Seven weeks ago, I sat here struggling to keep track of my new passwords and logins to all these new social media cites required by class. Anxiety ridden over fear of monitoring and managing more than a personal, work and school email, and wondering why number signs were everywhere (#), I envisioned the weeks ahead. Not only were we supposed to preform class readings, papers and midterms, but we were also expected to practice different social media skills. Over the past few weeks we have liked, tweeted, posted, blogged, replied, #hashtaged, and @'ed. Not only did we need to figure all these hip newer communication trends, but we also had to envision the best way to communicate with a target audience in a way that increases brand loyalty.
As Professor Stevens notes, there are many different philosophies on social media analytic. As your read this week, I was wondering if you see strengths or weaknesses in different methods. Is there one you use at work? If you are not using one at work, is there a way your organization could benefit from the using them?
and/or
In honor of the final go around, how has your perspective, use, and or understanding of social media as a marketing/ communication tool has evolved.
I look forward to hearing from all of you!
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteI also had great anxiety at the prospect of having to keep up with the ongoing discussions on blogs and tracking the different social media sites. However, after these last several weeks, I discovered it wasn't so bad - with the goal of having all the social media sites point to our blogs. Learning about social media strategy and tactics really helped make the experience less daunting. I almost wish I could go back and apply what we've learned over the course of the class, so I could implement a better strategy right from the start ;)
I was also very skeptical of using social media as a marketing tool. The company I work for doesn't put much effort into social media, as it is an engineering company, working in the private sector. However, with the right goals, strategies, and policies in place, social media would be very beneficial, both internally and with current/potential clients.
Of the different analytics methods, the one I feel would provide more valuable information for upper management in an organization would be the ROI method, using CLV and CAC calculations presented by 60 Second Marketer (2013). The other analytics tools mainly focus on comments, tweets, mentions, likes, etc., but don't translate into dollars and cents - which is what managers want to see. That may be the most likely factor of why my work doesn't put much effort into social media.
60 Second Marketer. (17 November 2013). An in-depth guide on how to calculate the ROI of a social media campaign [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2013/11/17/in-depth-guide-calculating-social-media-roi/
Keri,
DeleteI completely agree with your point about wishing in a way we could “re-start” the class just so I could feel a bit calmer in the approach to social media management. I still feel like I am learning what strategy works for me.
It is interesting you mention how your perspective has shifted slightly.You mention your organization is private sector and does not appear to have much interest in social media. I was reading through the Google article for this weeks reading. It traces different ways to set up a website that would increase traffic based off of search engines. I thought it was really cool that Google had a “how to use us better” sort of guide. I was wondering if the guidelines in the Google article as well as other lessons we have interacted with this course could be beneficial to your company. Would it be possible for you to introduce some of these ideas at your workplace and see how they are received?
I had a small giggle when I read your thoughts on the analytics method. I was reading Turner’s article and was thinking engineering type people would love this. I thought the process was very simple, yet if done right highly effective. However, I am not a huge numbers person and would probably better interact with Cleary’s suggestion of Mention. I work for a small music venue, and am interested in increasing social media buzz surrounding the venue. Currently the owner and the designer are slightly out of touch, and very focused on their mission statement. I think Mention would be a very simple way to see if different key words increased buzz or traffic around the venues site.
Cleary, I. (2013). 3 Analytic Tools to Improve Your Social Media Performance : Social Media Examiner. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-analytic-tools-to-improve-your-social-media-performance/
Turner, J. (2013). An In-Depth Guide on Calculating the ROI of a Social Media Campaign. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2013/11/17/in-depth-guide-calculating-social-media-roi/
Hi Keri,
DeleteThe ROI example in this week's reading was interesting to learn for any businesses understand how to measure the success of their social media campaigns. A company's CAC should be only 10% of their CVL (60 Second Marketer, 2013). I agree with you that many companies are only interested in #'s. Our company has two sides business side that earns income and outreach side which spends it, so prayer is seen as an expense. However, Guideposts management has challenged us this year to gain testimonies from the various social media platforms we use on a daily basis. It helps to determine if our mission is being understood and valued by customers, followers, and volunteers. Sentiment may not be seen as dollars and cents, but it does show that we are making an impact in the lives of others. By capturing testimonies it helps to use it as content for future presentations, inspirational posts to share, or new articles for the magazines and its web sites. By gaining knowledge on how social media sites work, what analytics are provided, and how to tie them together it can help companies measure their ROI and social impact they are making with an online global community. A brand can grow positively or negatively in seconds; so it is best to be where it happening to listen and monitor, and have trained staff to handle responses quickly.
References:
60 Second Marketer. (17 November 2013). An in-depth guide on how to calculate the ROI of a social media campaign [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2013/11/17/in-depth-guide-calculating-social-media-roi/
Sandy,
DeleteRight as I began to read your comment, I was struck by the thought "I wonder if this is really measurable, and does social media only exist to directly increase profit?" You have already given me some ideas. You mention how your company follows sentiment. Do you use emojis, #hashtags, or other systems to follow sentiment?
Do you think Facebook's new method of "reacting" to posts will better assist your organizations understanding of people's reactions?
I slightly disagree with your point that "A brand can grown positively or negatively in seconds". I think you are right about the value of always "listening", and the concept that a reputation can be destroyed in seconds. I want to push back slightly on the concept of a positive reputation being build instantly.
During my undergrad I marched in the marching band at one of the top bands in the country. After every game, knowing many bando's would go out, the director, John Madden, used to always say "Be safe. It takes years to build a reputation and a moment to destroy one."
I think you are right in the sense it is important to be there when it counts to develop a positive image, but the actual trust an organization builds with people takes a very long time. There is an article by Phillips that adds some catchy quotes to help guide this style of thinking.
I do not doubt social media can assist in the rapid destruction of a reputation. However, I wonder if social media can help increase the speed of brand trust and/or a good brand image.
Phillips, B. (n.d.). The Ten Best Media Training Quotes Ever. Retrieved March 02, 2016, from http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2010/12/08/the-ten-best-media-training-quotes-ever/
Shelby,
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting you state they have the methods down. It does seem like successful companies have it all figured out. It partially appears they are the movers and shakers that created this social media system. It is still so new. I also agree that the hashtags are to draw attention to or highlight different points. This weeks reading, Cleary's article traces different analytics that monitor hashtags so companies can see what buzz words people are draw to. In this sense, the hashtags draw attention to the post from consumers, and act as attention monitors for the organization. The Google article also examines ways to use hashtags as tags for a website to increase traffic to the site. Fan or not of social media, there is something unique about the sense that words can be tracked to increase traffic or attention.
Turner's article comments on ROI and CLV. Her article states that you should invest as much as you get in return in social media. She articulates a few different ways to monitor return of investment in social media. Do you think these methods are accurate? Can the value of well used social media be calculated? Do you think the current marketing trends over value, undervalue or have a balance to social media perceived benefit?
Cleary, I. (2013). 3 Analytic Tools to Improve Your Social Media Performance : Social Media Examiner. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/3-analytic-tools-to-improve-your-social-media-performance/
Turner, J. (2013). An In-Depth Guide on Calculating the ROI of a Social Media Campaign. Retrieved February 29, 2016, from http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2013/11/17/in-depth-guide-calculating-social-media-roi/
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteGuideposts uses Google Analytics to track how customers come to their websites and data mining for customer's behaviors. Recently, in previous re-designs Guideposts uses more SEO key words via bloggers to assists with SEO ranking along with Google AdWords. OurPrayer ministry department uses bit.ly to track where traffic is coming from via the different social media sites. We are often asked to do more with less, so using free tools help to save money that can then be used for advertising and marketing a social campaign instead. On a monthly basis we use parts of the Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics, and Instagram - we track manually the # of likes on the highest post and # of followers on all of the sites. It would be nice if Instagram provided free analytics. There are free analytics tools as a work around that can assist you with where your followers are coming from and which key words are trending the most with our audience. It is vital to track the analytics so that a company can determine its ROI on its customers. In OurPrayer case we are tracking how well special prayer campaigns are doing and open rates on email by volunteers and partners with the help of Constant Contact. If a tragic event happens, then we create a prayer to share on social media that helps boost the # of prayer requests back on our main site. Social media sites have the benefit to reach farther and faster than a web site ever can do.
Sandy,
ReplyDeleteI am shocked to hear you are asked to do more with less. :) Do you find that this is a monthly, or annual challenge? You mention different tools you use to keep a low budget. I was wondering if you have noticed a large turnover in these tools, or how often you add a new tool to your tool belt.
Also, do you have any idea how your organization cam e across OurPrayer. I was reading the readings from this week and recalling on different social media jobs I have had and I felt overwhelmed. It appears there are so many different tools to use, how does an organization chose what is best for them?
In 2007, Guideposts created OurPrayer.org, so it is a service of Guideposts. OurPrayer was designed to stand on its own brand. The Prayer department branched out to the social media sites to find more volunteers, increase the # of prayer request, and provide an inspirational resource of prayer as service to those in need globally. The founders Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and Ruth Stafford Peale were dedicated to prayer and offering it in various ways through the Guideposts magazine first was email, next was a telephone prayer line, then a website, and today we're on social media sites such as Facebook. We receive in millions of requests on daily basis. Each staff person is responsible for platform, yet trained as a backup for each other. Guideposts OurPrayer mission is to pray by name and need along with in Jesus name. I support thousands of volunteers to use volunteer boards to pray online as well as assist them with joining a volunteer group on Facebook. Each person has a different learning curve, so it gets interesting at times. The monthly analytics and reports we process help us to stay on target for our departmental goals set forth by upper management. We started with Facebook, branched out to Twitter, and now on Instagram, plus we have Spanish version for FB and Twitter. It is amazing to see how the concept of praying for others has expanded so quickly with technology and the various platforms over the years. Facebook often changes its algorithms at times and that had and can throw off stats on us. Yet, we manage overcome the changes and find other ways to keep going forward. We have used Blog Talk Radio in the past, but this week OurPrayer will venture onto Periscope. It will be interesting to see how this new platform will contribute to our ministry efforts in making an impact in the lives of others. Companies usually chose based upon budgets and word of mouth recommendations by proven leaders in their industry. Research is vital to success, yet remain flexible to try new things. Be sure to check both Guideposts and OurPrayer sites in the future to see new changes.
DeleteSandy,
DeleteOurPrayer is a great example of social media strategy. From what you've explained here, your organization has already got social media figured out and using the different tools effectively. I've enjoyed your posts/tweets throughout this class, seeing how OurPrayer applies the concepts we've been learning in class.
I agree with your statement, that research is vital to success, and to remain flexible to trying new things. Did OurPrayer done research into Periscope, prior to trying the new platform, to see if it would be a viable method of reaching your audience and sharing your message?
Hi Shelby,
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree most large companies have social media strategic plans in place or outsource to use another company to do it for them. What tools does your company use for analytics? Since taking this course I have found other social media tools to be interesting to run and see what happens. ie LikeAnalyzer came up with a 91 out of 100 for OurPrayer and it states we should ask more questions. I also ran socialmention to see what it finds on twitter for OurPrayer and it revealed we have 75 passion rate. I found these results interesting and I plan on sharing with my manager to see if we need to tweak or adjust our game plan going forward on these platforms.
I agree with you that it is also good to go back and rerun the tools to see if a difference has been made. It is vital to keep one's response rate good, so that those visiting will know they can trust the organization and its mission. Otherwise, you will not be able to convert that possible sale via social media. Social media did not exist when I was working for my folks computer business, we had to rely on yellow pages and word of mouth for building a customer's loyalty and trust. How times have changed, as a click of button of like now build one's fan base and brand online. Understanding the new rules of marketing and public relations along with CLV and CAC, is just part of the same game of figuring out how to earn a profit online. Social media is here to stay, so you might as well learn it and reach as many customers as possible with it.
Hi Keri,
ReplyDeleteOurPrayer used Blog Talk Radio for awhile, but Periscope is a new venture. Yes, we researched the product and doing testing today for Monday first live run of it. Periscope ties into Twitter and we have a large following there already. Lately, we have been promoting it on our social media pages and email to all of our volunteers to join in next week. We will test it with different areas of the ministry to see what works best. It will be interesting to see if it works as to whether it draws in an larger audience for us.
Sandy,
DeleteThis is the first time I have heard of an organization like this; very cool. Clearly you have quite the support and momentum behind this organization. I was wondering how you initially make contact with people, and if you have received any push back for this progressive approach, and if so, how do you talk through that? Are you able to illustrate the power of OurPrayer?
The OurPrayer Volunteers have a Facebook page. I feel that it helps keep the volunteers in touch with each other. We can post there our concerns and our joys. I have also used it as a means of letting others know if there is a technical problem with the OurPrayer Volunteer board. It is a good way of staying in touch with other volunteers since we share the same mission of praying for others.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
DeleteThank you for joining our conversation and adding new perspectives.
Do you feel Facebook acts as a successful medium to communicate with for volunteers? Do you encounter a learning curve with new volunteers navigating the different social media platforms?
Sandy or Mary, if and when you use analytic, what do you look for in the data to help give you feedback or insight?
Shelby, it's interesting you say that your company wouldn't need social media today. You mention that they use old fashioned marketing; what kind of media do they use? Do they track and analyze each medium? How does your company's efforts with the old fashioned marketing compare to their social media efforts? I'm curious to know what tools work best for your company.
ReplyDeleteTeam,
ReplyDeleteShelby, I really appreciate your perspective. I had similar thoughts as Keri did when reading your response. The principle of crafting a message that resonates with a target audience appears to remain the same through the ages. I too was wondering what similarities you see in the marketing process. I was also wondering if your organization believes social media marketing would inhibit or result in no growth for the organization. Has the idea been considered?
In addition, we have read in prior classes that companies do not allocate large portions of their budget to marketing in the past. I looked at an article by Brady that illuminates corporate marketing expenditures of well known companies such as Apple and Twitter. The range goes from 7% (Apple), to 44% (Twitter). I was shocked at how little Apple spend considering they are well known for their advertising.
With all this talk of social media, and Shelby's point I then wondered how much of this budget was being used for social media. I found an article by Lee predicts companies will go from 9% to 19% of their budget being spend on social media marketing between 2014 and 2019. It appears many organizations have seen positive growth with the dawn of social media.
Brady, S. (2015). What Percent of Revenue to Spend on Marketing Budget? Retrieved March 03, 2016, from https://vtldesign.com/inbound-marketing/content-marketing-strategy/percent-of-revenue-spent-on-marketing-sales/
Brady, S. (2015). What Percent of Revenue to Spend on Marketing Budget? Retrieved March 03, 2016, from https://vtldesign.com/inbound-marketing/content-marketing-strategy/percent-of-revenue-spent-on-marketing-sales/