This document outlines 8 stages in the evolution of corporate websites to become more social: 1. No social integration. 2. Linking directly to social media without strategy. 3. Linking to social media while encouraging sharing. 4. Integrating the brand experience across social channels. 5. Aggregating social discussions on the corporate site. 6. Allowing social logins to keep users on the site. 7. Triggering viral sharing through social logins. 8. Achieving seamless integration between the corporate site and social media.

1. Your Corporate Website
Can Be Relevant Again
Jeremiah Owyang
Partner
May 19, 2010
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For Gilbane Content Management Conference
Roadmap for the Social Corporate Website

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Social will be like air
Source: Pew Resource Center’s Internet and American Life Project (October 8, 2009)
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Corporate websites: Are they relevant?
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Many brands approach in disparate fashion
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Social NetworkCorporate
Website

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Many brands approach in disparate fashion
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Corporate
Website
+
Social Network

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Evolution of the Social Corporate Website
Image by zetson used with Attribution as directed by Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/zetson/254608875
© 2010 Altimeter Group

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Framework:
Evolution of the Social Corporate Website
1. No social integration
2. Link away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site with social
log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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Do nothing – No social integration
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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1. DO NOTHING – NO SOCIAL INTEGRATION
EXAMPLE
Corporate website that has no integration
with social tools.
BENEFIT
Cheap. Ignorance is bliss, at least in the
short term.
CHALLENGE Your corporate website is irrelevant.

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Trader Joe’s does not integrate social on its site…
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… despite die-hard fans and unofficial channels
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Link directly away without a strategy
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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2. LINK DIRECTLY AWAY
WITHOUT A STRATEGY
EXAMPLE
Corporate homepages that have chicklets
which say “Follow us on
Twitter/Facebook/YouTube” send traffic
away.
BENEFIT Encourages growth of social channels.
CHALLENGE
Sends traffic away, without having a
strategy.

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Zara directs visitors away with Facebook chicklet
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McDonald’s directs visitors away with a link (TV ads too)
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But worse, sends a confusing message
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McDonald’s doesn’t encourage
visitors to leave it site for
social channels: “You are
leaving the McDonald's
Corporation web site for a site
that is controlled by a third
party, not affiliated with
McDonald's.”

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Link away but encourage sharing
1. No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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3. LINK AWAY, BUT ENCOURAGE SHARING
WITH A PRE-POPULATED MESSAGE
EXAMPLE
A chicklet that encourages new Twitter
followers to Tweet at their friends “I’m now
following X brand”
BENEFIT
Triggers a social alert as a form of
endorsement.
CHALLENGE
Better than the previous, though it may not
have a follow up or call to action.

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Hypothetical: DSW customers send pre-
loaded tweets about shoes they like
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Outback Steakhouse’s new Facebook “Like”
button links away and encourages sharing
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Brand integrated in social channels
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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4. BRAND EXPERIENCE IS INTEGRATED IN
SOCIAL CHANNELS
EXAMPLE
Extends the brand to social channels, so the
corporate experience is mirrored on social
channels.
BENEFIT
Regardless of wherever users go, they are
still experiencing the brand.
CHALLENGE
Social channels sometimes serve better as
a conversational area –not for traditional
branding campaigns.

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Starbucks experience mirrored in social channels
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Tiffany offers branded social channels…
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It’s even hard to know if
this is Tiffany’s official
Twitter page. It’s
Facebook and home page
is not even linked.
It’s even hard to know if
this is Tiffany’s official
Twitter page. It’s
Facebook and home page
is not even linked.

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…but you wouldn’t know this from their home page
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There are no links
directing visitors to
Tiffany’s official social
channels – a missed
opportunity.
There are no links
directing visitors to
Tiffany’s official social
channels – a missed
opportunity.

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Aggregate the discussion
on corporate site
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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5. AGGREGATE THE DISCUSSION ON
CORPORATE SITE
EXAMPLE
Aggregate select conversations from Tweets
(like the Skittles homepage), top discussions
in communities or blogs. See Disqus and
Echo.
BENEFIT
Centralizes the discussion on your site,
making it a resource to first look at. Low cost
content.
CHALLENGE
Lack of control over content posted on
corporate site, plus still links off site.

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Whole Foods aggregates some of the discussion on
site and links away
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There are no links
directing visitors to
Tiffany’s official social
channels – a missed
opportunity.
There are no links
directing visitors to
Tiffany’s official social
channels – a missed
opportunity.

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Social log-in systems that allow users
to stay on site
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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6. SOCIAL LOGIN SYSTEMS THAT
ALLOW USERS TO STAY ON SITE
EXAMPLE
Using FB connect, or Twitter connect allow
users to use their existing logins to access
site. See how JanRain and Gigya* help.
BENEFIT
May increase sign ups, widening marketing
funnel. Chances are that content is more
accurate than a sign up form.
CHALLENGE
May not have access to email addresses, as
users pass through using social logins.
* Disclosure: An Altimeter Group client.

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Customers log in with Facebook Connect on
H&R Block’s community
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Social log in that triggers viral loop
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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7. SOCIAL LOGIN SYSTEMS THAT ALLOW
USERS TO STAY ON SITE, BUT TRIGGERS
VIRAL LOOP
EXAMPLE
There’s an actual social or interactive
experience on the corporate site that triggers
them to share with their friends.
BENEFIT
Users stay on site, interact with brand or
peers, yet recruit other members in social
networks.
CHALLENGE
Requires planning, a campaign, and
extensive resources.

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Pepsi’s Refresh Project asks users to log in
with their Facebook…
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… and share their Refresh votes with friends on
Facebook or Twitter
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Sign into HuffPo with Facebook and share/discuss
news with your social graph
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“Like” merchandise in the Levi’s store via Facebook
and share with friends
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A seamless integration between
corporate site and social sites
1. Do nothing – No social integration
2. Link directly away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site
with social log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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8. SEAMLESS INTEGRATION BETWEEN
CORPORATE SITE AND SOCIAL SITES
EXAMPLE
Other than URLs there’s no difference
between a corporate site and a social site –
the experience is seamless.
BENEFIT
Customers, prospects, and employees mix
together, churning on new members and
viral activity.
CHALLENGE It doesn’t exist, yet.

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vitaminwater doesn’t have a corporate site –
it’s “temporarily” moved to Facebook
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 Websites are dynamically assembled on the fly
based on social profiles.
 This could happen in person, or while using
Google or Facebook.
 As a result, URLs won’t matter, nor will domains/
Instead the web will be sorted around people and
contextual situations.
 As a result, ads become useful information, and
desirable.
The Radical Future?
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A flight path for
corporate website evolution
1. No social integration
2. Link away with no strategy
3. Link away but encourage sharing
4. Brand integrated in social channels
5. Aggregate discussion on site
6. Users stay on site with social
log-in
7. Social log-in triggers
sharing
8. Seamless
integration

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Be Deliberate.
Image by adamcnelson used with Attribution as directed by Creative Commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamcnelson/3593821772
© 2010 Altimeter Group

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1. Although its a new and experimental medium, brands
should plan a roadmap.
2. The future of web experiences will be based around
people –not products.
3. Take inventory of all corporate web assets and identify
where they are in the framework.
4. Next, identify the desired state, and then build a plan
against it. Start small and slow, and be sure to have a
strategy.
5. Don’t arbitrarily jump into the to social marketing space
without measurable KPIs. Be deliberate in your actions.
Use this Road Map for your strategy
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Jeremiah Owyang
jeremiah@altimetergroup.com
web-strategist.com/blog
Twitter: jowyang
THANK YOU
With assistance from Christine Tran, Researcher

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