SMM Chapter 4: Rules of Engagement for SMM

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.

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.

•Privacy

•Do not collect or distribute personal information without consent. •Obtaining data should be balanced again protecting user privacy. •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.

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.

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: Don't be a dirty spammer. • Don't send people in a network unwanted messages without their permission. Rule #3: Assume people don't 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 in it for them? Why would they care? Rule #4: Have a personality. • Sharing some personality helps build common ground and trust. 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. C 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.

•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!

Two sides to credibility:

1. Building a reputation for knowledge and expertise. 2. Building a brand's trustworthiness • Ready to share information • Explain the rationale behind decisions • Admit mistakes • Asking for understanding or support

When engaging in social media, there are two types of engagement:

1. Passive 2. Active

Observing Social Media Etiquette ...

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 boss, a current customer, or a potential client to read.

•Responsibility

Mistakes will occur: •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.

Credibility is

a powerful way for an organization to earn its audience's trust.

PERMISSION-BASED marketing relies on

attention being earned.

Success requires

giving the audience something of value

Resourceful

• Being resourceful means providing the audience with helpful information. • Giving the audience 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.

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).

Successful brands are participatory. They

• INTERACT with the community • ANSWER questions • THANK those who respond

Being a successful social media marketer requires more than marketing and technical skills.

• It requires a 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.

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.

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

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.

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 1 of these 3 reasons.

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.

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.

•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.