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PR NewsFine Tune Your Content Marketing Strategy

Leslie Reiser

June 21, 2012

The Midmarket Online Presence Spans Across Multiple Digital and Social Venues

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Conversational Informational

@LCReiser

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• Awareness: High profile partners drive mass audience

• Relevance: Expertise and familiarity creates trust

• Advocacy: Engagement and distribution spurs action

• Preference: Relay the IBM agenda more personally

• Conversion: Compelling content and targeted calls to action

Align Influencers Based on Program Objectives

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Creating Value Through Relationships

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Value to IBM Value to Influencers

• Facilitate connections between prospects and Influencers

• Connect Influencers to each other to increase chatter around program

• Further reputation as innovator

• Grow owned social channels

• Exclusive opportunity to be connected to leading brand

• Be viewed as thought leader by audiences

• Gain exposure from broader program promotion activities

• Exclusive access to IBM Experts and content

@LCReiser

We utilize effective storytelling to capture attentionand drive leadsFocus on gaining mindshare and making impact as a thought leader among other influencers.

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By leveraging three different approaches, we can multiply the effect of conversations and drive to deeper engagement.

PeTrusted

Personalities describe the

business challenge and offer guidance

External Influencers and IBM Experts

address SMB challenges and how advanced/innovative technologies (IBM)

can help

Connect audience with appropriate

expert, case studies and additional

information and share experience

Amplify the conversation

Drive IBM relevance and call to action

Tier I Tier ITier II

Bro

ad In

dust

ry F

ocus

Specific Solution Focus

@LCReiser

Who are the Influencers?Business Partner Influencers – IBM Midmarket

Business Partners who have graduated Social Media

Bootcamp

Blogger Influencers – Identified and compensated to

author blog posts related to IBM’s Midmarket

prioritized solutions

Owned Influencers – Conversation Managers and

Curators speaking from the IBM Voice (in LinkedIn,

Facebook, Twitter, Spiceworks)

News Writer Influencers – Creating news articles

optimized for Google News aligned to IBM

Midmarket agenda

Forward Thinker Influencers – IBMers represented as

Forward Thinkers on Midmarket ibm.com websites

Communications/Press Influencers

Analyst Influencers

Business Partner

Influencers58%

Comms/Press Influencers

29%

Analyst Influencers

4%

News Writer Influencers

4%

Blogger Influencers

3%

Forward Thinker

Influencers1%

Owned Influencers

1%

@LCReiser

2012 Midmarket Influencer Approach

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Criteria Examples

Tier

1Ti

er 2

Tier

3Engagement

Model

David KarpTumblr.com, CEO

Matt MarshallVentureBeat, Founder & Editor

Joe KernenSquawk Box, Co-Anchor

• Reputable personalities• Entrepreneurs and business thought leaders

• Credibility among audiences in the social space

• Flat fee partnership• Serve as program

personalities• Create rich content that

attracts audiences• Occasionally interacts with

Tier II & III Influencers and content

• Drives awareness among existing audiences

• IT Analysts• Flat fee

partnership/Performance based compensation

• Distribute program content to social networks

• Engage with audiences• Provide unlimited access to

IBM Experts

• Technology specialists• Established social networks

• Creates content that addresses audience questions and concerns

• SEO specialists• Creates content that ties to general news, but relates to IBM customers

• Contractual obligation for services

• On-going content contribution

• Provide strategic guidance on SEO

• Provide limited access to IBM Experts

@LCReiser

Midsize Insider

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• Identifies and engages leading,

industry writers

• Leverages unbiased voices

• Create content that addresses

technology needs of audience

• Tier based on reach, influence,

objective

• Forge strategic partnerships

@LCReiser

Influencer Content Fuels Connectivity and Drives Engagement Across Properties

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Original ContentOriginal Content

Customers Traffic

Engagement

Leveraging Pinterest

ObjectiveDeliver actionable IBM content in an ‘easy to read’, ‘easy to share’ and ‘stylish’ format to BP Influencers, weekly.

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“IBM Midmarket Ten Blocks”

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Tool Selection

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Measuring REACH• Stat Counter (content pageviews)

• Spredfast (social impressions of

influencer content)

• Google Analytics or similar

measurement platform (self-reported

from influencers)

Measuring ENGAGEMENT• Facebook Insights (interaction with

influencer content on owned channels)

• Google (tracking click-throughs)

• Sysomos (conversation monitoring)

@LCReiser

Program Impact

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1%

3%

96%

2012 Social Media Reach by Program Area

Owned / Earned Engines Visits

Owned / Earned Portal Visits

Facebook Impressions

Twitter Impressions

Linked In Members

YouTube Views

SpiceWorks Members

Influencer Program Impressions+

Press Mentions

@LCReiser

90 MM Impressions delivered to date

Thank You!

Leslie ReiserProgram Director

IBM - Midmarket Digital Marketing WW

lcreiser@us.ibm.com@LCReiser

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