Part two in a series of two. Read Part 1 here.
Social media can, and should, change the way you interact with your customers. But few companies can quickly transform their marketing the way a social media might require.
In the interim, integrating social media with existing marketing programs gives your business two valuable propositions: 1) additional support for your traditional marketing programs; 2) opportunities to measure social media effectiveness alongside your other familiar marketing efforts.
In the last installment, we considered how social media fits into your search and web presence marketing. Now we look at integrating social media into e-mail marketing, events and loyalty programs.
Social Media and E-mail
E-mail is the most popular way people share information online. A recent study shows 46 percent of content was shared via e-mail, 33 percent on Facebook and just 6 percent on Twitter.
The sharing picture gets more interesting, though, when looking at “click-throughs” – the number of times people people click on the shared info: 40 percent of clicks come from Twitter, 35 percent from e-mail and 25 percent from Facebook. Visitors coming via e-mail stay longer, visiting 2.95 pages on average. Twitter visitors flit away quickly, only visiting 1.7 pages.
Making that click is so similar between e-mail and social media, that it’s smart to integrate the two:
Social Media and Events
Social media is ideal to promote events, encourage buzz during it, and a way for people to engage afterwards. Services like Twitter are especially useful for “virtualizing” events because of their “happening now” nature.
As you begin to promote your event, announce a “hashtag.” Hashtags evolved on Twitter as a simple way to organize a pubic discussion around a particular topic. To create a hashtag pick a keyword and put the “pound sign” in front of it, like the one for the South by Southwest conference and festival: #sxsw.
Anywhere you post about the event use your hashtag. Tell attendees about your “official” hashtags so they can use and follow it; then watch the conversation emerge and grow. Monitor it by searching on your hashtag – and embed the conversation in your event site using a widget.
Use the same technique to hold “group chats” on Twitter. Pick a time, a hashtag and invite people to participate. Announce the chat through e-mails, social spaces and on your Web site. Bring in a subject matter expert or invite a Q&A session for your customers. Do it regularly and build a following, or make it an “extended session” for your physical event.
The folks at wine retailer Bin Ends combined wine tasting and Twitter to encourage sales. On their Web site they identified the wines they would taste, provided free shipping, promoted the wine expert who would be commenting and invited customers to gather with friends, wine, a laptop and Twitter. The virtual events have proved so successful they now have a dedicated community, Taste Live and they hold virtual tastings on both Facebook and Twitter.
Social Media and Loyalty Programs
Most loyalty programs are in serious need of modernizing. Keeping them high-touch and high-value is key to success.
TastiDlite offers extra rewards for connecting your reward card to your Twitter, Facebook or foursquare account (see below), automatically sharing each “Tatsi experience.”
Foursquare is a location sharing service that’s part game, part city guide and part social networking. People use their mobile phones to “check in” with friends, telling them when they’re at local spots. Each check-in earns users points, and frequent check-ins earn freebies. Merchants actively use foresquare as a way to reward and recognize customers.
Sites like foursquare and mobile technologies are allowing merchants to combine the physical with the virtual, rewarding and supporting customers’ digital lifestyles.
Social media works best as part of a cross-media strategy. A little social media sprinkled in with your traditional marketing can go a long way to getting your business on the digital track.
Social media can, and should, change the way you interact with your customers. But few companies can quickly transform their marketing the way a social media might require.
In the interim, integrating social media with existing marketing programs gives your business two valuable propositions: 1) additional support for your traditional marketing programs; 2) opportunities to measure social media effectiveness alongside your other familiar marketing efforts.
In the last installment, we considered how social media fits into your search and web presence marketing. Now we look at integrating social media into e-mail marketing, events and loyalty programs.
Social Media and E-mail
E-mail is the most popular way people share information online. A recent study shows 46 percent of content was shared via e-mail, 33 percent on Facebook and just 6 percent on Twitter.
The sharing picture gets more interesting, though, when looking at “click-throughs” – the number of times people people click on the shared info: 40 percent of clicks come from Twitter, 35 percent from e-mail and 25 percent from Facebook. Visitors coming via e-mail stay longer, visiting 2.95 pages on average. Twitter visitors flit away quickly, only visiting 1.7 pages.
Making that click is so similar between e-mail and social media, that it’s smart to integrate the two:
- Add a “share” button to your company e-mail messages so people can share instantly in their preferred places.
- Use social media “chicklets” (linked icons) inside your e-mail and on your e-mail-to-web landinpages to encourage social followers.
- Publish your e-mail newsletters on a blog and put those social chicklets there as well.
- Build your e-mail list by adding an e-mail list sign-up widget to your blog, Facebook page, and social profiles.
Social media is ideal to promote events, encourage buzz during it, and a way for people to engage afterwards. Services like Twitter are especially useful for “virtualizing” events because of their “happening now” nature.
As you begin to promote your event, announce a “hashtag.” Hashtags evolved on Twitter as a simple way to organize a pubic discussion around a particular topic. To create a hashtag pick a keyword and put the “pound sign” in front of it, like the one for the South by Southwest conference and festival: #sxsw.
Anywhere you post about the event use your hashtag. Tell attendees about your “official” hashtags so they can use and follow it; then watch the conversation emerge and grow. Monitor it by searching on your hashtag – and embed the conversation in your event site using a widget.
Use the same technique to hold “group chats” on Twitter. Pick a time, a hashtag and invite people to participate. Announce the chat through e-mails, social spaces and on your Web site. Bring in a subject matter expert or invite a Q&A session for your customers. Do it regularly and build a following, or make it an “extended session” for your physical event.
The folks at wine retailer Bin Ends combined wine tasting and Twitter to encourage sales. On their Web site they identified the wines they would taste, provided free shipping, promoted the wine expert who would be commenting and invited customers to gather with friends, wine, a laptop and Twitter. The virtual events have proved so successful they now have a dedicated community, Taste Live and they hold virtual tastings on both Facebook and Twitter.
Social Media and Loyalty Programs
Most loyalty programs are in serious need of modernizing. Keeping them high-touch and high-value is key to success.
TastiDlite offers extra rewards for connecting your reward card to your Twitter, Facebook or foursquare account (see below), automatically sharing each “Tatsi experience.”
Foursquare is a location sharing service that’s part game, part city guide and part social networking. People use their mobile phones to “check in” with friends, telling them when they’re at local spots. Each check-in earns users points, and frequent check-ins earn freebies. Merchants actively use foresquare as a way to reward and recognize customers.
Sites like foursquare and mobile technologies are allowing merchants to combine the physical with the virtual, rewarding and supporting customers’ digital lifestyles.
Social media works best as part of a cross-media strategy. A little social media sprinkled in with your traditional marketing can go a long way to getting your business on the digital track.
This post also appeared in Orange County Local News Network.
Linda, I attended a seminar you gave for the Anaheim/OC Visitor's and Convention Bureau. I love it! You said one thing I need clarified: ROI is media agnostic.
What does that mean?
Posted by: Robyn Cole | 03/11/2010 at 10:28 AM
Hi, Robyn,
I had such a great time with you at AOCVCB. Thanks for stopping by here and asking!
We must remember that ROI is a financial calculation - how much an investment in something yields (how much money we make off it). When I say "media agnositic" what I mean is ROI isn't a media measurement. ROI can apply to *anything* we do in the business.
So, measuring the "ROI" of digital or social media means we have to figure in how much money we make from the activities there. And that usually means we have to take into account how it is working with our other programs to bring in revenue - not as a stand-alone component.
I hope that helps a bit!
Posted by: Linda Zimmer | 03/12/2010 at 08:57 AM
It does help, and thank you! I'm at a crossroads in my (small) marketing budget. I'm thinking I need to hire a part-time Social Media Manager to handle "all of that stuff". But do do so, I have to cut some print media to handle it (the old robbing Peter to pay Paul) trick. And my bosses have challenged me to show them ROI if we move the money around to Social Media. Hell, they didn't ask for ROI when I was spending $25,000 in print with OC METRO MAGAZINE, but they're asking me to prove ROI on Social Media????
Posted by: Robyn Cole | 03/12/2010 at 09:43 AM
Robyn, if it helps any to know you are in the same position as - literally - hundreds of professionals I consult with or talk to. So, take a deep breath.
Not surprised no ROI is required for the $25K of advertising - it's because we are comfortable with the way advertising works - and the only way we know it "works" is by watching what happens to sales. Because, we don't actually know the ROI of any particular ad, yes?
Robbing Peter to pay Paul is exactly what you have to do. There is only so much budget to go around, so this is a reality. Most people aren't as smart as realizing that though and run into trouble trying to convince the boss that it is worth adding to the budget. My advice is to pick something that doesn't seem to be working as well as it used to and shift the money from there.
So, knowing you will have to show them the money with your "pilot" program - put a plan in place (following some of the information I gave you in the presentation hopefully) to integrate social media with the rest of your marketing. Start tracking what effect social media is having on traffic to your site, what is happening with sales, and other ways you might track your social media activities to financial gains - or cost savings.
I suggest starting small with an initiative you can handle (rather than "all that stuff") - but it is crucial to decide how you will track the activity from the very beginning. Otherwise you'll have a tough time convincing the boss.
You are welcome to call me if you want to chat about some ideas.
Posted by: Linda Zimmer | 03/12/2010 at 10:12 AM
You are not only awesomely knowledgeable, but you are extremely gracious, as well.Thank you for making my Friday better!!!
Posted by: Robyn Cole | 03/12/2010 at 10:16 AM
LOL - I think it is you who is gracious. Thanks, Robyn and good luck!!
Posted by: Linda Zimmer | 03/12/2010 at 02:07 PM