Social Media Strategy « Flint Group Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Social Media Strategy’

6 Ways Your Customers Might Use Social Media

By Josh Lysne, October 26, 2009

We have all read about Facebook surpassing the 300 million registered user mark, or Twitter’s rapid rise to 20 million users. Stats like these are exciting, but they often lead to an irrational jump into these environments without any strategy.

When it comes time to take the jump into the social media world, you need to think about how your audience uses social media. Forrester has done extensive research into how different demographics engage in social media. They have defined six different profiles for social media use.

Creators
This group of people are the ones making the bulk of the content. They might be writing a blog, creating video, podcasting or creating other content.

Critics
Critics are typically defined as people that post ratings and reviews, comment on blog posts and forums or contributing to a wiki.

Collectors
Collectors are the librarians of the web. They are using RSS feeds, adding tags and using social bookmarking.

Joiners
These users create and maintain profiles on social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, and are active in dialog with other members of their social graph.

Spectators
Spectators are typically the largest group active in social media. They are the people that are reading, watching or listening to all of the content created by creators and critics.

Inactives
These are the people that are active online, but do not participate in any form of social media. This group is shrinking all the time.

When you are thinking about your social media strategy, you need to consider how your audience uses social media. For example, if your audience has a high percentage of spectators, creating some sort of video contest is probably not the best approach. Be sure that whoever is creating your strategy takes a look at how your audience is using social media before you invest time and money in a program.

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Tags: Flint Group, How Audiences Use Social Media, Social Media, Social Media Strategy

Friday’s Facebook Campaign – Brilliance or Bust?

By Colin N. Clarke, October 7, 2009

Companies have been exploring different means of leveraging social media reach, but the restaurant chain TGI Friday’s took it to a new level with their recent Facebook Fan campaign for fictional spokesperson “Woody.”

What makes this campaign so impressive is how a commercial entity essentially asked for and received permission to advertise to customers on Facebook. By using a free hamburger giveaway via a cleverly executed challenge to reach 500,000 “friends” on Facebook, TGI Friday’s lured customers and potential customers into the heart of the campaign.

Once confirmed as a Facebook “friend,” TGI Friday’s provided a series of entertaining and engaging status updates, video posts and discussions. All talking about the free hamburger giveaway while effortlessly pumping up top of mind awareness for the TGI Friday’s brand.

The commercial components to the campaign are brilliant. The registration process required to become eligible for a free hamburger took registrants through a relatively detailed list of questions. So while us “friends” were gleefully sharing our information for a free burger, TGI Friday’s was building a detailed database of potential customers with information provided via registration as well approved access to our Facebook information. The level of information shared and the careful detail by which TGI Friday’s built and executed the campaign is simply brilliant. A commercial entity had successfully pierced the personal veil of social media and built a fan base of more than 950,000 “friends” in the process.

But the story does not end there, and this is where the greatest lesson of social media comes to light. When you make a promise to your friends in a public forum, you had better follow through or risk your own public humiliation.

At the time I am writing this blog we are in the heart of redemption week for TGI Friday’s free hamburgers and their nearly 1 million fans. And the redemption process is brutal. A visit to the Discussions tab on Facebook Fan page shows a myriad of angry comments from unruly fans who have been wholly turned off by the difficulty of the redemption process. And the anger doesn’t stop there. On recent fan posts the negative comments are flowing at a rate of 5-to-1 (negative to positive). It appears that the true nature of social media may have caught up with TGI Fridays - the fact that conversation happens, both good and bad.

So what lessons have we learned from this groundbreaking social media campaign?

1) Provide a reasonable reward or offer – the “fans” loved the idea of a free burger meal.

2) Be entertaining – the Woody campaign is clever, fun, engaging and ran across multiple media.

3) Build excitement- the “challenge” to reach 500,000 fans built camaraderie and encouragement.

4) Encourage conversation- each new Facebook post lead fans to engagement and conversation.

5) FULFILL YOUR PROMISE – follow through and have friends for life, fail expectations and ???

It remains to be seen how TGI Friday’s will manage their reward redemption nightmare. So far on Facebook, it’s looking pretty ugly. Lots of comments of people feeling used, betrayed and planning to boycott the restaurant now. And fans have now started their own Woody Complaints Facebook page. Not what TGI Friday’s intended when they started the campaign. BUT… with all things social, Friday’s can still engage positively in the conversation and make things right with their 1 million new “friends.” It will be interesting to see how this campaign comes to a close.

So, did you get your burger?

Posted in AadlandFlint, Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive, HatlingFlint, SimmonsFlint, WestmorelandFlint | Comments

Tags: Facebook, Facebook campaign, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, TGI Friday's

Forced Social Media Engagement and the Implications of Google Sidewiki

By Jen Strickler, September 30, 2009

If you totally avoided the Internet last week or were sleeping under a rug, you are one of the few who missed Google’s release of Sidewiki. I know, Google releases new features and products on a regular basis, so you don’t really care. But, let me tell you why you should.

Google Side-what?

Google Sidewiki is an application that adds a social forum to every website, including yours. Basically, any consumer who downloads Google Toolbar (which contains Sidewiki) will have the opportunity to post and view comments about your products, service, company, or any other relevant tidbit on the app which is directly associated with and viewable on your site by anyone else who has Sidewiki installed. Scary right?

Can you block it?

Currently there is one way to avoid having the Sidewiki on your site. You can block it by having a secure certificate (SSL) on your site. These certificates usually are around $150-$200 for your first year with an annual renewal fee. However, it will only be a temporary fix. Google is already working to get around it and will probably have a solution very quickly. Which means your investment in an SSL certificate won’t be worth the effort.

Give up control and get involved by taking these steps.

Whether you like it or not, you are now engaged in social media. (I would argue that you already were, but that’s beside the point.) Follow these three steps and it will make your life and your company’s image better.

Listen – Now is the time to set up your arsenal of alerts. If you don’t want to pay for a comprehensive social media monitoring service there are free individual tools available. Set up a home base, such as Google Reader or Netvibes and set up RSS for Google Alerts, Tweet beep, Twitter Search, Social Mention, Backtype, and Boardreader.
Respond – Develop a social media strategy that identifies your goals (awareness, customer acquisition, loyalty, etc), relationship with the audience, how you will be human, how you will measure your efforts, etc. This will help your team to know when and how to engage with prospects, and happy or disgruntled customers.
Crisis Plan – How would you respond if someone writes incorrect facts on your Sidewiki? Do you know? What if they direct people back to a video like this one? YOU NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA CRISIS PLAN! Even if it sits on your shelf, at least you’re prepared and can sleep at night.

If Google Sidewiki takes off like many expect it will, there is nothing you can do, except be prepared. The three steps mentioned should help you do that.

Posted in AadlandFlint, Flint Communications, Flint Group, Flint Interactive, HatlingFlint, SimmonsFlint, WestmorelandFlint | Comments

Tags: brand management, Crisis Communications Plan, Flint Group, Social Media, Social Media Strategy, Strategic Planning