MKT-232 Chapters 1-5

Best Practices for Social Media Platform Marketing

Rule #1: Develop clear objectives. Rule #2: Understand and monitor metrics. Rule #3: Know the audience. . Rule #4: Communicate with y8oruor audience in the most appropriate way. Rule #5: Keep search in mind.

personas

a simplification of the target audience into groups for approach and understanding.

Trust building

an important part of social media marketing in which trusting relationships are used to build relationships and image of a brand. slow to learn, but easy to lose

owned media

corporate website, campaign microsite, blog, brand community, Facebook fan page, mobile, etc. (for existing customers)

The Forrester Social Technographics Ladder

creators, conversationalists, critics, collectors, joiners, spectators, inactives

________________ are blogs which are run on some other company's website and server.

hosted blogs

the persona development cycle (3 steps)

identify persona roles, list needs and situational triggers/defining concerns and problems, create messaging objectives (suited to each persona's needs that you have the expertise to address)

consumers purchase decision influencers

wom always first, then online reviews, then some combination of traditional ads and social media posts from friends/family

Social media is part of a larger media ecosystem of owned, paid, and earned media, which represents a way for marketers to leverage their own ___________ efforts.

brand

____________________ is the action that you want someone to take at each stage of the marketing campaign.

call to action

Thought leaders

experts in an industry with unique knowledge

messaging objectives

purpose-oriented goals for communication

best time to post on pintrest

saturday at 8pm to 11pm

Identifying and segmenting the __________________ is a key marketing activity, but not the last step before a promotional campaign is launched.

target market

_________________________ skills required for success in social media including basic computer skills, proficiency with search engines, and navigating the web.

technical

paid media

Traditional advertising - print, television, radio, display, direct mail, paid search, retail/channel (for general consumers)

The second important distinction between traditional and SMM is trust building.

True ( the other is online conversations have no control by the brand)

the benefits of social media marketing in order of percentage

increased exposure, increased traffic, developed loyal fans, provided marketplace insight, generated leads, improved search rankings, grown business partnerships, established thought leaderships, improved sales, reduced marketing expenses

in order to measure success, you must define what someone's desired action would be

"call to action"

The Seven Myths of SMM

#1: Social Media is Just a Fad #2: Social Media is Just for the Young #3: There is No Return on SMM #4: SMM Isn't Right for This Business #5: SMM is New #6: Social Media is Too Time-consuming #7: Social Media is Free

"Big data"

(the massive amount of data available from the digital clickstream) has broadened to include audio & video files.

b2b social media

linkedin 41%, facebook 30%, twitter 19%,

Principles to apply (cont.): - Respect

◦Treating people as equals, as reasonable individuals with goals and lives of their own ◦Although online interactions can be highly impersonal, there is always another person somewhere in front of a screen. ◦Do not present manipulative messages, create false identities for testimonials, or hijack user profiles for promotional purposes. ◦Show respect for online participants.

Credible

◦Two sides to credibility: Building a reputation for knowledge & expertise (thought leadership); especially important for B2Bs Building a brand's trustworthiness (ready to share information and explain the rationale behind decisions; admitting mistakes, asking for understanding or support Jet Blue successful. Wal-Mart not, for many years.

Valid Metrics Framework

Exposure Engagement (interaction with content) Influence (change opinion or behavior) Impact (effect) Advocacy (suggest to another user) this progression may parallel the purchase journey itself

Use other people's social media profiles or websites is a way to promote a message.

False

There are seven C's of strategy development.

False, there are 8

Returning to the specifics of social media, which step in the media plan optimizes the postings on each social media channel so they will be best attended to by the target audience.

The last step

technographics

The methodology by which Forrester surveys consumers, similar to demographics and psychographics but restricted to technology behaviors.

The most common characteristics marketers use to identify and profile target markets are which of the following?

All of the above demographics, geographics, and psychographics

Social Media Marketing Planning Cycle

An eight-step model for developing a social media marketing plan through a continuous process of listening, setting goals, defining strategies, identifying the target audience, selecting tools, implementing, monitoring, and tuning.

Which of the following is one of the nine rules of engagement for SMM?

Assume people don't care about the product

Using big data, marketers can engage in:

Behavioral targeting Connection targeting Interest targeting Look-alike targeting Custom targeting Location targeting

"Big Data" expands options for identifying and targeting audiences. Big data includes data available from the digital clickstream, and also audio and video files. Marketers can use this data to perform:

Behavioral targeting Connection targeting Interest targeting Look-alike targeting Custom targeting, and Location targeting

careers in smm

Blogger Community manager Digital media manager Director, social media marketing Engagement manager Interactive media associate Social media account executive

When we look at online marketing, there are three broad categories into which nearly all social media related goals can fall. They are usually either aimed at: (3 things)

Building/Strengthening the Brand Driving Conversions Increasing/Monitoring the Presence

persona examples for an airline

Business Travelers Leisure Travelers Family Travelers Special Needs Travelers (you can rank their importance)

conversationalists

Participate in group discussions, engage in conversations on Twitter, and update their statuses on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Brands that are successful on social media are ____________________.

Participatory

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 strategy must associate itself with at least one of these 3 reasons.

chapter 4 cliffnotes

Permission vs. Interruption Marketing: Developing the Social Contract Old media or traditional marketing relies heavily on interruption marketing where companies purchase the right to interrupt people and demand their attention. Examples of interruption marketing include TV advertising, magazine ads, billboards, pop-ups, and radio ads. Permission marketing is when consumers consent to being marketed. This form of marketing may add value to consumers' lives, causing them to welcome and request certain marketing messages. Examples of permission marketing include opting into an email newsletter, following an account on Twitter, or signing up for text message alerts. Effective permission marketers earn the attention of their audience. People tend to choose engagement with brands that are authentic, are transparent, show care and empathy, respect consumers' time and opinions, and have a human presence online. Initial Entry Strategy: Passive vs. Active To implement a passive approach, start by searching out mentions of your business, its competitors, and the category or industry. Spend some time listening to what people are saying. After achieving familiarity with the conversations, responses can begin. The active strategy is one in which the marketer creates content and engages in conversations through different social media channels. This stage involves actively creating and building social media profiles, connecting with key influencers, and starting or participating in conversations. Principles for Success People spend time online for three basic reasons: to connect with people, to get information, or to be entertained. A successful social media strategy has to associate itself with at least one of these three reasons. Brands that are successful on social media are participatory. They interact with the community, answer questions, and thank those who respond. Being authentic is vital to the success of any social media marketing campaign. The rapid spread of information on the Internet makes deception functionally impossible as a long-term strategy for any company. Giving the audience a genuinely useful resource is a powerful method for earning trust and gaining attention through social media. Social media is a powerful way for an organization to earn its audience's trust by being credible. This credibility is often referred to as demonstrating thought leadership; by showcasing original thoughts and ideas related to the product or the industry. SMM Ethics Generally speaking, the same code of ethics that applies to traditional marketing can be applied. However, the following principles should be considered in social media marketing efforts. Honesty - Social media messages are exposed to public view, so expect a high degree of scrutiny: facts will be checked, and promises will be expected to be kept. Privacy - Do not collect or distribute personal information without consent. Violations of user privacy can quickly destroy a site's reputation and severely damage a company. Respect - While online interactions can be highly impersonal, there is always another person somewhere in front of a screen. Responsibility - When a customer has a valid complaint, a technical problem arises, or some other crisis looms, acknowledge the situation, apologize, and act on an intended solution. Observing Social Media Etiquette Helps Achieve Your Personal Branding Goals. Lesson #1: Use different accounts or profiles for your professional and personal communications. Lesson #2: Don't post pictures and videos of people without their permission. Lesson #3: Don't play the game of the Internet trolls. Lesson #4: Don't react too quickly. Lesson #5: At all costs, avoid the drunken post. Lesson #6: Don't post anything anywhere on the Internet that you would not want a potential employer, your boss, a current customer, or a potential client to read. Making Ethical Decisions As technology and involvement in social media continue to evolve, new ethical situations will arise. In a situation in which ethical standards could possibly be breached, it is best to err on the side of caution and avoid a potentially unethical action. Global Perspective Social media is an international phenomenon. As a result it is important to not cultural differences when constructing messages to fit various audiences. To avoid confusion, it is best to make messages polite, concise, and direct. Discuss situations in which a message may be miscommunicated if the recipient is from a different cultural background. Becoming familiar with Google Translate (or an equivalent website) is a valuable skill for social media marketing. Translation services can help gather what international audiences are saying about different brands. Best Practices: Following the Rules of Engagement for SMM Most people use social media to build personal relationships, and they are generally not looking for new products. Being aware of the following nine rules of engagement will help a new marketer avoid common mistakes entering the field of social media. USE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AS INTENDED - Use all social media channels and their different communication methods as intended. DON'T BE A DIRTY SPAMMER - Don't send people in a network unwanted messages without their permission. Give the audience the chance to opt out and don't mass-message people without their permission. ASSUME PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PRODUCT - Assume that most people on social media sites do not care at all about the product being marketed. Be cautious of directly marketing to people, especially when it might not be expected or invited. HAVE A PERSONALITY - Sharing some personality helps build common ground and trust. Building a feeling of trust and common interest makes it more likely that people will find the social media campaign to be engaging and worth participating in. PROVIDE CONTEXT WHEN SEEKING CONNECTIONS - Having a tactful way to add new connections that may rarely or never be seen in person is extremely important. When sending a request to connect with someone it is helpful to provide context for the connection. BE TRANSPARENT - Businesses have to be more transparent in their interactions. Keeping secrets from customers is no longer a viable business strategy. TALK ABOUT THE TOPIC - It is a good idea for a company to join the discussion on topics related to their business, but it needs to make sure to focus on what the conversation is about, not just do self-promotion. SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES ARE NOT BILLBOARDS - Don't use other people's social media profiles or websites as a way to promote a message. It is best to engage in discussions without doing overt marketing unless it is directly on-topic. BE NICE - Politeness costs nothing, but it can make a huge difference in the responses that a social media marketing campaign receives. Key Terms Authentic - is more than telling the truth; it also implies conversing without forced attitudes or a false demeanor. Credible - demonstrating thought leadership; by showcasing original thoughts and ideas related to the product or the industry in general. Interruption marketing - traditional marketing method where companies purchase the right to interrupt people and demand their attention (i.e. TV, magazine, radio, billboards, and pop-up ads). Participatory - brands that interact with the community, answer questions, and thank those who respond. Permission marketing - a form of marketing where consumers consent to being marketed such as opting into an email newsletter, following an account on Twitter, or signing up for text message alerts. Resourceful - providing the audience with helpful information. Ethical Social Media Marketing Marketers know the most effective advertising is word of mouth marketing. The smartest marketers know word of mouth works best when it's credible. Unfortunately, trust is on the decline. The percentage of people who view their friends as credible sources of information about a brand has fallen since 2008, according to Edelman's Trust Barometer study. That's an alarming statistic for marketers wanting to tap into the power of word of mouth through social media marketing. What's The Problem? Some marketers have cited this decline in credibility as a result of "friends" becoming defined more loosely because of social media. Sure, we're Facebook friends with someone and we're Twitter followers of someone, but are we really friends with them? Do we trust the word of mouth recommendations of people we're Facebook friends with and Twitter followers of? It's become a common tactic for marketers to send influential social media types free products, hoping they endorse the brand/product on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and anywhere else online. Perhaps consumers have become skeptical from seeing one too many upbeat tweets and blog posts from someone they've friended sharing their love for a brand or product. The Solution Consumer skepticism of endorsements in social media can be reversed. How can you be the resolution?

Best Practices: Following the Rules of Engagement for SMM

Rule #1: Use social media channels as intended. Rule #2: Don't be a dirty spammer. Rule #3: Assume people don't care about the product. Rule #4: Have a personality. Rule #5: Provide context when seeking connections. Rule #6: Be transparent. Rule #7: Talk about the topic. Rule #8. Social media profiles are not billboards. Rule #9: Be nice.

Which of the following is not one of the seven myths of SMM?

SMM Works for all Businesses

Personal

attributes required for success in social media making a marketer personable and able to make conversation and establish a connection with anyone

__________________________ is more than telling the truth; it also implies conversing without forced attitudes or a false demeanor.

authentic

Getting to the sale is the final step in a chain of actions. The goal is to increase the level of interaction and engagement through small, incremental steps

Click on blog post from Twitter or Facebook Sign up for email newsletter Sign up for webinar (collect contact info) Have salesperson call Purchase Convert the customer to a brand advocate

personas and experience

Experienced marketers may use personas, but a new marketer must develop them from scratch using intuition, trial and error, and market research.

Tips for jobseekers

-Stay on top of social media trends -Be prepared to think and act quickly. -Be comfortable with analytics. -Learn to write for social media. -Establish and maintain your social media presence. -In all you do, show yourself to be an effective user of social media.

Determining Strategies

-What are the overall goals? -What was learned from listening? -What best practices can be applied? -Goals may change... be flexible

best practices for smm (5 items)

1. Begin with a strategy backed by a SMM plan. 2. Be honest and transparent in all your social media efforts. 3. Identify your target audience, and understand its media behavior before you begin. 4. Welcome participation and feedback from your audience. 5. Remember that what you know today may not be valid tomorrow. SMM changes with the speed of technology.

Benefits of Marketing with Social Networks

A consequence of online social networks is the blurring of the line between business and personal life. ◦Previously, only celebrities and politicians could expect public scrutiny of their actions. ◦Now, much personal information (especially of young people) can be found on the Internet. Online sharing of popular interests is highly valuable to a social media marketer. The advantages of marketing with social networks: Find talent Build brand awareness Find new customers Help conduct brand intelligence and market research The best marketing with social networks comes from the customer or fan base, not the firm. ◦Example: Facebook's Coca-Cola page

The Eight C's of Strategy Development

1. Categorize social media platforms by target market relevancy. 2. Comprehend the rules of the road on the platform by listening and learning how to behave, successfully spark conversation, and engage and energize the participants. 3. Converse by acknowledging and responding to other users of the platform, always remembering to be a contributor, not a promoter. 4. Collaborate with platform members as a means of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the platform participants. 5. Contribute content to build reputation and become a valued member, helping to improve the community. 6. Connect with the influencers so that you can enlist them to help shape opinions about your product or service. 7. Community participation (and creation) can elicit valuable consumer suggestions for improving products and innovative suggestions for new products or service. 8. Convert strategy execution into desired outcomes such as brand building, increasing customer satisfaction, driving word-of-mouth recommendations, producing new product ideas, generating leads, handling crisis reputation management, integrating social media marketing with PR and advertising, and increasing search engine ranking and site traffic.

4 important aspects of SMM

1. Creating buzz or newsworthy events, videos, tweets, or blog entries that attract attention, and have the potential to become virtual in nature. This point reports the "United Breaks Guitars" video and its result. Ask students to report other similar videos they have seen. This is a "David versus Goliath"-type story. Discuss how social media has made it possible for individuals to challenge big business. Have students consider the statement "Every interaction with the customer is a marketing event". What does this mean for traditional business? for new businesses? 2. Building ways that enable fans of a brand or company to promote a message themselves in multiple online social media venues. Ask students whether they have ever done this, or know someone who has, and what happened. 3. It is based around online conversations. SMM is not controlled by the organization. This may be the most significant difference between SMM and traditional marketing. 4. Social media is part of a larger media ecosystem of owned, paid, and earned media, which represents a way for marketers to leverage their own brand efforts. (See Figure 1.2.)

Social Media Marketing (SMM) refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites: (4 ways)

1. Creating buzz, videos, tweets or blog entries that may become viral. 2. Building ways that enable fans of a brand to promote a message themselves. 3. Based around online conversations. 4. Part of a larger media ecosystem of owned, paid and earned media used in marketing.

Steps in Targeting SMM Campaigns

1. Define Target Audience and Segments 2. Create Personas for Each Segment 3. Develop Media Plan for Each Targeted Segment 4. Optimize Media Schedule and Posts

What were the prevailing social media trends of 2017?

1. Influencer marketing started to surge. 2. Brands began targeting a new generation. 3. Brands started focusing on communication with individuals from their community. 4. Chatbots exploded in popularity. 5. Digital hangouts emerged as a popular form of socialization among the tech-savvy. 6. New integrated buying opportunities emerged. 7. Content legitimacy took center stage.

SMM Planning Cycle

1. Listening 2. Setting goals 3. Defining strategies 4. Identifying the target audience (market) 5. Selecting tools 6. Selecting platforms and channels 7. Implementing 8. Monitoring 9. Tuning

Social media platforms:

1. Social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn) 2. Microblogging sites (Twitter, Tumblr) 3. Publishing tools (WordPress, Blogger) 4.Collaboration tools (Wikipedia, WikiTravel) 5. Rating/Review sites (Amazon ratings, Angie's List) 6.Photo sharing sites (Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest) 7. Video sharing sites (YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler) 8.Personal broadcasting tools (Blog Talk radio) ◦9. Virtual worlds (Second Life, World of Warcraft, Farmville) 10. Location-based services (Check-ins, Facebook Places, Foursquare, Yelp) 11. Widgets (Profile badges, Like buttons) 12. Social bookmarking and news aggregation (Digg, Delicious) 13. Group buying (Groupon, Living Social, Crowdsavings)

Best Practices for Developing a Social Media Strategy

1. Start with a road map (your SMM plan): ◦a. Identify your target audience & characteristics ◦b. How will you interact with them? ◦c. How will you measure the success or failure of your activities? ◦d. How will you adjust to stay on track to meet your objectives? 2. Listen before you start interacting; listen strategically. 3. Welcome audience participation, feedback and collaboration. 4. Give the strategy an adequate amount of time to be built, and for resources to become successful. 5. Be flexible; Social media itself is constantly evolving.

A Brief History of Social Networks

1997-SixDegrees.com launched ◦Let users build profiles, display a list of friends and traverse these lists. ◦Despite attracting millions of users, site could not attract sufficient funding; closed in 2000. 2001-Ryze.com launched ◦First subscribers became entrepreneurs and investors behind Friendster, Tribe. Net, LinkedIn ◦But site never achieved critical mass 2003-MySpace launched ◦Sought to attract estranged Friendster users, but 2004 influx of teenagers led to rise in popularity ◦By 2007, the leading social networking site in US ◦But all changed by Facebook 2004-Thefacebook (Harvard students) ◦But quickly grew to all U.S. universities, high school students, then global universities ◦2005, name changed to Facebook.com ◦2006, anyone over 13 with an email address Facebook.com (cont.) ◦2008, overtook MySpace in traffic with phenomenal growth ◦2011-750 million active monthly users ◦Today, the most popular network

primary business objective of smm tactics across social networks

39.2%build brand awareness, 29% build brand preference, 15.2% drive direct leads or sales 11.2% increase customer loyalty provide customer service 3% other 2.3%

social media has reached critical mass

73% of adults in the us have a profile on a social network

What is a SMM plan?

A SMM plan details an organization's social media goals and the actions necessary to achieve them. Understanding corporate and marketing strategies and the creation of promotional strategies Without integrated strategies and solid SMM plans, there is little chance of successfully executing SMM.

Listening 5 stages

Creating a social media plan is a continuous process. Skilled SM marketers constantly monitor the progress of the plan's action elements: ◦Modify them to improve results ◦Test alternative approaches. It's important to methodically carry out all of the steps (see Figure 2.1) when constructing a SM plan.

SMM planning cycle (text)

Creating a social media plan is a continuous process. Skilled SM marketers constantly monitor the progress of the plan's action elements: ◦Modify them to improve results ◦Test alternative approaches. It's important to methodically carry out all of the steps (see Figure 2.1) when constructing a SM plan.

Cultural Differences ◦Adapting the message to fit the expected audience was discussed, but especially important when part of the community is international.

Do some research to determine which regions or nationalities are active on each SM network Tailor communications on each platform. Depending on their culture and personal preferences, different people have varying standards of contact and familiarity with others met through social media. Some will be more eager than others; be friendly, but not invasive.

Audience Targeting on Facebook

Facebook has revised its audience targeting. ◦At first, brands had to develop profiles, then fan pages, then were given the option of creating brand pages that had more features than personal pages. ◦Then, several upgrades including targeting options. ◦Initial targeting options for brand pages were demographic. ◦Later, targeting by interests supplied by the brand Targeting options differ from one platform to another. ◦Careful social media marketer understands the platform

Goal #3: Increase Presence

Finally, we come to the goal most often associated with social media outreach efforts; increasing the conversation about your brand. After all, social media is all about the conversation. It's about the only space in the world where consumers talk to each other and to companies in an environment that can be tracked, sorted and followed-up with. This makes social media a prime outlet for PR driven companies who want to know what customers are saying about them. Setting up even a baseline of social media monitoring can go a long way toward helping you follow these conversations. Whether you're launching new product and aiming to get people buzzing about it or trying to reach out to a new target audience to share information about one of your best selling services, it's all trackable.

When you have the answers to these questions, you should do two things:

Focus on your primary market. Many business owners fall into the trap of believing that their products or services are "for everyone"— that is, anyone would be interested in or need the products. But even if your business appeals to a broad market of diverse consumers, you need to identify who your ideal consumer is. After you've identified your primary market, your advertising should match that focus. Research your market. Knowing your target audience is critical: Your ads won't work if they don't appeal to what your potential customers want or need. Research and find out as much as possible about the people you want to sell to.

Setting goals and objectives

Goals must be flexible in light of new developments. ◦Unintended benefits may be discovered

What are the Characteristics of a Successful Social Media Marketer?

Good communication skills Able to engage with a diverse group Being a good listener Good writing skills Working knowledge of computers and the Internet Programming not required Knowledge of search marketing is desirable Proficiency on at least 3 leading social platforms: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Targeting Available to Brand Posts

Google+ has a built-in targeting mechanism with its circles. ◦Also available, targeting by age and location to brand pages ◦Search by hashtag eliminated, replaced with Collections. ◦Hashtag search is a key feature on other platforms; possible to access trends in real time. Emojis are a potential targeting item. ◦Instagram users include emojis in hashtags, making brands and trends, searchable, and able to reach target audiences.

Social media users are fickle; top networking sites have changed with new generations.

Instagram appeals to Millennials and the generation after them (Generation Z). Social networks appeal to the young, to business professional and women. Social network sites evolved from discussion boards, where users develop communal relationships based on shared interests. Social networks are primarily organized around people, not interests.

joiners

Interact on social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Eon.

inactives

Internet consumers who are not involved in social media

When selecting a SM platform, marketers should consider the characteristics of the target audience, such as:

Is the target consumers or professionals? Social networks for consumers, LinkedIn for professionals Where do they hang out? Go there. Is my product visual? Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube Are my consumers content oriented? If sharing and posting are important, consider Facebook or another interactive network. For blogging, LinkedIn or Google+ Do they like to collaborate? Wikis Are product demos needed? YouTube Also, consider the capabilities of the network. ◦Table 5.4 shows the capabilities of each network to create groups, communities or lists, etc. ◦Remember that people participate primarily to connect with friends, not to search new products. ◦But if messages are engaging and valuable, they will be welcomed, and draw in new customers. Some firms worry that participating on social networks may invite negative comments. ◦But a social network profile concentrates such comments in one place for easy response.

linkedin lessons

Lesson #1. LinkedIn groups forbid self-promotion. Lesson #2. Its Relationship tab shows how you are connected to another user, see messages exchanged, lets you make notes on the relationship and your plans to further it. Lesson #3. Use the Tag feature on the Relationship tab to assign tags to connections. Lesson #4. You can categorize your contacts, but not build a list that allows you to message all contacts in a single category at the same time. Lesson #4.(sic) Consider using a tool to uncover profiles of relevant LinkedIn members. Lesson #5. LinkedIn may be the repository of much of your personal branding content, but you can develop communities on a variety of platforms and reach them with targeted content that will enhance your brand. Develop your audiences carefully and use them with respect; they will be a huge asset.

Observing Social Media Etiquette ... (lessons)

Lesson #1: Use different accounts or profiles for your professional and personal communications. Lesson #2: Don't post pictures and videos of people without their permission. Lesson #3: Don't play the game of the Internet trolls. Lesson #4: Don't react too quickly. Lesson #5: At all costs, avoid the drunken post. Lesson #6: Don't post anything anywhere on the Internet that you would not want a potential employers, your buss, a current customer, or a potential client to read.

Chapter 5 Summary

List of Social Media Platforms Social networking is based on network theory, showing networks of connections. Networking theory explains how traditional word-of-mouth advertising became eWOM marketing. Central node: someone who is more influential online because they are central to groups sharing information. Firms may align with influential bloggers or key users whose opinion is respected. Social media platforms include social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn), microblogging sites (Twitter, Tumblr), publishing tools (WordPress, Blogger), collaboration tool (Wikipedia, WikiTravel), Rating/Review sites (Amazon ratings, Angie's List), photo sharing sites (Flickr, Instagram, Pinterest), video sharing sites (YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler), personal broadcasting tools (Blog Talk radio), virtual worlds (Second Life, World of Warcraft, Farmville), location-based services (Check-ins, Facebook Places, Foursquare, Yelp), widgets (profile badges, Like buttons), social bookmarking and news aggregation (Digg, Delicious), and group buying (Groupon, Living Social, Crowdsavings). A Brief History of Social Networks Launched in 1997 as one of the first social network sites, SixDegrees.com let users build profiles, display a list of their Friends, and transverse these lists. Although each of these functions had already been implemented by dating services and virtual communities, SixDegrees.com was the first to combine them. In 2001, Ryze.com was launched. The first subscribers went on to become entrepreneurs and investors behind Friendster, Tribe.net, and LinkedIn, but Ryze.com never achieved critical mass. In August 2003 MySpace was launched by a group of eUniverse employees with Friendster accounts who were inspired by its potential, and decided to mimic the social network's more popular features. Facebook initially launched in 2004 as an intimate, exclusive community limited to people with a harvard.edu email address. By 2006, Facebook expanded its registration policy to anyone older than thirteen with a valid email address. In 2008, FB overtook MySpace in traffic. Today, it is the most popular network. In other countries, different social network sites have risen to prominence: Google's Orkut popular in India and Brazil; QQ, China, has more than 800 million users; Vkontakte (VK) dominates in Russia; Brazilians use major network sites but also the Chinese network, Baidu. Marketers who want to reach a global audience should consider these. Benefits of Marketing with Social Networks A consequence of online social networks is the blurring of the line between business and personal life, but the online sharing of popular interests is highly valuable to a social media marketer. Marketing with social networks has several advantages for firms, allowing them to "find talent, build brand awareness, find new customers, and help conduct brand intelligence and market research." Instead of costly market research, monitoring social networks can gather general sentiments, opinions, and customer needs with great efficiency. The best marketing with social networks comes from the customer or fan base, not the firm. Example: Facebook's Coca-Cola page. When selecting a SM platform, marketers should consider the characteristics of the target audience, including: are they consumers or professionals? (Facebook or LinkedIn) Where do they hang out? Is my product visual? (Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube) Are my consumers content-oriented? Are sharing and posting important? (Facebook, etc.) Do they blog? (LinkedIn or Google+) Do they like to collaborate? (Wikis) Are product demos needed? (YouTube) The marketer must also consider the capabilities of the network to create groups, communities, lists, etc. Remember that people participate to connect with friends, not to search new products. For firms worried that participating in social networks may invite negative comments, it will be easier to respond to such comments if they are all on the firm's social network profile. Marketing with Social Networks For online marketing, most campaigns will fall into one of two categories: business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Facebook and LinkedIn are two networks frequently used for these respective purposes. In B2C marketing efforts, the emphasis needs to be on content, more specifically, creating content that is "share-worthy" in the eyes of the consumer with an end goal to share content that makes the audience want to discuss it further with friends. Pages allow users to follow or become fans of a company without giving access to their personal information as would occur from friending a profile. This feature makes pages more functional and engaging for marketing to consumers. Generally, Facebook content should be light, funny, and informative, or it should give a special deal or value. Give useful tips, or ask open-ended questions that will interest the audience. A great number of brands have used Facebook Places to expand their social presence. Aimed toward small- to medium-sized local businesses, Places is a location-based service that allows users to check in online before or after they visit. Facebook derives much of its revenue from advertising. It offers an advertising program that is designed to be approachable by small businesses as well as global corporations. Giving a human voice to a brand is one of the most powerful advantages of this social networking platform. Engage with users to create an emotional connection; this tactic will build brand loyalty. The most dominant platform for B2B marketing is the professional networking site LinkedIn. For B2B connections, LinkedIn is designed to facilitate interactions between business professionals. Users fill out profiles including their past education, job experience, skills, and so on. The introductions feature on LinkedIn allows users to mention others and to suggest potential contacts. Some people require potential contacts to know their email address before inviting them to connect; getting an introduction can avoid this problem if there is a valuable contact whose email is unknown. Use introductions to expand a network and broaden the base of connections available from which to draw. To find an even more targeted audience, participate on LinkedIn Answers. Members can pose questions for others to answer. Contributing valuable, well-considered answers can draw in business leads by highlighting personal expertise. Why Use a White Label Social Network? A white label social network is an online service that shares many, if not most, of the characteristics of a public social network like Facebook, with the key difference being the white label is privately run by a corporation or nonprofit organization. ABI Research forecast that white label social networks would be a $1.3 billion industry within five years. There are not over 100 offering community management solutions, now called enterprise social networks or social business. The Future of Social Networks Although Facebook dominates the landscape today, Google entered the fray in early June 2011 with its network, Google+, which has grown at a rapid pace, and now has an estimated 110 million members. Best Practices for Social Media Platform Marketing 1. Develop clear objectives. The first step is always picking an appropriate objective. Social media is all about engagement and developing relationships with customers. To do that, a company might use a social media site to collect an email address and then take it from there to use both social media and email marketing to develop the relationship. 2. Understand and monitor metrics. If engagement is the goal, establish clear metrics such as retweets, favorites, comments, sharing, and so on. Monitor the metrics frequently to chart progress to goal and make changes if needed. 3. Know the audience. Understand where the target market you have in mind hangs out. Figure 5.2 shows the demographics of social media usage across platforms. Women migrate to Pinterest and men to LinkedIn. Instagram is the only platform that is inclined toward African-Americans and Hispanics. Twitter users are addicted to the latest news, so for news sites, Twitter is a natural fit. 4. Communicate with your audience in the most appropriate way. On Facebook, shorter posts and visual images generate most engagement. Images also boost "favorites" and "retweets" on Twitter. Understand the platform and what can "boost" customer engagement. 5. Keep search in mind. Now that tweets are showing up in Google search again, we must all be careful that we are using the most appropriate keywords and appropriate language and comments in social media communications. The world is a fishbowl today and we are the fish. Make sure you constantly monitor your brand and have a crisis management strategy should things go wrong. KEY TERMS Findable - a blog that can be found with search engines. Hosted blogs - blogs which are run on some other company's website and server. Linkable - As blogs can link to each other, each blogger has access to a potentially huge audience. Publishable - a blog where posting is free and can be seen worldwide. Self-host - a blog located on a company's own website. Social - allows people to form connections with others regardless of their location. Syndicatable - Viewers can easily subscribe to a blog using RSS and be notified about its updates in real-time. Viral - containing information that is interesting and therefore spreads quickly.

Social networking is based on network theory, showing networks of connections.

Networking theory explains how traditional word-of-mouth (WOM) advertising became eWOM marketing, allowing information to be transmitted rapidly. Central node: Some people are more influential online because they are central to groups sharing information. Firms may align with influential bloggers or key users whose opinion is respected.

Goal #2: Drive Conversions

One of smartest reasons to use social media is for the potential boost it can have to your conversion efforts. Whether you're looking to drive sales, increase leads or simply drive people to action, conversions are an easily trackable goal in the realm of social media. Sit down and write out a list of all the potential actions someone might take while engaging with your company's web site or while interacting online. Obvious options like buying your products or becoming a lead spring to mind, but don't forget about other valuable actions like subscribing to your newsletter, retweeting a blog post. Read over your list and think about the different ways you might be able to use social media to increase conversions for each item. Often times, this is the best way to start planning your social media efforts.

?

Since 2005, interest in social networks has grown at an increasing pace, with no indication of tapering off. Although FB dominates today, many niche social networks have survived and thrived by catering to specific interests. ◦Ravelry, for those with a passion for knitting ◦My Own Car Show, for hot-rod and antique car enthusiasts. The age of "social selling" has arrived.

A ___________________ is an online service on which members can establish relationships based on friendship, kinship, shared interests, business advantage, or other reasons.

Social network site

Resourceful ◦Many ways a firm can become a resource online.

Solve customer service questions, or deal with complaints (JetBlue using Twitter). Get Satisfaction allows visitors to share feedback and ask questions; users can vote up or down others' suggestions. Most important in B2B marketing; examples are Jeff Bullas and Cheryl Burgess

Fill-in the SMART acronym for each of the letters:

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time delimited

SMART goals

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time delimited

50% the us population uses facebook

The 2000s saw explosive growth of social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn). Personal and product information was shared online. But in order to be profitable, social networks must either rely on the advertising (Facebook) or subscription (LinkedIn). They must make money somehow.

Authentic ◦Being authentic is vital to success.

The Internet spreads information faster than any other means of human communication, reaching around the globe (billions of viewers) in seconds. Deception is not a long-term strategy. Authenticity implies conversing without forced attitudes or demeanor; inauthenticity is hard to describe, but easy to spot. Communications must be professional & personable. Honest responses will earn goodwill, trust.

Listening Centers

The National Football League listens to Super Bowl conversations ◦In 2015, 24.8 million game-related tweets Cisco demonstrates the importance of social media listening in B2B marketing ◦Monitoring the who, what, and where of social media about Cisco, and current trending topics.

optimal target audience

The overlap of the three sets of personas: those who need the product marketed, those who have enough money to afford the product, and those interested in receiving information about new products.

Targeting in SMM can be identified as being:

The right person to get The right content At the right place At the right time In the right format In the right language On the right device That is a formidable challenge!

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. Taco Bell is a leader in the use of social media.

Goal #1: Build the Brand

Think about the things that make your company different from your competitors; your Unique Value Propostion. This is how social media can help you build awareness. If you're a service professional, target a specific niche and build a blogging and Twitter strategy around that. Demonstrate your expertise in working with a certain type of client and then seek out those types of clients to have conversation with. Look for new ways to connect with them and encourage your current clients to socially share your articles with their networks.

Why Use a White Label Social Network?

This is an online service that shares many of the characteristics of a public social network like FB, but it is privately run by a corporation or NFP. Software vendors make platforms for organizations to use in constructing their white label social networks; some build from scratch. Now known as enterprise social networks or social business; growth continues to explode.

Optimizing Posts and Post Timing

To "optimize" for SMM means to make everything from a user's profiles to her blog posts to her Pinterest pins as visible as possible to everyone on the platform and sometimes in search engine rankings. ◦Difficult to optimize social content. ◦Every platform is different. ◦But many publishers on the web who provide information on the subject.

One consequence of online social networks has been to blur the line between business and personal life.

True

collectors

Upload and save favorites on bookmarking sites such as Delicious; vote on content on sites such as Digg, tag photos on sites such as Flickr, and subscribe to RSS feeds to automatically receive new blog posts; and perform the valuable function of helping to organize and categorize content on the social web.

Social Technographics Profile

Uses demographics such as age, location, and gender to group social media users into personas based on their social media activities.

To identify your target market, you first need to answer these questions:

What are you selling, and what makes it so unique? For example, what makes your merchandise different from what people can buy from other big retail chains? To whom do you want to sell it? Are you selling to parents? To retirees? To the environmentally conscious? Why should people buy the product or service from you? Are you open very late at night so that customers who work long hours can drop by your store? Do you offer free delivery of large items so that walk-in customers don't have to lug your product home?

(increase presence) When it comes to the conversation people might be having about you online, ask yourself a few questions.

Who do you want to hear talking? What do you want them to be saying? Who do you want them to say it to?

earned media

Word of mouth, Facebook comments, Twitter mentions/replies, Vine, Blogs, forums, review sites (done by super fans)

Control

a (! traditional !) marketing approach by which the marketer seeks to dominate the message seen by the audience.

Rules of Engagement

a foundation for executing platform-specific marketing tactics.

target audience (market)

a group of consumers a company has decided to organize its marketing strategies to reach

objectives cascade for smm objectives

buisness objectives -> marketing objectives -> smm objectives -> campaign specific, platform specific objectives

spectators

consume the content that others produce, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, forums, reviews, and so on.

The most common characteristics marketers use to identify and profile target markets are

demographics, geographics, and lifestyles ( psychographics ). ◦Identifying and segmenting the target market is a key marketing activity. ◦But the marketer wishes to reach a single market segment, not the entire market.

critics

evaluate and comment on content produced by creators and conversationalists, post product ratings or reviews, comment on blogs, and participate in community's discussion forums, as well as correct wiki articles.

b2c social media

facebook 65%, twitter 10% linkedin 9%

paid social advertising by website

facebook ads 84% google 41% linkedin 18% twitter ads 17% youtube ads 12%

timeline of social media

flickr and facebook in 2004 youtube and bebo in 2005 2006 twitter launches google gets yt, 2007 tumblr, 2008 facebook surpases myspace, 2009 facebook and yt boom, 2011 pintrest google plus and snapchat launched, 2012 fb got instagram, 2013 vine and ig video launched

best time to post on twitter

for b2b weekdays, for b2c weekends and Wednesdays 12pm, 5pm highest retweets, 6pm highest CTR

users of social media by age

literally the highest in exact order of youngest to oldest, 46% maximum for 65+ 90% max for 18-29

Power-users

people who already have influence in the world of social media.

___________________ is a form of marketing where consumers consent to being marketed such as opting into an email newsletter, following an account on Twitter, or signing up for text message alerts.

permission marketing

_____________________ are people who already have influence in the world of social media.

power users

The "R" in the SMART acronym for the 5 elements stands for which of the following?

realistic

Giving the audience a genuinely useful _______________ is a powerful method for earning trust and gaining attention through social media.

resource

best time to post as a google+ user

saturday between 11 and 12

Technical

skills required for success in social media including basic computer skills, proficiency with search engines, and navigating the web.

________________ allows people to form connections with other regardless of their location.

social

which part of the ladder is the fullest? the smallest?

spectators, just a step above the least which are inactives.

Contributions

the essence of social media marketing which emphasizes audience contribution to the marketing message. (SMM)

Tone of the Community

the natural interaction of consumers on social sites

Situational triggers

the needs, problems, or concerns that may cause a persona to seek products or services.

Secondary optimal target audience

the overlap of two of the three sets of personas those who need the product marketed those who have enough money to afford the product and those interested in receiving information about new products

Social media marketing (SMM)

the use of social media portals to positively influence consumers toward a website, company, brand, product, service, or a person.

Buyer roles or buyer personas

those who make decisions about which products or services to spend money on

best time to post on facebook

thursday and friday 9am - 7pm especially at 1pm and 3 pm

"Big Data" expands options for identifying and targeting audiences.

true

Contributions is the essence of social media marketing which emphasizes audience contributes to the marketing message.

true

Identifying the target audience (market) is done by pinpointing the location, behavior, tastes, and needs of the target audience.

true

SEO stands for "search engine optimization." This can also be referred to as "search engine visibility."

true

The 5 SMM objectives include exposure, engagement, influence, impact, and advocacy.

true

The Social Media Marketing Planning Cycle is a nine-step model for developing a social media plan through a continuous process of listening, setting goals, defining strategies, identifying the target audience (market), selecting tools, selecting platforms and channels, implementing, monitoring, and tuning.

true

Trust building is an important part of social media marketing in which trusting relationships are used to build relationships and image of a brand.

true

_____________ is the constant and continuous process of adjusting and improving the elements of the plan and its implementation to maximize the chances of success.

tuning

Best Practices for Targeting Branded Posts

• Understand what platforms are used by the target audience and how they are used. • Optimize content and posting schedule for each platform. • Use the targeting capabilities of each platform. • Monitor results on each platform and continue to improve content engagement and overall marketing effectiveness.

Self-Promotion vs. Building an Army of Advocates

•Creating advocates is the final element in the Valid Metrics Framework. •Brand advocates will talk to their friends because they are truly passionate about the business and want to tell the world. •WOM (word of mouth) is the leading purchase influence in four different countries.

Here, we focus on targeting brand posts, not advertising.

◦Brand posts are owned media with no advertising costs; Ads on social media platforms are paid media, usually pay-per-click (PPC) posts ◦Since advertisers pay for media space, they get targeting options first. ◦Brand pages generally have a limited set of targeting options, often: "everyone" or "your circles"

Once personas and associated messaging objectives are complete, the SM marketer must:

◦Choose the media mix. ◦Schedule each post on each platform. ◦Execute the schedule. ◦Follow the reaction to the posts, listening and perhaps replying to at least some of them.

Permission-based marketing relies on attention being earned.

◦Consumers consent to being marketed; examples: 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 Figure 4.1, DollarShaveClub.com

Key objectives of SMM include:

◦Customer service ◦Brand awareness ◦Building brand preference ◦Acquisition of new customer leads ◦Loyalty programs

Principles to apply (cont.): - Privacy

◦Do not collect or distribute personal information without consent. ◦Obtaining helpful data from viewers should be balanced again protecting user privacy. Aggressive information-gathering software seen as malware, a computer virus, or an annoyance Violations of user privacy can destroy a site's reputation and severely damage a company. Best to employ passive approaches that allow the user to input data voluntarily

How to Avoid Confusing Your Global Audience

◦Expressions, proverbs or sayings that are clichés to a domestic audience may be unfamiliar to an international one. Some translate strangely or sound odd Remarks intended as sarcasm or metaphor may not be so interpreted. Avoid jokes or references overly dependent on popular culture, puns, domestic sporting events, etc. Make messages polite, concise and direct.

Ad Targeting on Selected Platforms

◦Facebook is one of few platforms that make ad targeting options visible on personal profile pages; explore them. ◦Others offer targeting to advertisers; Twitter offers: Follower targeting with choices including followers of competitors and similar audiences Behavior targeting that uses data from Twitter business partners about online and offline product-related behaviors Keywords that are used in twitter searches or in Tweets Event targeting: Twitter furnishes a global event calendar, provides audience data from last year's event, and enables targeting of the audience for the current year's event

Traditional marketing relies heavily on interruption marketing:

◦Firms purchase the right to interrupt people and demand their attention TV advertising, magazine ads, billboards, pop-ups, radio ads, etc. 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 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).

A firm that wishes to market on social networks must:

◦First, decide on goals and objectives. ◦Develop a solid plan. ◦Know the target audience and where to find them. Business to Business? (B2B) LinkedIn & others Business to Consumer? (B2C) Facebook & others

Business-To-Consumer Marketing:

◦For businesses specializing in consumer products or services ◦Most social networks make it easy for members to like, share, or become fans of a brand. ◦Emphasis must be "share-worthy" content. ◦Focus on the places where people spend most time (now, Facebook). (See Table 5.5) ◦For photo, image sharing, Instagram (Table 5.6) ◦First, start an account... (cont.) To gain viewers for a page, put links to it on other websites and email signatures, business card and outgoing communications. Use shorter "vanity" URLs; Run contests or offer discounts Groups are useful, but on Facebook, the groups' functionality presents problems. Mass messaging may be blocked Niche marketers and small firms might consider groups Consider FB Places which allows users to check in. FB ad tool can be specified for demographics. ◦First, start an account; do not create a profile. Create a page that will represent the business. Allows users to follow or become fans without giving access to personal information (like friending a profile). Customize the page to reflect the company's style and values, but provide some content distinct from the firm's primary website. Update frequently with new content, but not more than three times per day. Quality, not quantity; relevant and engaging Check the pages of your competitors; what are they doing?

Google Translate

◦Google offers one of several online translation services; become familiar with such a service. These can gather what international audiences are saying about different brands. ◦Be careful using online translations to create new content because sometimes results are rough, or lack important context. Tip: translate the message into several other languages, then back into English - is content still recognizable?

A Global Perspective

◦In other countries, different social network sites have risen to prominence Google's Orkut became popular in India and Brazil QQ, the leader in China, has more than 800 million users Vkontakte (VK) dominates in Russia Brazilians use major network sites but also the Chinese network Baidu ◦Marketers who want to reach a global audience should consider these.

The basic rule of permission marketing is a blessing and a curse.

◦It 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.

Principles to apply (cont.): - Responsibility

◦Mistakes will occur; when a customer has a valid complaint, a technical problem arises or some other crisis looms, take these 3 steps: Acknowledge: find out what the problem is and take responsibility for the situation. Apologize: If 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.

Two important warnings:

◦Not all platforms offer all types of targeting ◦Advertisers receive new targeting options first; brand name marketers receive them later. ◦Target audience descriptions become richer: Facebook users over 55 years of age LinkedIn users in the states of Illinois, Ohio, etc. Instagram users who post from Los Angeles beaches over a Labor Day weekend Brand page fans who visit the retail store (coupon)

The same code of ethics that applies to traditional marketing can be applied here, but social media brings its own challenges. Principles to apply: ◦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. ◦Build a reputation for honesty.

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.

This set of ethical principles for SMM is only a starting point rather than the final word; new ethical situations will arise.

◦Software tools to mine for user data are becoming more sophisticated, but so are antiviral, ad-blocking and anti-cookie programs to combat them. ◦Deciding which practices to employ is complex. ◦When ethical standards could possibly be breached, it is best to err on the side of caution.

The Active Strategy:

◦The marketer creates content and engages in conversation through different SM channels: Actively creates and builds social media profiles Connects with key influencers Starts or participates in conversations ◦Many brands jump to step two without understanding their audience or their preferred interaction. Consider starting slow with the passive strategy.

Business-To-Business Marketing:

◦The most dominant B2B platform is LinkedIn. 81% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn. Designed to facilitate interactions between business professionals. Connections taken more seriously. ◦First, complete the member profile in as much detail as possible. More information leads to more connections. Someone who has 100 direct connections may have indirect access to over a million others. A new status and newsfeed feature for sharing InMail, an internal messaging service, can be used to contact others Premium, paid account options include better messaging functionality, but that can be done in more subtle ways. Introduction feature allows users to mention others and suggest potential contacts. An introduction can avoid the necessity of having the email address of a person to whom you wish to connect. Use Introductions to expand a network and broaden the base of connections available. Most useful features are groups and Answers. Groups can be private or open; join or form your own. Nearly every profession or industry has some form of group. Joining can be a quick way to build contacts. Groups also have discussion boards; important to follow the rules of online etiquette To find a more targeted audience, participate on Answers; members pose questions; contributing valuable, well-considered answers can draw in business leads. Interact under a personal account rather than a company or brand name. Having many contacts on its own will not generate new business leads. A SMM who intends to specialize in LinkedIn should learn its details from trade books on the subject. ◦Google+ began in June 2011, and has grown rapidly. (See Table 5.1) But less than 7% of its users have more than 50 posts; many profiles, few contributors. May be more suited to smaller brand communities, but it has not caught on as a marketing tool like Facebook.