rmm - social media for small businesses
TRANSCRIPT
*Why social media works
*What is social media?
All of the activities, platforms and practices that enable users to share, co-create, recommend and filter knowledge, opinions and content.
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*Building trusting relationships
It influences the nature of people’s relationships and level of trust in an organisation
*It works for multiple business teams
It enables organisations to build stronger relationships with customers, employees, partners, supporters, the media…
It can help numerous organisational departments and teams meet their objectives
*Success requires integration & collaboration
It requires these teams to work together to extract maximum benefit from their activity
*In summary, social media:
Helps people share, co-create, filter and recommend information
Influences relationships and level of trust in an organisation
Enables organisations to build stronger relationships with customers, employees, partners, supporters, the media…
Helps multiple business teams meet their objectives
Requires these teams to work together to create maximum benefit
*What are small businesses doing in social media spaces?
*Six areas of activity
*1. Listen Listening involves monitoring relevant conversations in social media
spaces Listen for comments on your organisation, products, services,
competitors or topics that might drive customer preference Listening gives you insight into your market-place, audience and how
they interact with your organisation It also helps you identify customer service issues Useful free tools: Google Alerts (online mentions) BoardTracker
(forum mentions) and Tweetdeck (Twitter) Paid-for tools: Scoutlabs, Alterian SM2 (with a freemium service) and
Sentiment Metrics and ViralHeat (which is a low cost solution)
*Chief listener: Kodak Kodak ‘s ‘Chief Listening
Officer’ monitors and gathers any mention of Kodak across social media
Kodak uses mentions to inform product R&D, brand comms and customer service
*2. Respond Respond to customers who are making comments about your
organisation, products and services in social spaces Responding to queries and mitigating complaints helps to build
positive sentiment towards your organisation As it is done in public social spaces, it can effect not only the person
who asks the initial question, but anyone searching online who has a similar issue
Monitor and categorise any feedback and create a suitable response Be polite, respond promptly and respond authentically – maintain a
friendly, personal tone while taking customer issues seriously
*Customer service: Dishoom
Dishoom restaurant monitors and responds to customer comments on Twitter
Quick responses to complaints made via social media - and encouragement to take serious issues offline
Over 1,000 followers on Twitter
*3. Engage Proactively join conversations in your own and third-party social media
spaces with your customers and other stakeholders (e.g. media) Engaging in relevant online discussions will help generate awareness,
interest and consideration of your organisation’s point of view – as well as driving traffic to your own online properties.
Create content on your organisation’s blog, generate discussion through comments and proactively contribute to discussions across relevant forums, newsgroups and social networks.
Identify relevant niche conversation topics on social networks and then decide how to participate
*Niche blogs: Xerox Xerox hosts a number of
blogs focused on niche topics
Very specific content enables Xerox to target and engage deeply with niche communities
13 niche topic blogs on the Xerox network
*4. Network Make and receive relevant introductions to prospects, partners and
media within your own business social network This will increase the size of your network by exchanging introductions Use your own or a third-party networking site (e.g. LinkedIn) to join
communities which provide a platform to facilitate introductions LinkedIn is a free, business-oriented social networking site and
enables users to set up and manage communities focused around specific topics
Make sure your introductions are relevant and of a high quality – don’t just link for the sake of it
*OPEN forum: AMEX American Express’
OPEN forum enables small business owners to network and discuss ideas
AMEX becomes synonymous with the concept of innovation in small businesses
*5. Enlist Use social media to turn your best and most vocal
customers into advocates for your organisation Encourage users to leave feedback publicly, in social
spaces Create ambassador programmes for reward customers for
advocacy Create social objects for advocates to share easily among
their networks – e.g. video clips, comment pieces, online vouchers…
*TripAdvisor reviews: Mandarin Oriental
Mandarin Oriental hotels actively drive users to leave feedback on TripAdvisor
Generates trust and public advocacy as customers view feedback left on third-party site
The original Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong is the no. 1 hotel on TripAdvisor for Hong Kong, with 308 reviews
*6. Transform Use your own community to discuss, debate and feedback on
ways in which your products and services can be improved Collaborate with your customers and partners to evolve and
improve products & services Collaborate with your employees through Enterprise 2.0 tools
(e.g. Yammer, BlueKiwi) Ensure participating stakeholders are aware that you have
implemented their feedback – publicise any product changes and thank them for their input
*User-generated menus: AJ Bombers
Burger joint, AJ Bombers, invites user input for all aspects of their products
Products and services constantly revolve around what users want
Sales of items promoted via social media have risen 30%
*In summary: Use social media to:1. Listen
2. Respond
3. Engage
4. Network
5. Enlist
6. Transform
