10 Lessons on Social Media: What

It Is, Why It’s Important, & How to

Get Started

Cindi Thomas & Augie Ray

April 17, 2009
1995
1995
Lesson One
Expect change. Lots of it.
 1995
“The wake up call was finding this startling statistic
that web usage in the spring of 1994 was growing at
2,300 percent a year. You know, things just don't
grow that fast. It's highly unusual, and that started
me about thinking , ‘What kind of business plan
might make sense in the context of that growth?’”

“If there’s one reason we have done better than of

our peers in the Internet space over the last six
years, it is because we have focused like a laser on
customer experience, and that really does matter, I
think, in any business. It certainly matters online,
1995

$6.8
B

$1.1
$26M B
Lesson Two
Success in Social Media
depends on a focus on needs
and the consumer
experience, not on
technology.
eac
What is Social Media?
R

15 17 19
17 76 95
 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?

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to
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 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?
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 What is Social Media?

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Owni Sharing &

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 What is Social Media?

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 What is Social Media?

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36 million views
195,000 ratings
284,000 comments
1.5 million hits on
Google
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 What is Social Media?

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Lesson Three
People demand brands and
media talk with, engage,
and build relationships with
them.
 Where is Social Media?

Web 1.0 Web 2.0

P Placel
lac ess
 Where is Social Media?

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 Where is Social Media?

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Where is Social Media?
Where is Social Media?
Where is Social Media?

1.All ideas compete on

an equal footing.
2.Contribution counts
for more than
credentials.
3.Leaders serve rather
than preside.
4.Tasks are chosen,
not assigned.
5.Power comes from
sharing information,
Lesson Four
Social Media’s placelessness
will erase the line between
the virtual and the physical.
Where is Social Media?
§ Blogs
§ Micromedia
§ Social Networks
§ Video sharing
§ Goelocation
§ Reviews &
Ratings
§ Customer
Service
§ Events
§ Wikis
§ Livecasting
§ Photo sharing
§ Music sharing
§ Document
Lesson Five
Consumers will talk, rate,
share, and collaborate in
countless ways & places.
How are Consumers using Social
Media?
 How are Consumers using Social
Media?
http://www.web-
strategist.com/blog/
Lesson Six
Social Media is leveling the
playing field, giving almost
the same reach to
consumers as to big brands.
 How are Consumers using Social
Media?
http://www.web-
strategist.com/blog/

"I speak about it because I love it. I

understand they're a family
restaurant, but I think it can't hurt
them to have a little spice."
Lesson Seven
Social Media is making the
distinction between
ownership and stewardship
of brands more evident
than ever.
Where do consumers talk about
brands?
• 1,000 Tweeple w/ 100,000
followers
• ~50,000+ Tweets/month
• 750,000 Blog
mentions/month
• 215,000
Members
• 29 million
• 500+ groups w/ 750,000+
members
28.4M
Visitors/month • 1.9M
images
• 2,900
• 17,000
uploads/month
• Top 10 all-time
posts:
• 350M views
 Where do consumers talk about
brands?
And we’re just getting started…
Y MONT
EAR H

Nielsen Online; US, Home and Work; Unique Audience

 Where do consumers talk about
brands?
Demographics changing rapidly…

• In 6 months, the number of

people 35-44 increased
260%; people 45-54 grew
400%.
• 30% of Facebook users are
older than 35 and another
24% are 26-34.
• In 60 days, number of people

Compete.net; Data for month

 Where do consumers talk about
brands?
Older than you think…

• The largest demographic

visiting Twitter.com are 35- to
49-year-olds, comprising 42%
of all visitors.
• Median age of a twitter user
is 31.
• 10 percent of Twitter users
are between 55 and 64, the
same percentage as between
 Where do consumers talk about
brands?
Consumers distrustful of marketing
communications.
 Where do consumers talk about
brands?
Consumers are avoiding ads.

Forrester: The Mind Of The DVR User: Media And Advertising

Lesson Eight
Consumers’ brand
perceptions will be based as
much upon what they hear
from others as on brands’
marketing communications.
Where do brands fit in Social Media?

0.04
%
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage influence to
improve awareness,
preference, loyalty, &
sales
Blogs, Viral video,
Communities,
Widgets, Social
Games
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage
Senior influence to
Management
improve awareness,
Share knowledge,
preference, loyalty, raise
&
awareness,
sales promote
company,
Blogs, speak to
Viral video,
external stakeholders
Communities,
Blogs, Microblogs
Widgets, Social
Games
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage
Senior influence to
Product
Management
improve awareness,
Development
ShareShorten
preference, dev cycles,
knowledge,
loyalty, raise
&
improve
awareness, adoption,
sales promote
Blogs, attract
company, customers,
speak
Viral video, to
external collaborate
stakeholders
Communities,
Private
Blogs,
Widgets, networks,
Microblogs
Social
Crowdsourcing
Games
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage
Senior influence to
Product
Management
improve awareness,
Human
Development
Improve
Resources
ShareShorten dev employer
knowledge, cycles,
preference, loyalty, &raise
awareness,
salesbrand,
improve engage
adoption,
promote
Blogs, Viral candidates
attract
company, customers,
speak
video,to
external collaborate
stakeholders
Communities,
Blogs,Microblogs,
Private
Widgets, Microblogs
Social Blogs,
networks,
LinkedIn, Company
Crowdsourcing
Games
Facebook Profile
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage
Senior influence to
Product
Management
improve awareness,
Human
Development
Sales
Improve
dev employer
Resources
ShareShorten
knowledge,
preference, loyalty,cycles,
raise
&
Gain
brand,
improve
awareness,
sales new prospects,
engage
adoption,
promote
Viralbuild
attract
company,
Blogs, speakrelationships,
candidates
customers,
video, to
external communicate
collaborate
stakeholders
Communities,
Private
Blogs,
Widgets, effectively
Microblogs, Blogs,
networks,
Microblogs
Social
LinkedIn, Company
Crowdsourcing
Games
LinkedIn,Profile
Facebook Microblog
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage
Senior influence to
Product
Management
improve awareness,
Human
Development
Sales
Improve
Resources
ShareShorten
knowledge,
preference, Public
loyalty,employer
devRelations
cycles,
raise
&
Gain
brand,
improve
awareness,
sales new prospects,
engage
adoption,
promote
Increase awareness,
Viralbuild
attract
company,
Blogs, speakrelationships,
candidates
customers,
video,
improve toinbound links,
external communicate
collaborate
stakeholders
Communities, encourage coverage
Private
Blogs,
Widgets, effectively
Microblogs,
networks,
Microblogs
Social Blogs,
Blogger relations,
LinkedIn,
Crowdsourcing
Games Company
Social Media PR,
LinkedIn,Profile
Facebook Microblog
Digg, YouTube
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Marketing
Leverage
Senior influence to
Product
Management
improve awareness,
Human
Development
Sales
preference, Improve
Resources
ShareShorten dev
knowledge,
Public
loyalty,employer
cycles,
raise
Relations
&
Customer
awareness,
salesGain
brand,
improve new prospects,
engage
adoption,
promoteImprove
Service service,
Increase awareness,
Blogs, Viralbuild
attract
company, relationships,
candidates
customers,
speak
video,
improve toinbound
proactive service,
links,
external communicate
collaborate
stakeholders
Communities, decrease wait time,
encourage coverage
Private
Blogs,
Widgets, effectively
Microblogs, Blogs,
networks,
Microblogs
Social
Bloggerlimit costs
relations,
LinkedIn,
Crowdsourcing
Games Company
Blogs, Microblogs,
Social Media PR,
LinkedIn,
Facebook Microblog
Profile
Shared Docs, Wikis,
Digg, YouTube
Q&A sites
Where do brands fit in Social Media?
Lesson Nine
Social Media is a new
medium available to
consumers and all portions
of the organization.
Transparency: Honesty
Transparency: Business Decisions
Transparency: Brand Consistency
Lesson Ten
Brands cannot hide.
Transparency and
authenticity are
unavoidable.
2023
 Which is rated
best overall? Which is rated best
by people in
your network?
Which treats Which is rated best
employees best? by people like you?

Which offers
Which is cleanest?
best-rated service?

Which is considered Which is considered

the best value? best for families?

Which is considered
In which have your most romantic?
friends eaten?

Which has the In which are friends

best burger? dining right now?
Social Media: How to Get Started
socialmedi
a
attitudes,
orientations or
behaviors which
take the interests,
intentions or needs
of other people into
account
1. Spend some time getting to know others.

3. Produce information of interest and benefit

to them.

5. Share it and make it easy for others to do

the same.

7. Listen and respond.

Experience is the best teacher

Engage personally

Learn and apply to your

business
Getting Yourself Started
 Personal Engagement

Personal Networking

Professional Networking

Micro-communications
 Facebook Tips

• Check in at least once a day

• It’s ok to not be friends with
everyone
• Explore applications, profiles, pages
and groups
 LinkedIn Tips

• Keep profile up to date

• Recognize professional nature
• Answer questions, join discussions
• Sign up for update alerts
 Twitter Tips

• Give thought to your username

• Be sure to include location and short
description in your profile
• Follow a variety of people, brands
and organizations
• Reply to others with “@” replies to
start or continue conversations
• Be real
 Evaluate

Who have you engaged with? Why?

What don’t you like? Why?
Where do you seem to spend the most time?
Why?
When have you turned to one over the
other? Why?
How do you engage differently? Why?
Getting Your Business Started
 Listen – How?

http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2006/11/25/companies-that-measure-social-media-
Listen – How?
 Listen – How?
Identify terms you want to
listen for
http://www.google.com/a
lerts
http://search.twitter.
com
http://www.blogpulse.c
om/
http://www.technorati.c
om/
http://www.glassdoor.c
om
 Listen – Monitoring

Have a plan for response

Who What What

Who
decides resourc channel
leads?
? es? s?
 Listen – Monitoring

Prevent “brandjacking”
 Listen – Monitoring

Revisit and reinforce employee

communication guidelines
 Social
Currency
“Social currency is like a good joke. When a
bunch of friends sit around and tell jokes, what
are they really doing? Entertaining one another?
Sure, for a start. But they are also using content --
mostly unoriginal content that they've heard
elsewhere -- in order to lubricate a social
occasion. And what are most of us doing when we
listen to a joke? Trying to memorize it so that we
can bring it somewhere else.
The joke itself is social currency.”
Identify your currency

Data?
Expertise?
Insider info?
Tips?
Trends?
Jobs?
Make your currency social
Overcoming Obstacles

Engage
personally
Golf
anyone?
Google=F
REE
Small
wins
IT not
required
Wron
g.
H&R Block is being social
Social media