rules of engagement - meaningful communications strategies in the digital age, july 2012

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Lars Voedisch Communications Strategist lars@preciouscomms.com

Rules of Engagement Meaningful Communications Strategies in the Digital Age

@larsv

Your reputation is precious…

• Communications Strategy

• Traditional & Social Media Relations

• Crisis Preparedness

• Internal Communications

• Media Training

• Analysis, Measurement, Research

Our services,

Your value!

Lars Voedisch

Communications Strategist

lars@preciouscomms.com

@larsv

Rules of Engagement Meaningful Communications Strategies in the Digital Age

• Social Media Today

• The Big Cultural Shift

• Role of New Media Engagements

• Overcoming Challenges

• Integrating Communications with Your Business Strategy

People

Processes

Policies

Who is… Lars Voedisch? International Communications Strategist

• Lars is an experienced global communications and business professional with 15 years expertise in growing, managing and defending leading global brands’ reputation across industry sectors.

Background & Expertise

• Clients include: AT&T, Citi, Coca Cola, DBS, GIC, Honda, ING, Macquarie, Motorola, Panasonic, Porsche, Procter & Gamble, Yahoo!, VMware

• Companies he worked for: Hitradio Antenne, AIESEC, DHL, Fleishman-Hillard, Dow Jones, Hill+Knowlton Strategies

• Experience in public relations, internal communications, marketing, journalism, as well as M&A, crisis and change management

• International working, training and team leadership experience on five continents

• Sought-after moderator and speaker on social media, public relations and communications thought leadership

Personal Background

• German by birth; living in Asia (Hong Kong / Singapore) for 9 years

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Social Media affecting our lifes…

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Misconceptions about Social Media

1. Build it and they will come

2. Using Social Media to broadcast, not to LISTEN

3. It’s FREE!!!

4. You have to react to each negative comment

5. No plan or objective

6. Tracking the wrong stuff

Source: The 7 Misconceptions of Social Media, Mike Lewis

Dealing with

Social Media is an ART:

Authentic

Relevant

Transparent

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Source: What happens on the Internet every 60 seconds - Rosa Golijan

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Source: What happens on the Internet every 60 seconds - Rosa Golijan

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Source: What happens on the Internet every 60 seconds - Rosa Golijan

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It’s not about technology,

It’s about relationships!

Don’t Panic! Focus on the Influencers 90-9-1 Principle: The Inequality of the Web

Source: Jakob Nielsen - Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute 10

• Be (Seen) Innovative – But Please Don’t Take Any Risk, Use Only Proven Methods

The BIG Cultural Dilemma

Online Engagement? Customers are very demanding!

[Brands] have to surprise me, not only meet my needs, but anticipate my needs. By using social media exclusively, I think the company has to

answer me whenever I have a question, enlighten me whenever I complain, and thank me whenever I compliment them.

Source: The Language of Love in Social Media - Firefly Millward Brown

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• From natural respect to suspicion

• Are you approachable?

• Why would people want to connect with you?

The BIG Cultural Dilemma #2

More pressure than anytime before

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” Source: IABC professional member, www.iabc.com

“

Make sure

you’re doing stuff

that matters to

the business

and contributes

to its success

15 Source: Blurring Lines, Turf Battles and Tweets: The Real Impact of Integrated Communications on Marketing and PR

Challenge Within Organisations: Who ‘Owns’ Social Media?

Challenge Within Organisations: Who ‘Owns’ Social Media?

Who Cares?

16 Source: Blurring Lines, Turf Battles and Tweets: The Real Impact of Integrated Communications on Marketing and PR

17 Source: Digital Life 2011 - TNS

32%

11%

13%

45%

‘Digital waste’ polluting the online world?

43% of Singapore consumers don’t want to be bothered in social

networks

18 Source: Digital Life 2011 - TNS

32%

11%

13%

45%

What are people saying?

19 Source: Paid Owned Earned – Nick Burcher

32%

11%

13%

45%

The Paid / Owned / Earned Ecosystem

Social Media to be leveraged across a company: Different functions, uses and values

Source: Socialize your organization – Richard Binhammer / Dell

The PR Perspective:

Social or not – it’s Media Relations?!

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Social Media Relations: Everything Changes!?

Everything Changes

• It’s about two-way conversations

• You’ve to deal with more channels

• We HAVE to listen and understand what’s said!

• What about those negative comments and posts?

• The game get’s so much faster

Nothing Changes

• You’ve to manage relationships

• So it’s wires, print, broadcast – and social media

• You already: monitor and analyze your media coverage

• Not every negative comment means a crisis

• Already forgot newswires? Look at trends over time

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Source: CEOs Who Tweet Held in High Regard - eMarketer

32%

11%

13%

45%

Social Media’s Internal Impact CEOs Who Tweet Held in High Regard

82% of

employees trust

a company

more when the

CEO and

leadership team

communicate

via social

media.

© 2012 by PRecious Communications 23

32%

11%

13%

45%

Social CEO Index

© 2012 by PRecious Communications 24

Social Media is about Content What Should We Be Talking About?

Source: Developing your conversation sphere - CommsCorner

Your… products, offers, service,

people

Industry…

trends, news,

data, advice E.g. Technology,

Legislation,

Competition

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OF

FL

INE

O

NL

INE

BUILDING (DEEPER) ENGAGEMENT

Integration is Key – or Waste

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Marketing, Editorial… Conversation Calendar It’s all about planning – On- & Offline

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What happens in Huili county / Sichuan…

How to Deal with Comments – YOUR Response Plan

• Comment / Blog Post Validity

• Level of Responsibility

• Level of Respect

• The Commenter is a Troll / Rager

• The Commenter is a Spammer by Nature

Source: PR 2.0 Comment Response Chart 37

The BIGGER picture: What’s your engagement plan?

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What can/should your staff say – or not? Do you have a proper escalation path? How do you get ready for ‘beta’ mode?

Does every scenario need the same response?

Time

Impact

Analyze

Engage

Monitor

Discover

People Process Policies

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40 Source: Not So SMRT: A Case Study of Communications Failure - Skribe

Key Learnings

1) Speed is critical (on Twitter) 2) Honesty is a virtue 3) Make your CEO visible 4) Brands have to be on alert in order to

correct any false assumptions before they reach critical mass

5) Track it

How well are YOU prepared?

Source: The Rising CCO IV – Spencer Stuart / Webber Shandwick 41

CCOs rank social media as their top challenge in the year ahead

1. unexpected (i.e., a surprise)

2. creates uncertainty

3. is seen as a threat to important goals

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Reputational Risk: It’s all about perception...

Emergence:

Issue gets

public

Spreading:

Growing

interest

Establishment:

Full crisis

Erosion:

Relevance

declines

Potential:

Known areas

YOU?

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Emergence:

Issue gets

public

Spreading:

Growing

interest

Establishment:

Full crisis

Erosion:

Relevance

declines

Potential:

Known areas

YOU?

Time is crucial for managing risk

as it allows you to stay in the

‘driver seat’

Reputational Risk: It’s all about perception...

If a crisis happens:

Get it fast,

Get it right,

Get it out, and

Get it over!

Your problem won’t improve with age. N. Augustine, CEO Lockhead Martin

Crisis Survival Lessons for the Social Media Age

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In a crisis, consumers need honest answers and

they need them fast – and no messaging vehicle is better suited to meet this demand than those fueling

the crisis in the first place.

Transparent engagements in the online communities, where your customers already live,

provide a credible and direct channel for the answers they need.

Are we too proud? Sorry seems to be the hardest word…

• Don't RE-act right away

• Acknowledge - Don't be angry

• Admit the mistake and apologize

• Take ownership

• Ask for forgiveness and make the needed changes – use the magic words: “I’m sorry” and “thank you”

46 Source: When You're Wrong, Say You're Sorry - SOLUTIONS: Social Media

Pressing the delete button for comments? Some reasons that might be acceptable…

• Racism

• Sexism

• Verbal abuse

• Inappropriate language

• Pornographic content

• (Blatant hostile behaviour toward other community members)

However: It is imperative that you have a policy on your Facebook page if you choose to delete content!

47 Source: 5 ways to handle negative Facebook comments - PR Daily

Time to start or review

Review your current policies for engagement Do scenario / crisis planning White-board your process

Draw and distribute

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The world we live in…

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Social Media Disaster “Highlights”

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Know your audience, know what’s important for them… and know when you’re

logged in with your company account!

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Social Media Disaster “Highlights”

‘News jacking’ is a nice idea – but be sensitive!

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Social Media Disaster “Highlights”

Timing is everything… and knowing what’s actually happening in your company

The Inside Look: How do you WANT your staff to use Social Media?

• Do you have a social media policy?

• Is your policy easy to read? Can you make it an engaging experience?

• Is it welcoming to employees and customers, or does it sound like it was written by lawyers?

• In addition to your policy, are you educating your employees on how to properly use social media in a way that will help them as well as help tell your brand story?

53 Source: Is Your Social Media Policy Hurting Your Brand? - MENG

Social Media Policy - Examples

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Transparency Protection

Respect Responsibility

Utilization

Respect Responsibility

Representation

We heard about the Bad and the Ugly…. Let’s switch to the ‘Good’: The Old Spice Campaign

Source: W + K Old Spice Case Study

How Much Time Does Social Media Engagement Take? Data is everywhere – you need meaningful analysis!

Source: How much time does social media marketing take - Gigaom / Aliza Sherman 56

58 Source: PR and social media trends for 2012 – BizCommunity

PR and social media trends for 2012

• Engagement over likes

• Your brand needs to be available 24/7

• Harness the power of consumer influencers

• Synchronise web PR with social media

• Quality content worth sharing

• Paid, earned or shared

• Look for opportunities in the now

• Don't ignore mobile

• It's all in the metrics

• Global brands have to be integrated

Future-Proofing Public Relations Who do YOU want to be?

Critical Analytical Skills

No Analytical Skills

Strategic Business

Orientation Vanity

Publishing

Gamblers Winners

Ostriches Bluffers

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Rules of Engagement – Things to Consider

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Get your processes right • Monitor • Analyze • Discover • Engage / Respond

What you need: • A PLAN & Resources! • Scenario planning & Reaction Plans • Guidelines

There is no one-size-fits-all • Better start small than not at all • Form a team • Have fun!

People Processes

Policies

‘Classic’ Case Study: Domino’s YouTube Experience

• Domino’s Pizza Chain discovered the power of viral marketing last month: two employees in the US filmed "prank" videos of themselves stuffing cheese up their noses and then putting it into sandwiches.

• The video went popular on YouTube (over 1 million views), and Twitter lit up with disgusted customer complaints.

• Domino’s apologized and put its own President on YouTube, started a Twitter response site;

• Still: In just a few days, Domino’s reputation was damaged.

Who in YOUR organization would go on Youtube?

What to wear? What to say?

Who to talk to? Are you ready?

Nobody will wait for you…!

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Lars Voedisch

Communications Strategist

lars@preciouscomms.com

@larsv

Your reputation is precious…

• Communications Strategy

• Traditional & Social Media Relations

• Crisis Preparedness

• Internal Communications

• Media Training

• Analysis, Measurement, Research

Let’s talk!

Lars Voedisch

Communications Strategist

lars@preciouscomms.com

@larsv

• Independent, boutique communications consultancy

• Based out of Singapore, at home in Asia and Europe

• Globally connected via affiliation with

About us…

+65 - 9170 2470

larsvoed

229 Mountbatten Road

#02-41 Mountbatten Square

Singapore 398007

lars@preciouscomms.com

Facebook.com/PReciousComms

Twitter.com/PReciousComms