www.dfk.com© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd

Introduction to Social Media

aka Kipling’s Six Friends

Justin Souter

Warm up – Social Media disaster

Original ad

• http://www.youtube.com/v/BmykFKjNpdY

Spoof

• http://www.youtube.com/v/TpqpAGLS2t4

Props to Neville Hobson:http://www.nevillehobson.com/2008/11/18/the-motrin-storm-breathtaking-speed-and-scale/

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20233 Introduction to Social Media

Motrin: Twitter

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20234 Introduction to Social Media

WHAT?

nolifebeforecoffee

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20235 Introduction to Social Media

What is it?

• Yes, so what is it?– Technology– Social Movement– Mindset

• Computer-mediated world

• Web 2.0 – users created their own content

• “This is about determining a future online customer communications strategy”– Chief Executive I was

talking with recently

– “If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” - Isaac Newton (i.e. under-lined links)

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20236 Introduction to Social Media

Overwhelming amount of tools :’(

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20237 Introduction to Social Media

Common tools [TO BE ONES FOR BUSINESS?]

• Blog– easy-to-use publishing

platform, sorted by date

• Social Network– online site with various

collaboration tools

• Twitter– like text messaging, but

actually powerful messaging hub – real time communications

• N.b. importance of using tools together

• Forums– Online discussions

• Ratings & Reviews• Customer service• Music• Photo & video sharing• Document &

presentation sharing• Social bookmarking

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20238 Introduction to Social Media

Stats

• Twitter– Film star Ashton

Kutcher has 3,669,148 ‘followers’

– 18m users projected for end 2009

• Facebook– > 300 million active

users– Fastest growing

demographic is >= 35

• Blogs– 96.6 million US Interne

t users read a blog at least once per month, representing 48.5% of the Internet population.

– By 2013, 128.2 million people, or 58% of all US users, will take part.

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/20239 Introduction to Social Media

WHY?bitzcelt

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202310 Introduction to Social Media

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202311 Introduction to Social Media

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202312 Introduction to Social Media

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202313 Introduction to Social Media

Reasons that US Executives do not use Social Media, July 09

No need for it

Currently researching / planning

Concerned about employee productivity

Confidentiality/security issues

Don't know enough about it

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

7

14

37

40

51

10/04/2023Introduction to Social Media

14

Why does it matter?

• It's the idiom of our Youth• Interactive vs. Broadcast• You've got a Website

– Now you need a Web Presence

• "Open the Kimono" at the pace *you* choose– Embrace the Now; the Future is already here– Influence, because it's happening already

• Get closer to the Customer in this age when they’ve already Googled you before you speak / they come into the shop etc.

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202315 Introduction to Social Media

Twitter effectiveness

• Representatives from Dell said, at a Twitter for Brands event hosted by New Media Age in London on Friday, that it has seen tangible uplifts in sales which can be directly attributed to marketing on Twitter.

– The brand’s Twitter account has driven $3 million in sales since it began operation in 2007, Dell said.

– @DellOutlet is in the top 100 Twitter accounts (over one million followers, increasing ~6K per day)

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202316 Introduction to Social Media

Thoughts III [NEED TO RE-ASSESS THIS]

• Rozmic – 1 tweet led to 60 sign-ups for new service (60 x £8.50/mth)

• Your business & your Customers’ businesses– Business to Business– Business to Consumer

• McKinsey Quarterly vs. a set of blogs

• Part of a wider trend– From Push to Pull– Motor industry example

• Social Capital– Creating the right

environment for buying / choosing your firm

– Create relationships online

– Become a Social Capitalist!

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202317 Introduction to Social Media

What can it be used for?

• Recruitment– Ernst & Young careers

Facebook group

• Marketing– West Midlands Police– Recruitment /

‘plodcasts’– PC TV; YouTube,

Twitter, Facebook

• Focus group– GM’s Fast Lane blog– “we are gaining insight

about how to optimize not only our communications, but the brand itself.” Link

• Collaboration– Reuters example at

Fujitsu– Example too numerous

to mention

10/04/2023Introduction to Social Media

18

What can it be used for? (2)

• Customer support– Dell Hell & turnaround

• Early warning– Domino's example

• PR– Ford & The Ranger Station– Social Media news release– Social Media news room

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202319 Introduction to Social Media

Business to Business Scenarios

• According to Dan Sears, you might consider the following:– Listen and monitor the

online conversation– Gather product

requirements and feedback– Alert customers of new

product features, upcoming events

– Introduce products to prospects

– Develop advocates and Industry influencers

– Reposition products and brands

– Share information during tradeshows and events

– Align and connect communities of interest and practice

– Generate awareness and exposure (press release)

• Social Media in a B2B context blog post

10/04/2023Introduction to Social Media

20

Downsides

• Motrin (as we’ve seen)• Dell Hell – turnaround to @DellOutlet & $3m

sales• Copyright issues – sharing gets abused• Phishing / spam / identity theft• Time wasting• Time consuming

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202321 Introduction to Social Media

WHEN?sea turtle

sea turtle

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202322 Introduction to Social Media

When?

• "As I've said many times, the future is already here. It's just not very evenly distributed.“ - William Gibson

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202323 Introduction to Social Media

HOW?

kevindooley

24Entire contents © 2008  Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

The four-step approach to the groundswell

POST

People Assess your customers’ social activities

Objectives Decide what you want to accomplish

Strategy Plan for how relationships with customers will change

Technology Decide which social technologies to use

25Entire contents © 2008  Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

Development

Support

Sales

Marketing

Research

Groundswell objectivesRoles

Listening

Talking

Energizing

Supporting

Embracing

Key roles and their groundswell objectives

26Entire contents © 2008  Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

groundswell.forrester.com

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202327 Introduction to Social Media

What to do – practical steps

• e.g. for Chantrey Vellacott DFK• Put together business case &

get sign off?• Form team of interested parties

& subject matter experts• POST exercise• Divvy out tasks &

responsibilities• Measure before & after• Set up blog, twitter, photo, &

video tools• Integrate with website

• Follow other people, comment on blogs, create interactions

• Start slow, experiment, fail fast, learn quickly

• Consider phased approach• Manage the Change internally• Keep stakeholders informed &

happy• Think long-term & keep at it

• Hire a social media specialist!

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202328 Introduction to Social Media

What to do - strategy

• Get someone in your team to read Groundswell– POST approach– 5 ways of using social

media– Demographics

• Tech– Depends on existing

infrastructure– Often, exploit what you

already have– Combine

• Tools are most powerful when used together

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202329 Introduction to Social Media

Social Media Panel Outlines Tips for Accountants

• Protect your name• Establish goals &

revisit them often• Commit• Find fans & potential

employees• Consider multiple

personalities

• Act professional• Highlight area

expertise• Ask questions• Don’t abandon face

time– http://

www.journalofaccountancy.com/Web/20091830.htm

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202330 Introduction to Social Media

Social Media & QuickBooks

• Do Social Media Users Benefit?– By answering each other's

questions– Influence the development

and design of products they us

– Power users can build reputation

– Accountants can gain access to prospects in the social media community

– Users can network– Link

• Other platforms used– LinkedIn and Facebook to

bring together QuickBooks experts

– Other Intuit community websites

– Meetup – find a QB consultant nearby

– Also, blogs, wikis (to create a Tax Almanac), YouTube to showcase new release, Twitter, even Second Life!

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202331 Introduction to Social Media

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202332 Introduction to Social Media

10 ways to measure social media success

1. Traffic

2. Interaction

3. Sales

4. Leads

5. Search marketing

6. Brand metrics

7. PR

8. Customer engagement

9. Retention

10.Profits

Props to Econsultancy

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202334 Introduction to Social Media

WHERE? AND WHO?

sighmon

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202335 Introduction to Social Media

Walt Jabsco

Where? and Who?

Where?• Context

– Internal– External– Stakeholders

• Online and offline• “Top 2 inches”

Who?• Leadership sets the tone

and example• Front line delivers• Management monitors,

encourages, reports upwards

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202337 Introduction to Social Media

Accountants who use Social Media

• Dennis Howlett - @dahowlett

• Mark Lee - @bookmarklee• Philip Woodgate -

@philipwoodgate• Richard Murphy -

@richardjmurphy• Glen Feechan -

@glenfeechan• AT Accounting -

@ataccounting• Stephen Slater -

@cyberaccountant

• Phil Richards - @bfcauk & @philrichards

• Toni Hunter– @ToniHunter

• The accountants’ guide to Twitter

• Brought to you by:– Emily Coltman -

@Ask_M

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202338 Introduction to Social Media

AND FINALLY…Sister72

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202339 Introduction to Social Media

PHIL RICHARDS

“If you come from the "intention" just to get business, then its more difficult to take part ( IMHO ), if you come from the intention of sharing, helping, community etc.. then whilst business does come, its not the primary intention, and getting involved has more meaning.”

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202340 Introduction to Social Media

Why accountants should blog

• Sharing what you know through a blog shows you care and provides the enabling medium that provides the context for collaboration among other professionals. – As the world becomes more

specialised, I see collaboration as an increasingly important part of the professional landscape.

– Gain a reputation for sharing knowledge and like minded people WILL come to your door.

• The biggest benefit though comes through your ability to show your human-ness. – People deal with people

and if they see authenticity expressed through your blog efforts then they are far more likely to identify with you as a person.

– Given the professional reputation for being stuffy, that can't be a bad thing.

– Agree? Dennis Howlett

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202341 Introduction to Social Media

Again, Dennis Howlett

• […] think more about communications, internally at first and how sharing information might better serve the practice.

• Professionals should be looking for ways to better collaborate both internally and among their communities. We’re starting to see that at ion.

• And it’s not about using these tools as direct marketing tools or gimmicks but about the indirect effects that arise out of your efforts at supporting those around you through the stories you tell. [my italics]

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202342 Introduction to Social Media

Military of Millennials article - Conclusion

• “Most generations have a way of challenging their elders’ fundamental assumptions and ways of doing things.”

• “Gen Y is poised to do the same — and in potentially constructive and original ways.”

• “The job of today’s captains, majors, and colonels is to encourage and guide millennials and protect them from the senior officers who may not appreciate their unique qualities.”[!]

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202343 Introduction to Social Media

CALL TO ACTION

Sister72

© 2009 Souter Consulting Ltd10/04/202344 Introduction to Social Media

Souter Consulting Limited

• What can I do for you?• Please contact me to see how we can work

together!

• Justin Souter– http://souterconsulting.eu – Justin.souter@souterconsulting.eu– 07717 725504