Creatinga socialmediastrategy
- 1. Developing a Social Media Framework Jen Evans Sequentia | Environics
- 2. What is social media and how do we use it? 1. What is social media? 2. How is it being used? 3. What does this mean for my ministry/department/party/elected official? 4. How do I start a program? 5. Social media and government - examples
- 3. Trivia! And Prizes! • What two words were combined to form the word ‘blog’? • What original MTV VJ created the first podcast? • What company did Robert Scoble, one of the world’s best known bloggers, work for? • Complete this sentence: A blog is created every xx seconds • Complete this sentence: Over xx million people visit MySpace and Facebook (combined) every day.
- 4. What is social media? • Complex subject and big buzzword • Social media, web 2.0, RSS, emerging technologies – Variety of definitions • Any media by which users can share information, comment, rank, vote or otherwise contribute • Allows readers to participate in content and with each other • Allows companies/organizations to understand what readers/users want – Tap into their propensities
- 5. The Evolution of Media • Traditional > 1990 – Developed and controlled by creator/producer • New Media 1990 – 2001 – Developed and deployed online but experience not controlled by creator/producer • Social Media 2002- today – Co-developed, co-managed, co-produced online
- 6. SM Implications for Strategic Comms Pluses • Higher level of engagement • Greater knowledge of audience and needs • Wider reach • Immediacy Minuses • Perceived risk • Perceived lower control • Resources and experience
- 7. The Social Media Tools landscape - 2008 • Established – Blogs • Opinion, news, expertise, updates, ‘voice’ – Podcasts • Education, series, – Social networks • Facebook groups – Microblogging • Downing St, Globe and Mail, Amber Alerts – Wikis • Collaboration, registration, multiparty authorship
- 8. Other online media to consider • Email – 98% of internet users have and use email • Landing pages – Customized search fulfillment experiences • Microsites – Specialized sites for specific topics • Search – We’ll talk more about that later
- 9. Emerging Media Tools • Microblogging – Twitter, Jaiku, Pownce – 140 characters or less • Social aggregators – FriendFeed, Socialthing, Plurk – Bring all your social media together • Social bookmarking – Delicious, Magnolia, Digg, – Sharing and rating of content
- 10. Developing your Strategic Plan • Goals • Audience • Content • Media • Promotion • Policies • Measurement • Resources • Refinement and Iteration
- 11. 1. What are your goals? • Engagement – I want xx people reading this blog by 2009 • Education – I need to help x types of citizens understand y • Awareness – I want xx people to be aware of yy initiative • Knowledge – I want employees to be able to use our zzz to yyy • Areas of interest – I want to understand what employees/citizens/xx group want from us • Leads/transactions – I want xx residents renewing their passports online by 2011.
- 12. 2. Who is your audience? • What content needs/interests do they have? – Why would they engage? – Assess, then ask • How technically sophisticated are they? – Are they on dial-up, mobile or broadband? • How are they finding you? – Search – Advertising – PR – Links / other sites • What online communications tools are they accustomed to? – Ask • How will new channels / media be introduced?
- 13. 3. Match Audience, Content and Media • What types of content do you have to communicate? – Long form, short, detailed, technical, regulatory – Volume on a daily/weekly/monthly basis • Is timing a factor (ie does some information need to be delivered immediately?) • How does your audience prefer to receive communications? – Cover all the bases, including email opt-in, RSS, microblogging and then measure and test • Test with the audience – Identify group of early adopters who will launch with you
- 14. 4. Promotion: How will they find you? • Existing audiences – Established media • New Audiences • Search – Organic – Pay per click • Word of mouth – Online or offline • Search – 80% of web traffic goes through search engines • Links • Advertising/promotions
- 15. 5. Governance and Policies • Defining ‘members’ – Single or multiple levels • Subscribe to read, register to comment – Identified or anonymous – Degrees of privacy (eg Facebook) • Comments – None, moderated, unmoderated – Resourcing • Policies around use – Org defined or community defined • Policing – Community or organization
- 16. 6. Measurement • How will you define success – Go back to goals • How will you measure success – Timelines • How will you measure content – Most popular = most interesting – Website, email, blog traffic and comment data • How will you measure engagement – Subscriptions, opt-ins, conversions, sources • How will you measure visibility – Traffic, sources, mentions, trackbacks
- 17. 7. Resources by Phase • Strategy and development – Strategy, comms planning, creative, moderation • Acquisition and engagement – Customer service, support, QA, production, comms planning, moderation • Growth – Customer service, moderation, production • Retention – Creative, moderation, planning • Management – Moderation, production
- 18. 8. Refinement and iteration • Review numbers quarterly – Key indicators – content, media, search • Plan content for upcoming 3 months – Needs, media and timing • Analyze results, recommend and iterate – Expansions, spinoffs • Quarterly review meetings work very well
- 19. Great Examples – Cutting Edge • 10 Downing St on Twitter • Privacy Commissioner’s Blog
- 20. Resources • Forrester – Groundswell – POST method
- 21. Q&A
- 22. About Sequentia | Environics • Founded Sequentia in 2002 – Customer communications agency • Recently formed an investment partnership with and became part of Environics Group • Globe and Mail and BNN tech columnist and commentator • Developing strategic online programs since 1998 • Worked with companies/orgs like Bell, HP, RIM, LPOC, CanadaHelps
- 23. Jen Evans Sequentia Communications jen@sequentia.net 416.203.3656 Download our one-page PDF company overview at http://www.sequentia.net