Introduction to

Marketing Communications

digital and social media…

10

social media is not just…

the social web...

facebook now has more than 1.41billion (statista, 2015) active users...

The acceptance and use of new technology has increased at a phenomenal rate

62% of facebook users (Guardian, 2013) and 80% of twitter users (twitter, 2014) do so on their mobiles... what does this mean if bad customer experiences are received?

feelings, thoughts, reviews, stories… will last far longer

than those in traditional print

what is Earned Media?

Word of Mouse (blurghh)

User Generated Media

User Created Content

Participatory Media

Consumer-generated Media

eWOM

There are many different ‘names’ and acronyms attributed to

this element of digital media and communication such as…

…but we’ll stick with Earned Media

why should we care?

... consider the level of trust attributed to other, more traditional, marketing media

why should we care?

Research from Accenture in 2010 challenges this

…but still offers some similarities

Accenture, Global Consumer Research Executive Summary, 2011

why should we care?

However…

Online ‘professional’ reviews are least trusted - just 6% of UK

consumers

67% of UK consumers would decide not to buy if they read

three negative reviews

72% of online consumers use online reviews and similar prior to making purchasing decisions

consumers are becoming more suspicious about fake

reviews (shilling), forums, blogs (flogs) and similar

Adapted from Econsultancy, 2011, Ucontent, 2010

message boards and forums

message boards and forums

what do they do...enable members to post any questions, comments and post responses to others

form a method of communication through threads and postshow do they impact on marketing...

In the US 50%, and UK 25%, of internet users visit forums and message boards, between 7 - 16% actually participate

they challenge the nature of ‘experts’ and trust

they are a fantastic source of information for organisations

review/rating sites

what do they do...enable consumers to rate and review products, services,

experiences, transactions

how do they impact on marketing...

between 5-11% of internet users post ratings

whilst a small percentage they provide a significant number of helpful ratings that are trusted

can be used to monitor (dis)satisfaction and gather information

review/rating sites

can act as starting points for conversations

clubs, groups and communities

what do they do...provide support, feedback, a sense of belonging and online social interactions

how do they impact on marketing...

bring together experts (mavens), users, critics to form like-minded tribes of consumers

there is no regulation – consumers can say what they want with a mixture of fact and opinion

may infringe on copyright

they can be joined, supported, enhanced and celebrated by the company

clubs, groups and communities

blogs

what do they do...enables a direct communication channel between the organisation and/or brand

how do they impact on marketing...they’re immediate, can offer negative and positive thoughts, opinions and reflections

some may be tagged, shared and their contents ‘popularised’ within minutes

blogs

which may be linked to organisations, brands, products, experiences, offers and more

83% want businesses to work hard for their custom, 20% moan on social media

social network groups

what do they do...enable fans, passionate users, loyal users, tribes, etc. to come together and express their emotions in relation to organisations and brands

how do they impact on marketing...

affect opinions and perceptions

the ‘brand’ is what the customers say and perceive it to be

can be shared between the connected ‘social graphs’

social network groups

businesses can engage by…

consumer generated media contests

creating their own Social Network groups, fan pages and apps...

Coke, Starbucks, Disney, Red Bull, Oreo, MTV

setting up their own blogs and similar (however, this can backfire... just ask Sony!)

enabling feedback and conversation channels through digital media (Twitter, SN’s, Websites, mini-sites, forums...)

encouraging reviews and ratings

develop their own communities and support mechanisms

some businesses choose not too engage and oppose the idea of consumer generated content...

damaging to the brand…

Domino’s

suspect in content… TripAdvisor for example…

or don’t engage…

infringement on copyright… now have the parody law

NG Bailey

not ‘marketing’ but listening…

…listening

if we monitor and listen to digital media and consumer generated

media we can gather data, information and insights

is this information more objective than that delivered via

market research?

we can gain clues, insights, thoughts, ideas…

however, CGM is NOT representative of the whole consumer audience… just a very vocal, informative and influential group

Google your organisation, brand, product, etc.

add in key words that describe opinions,

behaviours, thoughts, experiences

visit sites such as…

set up Google alerts

visit reddit, digg or delicious and see where you’re tagged or discussed

use professional consultants... Thinkup, Nielsen Online or Visible

Where to start...

SocialMention

datasift

socialbakers

Radian6

Hootsuite

develop a plan

who are your customers?

who are the consumer generated media creators and critics ?

start monitoring key areas, brands, new products, service encounters...

draw on experience and skills internally, outsource if need be

have a skilled and dedicated ‘interpreter’

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...when we’ve listened, reflected and

understood then we can begin...

...talking

bibliography

http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-pages/brands/ accessed Nov16th 2014Social Media Revolution, Eric Qualman, Socialnomics online, November http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8 accessed 22nd October 2014How Companies are Using Social Media to Make Better Decisions, Author: Mat Fogarty http://mashable.com/2010/03/05/companies-crowdsourcing/ Accessed C. Li and J. Bernoff, 2011. Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Tomaiuolo, N, 2009. U-Content. Searcher; May 2009, Vol. 17, Issue 5, p34-54Accenture, Global Consumer Research Executive Summary, 2011