A Facebook presence is becoming an increasingly complex part of a marketers strategy to understand an engage with fans and customers alike. Clearly the objective is not to start a page and hope fans will find you. Because as we all know, hope is not a strategy. You need to plan for success. It is important to understand the unique aspects of Facebook’s functionality to deliver the best experience for your fans which should beget more fans. Facebook can help drive brand awareness, loyalty, engagement, and ultimately, benefit to your bottom line.
Having a seat at the table with clients for the last 4 years, below is a 3-step condensed reference guide for using Facebook as a strategic marketing channel:
Step 1 – Develop a Creative Brief: Take the good ole fashioned creative brief, and make it work for you in social media. Here are a few questions you should ask as you develop your strategy:
- Why do you want to be on Facebook? (And the answer isn’t because everyone is doing it!)
- What role will Facebook play for the brand or business? Customer loyalty? Customer service? Product development? Drive awareness of new sales or special offers? A hybrid? Nail this down – it will matter in every aspect going forward.
- What type of business are you? Who are your target customers? Are there new voices you want to engage with to expand or maximize your understanding of their needs?
- How expansive is your current digital strategy? How does social media fit into your marketing mix and budget – and consider the priority of Facebook to determine budgets, timing, manpower, etc
- Who will be handling the administrative aspects and ongoing communication via your Facebook page? Are there multiple internal constituents that will want to sign off on posts? You should also plan for the inevitable real time need to respond to help requests or issues with your product or service. Lastly, check to see if your company has a social media policy. It will likely need to be modified to reflect the real time nature of Facebook and your publishing strategy.
- What is your brand personality and messaging tone? Consider adapting that for a social media environment where character limitations will challenge the traditional messaging architecture.
- What other social media tools should you use; and how will those differ in message, tone and purpose from your Facebook page? i.e. Twitter, LinkedIn, company blog)
- How will you handle spam and response management to make your Facebook page a safe destination? As spam has increased, what words or terms do you want to track and moderate? Facebook provides the basic ability to delete unwanted comments and report or block users who violate Facebook’s Statements of Rights and Responsibilities. Page administrators tend to use these functions while going through whichever moderation process they use, which brings us to the three moderation methods: manual, automatic and one that combines the previous two.
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Step 2 – Create an Engaging, Ongoing Experience
- Speak in your brand or business voice, but respect the Facebook platform for length of post. Also, look to how your fans comment to adjust for tone and approachability. Vary first and third person to relfect the conversational approach that is appropriate for a particular piece of content.
- Plan to vary your posts to include multimedia posts: Vary and keep posts engaging and eye-catching. Consider polls or quizzes to engage your fans in a two-way conversation.
- Utilize the power of the news feed: Vitrue has found the news feed to be 110 times greater reach,
- Optimize and customize Tab content that can be used periodically in conjunction with your news feed. With the news feed moving so rapidly you should include compelling, informative and engaging content or promotions via a coupon that harnesses the ongoing constant presence of a Tab.
- Target your posts: Segment your fans through geo-location and language for relevancy using Open Graph objects.
- Use custom URL to shorten links: Give your links authenticity and protect your analytics from competitors by using a custom or branded shortening tool for long URLs.
Step 3 – Develop a Conversational Calendar:
- Start with a 14 or 30-day advanced planning to layout events, topics and content that might be meaningful to your brand advocates. Planning in advance will maximize the time you have to create meaningful and appropriate content
- Evaluate the number of posts for optimal reception by your fans. We currently recommend staggering messaging for most businesses to 2-3 times a day. This should vary if you are a media outlet publishing real time news content versus a B2B product or service.
- Time of day/day of week matters. Consider the context of your business and when it makes sense to communicate. For example, if you are a restaurant, before lunch and early evening prior to dinner might be optimal times for posting.
- Remember and capitalize on special events, holidays, news or milestones that are specific to your business that might be of interest to your followers, i.e. Labor Day is prime time for sales of consumer home goods
- Lastly, but not least: measure to manage. Track responses to your post by type, day, time as well as plays and shares. This will help you iterate your calendar, post type and posting schedule.
This post is intended to be a high-level summary to get you started and moving in the right direction. Clearly social media is vast and requires ongoing refinement and thinking. Please leave your thoughts or comments below on what has worked well for you in using Facebook as a Strategic Marketing Channel.
Erika Jolly Brookes is Vice President, Marketing at Vitrue. Follow her on twitter @ebrookes or email her at erika@vitrue.com.
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We all know the old philosophy question, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it did it still make a sound?” Regardless of where you come out on the question, if you’re a technology marketer about to bring a new product out the answer is a resounding “NO.” Back in the day a launch was pretty straightforward, varying only by scale: put out a press release, get your media prepped, coordinate your advertising, mailings and coordinate customer updates, tradeshows, collateral. There were natural gathering points for announcements and people waited eagerly to see what was new and exciting.
That was then.
Now, a marketer has to cut through the fog of information, find the audience hiding inside, and figure out how to get the attention of the attention-challenged long enough for it to register in their consciousness. In a few hundred words I can’t guide you through the intricacies of building out a multi-channel launch plan but I can share what I’ve learned to help you off in the right direction: First, know your target and why they will care.
Second, know your space. That is, don’t make people work at understanding where your product fits. This is not the time to create a market—that comes later with the analysts, press, broader marketing activities. Find the world the product lives in and place it at the top of the heap. Tout its value and advantages over others in the space.
Third, find out “where they live.” That still means knowing what your targets read, where they go for information, what events they attend, but it also now means what blogs they read, who they follow on Twitter, who they know and what groups they participate in on LinkedIn among others.
Fourth, message frequently—but more briefly– adjust your message to your different audiences, and invite dialog. Product launches today are not the one way flow of the past; it can’t be a fire hose of information because people won’t stay still long enough to get soaked. Use social media liberally, but don’t use it rashly. There’s a fine but definite line between social media spam and real announcements. There have been enough books and seminars built on the topic that I won’t even attempt to educate on that topic, but I will urge you to either hire an expert, learn from an expert, or leave it to an expert.
Fifth, work out early looks by journalists, bloggers, even analysts. Most can be trusted to keep your confidentiality if there’s a time sensitivity to the launch. Otherwise, letting them leak out a first look can start generating buzz for you ahead of your own efforts. And, if they don’t like what they see that informs you how you need to proceed BEFORE you launch and someone seagulls on you.
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Sixth, email isn’t a dirty word. Used well it’s still a key vehicle for reaching large numbers of targeted potential customers, and new product introductions rank high on the list of things interested parties will open an email to learn about. And stick with it. With spam rules in mind, work your lists and database thoughtfully. And as an aside, don’t be shy about cleaning your list up. It’s false comfort to have a 20k database of names, 15k of whom have never opened a thing you’ve sent them or about which you know very little if anything. Better to have a clean, targeted database of 5k interested parties to which you can add more. Don’t worry about opt-outs either: they’re telling you they’re not interested in what you’re telling them, so save yourself the trouble.
Seventh, wherever possible, use whatever customer information you can. Whether it’s an anonymized case study or a full-fledged testimonial, or even a single quote from a beta customer, that adds dramatic credibility to your efforts. If they’ll talk to the press or analysts, all the better. If they’ll appear on your behalf at an event, better still. Regardless of how much or how little, find someone other than your own people who will say something about what you’ve brought out to market.
Finally, keep it fresh by tying the launch into the larger business or technology issues the product serves. Share information with your targets, involve them, even passively, in your community building. Familiarity breeds interest (another old saw notwithstanding), and the more you wrap around the product through its launch period and beyond, the more noise that tree will make when it falls.
Alan E. Gold is the Chief Marketing Officer at TradeStone Software, Inc. Follow him on twitter @alanegold or email him at agold@tradestonesoftware.com or reach him on skype by his handle: alan.gold
Due to the current economic uncertainty, government contracting is looking more and more secure and lucrative so it’s not surprising that even commercial businesses are vying for more government contracts. Yet a government customer can be more difficult to acquire because of the bureaucracy and formal bidding process. For companies selling products and services to the federal government, traditional marketing strategies may not work. The challenges for marketers are made even more difficult when dealing with government decision- makers who are difficult to engage via conventional means. When doing business with commercial clients, one does not have to navigate through all the federal requirements necessary when bidding a contract. However, the best kept secret is that when doing business with the federal government, it is still about relationship building, just as much as it is about meeting the requirements in the RFP.
The concept that the government customer is the ultimate target for customer relationship management (CRM) is gaining traction among government marketers. For government contractors, we must shift the spotlight to our customers rather than focusing on our products and services. The reason is that the government customer expects to be in control and is in control more than ever before. The development of a CRM strategy for a government-serving company could lead to increased sales leads and relationship-building within the federal government while increasing market share. The challenge for many companies is without a clear understanding of how to execute a CRM strategy for government customers, it would be unwise to implement a CRM strategy, since substantial resources are needed.
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Companies should first develop and publish a CRM strategy, and develop a long-term implementation plan to achieve the CRM best practices for the government IT sector. The CRM strategy should include a description of the corporate strategy, corporate business goals, organizational structure of the CRM effort and a communications plan. Shortly after finalizing the CRM strategy section, the internal communications plan for the company can be developed and published. It is vital that the internal staff be aware of the benefits of CRM for it to work. To do so, the best way is to conduct a pilot program before officially launching the full-scale program.
A CRM Pilot Program is a long-term goal and only viable once the processes are in place. Prior to the pilot program, the marketing team must prove to the executive staff that the organizational departments are able to function properly with a small margin for error. This will be determined based on interviews with managers of the departments involved and also by doing test runs and shadow plans for a span of 3 months. The customer for the pilot program will be chosen from a list of customers provided by senior sales staff. Once agreed upon, marketing will create marketing materials including a brochure, microsite and e-commerce center specifically for the customer. The pilot program will span six months to gather enough data to make unforeseen tactical changes, evaluate processes, and assess additional supporting areas which may be needed. Once the pilot is closed to the customer, the marketing team and strategy executives will create an extensive report and incorporate lessons learned into the original CRM strategy. Then, the final report will be presented to all staff.
In conclusion, take a cautious stance when developing CRM plan and consider implementation to avoid costly pitfalls. If a company decides to implement a CMR strategy for government customers, the marketing team must be able to measure the results to tie it to profits, provide value for the customer and engage the customers. The government customer is unique and providing products and services to the government can be problematic. Fortunately for established companies, they have the expertise and history of serving the government. However, there is sometimes a lack the operational means to capture the customer needs. Without doing their due diligence, companies will not be able to implement a successful CRM program.
Victoria Schmidt is the Marketing Manager at Avaya Government Solutions. Follow her @Phishskins or email her at victoria.schmidt@ymail.com
As a marketer, chances are you’ve found one, if not several ways to segment your target audiences – age, gender, education, household income, home ownership or other key demographic characteristics. Demographics can tell you the “who” about your target audience, but they fall short in giving you the insights to “what, how, and why” audiences react the way they do. Enter the field of psychographics that offers more valuable insights about interests, opinions and activities of defined segments of people. Let’s get you started with one of the easiest ways to gain these insights: generational profiling. Right now, the majority of your target audiences will fall into the four active generations: Civics, Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials.
Civics (now ages 65-85) Born prior to 1945, Civics also are referred to as the Greatest Generation and “Masters of the American Dream.” These men and women were raised in an era of American progress, economic growth, highlighted by traditional families, safe schooling and a new world order. This generation came of age during the post-depression, World War II era – when they were called on to serve a cause greater than themselves, this generation responded in whatever way they could (think: war effort work, war bonds, victory gardens, etc.). They entered a job market eager for their contribution and found company structures that supported the traditional 30- or 40-year career. They are the last generation to have a healthy savings account and the post-retirement support of a traditional pension system.
Baby Boomers (now ages 46-64) Born between 1946 and 1964, the Boomers were the largest generation in American history numbering more than 75 million. Raised in an era of extreme optimism, opportunity and progress, most Boomers grew up in two-parent households, with safe schools, and job security. As a group, this generation is characterized by a deep reaction to all forms of tradition – religious, familial, cultural, musical, societal. We can credit Boomers with the rise of rock-n-roll, the mass entry of women into the workforce and the societal upheaval necessary to achieve desegregation. However, while achieving much, Boomers are a self-absorbed generation that demands personal recognition and fulfillment. As evidence, we can look at Boomers sky-high divorce rates, their quest to “never be old” (or perceived as being/acting old), and their hunger for personal wealth and materialistic gain. The popular phrase, “He who has the most toys when he dies, wins!” is distinctly a Boomer mentality. Their focus on personal fulfillment has left deep impressions with their children (Gen Xers and Millennials) and on the shape of our current culture.
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Gen Xers (now ages 31-45) Born between 1965 and 1979, this is the smallest generation in modern American history, numbering slightly less than 50 million. Considered to be the most ignored and most misunderstood generation, Xers are the first in American history that will not do better than the previous generation. They grew up in two-career families with rapidly rising divorce rates, downsizing, the dawning of the high-tech and information age and the introduction of the entertainment culture. As the first generation to be marketed to as youth, they seek truth as a countermeasure to the “hype” of empty promises. For Xers, there never was a notion of “job security” and most credit the initial and subsequent dot-com booms from the entrepreneurial drive of this generation. Driven by a quest for balance and security, Gen X seeks to counter the instability of their youth with a drive to achieve balance both at work and at home.
Millennials (now ages 10-30) Born between 1980 and 2000, Millennials (also called Gen Y) are the largest generation in American history at more than 100 million. They are the most diverse (1 in 3 is not white), most educated, most marketed to, most medicated, and most cared for generation in history. Nearly half of Millennials were raised by divorced parents, 33% lived with a single parent, and nearly 75% had working mothers. Millennials have come of age during a time of rapid technological and social shifts. The advent of SMS (texting) created whole new paradigms of communication and interaction. More than 95% of Millennials have an account on at least one social networking site. Characterized as impatient and with a high need for immediate response, Millennials reflect the shift to real-time information and sharing. This generation began in an era of rapid American economic growth and prosperity and the presence of America as the lone global superpower, but they lacked security of safe school environments or stable home environments. Interestingly, despite the shifts around them, Millennials exhibit confidence, connectedness and values similar to Civics, with a deep sense of being called to a cause greater than themselves. Today, only half of Millennials have entered the workforce but they are being highly studied and are certain to have a dramatic impact in how we define “work, play and pray.”
What’s this mean to you as a marketer?
Move beyond the known demographics and push to better understand your audiences (and your co-workers) based on their generational affiliation. Revisit your marketing channels, your messages, and your calls-to-action and view them through the generational lens. Add depth to your demographics with generational profiling and you’ll gain a better understanding of your audiences’ values and motivations – and you can apply that kind of knowledge to your brand and its bottom line.
Note: data on generations can be found through the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Labor, Pew Research, Nielsen Research, Forrester Research, Cone Research, and others.
Jenny Schmitt is the Senior Spark at CloudSpark, an award-winning communications strategy company based in Atlanta. A frequent speaker and media contributor, Jenny has been quoted in BrandWeek, Nielsen’s Small Business, and USA Today among others; she regularly contributes to blogs relating to comnmunications and social media. She can be reached at jschmitt(at)cloudspark(dot)com or on Twitter @cloudspark.
Today’s event marketing landscape has shifted and now interactive product launches for video games, technology platforms, and hand-held devices demand consumer touch and feel. They require the creation of a brand aura around the launch and unfettered hands-on trial. You supply the experience, and your users supply the PR. User-generated PR is far more powerful than anything your agency can create.
If you’re on the fence, think about this: Infinity Ward and their partners have mastered this multi-layered approach and landed over $300 million in sales during Modern Warfare 2’s first 24 hours on the market.
Today’s consumers expect to battle test your product, and read the reviews of others during the product launch. Confidence in your product is generated as consumers step behind the marketing veil to experience your product and tell others of their experience through the social media pipeline: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the blogosphere. You must influence this process.
We’ve learned that experience sells. Product experience, brand experience and execution experience are now required to sell. Product launches certainly must be accompanied by the air war of brand positioning and mass market ads. However, the actual creation of scalable (meaning repeatable across the social network) brand experiences now acts as the ground troops of product launches within the technical product domain. And I don’t think this approach just applies to technology products, they simply represent the tip of the spear. Technology focused products and their respective consumers rely on word of mouth and user-generated reviews rather than a high profile spokesperson or shotgun ad hitting a sedate market. Technology products merit – in fact require – transferable proof your product meets expected levels of experience, quality and satisfaction. And if you don’t provide such proof, expect to be ridiculed in the user-generated press.
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Technology product launches differ from traditional first-time product trials as consumers tend to be more sensitive and invested in their technology. Unlike traditional sampling trial events (such as food or drink products) where the goal is to have consumers try a less-known product for the first time and convert them into buyers, the experience with technology is usually for an (often highly) anticipated product which consumers have built an expectation for. If expectations are not met both from a performance and an emotional standpoint it can result in lost sales. When I showcase a technology product for the first time, the environment and user experience is vital to make sure it meets or exceeds consumer expectations. Below are my five keys to achieve this:
1. Venue and event selection – the venue is an important part of the experience and event attendees must closely align with your target market.
2. Setting and atmosphere – does the environment fit the audience and product branding? Music, lighting, furniture, layout, food and beverage, staff, uniforms etc. all play a part in creating the right ambiance.
3. Demonstration and user interaction – the product must be used in the right context so consumers can better relate to the experience. Try and demonstrate the product in a way that not only boasts its attributes and benefits but also in a way which makes sense to your core consumer.
4. Supporting elements – green screen, premiums and giveaways, and special guests or performances can greatly enhance the user experience from an emotional standpoint.
5. Extending the experience – promotion through social media both before and after the launch with tools such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and more traditional PR to share user experience for those who could not attend the event, but want to share the excitement of a product launch.
Craig Goldstein is the Chief Operations Officer and Founder of UCG Marketing, which is an award-winning full service experiential marketing and promotions agency based in Boston. Email him at cgoldstein@ucgmarketing.com
