HeadsUp:WOM for Social EnterprisesMarch 20141000heads HeadsUp series

#headsupsocial

PROMISE

To demonstrate that for socially driven enterprises, WOM is both efficient and natural fit for the

spreading key messages

To articulate a basic WOM strategy toolkit for social

enterprises.

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ABOUT SOCIAL ENTERPRISES AND WORD OF MOUTH

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WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE?

“A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being, rather than maximizing profits for external shareholders. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit, and may take the form of a co-operative, mutual organization, a disregarded entity, a social business, or a charity organization.”Source: Ridley-Duff, R. J. and Bull, M. (2011) Understanding Social Enterprise: Theory and Practice, London: Sage Publications.

Image sources: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polar_bears.jpg, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:In_the_green,_old_forest_(5987640157).jpg

MARKETING IDEAS:WOM4SOCIAL

Marketing for social enterprises is distinct from traditional marketing because we’re selling ideas and services rather than goods.

Focus must shift from individual benefit to collective benefit, from brand recall to brand purpose, from passive consumption to active participation.

Fortunately, Word of Mouth (WOM) is ideally placed to support this shift.

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EXTENDED MARKETING MIX

WOM has the capacity to meet the focus of the extended marketing mix: people, process, physical evidence (of change).

Stories are the focal point of social marketing, both in terms of experience of services, and in changes to service delivery, cultural responses, effects on the environment and opportunities for new discoveries.

Image source: http://www.digitangle.co.uk/blog/7ps-mobile-marketing-went-right-british-airways/

HOW TO USE WOM FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

WOM activities can be broken down into:• Listening culture (rather than

posting culture)• Story telling• Creating contexts for sharing

stories• Using social tools to amplify

sharing activities• Promotion of network stars• Tracking of conversations

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CHANGING CONSUMER

BEHAVIOURS

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WHAT IS SHARED

AUSTRALIAN USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

ACTIVE ‘PRODUSERS’

Trends in online sharing

What networks we use and how frequently

How to mobilise audiences to become active contributors to the cause

WHAT DO PEOPLE SHARE ONLINE?

Jonah Berger in Contagious identifies principles to drive people to share:

1. Social currency2. Triggers3. Emotion4. Public5. Practical value6. Stories

See: Contagious, Why Things Catch On

Image source: http://mediacause.org/viral-marketing-nonprofits-applying-jonah-bergers-6-stepps/

WHAT DO PEOPLE SHARE ONLINE?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has been UTTERLY DEBUNKED*.

Don’t use it. Ever. No really.

However, there are studies that have identified why people share content, such as the NYT Psychology of Sharing Study http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/

* People still believe it, but it has not basis in science. See for instance, this article.

Why do people share online?

To bring valuable and entertaining content to one another. A significant 94% of respondents carefully consider how the information they share will be of use to other people

To define themselves to others. 68% of respondents said they share to give others a better sense of who they are and what they care about.

To grow and nourish our relationships. 78% of respondents said they share information online because it enables them to stay connected to people they may not otherwise stay in touch with

For self-fulfilment. 69% said they share information because it allows them to feel more involved in the world.

To get the word out about causes they care about. 84% of respondents share because it is a good way to support causes or issues they care about.

WHAT DO PEOPLE SHARE ONLINE?

This matters:

84% of respondents share because it is a good way to support causes or issues they care about.

People want to share useful content that addresses social causes.

You don’t have to struggle to make people want to share. It’s a matter of making content easily shareable – for instance, using hashtags.

Image source: http://marketingland.com/mobile-hashtag-survey-finds-users-more-likely-to-explore-content-using-hashtags-if-offered-discounts-37778

Australians are active users of social media

Australian Use of Social Media

TWITTER: 2.5 MILLION

FACEBOOK: 13 MILLION

LINKEDIN: 3.7 MILLION

INSTAGRAM: 1.6 MILLION

SOURCE: http://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-february-2014/

CASE STUDIES OF WOM & SOCIAL ENTERPRISES

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GOVERNMENT:SOCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLINESome of the best case studies in government use of WOM are associated with problem solving and community engagement on policy development.

The best government social projects are those that are built around ease of access to resources.

UK.Gov using tight-knit hacker community to use open data for new understanding of urban spaces, new products, growing tech industry

Vancouver has a ‘tweet my rubbish collection day’ service

US Govt run a competition to find ways to improve efficiency in govt

CHARITIES:SOCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLINEIn the charities sector, a whole series of factors affect the catchment areas for charitable projects, and the primary driver for the business is fundraising – an imperative that is hard to support in period of economic instability.

The best charity WOM strategies are highly layered, using a range of tools, reflecting the location of their targets.

Darling of the twitter age, Charity Water makes it easy for people to raise money by taking away the inhibitors to becoming involved. They also use recommendation engines like Outbrain to promote campaigns. They are highly sophisticated in WOM.

Greenpeace globally uses video, imagery and passionate supporters to spread the word on all platforms.

Unicef uses powerful imagery on a range of platforms to raise awareness and conversation

Amnesty NZ used a calculator to spread the word on unfair trials

NON-PROFIT:SOCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLINEIn the non-profit sector, there is more of a focus on economic activity and proof of value of activities. As such, the best case studies of use of WOM in non-profits is associated with pledges to act, support and spread messages for causes.

WOM is best facilitated by strong engagement with the community. This is a high time investment, but can be made possible through effective management

A collective of coders, business execs and educators set up a club teaching young children how to program using web-based Scratch. The programme has helped changed curriculum in the UK

#nokidhungryProject strongly engages community involved in providing free breakfasts for children in the US

UK National Trust consistently run hashtag campaigns for volunteer involvement and awareness raising.

AUSTRALIA:SOCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLINETHE BAD NEWSAustralian social enterprises mimics corporate sector in being several years behind the rest of the Western world in use and understanding of WOM.

This presents an opportunity to stand out for social enterprises that are working well online. The best Australian case studies are thus potentially more successful than they deserve to be.

Programme still focused primarily on offline WOM.

Negative media publicity impacting on adoption

AUSTRALIA:SOCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLINETHE GOOD NEWSThings are changing. But too much focus is still being paid to the technologies rather than the strategy. Thinking about the way people interact and share content produces the best campaigns… even if the outcome is fairly lame.

Activities that are easy to share, but which still tap in to the desire to share will be successful in Oz.

Strategies that focus on the tribal component of participation receive best results

LESSONSHopefully not absolutes, but probably still

painful for traditional marketers

LESSON 1:MOBILISE

WOM is a dynamic act. It doesn’t sit on a website. A website might become the focal point of a campaign but the actual WOM doesn’t happen there. Optimise for mobile, social, local comms

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LESSON 2:LOCATE

Continuing on the notion of finding your audiences, it’s best to use the platform where they feel comfortable. Don’t force them to a place they don’t want to go.

Image source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/takethemoneyandrun/97897802/sizes/l/

LESSON 3:CONVERSE

Don’t broadcast.WOM is reciprocal. To ensure the continuing development of a community, it’s vital to ensure that you thank people for contributions on the channel they are shared.

Image source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/takethemoneyandrun/97897802/sizes/l/

WOM TOOLKIT FOR SOCIAL

ENTERPRISESNot a checklist

WOM TOOLKIT:LISTENING

The best listening strategies will be focused on passion groups, not by mentions of a brand.

There are listening tools out there, but a subscription to an insights service will provide the best kind of social command centre for accessing audiences in a timely and engaging manner.

Thought leadership is great. But you need to listen before you start creating a response to what is being said.

Image source: http://sapountz.is/2012/02/so-you-want-to-build-a-social-media-command-center/

WOM TOOLKIT:STORIES

Google Hangout is your friend. Stories can easily be captured in live hangouts with inspiring individuals and these videos can then be uploaded to YouTube following the session.

But stories can also be made from engagements in other channels (eg: Storify) and from basic email exchanges with people who are providing help, as well as people who are recipients of help.

Stories are the engine of WOM.

Image source: http://vator.tv/news/2011-07-01-facebook-striking-back-at-google-with-video-chat

WOM TOOLKIT:TRACKING

Don’t assume that your monitoring of mentions, brands and keywords is sufficient. A series of tools exist to help you find words being used on social media platforms: use them to find new audiences and access different passion groups.

YouTube keyword searchHashtags keyword search

Twitter searchFacebook graph search

What’s my SERP?Keyword Spy

Social enterprises need to trust in the stories that can be told be recipients of services, and make them accessible and shareable. Then investment in conversations around those languages generates true value for social businesses.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96383944@N08/10113988426/sizes/o/

PROMISE: REVISITED

To demonstrate that for socially driven enterprises, WOM is both efficient and natural fit for the spreading key messages

To articulate a basic WOM strategy toolkit for social enterprises.

Thank you Any questions, let me know!

Joanne Jacobs, COO

t: +61 2 9251 0492m: 0419 131 077e:joanne.jacobs@1000heads.com