The Current State of Social Media David Carter CTO & Founder Awareness [email_address] Twitter: dkrcarter © 2008 Awareness

Things I think we need to cover About Awareness & David Carter What do the current economic conditions Mean? Is Social Media a Fad? Is Social Media a Commodity? What are the standard "recipes" that are working © 2008 Awareness

About Awareness & David Carter

What do the current economic conditions Mean?

Is Social Media a Fad?

Is Social Media a Commodity?

What are the standard "recipes" that are working

First a little about Awareness David Carter, CTO and Co-Founder Microsoft for 11 years. Awareness Formerly iUpload founded in 1999 as a CMS company based in Canada CMS, Email Marketing, Surveys Hosted CMS was a response to Marketing's role on the web Reduction in Web budget, ROI concerns Departmental need to own content Need to have fresh content Note: FYI 1999-2000 was not considered a great time to launch a web company. © 2008 Awareness

David Carter, CTO and Co-Founder

Microsoft for 11 years.

Awareness

Formerly iUpload founded in 1999 as a CMS company based in Canada

CMS, Email Marketing, Surveys

Hosted CMS was a response to

Marketing's role on the web

Reduction in Web budget, ROI concerns

Departmental need to own content

Need to have fresh content

Note: FYI 1999-2000 was not considered a great time to launch a web company.

2003 A lot of things started to change Canspam Act AOL Added strict spam filters Email marketing was loosing its effectiveness Email Marketing space was getting crowded CMS space was getting crowded © 2008 Awareness

Canspam Act

AOL Added strict spam filters

Email marketing was loosing its effectiveness

Email Marketing space was getting crowded

CMS space was getting crowded

New years Day 2004.. we had a brainstorming session © 2008 Awareness

Jan 4 th 2004 We changed our company We were going to embrace RSS We were going to write a new system for Blogging and capturing "Vistitor Generated Content" Jan 21 st we launched MailbyRSS And we did some really interesting communities © 2008 Awareness

We were going to embrace RSS

We were going to write a new system for Blogging and capturing "Vistitor Generated Content"

Jan 21 st we launched MailbyRSS

And we did some really interesting communities

Feb 2005 We relaunched ourself at Demo@15 Blogging and UGC Platform Secure Brandable Extendable into other API's (like Salesforce) 2006 We won Forrester's first Wave Report on Blogging Platforms © 2008 Awareness

Blogging and UGC Platform

Secure

Brandable

Extendable into other API's (like Salesforce)

2006 We won Forrester's first Wave Report on Blogging Platforms

And here we are today Forrester is about to launch their Wave Report on Social Media Platforms Mature space, defined competitors Companies are looking to Social Media Platforms as a cost effective and better way to: Attract Customers Inform Customers Retain Customers Know Customers Learn from Customers Gain Customer Trust © 2008 Awareness

Forrester is about to launch their Wave Report on Social Media Platforms

Mature space, defined competitors

Companies are looking to Social Media Platforms as a cost effective and better way to:

Attract Customers

Inform Customers

Retain Customers

Know Customers

Learn from Customers

Gain Customer Trust

Factoring Current Economic Conditions Is the timing that bad? Lots of people "dabbling" Lots of products with no value proposition Lots of money being tossed about Only the strong and committed will survive Survivors will… Get close to their customers Be Agile Reduce Costs © 2008 Awareness The irony is that the tools and concepts we need to survive are what most of us here are selling

Is the timing that bad?

Lots of people "dabbling"

Lots of products with no value proposition

Lots of money being tossed about

Only the strong and committed will survive

Survivors will…

Get close to their customers

Be Agile

Reduce Costs

Right now Marketing budgets are getting slashed Sales forecasts are being lowered Travel is being cut People are preparing for cut-throat competition Spending is reduced People are separating "needs" from "wants" © 2008 Awareness

Marketing budgets are getting slashed

Sales forecasts are being lowered

Travel is being cut

People are preparing for cut-throat competition

Spending is reduced

People are separating "needs" from "wants"

Social Media is Not a Fad A response to the over whelming amount of information and relationships we need to manage. These tools evolved out of tools that have been around for a long time. Customer Expectations have been set They may not be able to get phone support, but it better be online They want product depth, if not from a company then their peers Both happy and unhappy customers can/will be vocal in your community or outside People want transparency from the companies/products they use © 2008 Awareness

A response to the over whelming amount of information and relationships we need to manage.

These tools evolved out of tools that have been around for a long time.

Customer Expectations have been set

They may not be able to get phone support, but it better be online

They want product depth, if not from a company then their peers

Both happy and unhappy customers can/will be vocal in your community or outside

People want transparency from the companies/products they use

Note: in the presentation I showed screenshots of some data points on marketing spend moving to digital marketing Please visits the research authors site http://www.mslworldwide.com I could only find this link http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease /idUS173446+16-Jul-2008+BW20080716 http://www.forrester.com http://www.epsilon.com http://www.epsilon.com/epsilonstatic/media/press/2008/09 /08_cmo.html © 2008 Awareness

Note: in the presentation I showed screenshots of some data points on marketing spend moving to digital marketing

Please visits the research authors site

http://www.mslworldwide.com

I could only find this link http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease /idUS173446+16-Jul-2008+BW20080716

http://www.forrester.com

http://www.epsilon.com

http://www.epsilon.com/epsilonstatic/media/press/2008/09

/08_cmo.html

Is Social Media a Commodity? No! That would mean we have all the tools we need and innovation can stop People Lists Social Mining of content Reputation Systems Profile portability, and security UI All have a long way to go But…we HAVE standardized on some USE CASES to rally around. We are talking about similar ROI and benefits © 2008 Awareness

No! That would mean we have all the tools we need and innovation can stop

People Lists

Social Mining of content

Reputation Systems

Profile portability, and security

UI

All have a long way to go

But…we HAVE standardized on some USE CASES to rally around.

We are talking about similar ROI and benefits

Top 8 Social Media Marketing Best Practices / Recipes © 2008 Awareness CONFIDENTIAL

How can we Execute Better Identify /Leverage "Points of Enthusiasm" and make them part of your community Picks a Best Practice Identify watering holes for customers Pick the project that has the most ROI, Benefit Save money Increase CUSAT or NPS Gather important information © 2008 Awareness

Identify /Leverage "Points of Enthusiasm" and make them part of your community

Picks a Best Practice

Identify watering holes for customers

Pick the project that has the most ROI, Benefit

Save money

Increase CUSAT or NPS

Gather important information

Thank you David Carter CTO & Founder Awareness [email_address] Twitter: dkrcarter © 2008 Awareness