Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation June 18, 2009 Shawn Morton (@sMoRTy71) Nationwide Insurance (@Nationwide)

Quick intro Currently lead the social media team at Nationwide Insurance Responsible for social media strategy across all lines of business as well as education and advocacy of social media tools internally Relocated to Columbus in July 2008 after spending 9 years leading web product development teams at CNET I was married by an Elvis impersonator on Beale Street in Memphis I’ve got 4 kids whose first, middle and last names all start with “M” I have forgotten more about ’80s hair metal than most people will ever know @sMoRTy71 on Twitter Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Currently lead the social media team at Nationwide Insurance

Responsible for social media strategy across all lines of business as well as education and advocacy of social media tools internally

Relocated to Columbus in July 2008 after spending 9 years leading web product development teams at CNET

I was married by an Elvis impersonator on Beale Street in Memphis

I’ve got 4 kids whose first, middle and last names all start with “M”

I have forgotten more about ’80s hair metal than most people will ever know

@sMoRTy71 on Twitter

Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

The NASCAR Nation 75,000,000 NASCAR fans in the U.S. NASCAR is the #1 spectator sports in the U.S. Fans have same overall demographic makeup as the general U.S. population Fans are loyal to the sport and sponsors (46% buy from sponsors of NASCAR) More Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport Fans have a higher income than the general population in the $50-$100K range Fans supplement TV coverage with the Web Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

75,000,000 NASCAR fans in the U.S.

NASCAR is the #1 spectator sports in the U.S.

Fans have same overall demographic makeup as the general U.S. population

Fans are loyal to the sport and sponsors (46% buy from sponsors of NASCAR)

More Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport

Fans have a higher income than the general population in the $50-$100K range

Fans supplement TV coverage with the Web

Nationwide & NASCAR In 2007, we entered into a 7-year sponsorship of the second-tier NASCAR series that was formerly known as the Busch Series. Through 2014, we are the official auto, life and home insurance provider for NASCAR as well as the lead sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. We have some very aggressive goals for acquiring new customers from our relationship with NASCAR. Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

How do we reach fans? Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

What about social media? Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

NASCAR on Twitter Large and active NASCAR fan community on Twitter Drivers, racing teams, tracks and journalists are participating on Twitter Posting over 3,000 NASCAR tweets per day on non-race days Posting 5,000-10,000+ NASCAR tweets per day on race days #NASCAR, #Nationwide and #NNS are the popular NASCAR hashtags Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Large and active NASCAR fan community on Twitter

Drivers, racing teams, tracks and journalists are participating on Twitter

Posting over 3,000 NASCAR tweets per day on non-race days

Posting 5,000-10,000+ NASCAR tweets per day on race days

#NASCAR, #Nationwide and #NNS are the popular NASCAR hashtags

Our approach Constraints: No budget Strict limitations on content imposed by NASCAR & Turner Objectives: Primary: See if we can engage fans on Twitter Secondary: Drive more traffic to nationwide.com/series Approach: Focus on behind the scenes, exclusive content Use existing staff with existing tools Use popular #hashtags, driver names and race locations Include the community; ask for requests Use existing @Nationwide account rather than spin off a @NationwideNNS one Do a pilot at one race to gauge reaction Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Constraints:

No budget

Strict limitations on content imposed by NASCAR & Turner

Objectives:

Primary: See if we can engage fans on Twitter

Secondary: Drive more traffic to nationwide.com/series

Approach:

Focus on behind the scenes, exclusive content

Use existing staff with existing tools

Use popular #hashtags, driver names and race locations

Include the community; ask for requests

Use existing @Nationwide account rather than spin off a @NationwideNNS one

Do a pilot at one race to gauge reaction

Pilot on Nashville on 4/10 Prior to race, we had just under 200 followers on Twitter for @Nationwide Announced plan to cover the Nashville race and gained over 100 new followers Gained 150 new followers during the race weekend Got handful of requests for photos and were able to fulfill them Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance

Prior to race, we had just under 200 followers on Twitter for @Nationwide

Announced plan to cover the Nashville race and gained over 100 new followers

Gained 150 new followers during the race weekend

Got handful of requests for photos and were able to fulfill them

We’ve tweeted 9 races so far Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance Nashville on 4/10 Phoenix on 4/17 Talladega on 4/23 Richmond on 5/1 Darlington on 5/8 Charlotte on 5/23 Dover on 5/30 Nashville on 6/6 Kentucky on 6/13

Nashville on 4/10

Phoenix on 4/17

Talladega on 4/23

Richmond on 5/1

Darlington on 5/8

Charlotte on 5/23

Dover on 5/30

Nashville on 6/6

Kentucky on 6/13

Overall results Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance +750 followers added since 4/10 Increased engagement with NASCAR fans Increased visibility in Twitter community (@replies, RTs, #followfriday) Increased traffic to nationwide/series Increased quotes from nationwide/series Allowed Nationwide associates to develop new skills Cost = $0

+750 followers added since 4/10

Increased engagement with NASCAR fans

Increased visibility in Twitter community (@replies, RTs, #followfriday)

Increased traffic to nationwide/series

Increased quotes from nationwide/series

Allowed Nationwide associates to develop new skills

Cost = $0

Lessons learned Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance You can get users to engage with an insurance company on Twitter You must provide compelling content if you want anyone to care You need to include the community and be ready to engage with them You can distribute social media duties throughout your organization

You can get users to engage with an insurance company on Twitter

You must provide compelling content if you want anyone to care

You need to include the community and be ready to engage with them

You can distribute social media duties throughout your organization

Questions? Using Twitter to engage the NASCAR Nation Shawn Morton | Nationwide Insurance