Social Media at MicrosoftMay 6, 2010

Laura Landau

We All Know Marketing!

The Old Marketing Funnel

Paid Owned

Rethinking the Funnel

Earned

Paid

OwnedOwned & Operated Properties

Social Media Defined

Social media is different

from other media

Social media is the same

as other media Creates the expectation of

a dialogue Puts the customer – not

Microsoft – in charge Permeates and affects all

stages of the life cycle

Need to understand audience, goals

Should be coordinated with other marketing

Requires measurement and optimization

• Web 2.0 technologies that engage customers and encourage participation

• Used for campaigns, sustaining relationships, public relations, customer service, building community, generating insights

Social Media Taxonomy

Key channel US Examples

Blogs MSDN, TechNetMicroblogs TwitterOnline forums and comments MSDN, TechNet

Social networking sites Facebook, LinkedIn, BeboMedia sharing YouTubeWiki/collaboration software WikipediaSocial bookmarking Digg Virtual worlds Second LifeSocial widgets Facebook widgetsFY11 Marketing Engines

The process

http://marketing 7

Strategy & Planning Listen Build Engage

Measure and

Optimize

Do• Audit and Assess your market• Current Activity and Ownership• Include Social Media as One Element of Your Marketing

Strategy• Map to Marketing Strategy and Objectives • Ensure you have clear and specific goals and tie to business

outcomes• A few things well, versus many things

Don’t• Do random, stand alone tactics, even if they are cheap/free• Underestimate the people resources needed to support

http://marketing 8

Strategy Do’s and Don’ts

Best marketing objectives

  ROMI objectives

Key channels

Awareness/

perception

Deploymentusage support

Building community

and relationship

s

Generating demand

Recruiting and

readying partners

Blogs High Med High Med Med

Microblogs High High High Med Med

Online forums and comments High High High Med Med

Social networking sites High Med High High Med

Media sharing Med Low Med Med High

*The other social media channels in the Microsoft FY11 taxonomy often have a lower impact on marketing objectives. They are not recommended for subsidiaries at this time.

Strategy & Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measur

e and Optimize

Resourcing

  Basic level Basic + Engage level

Phases included 1. 1. Strategy and Planning

2. 2. Listening

1. +3. Build2. +4. Engage3. +5. Measure

Key activities Situation analysisStrategy developmentProcess alignmentListen and monitor

+Content management+Social channels+Campaign elements+Engage and measure

Minimum HC 0.5 HC (internal) 1.0 HC (at least 0.5 internal)

One-time setup 40–60 hours 40–60 hoursOngoing management

20–30 hours/week 40+ hours/week

Strategy &

Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure

and Optimize

Roles and Responsibilities - ExamplesSubsidiary Marcom:• Drive the subsidiary’s social media program.• Build and manage a cross-company presence in channels that target broad customer audiences.•  Subsidiary PR:• Own the social engagement strategy, and orchestrate with top-tier influentials (traditional and

online).• Build and manage the cross-company presence in channels that target top-tier influentials.• Plan, create, and execute content for these channels, working with BG/audience and CMG teams.• Listen and orchestrate engagement with top-tier influentials, working with subject matter experts

(SMEs)• Manage rapid response and drive related communications across other groups.•  Subsidiary BG and Audience Marketing:• Primarily act as an SME and content creator, using the channels built by CMG (broad community)

and PR (top-tier influencers).• Where appropriate and where sufficient resources allow, serve directly as an SME in social channels.•  Corporate HQ:• Corpcomm: Microsoft brand communications and corporate innovation agenda• BGs. Official product information and disclosures• CMG Media team: Assist with social media planning and integration into global campaigns. • CSS: Listening and support• DPE: Community and MVPs

Strategy & Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measur

e and Optimize

http://marketing 12

• Listen before any engagement. 30 days recommended.• Total volume will go up and down. Need to understand why.• Listen by brand first• Use listening tool like Radian6.

• FY11 tool and terms currently under negotiation. • Will be centrally funded. (More info as soon as it’s locked)

• Understand your audience and baselines.• Be cautious about automated sentiment.• Develop insights, don’t just count volume.• Find influencers

• Note: if you do not have a enough headcount to engage, listening will still be beneficial

Strategy & Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure and Optimize

Listen First

Opportunities and Resources

   Opportunity Resource considerations

(time and effort)

Channel

Scale/reach

opportunity

Engagement

opportunity

Listen BuildEngag

e

Measure

analyze optimiz

eBlogs Med High High Med High LowMicroblogs Med High High Med High Low

Online forums and comments Med Med High Low Med Med

Social networking sites High High High High High High

Media sharingHigh Low Med

High (content

)Low Med

Strategy &

Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure

and Optimize

Paid and Owned Connection

• Use tactical media buys to enhance social media initiatives through media placement on the platforms that your target community uses.

• Channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube allow for cost per click (CPC), cost per action (CPA), or cost per thousand impression (CPM) media buys to help drive traffic and interest in your profile pages.

• Test and optimize media buys over time according to calls to action, messaging, and creative.

• Integrate social links on owned properties (Web sites, landing pages, and mailing list e-mails).

Strategy & Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure

and Optimiz

e

Strategy &

Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure

and Optimize

Types of Engagement

Proactive: • Provide valuable content driven by

your goals and objectives• Sustained or campaign• Build for the long-term: Effort

in=effort out. • Don’t just use as another push

medium• Flesh out via detailed content and

engagement plans and calendars• Create “high-involvement” posts

where appropriate:• Ensure your learnings are informed

by, and integrated back into, owned media.

Reactive: Tips on respond to others

• Reward Positive Comments when you can with a thank you

• Neutral: often will not require response

• Negative: will depend on nature of comments.– Correct non-factual information

(politely)– Don’t engage in rants– Take offline if true customer

service issue

http://marketing 15Content Calendar Example

How much work?

Channel Monitoring level required

Recommended engagement level

BlogsHigh (Follow-up comments

and posts should be monitored closely.)

Minimum 1 time per week

Microblogs

High (Sentiment can change

quickly and is often reactive/negative in this

channel.)

Reply to fans, re-tweet to them, and answer questions as needed. Post 3–10 posts daily, 10–20 replies daily.

Online forums and comments High

Determined by the level of engagement on the

site

Social networking sites

High

Varies on news. Post 1–2 times per day officially, reply to audience 10–20

times per day in comments.

Media sharing Med

Post new media as available –

recommended 2–3 pieces of content per

quarter. The more variations in content, the

better.

Strategy

& Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure and Optimize

Engagement Tips

• Join, don’t build, whenever possible.• Don’t try to sell. Contribute.• Participate, don’t dominate.• Less is more.• Everything is public – even if sent privately.• Respond selectively.• Review the Online Communication Code of Conduct prior to

engaging.• Coordinate efforts internally (don’t forget PR and MVP).

Strategy &

Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure and Optimize

Key Measures by TacticChannel Best for

(ROMI Objectives)Metrics

Blogs Awareness/Perception Building community and

relationships

Total number of viewsVolume of conversationPass along/Reposts/Trackbacks

Microblogs

Awareness/Perception Deployment & Usage,

Support Building community and

relationships

Number of Followers/FansVolume of conversation / total number of posts Volume will not always be growing,

but you should understand the growth and contractions

Monitor sentiment as a diagnostic and watch for red flags

Also monitor the channel level (FB, twitter, etc.) to hone engagement strategy.

Content shared/reposted

Social Networking Sites

Awareness/Perception Building community and

relationships Generating Demand

Online Forums & Comments

Awareness/Perception Deployment & Usage,

Support Building community and

relationships

Engagement within Forums Page views, % of UU returning, %

registered usersResponsiveness Answer Rate, Who is

answering(MS/MVP/CommunityMedia Sharing

Recruiting and Readying Partners

Total number of viewsVolume of conversation

Strategy & Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure and Optimize

Measurement

• Measure according to your goals• Understand changes in volume• Watch for sentiment shifts• Optimize content and channels

What about ROI?• Not solved yet.• Building a workable model in FY11.

Strategy

& Planning

Listen

Build

Engage

Measure and Optimize

Guidance Available

• Social Media FY11 Consumer Playbook• Social Media FY11 - Subsidiary Planning Guide• //digimarkteting – Social section• Join: Digital Marketing at Microsoft alias

http://marketing 20

Feedback

• What challenges are you facing?• What help do you need?• What’s hot in your market?• Any best practices to share?