Let’s face it, ever since Adam was introduced to Eve the world has been social and today nothing has really changed. So what is this Social Media Buzzzz that everyone is huffing about?
Social media are primarily Internet and mobile based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. ….. activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, …… "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences.
Consider the latest trends in internet traffic and the picture is clear – today’s technology is enabling communication and social interaction in a way that is becoming simpler and more effective:
Alexa Top 60
Alexa – The web information company reports on the top websites from around the world. Interpreting and categorising the South African results paints an interesting picture and shows us the speed that South African consumers are integrating their everyday lives with Social Media:
35% of the top 60 South African ranked sites are Social, followed by news at 28%.
Viewed in another way – we can see that uptake of Social Media in South Africa is certainly gaining traction.
What does this all mean?
This does not mean that the way we communicate has changed much since the dawn of time. Instead what has changed is the visibility and impact of our conversations. This in turn means the consumer voice is becoming ever more powerful. One only has to look at sites like Hello Peter; Trip Advisor or Yelp and this becomes evident.
Not only has Social Media become important for marketers and advertisers to leverage, but it also enables productivity in large organizations and allows for collaboration in new and simple ways that can be more effective than a standard boardroom meeting….Stay tuned
(Stay tuned to Popimedia on Social and we will bring you the latest trends on Social Media from around the world)
What better way to do direct marketing than if it is sent directly from a friend. Would you rather act on the call to action from a company or from your best friend? This is what Facebook can add to traditional direct marketing campaigns.
If Google is the ‘Yellow Pages’ of today’s world, then Facebook is the ‘White Pages’. It has become the biggest trend in the world today with its 200 million users, growing at a rate of 5 million per week.
Facebook has turned its Newsfeed into a stream of information flowing from each user’s network. If the Facebook user becomes a fan of a product or brand then this brand in essence is part of their network. This means that content is consumed on a many-to-one basis, as opposed to a one-to-many strategy that is more common of traditional media. Consumers create a stream of information that is their own, and that they find relevant to themselves on an individual basis.
Business cannot afford to ignore Facebook – Consider that the average Facebook user has 120 friends; imagine the result if this user encourages their network to engage with your brand, creating word of mouth referral that is credible and widespread.
Add to this - through 3rd party applications and systems - the ability to track friend-to-friend referrals, and to collect rich data on a real time basis and what you have is a powerful direct marketing and market research tool.
Rules of engagement
Businesses can interact with Facebook in any number of ways - from; amongst others; social competitions; applications; widgets and standard advertising banners to creating a Fan Page or Group. However before selecting a strategy to engage with users, the following should be considered:
- Identify objectives – sales, leads, conversions, brand building, etc.
- Outline a time-frame (short term, campaign based, or long term)
- Consider budget
- Creative concept
- Decide whether to leverage trusted referrals.
The most common initial engagement with Facebook has been the creation of a Fan Page or Group. Problems manifest when companies try this on their own and find that it does not work – that’s because there are a lot of added features, applications and rich content options that can be added, including custom applications that will pull in information from other content sources. The main issue is that consumers are not always passionate enough about a brand to become its Facebook fan. Businesses therefore have to keep there page relevant, simple, and perhaps add an incentive such as a competition.
The basic steps to follow in creating a Facebook Fan Page for a brand/company:
- You should already be a Facebook user – if not, sign up its free.
- Visit this link (http://www.facebook.com/pages/) and browse some of the more popular pages to try to understand what makes a page successful
- Then visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php and Facebook will take you through the step by step process.
Once the initial engagement has brought a user to the brand’s Fan Page, it is important that they opt in to receive communications from the brand – there’s no point in having a one-sided conversation. Thus over time, the brand starts to build up a database of users, and hopefully, will also segment this base in a richer manner than traditional methods might allow.
Other Media & negative sentiment
Integration of the Facebook platform with other media is a viable means of bringing the brand alive, as well as making the brand profile more interesting and attractive to the user. A movie or sound clip can appear on the fan page and be integrated into the campaign. A television or radio advert can promote the fan page of the product and in doing so create more interest and drive traffic.
Widgets, that can be embedded in Facebook Pages and across the web for example, enable and optimise common online tasks, such as research and basic transactions, as well as providing entertainment and unique content. A bank might develop a widget that allows the user to track shares, or the stock exchange on a minute by minute basis. The use of widgets can translate into relevant offers, cross-selling opportunities, and a real return on investment.
A concern for brands is the level of control they should have over the interactions and conversations in this space. Facebook does allow the Fan Page owner to delete entries (such as negative consumer comments about a brand, for example). But the more brands try to control a conversation in this manner, the more harm they are actually doing. Brands should grow with their consumers and will find if they listen and address negative comments, the brand will inevitably get stronger.
Measurement
Measuring the impact of a Facebook campaign will depend on a brand’s objectives. However, the traditional online measure of CTR (click through rates) needs to be transformed into CPC (cost per click), CPA (cost per acquisition) and CPS (cost per sale) metrics. These should be implemented at campaign launch.
Over the last 18 months Popimedia Innovations has grown from strength to strength and has become one of the leading South African companies to leverage social media; Facebook; Twitter; Myspace etc. on behalf of clients.
Market perceptions usually follow the buzz, and the buzz usually follows phrases like "Are you on Twitter? ....We want to do something on twitter, but we don't know what"
We will use this blog to post some insights, case studies and sometimes crazy questions we get from the public and clients. So check back about once a week and let us know of any particular areas of interest you may be curious about.
