Digital Media Strategy
The Social Media Affect
Who Cares?
You Should!
• Almost 100 percent (97 percent) of consumers who
bought a product based on an online review found
the review to be accurate.
• Seventy percent of consumers look to online reviews
before they buy.
• Seventy-five percent of people don't believe
companies tell the truth in advertisements.
• Nearly 90 percent (87 percent) of people believe the
CEO's reputation is an important part of the
company's reputation.
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History of The (nerd) World, part 42
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The world we live in
The people who define our global conversations
Today, we use Google, Facebook and Twitter
more than any other source to find information,
news, gossip and to influence our purchasing
Larry Page
Google
decisions.
All three of these products (and several others)
use filtering algorithms to determine what you
Mark Zuckerburg
Facebook
actually see (are influenced by).
Our current world is not inclusive, it is based on
what stories have the most influence or traction
(not always what is important or relevant to you)
Jack Dorsey
Twitter
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So, how can you have a voice
In a room full of screaming kids?
To be successful in today’s digital playground (online,
mobile & tablets):
•
You have to exist!
•
Website
•
•
•
•
•
A static website – not asking for feedback
A blog
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter & possibly LinkedIn)
You have to have friends in high places (links pointing to you)
An advertising plan – even if it’s long-term.
•
You have to have a pulse
•
You have to say something that people care about
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Search Matters
Where do you go when you want something?
Search Engine Optimization – the wizard of odd (not in order)
• Content
• Code
• Architecture of your site(s)
• Links (inbound and outbound)
• Social media
• Trust (are you an authority?)
• Personal demographics (location, language, history, etc)
http://www.google.com/competition/howgooglesearchworks.html
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The science of SEO
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The science of SEO
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How social media impacts SEO
Content is king, even social media content counts
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Developing a strategy
Method to the madness
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The ripple effect of the social graph
Your post is only the beginning
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Gratuitous Stats Scene
Numbers that matter
• Over 100 Billion searches (globally) every month.
• 70% of clicks by people searching are organic (not a paid ad)
• Over 70% of ads on search pages are ignored
• 75% of people never scroll past the first page
• When consumers are exposed to a brand through both search and social media, the brands
overall search click-through-rate goes up by 94%
• Search and email are the top two internet activities
• Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages.
• Inbound leads cost 61% less than outbound leads.
• Search is the #1 driver of traffic to content sites, beating social media by over 300%
• Search Engine Optimization leads have a 14.6% close-rate. Outbound leads have a 1.7%
close-rate.
• Google:
18% go to #1 |
10% go to #2
|
2.7% go to #3
• Bing:
9.7% go to #1 |
5.5% go to #2
|
2.7% go to #3
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/24-eye-popping-seo-statistics/42665/
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Let’s focus on social media
Establishing an effective social media strategy
• Identify a target market or markets
• Consumers
• Donors / sponsors
• Establish an overarching goal or objective
• Branding / exposure
• Lead generation / sales / funding
• Develop a fluid plan
•
•
•
•
Establish a content calendar but be flexible enough to change
Establish consistent programming
Develop content to drive social traffic to your site, a call-to-action or story
Engagement strategy – how much do you want to engage?
• Define your voice or personality
• Go! But be ready to change.
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Let’s focus on social media
Establishing an effective social media strategy – TARGET
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Let’s focus on social media
Establishing an effective social media strategy – GOALS
• Establish an overarching goal or objective
• Branding / exposure
•
•
•
•
Size matters – you want your follower-base to increase & share more
Goals should be based on impressions, shares and engagements
Everything you do should encourage sharing
Rich in photos, stories and promoting others
• Lead generation / sales / funding
•
•
•
•
Sales matter – focus on the close, not the size of your audience
Targeting is the key to success in effective revenue generation
Most organizations require substantial ad budgets (less strategic)
Strategic organizations have a content strategy that leads to sales (but it takes
time)
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Let’s focus on social media
Establishing an effective social media strategy – PLANNING
Fluid planning
• Establish a content calendar but be flexible enough to change
• Define over-arching themes by month, usually around
National/Global themes
• Develop at least one piece of original content to support your
themes and link back to it regularly
• Establish consistent programming
• Develop daily or weekly programming that is consistent, fun,
engaging and sharable
• Heart Health Hump Day – share a photo of how you keep
your heart healthy
• Develop content to drive social traffic to website, a call-to-action or story
• Engagement strategy – how much do you want to engage?
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Let’s focus on social media
Establishing an effective social media strategy – VOICE
Define your “voice”
•
Personal
•
•
•
A specific person – usually a personality or made up personality
A personal voice from a corporate account
Will you be conversational?
•
•
•
Will you answer questions/comments?
Will you engage with positive & negative conversations?
Institutional
•
•
•
Normally push-marketing
Some engaging, fun or personality-type posts
Fact-based, educational, entertaining or other sharable content
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Let’s focus on social media
Establishing an effective social media strategy – GO!
Based on your outline from the previous four three slides
• Define resource allocation
• Internal
• External / consultants
• Define content ownership
• Internal
• External / consultants
• Define social media owner (s)
• Internal
• External / consultants
• Establish metrics to track
•
•
•
•
Impressions
Unique visitors
Engagements (a comment, like or share)
Reach (total reach, including shares)
• Set times to review and determine next-steps
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Let’s Talk Spam
Email best practices
• Don’t Spam! Know your list & how to build it
• Your top 300 pixels are gold, use them wisely
• Spellcheck, grammar check & check again
• K.I.S.S. – Say less and get to the point
• If you have to be a windbag do it after the 300 pixels
• Pictures are not pretty when over 65-85% of people
will never see them. Use text, highlight with graphics.
• ALL CAPS IS YELLING!
It’s annoying, just like these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Q&A
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Thank you
Jeff Rushton
Director of Digital Media
University of Louisville
jeff.rushton@louisville.edu
502-852-8119
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