Three Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Social Media Strategy

INTRODUCTIONYour company is on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+

and maybe other social media sites as well. You’ve

got the basics down about how and when to respond

to comments and reviews. Maybe you’re

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,

“Social media marketing gives companies exponential reach, empowering brands to leverage their content and messaging more efficiently than other marketing channels.”1 At a Glance

1. “Why Social Media Marketing is a Bust for Most Companies,” Chris Horton, socialmediatoday, April 13, 20122. “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

and colleagues carry a great deal more influence 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 influential 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

force — touting the benefits of your

products and influencing 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 company’s

brand advocates. Once you have them identified, 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 influence 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 it’s 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 today’s

digital society.

Does this mean that you’re no longer in control of your

brand’s online reputation? Not necessarily. What it does

Three Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Social Media Strategy At a Glance 2

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

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

influence. 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. It’s how you deal with them that makes

the difference and protects your business’ reputation.

> TIP: Don’t limit your social media strategy to marketing

campaigns. A key component of your strategy should be

a process that defines 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.

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 company’s website

first to find information9

While it’s important to engage with customers and

prospects on external social media sites, don’t

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, you’re

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, you’ll 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,

you’ll 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.

Three Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Social Media Strategy

8. My Starbucks Idea blog, December 30, 20119. “Is the Corporate Website a Digital Dinosaur?” Lauren Price, ClickZ, September 15, 2011

At a Glance 3

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