Social Media and Business Applications
Keith Feighery: Digital Media Strategist

What is Social Media?

Quick overview of social media
• The use of Technology to:
– Develop, enable and be part of communities
• Internally and externally for organisations
– Create and share content and information
– Engage in conversations and extend social networks
– Connect with people and groups
– Listen and participate in discussions, threads and
develop ideas and relationships with others
– Learn from others

Why should business use social media ?

Business & Social media
• Listening
– Crucial to hear what the public is saying about you
• Engage with Customers
– Once you know what they’re saying and what platforms they are saying it from –
you can then interact with them
• Benefits
– Build real communities online
– Build long lasting relationships and trust with customers
– Reduce customer acquisition costs
– Increase customer retentions
– Instant polling and research opportunity with customers
• Cost
– Initial set-up costs are relatively low – reduced production and media purchase
spend
– Main overhead is personnel resource & time

Running a social media campaign

Elements of a social media campaign
• Essentials of a successful campaign
– Know your target audience
– Plan goals and aims of campaign
– Prepare internal organisation for impact of social media
– Identify stakeholders and task them with ownership
– Pick platforms and tools that relate to your identified
audience
– Implement a pilot programme and monitor and analyse
campaign progress
– Revise approach and campaign based on feedback
– Roll-out on different platforms and business areas
incrementally

Implementing a social media campaign
• Benchmark existing stats
– Current site statistics
– Twitter followers, Facebook fans, Digg Links, existing traffic etc..
– Identify SEO rankings, referrals from sites, customer satisfaction
scores
– Quantify ROI benchmarks – customer acquisition, advertising spend
per channel
• Design and develop the campaign
– Decide on channels
– Stakeholders
– Expectations
– Pilots
– Revision points
– Monitoring process
– Engagement process

Metrics that can be measured
• Traffic
– Traffic volumes, PPC, Organic, sources, keywords, affiliates, time spent on site,
bounce rates etc..
• Levels of Interaction
– Comments etc… - engaged customers are quality customers
• Sales
– Targeted Landing pages for specific channels (Dell generated 1.5M sales on twitter
in 18 months)
• Leads/Conversions
– If not possible to convert online – therefore create other mesaurable conversions
• Links
– Video links – Tagged: YouTube, Vimeo, Blip.tv
– Blog Links – trackbacks, comments, direct references
– Digg Links
• Brand Metrics
– Positive Brand Associations
– Word of Mouth
– Brand Awareness
– Propensity to Buy
– Brand Recall

Using Social Media within an organisation

Internal usage of social media
• Enables Collaboration and Content Generation
– Manage knowledge, share best practices & communicate
and co-ordinate company/project activities
– Solicit expert advice from internal and external sources
• Enables Expert Community Building
– Create large scale expert distributed communities
– Communicate externally about product development
– Brand building and marketing development
• Making use of information markets and resources
– Broad participation in strategic development and ideas
generation – both internally and externally

Social Media Platforms

Platform Types
• Social Networks
– Facebook, MySpace, Bebo (Main ones in US and Europe)
• Blogging/Micro-Blogging
– WordPress, Twitter, Laconica, Tumblr, Present.ly, Yammer
• Video, Audio & Photo sharing
– YouTube, Vimeo, Seesmic, 12Seconds, Vidder
– Flickr, MugShot, Photobucket
– Blip.fm, Last.fm, Pandora, Spotify
– Podcasts&Videocasts
• Aggregators/Status management
– FriendFeed, SocialThing!, PeopleBrowser, Ping.fm
• Bookmarks/Tagging/Rating
– Delicious, StumbleUpon, Reddit, Technorati, Digg
• Collaboration Networks
– Wikis, Shared Workspaces, Forums, Commenting Networks (BackType, Disqus)

Social Networking Sites
• Bebo
– Age group 14 yrs – 20 yrs
– Entertainment based
– Very effective – but campaign must engage with users
– Social capital rewards
– User generated content
– Incentives
• MySpace
– Age group 16 yrs – 24 Yrs
– Like Bebo, media and entertainment based
– Jan 09 - 124 M unique users – 2% declne in traffic (Comscoore)
– 81 Million Users (3% Drop in users over 2008 – Nielsen)
– More Music based (historically – but becoming Open platform)
– Campaign success depends on level of engagement with users

Facebook
• Functional social networking platform more so than Bebo and MySpace
– Emphasis is on Communicating with Friends
• Most users regardless of numbers of friends engage with est. 30 users
– Largest Social Networking site
– Jan 09 – 276 million unique users – increase of 16.6 % (Comscore)
– In UK – est. 47% online community use Facebook
• Fastest growing user-base is 35-49 Age cohort
– Now attracting twice as many users as MySpace (TechCrunch)
– Is the fastest growing SocNet at present
• in terms of number of users – twitter growing at 1400% over last 12 months
– Less advertising friendly than Bebo and MySpace (Nielsen)
– Businesses can create fan, product or group pages (re-worked recently – early March
09)
– Main markets in North America and Europe
– Interestingly, due to cultural and linguistic (as well as regulatory challenges) domestic
networks dominate in China and Japan
• 51 in China
• Mixi in Japan
• Orkut 29 times more popular than Facebook in Brazil

Micro-blogging: Twitter
• Excellent B2B and B2C networking tool
• Great potential for building relationships
– Directly with customers
– Good examples Zappos, Dell, Comcast
• Good listening tool
– What is being said about you and most importantly are you hearing
it?
• Easy to engage with customers
– Reach out to them and resolve issues and improve service to them
– Opportunity to convey a personal dimension rather than marketing
speak
• Becoming mainstream but still only 10 million unique users
– 1400% growth over past 12 months

Video Sites
• Very useful marketing tool
– BlendTec and Diet Coke/Mentos
– User-generated content
• Run competitions for customers to build content
(see Pat The Baker example)
• Extending digital footprint and brand-building
purposes
– Create engaging content, tag videos with keywords
and distribute on a wide network
– Post all content and video blogs on your website and
distribute on free video sharing sites

Social Bookmarking & RSS
• Add Bookmark Buttons to sites
– Sociable, AddThis, Share are widely used
• Link all social profiles from website
– Twitter, Facebook, FriendFeed, GetSatisfaction.com,
YouTube, MySpace, Bebo, Slideshare.net etc.
• Ensure that RSS is enabled
– Feedburner, GoogleReader, MyYahoo, NetVibes
• Add rating and individual bookmark buttons
– Digg, Technorati, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious
• Yahoo Pipes
– RSS and Lifestream aggregator

Blogging
• Common Blogging Platforms
– WordPress, Type Pad, Bloggers, Blogspot
• Excellent way of engaging with readers
– Inform followers what is of interest to you
• Can use an informal style
– Show human face of organisation
• Participate in wider conversations
– Leave comments, interact, generate interest, etc..
• Search Engines
– Love regularly updated content
• Now MNCs are encouraging employees to Blog and
engage with social media
– IBM, Dell, Intel and Cisco

Listening Tools
• Using the following tools brands can listen online to what is
being said about them
– Commercial aggregated listening tools
• BuzzMetrics, TNS Cymphony, Biz360, DJ
insight, Visible, Radian6, TrackUr, BuzzLogic
– Twitter
• Twittersearch, Tweetbeep, TweetDeck
– Blogs
• BackType, Technorati, Techmeme, Disquss, GoogleBlogSearch,
WhosTalking.com, iceRocket
– Alerts
• Google Alters
– Customise Searches into RSS feeds and subscribe in RSS readers
• Using these, brands can listen to what is being said about
them and manage reputation

Case Studies

Dell Case Study
• Dell-Hell Blog
– Buzzmachine : Dell refused to engage with him - created a very
critical blog that snowballed
– Appalling publicity – made onto cover of Businessweek
• How Dell reacted
– Now Dell one of most active social media companies –
blogs, twitter, product ideas/feedback site
– Ideas Storm – Customer recommendation platform
– Encourages employees to blog and engage with tools like twitter
– Monitors brand using Visible Technologies – TruCast
• Benefits
– Improved customer service – real-time support using Twitter
– Brand Enhancement, product improvement, customer
service, employee empowerment

Dell Case Study

Bebo & Pat The Baker
• Unlikely brand to become a template on how to run
a social media campaign
• Engaged with their audience (very well)
– Blogs, updates, conversational, responded to comments
and questions as they happened
– User Interaction –
• Allowed and encouraged user feedback – solicited their
opinions using Polls & questionnaires
– User generated competitions
• Design related (skins, characters), video and
merchandise (T-shirts, bags)
– Social capital as well as economic rewards

Pat The Baker

Zappos Online Retailer
• Use social media to be
– Transparent and provide excellent customer service
• Prolific use of Twitter
– Over 400 employees use it. CEO Tony Hsieh no.1 user
• Use blogs to
– Give customers an insight into the company culture
• 75% of sales is customer repeat business
• Talk with customers
– Support them thru sales process
– Encourage them to drop by for office and warehouse tours
• Promote competitors
– If goods not available at that point in time

Zappos

BlendTec
• Little known consumer brand (more industrial
reputation) in the US
• Decided to run some low quality videos of CEO
blending incongruous materials
– iPhone, steel tins, golf balls
• Called it WillItBlend.com – instant success
• Over 100Million views
• Now have iPhone App
• Raised profile of company in US and beyond
• Low cost and highly effective

BlendTec

Diet Coke and Mentos
• Eepy Bird experiment
– Two guys created a video mixing Mentos and Diet coke –
• Initial experiment video’ “Bellagio Fountain” Effect
– Appearances of Letterman, Today Show – articles in Wall Street Journal
and New York Times
– By September 2007 – viewed 18 million times on Revver; By 2009 – est.
120 Milllion views
– Initially Coke resisted the craze – but then embraced as took off
– Mentos (not well know in US at the time) immediately got on board –
increase in 20% of sales in 2007
– Coke is now sponsor and partner to Eepy bird – est. minimum free $10M
free advertising
– Traffic to Coke.com Doubled – Sales of Diet coke up 10%
– Now established as a Guinness Book of Record – 1360 Bottles in Leuven
Belgium
– Replicated across the world – 1000s of copycat videos

Diet Coke and Mentos

Skittles
• Recently turned Hompage into social webstream
– Twitter updates, Facebook page,YouTube
• Brand was hijacked initially
– Lots of puerile commentary on twitter stream (expletives etc)
• A lot of social media and marketing publicity
– More negative than positive
– However, are those who think very brave and only time will tell whether a
success or unmitigated failure
• Feeling that Skittles wanted to benefit from Social Media
– Without truly engaging
• Interesting case as to how brands should engage through web and
social media
• Highlights issue of brochure ware sites for brands
– General feeling there needs to be another form of engagement with
customers other than bland websites

Skittles

Starbucks
• Set up a Starbucks idea site
– To register user ideas, vote on them and then implement popular
ones
• Set up a community site to engage
– With other socially minded starbucks fans - www.v2v.net
• Starbucks (Redcard)
– Do something good everyday – HELP OTHERS around the
world
• Set up http://starbucks.com/sharedplanet/
– To show commitment to the planet (green issues supporting
communities outside US)
• YouTube, Twitter, Facebook profiles
– To connect with customers

Nokia
• Mosh
– A Nokia site offering free safe content for phones
– Applications, games, videos, widgets etc..
• Nokia Conversations
– Blogs, news, events, future technologies, new applications, ideas and research
– Twitter, LinkedIn, Slideshare, Kyte, FriendFeed, Delicious (some of these lighty used)
• Noki WOM
– http://www.womworld.com
– Integrated Nokia infostream to Social Media platforms
• Tumblr, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Technorati, FriendFeed
• Discreet personalised Nokia Facebook profiles
– Luca, Jade and Anna (Europe, Japan, US based)
– Recording their lifestream on facebook
• Not without controversy
– Wieden Kennedy’s Nokia Design Competition
• Demonstrated crowd-sourcing not without issues

Nokia

Starbucks

Nike
• Nike Plus
– Integrated runner and nanoPod accelerometer tracking device
– Community based training site – tracks runs, compete, train in teams
– Route Planners – worldwide
• Nike.com – training programs
– Create customised training programmes (Jordan program)
• Nike 6.0
– Community for skateboarders, X-country
bikers, surfers, BMXers, Moto, Snowboarders etc.
• NikeRunning
– Information based – sharing, connecting with others, advice
• Blogs
– Nikewomen – video training, program set-up, interviews and stories
– NikeID – customised trainers

Nike

Intuit Business Service Co.
• Provides customer service and advice
– Twitter, Blogs, wikis (accessed 2.7 million times) and
dedicated online advice sites
• Well crafted web2.0 site
– Embedded customer feedback channels
• Two-way transmission of information
– From customers to Accountants, Tax, Business services
etc..
• Online Peer to Peer communicatin
– Forums and Wikis
• Closed member feedback groups
– For research and very frank opinions

Intuit Business Services

Southwest Airlines
• YouTube Channel
– Reasonably Humorous
– Tries to be transparent – company information etc..
– Mantra: Low Fares. No Hidden Fees.
• Nuts About Southwest Flickr
– 1000s of photos of planes – plane-spotter friendly
– User generated content
• SouthWest Blog
– Informal and irreverent
– Integrated YouTube, Flickr, Twitter etc..
– Best Tweet of the day – Dave the Rappin attendant
– Run regular Polls – feedback loops
• Well manned presence of Twitter
– Kudos from online community

Southwest Airlines

Flying Dog Brewery
• “Irreverent, provocative and purposeful” interactions
• Use Twitter, Blog, Facebook and Flickr
– Chat and share sense of humour with followers
– Organise meet ups with fans and customers
– Take snap polls of customer likes and dislikes
– Engage with followers real-time on Twitter
– Show photostream on Flickr – having a good time with real
customers
– Non-sanitised interactions on their blog
• Good template on how to use social media for
small/medium sized businesses

Flying Dog Brewery
–

Johnson & Johnson
• Organised Baby Camp – 56 influential mothers and bloggers
– Gain word of mouth infuence
– Not overtly J&J centric
– Discussing issues that matter to families
• Run babycenter.com
– Online community for Mums
– Not 100% J&J branded – competitors advertise
– Advice for Mothers
– Reflects waning influence of print and TV
• J&J health Channel
– Videos of people with real life health issues and lets them tell their stories
• Facebook – Acuminder
– Useful Application to allow you to manage vision care routine
• Facebook – ADHD
– A resource page for parents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (9000 fans)
• Motrin Ads caused furore with online “Mommy” Bloggers
– J&J withdrew Ads (showing mothers suffering back problems from carrying baby)

Johnson & Johnson

Walmart
• 11 Moms Blogs
– Eleven Mom Bloggers who offer advice to families
– Different types of Mom (Geek, Classy, Frugal,Domestic Diva
etc.)
– Not an overt advert for Walmart brand
– Kudos from Analyst community (Jeremiah Owyang)
• Also has difficult online relations
– Walmart Watch
– Working Families for Walmart
– Both very critical of Walmart policies
– Facebook page hacked – bad publicity around adoption of web
2.0
– Myspace campaign panned – ends after 10 weeks
– Walmarting across America – very mixed reviews

Walmart

American Red Cross
• Bad Public reputations
– After Hurricane Katrina
• Started listening to what public was saying online about them
– Blogsearch, twitter, alerts
• Started engaging with public
– Initially started commenting to blog posts and other discussion threads and over
time embraced Twitter and Facebook etc…
• Now use Local Twitter Accounts
– Connect directly – notify people of warnings/shelters/services etc..
– Public update them of safety issues
• Use Flickr and YouTube
– So community can share worldwide photos and videos of all experiences and
activities
• Facebook Pages
– Update users with information

American Red Cross

Whole Foods
• Social initiatives
– Wholefoods Foundation
– Local producer loan foundation (lends up to $10M PY)
– Engage with local communities – 5% giving days
• Social Platforms Used
– Blogs, Twitter (165,000 Followers), Facebook (52,000 fans)
• Engage with customers
– Feedback
– Customer Service
• Mediums used
– Runs competitions (videos, photos)
– Broadcast cooking video
– Photos

Whole Foods

New York Times
• 60 Blogs integrated with RSS feeds
– Very broad content focus
• Created realtime share repository for NYT articles -
TimesPeople
• Links to external story sources (direct competitors)
• Facebook Profile
– Video, Photos, Comments, Individualised and local content
– Discussions
• Twitter Account
– Newsfeed
• Getting some Analyst credit since launched
TimesPeople and external links

New York Times

Wall Street Journal
• Over 40 Blogs of wide ranging content
– Individual tone rather than journalistic
– E.g. Tracking 8 execs laid off in 2007/08
– Management, Foreign Affairs, Markets, Digital Media
etc…
• Twitter
– Mainly News Feed
• Tepid response from Analysts of social media
adoption to date
– General Gartner

Wall Street Journal

Future Developments

Looking to the Future
• Using social and demographic graph information
• Single CustomerID and information
– Data Federation (user controls and owns personal
info)
• Proliferation and ubiquity of Mobile Apps
• Increased aggregation across all social
applications
• Semantic and social search
– Relate search to previous search patterns, what
friends like, registered personal information