DITCHING COMMUNICATIONS FOR ENGAGEMENT: A STRATEGIC APPROACHEric Weaver | Tribal DDBSocial Media Breakfast12/1/09

Topics◼ WHY engagement?

◼ The traditional marketing model◼ Why the wheels have fallen off◼ New approaches to revenue

◼ WHAT is an engagement strategy?◼ What does it consist of?

◼ HOW marketing can rethink its approach for engagement◼ Some thought starters

Our (Formerly) Glamorous Life

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The ground rules

◼ Built in a known environment of limited product choice

◼ Limited media channels

◼ Longer brand interactions

◼ Higher barriers to entry

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Meanwhile, back at the recession…

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“Are you asking for a budget increase?”

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Cultural shifts and Marketing

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Source: Agent Wildfire

Trust

ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE’S RISK

People turn to peers when time is short, risk is greater

TRUST IS WIDELY SPREAD56% age 35-64, 63% 25-34 share trust/distrust on the

web

WE TRUST PEERS THE MOST(57%); 13% trust

advertisers/marketers (least trusted group)

PEOPLE BUY TRUSTTrust drives preference: 91% buy from trusted

companies; 77% refuse to buy from distrusted

2008-2009 EDELMAN TRUST BAROMETER

drives transactions

Hmmm: if peers are the most trusted and we are the least, what if we put our brands into the hands of the market?◼ 66% of touchpoints are now consumer-generated◼ Banner ads have an average .19% clickthrough, while

Facebook fan page announcements have a 6.5% clickthrough◼ WHY? The mental gauntlet is down◼ APPROACH: Craft brand content nuggets and trust builders

◼ Testimonials◼ Interviews◼ Leadership/product management commentary

◼ CRUCIAL: Set your brand and value messaging guardrails

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BOOMERS = propriety. Trained in formalities, don’t offend, guarded means safe, not so great with “random.” Suit & tie = trust.

GEN Y = affinity. Formalities ignored, sharing means finding, tech is easy, random is life. Consider your lens. Suit & tie = distrust.

Let’s talk strategy

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First of all, what’s a strategy?◼ Simply put, a strategic vision — an end point — and a plan to

get there◼ It’s not about the channels

◼ Honestly assess your starting point◼ Audit your customers and prospects◼ Review competitive SWOT

◼ Determine approach and action steps◼ Short-term, mid-term, long-term◼ Here’s where your tools come in◼ Staffing and support

◼ Determine success metrics, KPIs

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Envision an end goalFLICKR: @SLUDGEGULPER

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17FLICKR: @BEN+SAM

Honestly assess your starting point

◼How can customers engage with you today?

◼Who are your brand zealots? Ambassadors? Naysayers?

◼What topics are tied to your brand? Your firm?

◼How is the competition engaging with your customer/prospect base? Threats? Opportunities?

Where’s your offering today?◼ Social marketing

◼ Never started, yes but not yet, stuck/unsure, baby steps, active◼ Feedback channels

◼ Retail, mail, web, email, phone, blog, external monitoring, branded social channels, customer advisory panels

◼ Value proposition◼ Information, promos, media, tools

◼ Relevance◼ Impulse, low need, high need, essential

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◼ AFFINITY/SHARING: Forwarding/Bookmarking/WallPosting◼ Content that triggers feelings of identity, tribe, bragging rights◼ Content that provides reference information

◼ FEEDBACK: Commenting/Reviewing◼ Editorial content◼ Ask for feedback

◼ ADVOCACY: Faving. Fanning. Blogging.◼ Cause and value messaging/content

◼ FANDOM: Mashups/Media/FanSites.◼ Provide malleable content◼ Empower ambassadors

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Action steps

Forrester’s Technographic segmentation model

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Two different approaches◼ MANAGE INDIVIDUAL

RELATIONSHIPS BY CHANNEL

◼ CRAFT MESSAGE, CONTENT BY VENUE◼ Call center◼ Email◼ Twitter◼ Facebook◼ Direct◼ Events◼ Flickr◼ YouTube

◼ FOSTER CUSTOMER DRIVES TO ENGAGE

◼ LET CUSTOMERS DETERMINE MOST EFFECTIVE CHANNEL◼ Start with affinity, trust,

transparency◼ Create feedback channels◼ Assign listeners,

conversationalists, and content creators

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DOT-COM SITE

Integrated Traditional/Social Marketing Mix

AMAZONS T O R Y T E L L I N G

FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

SEO

COMPANY BLOG (IP)

BRANDED SITE

EXTERNAL MKTG-MANAGED PRESENCE

EXTERNAL THIRD-PARTY SITE

TRADITIONAL MEDIA/PR

HELPFUL RESOURCESCOMMENT

S

RETAIL

ONLINE SAMPLING

TOPICAL COMMUNITIES: IP, HELPFUL TIPS

PRINT

OUTDOOR

PRODUCT LAUNCH

MICROSITE

ONLINE

EVENTS

E-COMMERCE PARTNER

EXTERNAL BLOGS: IP, FASHION TIPS

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: STORYTELLING, IP

PR

PRODUCT SEEDING PGMS

CONSUMERSTYLE SHARING

Consider including a trust strategyIf trust is the primary lever of revenue◼ Where are you trusted?

◼ Create amplifier opportunities for brand zealots◼ Video testimonials

◼ Where are you distrusted?◼ Provide open, transparent proof points that can be found

◼ Testimonials and interviews◼ Inside looks◼ Open dialogue with the market

◼ Lead with trust weak spots◼ Takes the wind out of naysayers

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Trust generated, 2300 new accounts, $4 million.

PROOF OF INTENTION: leveraging social causes to focus conversation (and brand) on giving back.

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So, remember

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Follow the social marketing mantras◼ Peer marketing extends your sales force along trust channels

that you cannot buy◼ Social marketing is a commitment, not a campaign

◼ Plan staffing appropriately◼ Outsource temporarily if need be

◼ Be transparent about everything except that which cannot be◼ Polar opposite to Boomer privacy issues◼ May take sell-in with management, legal

◼ Be fearless◼ This is the most exciting area of marketing!◼ You’re at the cusp of a transformation!

◼ Engage openly, but with response guardrails and internal governance◼ “Cool people” don’t suffer fools – neither should your organization◼ Let the market decide how you’re doing (they’d do it anyway)

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As you write your strategy◼ Any tactic should clearly ladder up to the overarching strategy◼ Consider how you will phase your engagement approach

◼ What kind of kickoff? ◼ What can staffing accomplish? ◼ Which tactics to try first? ◼ What learnings can inform future engagement efforts?

◼ As you examine your audiences, consider creating personas that will help create organizational empathy and understanding

◼ Clearly state your mandatory requirements for success◼ X conversationalists, Y monitors, Z content creators◼ Agency or in-house? Automated or qualitative?

◼ Clearly state your success metrics◼ Increase in time-on-site? Sentiment? Twitter fans? Retweets?

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FLICKR: @JACOB DAVIES

And don’t let that commitment—or that strategy—fizzle◼ Get buy-in

◼ Management must understand the cultural shifts and buy into plan◼ Stay focused!

◼ Don’t let day-to-day duties stall your efforts◼ Hold people accountable

◼ Who’s responsible for each action step?◼ Follow up, adjust and readjust

◼ Plans change, adjust accordingly◼ Set a timetable for reexamination

◼ Tie what you’re doing to organizational goals◼ Management can’t argue with approaches that support mission, goals

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THANK YOUericw@tribalddb.caslideshare.net/weave206-905-9328