DEBUNKING SOCIAL MEDIA MYTHS

MYTH 1 SOCIAL MEDIA = VIRAL

YOU CAN’T PLAN TO GO VIRAL

VIRAL =

GREAT CONTENT Compelling, Relevant, Contextual, Arousing, Shareable

YOU NEED TO GIVE PEOPLE A REASON TO CARE AND SHARE !  Engagement Insight: Why do people care?

–  Sense of curiosity: Something interesting, funny or creative –  Is relevant to their lives or current situation –  Is about something or someone important to them –  Is useful and helps make their lives easier

!  Social Insight: Why do people share?

The New York Times Customer Insights Group Study

THERE NEEDS TO BE A VALUE EXCHANGE

Value  of  brand  

 

Will  this  make  us  loved  and  shared?  

 

How  does  this  increase  our  value?  

Value  to  customer  

 

What’s  in  it  for  me?    

Why  will  I  do  this?    

What  will  I  tell  my  friends?  

VALUE EXCHANGE IN THE FORM OF SOCIAL CURRENCY

Entertainment  Value  Videos  Music  Humor  Games  

Func@onal  Value  Timesavers  

Makes  Life  Easier  Enablers  

Monetary  Value  Rewards  Prizes  

Personal  Value  Fame  

Exclusivity  

Knowledge  Value  Informa@on  

Gossip  

MYTH 2

SOCIAL MEDIA IS FREE / CHEAP

THE TRUE COST OF SOCIAL

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS MAY BE FREE TO USE… !  But Social Media Marketing is not

!   It’s an “Always on” conversation

!  Time, effort and resources required to plan,

develop, implement, monitor and optimize

MYTH 3

FACEBOOK

MARKETING STRATEGY

=

FACEBOOK DOES NOT EQUAL YOUR SOCIAL STRATEGY

=

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY OR THE NETWORKS

IT’S ABOUT CONNECTING PEOPLE TOGETHER

AROUND UNIVERSAL HUMAN BEHAVIORS, MOTIVATIONS AND SHARED PASSIONS

THE KEY IS IN YOUR BRAND, NOT THE NETWORK !   You have a story to tell (or a product to sell) and you use

different marketing channels to tell it. –  Social media channels are one of the conduits and each have their

strengths.

!   Be where your customers are –  Know the strength of each channel –  Create tactics or content to tell the same story in a way that plays to that

strength

!   Your activities can be –  one-off’s that constitute part of a campaign peak to spark off

interest, awareness and conversations –  or long-tail, slow burn activities designed to sustain a

conversation and presence with consumers –  The best work, combines both.

MYTH 4

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENTS A LOT OF RISK / LOSS OF CONTROL

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENT VARIOUS LEVELS OF RISKS BUT THEY ARE MANAGABLE !  Outside your own assets

– On blogs, forums, reviews, social media sites – You cannot control what people are saying about you in

public forums – You can be aware (listen) and have the option to respond

(engage) – Cannot make negative, abusive or fake comments

disappear

!  On your own social media assets – Your official social media presence on Facebook, Twitter,

Blogs, Youtube etc –  Expectation for brand to participate and respond – Governed by social media policy (“House Rules”) – Opportunities to manage and change conversations

MYTH 5

B2B VS B2C

SOCIAL MEDIA

B2B DECISION MAKERS ARE THE MOST ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ON THE

PLANET

B2B VS B2C SOCIAL MEDIA

B2B DECISION MAKERS ARE THE MOST ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ON THE

PLANET

THEY ARE FAR MORE MOTIVATED BY SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

GlobalWebIndex,  Oct  2011  

B2B DECISION MAKERS ARE THE MOST ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ON THE

PLANET

THEY ARE FAR MORE MOTIVATED BY SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

GlobalWebIndex,  Oct  2011  

B2B DECISION MAKERS ARE THE MOST ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ON THE

PLANET

BUSINESS DECISION MAKERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SOCIAL

GlobalWebIndex,  Oct  2011  

B2B DECISION MAKERS ARE THE MOST ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ON THE

PLANET

AND THEY CONTINUE TO GROW FASTER THAN THE AVERAGE USER

GlobalWebIndex,  Oct  2011  

B2B DECISION MAKERS ARE THE MOST ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ON THE

PLANET

AND YES, FACEBOOK WORKS FOR B2B

GlobalWebIndex,  Oct  2011  

MOST MARKETERS ARE FULLY ONBOARD

AND BUDGET ALLOCATION CORRELATES TO SALES

AND BUDGET ALLOCATION CORRELATES TO SALES

THEIR TOP PRIORITIES ARE MAINLY BUSINESS DRIVEN

USAGE VS EFFECTIVENESS

SOCIAL MEDIA IS MORE RELEVANT TO B2B MARKETING

!  The B2B Buying Process is a more complex one

!  Multiple influencers involved in the decision

!  A Long Sales Cycle

!  Business professionals must lower their purchasing risks