Freelance speaker, journalist, broadcaster and book author/editor specialising in social media, Guy Clapperton covers Social Media and Modern PR at Social Media World Forum Europe in London, March 2011. http://www.socialmedia-forum.com/europe/

1. Rules of engagement

2.  Virgin Media said 32% of UK companies on
social media this month
 Mashable says 78% of business users have
Twitter, 75% Facebook but 30% LinkedIn
 Facebook is the biggest driver to websites

3.  This ‘third of small business was being
reported last year by Daryl Wilcox Publishing.
 January 2010, Reuters and others were
reporting that SMEs were the next big thing in
social media after University of Maryland
reported a 100% increase from 12% to 24% in
SMEs.
 …so what’s gone wrong?

5. • Marketing basics – it counts on your
website/Facebook page/Tweets/whatever too!
• Why are you telling everyone this stuff – contrary
to what Robert Scoble says, the fact that I know
you doesn’t mean I want to know what you had
for breakfast!
• Reproducing clippings – is that always allowed?

6. • A blog is for life, not just for Christmas
• What will it say? How often?
• Moderation:
* Spamming
* Negativity
* Advertising other services

7. • Ofcom: 50 per cent of social media users over 35
• Young people actually seem to be abandoning it

8. • Do you?
• Should you?
• Outcomes?
• Horror stories: The airline…

9. • The satnav people
• The commenters
• The phonies

10. • Decision makers?
• Communications people?
• Juniors?

11. • Corporate comms
• Spell checker!
• Part of your messaging strategy

12. • Clauses about bringing employers into disrepute
apply online!
• What does your company/client’s social media
policy say?
• Colleagues must understand staff policy can
apply to personal as well as corporate
blog/Twitter/Facebook

13. • Announcements (often overdone)
• Status reports
• Customer management

14. • Seek new ‘followers’ for the sake of it
• Treat the social media interchangeably –
Facebookers will expect fewer updates than
Twitter users
• Overt promotion – see the Moonfruit example

15. www.clapperton.co.uk