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& &

Social MediaSocial Media

by Laurie Brooks

July 30, 2010SMB Maine

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Topics• Social Media Timeline

• Objectives

• Why & How?

• Measurement

• Learnings

• Future plans

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L.L.Bean Social Media Timeline• Apr ‘08 Ratings & Reviews added to llbean.com• Nov ‘08 Facebook, YouTube, Flickr• Jan ‘09 Twitter• Apr ‘09 Social Media chiclets added to llbean.com (n/a

Twitter)• Apr ‘09 Facebook & Twitter hyperlinks added to emails• Feb ’10Twitter chiclet added back to product pages (w/auto URL

shrinker)• March ‘10 L.L.Bean Signature Facebook Page• April ‘10 Mobile reviews m.llbean.com• A/M ‘10 Obtained “L.L.Bean” name for YouTube and Twitter

accounts• June ‘10 SM icons/links added to llbean.com global footer & all

product pages (focus on FB, Twitter & YouTube)

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Objectives

• Increase brand awareness• Acquire new customers• Drive traffic to llbean.com• Drive buyer file growth• Drive incremental demand• Provide exceptional customer service• Offer a platform for friendly, two-way

communication

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Why?

• Two-thirds of daily Facebook users are brand fans (400+ Million)

• Four in 10 daily Twitter users follow a company or brand (75+ Million)

• Email still preferred channel for brand engagement even among heavy SM users

• YouTube: Second to Google for “search”

*Source: ExactTarget “Subscribers, Fans & Followers” report via eMarketer 7.23.10

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How?

• Develop and execute a content management process that ensures relevant, viral and engaging content across all SM channels

• Ensure company-wide integration and dedicated resources

• Engage the customer with tailored messages across multiple channels (SM, email, web, stores, catalogs)

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Measurement

• What’s the value of a fan on social media?– FB: algorithms & the “newsfeed” (Top News vs. Most

Recent)

– Source codes (600% increase $ ’09 vs. ’10)

– Measurement: • Exposure – fan counts, page/video views, posts per week, etc.

• Engagement – RTs, clickthrough data, bounce rates, time on site, tab views, etc.

• Conversion – orders by referring domain, orders attributed to source codes, buyer file metrics

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Learnings

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What consumers want from social media

• Facebook: Groups with greatest focus on “liking” a brand page tended to be younger, have a motivation for entertainment and want to publicly show support for brands. (Use FB for both info and entertaining communications)

*Source: ExactTarget “Subscribers, Fans & Followers” report via eMarketer 7.23.10

• Twitter: Appeals most to consumers who want to feel up to date and in the know (Use Twitter for new product info, services or other brand initiatives of interest)

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How not to annoy fans…

• Find your “voice” (Brand communication should be personal and conversational)

• Balance promotional offers with conversation. Don’t just “push”

• Post often (but not too often!)• When to post?• Content needs to solicit as much engagement as

possible (Impression-to-fan ratio) Ask questions. Fan comments are more valuable than “likes”

• Respond in timely fashion• Shorten those URLs!

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Recapture hijacked brand names

YouTube Channel Twitter

Create a cohesive image to represent your brand across all social channels

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Social media links in emails (below the fold, no icons)

“I didn’t know L.L.Bean had a Facebook page”

“L.L.Bean uses social media?”

April 2009

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E-mail “conversation starter” driving to FB

Produced 30% lift in FB fans that day

Redesigned email header July 2010

• Shift to global header: Twitter click-through grew 54%, FB grew 41% and “forward” grew 25%

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Put Social Network Brands to Work

• Brand recognition and affinity

• Best practice: Display at least three social network icons on home page (above the fold)

Source: www.gigya.com “Applying Social Identity”

Added June 2010

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• July 2010 – launched redesigned product pages with two SM icons + email sharing. (removed digg, delicious, etc.)

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What’s next for L.L.Bean and Social?

• Adding additional Twitter handles• Dedicated community landing page on llbean.com• Dedicated emails to drive SM• Updating Retail web pages with SM icons• Catalogs to include SM web drivers• Customer Service & SM management tool• Mobile

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@LLBean

@LLBean_PR

@LLBeanHuntFish

@LLBean_Chicago

Facebook.com/LLBean

Facebook.com/LLBeanSignature

Youtube.com/LLBean

Youtube.com/LLBeanPRTwitpic.com/photos/LLBean_PR