How Social Media A�ects Your Business

The Internet has gone social and the rules of engagement have

changed. Gone are the days where corporations solely count on

traditional marketing efforts to achieve their objectives. Modern,

web-savvy companies understand that they need to participate

in the conversation surrounding their brands. A whole

generation of millennials is disenchanted with traditional media

and instead, prefers to listen to friends, family, colleagues, peers

and trusted online social circles to consult on the products and

services their networks recommend and endorse. Consumers are taking ownership of brands and are either

bragging about yours, discussing it some fashion, or outright disparaging it.

So unless you want the public to de�ne your positioning, or you actually are running a brand erosion

campaign, you should ensure an active voice in the discussions occurring about your company. A lot of

customers turn to Twitter and Facebook to speak out on their experiences and they are in�uential among their

sprawling social graphs. Participating in the conversation can help you to provide better customer service and

shape the opinion being propagated quickly and effectively. As you transparently conduct your business in a

positive fashion, people will take notice as you protect your brand identity and company reputation.

01Insights // How Social Media Affects Your Business© High-Touch Communications Inc. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes. All company names, products, services and brands mentioned, identi�ed and/or linked to are the property of their respective owners.

The Social Sphere

The concept of Web 2.0 is commonly associated with websites and applications that facilitate interactive

information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration across the internet. User-generated content drives the

modern web, levels the playing �eld and empowers the common consumer to speak out with a supremely

powerful, in�uential voice that can echo beyond their network and into the marketplace. Consequently,

web-savvy marketers understand how to capitalize on the zeitgeist, drive conversation, in�uence opinion and

nurture their brands through global transparency and interconnectivity.

Social media has transformed the way business is done. Content and conversation drive brand awareness in

a timely, cost-effective fashion. The half-life of conversations has been reduced from days to minutes.

Marketers can generate mass scale from an existing customer base by listening, engaging and reacting to

potential and current customer needs. Social media helps to avoid information indigestion in spite of actually

producing more content. It allows people to easily stay abreast of people, products, information or any items

of interest via casual observation in real-time. It is a tool for people to make sense of the excess of

information available on the web. Search engines are now viewing social media as competition. Information

is beginning to �nd people, rather than people �nding it; what once was held by few and distributed to

millions is held by millions and distributed to few (niches). E-mail is becoming antiquated. Consumers are

taking ownership of brands and are bragging about products in a credible voice. Seventy-eight per cent of

people trust their peers’ opinions, while �fteen per cent rely on advertising. The social graph is the world’s

largest, most powerful referral program. For example, a Twitter following of 800 individuals results in the

social graph in�uence of 8.5 million people.

If your company has not joined the conversation, the competition may be reaching your customers and

strengthening their own brands relative to yours. The good news is, that it’s better late than never and you

can begin to engage your markets with the messaging and branding you intend for them to perceive and

disseminate. Don’t let the social media revolution pass you by.

02Insights // How Social Media Affects Your Business© High-Touch Communications Inc. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes. All company names, products, services and brands mentioned, identi�ed and/or linked to are the property of their respective owners.

Developing your social media marketing (SMM) strategy will include �ve essential elements.

1. Pro�les

Ensure an online social presence for your brands, companies or product lines on

the networks that can bene�t you most. Keep in mind that your market likely

already exists online; the challenge lies in placing your brand in front of them.

The push strategy makes sense on the Internet. If research or customer pro�les

indicate that your market consists of avid LinkedIn users, prioritize your efforts for

LinkedIn without neglecting the Facebook and Twitter goliaths. Whether your

strategy should include smaller, more targeted networks, will depend on your research and data. Even if your

strategy is fuzzy, register as many pro�les as possible under your brand names and related key terms to

prevent competitors from squatting on those pro�les, or worse, using them against you.

2. Produce

Develop a content strategy and put the tactical wheels in motion. Determine your

platforms, develop an appropriate publishing schedule, outlined your key

performance indicators and benchmark your data. Throughout your initiatives,

measure current data against your benchmarks and adjust your strategy and

tactics accordingly. Assign guidelines, accountability levels, success metrics,

contributors, and policies. Collect your company media assets and sift through

them to build a brand experience through photos, video, and events that your target market will �nd

appealing. Devote the necessary resources to these initiatives and begin with some faith and a bit of

patience. Social media activity is akin to a freight train leaving the station; it may be slow at �rst, but it will

eventually chug along and build momentum that is virtually unstoppable. Your careful strategizing is what will

ensure that your brand will remain on track.

03Insights // How Social Media Affects Your Business© High-Touch Communications Inc. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes. All company names, products, services and brands mentioned, identi�ed and/or linked to are the property of their respective owners.

3. Post

Once your content strategy has been developed, begin posting to your social

accounts with rich, regular, relevant content. It is important to remember that

publishing is as important as listening to the commentary and engaging people

with your response. However, it is important not to start a �ame war (hostile and

insulting interaction between internet users) by misleading people, twisting words,

disguising the truth; in fact, if you do not believe in the strength of your brand, then

do not engage in social media activity. The social arena demands transparency; it is a place where value and

quality is rewarded and where mediocrity is punished. That is not to say that you should be worried; if you

take care of your customer and deliver value, no matter what pricing strategy you employ, or what segments

you serve, your brand can only bene�t from the conversation surrounding it. Merely stick to your strategy so

long as it is sound, and all tactics support it.

4. Participate

Engage your online fellowship with relevant, timely, and sincere conversation.

Topical subjects that do not necessarily have to do with your brand are sometimes

required to massage the discussion and nudge the subject matter further in your

favour. Ask questions, respond to feedback, clarify issues, and support your

corporate community. Do not dictate your message and remember to take the time

to consider what your customers are actually saying. This exercise will help you

understand your customers’ needs, motivations and concerns.

04Insights // How Social Media Affects Your Business© High-Touch Communications Inc. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes. All company names, products, services and brands mentioned, identi�ed and/or linked to are the property of their respective owners.

5. Progress

Finally, measure your social marketing efforts by tracking user engagement,

sentiment, in�uence, mentions, comments, press/blog coverage, community

conversations, and feedback channels. Develop a social analytics report that will

help you gauge your progress on a granular level. Remember to benchmark your

own corporate participation metrics and how it has affected your overall campaign

performance. Take your data, turn it into valuable information and use it for your

strategic, managerial decisions that will affect your brand and company over the long-term. Social media

provides an opportunity for cost-effective market research providing both qualitative and quantitative data

that is in�nitely valuable and useful to your brand and bottom line.

Expertly conceiving, deploying, and managing these �ve strategic, social elements, you will incontrovertibly

experience positive marketing momentum. Your customers will become your greatest brand champions and

in�uence their networks with opinion based on their interaction with you, your product or your service.

For more information on how to incorporate Social Media Marketing (SMM)

strategies into your marketing efforts contact: Tom Kouri or Freddy Davy at (514) 739-2461.

05

Proud Makers of

The Web-based marketing software that empowers businesses to Inform, Promote and Transact Online.

The easy-to-use Time Tracking and Project Management System that Saves You Time and Makes You More Money.

Insights // How Social Media Affects Your Business© High-Touch Communications Inc. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes. All company names, products, services and brands mentioned, identi�ed and/or linked to are the property of their respective owners.