Marketing to the Social Web:
How Digital Customer Communities Build your business
Presenter:
Larry Weber
Chairman, W2 Group, Inc
Moderator:
Mike Lewis
@bostonmike
VP of Marketing, Awareness, Inc.

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Today’s Agenda
What is the Social Web?
The Marketer’s New Job
7 Steps to Building Digital Customer Communities
Q&A
3

The Landscape
What is the Social Web?
4

The Social Web
• An online place where people with a common interest can gather to
share thoughts, comments and opinions
• A new world of unpaid media created by individuals or enterprises on
the web
5

Users control the message
Blog
Conversation
PodCast
Video Collaboration
6

Changing Role of Marketers
It’s not about talking
atcustomers and
prospects
7

Changing Role of Marketers
It’s about creating and
engaging
withcommunities
8

Leveraging Social Media in Marketing
Brand Building
Lead Generation
Research and Development
Product or Service Launch
Customer Retention
Partner and Channel Communications
Thought Leadership
Internal Communications
Media Relations
Crisis Management
9

New Rules of Engagement
Old Marketing New Marketing
One-way communication Brand is dialogue
Brand recall is holy grail Customers determine brand value
Group customers by demographics Group customers by behavior
Content controlled by marketers Enterprise + user-generated content
Virality driven by flash Virality based on content
Michelin Guide: expert reviews Amazon: user reviews
Publishers control channels Publishers build relationships
Top-down strategy Bottom-up strategy
Information hierarchy Information on demand
Emphasis on cost – CPM Invest for growth – Measurable ROI
10

Seven Steps to Build Digital Communities
11

Step 1: Observe the Conversations
Blogs and
Communities
12

Step 2: Recruit Community Members
Digital Media Marketing Digital Media Relations
Create branded online community Engage in and influence conversations
experiences and invite others to come to them
• Value-added content
• New insights
• Engaging dialogues
13

Step 3: Evaluate Online Conduit Strategies
Blogs and Reputation
Social Networks
E-Communities
News Sites Aggregators
14

Step 4: Engage Communities in Conversation
Take it to the Consumer: Address needs and inspire viral perpetuation
Digital Media Marketing
XML, Embed Code, Viral
distribution
15

Step 4: Engage Communities in Conversations
Take it to the Influencers: Build content that facilitates a conversation
Digital Media Relations
discussion
16

Step 5: Measure the Community’s Involvement
Qualitative Measurement Quantitative Measurement
Share of conversation Downloads/Installs
Brand perception Membership
Engagement Real market share
Tone of digital dialogue Sales
Relationships Site Ranking
17

Step 6: Promote Your Community to the World
18

Step 7: Improve the Community’s Benefits
The Lesson of Friendster
2003 2006
19

Companies Who Get It
20

Coming Soon
from Awareness
Webinar:
Who Should Attend:
Marketing Agencies & Social Media: Advertising agencies
who are interested in
What marketers expect from their
providing social media
agencies to clients
Featuring Emily Riley, Sr. Analyst, Forrester
Research Clients of agencies
April 29 – 11AM ET who need to know
what to ask and
Register at www.awarenessnetworks.com
expect of their
agencies
21

Q&A
22