sequence

it supports the democratization
of knowledge and information,
transforming people from content
consumers into

often when when we speak
about social media we refer
to it as a whole
as if the phrase itself sums up
one single channel

of course that’s far from the truth
blogs & microblogs
social bookmarking
wikis
widgets & apps
forums & message boards
podcasts & vlogs
video/photo/presentation sharing
virtual worlds & augmented reality

increasingly we also
means this

and this

33% of all uk internet users
visited facebook in
august 2009

social media is about people
as marketers we need to stop
viewing people as “consumers"
or “users”

Hitesh Bhatt 2009

so what’s it good for?
identifying key influencers
supporting loyalty or CRM programs
market research & competitor analysis
customer support
listening & monitoring what’s being said
improve your search engine ranking
engage your customers in a conversation

you cannot afford to be
everywhere at once

you cannot ignore what is happening
whilst your brand may not be involved
your customers are and they’re
talking about you

62% of UK shoppers consult online
communities before buying
Quideo / YouGov, july 2008

74% of people choose companies or
brands based on customer service
experiences shared online
exploring the link between customer care and brand reputation, SNCR, april 2008

93% of social media users think
brands should be in social media
business in social media study, opinion research corporation, september 2008

when tango entered the facebook
app arena they received a 37%
conversion rate
business in social media study, opinion research corporation, september 2008

when coming up with a strategy
why do you want to use social media
how does it fit in with everything else you’re doing?
would something else be better?
how will you know when you have succeeded?
what will your ROI be?
will your ROI have a financial figure to it?
how will I reward people who play with me?

important to remember these
are just new tools
business and marketing requirements
must come first for a well planned
social media strategy

no one exists on a single
media island
this is as true for your online
activity as it is for your
offline consumption

don’t restrict your social media
activity to social media only
reuse in other online spaces
and take it offline when you can
it’s valuable

social media looks good right now
it’s free
that means good value for money?
so why not give it a try

be honest
about who you are and add real value
to the people you touch and the
spaces you choose to frequent

don’t go for the hard sell and
try to pull the wool over anyones eyes
you will get caught

have a purpose to everything you do
and facilitate the conversation
rather than try to control it

remember that whilst the game
may well have changed there is
huge potential and if taken in the
right way can lead to huge rewards
for your brand and customers

thanks
howard.scott@sequence.co.uk
@howard_scott

Big ben “opportunity” - http://www.flickr.com/photos/gravitystorm/
Slide 3 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pakitt/
Horse slide - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobcatnorth/
Island slide - http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/
images
Sweet shop - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzbuu/
Doing it right - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunnelbug/
Commodore64 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kris3198/
Gossip girls - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jvk/
Millionaire - http://www.flickr.com/photos/psmorrison/
Joystick - http://www.flickr.com/photos/duncan/
Conversation - http://www.flickr.com/photos/11739182@N03/
Beauty queen - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzygirl/
Recycling - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cantonpubliclibrary/
Speakers corner - http://www.flickr.com/photos/aleksiaaltonen/