At a Glance

Social media marketing gives companies exponential reach, empowering brands to leverage their content and messaging more efciently than other marketing channels.1

Three Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Social Media Strategy

INTRODUCTION
Your company is on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and maybe other social media sites as well. Youve got the basics down about how and when to respond to comments and reviews. Maybe youre even running a Twitter campaign. But do you have a cohesive social strategy across all your marketing efforts that lets you optimize your return on marketing investment? Read on for questions you should ask yourself to identify common gaps many companies have in their social media strategies. We also provide some tips for how to turn these gaps into opportunities to improve your social media execution and success.

REASON 1:

Are You Pampering Your Brand Ambassadors?

KEY STATS:
60 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds say they want to give product improvement recommendations2 80 percent of consumers said that because of social media they are more likely to try new things based on friends suggestions3 Brand advocates create and curate more than twice as many communications about brands as the average web user4

Social media has changed our buying behavior. Today, we turn to our friends on social media for recommendations on everything from mobile phone plans to cars to laundry detergent. And studies show that the opinions of our friends, family members,

1. Why Social Media Marketing is a Bust for Most Companies, Chris Horton, socialmediatoday, April 13, 2012 2. How Social Media Impacts Brand Marketing, NielsenWire, October 14, 2011 3. Why Brand Marketers Need More Brand Ambassadors, Steve Olenski, socialmediatoday, December 22, 2011 4. 9 Reasons Your Company Should Use Brand Advocates: New Research, Phil Mershon, SocialMedia Examiner, June 13, 2011

At a Glance

Three Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Social Media Strategy

and colleagues carry a great deal more inuence on our ultimate purchase decision than information from the manufacturer or retailer. Standing out among the people we listen to are some of the most inuential people online: brand ambassadors. A brand ambassador or advocate is someone who loves your product or service and shares their experiences with others in their social sphere and the broader online community. Essentially, they are your virtual sales forcetouting the benets of your products and inuencing others to become customers as well. Brand advocates also defend your brand when there are negative comments or reviews. When you consider the incredible value to your brand, it becomes obvious that you need to cultivate as many brand advocates as possible.
> TIP: Create a plan for identifying your companys brand advocates. Once you have them identied, here are some ideas for engaging with them more deeply and helping them gain recognition: be responsive and thank them for their mention of the brand, share their content frequently, ask them for ideas and suggestions, invite them to participate in marketing activities, and reward them. Rewards can take the form of early access to new products or relevant gifts like a personalized sample of one of your products. The key is to treat your advocates with respect, responding quickly to their feedback and showing genuine interest.

REASON 2:

Are You Actively Managing Your Online Reputation?

KEY STATS:
63 percent of B2B marketers are either vaguely aware or not aware what is being said about their companies online5 83 percent of consumers say that online reviews inuence their perceptions about companies6 50 percent of U.S. consumers say that even a single negative review on a social media site can affect their brand decisions7

Your brand is being discussed online and its not just your company doing the talking. People are talking about your products or services, commenting on what others say, and writing reviews on review sites or blogs. When those reviews are positive, they can result in a purchase decision by the people who view them. However, studies show that consumers who read negative comments about your brand are more likely not to purchase from you. This is why your online reputation is so vulnerable in todays digital society. Does this mean that youre no longer in control of your brands online reputation? Not necessarily. What it does

5. 12 Revealing Stats about B2B Social Media Marketing, Jeffrey L. Cohen, Social Media B2B, January 26, 2012 6. The Importance of Online Brand Reputation, Mike Fossum, WebProNews, May 2, 2012 7. Too Many Brands Stuck on Media Part of Social Media, Larry Friedman, Ad Age Blogs, May 7, 2012

At a Glance

Three Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Social Media Strategy

mean is that you need to actively monitor and manage your online reputation to mitigate the increased risk you face as consumers exercise their expanded power to inuence. And while the best strategy is to ensure your company is delivering excellent products and customer service all the time, the reality is that every company makes mistakes. Its how you deal with them that makes the difference and protects your business reputation.
> TIP: Dont limit your social media strategy to marketing campaigns. A key component of your strategy should be a process that denes how you will monitor and manage your reputation on a continual basis, as well as how and when to respond to comments and reviews. The goal of your online reputation management plan should be to respond and manage comments in such a professional, timely, and helpful way as to turn the disappointed or angry customer into a brand advocate.

While its important to engage with customers and prospects on external social media sites, dont pay short shrift to building your own branded community. In fact, you should make your corporate website the centerpiece of your social strategy, with social features such as blogs, forums, wikis, and discussion groups all centered on your products or services. Think about it, if you only link to your Facebook page, Twitter account, and other external social sites, youre missing an opportunity to keep people on your site and to provide a unique, focused way for them to interact with your company and other customers. With a social corporate website, youll gain insight into how your customers are using your products, while your customers can learn from others in your branded community.
> TIP: Ideally, you already have a web content management system that gives you social and community features right out of the box. Implement a branded community leveraging social tools such as expert blogs, forums, and discussion groups. To help your community thrive, youll also want to create guidelines for reviewing and moderating user activity, product reviews, and comments. That way, you can make it a place where customers can provide honest, thoughtful feedback on how your company and products are performing. Relevant Resources
Sitecore for Community and Social Media: www.sitecore.net/socialnetworking Telligent-based Community Solution Accelerator: www.sitecore.net/communitysolutionaccelerator Registration for personalized live demo: www.sitecore.net/demo

REASON 3:

Do You Have a Social Corporate Website?

KEY STATS:
In 2011, Starbucks launched 70 new crowd-sourced ideas that initiated in its community site called My Starbucks Idea8 81 percent of Americans still turn to a companys website rst to nd information9

8. My Starbucks Idea blog, December 30, 2011 9. Is the Corporate Website a Digital Dinosaur? Lauren Price, ClickZ, September 15, 2011