How businesses can use social media in 2014 for profit

An early peek at
2014

©WEBER SHANDWICK 2013 All rights reserved

2014: Sadly it’s more Jar Jar Binks than jetpacks


2014: Sadly it’s more Jar Jar Binks than jetpacks @needadebitcard


The basic tips for 2014…
 If on Twitter, use a tool like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck for better
engagement and monitoring
 Keep your tweets to under 120 characters so they are easy to share
 Monitor for your Twitter name and brand name
 Know what your keywords are and try to mention them in the first 100
characters of everything you do, especially blogs
 Tools like Google Alerts, Google Analytics and Mention.net make life
a lot easier – and are free
 Use Facebook Power Editor for better control over Facebook Ads
 Respond quickly to people, engage lots
 Mobile is only going to continue to grow
 Bit.ly links are very useful (and you know to add a + at the end)
 You might even see Google+ as a LInkedIn – not Facebook - killer

So what should we see in 2014
 More of the same – but done
better
 More companies acting like
media firms
 Agility
 A move towards what is known
as Social Businesses
 A continuing move to
mobile/second screen devices
 Less reliance on text
 More of the 7:2:1 content rule
 Getting rid of the ‘content is
king’ mantra


But what about the sexy, tweetable stuff

.scot

Let’s assume some basics. You all know…


More companies acting like media firms
 Use video, audio, text, visuals to
reach out to people
 Vary your platforms of
engagement
 Use tools like Piktochart and
Prezzi to make data more
interesting and visual
 Plan your content – use an
editorial calendar – and be
consistent. Podcasts every
Wednesday for example
 Vary your styles like a
newspaper – have humour
 Use linkbaiting tactics

More of the same… but done better
 Know your goals and make
everything you do an end
towards that goal
 Be on the platforms you are
comfortable with and use them
well
 Consistency in effort and
personality
 Know your story. HAVE a story!


More engagement

 Don’t spend all your time on
your own sites or networks
 Go out there, visit Reddit, leave
comments on other blogs, pass
on useful information to people
out there in the digital lands
 Don’t wait for people to come
to you
 At the same time, remember:
 Be relevant
 Be useful
 Be helpful


Better ROI

“Face-to-face” transaction can cost up
to £11.28 whereas an equivalent
contact centre episode expends
£6.35 yet a similar transaction online
incurs just 46 pence of cost.
Scottish Government ICT Study http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/351231/0117794.pdf


The Social Business
 A business that reacts quickly to
opportunity
 A business that will have – in
many cases – done away with a
lot of middle management
 Where employees are amongst
the most valued stakeholders
and have a say in the running of
the firm
 A company more open and
engaging – with the goal of
being helpful and improving –
with all stakeholders
 In many cases, non-silo models

The second screen
 Laptops but more so Tablets,
mobiles, Google Glass and
similar variants – screens being
used while doing other activities
 Making use of this can be a
golden opportunity
 Engage in relevant chat, have
info ready for when people hit
their second screens
 Make sure content is suitable for
these platforms – don’t cram the
same info on a 4” screen as you
would a 42” TV screen


Less reliance on text…
 Content comes in more than one form
 Will always have a role to play in SEO
but people demand more now
 Use videos – long and short –
whitepapers, events, audio, staff
training, presentations – get them all
online if there’s relevance to an
audience that will see you in a positive
light
 Always err on the side of brevity
 Make sure it all loads quickly – and
make sure people can share it
 Use tools to see what works for others


Will 2014 see better use of The 7:2:1 rule
 For every 10 pieces of content
you post…
 7 should be non-promotional
and helpful to others
 2 can be semi-promotional
 1 can be a blatant plug
 That doesn’t mean you
abandon relevance. A
restaurant can share recipes or
cooking videos that people
want
 Accountants can share tax
advice on donations to charities


Getting rid of Content is King


Thank you

Craig McGill
Digital Strategist, Scotland/Ireland
0141 333 0557
07584 385 571
@craigmcgill
@wsscotland
uk.linkedin.com/in/craigmcgill/
cmcgill@webershandwick.com
Jar Jar Binks © Lucasfilm/Disney / James Bond/Thunderball ©MGM and others


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