If you didn't work for your company, would you follow it? This is the key question Playboy asks when developing its social media strategy. They focus on providing dynamic, exclusive content to engage fans and generate traffic, looking for monetization opportunities through partnerships, ads, and premium offerings. The goal is to make social channels a must-visit destination rather than a chance interaction.

1. Zen and the Art of Social Media
Notes from AMA conference on 10.6.11 by Erin Bell

2. Event Details
Event description – from American Marketing Association
• For decades, marketers have been successfully crafting messages to promote their products
and services to consumers via one-way channels. It was push marketing at its finest and it
was an entirely different world. But, if the past few years have taught us anything, the
emergence of social media has completely turned that world upside down.
• With multiple online platforms, all controlled by consumers, social media now has us
scrambling to catch up and we’re driving ourselves crazy trying to make sense of a
communication channel that goes against everything we once knew. One of the reasons
we’re now banging our heads against the wall is because we’re trying to apply traditional
marketing rules to an untraditional platform. The traditional marketing rules no longer apply
because social media is not a marketer’s platform; it belongs to consumers.
• But social media doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. Attend the Chicago AMA’s Zen and
the Art of Social Media on October 6th and hear from industry experts from leading B2C and
B2B brands as they share how they were able to relinquish control over their messaging and
let their inner Zen master take over to achieve social media success. P.S. Deep breathing
doesn’t hurt either!
• http://www.chicagoama.org/events/american-marketing-association
• Notes by Erin Bell, Senior Manager, Digital, GolinHarris, @eebell

3. Zen and the Art of Social Media
American Marketing Association Event, 10/6/11
“Social media doesn’t have to be so overwhelming…”
Shawn Jones, VP Edelman Digital
@ShawnJones
10 Social Media Insights:
1. Establish Measurable Goals
– Are you trying to create Awareness? Sales? Advocacy?
2. Community is King
– Take Community Management seriously
3. Make Everything Shareable
– If users find your content interesting, make it easy for them to share and broaden reach
4. Know your Target Audience
– Are there various groups in your target? How can you relate to them together/separately?
5. Foster relationships
6. Engage Offline
– Match what you are doing online in the offline world (events, in-store)
7. Optimize your Content
– Research key words, blogs and tweets related to your topic. Use words that your consumers are using.
8. Have a Social Embassy Strategy
– Think of how you will include all channels; not just Facebook
9. Leverage Partnerships
– How can you work with partner brands, vendors, service providers to increase the user experience?
10. Prepare for the Worst
– Have an escalation plan and review with appropriate stakeholders

4. Zen and the Art of Social Media
American Marketing Association Event, 10/6/11
Social media is a conversation.
Joe Strupek, AVP Public Affairs, State Farm
@strupey
Corporate perspective and Social Media
Management
• Social media is the bright shiny object to
executives…
• Social media is a conversation.
• CB radio is the old twitter – people had handles
and would shout out to others.
• Be careful of what you think may not be a big
deal – thanks to the internet, things can spread
quickly and become a big deal.
Examples:
Streetsblog made an issue about a State Farm
commercial that featured a guy in bike shorts. They
were offended by the bike shorts.
Media talked about a boycott because a State
Farm commercial ran during the Glen Beck show.

5. Zen and the Art of Social Media
American Marketing Association Event, 10/6/11
“Social media provides positive and negative feedback.”
Joe Strupek, AVP Public Affairs, State Farm
Corporate perspective and Social Media Management
• Average person has 300 Facebook friends.
• Average tweeter has 150 followers.
– People trust their own networks so make sure you view both the
positive and negative because they are sharing with a lot of other people.
• Need to know who is influential and if you need to worry about what they are saying. Or if they are just crazy.
• Realize that everyone is a public figure now. Someone can tweet what you say or take a picture of you and post
for many others to view.
3 Things when you engage in social media:
• Listen
• Educate
• Help
• Talk to who manages customer service.

6. Zen and the Art of Social Media
American Marketing Association Event, 10/6/11
“If you didn’t work for your company, would you follow it?”
Matt Gibbs, Director of Social Media, Playboy
@gibbs12
4 Pillars to Playboy’s Social media efforts:
1. Celebrity
2. Engagement
3. Revenue
4. Traffic
Strategy should be to provide dynamic content that makes your social channels a destination, not a chance interaction.
Treat Facebook fans like VIP
• Early views
• Exclusive and customized content
• Polls to ask for interests and collect content ideas
Generate ideas around hashtags on Twitter that consumers will help grow
• #bunnies4thecure (partnership with Susan B. Komen foundation)
• #friskyfriday
• #HeyPlayboy
Monetize by looking at opportunities
• Discounted premium membership club
• Ads
• Custom Facebook tab content with a partner (NBC, Horrible Bosses, Entourage)
• Partnership with e-card creator to send personalized bunny messages
• Created Smokingjacket.com for a “Safe For Work” option