SOCIALMEDIA.ORG/SUMMITORLANDO

How to lead a social mediaengagement strategy

CHRISTI MCNEILLSOUTHWEST AIRLINES

DECEMBER 9–11, 2013

Social Engagement Strategy Presented by: Christi McNeill December 2013

1

8 Steps for Engagement

1. Define Your Business Objectives

2. Find Your Voice

3. Hire the Right People

4. Understand Your Audience

5. Understand Your Competition

6. Research Laws/Policies

7. Plan for Crisis

8. Be Yourself and HAVE FUN!

Define Your Business Objectives

• What are you trying to achieve with social?

– Customer Service?

– Sales?

– Brand Management/Crisis

• How can your conversations/engagements with fan achieve this?

Find Your Voice

• What is the tone?

• What is your Company Culture?

• How do you communicate on other channels?

• What do your Customers expect?

Hire the right people, and get out of their way

• Start small • Find internal cheerleaders that understand your

company/policies: – Ability to influence decision makers internally – Can educate Leadership

• Equip your Community managers to be spokespeople – would you trust them to speak to the NY Times (media training is a must).

• Must be: good writers, ability to manage multiple projects/deadlines, internal evangelists, works well in a collaborative environment, ability to operate with a “filter”

Understand Your Audience

• Listen and research

• Understand what folks are talking about across the web, before you engage – what’s the conversation? Make sure you fit in.

• What are the pain points? What are people saying about your company?

• List of words not to use: Kick off, bomb, etc.

• Keep records – connect to CRM, use software that allows for diligent record keeping.

Understand Your Competition

• What’s working for them?

• How are they innovating, changing conversations?

• Understand your share of voice, keeps “hot” issues in perspective.

Understand the Policy/Law

• Heavily regulated industries: financial, healthcare, transportation

• Understand and train your community managers on what is allowed, what’s not.

• Accident/incident or fare sale regulations

• Employee Social Media policy development/execution.

Develop Crisis Plans

• Brainstorm EVERYTHING that could go wrong with your company (or industry) and create a plan for how to address.

• Social will drive the conversation, news coverage, and perception of your company so make sure you’ve prepped ahead of time.

• Everything should be approved and agreed upon ahead of time.

Be Yourself! Have FUN!

• Add personality and have FUN!

SOCIALMEDIA.ORG/SUMMITORLANDO

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DECEMBER 9–11, 2013

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