Client report for PR and advertising agency offering guidance into digital marketing, SEO, and social media strategy as well as website recommendations for improvement. Brand bible for agency to use throughout relationship with Pro Feet Inc., a small business specializing in athletic performance socks

1. 2014 CLIENT REPORT
by: brooke hundley
& claire mauro
LIVE OAK COMMUNICATIONS

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Pro Feet Inc. sells athletic performance socks to
three different market segments: sporting goods
stores, military and uniformed personnel, and
athletic teams (primarily schools and youth sports
leagues). An additional rising market exists in the
ecommerce space as consumers look to profeet.com
to purchase unique, customized socks to fit their
personality and lifestyle.
Located in Burlington, N.C., Pro Feet was founded
in 1979 by Russell R. Wilson. Pro Feet has
successfully sold its American made product for
over 30 years under the philosophy of its founder,
to “take care of the customer.” Its core values are
teamwork, trust, integrity, and fun.
Pro Feet’s business model (see chart below) is built
upon a mixture of sales representatives who sell to
teams and leagues through direct selling and trade
shows, select retail stores who cater to the sporting
goods consumer, and online sales offering new
trends in style and customization. Despite multiple
revenue sources, Pro Feet remains a small business
looking to gain brand recognition, specifically
through social media and creative marketing. Pro
Feet is focused on growing the number of stores
and schools that carry the brand by empowering the
consumer to request Pro Feet products. In order to
do that, consumers need to not only hear about the
brand, but also believe Pro Feet socks are truly the
best product available on the market.
Live Oak Communications has worked with Pro
Feet over the past couple of years focusing on
attracting a younger demographic both through
its customizable options and engagement with
the youth sports community. In the past, Live
Oak has completed several projects for Pro Feet,
including a social media campaign called the “Pro
Feet Challenge,” a 5K Extreme Run, and a cause-
related marketing campaign partnering with The
Miracle League, a baseball league for children with
disabilities. As time as passed, the need to engage
consumers through digital platforms including
social media and mobile has increased.
Currently Pro Feet’s social media followers can best
be described as “friends and families.” A revamp of
existing social media channels and an infusion of
new targeted content is a must. Live Oak’s priority
must be to generate a broader reach to potential
audiences at the grassroots level without the use of
expensive mass-market advertising. By combining
website revisions, social listening and creative digital
content, Pro Feet can grow its customer base and
develop the broad brand recognition it needs.
2
Pro Feet Inc. Sales Channels

3. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Pro Feet Inc. prides itself on creating American
made performance socks quickly and efficiently for
the on-the-go consumer. Unlike others in the sports
athletic-wear industry who outsource production
to foreign countries in order to lower labor costs in
exchange for lower quality , all the manufacturing
of Pro Feet products takes place within the United
States. Pro Feet orders are fulfilled rapidly and
accurately with inventories inside the United States,
and customers deal directly with a small company
who focuses on personal connections, southern
hospitality, and quick distribution channels.
PRO FEET INC. SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
• Strong product quality
• Quick production times
• Made in America
• Variety of customization capabilities
• Family owned – personal connections
Weaknesses
• Low brand recognition
• Low marketing/advertising budget
• Little interaction with end user
• Website lacks info on retail locations
• Low search rank, limited social presence
Opportunities
• Social media - Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, LinkedIn
• Mailing lists, central customer database
• Scholarship, community event sponsors
Threats
• Retail competitors: Nike, Under Armour,
Adidas
• Sales rep competitor: Twin City Knitting
• Online competitors: Socks 101, Custom
Sock Shop, Swiftwick
Pro Feet sales representatives across the country
focus on getting to know the teams, schools, and
leagues within their communities to create lasting
relationships and anticipate customer needs. Pro
Feet also understands that performance socks aren’t
simply desired by athletes. They provide for military
personnel, law enforcement, postal workers, and
other public servants whose on the job requirements
demand socks that perform well under pressure.
Pro Feet’s unique response time, American
manufacturing facilities, high quality materials,
and interest in constant innovation, whether it’s
adding anti-odor, anti-bacterial, absorbent, or
complete customization options, sets it apart in the
performance socks industry.
DIGITAL GROWTH
Digital marketing is growing like never before.
Companies that once relied heavily on word of
mouth and print advertising to gain valuable
customer engagement now look to websites, mobile
phones, and social media as avenues for revenue
generation and brand recognition. In the past Live
Oak has focused on print and video production for
Pro Feet’s corporate marketing strategy. Today’s
strategies look to emergent digital platforms to reach
the connected Pro Feet consumer. Live Oak must
focus on guiding the brand through improvements
to profeet.com, enhancing underutilized social
media channels, and building a reputation with
thoughtful and interesting content. The consumer’s
purchasing process should easy whether through a
retail store, sales rep, or the profeet.com website.
The following pages provide a competitor analysis,
web usability review, online reputation analysis,
SEO audit, and a social media strategy. These
pieces lay the framework for Live Oak to assist Pro
Feet in clearly defining its digital presence, and
developing a targeted approach to building brand
recognition among its key demographic markets.
These evaluations, coupled with target market
visualizations and defined goals for future research,
will assist Live Oak in meeting objectives for
effective Pro Feet representation over the long term.
3

4. WEBSITE USABILITY
A strong digital presence starts with an effective
website. Profeet.com provides a variety of
information for the performance sock consumer
including company history, catalogs, customization
options, online purchasing and links to social media
channels and related multimedia content. A website
usability report was developed to determine the
overall ease in use for users, the navigability among
content, and the general layout of
profeet.com. The following represent the results as
well as opportunities for improvement.
PAGE SPEED - Desktop Version
o Tested via develops.google.com/speed/pagespeed.
o Scored 78/100, slightly above average in loading.
o Suggested fixes include:
1. “Fixing leverage browser caching” to allow the
user to load the page from local storage upon repeat
visits rather than reloading it over the network for
quicker page loading time.
2. Optimizing photo sizes to smaller web sizes
3. Minifying Javascript code and eliminating
render-blocking Javascript and CSS above the fold.
PAGE SPEED - Mobile Version
o Received a score of 63/100, performing less
superiorly with weaknesses in user experience.
o Suggested fixes include:
1. Correcting illegible text and links.
2. Developing a fluid responsive website
design to adapt to varying screen sizes. This will be
useful for mobile and tablet users on the go.
WEBSITE STRENGTHS
• The navigation bar is easy to read and
remains consistent across pages, allowing users to
easy follow categorized data to their interests.
• Website maintains a gray tone across the
navigation bar that allows for those with color
blindness to adequately determine links and page
tabs, independent of color.
• The URL page titles for each navigation element
are appropriate for the content presented and make
logical sense.
• The hierarchy layout is clear and easy to follow,
as well as consistently used.
• Colors and visual cues remain constant
throughout the entire site.
WEBSITE ESSENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS
• Make the logo a link to the home page. The
user may find the ability to return to the homepage a
challenge as the logo is not a clickable linked image.
• Position social media links higher on the page.
The links are hidden below the fold on the home
page and do not provide a call to action. Provide
a clear designated and titled area for social media
content with direct statements to “follow” or “tweet”
to pair with the social media icons provided.
• Highlight the brand essence video in the above
the fold slider with accompanying descriptive text.
WEBSITE IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENTS
• Add a search option box to lead the user to
quickly finding what he/she is looking for.
• Add alt tags for images, describing what they
are, especially on the home page slider and among
the items in the product shop. This is useful for
usability and also for SEO (discussed later).
• Add a help section for the user to answer any
questions they might encounter including retail
locations, last minute ordering, and bulk pricing.
WEBSITE OPTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS
• Create a comprehensive main category page
for each category in the navigation bar to eliminate
the need to hover to see information. The current
layout can be difficult for the user to use with tightly
spaced subcategories that could result in wrong
clicks. The revised page would also make for a more
seamless and cohesive user experience, as some
main category pages are clickable and others are not.
• Update links to make sure they change
appearance after the user clicks, so the user can
easily see where he/she has already been.
• Add a site map to the bottom of the home page
as an additional method of navigation for users.
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5. REPUTATION ANALYSIS
(ONLINE)
Successful digital engagement and revenue streams
begin with a company having a strong position
within the online marketplace. Google’s search
engine provides opportunites for a company to learn
more about their presence, as well as what today’s
consumer experiences when searching online for
a specific product or need. A reputation analysis
was completed on Pro Feet in February 2014 with
the search term “pro feet” entered into Google and
the top 30 results evaluated for ownership status/
influence, sentiment, and ranking. Opportunities
for search growth abound.
5
Profeet.com Reputation Analysis
The results of the reputation analysis are as follows:
• Only three (3) sites were owned or had content
controlled by Pro Feet Inc. - Profeet.com, a Twitter
page, and a manta.com company profile page.
• Only three (3) sites had positive sentiment
surrounding the brand - Twitter, Profeet.com,
and one Sports Unlimited store page with positive
reviews. One had negative sentiment with negative
reviews at Amazon.com, and the remainder were
neither enhancing nor detracting from the brand,
but rather netrual or unrelated to the company.
• Over half (16) of the sites had content that
was in no way related to Pro Feet Inc., despite the
specific keyword search.
• Profeet.com was the first search result when
searching for pro feet socks.
• The only social media channel that appears
in the top 30 search results for Pro Feet Inc. is the
company’s Twitter page, ranking 25th.

6. SEO: SEARCH ENGINE
OPTIMIZATION AUDIT
SEO is important to any organization online, as
consumers look to Google and other search engines
to find information on goods and services to meet
their needs. Search engines only display sites that
they find relevant and authoritative on the subject
and to do this they look at page content as well as
the quality of other sites linking to the information.
A company can have a fantastic website, but without
the right content and structure no one may see it
buried deep within Google search. Just as an expert
in the field gains a positive reputation from years
of experience, recommendations from others, and
a breadth of knowledge on a subject, so too do
websites. Only wfor websites those areas are defined
as age, inbound and outbound links, and the overall
quality and size of content.
In order to find out just how well profeet.com is
doing in online search result ranking, a SEO audit
was completed. The site was evaluated using the
program Screaming Frog SEO Spider in the areas
of inbound and outbound links, depth of site
architecture and accessibility, ease of navigation,
appropriateness of URLs, duplicated content, and
useful and descriptive tags. These are the results.
IMAGES
o 147 images were reviewed
o Suggested fixes:
• Size: 10 images are considered large in
size at over 100kb. Images should be resized to
make them web safe and to allow for quicker
page loading speed (100kb or less). Slow page
loading speed leads to lower search ranking.
• Alt Text: Out of 147 images, only 5 have
alt text. Image alt text allows search engines
to better understand the image content on any
given page. Search engines are not capable of
retaining visual information so they rely on
textual content, like alt text, to tell them what the
image is of. Alt text should be provided for all
images that are housed on profeet.com.
HTML PAGES
o 215 content rich pages were evaluated:
o Suggested fixes:
• Size: Twelve (12) pages were considered
large pages, over 100kb in size, and should be
reduced in order to help site-loading speed. A
slower loading speed results in a lower ranking
in search results. Almost 75% of pages (161 in
total) were considered low content pages with
under 300 words and should be evaluated as
to whether they are needed or are too visually
heavy and need additional text support content.
• Page Titles: Ten (10) pages are missing
titles, 42 pages have titles over 65 characters in
length, and 122 have duplicate content. Almost
57% of pages were found to have the same
title, listed as “Pro Feet Inc. – Shop Online for
Performance Team Sport Socks, Military Socks,
and Public Safety Socks” (seen below). It’s
important that titles are short and reflect the
appropriate page’s related content in order
6
Profeet.com SEO Review - Showing Duplicated Titles

7. to differentiate each area of the Pro Feet site.
Search engine spiders move on from indexing
titles after 65 characters, so anything beyond that
is wasted. Search engines also devalue duplicate
content as it looks like an attempt to manipulate
search results with the same key words. Page
titles should be updated to more adequately
reflect the content the page provides.
• Meta Data: Meta descriptions are
missing from 89 html pages, 115 pages have
duplicate descriptions (shown below), and 122
have over 156 characters in their descriptions.
Meta descriptions are particularly helpful to
search engine users in determining whether the
page has value in meeting their needs. Meta
descriptions show up next to page titles in search
results and should be written as short and
descriptive text indicating to users what they will
find if they click on that particular page, as well
as a strong call to action.
• Header Tags: All 215 html pages have an
H1 tag which is advantageous for search engines.
They evaluate H1 tags effectively for content that
factors into search result standings. However,
of the 215 H1 tags, all were duplicated content.
Every page has the exact same H1 tag of “Team
Sports Military Public Safety,” which tells little
about the socks for sale, the company, or any
content a user might search for. There are 77
pages that contain more descriptive H1-2 header
tags, however search engines only evaluate the
first H1 tags, leaving this information left out of
important search rankings. Profeet.com should
remove this H1 duplicated content using the
H1-2 tags’ information as an H1 tag or rewrite
the H1 tags to conain relevant material.
URLS
o 500 URLs were indexed
o Suggested fixes:
• Broken Links & Redirects: There are
seven (7) URLs that are broken links and four
(4) URLs that link to page redirects. Broken links
need to be corrected in order for those pages to
be evaluated by search engines. Also, unless a
page is no longer accessible that was once heavily
trafficked and the customer needs to be sent to
a new page, all redirects should be evaluated for
removal only add an obstacle to the consumer’s
ability to reach a page or piece of content quickly.
• PDF Files: There were 10 PDF files found
on profeet.com. PDF files contain content that
cannot be indexed by search engines, thus that
content cannot assist in search ranking. The
information should be copied into a rich HTML
environment with an outside link to the PDF if
still the file is still needed.
• URL Length: The majority of URLs
for profeet.com are short and appropriate for
the page making it easy for online users to
quickly find what they are looking for by simply
typing it in. However, 42 URLs remain over
115 characters and should be shortened for
simplification and ease of navigation.
NAVIGATION
o The entire site was evaluated for depth
and constructive navigation for the user. SEO pages
rank lower the farther removed from the homepage
they are and the harder it also becomes for the
user to find the material. SEO experts suggest no
more than 3-4 levels of depth for a page within the
site’s architecture to ensure every page is deemed
important.
o Suggested fixes: Profeet.com has 13 out
of 215 html pages that are more than 4 levels deep,
those pages should be evaluated to determine if
they can be realigned under another area or brought
further up within the site’s structure to decrease the
overall depth of the website.
7
Profeet.com Meta Descriptions

8. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
A competitor analysis is an effective planning tool
for creating a successful digital marketing strategy.
In order to develop a competitive advantage in the
digital domain, a company must be able to position
itself as having a unique brand voice and personality
distinct from others in the marketplace. A smart
company knows not only who else is vieing for
attention on the world wide web, but also which
marketing strategies are proving most effective
among its industry mates in reaching that coveted
consumer.
Pro Feet is in a unique position as a small business
in North Carolina in that it competes directly with
a host of companies in varying size and scope,
including local and national small businesses, as well
as large athletic wear corporations in e-commerce
sales, supply contracts, and retail purchases. As a
result one competitor in each category was analyzed
to determine their successes and setbacks when it
comes to prosperity in the digital realm. This will
showcase how Pro Feet can carve out its own niche
as a coveted place for consumers online.
LOCAL: Twin City Knitting
Twin City Knitting (TCK) is a performance sock
company who’s roots lie in close proximity to Pro
Feet with the company headquarters in Conover,
NC. Often seen at trade shows competing directly
for contracts and bulk purchases, the company
prides itself on a similiar marketing strategy:
American made performance socks from your local
business. However, despite the outward similiarities,
TCK sets itself apart from Pro Feet in many ways.
As the official sock manufacturer for Major League
Baseball, TCK’s main strength is its brand exposure,
especially in the baseball market, and its strong sales
representatives. Long term contracts for successful
professional sports teams are few and far between
with such organizations likely to choose big name
corporations to meet their needs. As such, TCK has
broader brand recognition with top level athletes
wearing the company’s product, but still retains a
number of marketing weaknesses.
While a fully functional website is available, TCK
has few other online marketing strategies in place.
The company does not use social media, inhibiting
the opportunity to speak directly to its customers.
Potential customers also cannot purchase products
directly from the TCK website. TCK’s main
opportunities lie in creating a connection with its
end user. Conversations are likely taking place
around the brand, but the company is not dialed
into what is being said and little additional customer
service is available to address consumer questions
or needs. Without any TCK prescence in these
environments, Pro Feet is an ample position to
converse with those potential customers on why the
Pro Feet brand is a better purchasing option.
NATIONAL: Swiftwick
Based in Brentwood, Tennessee, Swiftwick
manufactures athletic compression socks and
has a strong foothold in the cycling market, with
additional focuses on outdoor and extreme sports.
Swiftwick’s strength is its constant connection with
its end user. Its website is sleek and user friendly
with visually enticing elements and a hierarchy
of information that places retail locations, social
media, and ecommerce options front and center.
Social media interactions with customers are a
8

9. top priority earning the brand a large following
on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, despite its
niche market. Employees are active members of the
sports community, participating in local races and
events and the company targets its followers with
recognition, posting profiles and highlighting their
achievements on the website and on social media.
The biggest weakness for Swiftwick comes from its
complex name. It’s name does not lend itself to ease
of use in saying or spelling and is far less likely to
come up than Pro Feet in organic Google searches.
For consumers looking for athletic socks on Google,
Swiftwick only appears in a search when specifically
using the search term “performance sock,” which is
not a term likely to be used by the casual consumer.
Swiftwick is missing out on exposure when people
search “sports sock,” or “athletic sock,” and hashtags
utilizing its name for social media marketing are far
less likely to be remembered than a simple #profeet.
The main threats for the company are well
recognized brands like Nike or Adidas, as well as a
hard to remember name that might get lost when up
against another similarily successful small business.
GLOBAL: Nike
Nike is an internationally known performance and
sport apparel company with a marketing budget
topping out in the millions and an equal number
of proud consumers buying its products. Nike
prides itself on hiring professional athletes as brand
ambassadors, building state of the art facilities for
product research, and advertising the latest and
greatest must-have athletic gear by channeling
strong brand awareness. Performance socks are
just one of the many products that fill the Nike line
at retail stores and while Nike products are viewed
by many as the trendy must-have item, even a large
corporation faces marketing weaknesses.
Given the size and scope of the company, direct
interaction with its customers is limited at best.
The company sells so many products, it’s hard to
highlight any one item on a consistent basis, and
even harder to make all of its faithful following
feel special. Often times the Nike consumer gets
overlooked in marketing initatives for the hot new
pro athlete, and while many consumers may want
to live the life of that athlete, many may also wish
to see themselves better highlighted or represented
in ads. Pro Feet has competing strengths within
its product line, as Nike outsources its materials
to factories overseas diminishing its public image
as press stories emerge on the poor wages and
working conditions of its foreign employees. Nike’s
distribution channels make it harder to replenish
stock when high demand hits locally opening doors
for local manufacturers to meet customer needs
quicker. Nike’s products are also the most expensive
products in the store, making a luxury item such
as performance socks an unlikely purchase for the
thrifty shopper.
9
Swiftwick Socks on Instagram

10. MARKET ANALYSIS
While the consumer marketplace is rife with
opportunity for rich competition, it also holds a
hefty mix of consumers that stem from different
demographics, cultures, and interests. That melting
pot exists online as well as consumers from locations
and cultures the world over flock to social media to
connect with families and friends and stay abreast
on all the latest news. A smart social media strategy
is essential for communicating directly with the
consumer, but many companies don’t know where
to start. A strategy to assisting Pro Feet in social
media begins with defining the groups most likely to
engage with the Pro Feet brand, and ultimately most
likely to purchase its goods or services. Pro Feet
products are worn by military, uniformed workers,
and athletes as well as everyone from outdoor
enthusiasts to scouts to rec league participants. The
marketing personas developed above shed light
on the key demographic groups of interest specific
to Pro Feet for social media outreach and lay the
foundation for the media content plan to follow.
The graphics represent a student-athlete, an active
young professional, a parent who is keenly involved
in her children’s sports and activities, and an on-
the-go senior citizen. These individuals are the most
likely to act as brand ambassadors for Pro Feet,
to frequent social media channels, and to lead the
way as trend-setters and outspoken proponents
for athletic wear that fits their individual or family
needs. Influencers can be carefully targeted within
these demographic groups based upon their social
media tools of choice. By honing in on these groups
Live Oak can increase word-of-mouth advertising
and positive sentiment about Pro Feet online, and
create more content attuned to what the Pro Feet
consumer values. A strong company presence
in the digital realm also affords the company
an opportunity for active involvement in online
conversations already taking place with regards
to the Pro Feet brand, providing more effective
customer service.
10
Pro Feet Marketing Personas

11. .
SOCIAL LISTENING
Social media monitoring, or “social listening,” offers
insight into online conversations among consumers
in their daily lives about a particular topic or
brand. Paired in conjunction with a social media
content plan, social listening allows for a company
to gain insightful intelligence on popular topics of
concern, intrigue, and enthusiasm that relate to
the company’s industry and devise content that is
valued to the consumer. Companies can also use
it to respond directly and quickly to statements or
questions posed by the customer.
There are several tools available for social listening
that mine text for specific words or phrases related
to the company across websites and social media
databases. Some tools including Google Alerts
or Talkwalker Alerts mine websites and news for
related press coverage on a topic. Software tools
like HootSuite and SocialMention gather comments
from multiple social media outlets like Twitter and
Facebook, calling attention to customers who are the
most vocal about stating their opinions on a product
or brand in the social realm. These tools use simple
hashtag searches related to the brand and pull this
relevant information out of an otherwise endless
stream of overwhelming data.
This semester Live Oak was tasked with beginning
the process of social listening for Pro Feet by setting
up a way to keep track of all posts related to Pro Feet
on Instagram and Twitter. An account executive
created a spreadsheet and each week would add
information about any new posts of relevance to
Pro Feet from a Hootsuite account. They included
date, hashtag or subject matter related to Pro Feet
or its products, the user-name of the person who
posted, the content of the post, and the number
of interactions. At the end of each month Live
Oak sent Pro Feet a social media listening report
detailing any new posts by Pro Feet consumers,
and recommendations for how to improve online
communication with customers. The examples
provided below were posted organically by
customers who love the Pro Feet brand and want
the world to know it.
11
Profeet on
Instagram: Posted
by Customers

12. Those individuals who posted should be recognized
with a response from Pro Feet’s social media
channels. In prior instances a user attempted to
contact Pro Feet via mentions three times with
no response. These posts will be less likely to be
overlooked in regular social listening practices. It’s
also important that Pro Feet Inc. take ownership
over a specific hashtag in the social media sphere
so that information related specifically to the
company can be filtered and customer engagement
more adequately acknowledged. Another Pro Feet
company exists in Europe, and #profeet is also used
highly in the Arabic language online.
Live Oak should consider presenting Pro Feet with
a #profeetinc or #profeetsocks hashtag that they can
distinctly make their own and use with regularity.
Our social media strategy consultant also
demonstrated how social listening can be a positive
way for Pro Feet to engage in customer service
communication and quickly assist needs to make a
sale. After posting a photo on twitter tagged with
#profeet, a Twitter user unknown to the consultant
replied to the post stating frustration over a last
minute need for custom socks in the Houston area.
The conversation is displayed here and Pro Feet
was quickly contacted regarding the customer’s
questions. The customer was followed up with by
a Pro Feet representative detailing information on
where she could find the product in her local area.
Similar customer service opportunities will arise as
richer content fills Pro Feet’s social media channels
and more customers recognize the brand’s presence
in the digital space.
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Social Listening:
Customer Service on Twitter

13. .
SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN
Objectives
As a small business with a small market of faithful
customers, Pro Feet’s biggest goal in the social media
landscape lies in growing its brand recognition.
in order to accomplish that goal, objectives for
social media must be established. These objectives
include increasing the likes and/or followers on its
social media channels, monitoring and replying to
customer service questions, likes, and complaints
online, and communicating content about new
product lines and unique purchasing options that
are available to the consumer.
Given that Pro Feet is just beginning to develop
education on social media tools and how to grow its
online reputation, Live Oak must have a prolonged,
focused content strategy approach to growing the
Pro Feet fan base rather than creating a one-time
campaign. Live Oak’s prior teams have suggested
a 70-20-10 model for content strategy, that should
be implemented. In this model 70% of content is
repurposed material on sports related to subject
matters relevant to the consumer, 20% of content is
responding to social media listening and providing
customer recognition, and 10% of content is the
direct promotion of Pro Feet products.
Tools
Pro Feet’s target markets encompass student-athletes
and active young adults, parents, and senior citizens.
The company needs a collective arsenal of tools to
meet all these groups in their unique environments.
Every social media tool offers a different
functionality and reaches a different group of
consumers. Pro Feet’s social media plan centers on
Live Oak using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
as a means to develop the Pro Feet brand and gain
greater market recognition. This in turn will grow
the product into more retail stores, more contracts
with local schools and organizations, and more
online purchases at profeet.com.
Facebook dominates the social media landscape,
with over 71% of all U.S. internet users using the
service as of the end of 2013, according to the
latest Pew Research Study. While the majority of
18-29 year olds have an account, new users are
growing rapidly and these users tend to skew older
demographically, as more parents and a growing
number of grandparents use the channel to stay
connected with families and communities. The
growth of Pro Feet’s presence here from its current
family and friends into connections with other
families and communities outside the area will assist
with relationship building and brand allegiance with
its customers. Facebook content should be crafted
in a way that highlights community members, local
hereos, and star student-athletes who embody the
Pro Feet brand and are connected to the product so
that others in the community will feel connected to
the brand as well and want to share this content.
Twitter and Instagram are the 2nd and 3rd most
heavily trafficked social media sites, and although
their markets are smaller with around 17% of
internet users using them, they are overwhelmingly
popular among the 13-29 year old age groups.
These tools are vital to Pro Feet’s long term success
as the brand looks to grow customers with lifelong
allegiance to the brand as well as stronger revenues
in customized sock sales. Twitter content should
be relevant to active young adults with interesting
subject matters related to sports and outdoor
activities they are most likely to be interested in.
In order to position Pro Feet as a youthful and
fashion forward brand, Instagram is a useful tool
for showcasing originality in custom socks and
unique prints, as well as colors and styles exhibiting
individuality without breaking the budget.
13Pro Feet’s Social Media Toolkit

14. Influencers
Social media influencers are individuals who have
gained a strong following of fans online because
their opinions are valued and respected by the
greater online community. These influencers act as
brand advocates highlighting products or services
that they enjoy and that they feel others will as
well, and in turn generate revenue streams for that
product or service due to behavioral influence on
their faithful following. There are several tools
available to measure online influencers based not
only on a large social media following, but also in
the amount of social engagement they generate,
including the sharing, commenting, and favoriting
of their content by others who interact with their
pages.
The most prominently respected tool to gauge social
influence is Klout. Klout gives everyone on social
media a score between 1 and 100 that determines
their social influence, or ability to drive action
online. The score is an accumulation of influence
across eight different social media channels based
on more than mere size of following or amount
of activity. Rather the composite score includes
a ratio of follower reactions to amount of content
posted, how selective the people who interact with
the content are, and whether the engagement levels
are from a wide range of people or a few faithful
followers who share everything. The higher the
Klout score, the harder it becomes to increase.
Live Oak should determine which influencers will
be positive brand ambassadors for Pro Feet. The
higher the Klout score the more advantageous the
individual should be viewed. Individuals with Klout
scores greater than 60 who are relatable within the
targeted markets, and have interests in common
with the Pro Feet brand whether it’s fashion, sports,
tactical gear, or uniformed professions should be
solicited first to be social media brand advocates.
When Klout scores aren’t available, Followerwonk is
another useful service. Diving into Twitter analytics,
Followerwork offers information on followers with
top social authority, as well as numbers on their
followers. It also helps to find influencers with
keyword searches, as it ranks related users based off
of those words.
Messages should be sent from Live Oak on behalf
of Pro Feet to influencers with design mockups
of customized socks that fit their personality or
the offering of free Pro Feet products in exchange
for positive reviews. These interactions can help
Pro Feet positively grow its influence online. The
following are examples of social media influencers
Live Oak has begun evaluating for potential
coordination with the Pro Feet brand along
with their social authority scores from Klout or
Followerwonk.
Jamie Andries - Competitive Cheerleader
445,358 Instagram followers
Landon Moss - College Football Player
2.3 million Vine Followers
Social Authority: 75
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15. Measurement & Analytics
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a common
industry term used to describe measurement tools
that determine a marketing campaign’s success.
As part of a comprehensive social media strategy
and content plan, KPIs were established to assist
Live Oak with tracking and measuring Pro Feet’s
success in the social media space over time. The
items should continue to be utilized and monitored
throughout the lifecycle of the brand in the digital
space to evaluate growth, revenue streams, and
brand reputation among consumers online.
The established KPIs covered thus far include social
listening and social influencer measurements.
Social listening should be monitored weekly, if
not daily, with details logged and responded to
in a quick and efficient manner. This allows for
engagement with the customer at the time of most
need or when Pro Feet is most top of mind. Social
influencers on varying social media channels
should be contacted each month to continue to
build the Pro Feet brand and gain followers. The
influencer’s interactions and engagements with the
brand should also be tracked. Tracking allows Live
Oak to see which influencers brought in the most
new followers, interactions, or engagements with
Pro Feet hashtags or content and who should be
considered for further interactions in the future, as
well as whether their content led to any online sales.
Unique URL links utilizing bit.ly or similar services
can be given to the influencers when promoting
products to track the flow of followers to profeet.
com from that social publication. Further KPI’s
include social reach, engagement, and conversion.
Social Reach - Social reach is a useful measurement
tool to establish who is seeing, hearing, or
communicating with the brand online. A company
can have great content, but if no one is seeing it
it’s a waste of time and resources. Since Pro Feet’s
social media objectives focus more on growing
overall brand recognition than a one-time paid
marketing campaign that might focus on click-thru
rates or advertisement views, social reach should be
measured based on increases in likes and followers
on Pro Feet’s social media channels.
Live Oak must assist Pro Feet in growing a following
beyond February 2014’s benchmarks of 38 Twitter
followers, 537 Facebook likes, and zero followers
on Instagram to one rich in likes and followers
on all three platforms. These followers provide
important data and insights on the demographics
and interests of Pro Feet customers, as well as how
to create content specific to customer needs that
will translate into positive brand sentiment and
loyalty. Ultimately, social reach goals should be
evaluated every six months based on marketing
efforts. It’s often easiest to set milestone goals for
that timeframe of 500 or 1000 followers and then
revisit who is following the brand and if the right
demographic groups are being targeted.
Stickers on Pro Feet retail products advertising
the company’s social media channels and inviting
the consumer to connect should be considered.
Targeted paid advertising pay also be of value to
reach customers who frequent the retail locations
that offer Pro Feet products. As well, a company
profile page on LinkedIn can establish authority in
the field within the business community.
Pro Feet’s Opening Benchmarks: Facebook & Twitter
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16. Social Engagement - Many newcomers to the social
media front view social reach as the most important
factor within the digital marketing landscape. Often
companies are focused solely on the growth of likes
and followers, and in turn are blinded to the crucial
analytics behind the raw data. Numbers are a nice
start, but engagement is far more important. Live
Oak is tasked with collecting more than just social
reach data, using free tools like SocialMention, and
SimplyMeasured, as well as Google and Facebook
Analytics to look at which posts are the most
engaging and lead to social sharing, as well as which
invite the most impressions, meaning consumers
actually saw the post in their feeds. Google
Analytics will also be valuable in determining which
social media postings with links to the Pro Feet
website resulted in consumer click-thrus.
All of the information geaned from social
engagment can be fed back into the social media
content plan for adaptation. If posts with product
visuals are popular, then the strategy can be
revamped to highlight product placement. If website
visitors are falling off on the ordering page, perhaps
an error exists in the user interface and social posts
can provide customer service to direct customers
on how to navigate the purchasing page with ease.
Based on feedback from online users, Live Oak
might consider updating the Pro Feet Facebook page
to have a locator section, listing everywhere Pro Feet
products are currently sold or contact information
for bulk ordering. Eventually, a Facebook app
might even be discussed for implementation into
the existing page in order for fans to make quick
e-purchases based on content they like.
The idea behind content marketing is to create a
buzz around the company. A concentrated focus on
measuring and enhancing engagement with online
users that keeps Pro Feet products in the mind of
purchasing consumers whether they’re embarking
on a trip into the great outdoors, gearing up for a
national championship game, or looking for a fun
fashion for a community kickball team.
Social Conversion - While the majority of Live
Oak’s approach to social media strategy for Pro
Feet centers on brand recognition, the bottom
line for Pro Feet still remains. Sales leads, in-store
purchases and requests for Pro Feet products, as
well as ecommerce sales are at the heart of the Pro
Feet business model and must be considered and
measured in determining social media success.
Live Oak’s efforts in social conversion starts with
asking Pro Feet to document baseline sales figures
via current marketing and sales practices. Then
every social media inbound lead (viewable on the
acquisition - social section of Google Analytics)
should be traced to see how much business is
referred from social media via goals set before and
after. Goals can be established covering anything
from specific call to action posts to paid advertising
to a trade show Pro Feet is involved in where custom
URLs are provided to consumers.
Pro Feet’s Facebook Analytics Insight
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17. Each social media channel should be tracked and
measured for retention rate (including number
of un-subscribers) and increases in overall sales
volume over specified times. Even one sale via
social media can be considered a victory. Live
Oak should also consider advocating for the use
of social media links at the end of the purchasing
process at profeet.com. An exit page thanking the
customer for the sale and providing links to share
their purchase on social media affords greater
opportunity that others in their social circles will
see the purchase and consider the product as
well. Social sharing and a community atmosphere
of wanting what others have lends itself to the
potential growth of online sales revenues in social.
Content Plan
As highlighted earlier, a content plan composed
of 70% repurposed or cultivated content, 20%
customer engagement and direct response, and 10%
promotion of Pro Feet products was established as
the most effective use of social media. This content
spreads itself over three social media accounts
including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in order
to effectively and efficiently meet the target markets
considered most advantageous to the Pro Feet
brand. Live Oak’s responsibility to Pro Feet includes
creating, gaining approval for, and then posting all
content with regularity on a daily basis.
There is a bit of a lengthy approval process that can
limit timely interaction and posting content relevant
to what’s happening in the world, thus categorical
content examples are suggested. By providing
Pro Feet representatives with the overall types of
content to be posted the company can understand
the overarching strategy, without having to strictly
monitor and approve each and every tweet or post.
It also offers Live Oak the flexibility to produce
content related to popular trends or topics of
conversation each day, rather than having to plan
these posts months in advance based purely on
conjection. The following pages present examples of
content for each channel as well as recent postings
that executed under this plan to further assist Live
Oak in developing a content creation and curation
process that effectively establishes Pro Feet in the
social media space over the long-term.
Several new tools are available to Live Oak and
should prove helpful in cultivating relevant content
and posting on Pro Feet’s behalf. Feed.ly aggregates
content from a variety of different websites related
to the subject requested making it possible to
quickly scan headlines or full stories at a glance all
in one place. The ability to absorb, curate and use
the information is a huge marketplace advantage
because all of the content you need is in one place,
easily scannable and trackable, and available for
social sharing. Meanwhile bufferapp.com offers
a means of scheduling social media channels to
publish posts throughout the day for convenience.
Customer Interest Content (70%)
Current Sports Updates: This includes updates
and articles about games, previews for sports team
seasons and interviews with athletes from other
publications. The focus here will include major
league as well as high school teams that are doing
something extraordinary or showcasing Pro Feet’s
core values. Furthermore content can be broken
down by platform:
• Twitter will be used to follow
conversations about sports, congratulate
teams on wins, and respond timely to
feedback about Pro Feet products.
With only 140 characters to use, content
should be more frequent and short in length.
Feed.ly Mobile Interface
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18. • Facebook will be used less often but for
longer posts to provide insight into effective
coaching, improving sport specific skills and
engaging fans on their opinions with regards
to current events and topical news subjects
related to sports and active lifestyles. It can
also be used to to ask fans what they find
important in their buying decisions.
Both accounts can benefit from topics of interest
to those leading an active lifestyle. The topics
include motivational quotes, stories of impressive
teamwork displayed by professional or local sports
teams, “throwback thursday” vintage athletic
apparel through the years (seen below), “selfies”
of customers or staff enjoying Pro Feet products
while engaged in everyday life, and links to fun
videos of fancy moves, top plays, and great moments
in professional sports, law enforcement, and
firefighting. Content can come from trustworthy
blogs and websites or from customers.
Off-Season Tips/Interactions: Sports seasons only
last a couple of months, but social media is year
round. Content should not only include in-season
highlights and successes, but also advice on how
to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle when not
participating in sports or while in the off-season.
Training tips can include posts on healthy diets,
fitness, injury prevention, and training techniques
and can come from team coaches, dieticians, and
physical therapists. Elon’s Physical Therapy School
and Elon’s Athletics department can be contacted for
these posts, as well as any team with whom Pro Feet
has an existing customer relationship.
Fun: The purpose of including fun content in the
content calendar is to keep the audience involved
and interested in what Pro Feet has to say in a
light-hearted way. By posting entertaining videos,
articles and pictures, Pro Feet stays current with
social media trends and has the possibility to gain
more likes, shares, re-Tweets and “favorited” posts.
Categorically, fun posts are defined as any video,
article, picture or post that is relevant to socks but
has the potential to go viral for its uniqueness.
Nationally recognized holidays should be included
here with interesting and engaging content, as well
as other unofficial holidays (i.e. Lost Sock Memorial
Day), and popular sports events like the World Cup.
• A written post example might ask what
kind of sock fans would create for a
professional sports team or celebrity or
their favorite place to wear Pro Feet socks.
• Video post examples might include
embedded links to “C’Mon Man!” videos on
YouTube, showing humorous plays and
bloopers by NFL and college football teams.
• Visual or graphic post examples could
show memes or cartoonish representations
of the sweat shops of Nike vs. the sweet
sewing grandmas next door at Pro Feet,
highlighting Pro Feet’s made in the USA
status. Infographics may also be used to
show things the typical customer may not
be aware of like how many people run
worldwide or how many socks and shoes a
runner throws away in his or her lifetime.
Remembering
Breast Cancer
Awareness
Month the
Pro Feet Way
Potential Pro Feet Original Content Posting
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19. Customer Profiles & Engagement
Testimonials: Testimonials are a means of
developing trust and brand allegiance between the
company and the consumer. If a potential customer
can see a positive review of the product from
another customer, especially one they recognize
from their social circles, they are more likely to
buy Pro Feet products. Live Oak can develop
testimonals from numerous resources including,
people who tweet at or hashtag Pro Feet on Twitter
or Instagram, personal interviews with Pro Feet
coaches and students at schools where Pro Feet
contracts are ongoing, or by establishing a survey on
profeet.com. A testimonial can be a simple quote,
a picture with a quote, or a video and can focus on
themes such as great quality, performance when you
need it most, made in America, or smart shopping.
Live Oak might consider asking Pro Feet to send
a free customized sock to a team and follow their
quotes over a season on social media from initial
thoughts of the socks to how they held up over time.
• An example of a firefighter’s testimonal
might including text stating, “I wore Pro
Feet socks when I ran into a burning
building. The last thing I had time to think
about was my socks.” Followed by an
interesting photo of them on the job.
Featured Profiles: The purpose of this category is to
establish rapport with consumers by featuring real-
world hardworking athletes, uniformed workers,
and other Pro Feet customers who give back to their
local communities. A variety of sports, professions,
locations, and age groups should be highlighted in
order to connect with different target markets.
Live Oak along with Pro Feet representatives and
Pro Feet dealers should pick individuals who display
real world examples of integrity, trust, teamwork,
fun and performance under pressure, the core
values of Pro Feet. One way that Pro Feet may do
this is by contacting sales representatives who sell
socks to teams around the country. The reps will
have firsthand knowledge on the teams who have
been loyal customers and can let the teams know
the brand wishes to highlight their achievements
by recognizing them in social media. This content
encourages interaction and engagement on social
media as those profiled share the content with
others in their local community, as well as friends
and family. This in turn ensures Pro Feet’s social
media accounts gain greater exposure to a wider
audience. These writeups can be labeled as the “Pro
Feet Profile,” “Sock Talk,” or “Favorite Feet,” and
should be posted monthly.
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Competitor Swiftwick Profiling & Recognizing its Customers

20. Promotional
Photos of New Products: Pro Feet’s new lines or
styles of merchandise deserve a spot in the sun.
Whether it’s their Think Pink line, new tie-dye
products, or custom holiday prints, the greatest
allure of their products lie in their visual appeal.
Live Oak’s implementation of the first Pro Feet
Instagram account lends itself nicely to showcasing
and promoting new products as they arrive, and
encouraging fans to purchase the latest and greatest.
Live Oak needs to stay abreast on any new products
developed and photograph a wealth of visually
interesting pictures to showcase upon their release.
Photos of Customized Products: One unique aspect
of Pro Feet’s business is it’s customization feature.
Customizations are available for specific sport teams
or unique personalities, allowing Pro Feet socks
to create a fashion statement that helps consumers
showcase their unique tastes and personalities. Live
Oak’s creative team should take advantage of this
orginality and produce an assortment of visuals
both in concept and creation that can be used on
Instagram and promoted on Facebook. Customers
can then be encouraged to post their own custom
creations with the designated Pro Feet hashtag.
Giveaways can also be integrated into this as fans
compete to design the most original socks.
Where is Pro Feet: This category will promote Pro
Feet by keeping followers up to date on the trade
shows and events Pro Feet attends as well as the
local retail stores when new Pro Feet socks arrive.
Sales representatives should document their trips
with pictures showcasing their travels across the U.S.
promoting the Pro Feet Brand and the interesting
people they meet along the way. This offers fans an
inside look into the business, as well as the passion
Pro Feet employees have for the products. This
categoy can also include local promotions, where
retail locations that are having sales or events can be
recognized and promoted in the social space.
Brand Ambassador: As discussed in the
influencers section above, brand ambassadors are
potentially resourceful consumers who can help
a brand gain noteriaty and recognition online by
alerting their fans and followers to the product.
Brand ambassadors can be local sales reps or
employees speaking positively about the brand
or a paid influencer. By hiring popular social
media influencers as brand ambassadors, Pro Feet
can leverage not only promotional statements,
but further potential in videos or photos of the
individuals interacting with the product that
generates more excitement over the brand. Pro Feet
would then begin to develop an identity as fun, cool
and relevant to the next generation of consumers.
Pro Feet Social Promotion Run from Showcasing the Product to Showcasing the User Endorsers
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21. FUTURE RESEARCH
The aforementioned competitive and market
analysis, targeted demographic groups, website
recommendations for improved SEO and usability,
and strategic social media content plan are all
positioned to assist Live Oak with making the Pro
Feet brand a househould name in the digital space,
but the work doesn’t stop there.
As Live Oak continues its relationship with Pro Feet
it must be constantly cultivate research on the latest
trends, competitor practices, and opportunities
for growth. In order to maintain an effective
presence online and extend Pro Feet products into
more schools, retail stores, and catalogues, further
research must dive deeper into understanding the
unique Pro Feet customers and the thought process
behind their purchases, needs, and brand loyalties.
Surveys should be crafted to test the effectiveness of
consumer oriented sales messages and advertising
techniques. Participants can provide feedback
on Pro Feet’s social media presence, product
packaging, designs, website, and customer service.
Participants can also provide insight into consumer
purchasing habits and the ordinary lifespan of Pro
Feet products. Surveys and questionaires offer
opportunities to learn more about how customers
are first introduced to Pro Feet products, whether
they would recommend the product to others, what
incentives drove them to purchase, and how this
information might translate into new and better
marketing strategies. These surveys can be linked
in as point of sale as flyers in stores or website links
with discounts to those who complete the survey.
Other potential research leads lie at the sales
representative level as those who are responsible for
selling the product are often the most knowledgeable
on the strengths and weaknesses of the product
as well as the consumer marketplace. Top sales
representatives in varying locations should be
sampled and interviewed about consumer behavior,
how they find and maintain customer relationships,
what clients like most about Pro Feet products over
other products they sell, as well as opportunities for
improvement. Sales representatives can also utilize
the increased social media presence as opportunities
for recognition of their loyal customers in turn.
By opening doors of communication between Live
Oak and the extended Pro Feet team across the
nation it showcases a long term commitment to the
Pro Feet brand, customer, and reputation; one that
will be a recipe for lasting success.
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