Content Strategy for Social Media Marketing

Content Strategy Formulation v2.0

If you are hoping to embark on a social media strategy, content strategy formulation is important. There are altogether 10 steps to formulating the content strategy. For part 1, i will be addressing the first 5 points to the strategy.

1) Principles - First off set some principles, this allows for the brand to have a healthy and robust discussion around authenticity, transparency and humility as well as an opportunity to define the engagement policy.

2)Business Objective - 'Why are we doing this?' question, clarify your objectives, link them to appropriate metrics, if possible setting targets and define a budget.

3) Brand Purpose - What’s your Story?

•Identify your brand ideal(s).

• Dove believes the world would be a better place if women were allowed to feel good about themselves

•Fanta believes the world would be a better place if we grew up less and played more

•Scrabble believes the world would be a better place if we loved words more

•Coca Cola believes the world would be a better place if we saw the glass as half full - not half empty.

4) Content Value (Social Currency)

Entertainment value – Advertising campaigns typically deal in this type of currency. It's worth asking if the idea lends itself to being parodied like Cadburys Gorilla as this can be a potent conversation multiplier.

•Personal value - Fame delivers powerful personal value, the rise of Factor type shows and Reality TV shows over recent years indicate the value people place on this kind of content.

•Knowledge value – B2B thought leadership via whitepapers is a example of this type.

•Monetary value - Consumer PR typically deals in this type of currency with promotions and competitions, the Threshers 2006 40% off Voucher is a great example of this.

Utility value – a lot iPhone apps fall into this category like Sky+ app. Charmin installing 20

5) Sources

Who is going to be creating or producing all this great content for you?

Employees- Zappo the US online shoe retailer encourages all staff to use twitter and even has a leaderboard which introduces a competitive element into the mix.

Agencies

User generated content(UGC), crowd sourcing and co-creation can also be viable option for some brands.

Snag publicity for yourself 

Facing the press can be a daunting experience. Getting publicity for yourself can often be frowned upon by others and risking yourself being tagged with titles like ‘media whore’ or ‘celebrity wannabe’.  The truth of the matter is, generating publicity can be an easy task if you understand the dos and don’ts in handling the media. A little publicity might just give you the extra fuel to steer your business to the right direction. Snag publicity for yourself with the following tips and pointers - 

Have a PR plan in place

One needs to take charge and be responsible for his or her own publicity. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  Review your goals and targets for 2010 and ensure they fall into your master PR plan. A PR plan should include your objectives, targets, strategies and deliverables, to name a few. The duration of the plan should be from six months to a year. 

Prepare your PR tools in advance 

‘A press kit is to publicity what thunder is to lightning. Without it, a campaign has no voice’.  This is what Jodee Blanco says in the Complete Guide to Book Publicity (New York, NY: Allworth Press, 2000). 

 

The press kit is the foundation of any media relations program. In the kit, it should include – Press release, Bio sheet, Company history, Fact sheet, Brochure, testimonials, photos. 

 

Apart from having the right PR tools, make sure other communication materials like website, brochures, newsletter, etc are all in place. 

 

Hire a publicist

If you simply do not have time to handle your press matters, the right thing to do is to hire a publicist. A publicist will have all the necessary PR experience to manage your reputation. He or she will also have the right media contacts to ensure that you are profiled well in the relevant media. 

 

Write a Column 

Writing a column with a trade publication or local newspaper is a wise move. A column will give you credibility and catapult you before a wider audience. And since you will be viewed as an expert, it will open doors to many speaking engagements and opportunities. Other benefits include payment for the column. You could be paid a fee by the newspaper or magazine. 

 

Create rapport with journalists

Create your own media database and update it when you meet new journalists. After your interview with the journalist, send a thank you note via email to leave a stronger first impression. During festivities, it doesn’t take and cost much to send them an e-card or email. You’ll be surprised how far this little gesture can bring you.   

 

Do not neglect the social media

According to Wikipedia, social media is defined as media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques.  The two applications highly popular amongst Singaporeans are Facebook and Twitter. 

 

Other popular forms of online marketing are Google ad words, podcasting, blogging, and email marketing. 

 

Do not neglect the social media. With its viral nature, the mileage and reach is astounding and tremendous.

 

Whether you run a commercial enterprise, a non-profit organization or an entrepreneur, the tips and ideas will help you generate tons of publicity. Your name, products, services or agenda, can all receive news coverage if you pitch it correctly. 

 

For more information on how to shine in the media spot light, email flaunt@yourpublicitymatters.com  

Suggets a Slogan - Eastern Restaurant

Check out this campaign from Tippex

How to engage bloggers?

The power behind the psychological aspects of Social Media Marketing

The focus of tonight's lecture at Aventis School of Management was on the Psychology of Social Media.

There were a few interesting points raised and certainly insights gained as we went deeper to explore the issues. So what are social media users looking for when they indulge themselves on a social media lifestyle? What are some universal psychological traits of humans which marketers must consider when launching any social media campaign. The fundamental answer to this is akin to all our innate needs we have in this world. There are  7 As of social media marketing which we need to understand as a social media marketer.

The need to be Acknowledged
We are on social media for various reasons. When we first sign up for social media accounts, the need to be acknowledged is high especially when we do not have many friends/ users to begin with. The hand is raised up and they simply want you to notice them. Acknowledge their existence and you will find they'll start to adore you. 

The need to be Acclaimed
We all want to be praised, applauded and get recognition for what we do. Likewise in the realm of social media, users are looking for opportunities to get recognition and praises through the work we do or simply by who we are.  give praise to your influencers if they have done well spreading good news about your brand.

The need to be A part
This is a no brainer. People connect on social media communities to get connected. The need to form a community is always evident on social media as we spend many hours online. We are never alone on Social media.


The need to gain Attention
Most people desire some form of attention. For example when someone follows you on twitter, you've gain attention. The attention could also come from a  blogpost when they write something on your blog. As a marketer, conversation is critical in the social media zone. The ability to hold 'capsule conversation' is of critical importance. If you see a conversation on twitter, join the conversation and perhaps point the conversation to any blog feeds or links. Pay attention to some folks who are trying to get your attention.
Remember 'Conversations rule'!

The need to be Approved of
People love to be approved of, esp when they put themselves into a world they are unfamiliar of. Most people who embark on social media usage are looking for approval esp when they are new to it. A simple thank you to these people will go a long way. Most marketing on social media starts with an emotional context. When someone approves of somebody, that person is more likely to resonate with that someone. People who feel approved of, are opened more emotionally to you.

To be Appreciated 
Everybody likes to be appreciated. Who doesn't? Many people on twitter/facebook are great at giving appreciation. The easiest way to gain trust is when they feel that they are appreciated. As a social media brand person, give appreciation occasionally to social media users who blog about you, talks about you or even @mention you on their tweets. Openly let them know you appreciate them for what they do online. Be real. And it doesn't cost you much.

To feel Assured
People want to know they are going the right direction. People in social media need to know they are doing the right thing, being with the right person and taking the right action. You need to assure them that they are heading the right direction. When you consistently hold conversation and showing them that they are a part of who they are, they will give you their loyalty.

Knowing the 7As will certainly enhance our work in social media marketing. The power behind the psychological aspect of marketing is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Know these principles and try to weave them into your social media strategy. Engagement level will be at an all time high.

Social Media Glossary

Social media represents a new form and function of communication — it also offers a new lexicon. While some terms will change or evolve to reflect the constantly changing technology, we present some essential social media terminology here. Click "learn more" to watch simple videos explaining the terms.

• blog.  Short name for a web log; an online journal that typically includes the author’s personal profile and entries, and may also include photos and videos. Learn more.
• Delicious.  An online service for saving your Internet bookmarks, tagging them, sharing with others, and seeing what others are bookmarking. See social bookmarking.
• Facebook.  An online social network that began exclusively on college campuses and is now used extensively by the general public. Individual users create a personal profile, invite friends to view it, and use various features to communicate, form groups, play games, support causes, and more. Facebook uses one profile template, which creates a uniform, clean look across the network of users.
• Flickr.  An online photo-sharing network where users create a short personal profile, post photos, and make comments; they can also create groups (for events or organizations), invite friends, organize photo albums, and allow group members to post photos. Photos can be tagged, which allows others to find photos based on the content. Learn More.
• FriendFeed.  A versatile social network service that facilitates conversation and aggregation of RSS feeds. See lifestreaming. Learn More.
• friending.  The act of inviting (or accepting an invitation from) someone else on a social network to be a "friend" by connecting profiles for mutual viewing.
• lifestreaming.  The practice of collecting an individual's disjointed online presence in one central location or site; brings photos, videos, bookmarks, and microblog or blog posts from the person into one place via RSS. Examples include Friendfeed and Tumblr.
• messaging.  A feature within many social networking sites that allows users to send messages to each others’ in-boxes within the site or to chat in real time; allows for communication without sharing e-mail addresses.
• microblog.  A web service that allows subscribers to broadcast short messages to other subscribers. Twitter is one example. Learn more.
• MySpace.  An online social network similar to Facebook, but with more design and artistic freedom to create a customized look for your profile; generally caters to artists and bands. As with Facebook, MySpace allows users to “friend” each other and create groups.
• podcast.  Digital audio files for users to download and play back later; often offered as a syndicated feed that users can subscribe to via RSS or iTunes. Learn more.
• profile.  A personalized page that an individual creates on a social network site; typically provides space for a photo, contact information, and a variety of other personal details.
• RSS feed.  "Really simple syndication" that automatically broadcasts updated content to everyone who subscribes to it; the flow of data to subscribers is called a "feed." Learn More.
• social bookmarking.  An increasingly popular way to locate, classify, and rank resources through shared lists of user-created Internet bookmarks. Users store lists of personally interesting Internet resources, which can be made publicly accessible; resources can be classified with informally assigned user-defined keywords (or tags). Examples are Delicious and Diigo.
• social network.  An online community where individuals create a personal profile and search for, and stay connected to, friends. Examples are Facebook and MySpace. Learn more.
• tagging.  Assignment of keywords to describe content (such as photos, videos, blog posts, or websites); often used in social bookmarking to help users find relevant content.
• Twitter.  A popular social networking service that facilitates real-time personal "status updates" through short broadcasts (up to 140 characters) to other subscribers. Users connect with each other by "following" or having "followers." See microblog. Learn more.
• YouTube.  An online network used for posting videos (private, invitation-only, or open to the public) and commenting on them; allows members to create a short profile, but almost all content beyond the basics takes the form of video posts and comments. Users can create groups and “friend” each other.
• web log.  See blog.
• widget.  A small block of content on a web page with a specific purpose (such as providing weather forecasts or news) that constantly updates itself typically via RSS. Widgets make it easy to add dynamic content to a website or blog.

This material was adapted from the VISTA Guide to Social Media.