This document outlines the agenda and materials for a university course on social media best practices. The November 6th meeting will focus on final projects, objections to social media, measuring success, working with influencers, and dealing with negativity. A guest speaker from Princess Cruises will also present. The final project instructions provide guidance on conducting a social media situation analysis, defining goals and target audiences, performing a competitive analysis, and proposing strategies, tactics, and metrics. Templates are provided for goals, strategies, and tactics. The document also covers best practices for working with bloggers and influencers, addressing complaints, and legal issues.

1. Instructor:
Erik Deutsch (@erikdeutsch)
#SocMedUCLA
Best Practices in Social Media
for the Communications
Professional
Meeting 4 (November 6):
• Final Project – Additional Info
• Objections to Social Media
• ROI, KPIs and Measuring Success
• Working with Bloggers, Influencers
and Empowered Consumers
• Dealing with Negativity
• FTC Disclosure, Copyright and Other
Legal Issues
Guest speaker:
Sara Dunaj (@SaraDunaj)
Social Media Manager,
Princess Cruises
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

2. 1. Situation Analysis (a few paragraphs – no boilerplate)
2. Goals (bullet points – well defined)
3. Target Audiences (bullet points – demo/psycho)
4. Competitive Analysis (a few paragraphs)
5. Strategies (bullets)
6. Tactics (bullets)
7. Measurement (starting point + benchmarks + KPIs +
tools e.g., Google Analytics, FB Insights, etc.)
The Final Project
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

3. Situation Analysis
- Briefly describe the company/organization/individual
- Analyze the social media “situation”
- Platforms used
- Performance overview of reach (followers/likes) & enagement
(comments, RTs, etc.)
- Type of content posted
- Activity/frequency
- Also, look at SEO/reputation mgmt. – what does a Google search
reveal?
- Resources allocated/available (e.g., size of team, budget, etc.)
- What’s the “culture” with respect to social media (pro/con/neutral)
- Provide the same type of info for your “Competitive Analysis”
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

4. Goals, Strategies and Tactics
- Goals are clear and relate directly to the social media effort
- Strategies are your general plan of action to achieve your
goals
- Tactics are specific action items and tools for carrying out
your strategies
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

5. Example:
- Goal = Support the sales team by increasing brand awareness
- Strategy = Develop and implement a content marketing
campaign that generates positive word-of-mouth
- Tactics =
- Create and maintain a blog
- Implement SEO on owned media sites
- Create and maintain a social media editorial calendar
- Write guest posts for submission to other relevant blogs
- Launch/build out YouTube channel with informative how-to
videos
- Etc.
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

6. Example:
- Goal = Generate interest in new products and grow sales
- Strategy = Enlist influencers to review products and build third-
party credibility
- Tactics =
- Research and develop list of key influencers (via
competitor/influencer Twitter lists and platform analytics
(e.g., FB Insights, Twitter analytics, etc.)
- Attend (perhaps sponsor when appropriate) online and offline
events to meet/engage influencers
- Provide product samples for product reviews and
endorsements
- Research paid opportunities to work with influencers (budget
permitting)
- Etc.
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

7. Example:
- Goal = Improve online reputation
- Strategy = Dilute negative search results with SEO content for
owned and shared media channels
- Tactics =
- Peform keyword analysis and establish top keywords
- Request publisher(s) of negative search results remove
offending content
- Research and pursue (if appropriate) copyright
enforcement, including DMCA takedown requests
- Set-up and optimize owned media channels (website, blog,
etc.) for positive search results (keyword density, headings,
meta/alt tags, etc.)
- Set-up and optimize social media profiles (Twitter, LinkedIn,
YouTube, Slideshare, etc.) for positive search results
- Cultivate inbound links from sites with high authority
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

8. FEAR!!!
What are companies afraid of:
1. Social media hurts employee productivity
2. Our customers don't use social media
3. People might say mean things about us
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

9. • Generate awareness
• Increase engagement
• Increase influence
• Motivate action
(purchases, leads, etc.)
Tie to Core Objectives!!!!!!!!!!!!
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

10. • Awareness: Website visitors, page views, fans/followers
(tangible metrics)
• Engagement: Comments, retweets, time spent on site
• Influence: Third-party mentions, inbound links
• Action: Conversions, sign-ups, downloads, sales
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

11. • Reach/Impressions – # of individuals who saw your content
• Clickthrus – # of times a link you posted was used
• Unique Visitors –# of different individuals visiting your website
• Page Views – # of times a particular page on your website was viewed
• Time on Page/Site – length of time spent on your page or website
• Bounce Rate – % of visitors who leave your site after viewing just one page
• Comments – # of responses submitted regarding your content
• Downloads – # of times your content was downloaded
• Conversions – # of times a visitors responded to your call to action.
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

12. UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

13. 1) Don't "carpet bomb" or
“spray and pray”
2) Be social
3) Provide "social" content
4) Provide “template” social media posts
5) Make it "profitable" for the blogger
PR = Page Rank
6) Employ FTC Disclosure Guidelines
7) Be prepared to pay up! Blogger/Influencer
networks e.g., BlogHer, Clever Girls
Collective, etc.
Understand "Paid" vs. "Earned" Media...
... as well as “Shared” and “Owned” (PESO)
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

14. • Consumers trust expert opinions
more than conventional advertising
• Compensation requires compliance
with FTC disclosure guidelines
• Opportunities range from free
product samples to paid
content/social media posts and
“brand ambassadorships”
• Celebrity influencers vs. “micro-
influencers” (more targeted and
authentic, with higher audience
engagement… plus more affordable)
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15. UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

16. Social media is a complaint machine people gleefully share with friends.
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17. If, When and How to Respond to Negativity…
and Ways to Avoid it In the First Place
• Do the right thing
• Offer a “pressure valve” for negative feedback
• Institute a “comments policy”
• Be accessible – turn problems into solutions
• Have your defenders in place before you need them
• Assess each detractor’s influence and legitimacy before
deciding if/how to respond
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017

18. Instructor:
@ErikDeutsch
#SocMedUCLA
Best Practices in Social Media
for the Communications
Professional
Meeting 4 (November 6):
Guest speaker:
Sara Dunaj (@SaraDunaj)
Social Media Manager
Princess Cruises
UCLA X469.21 Fall 2017