The Brand-Influencer Relationship

Unlike before, when social media marketing success meant the number of ‘followers’ or ‘fans’ amassed, today’s marketers know that influencers are imperative to a brand’s success online. According to a study by Meteor Solutions, 30% or more of a website’s actions are determined by influencers. These influencers, who are thought leaders and industry experts, can have significant impact on a brand’s reputation and even affect bottom line sales. A smart marketer, who knows the power of influencer marketing, is investing considerable time in finding these brand advocates, engaging with them and establishing a strong brand-influencer relationship. Why are online influencers so important to a brand?

• Consumers, who heavily rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, do not always believe everything a brand says; the influencers have an important role to play in such cases.
• Online campaigns and marketing messages promoted by influencers have better chances at success than those that aren’t.
• According to a 2010 Forrester study, Mass Influencers were responsible for 80% of the influence impressions and posts about products and services in social channels.
• These brand advocates help spread the word about a brand’s site, products, services, and promotions and spur their followers into action.
• When it comes to Online Reputation Management, the influencers play a major role in how your audience views your brand.

A recent study by Vocus shows that influencers with a tighter connection were more important to the respondents than those who simply had a horde of fans and followers with little or no connection. The study, which presented respondents with a question about hypothetical influencers, concludes that influence is directly related to the quality of connection to a given network.

Identifying Influencers

The above study clearly establishes the difference between popularity and influence. Influencers are not determined by the multitude of followers they have; they usually have a dedicated audience who follow these experts because of similar interests and because they are credible in their fields. However, finding the influencers and developing meaningful relationships with them requires some research and listening. While some influencers are famous in their respective industry circles, there are others, who although lesser known, are just as powerful among their followers. According to Brain Solis, “the true movers and shakers of the online marketing universe are less visible than you’d think. They show up when the timing is right, reach out to their medium-sized but strong network, and let the message take its course.” In an overcrowded digital space, what can brands do to identify and pick out true influencers?

The Following vs. Followers Ratio:

This is one of the most basic ways of determining if an individual is a true influencer. It is not uncommon to find people following or friending someone only because they were followed in the first place. The true influencer is followed by at least twice the number of people he follows, and in some cases, a lot more than that. Ashton Kutcher, with his +8,570,000 followers is a highly influential voice in the social media space. The actor, who goes by the @aplusk Twitter handle, is worth $140 million; this means every time Kutcher endorses a brand online, there are greater chances of people actually listening and contemplating a purchase.

The Question of Credibility:

Before going to the next step of engaging with the influencers, online marketers need to first establish the credibility of these people who will go on to become the voice of the brand. Finding answers to these questions is a good start; a) Are they considered to be experts in their field? b) How often are these people getting retweeted? and c) Are they truly engaged? It is important that your potential influencers post frequently and are reasonably active on social media. The content posted by these brand advocates, no matter how compelling, will have little impact if the messages are few and far in between.

Using Social Media Monitoring Tools:

Using comprehensive social media monitoring tools like Brand Monitor™ is an effective and time-saving technique to identify and learn more about potential influencers. It is impractical to manually check the number of fans or followers each person has and determine if that person qualifies as an ‘influencer’. Media monitoring tools simplify this process by determining the influencer score. Once the influencers have been identified, marketers can then proceed to engage with them and convert them into brand advocates.

Taking it to the Next Level

After establishing who the influencers are, the next step involves creating meaningful connections with them. For companies looking to improve their brand image and increase visibility online, engaging with these ‘power users’ is definitely a step in the right direction. Taking the influencer-brand relationship to the next level involves some vital, though easy-to-implement, steps:

Plan Your Engagement Strategy:

In order to build a lasting relationship with your influencers, it is essential to plan your engagement strategy first. Overwhelming these brand advocates with one too many tweets or marketing messages without giving them the option of knowing your company and understanding what your brand does may only dissuade them from connecting further. As a brand, a well thought-out engagement plan will also give a clearer idea of what it is that you wish to achieve from this relationship. Here are the two important stages of the planning process; a) the listening stage: using social media monitoring tools, brands can listen to what the influencers have to say before attempting to engage with them. As an online marketer, you could study what hashtags they use and use them in your posts in order to show-up on their radar b) the courtship stage: this involves commenting on their blog posts, retweeting interesting content, and joining in their conversations on social media channels. This is a good way to move the discussion forward.

Building a Relationship:

Once the foundation has been laid, brands can safely proceed to strengthen and cement this relationship. Most social media gurus agree that the nothing works as well as pampering the influencers and making them feel special. According to BzzAgent’s ‘Field Guide to Brand Advocates‘ report, 58% influencers said that it was important to them that they are viewed as good brand advocates, while 49% felt the need to be recognized for their efforts by the brands. In our opinion, the secret to a strong and successful brand-influencer relationship begins with a) something as simple as saying a ‘thank you’ when they share your content or mention your brand on a networking channel and b) is strengthened further by treating them to special offers on the brand’s yet-to-be-launched products that are usually available to a select few.

What You Need To Avoid:

There could be several reasons that could cause an easily-avoidable crack in the brand-influencer relationship. While some marketers turn-off influencers by too much sales talk and self promotion, there are others who solely focus on the A-listers, while ignoring the second-tier bloggers after a while. Although one of the main reasons why brands seek out and connect with these power-users involves promoting their products and services, it is a good idea to let them establish a comfortable relationship with your brand first. Also, when it comes to connecting with brand advocates, what marketers also need to keep in mind is that instead of targeting a few top influencers, it would be wise to connect with a greater number of second-tier bloggers for better reach. The chances of the latter having more time to engage with your brand are a lot higher than the time-strapped A-listers who may restrict themselves to a select few.

What Influencers Can Mean for Your Brand

Influencers can be that much needed shot-in-the-arm for brands looking to improve their image, gain visibility and revive sales. What an influencer says about your brand can greatly impact how your brand is perceived in industry circles and among fans. Considering the power of word-of-mouth marketing, brands need to understand that roping in influencers to promote their products and services ensures better prospect of success. Our research on how influencers can impact a brand unearthed some interesting case studies:

Driving Traffic the Ford Way:

Many brands today, especially automakers, prefer approaching influential Twitter users instead of celebrities to promote their products online and drive traffic to their websites. Ford, for instance, decided that these power users were more influential and visible than celebrities. Also, the fact that people trusted the voice of regular people like themselves prompted the automaker to engage with 100 social media influencers to endorse their Fiesta subcompact. The Fiesta Movement campaign, which involved the influencers first test-driving, and then posting reviews online, generated over seven million views on YouTube and four million mentions on Twitter. It drove 130,000 consumers to its website and 83% were previously non-Ford owners. And of course, the affordability factor certainly tilts the scale in favor of the influencers.

How Marmite ‘Spread’ the Word:

When Unilever decided to launch the ‘extra-mature’ version of its iconic Marmite spread, the company identified and engaged with a group of ’superfans’ called ‘the Marmarati‘. Unilever’s idea of involving these influencers to spread the word across various social media channels before launching Marmite XO paid off. Within no time, the word about the company’s newest product was out, with brand advocates talking about it on blogs, Twitter and Facebook. In the 12 months following its launch, MXO delivered £1 million in sales. Most importantly, the Marmarati remain an engaged group of brand advocates.

Raising Brand Awareness:

Pepsi was one of the first few brands to use social media to raise brand awareness. When the company decided to overhaul its entire brand, including the logo, PepsiCo adopted a slightly non-traditional approach. Instead of sending out a press release, PepsiCo roped in some ’select bloggers’ and delivered a bunch of cans showing the way its design had evolved since its launch. These influencers then blogged about the new design, increasing brand awareness in the process. The real-time nature of social media and the fact that these brand advocates in turn influenced their followers to be more receptive to the change worked brilliantly for the beverage company.

Conclusion

Social media marketing is no longer restricted to simply getting onto a popular networking site and straight-away promoting brands. Today’s marketers are paying close attention to and engaging with social media influencers with great enthusiasm because of their industry expertise and wide reach. Also, brands believe that engaging with influencers is an effective way of maximizing the value of their investment in social media. While identifying the influencers can sometimes be challenging, for most marketers the greater challenge lies in engaging with and retaining these power users. In our opinion, the key to a long term brand-customer relationship lies in understanding what drives these influencers and trying to get on their radar before making your move. When they have heard about your brand and know what your area of expertise is, they will eventually be interested in what you have to say.

While the benefits of engaging with these power users include everything from increasing sales to spreading marketing messages, brands also need to know that these influencers can greatly contribute to controlling a PR crisis. Influencers have a loyal group of fans and followers who immensely value what they have to say.

The online marketing world is constantly evolving, making the process of reaching and selling to customers more challenging than before. The change in customers’ buying behavior and the frequent mushrooming of networking sites mean marketers are under constant pressure to find new ways of disseminating information. For these marketers, influencer marketing is a highly efficient and relatively inexpensive way to strengthen their foothold and standout in an overcrowded and dynamic online marketplace.

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Winning the Social Media Race

From manufacturers to dealers, the automotive business is embracing social media just as fast as any other industry out there. For the US automotive industry, which has been on a roller-coaster ride since the last few years, social media seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel. With active vehicle buyers more than willing to follow a brand on Twitter or checkout teaser videos of the soon-to-be-launched car, auto makers have found a low-investment, high returns solution to their marketing problems. Much before the other brands could catch up, Ford, considered to be the poster child for auto makers, made it very clear that social advertising is no longer a fad or an accessory to traditional marketing. According to the ‘Top Social Brands for 2010′ report by Vitrue:

• Automotive brands represented 17% of overall web chatter on popular social media websites, behind only Consumer Electronic Brands (30%) and Fashion and Retail (20%).
• Ford, Mercedes, BMW, Honda and Ferrari were top five social automotive brands of 2010.

The above data shows that social media plays a crucial role in marketing for the automotive industry overall. Automotive manufacturers have long since discarded the tag of being ‘late comers’ to social media. The millions of dollars set aside exclusively for social advertising and the creative digital campaigns that have been launched so far, indicate that auto makers are serious about winning the social media race. When it comes to social media marketing, this industry is showing no signs of slowing down. Here are some reasons why:

• Luxury car makers like BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have a strong presence of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter because social media is where their potential customers are.
• Social media is a powerful tool for brands to test the waters before launching a campaign or a product.
• Auto companies monitoring online conversations pertaining to their brand can address questions about their vehicles and provide answers almost immediately.
• The pre-launch buzz generated on various networking channels reduces the amount of traditional advertising done by a company after the vehicle goes on sale.
• Besides generating sales, social media marketing for automotive manufacturers also lowers business costs.
• The interactive nature of social media establishes strong brand-customer relationships and helps connect with fans, owners and prospective buyers.

The Social Influence on Purchases

The last few years have witnessed a major shift in the way customers make purchasing decisions. Unlike before, when traditional marketing messages majorly influenced how people shopped, social networking has changed the way consumers think, decide and buy. According to a recent study by eMarketer:

• 21% of vehicle purchasers were influenced by some form of social media.
• Ford owners were more likely to be influenced by online reviews and earned media than Chevy or Toyota owners.
• People who bought Toyotas were highly influenced by coupons and discounts than those who purchased Fords or Chevys.

It is clear how influential social media can be when it comes to buying automotives. However, we were eager to know how these companies, using social media marketing, persuaded people to buy their vehicles. Here’s what we found:



• WOM Recommendations: Car makers are depending on networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about new car launches, events and services provided. The likes of Toyota, Ford, and Land Rover are turning to young social media influencers to create buzz around their products. Word-of-mouth recommendations are not only inexpensive when compared to high-profile celebrity endorsements, but also increase the probability of reaching prospective customers online. The influencers, with their strong online followings, give a brand more credibility with younger shoppers. Toyota Motors’ digital campaign for its new compact Lexus CT 200h enlisted social media personalities such as Baratunde Thurston (Web Editor of satire website the Onion) and Brian Solis who propagated the message, creating significant buzz around the brand.
• Discounts, Deals and Special Offers: Discounts, deals and offers are key driving factors for consumers looking to buy anything, whether it is apparel or automotives. When it comes to shopping for a car, one of the first places prospective buyers will check out is a brand’s social media page before actually visiting a dealership. Offers such as ‘free gas cards’ for people ‘liking’ a page, ‘retweet for a test drive’, ‘free auto insurance’ etc will not just encourage people to visit the dealership, but also play an important role in influencing their purchasing decisions.

How the Big Players Nailed It

What makes companies like Ford, Toyota, Honda GM etc the industry experts in social media marketing? Our research on how the big players established a strong social media footprint and what online marketing strategies they used revealed some interesting findings:

• Building the Pre-Launch Buzz: When it comes to building pre-launch social media buzz, no one does it better than Volkswagen. Automakers looking to gain visibility and build-up online chatter about their vehicle can take a leaf out of Volkswagen’s social media marketing book. The company ‘accidently’ leaked its Super Bowl commercial on YouTube before the kickoff, generating the most buzz in cyberspace. Viral Video Chart’s list of most contagious global viral ads ranked the Volkswagen commercial, ‘The Force’, as #1.
• Nothing Works as Well as a Facebook Games: Instead of merely launching a Facebook contest to promote its CR-Z, Honda took it one step further by entering the ‘Car Town’ Facebook game. The Japanse automaker played all its cards right by a) targeting the car-enthusisats who would eventually check out the vehicle either on the company’s website or by visiting a Honda dealership and b) highlighting the car’s sporty and fuel-efficient capabilities in the game version, thus attracting prospctive customers to check out the vehicles’ video commercial.
• Making Fans Feel Special: Getting fans involved in your social media marketing strategy can do wonders to your online traffic; and this is exactly how Ford nailed it. The Detroit auto giant kept hatchback fans in the loop during the production process of its Focus ST. Followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook were treated to sneak peeks, videos of test drives, and were informed of step-by-step developments during the production phase of the car. The outcome? Over +300,000 Facebook users have signed up so far.
• Revamping Brand Image: The global financial crisis, which was at its peak in 2009, severely impacted the auto industry. One of the companies that was hit hard, not just financially, but also with respect to brand image, was GM. The company’s comeback strategy was smart and creative. With little bank balance remaining, the automaker used social media to explain their recovery plan, showing that they still cared about their customers. The GM: Reinvention campaign, which was launched on Twitter, Facebook as well as blogs, successfully changed GM’s brand image from a financially bleeding company to a transparent and accountable organization.



• Engagement is the Key: When it comes to social media, there is a direct relationship between engagement and ROI. One of the most recent automotive brands to set a benchmark in terms of how to engage with fans and customers in social media is BMW. The company was ranked #1 in the inaugural L2 Prestige 100® Facebook IQ Index. The study evaluated each of their 54 Facebook pages, which were maintained according to various geographic regions, business segments and products. What made BMW the ‘ultimate social machine’ was its highest engagement rate index; and why not? The brand’s global page plays host to 5.5 million fans.

Don’t Drive in the Wrong Direction

The automotive sector jumped onto the social media bandwagon, even as other businesses were in the initial stages of going ’social’. While some companies were only too happy to blog, tweet or post, there were few others who simply had to get involved because that’s where the auto enthusiasts and prospective customers thronged. Nevertheless, the last few years have witnessed a lot of car manufacturers who have successfully transformed their brands by leveraging the power of social advertising and networking. However, where there are success stories, there have also been instances where auto manufacturers have driven in the wrong direction. While building a social media strategy, here are some things that auto makers should keep in mind:



• Tweet with Care: For some marketers, the Twitter journey starts with creating an account, handing the reigns over to a ’social media expert’ and ends in a one-way street, where response from the company is either delayed or completely absent. While Ford Motor Corp’s @ScottMonty Twitter account is the perfect example of responsible Tweeting, Chrysler’s social media faux pas showed how one careless tweet can dent a company’s image.
• Always Listen: The dynamic nature of social networking makes its all the more necessary for marketers to listen, watch and respond to the online buzz concerning their brands. Whether it is fans expressing their dislike for a particular car model, or first-time buyers looking for advice, not monitoring a brand’s social media activities increases the risk of PR crisis. By using media monitoring tools like Brand Monitor, you know exactly how well that snazzy convertible has been received, if the advertising strategy needs to be tweaked further and what you can do to keep customers happy.
• When you Should Own Up: Sometimes the best way out of a sticky situation is to own up, apologize and move on. Chrysler’s response to the ‘F-Bomb’ fiasco was poorly received and only gave the story legs. It is only human to have an ‘oops’ moment occasionally and prospective car buyers understand that. Acknowledging the mistake and taking measures to correct it can save time and prevent the situation from snowballing further.
• Is Your Social Media Strategy Controlled? One of the biggest challenges GM faced with social media was the company’s controlled and reactive approach. The company only reacted to negative comments, without being proactive and engaging in conversations. GM’s controlled presence on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube had almost no user generated content. Automakers particularly need to have an open and proactive online approach because a) most people wondering what car to buy are only too happy when offered assistance b) waiting for prospective customers to approach first may result in a missed opportunity c) buying a car can be an emotionally driven decision for some people; in such cases, a smart dealer or carmaker assisting customers gives out the message that ‘we care’.



• Ironing Out the Imperfections: As an automaker looking to promote products or services on Facebook, you have it all covered; the spec sheet is available, details about the mileage, top speed etc have been included. Yet, the social media page doesn’t look perfect. Although the most important information has been featured, there are some finer details that go into creating that perfect Twitter handle or Facebook page. Here’s what we suggest: a) include as many visuals as possible. Attractive visuals are the key to luring customers b) don’t do a ‘Lamborgini’ or ‘Ferarri’; double-check for misspelling and c) always link to the main website.

Conclusion

Unlike yesterday, when auto makers solely depended on auto shows and traditional marketing channels for visibility and revenue, automobile companies are rapidly taking to social media because of the obvious benefits involved. With industry giants like Ford, Toyota and Honda (to name a few) investing a large part of their marketing spend towards social media, the road ahead for this industry certainly looks inviting. According to J.D. Power, around 9% of spending this year by automakers will be digital. In 2012, this figure is expected to rise to about 12%, as more companies embrace social networking and rich media ads in place of traditional TV and print. With the ever growing ’social’ influence on people’s purchasing behavior, we expect to see both manufacturers as well as dealers depend on Facebook and Twitter to accelerate word-of-mouth recommendations to connect with prospective buyers. Research shows that car buyers are doing their homework online before spending thousands of dollars on a new or a used car. This means fewer people are actually visiting dealerships without having done their research online.

It is every auto manufacturer’s wish to nail social media like Ford or BMW. Although the big players companies have established themselves as industry experts in online marketing, their journey has not been without challenges. While brands like Chrysler showed how powerful a single tweet can be, there were others like GM who leveraged the power of social media during troubled times. That said, the major shift in the way buyers interact with automotive brands indicates just how important online marketing has become for automakers. As the Vitrue CEO Reggie Bradford aptly said, “Social media provides the environment for consumers to drive innovation forward by letting their voices be heard. Brands that are firmly rooted in the social Web will succeed by being able to harness this tremendous power of insight and endorsement.”

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The Challenges of Tweeting

The innumerable social media guide books out there typically advice brands on everything they need to know in order to survive and succeed in the digital space. Although they are usually very comprehensive and cover the basics, we strongly believe that every networking channel is unique and has its specific list of do’s and don’ts that need to be followed. Online marketers focusing mainly on YouTube for instance, will have a completely different set of guidelines from marketers that primarily use Twitter or Facebook. Social media is a double edged sword; while the benefits are many, online marketing has not been without its challenges. In the case of Twitter, it is a great platform for: a) customer service b) posting regular updates about a brand or a particular product c) bringing brands closer to their audience and d) companies looking to extend their reach and gain visibility. According to the “The Fortune 500 and Social Media” yearly report from the Center for Marketing Research:

• American Fortune 500 Companies dramatically increased their participation in Twitter to 60% in 2010, compared with 35% in 2009.
• Three in five companies had active Twitter accounts.
• The industries that were most strongly represented among the Fortune 500 Twitter accounts included retail; food, drug and CPG; and insurance.

The above numbers appear promising and show that companies are already using Twitter to bolster their brand. However, online marketers still hesitate to use the microblogging tool to its maximum potential or give up after the initial enthusiasm wanes out. This lack of confidence could stem from running into common Twitter-hurdles and making mistakes that can be easily avoided.

Unclear Objectives

Rushing into Twitter, without having clearly defined objectives, comes first in our list of the ‘Most Common Twitter Mistakes to Avoid’. As an online marketer, knowing what you want from Twitter not just saves time, but also functions as a safety net for your brand. Making a list of what you expect to achieve for your brand via Twitter can help avoid:

• Irrelevant Tweets: Twitter’s 140 character limit is all the more reason why companies should use this tool wisely. Tweeting about something that has nothing to do with your brand increases the risk of losing followers and invites unnecessary backlash. This is what happened in the case of Habitat, a trendy furniture store in the UK. The company’s need for visibility did get them attention, although of the wrong kind. When the @HabitatUK account started to use #hashtags such as #iPhone, #mms, #Apple, which had absolutely nothing to do with furniture, decorating, or shopping, the company was accused of posting irrelevant content. The Twitter community was disappointed with Habitat’s incorrect use of hashtags to tweet information that was completely unrelated to the company.
• Missing Out on Your Audience: Unclear goals mean you don’t know who to follow. Simply tweeting without having a specific audience in mind not only wastes time but also translates into unproductive use of the microblogging site. Brands that jump in without thinking about who to follow either end up following the wrong audience or have trouble going further.
• Getting Left Behind: One of the biggest reasons why many brands get abroad the social media bandwagon is because they want to stay ahead of the competition or avoid getting left behind. This is true especially in the case of Twitter. However, ambiguity regarding your goals or the ‘tweet first, decide later’ approach simply increases the possibility of getting left behind. How? When you don’t know what to tweet, you won’t know how to proceed!

A Half-Baked Profile Page

Why is it important to have a well-thought-out Twitter profile? One of the first things that potential followers will check out is your brand’s Twitter profile page. Half-hearted attempts at designing a profile page gives out the message that you were either in a hurry to start tweeting or simply didn’t consider it important enough to invest time on. Setting up a detailed profile on Twitter is simple, takes very little time and effort and gives people some sort of context on what your brand does. Having trouble getting started? Here are a few pointers that should help:

• Upload that Picture: The default Twitter egg for a profile picture will hardly come across as ‘egg-citing’ to your followers. Recent research from Dan Zarrella, author and Hubspot’s “social media and viral marketing scientist,” shows that Twitter accounts with profile images attract more followers. We think this is especially true in the case of brands that are new to Twitter and are in the process of building their follower count and want to gain visibility. This, however, does not mean uploading an irrelevant image or having a cartoon character representing your brand. The ‘avatar’ photo should represent your brand. Our suggestion? Going with the company logo is good choice.
• Custom Twitter Background: Having a custom Twitter background will help your brand stand out from the crowd. While some brands’ background is generic and says nothing about their business, the others try to include too much, making it appear chaotic. The @Ford account is the great example of how a company can achieve the perfect balance between too much and too little background content.
• Filling Out the Bio: In addition to uploading a relevant profile picture and having a well-laid out background, it is important to take time off to fill in the ‘bio’ field. A brief description of the company’s area of expertise, along with some contact details will give potential followers the required information about the brand. Also, don’t forget to include a link to the company’s website.

Hibernating vs. Hyperactivity

Many companies start off with great enthusiasm and run out of steam somewhere along the way. The abrupt silence could result in reducing a brand’s follower count and may lead to frustrated customers probably wondering about the sudden inactivity. The other extreme is when marketers shower followers with an overload of tweets. For an online marketer, striking the right balance between hibernation vs. being overactive on Twitter is all about:

• Timing: Space out your tweets in a digestible format for your followers. Tweeting at regular intervals gives brands larger reach and makes them look professional. Other benefits include less ‘noise’, reduced probability of losing followers and giving people enough time to read and assimilate information.
• Avoiding Spam: Sometimes attempts to expand reach and promote a product or service can go out of control and turn users off. Sending direct messages (DM) when not required, simply retweeting others in your industry, sending @ messages to someone you don’t know or trying to sell something to the wrong audience are examples of how you can spam innocent social media users. Japanese Coffee Company, UCC, tried to rush into Twitter by randomly broadcasting their messages to unsuspecting social media users during the launch phase of their “Good Coffee Smile” campaign. The company’s unwise use of an automated program that sent an @ reply to everyone who tweeted keywords like “coffee” or “contest” was not well received. Additionally, the company overloaded users with a preset advertisement tweet related to their contest, which invariably resulted in Twitter users complaining that they were being spammed by UCC. Our advice? Take your time, figure out what you wish to convey and who you wish to target in advance, and use the DM, @ and retweet commands judiciously.
• Engaging: Too much sales talk and too little engagement can cost precious followers. Marketers need to understand that, in order to connect with customers, it is important to actually engage with them first. While it is tempting to give a Twitter monologue without engaging in a dialogue, being your own brand ambassador all the time will encourage your users to label you as ‘boring’ and move on. Keep in mind, Twitter is all about give and take; you need to show your followers you are interested in them just as much as they are in you.

Are You Monitoring your Twitter Account?

Your Twitter marketing strategy has checked all the right boxes. You have the goals in place, boast a solid Twitter profile, engage with your customers, and even know your target audience and when and what you should be tweeting to them. You have it all covered right? Well almost. Twitter, being one of the most active social media channels in the networking space, needs to be monitored closely. Companies using Twitter as an integral part of their marketing plan need to invest in social media monitoring tools such as Brand Monitor because:

• Twitter is Where Most of the Conversation Takes Place: The real-time nature of Twitter makes its all the more necessary for companies to monitor the influence of their brand and measure the impact of their messages. Also, most people who want to talk about a brand or a campaign take to Twitter because it’s the ideal platform to start a trending topic (by creating #hashtags). Twitter is where most of the conversations take place; if you aren’t there watching, then you could be missing out on valuable information about your business.
• This Reduces Spam: As your brand’s presence on Twitter continues to grow, the possibility of unintentionally spamming users increases. Listening to your customers, finding out what type of content they appreciate etc will prevent you from spamming their Twitter accounts with irrelevant content.
• It Helps Decide if Twitter is Where you Should be: When it comes to deciding between the various networking channels out there, marketers are often spoilt for choice and are not sure what works best for their brand. We suggest analyzing the conversations, and finding out what networking platform has the maximum volumes pertaining to your brand. If Twitter is not where you should be, then this is possibly why your efforts at microblogging are not yielding the desired results.

Conclusion

A recent study by eMarketer shows that, on an average, 30.6% of Twitter users follow between one and five brands. With the growing number of Twitter users, we only expect this number to increase in the next few years. For social media marketers that mainly use Twitter, the future looks promising. While it is great that the microblogging site is being perceived as a serious online marketing tool, the ride on the Twitter bandwagon can sometimes get bumpy. Also, in the rush to tweet, brands sometimes tend to overlook the basics and are faced with roadblocks that could have otherwise been avoided.

Our research shows the most common Twitter mistakes can sometimes cost companies followers, besides affecting the brand image. It is natural for even the most social-media savvy brands to slip-up once in a while. Take a deep breath… Twitter can be one of the best things that happened to your brand or business. We believe that there is nothing a little careful planning and monitoring cannot overcome. This, along with optimum engagement, scheduling of tweets, and having a well-thought out Twitter profile page will ensure that your ride is smooth and you don’t press the panic button too often.

Twitter is powerful marketing tool that allows brands to connect, share, develop relationships and enhance their sphere of influence. A few hurdles along the way shouldn’t deter marketers from using Twitter to its maximum potential.

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The need to balance your social media mix

In 2010, industry experts predicted Facebook to see exponential growth in the years to come; and rightly so. Facebook saw its active user base (outside the US) grow by over 19 million in just four months (October 2010-February 2011), signaling that the networking giant was clearly the king of social media. Predictions for Twitter indicate that it will have a steady 2011, while LinkedIn is expected to witness strong growth in the next five years. According to eMarketer, in 2012, 88% companies in the US will use social media tools for marketing purposes. This brings us to the question of what social media tools are best suited for your marketing needs.

Automotive giants such as Ford and GM lean heavily on Twitter for marketing their products and engaging with customers; a strategy that has worked for them. However, solely using microblogging tools like Twitter may throw your social media mix out of balance. While every tool has its strengths and restrictions, it is important to use them in an integrated manner for achieving the right balance. For instance, if you tweet more than 25 times a day, perhaps you are better off blogging. In addition to popular sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook, recent entrants such as Quora and Focus are some of the options to choose from.

According to Jeremiah Owyang, sensible Twitter use involves focusing on fewer, high quality tweets instead of overloading followers with too many tweets. Data from ‘The Social Break-Up‘ (a study conducted by ExactTarget and CoTweet) shows that: 41% of people felt that their Twitter stream had become ‘too crowded with marketing messages’; 39% indicated that companies posted too frequently; and 21% said tweets were ‘too promotional’.

Here are some reasons why online marketers should incorporate other social media tools in addition to Twitter:

• Tweets are hard to find after being published. Facebook, on the other hand enables users to sort their news items in an organized fashion.



• Google research shows that the average worldwide Facebook traffic, in terms of search volumes, has seen significant growth between 2009 and 2011. Twitter, on the other hand, has some catching up to do.
• Marketers and advertisers using Facebook and other sites are more likely to generate ROI when compared to those using Twitter in isolation.



• HubSpot’s “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing” report highlighted the importance of Facebook and Twitter in 2011 business strategies at 44% ( up 24% in two years) and 38% (up 21% in two years) respectively.
• While Twitter personalizes your online presence, LinkedIn adds a professional touch. Potential clients looking for information about your company are more likely to trust LinkedIn than your twitter profile. To achieve a balance, it would be a good idea to install the LinkedIn Tweets application on your profile.

Smartly Using the Big Three

As a marketing professional, the first step is to familiarize yourself with different social media tools before determining what works best for you. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn or the ‘big three’, as they are popularly known, can yield dividends and drive traffic if used in the right manner. Utilizing the social media tools that are most suited for your business depends on what your goals are.

Facebook

Experts forecast Facebook to garner nearly 750 million users by the end of this year. Currently, the ‘Facebook for Business‘ group boasts 57,123 members. Staggering figures like these are tempting enough to lure you into focusing your social media strategy entirely on Facebook; but is it a good idea to do so? Absolutely! if you want to:

• Attract new customers through creative promotions: Toy store chain Toys “R” Us launched a holiday promotion two years ago, where the company encouraged visitors to become ‘fans’ on their Facebook page. In return, the toy store promised customers great discounts and other incentives. The promotion saw almost 90,000 new fans sign up in just one day, in addition to a significant increase in sales at a time when other companies were facing financial crunch.
• Establish a Client Base: By using Facebook you can connect to potential clients with the least amount of effort. A smart move, if you want to establish a meaningful client relationship.
• Get Noticed: Marketers today are turning to Facebook to stand out in an otherwise crowded digital space. The fact that Facebook allows for uploading of images and videos of your products adds value to your brand and helps grab some positive attention. When the marketing department at Coca-Cola wanted to improve the company’s image in the digital space, they decided to get creative with photos on Facebook. The beverage giant’s innovative approach to social media gained all the necessary attention and placed it in the spotlight.
• Lure Fans to Physical Locations or Events: Facebook’s location-based app, Facebook Places, is a great way to convert fans to actual shoppers by convincing them to visit the brick and mortar store. By using this app, your company can provide incentives for people to come to a physical location or event. Despite being around only for a few months now, quite a few brands such as Westfield Valley Fair have integrated this feature into their marketing programs.

Can a B2B company effectively use Facebook? Why not? E-Commerce shopping cart provider, BigCommerce, regularly reaches out to its Facebook fan base to identify reference customers and unearth interesting use cases for the media. In 2010, the company promoted the success of its Facebook app by posting a query on its page asking which customers had witnessed an increase in sales from the app and who would be willing to talk to the media. The company generated 15 new customer references within 24 hours and immediately converted this information into media coverage.

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is a great tool for:


• Recruitment: Irrespective of whether you are a marketing company or otherwise, LinkedIn is the perfect place to reach potential employees. For example, if your company is looking to hire social media experts, LinkedIn is the one place to look. Although Facebook and Twitter, to an extent, can be used to check out candidates, LinkedIn’s status as a professional networking tool gives it the edge. HR managers at companies such as Accenture and SABMiller use LinkedIn in their hiring processes.
• Increasing Visibility: While Facebook and Twitter are for personal connections (recommended for B2C companies), we suggest B2B companies use LinkedIn because of the site’s focus on professional contacts. To increase visibility, you company profile on LinkedIn should a) feature information on the company’s background and history b) list out awards, testimonials and honors received and c) publish the company’s LinkedIn URL on all marketing collateral, including business cards, email signatures, email newsletters, web sites and brochures, so prospects learn more about you. That said, answering the questions posed by clients and users, and providing and receiving recommendations from your connections are also effective in improving visibility.
• Establishing Contacts and Building Business Relationships: To begin with a) you could do look for people or companies by using the search feature b) research your prospects before meeting or getting in touch with them c) increase your network by joining industry and alumni groups related to your business and d) share useful articles that will interest customers and prospects.
• Improving your Google PageRank and Enhance Search Engine Results: Using this professional networking tool your company’s profile information can be made available for search engines to index. Profiles on LinkedIn receive a reasonably high PageRank in Google, making it a good way to influence what people see when they search for your company profile.

LinkedIn is full of opportunities for B2B companies. By using a combination of LinkedIn and other social networking sites, mid-size market research and consulting firm, Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) increased its reach within the market research community. The company established contacts, fostered business relationships and researched various case studies via LinkedIn, resulting in the generation of over 1,400 leads in just nine months.

Twitter:

For companies that already have a presence on other networking sites, Twitter can function as an added advantage. For instance, Virtusa, a global IT services company, has integrated social media into its PR and marketing strategies. The company uses Twitter along with other social media tools and blogs to supplement its existing marketing efforts.

• Twitter is great for updating your followers about ‘what you are doing’.
• You can follow competitors in the industry and know when something ‘worth reacting’ happens.
• Giving a personal touch to your brand is best done through Twitter. Automotive brand Ford’s @Ford official account does not have as many followers as the company’s @ScottMonty account (Scott Monty is the head of social media at Ford). The reason for this being Monty’s personal touch to the tweets.
• Twitter is very effective in providing 24/7 customer service in social media. JetBlue Airways maintains a Twitter list of off duty reps so that customers can know who they are interacting with at any given point in time.

Sensibly using the big three is centered on figuring out what your goals are. If the needs of your company are close to the goals discussed above, then the right social media combination (Twitter+Facebook, LinkedIn+Twitter, LinkedIn+Facebook etc) will help get your business to the next level.

Using Blogs Judiciously

Ever wondered how blogs can benefit your business? The last few years have seen blogs grow into powerful marketing tools. eMarketer’s study shows that the percentage of US companies that are poised to use blogs for marketing will increase from 34% in 2010 to 43% in 2012.

A well written blog can:

• Increase your website traffic & sales by attracting visitors and redirecting them to your company website through links and offers.
• Give a human voice to your business: For customers, the fact that there is a ‘real’ person answering their queries can be reassuring. When IBM decided to start using blogs, they did not simply create one blog, but managed to create an entire network. Through the blog, IBM gave customers an insight into what happens behind the scenes, thus highlighting ‘the people’ behind their products.
• Give you increased presence on major search engines: For instance, by using Google’s blogging tool, every post created in turn creates a new page on Google. This way you can have a lot of pages pointing to your site, bringing in a lot of visitors.
• Establish you as an Industry expert: posting relevant and valuable information regularly will establish you as an expert in your subject area. This gives your brand credibility, earning customer trust. General Mills’ strategy to establish itself as a health and nutrition expert in the food space saw the company target mommy bloggers. The company’s Mommy Club blog features nutrition tips, calorie charts and general information on how to eat better and live healthy.

The Importance of Videos

The current YouTube crazy generation is proof enough that video marketing is poised for a huge growth in the years to come. Forrester Research shows that videos are 50 times more likely to receive organic first page ranking then traditional text pages. The equation is simple:

1. More videos on more sites= increased results.
2. More results= more clicks, which translates into more sales.
3. Increased sales= Increase in ROI.

Although there are several digital marketing tools to choose from, videos engage people in a way that static text and images cannot. If you’re considering including videos in your marketing mix, we suggest tying videos with important keywords to increase the likelihood of your content showing up on the first page of search engine results. According to the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report:

• Larger Businesses are more likely to use videos (including YouTube) when compared to SMBs.



• Besides other social media marketing tools, nearly all marketers with +3 years of social media experience use videos.
• Marketers investing 40+ hours per week in social media are much more focused on videos (and blogs to an extent) when compared to those investing a few hours a week.
• When compared to B2C companies, B2B companies are more focused on videos. For instance, Thompson Reuters expanded its social media mix to include videos to satisfy the changing needs of corporate customers and reach out to prospects.
• 77% marketers have indicated that YouTube/video is a top area where they plan to increase their social media efforts in the future.

Most marketers know that videos help a) boost customer interaction b) drive sales c) encourage viral sharing d) and build brand awareness. Although, it is not necessary that every viral campaign will end up being the next Old Spice Ad, here are some reasons why you should use videos and how they can add value to your business:

• Spice Up your Website: by using YouTube or other available alternatives you can embed videos on your website. Ensuring that the videos uploaded are easy to share can be done by adding a ’share this’ button. This enables viewers to pass them along via other social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter etc).
• Using videos in Online Ads: Online video ads are highly effective in driving sales. Viewers of online video ads are most likely to visit the advertiser’s website or look for additional product information, thus increasing the possibility of sales.
• Keep it Simple: Creating a video is easy; however, the golden rule of digital marketing is to keep in short, simple and to-the-point. Time-strapped viewers may not have patience with lengthy videos. Creating 30-second to 2 minute videos will ensure your audience stays interested by avoiding information overload.
• Getting Exposure: Videos that feature valuable content pull traffic and increase brand exposure. Also, displaying your company’s website address by adding a text box to your video is an excellent way to get noticed.

Marketing videos are great to drive home a point to potential customers and contribute to your business’ success. By incorporating creative and interesting marketing videos on your website you can not only make sales pitches, but also introduce new products. We recommend using videos as an integral part of your marketing mix as they are fairly inexpensive, highly accessible and simple to create.

Conclusion

With so many social media platforms to choose from, each with its own advantages and limitations, it’s easy for marketers to try and fit in everything in an attempt to harness maximum benefits. This can often be confusing as social media is a crowded place. Twitter, on one hand, is perfect for sharing information and engaging with customers; however, it becomes necessary to sync Twitter with other tools if you want to get the most out of your social media marketing plan. Selecting the right social media mix is centered on the purpose of your marketing plan and the company type. The smart approach here would firstly involve figuring this out and then integrating two or more social media platforms.

While Facebook continues to be the undisputed leader of social networking, with Twitter and LinkedIn the hot favorites, blogs and videos are poised to make their presence felt as well. In fact, the versatility offered by videos and blogs makes them flexible enough to be used in tandem with other tools. Facebook, for instance, can feature company videos, whist LinkedIn can be used to share links to your blog(s) and company website(s); the possibilities are endless.

Social media is dynamic and presents unprecedented marketing opportunity. With nearly 90% of marketers and brands placing high value on social media, we recommend marketers to move beyond experimenting and focus on a social media mix that works best for them.

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I was excited by the large turn-out at the Q&A session I hosted in Santa Clara at SMX West—the popular conference for online and search engine marketing experts.

Leading up to the SMX conference what weighed on my mind was the obvious—our collective anxiety about the recession and the ubiquitous pressure to do more with less. Focusing the Q&A on strategies and spending choices across PPC, SEO and Social Media Marketing must have struck a chord because we covered more questions in greater depth than I anticipated.

The savvy search marketers at SMX zeroed in on questions like “PPC advertising–Technology or Human Driven?” and “Social Media Marketing for brand reputation monitoring and brand healing?”. Folks wanted to hear about Ford’s Scott Monty smartly using social media to nip a PR nightmare in the bud. I went on to explain how a major travel firm used the social media group at Position2 to turn around negative sentiment from a promotion gone wrong.

In these tough times, every search/online marketing manager and CMO is ready to listen to innovative approaches. I’m glad the Q&A lifted attention from each company’s specific business challenges and the sometimes arcane technical aspects of a conference for experts. To view the full Q&A presentation visit

http://www.position2.com/toughtimes-toughquestions.html.

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