user submitted videos of anecdotes
to discuss interesting product experiences about your product or service. Interesting
and/or success. stories and testimonials help break through
the clutter and get attention.
• Tweet links to success stories, tagging
customers and partners discussed to make
them aware they can share the content, too.

real world content examples

Left: TOMS Shoes uses Twitter to send out updates and pictures to their followers around their One Day Without Shoes campaign.

Top Right: HomeAway uses Facebook polls to engage their community by asking for feedback on travel related questions.

Bottom Right: Carnival Cruises posts pictures to their Flickr page showing customers in action enjoying various activities available while on a Carnival Cruise.


MeaSureMeNt

1. activity to engagement ratio

Comparing activities published by your organization
to engagement (or interactions) from your audience
will help determine the value of your content. In social
media, value is displayed by engagement.

2. Potential impressions

Mere exposure to your content is important when the goal is to build familiarity with your brand. Content
shared by your organization will reach your network and potentially further - to the connections of
individuals within your network. The pass along effect of social media is especially powerful because
information is being delivered via trusted sources.

3. confirmed impressions

Similar to the change in network, confirmed impressions represent
time vested in your brand via views of your content, social media sites
or homepage. It is important to remember confirmed impressions are
not necessarily in network because not everyone will publicly display
their commitment to your brand.

4. change in current Network

When someone opts into your social network as a fan, friend
or follower, a relationship is established with that user. A
positive change in network will confirm users’ exposure and
commitment to your brand.

5. comments & replies

Comments and replies are great resources for qualitative
data. You will gain insight to your target market’s interests, concerns and sentiment, and you will gain
validation that your network is paying attention to the content and messages you share.

6. Mentions by audience

Keeping track of independent mentions by your audience will help to identify how often your brand is
being discussed publicly and if you have any brand advocates. You will know when your initiative has
gone beyond the pushing of a message by your brand and has become something people are spreading
awareness of in their personal networks.


caSe #2 – MakiNG cuStoMer Service PerSoNal witH Social Media

BuSiNeSS caSe

Case #2 - Making Customer Service Personal with Social Media
The advantage of using social media for customer service is simple – it allows for fast, personal responses
to your customer base on the platforms on which they prefer to communicate.

Your customers are talking about you right now on Twitter and Facebook. They may be asking questions
about you on LinkedIn. Or, they may be leaving tips or recommendations about your services on location
based services.

Providing quality customer service has been on your list of organizational goals since you started offering
your product or service. Social media doesn’t change this, it simply augments your ability to help your
customers.


cuStoMer SuPPort

You might not be able to solve an issue in five seconds, but you can respond
1. immediacy
in real time and let customers know you are working to help them.

Helpful responses publicly show clients, and potential prospects, the
2. Helpfulness responsiveness of your organization. This helps the person in need, and also
helps build a positive brand perception.

Find customers with new issues you might not otherwise see. Not everyone
3. discovery is going to pick up a phone or file a support ticket. But more often, they will
make a public statement about you within their network.

Social media builds on personal connections. By providing customer support
4. Personal on your social channels, you make the experience more personal for your
customers.


responsive

friendly or personable

ability to work across multiple divisions/
teams to get needed info/updates

conversational

Strong knowledge of products or service


coNteNt

1. Managing expectations

Even if you can’t immediately address the specific concerns of a Tweet or Facebook post, it’s important to

respond quickly to let people know you’ve heard them and provide a likely response time. Every second a
customer waits for a response is an opportunity for them to question if they won’t receive an answer at all.
It’s also a great time to ask for needed information and shows others you’re actively looking into issues.

examples:

• Post a Tweet notifying a user you’ve • Reply to Facebook wall posts asking
escalated his or her issue. customers for information to further
investigate posted issues.
• Acknowledge users’ issue-related Tweets,
and provide an update that you will get back
to them.

2. Building relationships

Because you can learn so much from a customer’s preferences based on their interactions in social media,
a customer service initiative is among the best to cater to your fans. It particularly pays to do so with your
most loyal and influential customers. If they share biographical information or send messages explaining
how they use your product, it’s an opportunity to relate to them and cultivate brand evangelists.

examples:

• Show your appreciation for a customer’s • Relate your product back to the person’s
patience by rewarding good behavior. other interests and start a conversation on
Facebook.
• Retweet someone who says something
interesting and relevant to the greater
community.

3. troubleshooting

Resolving issues in a timely, reliable manner is a fundamental part of excellent customer support. This
aspect of social activity should be fulfilled as often as customers share the need, because ultimately,
customers expect the public help.

examples:

• Post a Facebook response asking customers • Suggest a solution to a problem on Twitter
for more information about publicly shared or Facebook with a link to a web tutorial for
problems. more information.

• Send a Tweet with a suggestion about how
to troubleshoot an issue.


4. Sharing Public resources

Your team has probably spent time creating tools to help find your support locations, encourage
e-commerce or build a knowledge base. These can be the perfect supplement for responding to inquiries
requiring in-depth explanations or for using proactively to prevent customer problems before they arise.

examples:

• Post a Facebook link that includes directions • Send a Tweet linking your followers to a wiki
to your repair locations. for detailed resources.

5. define Social Support Scope

Don’t make your customers guess about the types of support you provide via social channels. Introduce
your team and their available expertise, and then let your customers know you’re available for business.

examples:

• Write a Facebook post introducing a product • Send a Tweet sharing new product
specialist available to help. availability and invite questions through the
channel.
• Share on Twitter bio any geographic
limitations or time availabilities for support.

6. customer education

In a competitive market, giving customers the tools to use the full extent of your product’s capabilities is
an advantage. This applies across virtually all industries. If you work for a consumer electronics company,
this may mean explaining product lines. If you are an insurance provider, this may mean providing tips for
natural disaster readiness.

examples:

• Create a YouTube channel devoted to short • Update your Facebook status or wall post
tutorial videos on product(s) and services. asking customers to share their favorite uses
of a product.
• Send a series of Twitter tips on how to
preserve or protect a product.

7. customer-centric announcements

Customer service-oriented channels are a natural place for customer-centric announcements. These can
often preempt much of the activity you may receive from customers in terms of questions or concerns.

examples:
• Send a Tweet or update your Facebook • Write a blog post outlining new product
status indicating a known service upgrades with tips on how to best use the
interruption or scheduled maintenance. product.

• Send a Tweet letting customers know about
a product or software enhancement.




Top: Discover uses Twitter to make customer-centric announcements such as the option to get cash back on certain purchases and discounts only available to
cardholders.

Middle: Samsung shares video product demonstrations on YouTube to walk users through using new products.

Bottom: Nokia uses Facebook to help manage expectations for a customer’s product issue by requesting that the customer send additional information for
further investigation.


MeaSureMeNt

1. impressions

Views to your customer support content, social media

channels and web page will measure the number of
people searching for support-related content.

2. activity

In a customer service initiative, activity can be seen as
your team’s effort to initiate conversations with customers. Proactivity may include useful tips, outreach to
targeted customers or replies to customer questions/requests.

3. activity assigned but Not completed and activity completed

Personal customer service infers one-on-one conversations between the brand and customers. Fulfilling
this goal may require assigning conversations to different departments within your organization. You will
want to track the follow-through rate to guarantee expectations are met.


Customers will independently rant and rave about your organization, products and services. Sometimes
these mentions will be directed at your organization, sometimes not. Using keywords and tracking
mentions of your brand will allow you to acknowledge and address mentions of your brand.

5. average engagement by Publication

Undoubtedly, certain topics will appeal to a broader audience.
Average engagement by publication will evaluate how useful (or
valuable) your content is to a broader audience.

6. Monitor Success by content label
(such as “thank You”)

Tracking the performance of social media content
by segmenting what types of content performs best,
allows you to learn which type of content is most
effective. It can also be used to share with internal
teams to prove the impact of work.


caSe #3 – addiNG eveNtS to Social Media ProGraMS

BuSiNeSS caSe

Social media is a natural fit for marketing and communications around corporate events. Combining the

Case #3 - Adding Events to Social Media Programs
power of instantaneous communication and social networking, corporate events already utilize the same
elements that make social media so powerful.

Many companies already have established events such as conferences, user groups and meet-ups as part
of their corporate business plans. For this reason, social media can easily be folded into existing event
marketing plans to help augment email marketing, public relations and promotions.


eveNt MarketiNG

Sharing the myriad details involved in an event can be challenging, because the
need to share information with your community is seemingly endless. Social media
1. Promotion
channels are outlets where updates and promotions can be shared more often and
regularly than traditional channels.

Before, during and after events, there are an overwhelming number of activities
that take place. Social media allow communicators to send out reminders and alerts
2. real-time
in real time. Rather than fret how attendees will learn about noteworthy speakers,
awareness
on-site promotions or schedule changes, social media can deliver these messages
on the spot.

It’s easier than ever before to get conference attendees to participate at a higher
3. audience rate with social media. The immediacy of conversations and content sharing allows
Participation you and your audience to participate with one another and create a larger presence
around event activities.

One of the top reasons people attend or participate in events is because of the
4. community people involved. Strategically incorporating social media into event marketing
Sharing fosters a community full of shared content and experiences. In turn, this helps
drive higher attendance and awareness of your event.


organized and systematic

engaging

knowledge of compelling event content to share

responsive


coNteNt

1. Promotion of activities

The ability to promote corporate events through social media shouldn’t just yield updates to “attend,”
“register now” or “learn more about products.” Attendance is the end goal, but promoting the event in
ways that provide value and create interest is key. Talk about noteworthy people and insightful learnings
people will experience. Communicate often, but ensure it’s newsworthy for your audience.

examples:

• Create a Facebook event for your activities. • Send regular Tweets @mentioning speakers,
Ensure an update is sent to your fans and attendees or partners.
content is updated regularly through the
event. • Create a web page curating all social media
event updates to provide your community
• Write a series of blog posts up to the event with a centralized location to browse all
with agenda details, noteworthy participants activity. Bonus: include this link in other
and previews of special activities. event emails, websites and public relations.

2. reminders

It’s easy to forget an early morning keynote, exhibit hall promotion or evening networking function in
the midst of a busy event. Even with lengthy email newsletters and on-site event guides, attendees often
lose track of time or simply overlook functions. Using social media to send out real-time reminders and
updates helps ensure your network has every opportunity to be in the right place at the right time.

examples:

• Tweet about social gatherings and parties an • Post special event tips on Foursquare and
hour before they take place using the event Gowalla venues.
hashtag to ensure they are easy to find.
• Include updates on your Facebook Page
• Post on your blog each morning about the and Event with links to specific activity
event line-up for the day. information within 24-hours of schedule.

3. Prompting feedback

During events, attendees look for ways to share their perceptions and thoughts. These may be personal
takeaways with their network or sharing experiences they had directly with you. Prompting this feedback
helps encourage attendees to share and create a bigger impact for your event. It also helps you collect
information quicker and easier to decide how to share or use for future marketing.

examples:

• Create and promote an event hashtag for • Prompt people to share event experiences
attendees to use when sharing feedback. through Facebook polls or surveys.

• Retweet attendees when they ask for help or • Write blog posts highlighting event
advice throughout event. activities, prompting participant comments.


4. answering Questions

With any event, there are going to be questions from attendees and speakers. Using social media
channels can help your events team publicly answer questions to a broad audience and provide a place to
respond to questions in real-time before, during and after the event.

examples:

• Monitor event Facebook presence and Master Using Twitter:
Twitter hashtag(s) to respond to questions 10 Tips to Rock the

or concerns. Twittersphere
http://slidesha.re/e3MlVq
• Tweet answers to questions posed in person
during the event to acknowledge questions
publicly.

5. Sharing content from the event
Events provide a great opportunity to network, increase brand awareness and learn from others. However,
they also provide an opportunity to generate thought leadership and connect with community members
who might not be able to attend the event live by sharing takeaways from the event.

examples:

• Designate people to live blog from the event • Take attendee feedback and comments
on your corporate blog. during conferences to share takeaways from
the event. Share these while the event is
• Share pictures on Flickr daily to highlight taking place to build excitement and save
event attendees and activities. Tag these for future marketing use.
with your brand, keywords and event tags.
• Post presentations from sessions, panels
or meetups on Slideshare to extend the
lifecycle of content and expand the reach of
your event.

6. Giving exclusive Benefits for your Social Network

Making fans, friends and followers feel like they’re a part of the “in” crowd by offering them exclusive
benefits is always rewarding. Using incentives on social media can help drive event registration and
attendance, as well as increase participation in certain event activities.

examples:

• Provide special tips and deals on Foursquare • Share a special discount code on Facebook
for people who check in to designated for event registration.
locations.
• Give early updates about special events on
• Create a unique badge on Gowalla or Twitter, especially those with capacity limits,
Foursquare for people who participate to provide incentive for following you.
in certain event activities to provide
participation incentive.


7. contests

People are always eager to win something. Whether it’s a chance to win tickets to the event itself or
a related prize, running contests around an event to your social network is a great way to generate
excitement and awareness for an upcoming event.

examples:

• Run a giveaway contest for free event • Send out event details on Twitter for
registration through a blog post for a set networking parties, keynote presentations

number of people who share how winning and on-site activities. Promote that the first
would be beneficial to them personally. person to respond in the correct fashion
– answer a question, share an experience,
• Launch a Flickr contest for people to post send out a Tweet, etc. – wins a designated
their favorite pictures from previous years’ prize.
events tagged with a specified event tag.


Top: ASHA uses Twitter to send out reminders of an upcoming event and prompt followers to use an event-specific hashtag.

Bottom: NVIDIA uses its company blog to provide updates to their community and share content from a tradeshow a specific product team is attending.


MeaSureMeNt

1. activity

Measuring activity will help evaluate how successful your team was in posting content leading up to,
during and following your event.


Events are often promotional tools. Potential impressions of your event-related content will quantify the
reach of your event beyond physical attendees or your social network.

3. engagement by date

Engagement by date can be an indicator of the hype
surrounding your event. In some cases, tracking
engagement will allow you to predict attendance, set
expectations and prepare accordingly. It will also help
inform decisions on when to share content for the most
interactions.

4. clicks by engagement

Throughout your event you may post pictures, videos or links
to a live feed to share with your network. Measuring clicks by
engagement will give you an idea of how many people are/were
interested in various aspects of your event.


Mentions by your audience are unsolicited reactions to your event. Measuring these mentions will help you
understand the impact of your event on your audience.

6. keyword Sentiment

Pulling in sentiment of major keywords helps measure
the overall sentiment surrounding an event. This data
will help explain which elements of the event were
well received, or not, and inform future decisions.
Additionally, combing through qualitative data
associated with these keywords such as Tweets,
comments or posts will allow you to identify which
specific aspects of your event were most or least successful.


caSe #4 – addiNG Social Media to Product iNtroductioNS

BuSiNeSS caSe

Making a large marketing and Public Relations impact at the time of product launches is a priority for any
company introducing new products. These launches can be expensive and time consuming, especially
when the focus is to create as much buzz and excitement as possible publicly.

Case #4 - Adding Social Media to Product Introductions
Social media allows companies to expand their traditional approach to launching products by building a
higher level of interest around new introductions, as well as tapping into engaged networks to help create
excitement on their behalf.


Product iNtroductioNS

Traditionally, launching products is expensive, but social media is helping
to level the playing field for companies of all sizes and industries. Rather
1. affordability
than spend millions of dollars on media placement, marketers can use social
media to reach the same number of impressions for a fraction of the price.

Though traditional channels such as email, TV and Public Relations remain
2. enhance other top channel choices in product launches, social media is helping to

Media Spend augment these media spends. In conjunction with other media, social helps
efforts exponentially increase impressions and provides opportunity for engagement
unavailable via traditional outlets.

Between providing exclusive deals and providing opportunities to share
feedback, social networks can create hype around product launches.
3. Social Networks
The main difference from other channels? People are more likely to trust
Build excitement
information from friends and connections, so the message is more effective
than those you share about yourself.

4. Grows Between a social network sharing “exclusive” new product information and
opportunities the offering of company-provided specials, activity in social media can help
for adoption boost adoption of a product at the time of launch.


Public relations-savvy

Strong knowledge of new product/service


coNteNt

1. tease content of launch

Social media can help build interest in products before they are launched. Without giving away all the new
details and features of a product, teasing elements can create excitement leading up to the actual launch
date. It can also help drive traffic to other sales channels and gather potential customers’ information.

examples:

• Tweet general hints about new product • Upload Flickr and Facebook photo “previews”

features to tease new enhancements soon with sneak peeks of product imagery.
available.
• Share an announcement across all social
• Create a blog post outlining the “most media accounts of new, upcoming product.
exciting” new and/or different directions of Commit to regular updates leading up to
upcoming product. launch to give a reason for people to follow
you and return.

2. live action demonstrations

Don’t just tell people what’s coming with a new product - show them. Visuals help bring products to life
for potential customers. Help your audience understand the uses, benefits and unique aspects of your
product by illustrating them.

examples:

• Create a video of the new product in action • Create a Facebook and/or Flickr photo
or a demonstration of it in use. Post the album containing different shots and uses of
video to your YouTube account and embed the new product to see and share.
on high profile pages of your website.
• Post a Slideshare presentation including
• Record a video interview with early or beta product images with product walkthroughs.
users revealing positive experiences and
personal adoption.

3. Provide exclusive, Social-only Product information

“Insider” information is always compelling. And social networks appreciate being the first to know this
information. Exclusive product information via social media channels gives a benefit to fans and followers
and helps promote an element of exclusivity for being part of your network.

examples:

• Post invites to become a Beta user via • Post YouTube video and Facebook photo
Facebook and Twitter. “extended” views of product available only in
social media. Link these from your website,
• Tweet daily or weekly “social tips” for email and other channels to drive traffic to
product use directly after launch to share your social accounts.
helpful information. Use the same hashtag
in each to make information easy to find and
share.


4. real-world creators interviews and expertise Sharing

Sometimes products are so interesting that hearing from the creators or designers is intriguing. Provide an
“internal” perspective of your new product by airing insights from people involved in its creation. Or, give
a voice to your customer base by letting them chime in.

examples:

• Post a YouTube video case study from Beta • Share insights from real people, as they
users talking about experiences as early become product users, by retweeting
product users. and posting social media feedback or
endorsements.
• Share YouTube video interviews with

developers, designers, or company leaders
talking about creation of new product.
Provide perspective on direction and forward Produce a Blockbuster:
looking vision of the product line. 10 YouTube Tips
for Business
• Start a Twitter online chat series with a http://slidesha.re/gEUYUi
product hashtag to allow engaged users to
submit questions or feedback regarding the
product.

5. exclusive deals

Offering special deals on products can help to increase adoption rate and sales. Doing this in social media
expands the number of people to whom you can provide incentives. It also gives another incentive: to
follow you and pay close attention for deals in the future.

examples:

• Post links on Facebook to exclusive product • Tweet discount short codes to enter at
coupons. checkout in online stores.

• Add deals on Foursquare and Gowalla for
people who check-in to physical locations
like stores or launch parties.

6. Share Multimedia with Media and Brand advocates

Marketing and public relations teams rely on media and public outlets to cover product launches for
maximum exposure. Social media makes this coverage more effective. More people have platforms where
they can share content, and media can be posted and shared quickly.

examples:

• Reach out and share multimedia and pre- • Create a “day of launch” blog post with
created content with brand advocates or links to all available product-related
customers to share on day of launch like multimedia to make all launch content easy
Tweets, links to product images and videos. to find, allowing users and press to find all
shareable content in one location.
• Brief key bloggers and share “permissible”
content to post in days leading up to launch
to create a larger hype.


7. contests

There aren’t many customers who don’t like to win free items. Whether it’s an offer for a free product
sample or something bigger, contests greatly increase opportunities for engagement and participation
around product launches. In turn, you can develop a group of people talking and spreading the message
about your new product on your behalf.

examples:

• Promote a request for user-generated • Ask Facebook fans to share their favorite
photos of people using the product with the new aspect of the product on your Wall with
incentive of a prize. Upload these photos the first set number of posts promised a
to your Facebook Page and blog and allow prize.

voting for the favorite picture of your
network. • Promote retweet opportunities with first set
number of retweets to win a prize.
• Create a Twitter campaign to allow
submissions of new product ideas like name
or design features.


Top: Nokia has created a product demo video of a newly launched phone and posted it to YouTube for customers to learn more about the product’s
functionality.

Bottom: Quicksilver is running a contest exclusive to its Facebook fans for a chance to win a product, in this case a pair of custom boardshorts.


MeaSureMeNt


Opting into a product’s social network as a fan, friend or follower is a positive sign of interest in your
product. These users are eager to learn more about the product launch and want additional information.


Exposure to content will build product awareness. Content shared by your organization will reach your

network and potentially further - to the connections of individuals within your network. A message
delivered via a trusted source will make the information more noteworthy.

3. confirmed impressions
Similar to the change in network, confirmed impressions
represent time vested in your brand via views of your content,
social media sites or homepage. Confirmed impressions are
not necessarily in network because not everyone will publicly
display their commitment to your brand.

4. engagement by content

Monitoring Engagement by Content will help you identify the
level of interest surrounding your product, as well as which
features are garnering the most attention – information that can
be used in future marketing efforts.

Keeping track of independent mentions by your audience
will help to identify key influencers in the product category.
Influencers are typically experts in the category and are
relied on for product recommendations.

6. activity assigned but Not completed vs.
completed

Sometimes when you introduce a new product there are a lot of questions. You want to guarantee the
appropriate departments are replying to assigned content.


caSe #5 – eMBraciNG Social Media to Build Your SaleS PiPeliNe

BuSiNeSS caSe

For most companies, the goal of marketing is to build awareness and positive perception of a brand to
help eventually sell a product or service. The same can be said about most not-for-profit organizations,
which focus on marketing to raise money for their respective causes.

Case #5 - Embracing Social Media to Build Your Sales Pipeline
With each passing day, more companies and organizations are turning to social media as a proven outlet
for generating leads and helping to build a pipeline for Sales organizations. With an emphasis on content
marketing and lead generation, social media marketing continues to be used effectively for Sales.


tHe toP four arGuMeNtS for uSiNG Social Media to Build
Your SaleS PiPeliNe

The saying “fish where the fish are” is more relevant than ever. Your
1. it’s where Your prospects have an increasingly large number of options on where to spend
Prospects are
their time. And for most people, social media is where a good majority is
Spending time
spent.

2. effective to drive There isn’t a point of sale on Twitter or Slideshare, but all these channels do
traffic to Home
help drive traffic to the location where you can better sell: your website.
Base (website)

Marketers have spent a great deal on enhancing their websites for inbound
3. enhances inbound marketing over the past decade. Social media helps accelerate these efforts
Marketing by getting prospects and current clients to the right inbound location where
conversion can take place.

4. insight into Sales and development organizations can now find leads disguised as
Previously informal conversations on the social web. Conversations about your product,
unknown competitors and your area of expertise are taking place. You would be
opportunities walking away from sales opportunities by not monitoring and engaging.


consistent monitoring of competitor/industry conversations

outgoing

responsive

Strong knowledge of products or services


coNteNt

1. Proactively responding to relevant conversations

You’ve already heard that someone is talking about your brand, product or competitors at this very
moment. But have you thought about how you can harness those conversations for sales and lead
generation?

examples:

• Find questions or comments mentioning • Monitor Twitter for your top five keywords to
your name on Facebook. Reply to these find prospects interested in what you offer
users asking if you can provide more but may not be mentioning your specific
information on your offerings or clarify company or products. Share useful advice
questions. and ask how you can help.

• Search for competitor products or services • Conduct an ongoing search across Flickr
on Twitter. When appropriate, engage and YouTube for media tagged with your
with these users by answering questions products or service. If there is an indication
about your industry and/or ask if they are of interest or need, respond to any postings
interested in learning more about other with an offer to provide more information or
valuable offerings. talk.

2. drive People to Your Home Base

Your website is where the magic happens. People learn about your product and either make a purchase or
convert into a lead. Luckily, social media is perfect for driving traffic through sharing valuable updates that
lead to your website for more information.

examples:

• Spotlight a product or service weekly with • Through annotations or an end bumper,
a Facebook link to a web page with more always include a link in YouTube videos back
information for prospects. to a preferred webpage so people know
where to find more information.
• Share updates on Twitter and Facebook
with links to your site when new product
materials are available for download.

3. content Marketing
You are likely sitting on great content to help propel lead generation efforts. Assets could include
whitepapers, industry reports or success stories shared by clients. Sharing this helps drive traffic to your
website and allows you to collect lead information via an online form in exchange for quality content.

examples:

• Create a series of Tweets sharing insights • Share a link on Facebook of a success story
from a whitepaper, including a URL to provided by a customer.
download the entire paper.
• Post all publicly available documents
• Write a blog post recapping a recent study showcasing your expertise on SlideShare as
conducted by your company, providing a PDFs.
link to download the entire report.


4. offer exclusive deals to Social Network

For years, marketers have offered exclusive deals, discounts or privileges to people on their email lists.
Doing the same for your network of friends, followers and fans provides additional opportunities for
building your Sales pipeline, and provides incentive for prospects to follow you.

examples:

• Add deals and exclusive discounts to your • Give Twitter follower appreciation offers,
location on Foursquare that will help drive allowing users to submit contact information
repeat business. for “specials” available by following you.

• Share special discounts with Facebook fans • Provide incentives for users who share deals
such as discounts on your products or or product information with friends such as
services and events. credits towards a product or service.

5. Provide calls to action
Building an initiative to generate leads and develop Sales prospects typically involves giving your network
something to do. This may mean driving them to another location for more information. Or, it may mean
asking them to take a specified action once they consume social content.

examples:

• Include a constant call to action in your • When posting presentations about product
Facebook status or About section where or service information on Slideshare, include
fans can learn more information about your suggested next steps such as contacting
company or products. you or providing a URL for additional
information.
• Include a brief caption on how viewers
can take the next steps to get started with
a link to your contact form or a free trial
in YouTube videos about products and
services.

6. encourage reviews and feedback

Referrals from friends, family or colleagues are one of the top reasons people make a purchase. That’s
why it’s important to make sure you provide every opportunity for people to add reviews and share your
content with their network.

examples:

• Add a Facebook Like button to every page • Share links to review and discussion
on your website. pages via Twitter, and ask people to share
feedback.
• Incorporate the ability to submit reviews on
your Facebook page. • Include links on all social media profiles
to locations such as Facebook reviews and
online forums where your network can
submit or access reviews.


7. collect information everywhere

Building a huge base of fans and followers is great. But having the data on who those people are – and
how to best communicate with them on other channels – is better.

examples:

• Create a Facebook tab with the capability to • Incorporate an email subscription form
collect email signup information. on your blog and allow people to opt in
to updates from your company and its
• When sharing links to your site from Twitter, offerings.
ensure there is an opportunity to collect
user information on the destination page.


Top Left: TOMS Shoes includes an end bumper on a YouTube video to direct viewers back to their main homepage to find more information.

Top Right: AirTran posts pictures to its Facebook Page to share the unveiling of new flight destinations.

Bottom: Samsung provides links to information about new products, as shared by official reviewers.


MeaSureMeNt

1. activities

Opting into a product’s social network as a fan, friend or follower is a positive sign of interest in your
product. These users are eager to learn more about the product launch and want additional information.


Part of your social media Sales strategy is building brand awareness. Content shared by your organization
will reach your network and potentially further - to the connections of individuals within your network.
The pass along effect of social media is especially powerful because information is being delivered via
trusted sources.

3. clicks

One of the best ways to see if people are consuming your content is by
tracking clicks in social media. By using shortened links such as Bit.ly links,
you can track exactly how many times your Sales-focused content was seen
and potentially consumed.

4. conversions

Measuring conversions will help report on exactly how
many sales you are making or how many leads you
are generating through social media. If you are a B2C
company, this might be an actual on-site sale driven
from a social media activity. If you are a B2B company,
this might be someone submitting personal lead
information through a web or contact form.

5. re-tweets

Re-tweets can be viewed as referrals from individuals in your network to their networks.

6. Homepage views from Social Media Sites

Social media is where you can initiate and nurture
relationships. Your homepage is for your big sales pitch
and where customers will often take action (e.g. make
purchases). This number will help define the ROI of social
media in terms of sales.


caSe #6 – activatiNG Your coMMuNitY to take actioN

BuSiNeSS caSe

After you’ve built a presence in social media, activating your network to take a specified action can be one
of the most powerful marketing strategies for your company or organization.

Getting your network involved in activities surrounding your brand helps build a sense of community. It
also helps expand your reach and raise engagement levels of your network.

Case #6 - Activating Your Community to Take Action


activatiNG Your coMMuNitY

1. More activation Social media allows for a high level of interaction, meaning it’s inherently
than any other action-oriented. Open conversations and a feedback loop create options for
Medium activation and activity like no other channels in the marketing mix.

2. engaged Networks Spreading awareness of your brand is great. But getting people active with
are more you creates a closer connection. Users who engage with you or take action on
connected to you your behalf are more likely to have a stronger bond with your organization
and your Brand and be brand loyal.

When someone in your network takes an action in social media, his or her
3. Pass along entire network sees it. Even if only a handful of people take action on behalf
Potential and
of your brand, they are sharing the message with their network. This helps

reality
build brand awareness and indirectly asks your network’s network to engage.

Social media distribution is immediate. Organizations can prompt their
4. timely networks to take action with a sense of immediacy, and they can create new
opportunities for activation quickly as the need arises.


ability to clearly communicate action(s) you
want followers/friends/fans to take

Genuine

responsive

external cheerleader to thank your
community for support and update them on
progress of actions


coNteNt

1. Provide Pre-Packaged content for your Network to Share

If you aren’t making it easy for your network to share content on your behalf, you are losing opportunities
to leverage your community to further bolster your brand.

examples:

• Provide sample Tweets people can share • Create widgets or badges your network can
about a particular subject or campaign to share on their blogs, websites or personal
spread the word on your behalf in email networks to support your cause or product.
outreach.
• Write a blog post explaining multiple tactics
• Ask Facebook fans to change their status your network can implement to show
to represent a day, event or cause. Provide support for your cause, product or even
samples of statuses that your fans can use. company.

2. launch a “Share with a friend” Program

More than any other recommendation, people listen to the ones given by friends. Social media is a great
way to encourage your community to share company news, information about product offerings, or get
involved in specific activities.

examples:

• Include “Pls RT” in Tweets sent out to • Write a blog post listing ways your network
promote action or activity. can easily share information about the
company or particular initiative.
• Post a status update on Facebook covering
the best ways to get friends involved in • Incorporate a Facebook “Like” button on all
community building activities. corporate webpages.

3. empower your Network

Give your network the opportunity to engage with your brand and make a difference how they best see fit.
Give them the opportunity to make a difference in the actions or feedback they share.

examples:

• Create a poll on Facebook to allow fans to • Identify the product elements customers are
contribute to future company decisions like most passionate about. Prompt Facebook
product features, service offerings or cause- and Twitter fans and followers to share their
related projects. preference and why others should have the
same belief(s).
• Ask for customer examples or stories about
experiences with a product or service as a
way to give your customers a voice. Share
these compelling stories on your company
blog.


4. ask for user-Generated content of People Sharing Personal Brand experiences or
opinions

There’s no better way to showcase your product or social impact than to have your network illustrate a
product in action or express the impact a certain campaign has had on a member of your community.

examples:

• Ask community members to submit photos • Promote a common hashtag for topics
of the impact a product or service has had such as product ideas, feedback or funny
on their lives. Post photos on your company customer stories via your Twitter handle.
Flickr page and in a Facebook album. Showcase responses on a regular basis.

• Request video submissions from your
community using your product in creative
ways. Post videos to your company YouTube
channel.

5. create an ongoing activity or Program to Promote repeat activity

Providing your networks with ways to regularly get involved with your brand helps increase action and
activity within your community base.

examples:

• Host a weekly online Twitter discussion • Implement a Facebook discussion or weekly
with live questions, answers and knowledge question asked to promote thought-
sharing. Use a hashtag to help people provoking conversations regarding topics
find these conversations and to promote relevant to your industry.
activation outside of “official” chat times.

• Organize meetups using social channels like
Twitter and Facebook to drive attendance
and participation to offline gatherings.

6. Provide incentive

Often, people take action because there is an incentive to their involvement. This might be a tangible
incentive like a good or service. But, it can also include intangible rewards that have significant meaning to
community members.

examples:

• Create a badge on Foursquare or Gowalla Plan for Success:
that users can unlock when checking into 7 Steps of Planning a
locations or taking pre-determined actions. Social Media Initiative
http://slidesha.re/gD5ONX
• Provide exclusive offers or giveaways to
people who “like” your Facebook Page.

• Unlock special deals, contests or “virtual
branded items” when community members
check in to specific, meaningful locations.




Top Left: AARP posts specific opportunities for its community to take action on Facebook, sharing exactly what people can do to make a difference.

Top Right: TOMS Shoes is providing incentive to take action by creating a badge on a geolocation service that provides a special prize when users check-in at a
pre-determined location.

Bottom: Skyy Vodka is using Facebook to request user-generated content of its users’ favorite Skyy cocktail recipes as a way to reveal personal brand
experiences.


MeaSureMeNt

1. comments/replies

Social media discussions are made up of comments and replies.
Measuring these engagements will determine your success in
initiating dynamic conversations.

2. activity assigned but Not completed vs. completed

If you are asking your audience to take action, you better respond
to their queries. You will want to track your team’s follow-
through rate to make sure your supporters’ needs are met.

3. overall engagement

The goal is to inspire your audience to do something.
Sometimes that is a social media action such as a Like,
Re-Tweet or Reply. Other times it is to read an article,
view a video or sign up for an event. Engagement
metrics will provide insight to your audience’s actions.


Opting into your social network as a fan, friend or follower can be a sign of your target’s intention to
complete an activity. It is likely that the people in your network have already committed to the given
activity or have the intention to do so.

In order to get more people involved you want to build awareness beyond your current network. Content
shared by your organization will reach your network and potentially further - to the connections of
individuals within your network. The pass along effect of social media is especially powerful because
information is being delivered via trusted sources.

6. views

Views of your content, social media channels and
webpage will help measure the number of people
considering your organization and its proposal.


additioNal iNfo

the team

Once you’ve mapped out the best ways to use social media to achieve your business goals, you need
a team to execute on the plan. There’s no one way to assemble a social media team, so the decision
of specific people to contribute to social media should be tailored to your staffing resources and
organizational structure. However, there are certain departments that typically assume the role of
managing social media activities. Here is a guideline for identifying existing internal organizations
appropriate to involve in the execution of each of the six social media objectives outlined in this guide.

Company Brand Customer Events Product Build Sales Take
Organization/Team Awareness Service Intros Pipeline Action
Marketing X X X X X X
Corporate Communications X X X X X X
Digital/Web X X X X X X
Customer Service/Support X
Sales X
Product Development X

developing a Schedule

Determining the ideal schedule for social media activity is an important aspect of building a successful
program. Strategists and practitioners must understand what their team can manage and repeat over time
- including the best timeline and content frequency to get the highest level of engagement and reach.

Your publishing schedule - both frequency and time of day - will vary based on a number of factors.
There aren’t universal rules. You can learn more about scheduling best practices in the Social Media
Planning Guide.

When considering the schedule for you social media initiatives, assess:

• Your team: How often can they create great content? How many people can they respond to?

• Your objective: Some of the objectives in this guide require more activity than others.

• Types of content: Messages to a large audience are different than personal messages.

• Your audience: What do they expect? At what level are they engaged?

• Length of initiative: Spikes in activity are fine for short initiatives like a product launch, but are not
necessarily sustainable over time.

• Current activity level: With the exception of short, high-volume, high-excitement plays, you generally
want to gradually change your level of activity.


take tHe Next StePS for Social Media SucceSS:
Learn more about Spredfast Social CRM - www.spredfast.com

Find tips and best practices for social media marketing initiatives at www.spredfast.com/resources

Follow Spredfast for regular updates on social marketing - @Spredfast | www.facebook.com/Spredfast

Contact Spredfast - info@spredfast.com | 888-212-2216

aBout SPredfaSt
Spredfast is a software company that helps companies manage their social media initiatives better. We
provide a Social CRM system (sCRM) companies use to monitor, manage and measure activity and
engagement across multiple social channels.

Spredfast sCRM delivers a single workspace for listening to current activity, managing multiple social
accounts and voices, planning and publishing content, participating in conversation, and measuring
engagement across all major social platforms. Since most social media initiatives are part of broader
company campaigns, Spredfast integrates with popular enterprise tools – including salesforce.com, Google
Analytics, Omniture Analytics, Social Mention and Crimson Hexagon.

The majority of our customers use Spredfast across multiple departments, brands and geographies in their
enterprise. Our corporate customers span virtually every industry and include such companies and
agencies as AOL, Bayer, Nokia, AARP, Convio, Porter Novelli, Spring Creek Group and HomeAway.


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