Main Message
The main message for the Social Media Pocket Guide webcast provided by the American Marketing Association would be key tactics that marketers need to be able to employ toward the use of social media. The webcast provided information regarding ways in which social media can be integrated into existing organizational goals. The webcast was very insightful showing how social has become part of the marketing mix. The first three objectives build brand awareness, make customer service personal, and event marketing are three key takeaways that gained from this webcast. The use of social media for product launches/new service announcements, building sales pipelines, and community activation are ways to reinforce the first three key objectives.
6 Key Objectives & Examples
#1 Build Brand Awareness
Building brand awareness through social media has so many advantages. Being able to reach larger amounts of people is the big advantage. As companies build brand awareness they can lead these people to other corporate channels. These messages can also be received by audiences that before were unlikely to receive the message. It also allows for expertise sharing and positioning to be accomplished. TOMS is a brand that we are all familiar with mainly being that we are a large part of their target market. The way that TOMS reached its consumers is through twitter uploading pictures of what they were doing.
#2 Make Customer Service Personal
By making customer service personal you give your customers an immediate response, while interacting with them making it even better than a phone call. This can show customers that companies want to help them. Companies can gain new customers because if someone that is looking for a solution for their problem and see how responsive that company is to their customers they also want that type of service. Allowing the staff to interact with the consumer is something that make the experience a lot more personal. YouTube videos demonstrations on how products can be used or are supposed to be used are a great way to do this. This allows for time to be saved and less customer service calls. The example they gave was Discover and the way they use Twitter to do this. Discover’s description states, “Your connection to all things Discover - news, offers, tips & events. We're ready to chat & answer your questions Mon-Fri 8am-6pm CST.” There are several other companies that have taken to this same type of customer service alternative to having their customers wait for hours on the phone for a representative such as Best Buy with @ twelpforce. This is Twitter account that Best Buy employees use to solve customers’ problems quicker and in a fun way.
#3 Event Marketing
Integrating social media with event marketing promoting the event is made easier. Posting event details, activities, and live news feed can be done immediately. People interested in the topic can be more involved making it an even greater event. Reminders and notifications can be done through social media. For example West Texas A&M has really been trying to interact with students through different ways and if you follow them on Twitter you would have known of Thunder X’s our mascots Birthday Bash Community Picnic two weeks ago and then got a reminder and feedback that it was a success. As the webcast said sharing in real-time giving reminders and updates ensures that your networks has every opportunity to be in the right place at the right time.
#4 Use Social Media for Product Launches or the announcement of new services
The webcast pointed out that social media amplifies product launches. It is an affordable way to reach a large and active audience. It helps in reinforcing messages and increasing impression. It builds excitement. Last semester in a class a video TOMS: The Next Chapter was shown about what more they were going to do. This build up excitement for their June 7, 2011 launch of the new TOMS eyewear they would be providing. It was the same One for One concept “With every pair you purchase, TOMS will help give sight to a person in need.” It was a simple video of Blake Mycoskie pushing a shopping cart and everyone wondering what it was but by posting it on YouTube and sharing it through Twitter it allowed for everyone who follows TOMS to become engaged with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm8EPcA2gFE&feature=related
#5 Build Sales Pipeline
Social media is where consumers are spending their time use it to drive that traffic to your website. Provide them with a reason to visit your site, ask them for information about themselves, and feedback about what more you can do. Provide a website that allows them to actually gain knowledge about your company and stuff they want to know. What else are you doing outside.
#6 Community Activation
Community activation is about interactivity driving action. It builds a closer connection between the brand and the community. Through a community activity it raises thee hopes for potential for exponential growth for activity. By providing incentives people are more likely to take action. Another reason is making it easy like Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is doing this by having a Twitter page Wal-Mart Community (@WalmartCAN). “Wal-Mart’s Community Action Network works to better the communities Wal-Mart serves.” This is only a twitter page for their actual website walmartcommunity.com were consumers actually interact and share their story on how Wal-Mart allows them to make a difference in their community. Wal-Mart keeps it up to date and allows for people to share their stories easily building a strong relationship with them.
What we gained…
The webcast allowed us to gain much insight about the dynamic and innovative ways that companies are using social media. It really broadened our knowledge on the ways that companies can use social media. As stated many times before social media is not creating a Facebook, Twitter, or Blogger, it so much more. It is giving companies a way to reach their consumers in a modern, more proficiently and in larger masses. Something that we do want to point out that we noticed is that the companies that are using social media properly are actually reaching their target market and weeding out unnecessary actions that they would previously have to do. For example with the Direct2Dell blog all of the Dell Community Ambassadors seem to be passionate about their work and the assistance they give others. It was even surprising to us how a place we shop at so much like Wal-Mart has an online community that we are not aware of. This kind of showed us that no matter how successful and stable of a company you are you can always find a new way to reach out to your market and make a difference.
Brown Bunch
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