Using Web 2.0 to Interact with
Target Audiences
Greg Silva, RIHEAA
CariAnne Behr, Mapping Your Future®
Web 2.0
"Web 2.0" refers to a perceived second
generation of web development and design, that
facilitates communication, secure information
sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on
the World Wide Web.”
Source: Wikipedia.com
Tactics
RSS
Email
Chat,
messaging
(IM and text)
Blogging,
microblogging*
Wikis
Net meetings
Podcasts
Social
networking
sites*
Methodology
Determine target audience
Decide what want to
communicate
Determine method/medium for
audience
Manage the social environment
(collaboration and sharing)
Importance
• Social media networks are not going away and
cannot be ignored.
• Over the past year, major brands ignored activity
resulting in damaging their brand’s reputation.
• This is where our target audiences are and how
they prefer to receive information.
Facebook
More than 400 million active users
More than half of the users are 35 +
50% of active users log on any given day
Facebook.com, statistics
Usage
• Facebook Fanpage
• People link up as a “like page”
• Provide updates, messages, and resources
directly to customers
• Real time
• Teaser message with link from your homepage
Serve as a Resource
• Don’t just promote your own institution, but
provide links to other resources that might
benefit your audience.
• The majority of people receive their news and
information from social networking sites.
Facebook Ads
Target a specific geographic audience:
• Example: WTGRI.org had video contest; winner
from East Greenwich High School
• Targeted all people on Facebook from EGHS and
put our ad on their homepage
• Cost is under $1,000, and you get thousands (if not
millions) of impressions (views)
Twitter
• Micro-blogging
• Send and read others’ updates (“tweets”)
• Becoming just as large as Facebook and
MySpace
• Base age of users: 25-40 year old professionals
Flexibility
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Breaking news
Broadcast news and information
Conduct research
Crisis communications
Live tweeting/reporting
Find and solve customer service issues
Point to other interesting resources
Organize meetings
Share images
Customer Service
Example: Dunkin Donuts gets notified every time
their name is mentioned in a tweet and will
respond to them, if needed.
A customer complained her coffee was cold twice
when purchased at the DD near her house. DD
responded to her personally with an apology.
Tweets
• Up to 140-character messages
• Sent to followers
• Viewers:
▫
▫
▫
▫
Followers
Anyone who searches keywords included in tweet
Anyone following #hashtag (if one is included)
Anyone who searches your name, views all your
tweets
Perfect Tweet
• Short
• Personal
• Uses abbreviations
Key Tools
• @ symbol
▫ Precedes name you want to reference in your
tweet “@sshilebrand is giving a presentation today”
▫ Can indicate a reply
• Direct messages
▫ Letter D space and then name “D sshildebrand”
▫ Only able to send to someone following you
• Re-tweet
To re-send interesting message from other person,
cut and paste message, preface with capital “RT”
Hashtags
• Create by prefixing a hashtag # or *
Example #MappingYourFuture
• Searching or following this tag produces all
messages that include it
• Hashtags.org – to view some of the more
popular discussions.
Build a Following
• Be social.
• Target a specific audience by following them.
• Look at who their following and who is following
them.
• Tweet relevant information.
• Re-tweet other people’s relevant information.
Monitor
Software
Web tools
• Tweet Deck
• Yahoo Sideline
• TweetMeme
• Monitter
• Twitterfall
• Twopular
• Twilert
URL Shorteners
Converts a long URL to a short one and redirects
users to original page. Some tools also measure
clicks.
• Built into several monitoring applications
• Bit.ly
• TinyURL
• SnipURL
Communities
Build communities of individuals interested in
same topic.
Example - Journchat –Weekly conversation between
journalists, bloggers, and PR practitioners every
Monday 8 to 11 p.m. Eastern. Participate by following
hashtag #journchat.
YouTube
Video sharing website where users can upload,
view and share video clips.
• Unregistered users can watch the videos
• Registered users are permitted to upload an
unlimited number of videos. Accounts of
registered users are called "channels".
YouTube
• Create a channel and reach out to similar
channels to build audience (like Twitter and
Facebook)
• Post videos you want your audience to view
Example: WaytogoRI.org has our two commercials
as well as our video contest finalists on the page
• Post training videos
YouTube
• Post VodCasts (video podcasts)
• Brand the homepage
▫ Colors
▫ Logo
MySpace
130 million active users
http://www.switched.com/2009/04/23/myspace-ceo-and-founder-dewolfe-stepsdown/#continued
77% of users under the age of 34
http://e-strategyblog.com/2009/02/social-networking-site-demographics/
Users spend an average of 266 minutes
per month on site
http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2009/01/11/a-collection-of-soical-network-stats-for2009/
Searching
MGSLP’s Success
Began October/November 2008
MySpace
Facebook
900+
n/a
Friends
28
41
Email Contacts
140
73
12
1
2
0
0
2
Profile Hits
Call-ins
Blog/Wall
postings
Instant Message
*Statistics as of April 30, 2009
LinkedIn
35 million professionals
• Information
• Ideas
• Opportunities
Measuring Social Media
Mapping Your Future measures:
• Number of fans on Facebook
• Number of friends on MySpace
• Number of followers on Twitter
• Number of re-tweets we receive
• Blog views on MySpace
• Number of clicks on Bit.ly
Mapping Your Future’s Success
•
•
•
•
MySpage – 1,002 friends
Facebook – 789 fans
Twitter – 57 followers
Blog views on MySpace – 3,576 total
Contact Information
• Greg Silva
Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority
gjsilva@riheaa.org
(401) 736-1169
• Sherry Hildebrand
Mapping Your Future
sherry@mappingyourfuture.org
(512) 635-3315