Strategic Public Relations

Social Media: More than Twitter and Facebook? Uh, yeah.

The following post is based on a discussion at the Cincinnati Social Media LinkedIn Group.

In what seems to be a race to oversimplify EVERYTHING, we're creating misdefinitions. In many cases there's simply (a lot) more to the story.

Social media provides the latest example. Do you know anyone with "T&F Tunnel Vision?" This unfortunate condition involves the assumption that the social media landscape starts and ends with Twitter and Facebook.

I've ranted about this before -- more than a few times. And I'm taking this well-worn soapbox with me down to SXSW for a panel discussion I'm on with David Binkowski and Krista Neher about influencers. Simple math shows the folly in T&F Tunnel Vision and Geoff Livingston deconstructs Twitter in a recent post.

Recently I was reminded about an uber-important site for any local strategy -- Yelp.  

Think Local, Act Social (with Yelp)
Alex Shebar and I connected recently so I could get up to speed on his role as Yelp's Cincinnati community manager as well as some functionality to the site of which I was unaware. I've used Yelp before. But until recently I had not visited frequently/regularly.

It's safe to say I'm a minority in Cincinnati. Ohio has community managers in three cities: Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. That's rare and speaks to our level of activity on the site. States larger than ours have only one manager in one city.

Yelp became a bigger focus for me when looking at how small businesses are using social media. In a recent presentation, I spent more time discussing Yelp than I did Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. It's because small businesses stand to benefit by focusing their time and effort on Yelp.

Word of Mouth "is the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions" per NM Incite. And Yelp's community is just that. It's tagline is "real people. real reviews." Search is the place to start to determine where your customers are talking about your brand. And these reviews can impact search results in a big way. So even if your customers aren't hitting Yelp, they might be reading the reviews via search results.

Yelp 101
So what can businesses do to step up their Yelp presence? Alex gave me two links as the perfect examples.

** Business Owner's Guide to Yelp: This section of the site shows you how to claim your page, respond to reviews and even buy ads. It lays it out step by step. 

** Check-In Offers: This is similar to checking in on Foursquare, but focused more on easily-customized customer incentives. "It provides a measurable way to reward your most loyal customers while attracting new ones."

Based on the type of business, Yelp can be a valuable tool for building word of mouth. You should check and see where your company/your clients shake out. And if you have a great experience retail, food, drink or otherwise? Spread the word on Yelp.

As Alex noted in our conversation, "if you find yourself sitting at home complaining that there's nothing to do, you have no excuse. There's plenty to do. You just need a site to help you find it." 

Driving Miss Social Media
Everyone wants a dependable car that gives them no problems, performs well and gets the job done. But everyone wants to be seen in the sports car that's getting a tune up as much as it's parking a mile from the building so no one scratches the paint job. 

Did I just call Twitter a Ferrari and Yelp a Honda Accord? I'm being dramatic to make a point. But, yeah, there are popular sites and their are relevant sites. Relevant sites are different for every brand and for every customer segment. Relevance wins. 

I think I just named a new line of cars. Make check payable to...

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Full disclosure: I decided to create this post after the discussion with Alex and due to my recent focus on the site. I did not "unlock any offers" by doing so. In fact, I had to bug Alex to send me the links.

Pic for Strange Facts post - Yelp Fingerless Glove uploaded by Terre

 

 

Social Brands and the Seven Deadly Sins

Companies establishing a social media presence may make some missteps. Some of the brands known for their social presence, including Best Buy and Starbucks, can point to mistakes made along the way and to what the brand learned from it.

It’s understandable. Social marketing requires a company to shift from broadcasting an anonymous, singular brand voice to engaging directly with customers as individuals that are indirectly reinforcing the brand. It’s not as simple as flipping a switch.

While some mistakes can actually increase a brand’s credibility if handled correctly, the following tips can help brands avoid the “seven deadly sins” of social media: Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, Pride, Lust and Greed.

Envy:  Being envious of brands like Zappos, Jet Blue or even a direct competitor is understandable. But chasing their success, even trying to mimic their programs, isn’t beneficial. Brands that truly understand what makes them unique, and use social media to bring these points of differentiation to life, are the ones that will get results.

Sloth:  Every brand wants fans and followers. But too many brands don’t want to earn them. Earning an audience can involve everything from engaging content and cause marketing to promotions and, yes Virginia, even paid media. Brands must be prepared to keep an audience’s attention. Without an engagement strategy to support audience acquisition, it’s as if the brand is dialing the phone, setting it down and walking away. 

Gluttony:  It might seem like more is better when it comes to social media – set up a presence on as many sites as we can map on a conversation prism -- or at least the most popular ones. But the brands that succeed don't have the same level of activity across a large number of sites. Focusing on just the spots where customers spend their time is key. A business may want to spend more time on Yelp, less time on Facebook and ignore Twitter completely. It all depends on where customers discuss the brand online.

Wrath:  We've all tapped into the more expressive tendencies of social media. Snark is a guilty pleasure of the web…reality TV 2.0. It’s understandable but it’s something brands should avoid. And brands should be prepared to be on the receiving end of wrath. There are trolls online who live to get a brand to make a misstep. Step away from the keyboard. This is another reason for a social media policy and rules of engagement.

Pride:  A brand’s first inclination is to use social media as another broadcast channel. Taking the same content and merely pushing it out over social sites won’t have an impact for long -- if at all. It’s the equivalent of someone showing up to a party and talking about themself the whole time. One of the easiest ways to engage customers is to identify which ones are talking about the brand and then thanking them for doing so. Overall a well-rounded mix of conversation, promotion and content based on fan feedback will work best.

Lust:  So a brand is well-established on Twitter or Facebook. They're tweeting, posting, sharing and along comes Ms. Shiny New. She’s a 2.0 and Mashable’s latest centerfold. Don’t go all geo-loco and have a premature Quor-gasm. Brands must consider if the new site appeals to its audience. Asking its most loyal fans is the easiest way to figure this out. Brand X may want to take Ms. Shiny New out for a date. It shouldn't happen at the expense of the established program.

Greed:  If a specific marketing program finds success, should a brand punish other efforts by pulling support and moving all of the spend into one effort? Of course not. A brand shouldn't neccessarily pull support from the winner to help the lagging programs either. Revisiting marketing spend based on results is key. But don’t be Draconian. Allocate according to business goals. Consider complementary marketing efforts and remember that social media can manifest itself as earned, owned and paid media.

Social Media Semantics
OK, maybe these social media sins aren't deadly. But I prefer considering the above sins instead of rules. Rules imply there's a single way to do things. It may seem like semantics, but I prefer guidelines over rules. Regardless of the hair splitting, the above are important considerations for any brand building a social media program. If I missed any, please add your sin to the confessional, uh, comments below.

Phineas & Ferb's Social Media Policy

Are we over-complicating our social media policies? 

We've got wikis and tips and more walking us through the creation of this document. Yet I just watched Phineas and Ferb nail the essence of a good social media policy. You should watch their Cyberspace Rules of the Road (embedded above).

Child's Play?
No, it's not as simple as the Disney Public Service Announcement (PSA). The policy needs to be included in the employment manual. As a result they need to mesh with existing human resources policy. And since there are legal implications, the legal team better walk through it and make sure the company is not liable.

But this video is also a reminder to not over think it. I tell people that, at its core, a social media policy is "if you can say it to your competitor and your Mom. it's probably ok to post." No, it's not that simple either. It is a good starting point.

We need to make sure social media policies don't simply tell employees what they can't do. Or what are the odds employees will use it at all? If that's your goal? IT can simply block the Internet. And once again, no, it's not that simple either.

Related: Common Sense Media worked with Disney on the PSA and has a great site for parents and their kids around a variety of online topics. And of course there's a healthy YouTube Channel to boot. The more accessible content might be helpful for training inspiration. Just pull the cartoon references.