Michael A. GasparNorthern Illinois UniversityAmerican Marketing AssociationNovember 3, 2010

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

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“Finding the Me in Social Media”

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“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• The Nature of Social Media

• Building a Brand via Social Media

• Tweeted and Live Questions #smNIU

Discussion Overview

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Social Media is an Art, NOT a Science

• Value is MOSTLY intangible

• Metrics are NOT truths

• Social media ≠ Social networks

Hard Truths About Social Media

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

“Social media is neither a necessary nor sufficient force for good or evil. Ultimately, it merely reflects and enables the intent of its participants.”

Greg Satell Digital Tonto

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• 50% of all consumers consider social media when making a buying decision (65% among 18-24 year olds)

• 500 million + Facebook Users

• 30 million + Twitter Users (16 million + active)

• 60 million + LinkedIn Professionals

• Over one check-in per second on Foursquare

• By 2012, there are projected to be 1 billion social media users

Social Media Metrics

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Innovative and large companies early adopters (large budgets)

• Setting the tone for social media campaigns

• Primarily implemented by B2C companies AT&T, Old Spice, Toyota, Starbucks

• Many large businesses using cross-promotional media tacticsVideo (YouTube and Television), Print, Web, Mobile, SMS

• Campaigns driven by creativity, spectacle, philanthropy, and comedy

YouTube

Social Media for Large Business

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Primarily adopted by very savvy small business owners

• Focused on networking, branding, and community

• B2B marketing

• Sharing of resources and content Blogs, Articles, and Publications

• 80/20 Rule80% content about industry and community20% content about business, promotion, etc.

Social Media for Small Business

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Key to growth is education and awareness

• Medium for growth of small business and sole proprietorships

• Create jobs and change curriculum

• Complete professional integration

• Renewed sense of ethics and accountability

Social Media in the Future

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• CONVERSATION

• Common platform for consumers and businesses

• Accountability and Ethics

• Not-For-Profit and Philanthropy

• Empowers consumers and focuses marketers

• Serves as a brand audit and marketing refresher for businesses*

Not-So-Perceived Benefits of Social Media

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• The “Post Everything” Phenomenon

• False and self-proclaimed gurus

• Intimidation

• “Generation Degeneration”

• Perception that social media marketing is a replacement for traditional marketing*

Pitfalls of Social Media

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

Building a Brand via Social Media

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Values

• Personality

• Philosophy

• Voice

• If applicable or possible, a logo and tagline

• Face-to-face networking

• Strategy*

The Components of Building a Social Media Brand

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH YOU BECAUSE THEY LIKE YOU

Mantra

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Largest medium in marketing history

• Track-able via metrics (Twitter and Google Analytics)

• Completely inundated and accessible

• Exposure with like-minded communities

• Brand reputation management

• Benchmarking*

The Value of Social Media Branding

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

“Listen Model” Michael Gaspar 2010

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Differentiation

• Rapport and Reputation

• Grad School

• Job Opportunities

• Foundation for entrepreneurship

• Building value in an economy where difficult decisions are even harder

Finding the Me in Social Media

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

QUESTIONS#smNIU

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

m@michaelgaspar.com

“Finding the Me in Social Media”

• Northern Illinois University

• American Marketing Association of NIU

• Professor Wozniak

• Jeff Dammann

• Keith Karum

• Stephanie Pullenza & Edward Seipel

Thank You!