smashfly transform: how ge built a billion-dollar brand on $0

HOW GE BUILT A BILLION-DOLLAR BRAND ON A $0 BUDGET

Shaunda Z i l i chGlobal Employment Brand Leader , GE

“ I f you went to bed la s t n igh t as an indus t r i a l company , you ’ re go ing to wake up today as a so f tware and ana ly t i c s company. ”

– Jeff Immelt

A Perfect Storm• NOW a Digital Industrial company • We brand GE with PEOPLE• Transparency is “in”• We sell experiences!

Social Media StrategyWhy?• Organic – Free• Targeted – Dynamic• Conversational

Social Media StrategyHow?• Study up! # and @• The content is out there!• 90/10 rule• Win/Win• Team of curators!

Social Media StrategyKey Elements:• Goals• Audience• Content calendar• What is success?• Longevity

Employee Advocates• All GE employees• Equip: training and

amplification• Brand-centric to people-

centric• Start with “Why”• Connect to emotions,

connect to candidates: “Why”

Technology Tsunami!!• Own it!• Simpli fy i t : need vs.

want• Leapfrog i t: think l ike a

marketer– I t ’ s been done be fo re ! –

Marke t ing!– Take care o f l eads– Dynamic exper iences –

Amazon i t !– Conversa t i on

Marketing is a Partner• Patience is a virtue• Numbers, numbers,

numbers• Don’t stomp on their

efforts• Give them content!• Rethink things! Be a

disruptor!

Action Plan• Organic social media

strategy• Employee advocacy• Own your technology

choices!• Stop complaining! Be

fr iends with marketing!

Selling Experiences.Finding

Purpose.

B O S T O N | 2 0 1 6