microsoft and the business of social media
DESCRIPTION
Gage has worked with Microsoft’s SMB division to establish and grow a social media marketing engine to reach and serve both B2B customers and reseller partners. This presentation was initially given at the 2011 Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association Summit.TRANSCRIPT
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…and the Business of Social Media
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Microsoft Small & Midsize Business (Microsoft SMB) had a meager social media presence among its reseller
partners (B2B) and SMB customers (B2C).
Leadership believed social media had greater potential but did not know how to
pursue realizing it.
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This is about Microsoft SMB and how they worked with Gage to build a social media marketing engine to
reach and serve both customers and reseller partners.
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1 As many global brands embrace social media channels within their own organization, how do you leverage social media to drive conversions?
2 How did you get buy in from senior management to incorporate social media?
3 How did Microsoft drive awareness, engagement and conversions for its Business (SMB) division through emerging media tools, tactics and technologies?
4 What are the risks involved in seeking to reach 100,000s of Microsoft reseller partners? How were these risks overcome?
5 How is Facebook being leveraged to drive engagement between customers that want to buy and partners that want to sell to those customers?
6 What was the cadence for rolling out the various tactics in social media? Why?
The plan for the next hour or so
= Audience Quiz w/Prizes!
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As many global brands embrace social media channels within
their own organization, how do you leverage social media to
drive conversions?
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Social Media Marketing context
Online community includes, but is more than, social media
• All relevant online conversations and interactions• As they occur in brand and non-brand
communities
All relevant online conversations and
corresponding venues, participants
(this is the opportunity space)
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Centralize expertise in monitoring and engaging for community building, support, and lead gen
• Use Social CRM to find, monitor and engage measurably
• Distribute leads to sales
• Distribute insights across company
Non-Brand
Brand
Non-Brand Community = Online conversations
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Cross-community interactions assumed, encouraged, leveraged… measured
Brand Community = Website (Hub) + Outposts
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Non-Brand
Brand
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Awareness
Engagement
How Social Media Drives Conversions
How people generally experience brands in social media
Seen from a measurement POV
Awareness
Engagement
Advocacy
Conversion
Time
0%
100%
Advocacy
Advocacy Feedback Loop
Measure and optimize Awareness, Engagement, Advocacy metrics because they nurture conversion events that drive business outcomes
Ratio to a conversion(example)
100,000:1
5,000:1
50:1
Conversions 1:1Users take a desired actionBuy online, live chat, contact form, whitepaper download, visit specified site content, email sign up, RSS, SMS, etc.
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How did you get buy in from senior management to
incorporate social media?
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Awareness
• Impressions• Followers, Fans,
Subscribers, Members• Lists• Page Views• Mentions per time
period• Inbound links• Share of Conversation• Brand specific
searches• Sentiment Trends
Advocacy
• Advocacy Behaviors (various, including:)• Retweets• Testimonials• Recommendations• Referrals
• Co-creation/User Generated Content
• Content Sharing• Activity Sharing• Information Sharing
Conversion
B2B:Users take actions known to drive meaningful business outcomes: • Demo sign ups• Webinar sign ups• Contact forms• Whitepaper downloads• Email sign ups• Visits to desired site
content
B2C:• Go to store and buy• Find a
partner/distributor• Lead form
Engagement
• Comments• Visit Rate or Content
Resonance• Return Visits• Click-throughs • Registrations/Opt-ins• Retweets• Replies• Referrals• Recommendations• Thread Size• Time with Content• Suggestions/Feedback• Content Downloads• Content Sharing• Spinoff Content
A E C L
How the Metrics Matter
Gage Confidential. All Rights Reserved.
Vibrant communities continuously foster Advocacy behaviors, which can be even more valuable than conversions
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Strategy
Client-side discovery
Market research audit (Social)
Practice Experience, Knowledge
Strategic Plan
Goals, culture, organization to assess social readiness / maturity
1. People
2. Process
3. Technology
Find and analyze relevant conversations
1. Size opportunity
2. Know where and to whom to play (audiences, conversations)
3. Know how to play(channels, conversations, tactics)
Capitalize on Gage research and experience with tools, technologies, tactics and combine with client’s insights
Goal-driven strategic plan:
1. Goals
2. Measurement Plan
3. Prioritized Initiatives
4. Timelines
5. High-level budgets
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How did Microsoft drive awareness, engagement and conversions for
its Business (SMB) division through emerging media tools, tactics
and technologies?
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Compelling Content
Delivered to an engaged audience
Amplified through an activated partner-base
Measured with platforms and
tools
Cindy Bates’ Blog
Business Insights eNewsletter
Products on Microsoft “In” Page
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Feedback Loop
Awareness = Prospect is aware of and/or knowledgeable about product / serviceEngagement = Prospect acts to indicate a desire to start, continue and/or deepen information exchangeConversion = Prospect takes an action known to drive salesAdvocacy = Customer or influencer takes an action in support or recommendation of product / service
nnnn
Conversion Users take desired actionUsually occurs on hubs
Time
0%
100%
Facebook Ask A
Partner
Facebook Be the Expert
Facebook Custom UX
(Partner + Customer)
Social syndication
Demand Generation(Partner + Customer)
Social Advocacy Platform
Partner Customer
(Org/Structure)
Social Content Playbook
Dashboard Performance
Reporting
SCRM Platform
Branding
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What are the risks involved in seeking to reach 100,000s
of Microsoft reseller partners? How were these risks overcome?
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The Strategic Challenge
• How to get Microsoft resellers to use social media effectively:
– On-brand
– On-message
– Measurable
– Effective as a means of driving sales
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The Reality of SMB Social Media Sophistication
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Overcoming the risks
• Benefit stated in terms that resonate
• Cost does not exceed perceived benefit
• Effort minimized, yet deliver maximum benefit
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How is Facebook being leveraged to drive engagement between
customers that want to buy and partners that want to sell
to those customers?
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CustomersMicrosoft Partners
Microsoft Partners and Microsoft Small Business customers have similar needs and
interests
We created ways to benefit both groups and builds connections between them
Social Advocacy Platform
Facebook Be the Expert / Ask a Partner
app
Shared Social Content Playbook
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Creating Customer/Partner connections
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What was the cadence for rolling out the various tactics
in social media? Why?
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Takeaways…
• Know your org
• Know your audience (and limitations!)
• Build a plan w/ meaningful measurement
• Experiment with tactics/tools/techniques
• Support and defend what worked
• Build on successes
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And the winners are…
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You’re Welcome
Christopher McLarenDirector, Emerging Media & Strategy
Gage Marketinghttp://bit.ly/cmclaren1
@cmclaren1
Umang ShahSocial Strategist @umang_shah
Play more “Startup or Star Wars” at:facebook.com/gagegroup