What is social media, and why should I care?

What it is Social media is any tool that lets you share information and network with others.

What it is • Blogging • Micro-blogging • Social networks • Video sharing • Photo sharing • Chat Rooms • Podcasts • Virtual worlds • Wikis • Mobile

What are people doing? 1. Watching videos (83%) 2. Reading blogs (73%) 3. Viewing shared photos (63%) 4. Using a social network (57%) 5. Commenting on blogs (55%) Source: Universal McCann Wave 3 (April 2008)

Why should an agency care?

It’s changing how marketing works

It’s an affordable way to get results

It’s growing insanely fast

Clients will turn to us for answers

Why should an agency care? According to a 2008 survey of CMOs: “ 45% of respondents have switched agencies (or plan to switch) for one with greater digital knowledge.” Source: “The Future of Advertising,” Tim Brunelle (Sept. 2008)

Blogs

What are they? Blogs are regularly updated Web sites, usually featuring comments and links.

Why should you care? Blogs are now a standard source of news and info 77 million+ Americans visit blogs 346 million blog readers worldwide Source: Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008

Why should you care? Blogs are a two-way street for marketers: Lead the discussion on our blogs Join the discussion on theirs

Where did blogs come from? 1967 — Internet is born 1979 — First discussion boards 1992 — First Web site

Isn’t it beautiful?

Where did blogs come from? 1994 — First online diaries 1997 — Term "WebLog" is coined 1998 — Open Diary becomes the first WebLog tool 1999 — "Weblog" becomes "blog"

Where did blogs come from? 1999 — LiveJournal 1999 — Blogger 2001 — Movable Type 2003 -- WordPress 2006 — Twitter

Why blogs were a big deal • Blogs changed the way people saw the Web • You can create, react, communicate • For the first time ever, anyone could make content for a global audience

Today’s blogosphere • 77% of active Internet users read blogs • 133 million blogs created since 2002 • Roughly half of all bloggers are over 35 Source: Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008

What are the most-read blogs in America?

What are the most-read blogs in America? 1. Huffington Post 2. TechCrunch 3. Gizmodo 4. Engadget 5. Boing Boing

What are the most-read blogs in America? The Social Path is No. 148,031

How are businesses using blogs?

Doing it right Why it’s great: Funny Charming Fits the brand

Doing it right Why it’s great: Candid Responsive Sincere

Doing it right Why it’s great: Unfiltered Entertaining Insightful

Doing it wrong • Fake blogs • Created and forgotten blogs • Commenters locked out

When a biz should blog • You consistently have something to say • The writer has authority • You're willing to be candid • There's something in it for the readers

When a biz shouldn’t blog • No one can write • You're just rehashing press releases • There's no motivation to read it

Blogger outreach One-third of bloggers have been approached to be brand advocates. Source: Technorati State of the Blogosphere 2008

Blogger outreach More people read personal blogs than any other type of blog. Source: Universal McCann Wave 3 (April 2008)

Why reach out to blogs? • Bloggers are influential even beyond their blogs • A little time and money goes a long way • 8 of 10 bloggers post product reviews • Search engines love blogs

Why reach out to blogs? HP’s “31 Days of the Dragon” Campaign • Gave laptops to 31 bloggers • Laptops then given away to readers • 84% increase in HDX Dragon sales • 10% increase in overall PC sales

Keys to connecting with bloggers • Honesty • Limited expectations • Knowledge of the blogger

Keys to connecting with bloggers

Micro-blogging

What is it? Brief posts about your opinions or your life, shared with the world.

Why should you care? Sites like Twitter are revolutionizing how people and businesses communicate. Seriously.

What is Twitter?

What is Twitter? Users post brief messages of 140 characters or less. You choose whom you follow, but anyone can respond to you.

Other micro-blogging sites • Jaiku • Friendfeed • Pownce • Identi.ca • Facebook/MySpace statuses

Other micro-blogging sites By May 2007, just over a year after Twitter’s launch, there were more than 110 similar sites worldwide. Source: Wikipedia

Posts can be stupid

Or funny

Or informative

How businesses use Twitter

How businesses use Twitter • Comcast: Proactive customer service • Southwest: PR, promotions and support • H&R Block: Finding new customers • Dell: Multiple accounts for customer service (“richardatDELL”, etc.)

Keys to using Twitter for biz • Have a plan • Have personality (and a real name) • Use Twitter Search to pay attention • Talk to contacts even when they don’t need you for something

Social networks

What are they? Sites that connect people with shared interests, backgrounds, disturbing fetishes, etc.

Why should you care? Social networks have become the hubs of people's online lives. They may visit lots of sites, but their networks are where they live.

What’s the most popular social network in the U.S.?

Social networks in the U.S. Source: Hitwise analytics, August 2008

What’s the fastest growing social network in the U.S.?

Social network growth in the U.S. Source: Hitwise analytics, August 2008

Pros of MySpace • Still No. 1 in U.S. — for now • Great for music and arts • Ideal medium to target young consumers • More customizable options for advertisers

Pros of Facebook • Cleaner look and navigation • Young professional crowd • Cheap and easy targeted ads • Several great tools for businesses and nonprofits • May soon surpass MySpace in daily traffic

How we can use Facebook • Pages Let users become “fans”

How we can use Facebook • Applications Create branded tools, games, etc.

How we can use Facebook • Causes An application designed to give powerful tools and resources to nonprofits.

How we can use Facebook • Targeted ads Very cheap and very easy.

Some other sites to try Google Alerts Get real-time updates by e-mail whenever someone mentions you, a client, or any term at all.

Some other sites to try Google Reader Get all your favorite blogs in one place by using RSS feeds.

Some other sites to try Delicious.com Bookmark sites, videos, articles, etc. and pull them up from any computer

Some other sites to try TheSocialPath.com Shameless plug: We try to keep people updated on social media trends without getting bogged down in jargon.

A few closing thoughts Why is social media so scary? • It breaks down the walls • It’s filled with moving targets • There are still a lot more questions than answers

A few closing thoughts But… • It’s easier than you think • Education erases fear • We’re the right people for the job