Montana Lottery
Social Networking Works
Tara Hanley
Communications Specialist
• Outline
– Our Social Networking Sites/tools
– What works - What doesn’t
– Tips
– Make Facebook® “attractive”
– Manage your expectations
– Embrace criticism and negative comments
– Allow Facebook® to build over time
– Discussion Topics
Our Social Networks
• Twitter
– www.twitter/montanalottery
• Facebook
– www.facebook.com/montanalottery
• You Tube
– www.youtube.com
• Text Messaging
– Text “win” to 20123
• Email Alert Messages: Player’s Club
• What works
– Keep it fun
• Post like you’re talking to friends
• Post often, with new information
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–
–
–
New scratch games
High jackpot alerts
Winner Awareness
Upcoming events and promotions
– Keep it interactive
• Comment to players, retailers, skeptics
– Address and answer all comments and questions
• “The beautiful thing about sites like Twitter
and Facebook is that it's a one-to-one
conversation. You're addressing whoever
wrote the original comment. But you're
doing it in the public square."
Scott Monty
Ford Motors
• What doesn’t
– Don’t sell on Facebook®
• Facebook® should not be used as a selling tool
• It’s a way to build good rapport and relationships
with fans
– Don’t use Facebook® as a homepage
• The purposes are different
• The functions are different
• Use Facebook® to direct fans to homepage
• Tips
– Strategic Plan to outline purpose and goals
– Creative Design
• Citrus, Inc.
– Multiple Administrators including Facebook®
staff, Lottery Staff and Ad Agency
– A lot of time to set up and design, little time to
manage
• Make Facebook® attractive
– Use vanity URL
• www.facebook.com/montanalottery
VS
• www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/17452843
173?ref=ts
– Use unique graphics and ‘boxes’
– Link to pages or websites in posts
• Manage you expectations
– It’s not a selling tool
– Fans will increase over time
– Fans will become more comfortable with
posting and commenting over time
– You get out of it what you put into it
– Start out by focusing on one game. Then
expand
• Embrace criticism and negative comments
– Use these comments as a way to address
issues to ALL fans at once
– Some of the issues in Montana:
•
•
•
•
•
Only certain cities sell winners
Only retailers or clerks win high tier prizes
Gambling is an addiction
The Lottery is an expensive agency for MT
Nobody ever wins in MT
• Allow Facebook® to build over time
– We launched in March 2009
• Currently have about 1,420 fans
• Compare the numbers:
– Almost 1 million population
– Approximately $44 million in FY sales
• Discussion Topics
– Incorporate all tools
• Facebook®
• Twitter®
• Text Messaging
• Email Alerts
– Vendors, costs how to get started
• Rocketbux – Text Messaging Service;
approx. 2,500 subscribers
• Utilize Creative team/ad agency
– Excessive Messaging and the consequences