Jim Sulecki discusses how social media and content marketing can help brands engage customers. He recommends focusing on 1-2 major platforms, creating valuable content through blogging, maintaining an editorial calendar to regularly post new content, designating staff to manage social media efforts, integrating social media into other marketing, and starting to engage on social media to begin seeing benefits. The key is having an ongoing conversation with customers through helpful, informative content.

1. Social Media
and Branding
Jim Sulecki
Director of eMedia, Meister Media Worldwide
Director of Meister Interactive
February 1, 2012

2. @Jim Sulecki
• Twitter @JimSulecki, @MeisterMedia
• LinkedIn in/JimSulecki
• Google+
• Facebook
• Blog eMedia Encyclopedia

3. Meister eMedia
• 8 major brand sites;
event sites, custom sites
o 160,000 unique visitors / month
o 190 countries
• 16 regular enewsletters
• 1,000 videos housed
across websites

4. Meister Interactive
• Custom digital
marketing services
• Diverse agricultural /
horticultural clients
• Bayer CropScience
• Biopesticide Industry Alliance
• Brandt Consolidated
• Deltapine / Monsanto
• Dow AgroSciences
• DuPont Crop Protection
• Fertilizer Institute

5. The Social
Media Kingpins

6. The Sheer Number
Of Platforms Can Be Dizzying

7. Twitter
All the wisdom and engagement you can impart
in 140 characters
(or less). The goal:
re-tweets, followers,
hashtags.

8. Facebook
Status updates in constant pursuit of more
‘Likes,’ clicks,
and shares.

9. YouTube
Videos and video channels. And comments. YouTube has
36 million monthly viewers age 50+.

10. LinkedIn
Like a Facebook for business.

11. Google+
Like Facebook (‘share’), but with +1 ‘stamp of
approval,’ ‘hangouts’ and easier control of your
‘circles.’

12. Added Benefits
Ease of login, SEO

13. Is Social Media
Make or Break?

14. You’re
Not
Alone…

15. It Can
Be
Risky…

16. And It’s True: Demo Skews
Younger
• Average age of
Facebook user: 38
• Average age of
people who tweets: 39
(Generally)

17. The Power Dynamic
In Ag Is Changing
(Has Changed)

18. Rise of the Big Farmer
and Big Retailer
• Fewer of them, more acres controlled.
• De-funding of University/Extension.
• Suppliers as primary source of
information.
• Online as increasing vehicle for
information.

19. A Two-Way Conversation
Customer more in control than ever.
Before
Marketer
Custome
r
Now
Marketer Custome
r

20. ‘Give Me Information
To Help Me Decide Whether
To Buy Your Product’

21. ‘Inbound’
Marketing Begins
to Supplant
‘Outbound’

22. What Is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing
Social Media
Content Marketing

23. What Is Inbound Marketing?
Traditional
Marketing
(BEFORE)
Inbound
Marketing
(NOW)
Communication One-way Interactive,
two-way
Customers Are sought out:
print, banner
advertising,
cold calls
Come to you:
search
engines,
referral, social
media
Marketer Rarely seeks
to entertain or
educate
Seeks to
entertain
and/or educate

24. What Is Inbound Marketing?
“…Focuses on earning [not buying] a
person’s attention, which is done
through social media and engaging
content [that] is interesting,
informative and adds value…

25. What Is Inbound Marketing?
“…Creating a positive connection in
the eyes of the consumer, thus
making him more likely to engage
your brand and buy the product.”
- Mashable

26. “…Creating and
distributing relevant
and valuable content
[…] with the objective
of driving profitable
customer action.”
- Content Marketing Institute
“Content Marketing”

27. “Content Marketing”

28. Content Supports Social Media
Social Media
Content

29. Production
Refinements
User Stories
Marketing Programs
“Content Marketing”: Topical Areas
PRODUCT
Agronomy
Application
Affinity Programs

30. Social Media and Branding

31. Dialogue with
the Customer

32. Social Media in Business
It’s about a mindset of
continuing
conversation as much
as a platform …
Listen to the
customer’s voice…

33. “Have Something To Say”

34. “Be Valuable And Credible
(And I’ll Follow You)”

35. “Have a Conversation
With Me”
Criticisms may come your way. And
immediate requests. Manage both.
Quickly.

36. “Have a Conversation
With Me”
McDonald's social media director Rick Wion:
“We quickly pulled #mcdstories and it was promoted
for less than two hours[…] The ability to change
midstream helped this small blip from becoming
something larger.”

37. “Have a Conversation
With Me”

38. “Be A Brand That Has
Value For Me”
• Ubiquitous
• Helpful
• Responsive
• Informative

39. A Half-Dozen
Suggestions

40. #1 Focus on 1-2 platforms
• High use by target audience.
• Plays best to available resources.
• Consistent with desired measure of
control.

41. #2 Have your best writer(s)
write a simple blog
• Ground-test / trial-run content feed
• Direct- or ghostwritten.
• 250-500 words/entry.
• Doesn’t have to be perfect! Technical
info is most important.

42. #3 ‘Feed the beast’
• ‘Editorial calendar’: what topics, when
most appropriate, who provides.
• Determine best frequency for posting:
several times a day, daily, weekly.

43. #4 Have someone ready
to own it
• Editorial skills, ‘nose’ for the story.
• Skill at both ‘long-form’ and ‘real-time’
content generation.
• A passion for new technology tools.
• Clear articulation of the business goal
behind the creation of the content.

44. #5 Integrate into other
marketing efforts
• E.g., direct ‘freemium’ offers to
Facebook.
• Many reciprocal links between.
• Mention in print, at events.
• Establish and track clear targets.

45. #6 Do something
• Even if a blog, with one social media
platform to post to.
• Begin to push feel for content
marketing, social media into the
organization.
• Every step now is one less step later.

46. Voice of a CCO
“We are still in the infancy of the
digital age. Those who will thrive are
the ones who are always looking to
see where things are heading and
who adapt to the changes most
quickly.”

47. Thank You
Jim Sulecki
Director, eMedia | Meister Interactive
eMail: jsulecki@meistermedia.com
Phone: 440.602.9117
Twitter: @jimsulecki
Blog: eMedia Encyclopedia