Ch 4 Rules of engagement

Permission vs. Interruption Marketing: Developing the Social contract

-permission-based marketing relies on attention being earned -consumers consent to being marketed, ex: -opting into an email newsletter -following an account on twitter -signing up for text message alerts -permission marketing (organic social media) is an important element of SMM -see dollarshaveclub.com

SMM ethics

-same code of ethics as traditional marketing -due to its highly interactive as well as long-distance nature, social media brings its own set of challenges and complications -Principles to apply: -honesty -privacy -respect -responsibility

Rules of engagement for SMM

-being a successful social media marketer requires more than marketing and technical skills -it requires knowledge of the rules of the road in social media and understanding of the appropriate way to communicate on social platforms -the general rules of engagement provide guidance on how to avoid costly mistakes by behaving properly on the social web

SMM ethics

-observing social media etiquette... lesson 1: use different accounts or profiles for you professional and personal communications lesson 2: dont post pictures and videos of people without their permission lesson 3: dont play the game of internet trolls lesson 4:dont react too quickly lesson 5: at all costs, avoid the drunken post lesson 6: dont post anything anywhere on the internet that you would not want potential employers, boss, current customer or potential client to read

Principles for success

-success requires giving the audience something of value -people spend time online for 3 reasons -to connect with people -to get information or -to be entertained -a successful SM stately must associate itself with at least one of these 3 reasons

Initial entry strategy: passive vs. active

-the active strategy, the marketer: 1. creates content and engages in conversation through different social media channels 2. actively creates and builds social media profiles 3. connects with key influencers 4. starts or participates in conversations -Many brands jump to start an active strategy without understanding their audience or their preferred interaction -consider starting slow with the passive strategy

Permission vs. Interruption Marketing: Developing the social contract

-the basic rule of permission marketing -requires earning attention from people who have a choice about whether or not to engage -people tend to choose brands that are authentic, transparent, show care and empathy, respect consumers' time and opinions, and have a human presence online -but firms cannot rely solely on permission marketing... -interruption must be included

Permission vs. Interruption Marketing: Developing the social contract

-the content of interruption ads is focused around selling a product or service that provides value to the target market -goal of the ad is to showcase the product, reduce information search costs, create a persuasive case for purchase -effective placement of the ad is necessary -media scheduling seeks the target audience -the problem is that people are already bombarded by ads (5,000/day)

Permission vs. Interruption Marketing: Developing the social contract

-traditional marketing relies heavily on interruption marketing: -firms purchase the right to interrupt people and demand their attention -TV advertising, mag ads, billboard, pop-ups, radio ads, are created to interrupt the viewer at what he or she is doing -these marketers need not worry about whether a consumer wants to see their ads -viewers realize that ads are part of the cost they pay in order to consume media content

Initial entry strategy: passive vs. active

-when engaging in social media, there are two types of engagement -the passive strategy -search, listen and respond -a good way to start -seek out mentions of your business, its competitors and the category of industry -spend time listening to what people are saying -after achieving familiarity with the conversations, responses can begin -simply saying thank you and answering questions is a great first step

Principles for Success

Authentic -being authentic is vital to success -the internet spreads information faster than any other means of human communication -deception is NOT a good long-term strategy -converse without forced attitudes or demeanor; inauthenticity is easy to spot -communications must be professional and personable -honest responses will earn goodwill and trust

Principles for success

Credible a powerful way for an organizaiton to earn its audience's trust is by being credible -two sides to credibility: 1. building a reputation for knowledge and expertise 2. Building a brands trustworthiness -ready to share information -explain the rationale behind decisions -admit mistakes -asking for understanding or support

SMM ethics

Honesty -SMM based largely on personal interactions -the "spin" of traditional advertising NOT expected -public scrutiny high -facts will be checked -promises must be kept

Principles for success

Participatory -successful brands are participatory -they interact with the community, answer questions and thank those who respond -brands may create their own communities, but in most cases, there are existing communities whose trust can be earned by showing interest and participating -respond to blog comments, tweets, or FB posts that mention the brand -participating in dialog will eventually bring results

SMM ethics

Privacy -do not collect or disturb personal information without consent -obtaining data should be balanced again protecting user privacy -violations of user privacy can destroy a sites reputation and severely damage a company -best to employ passive approaches that allow the user to input data voluntarily

Principles for success

Resourceful -being resourceful means providing the audience with helpful information -giving the audience is a genuinely useful resource is a powerful method for earning trust and gaining attention -many ways a firm can become a resource online -solve customer service questions, or deal with complaints

SMM ethics

Respect -treat people as equals, as reasonable individuals with goals and lives of their own -do not present manipulative messages, create false identities for testimonials, or hijack user profiles for promotional purposes

SMM ethics

Responsibility -mistakes will occur: -acknowledge: find out what the problem is and take responsibility for the situation -apologize: is someone is angry, first attempt to calm and apologize, then determine what would give the individual resolution -act: implement promised changes or make other restitution. inform the complainant that the problem is being addressed

Best practices: following the rules of engagement for SMM

Rule 1: use social media channels as intended -failing to follow site-specific conventions is one of the quickest ways to get unfollowed or called out on social media sites Rule 2: Dont be a dirty spammer -dont send people in a network unwanted messages without their permission Rule 3: assume people dont care about the product -just because someone follows or friends a company page does not mean they want to endlessly hear about that business. Consider: what is it for them? why would they care? Rule 4: Have a personality -sharing some personality helps build common ground and trust

Best practices: following the rules of engagement for SMM

Rule 5: provide context when seeking connections -when sending a request to connect with someone provide context for the connection. What is the reason for connecting with that person? Rule 6: be transparent -this access to information means that companies have to be upfront with their information Rule 7: talk about the topic -when joining the discussion, focus on what the conversation is about, not just do self-promotion Rule 8: social media profiles are not billboards -it is best to engage in discussions without doing overt marketing unless it is directly on topic Rule 9: be nice