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SocialMediaMarketing:

SuccessfulCaseStudiesofBusinessesUsing
FacebookandYouTubeWithAnInDepthLookinto
theBusinessUseofTwitter

MaddyCoon
CommunicationM.A.Project
Advisor:ByronReeves
June4,2010


Introduction

AccordingtoSocialnomics,apopularsocialmediablogandfamousforits
SocialMediaRevolutionvideos,by2010GenerationYwilloutnumberBaby
Boomersand96%ofthemwillhavejoinedasocialnetwork.Italsostatesother
astonishingfactsaboutsocialmedia.Forexample,socialmediahasovertakenporn
asthe#1activityontheweband1outof8couplesmarriedintheU.S.lastyearmet
viasocialmedia.Thereareover200,000,000blogsand54%ofbloggerspost
contentortweetdaily.Andperhapsthemostfascinatingfactofallisthatittook38
yearsforradiotoreach50millionusers,13yearsfortelevision,4yearsforthe
Internet,only3yearsfortheiPodandFacebookadded100millionusersinless
than9monthsandmostrecently,iPhoneapplicationshit1billioninonly9months.
Clearly,socialmediahasbecomehugeanditisntlimitedonlytotheyounger
generations.Infact,accordingtoSocialnomicsagain,thefastestgrowingsegmenton
Facebookis5565yearoldfemales.
Withthiseasytoaccessandevergrowingsourceofpeople,brandshave
beguntorealizethepotentialtoreachthesepeoplethroughsocialnetworks.
Socialnomicsfoundthat25%ofsearchresultsfortheWorldsTop20brandsare
linkstousergeneratedcontentand34%ofbloggerspostopinionsaboutproducts
andbrands.SomeofthemoreinterestingcommentsbySocialnomicsareitsfactson
thesuccessofpeerrecommendationsandhowsocialnetworkshavebroughtpeer
recommendationsandpeerinteractiontoawholenewlevel.AccordingtotheSocial
MediaRevolutionvideo,peoplecaremoreabouthowtheirsocialgraphranks
productsandservicesthanhowGoogleranksthemand78%ofconsumerstrust

peerrecommendationswhileonly14%trustadvertisements.Thisshowsthat
traditionaladvertisingwillnotbesuccessfulonsocialmediaplatforms.Although
socialmediaisrelativelynewandsomecompaniesarestillevenhesitanttodive
intoone,itisclearthatsocialmediamarketinghasbecomeawholenewfield.With
morethan1.5millionpiecesofcontentsharedonFacebookdaily(Socialnomics),
companiesseethepotentialformarketingtheirbusiness,buthowtodoso
successfullyisthequestion.
Sohowpopulararesocialnetworksforcompanyuse?Accordingtoastudy
donebyPRfirmBursonMarsteller,whichstudiedthe100largestcompaniesinthe
Fortune500list,79%ofthemuseTwitter,Facebook,YouTubeorcorporateblogsto
communicatewithcustomersandotherstakeholders.Thisstatisticisglobal.Forthe
U.S.alone,86%ofthetop100companiesuseatleastonesocialmediaplatform.
Twitteristhemostpopularofthesocialmediatoolswith65%ofGlobal100
companiesusingit.54%haveFacebookfanpages,50%haveYouTubechannelsand
33%usecorporateblogs.Thestudyalsofoundthatthesecompanieshavehigh
activitylevelsontheirsocialnetworkingsites.Theyfoundthat82%ofthosewith
Twitteraccountstweetedinthepastweekandatahighaverageof27tweetsper
week.59%ofcompaniespostedontheirFacebookpageinthelastweekwithan
averageof3.6postsand68%postedYouTubevideosinthepastmonthwithan
averageof10videos.And,thestudyalsofoundthatcompaniesarerespondingto
stakeholders.43%ofcompaniesintheU.S.respondtopeoplestweetsand41%
retweetcommentsfromotherstherebycreatingadialoguebetweenthecompany
andtheconsumers.Thesecompaniesalsohavemultipleaccountstofocuson

specificpartsoftheircompany.AT&Tforexamplehastwitteraccountsnamed
ATTNews,ATTDeals,ATTJobs,ATTCustomerCareetc.Also,forthemajorcompanies
usingFacebookfanpages,theaveragenumberoffansisinthetensofthousands,
comparedtoacouplethousandforTwitterfollowers,therebyshowingthatpeople
dowanttoengagewithcompaniesonFacebook.Facebookfanpagesenablepeople
toLikethecompany,postcommentsandoriginalcontentforallfanstosee.Larger
companiesalsohavemultiplefanpagesfordifferentproductsanddivisionswithin
thecompany.YouTubealsoallowsfanstosubscribetoavideochannelpageand
commentonvideos.Thestudyfoundthatthereisanaverageof39,000viewsper
videochannel.Thesevideosrangefromentertainmentbasedtoinformational
based.ThestudytookplaceinMarch2010.
Companiesaretryingmanydifferentwaystoattracttheattentionof
consumersandcreateasuccessfulsocialmediastrategy.Blendtecforexample
createdaninexpensiveYouTubecampaignwheretheydisplayedWillitBlend
videoswheretheblendercompanywouldtryblendingrandomthings.Thissimple
idealedtoafivefoldincreaseinsales.BestWesternsponsorsablogcalledOnThe
GoWithAmy,wheretheauthortravelsaroundthecountrywritingabouther
experiences.DellhasitsownislandinthevirtualworldSecondLifewhereitfocuses
oncustomerengagement.HPusedTwittertocreateascavengerhuntata
conferencetheyheld.LenovolaunchedVoicesoftheOlympicGameswhichbrought
togetherpostsfromathletescompetinginBeijingalltooneplace.Visalaunchedthe
VisaBusinessNetworkapplicationonFacebookwhereithelpssmallbusinesses
promotetheirbusinessestoalargercommunity,therebyshowingthatnotonly

largecompaniesareusingandaresuccessfulonsocialnetworks.Thesearejust
quickexamplesofwhatcompaniesaredoingwithsocialnetworks.Becausethe
mediumisrelativelynew,companiesareshowingcreativityinhowtheyinteract
andtrytoattractuserstotheirpages.
Socialmediaischangingbusinessonlineassocialmediamarketinghas
createditsownnicheinthebusinessworld.Moreandmorecompaniesarehiring
CommunityManagersandSocialMediaAnalystsandtheyarebecomingtheirown
department,separatefromthetraditionalmarketingandadvertisingsector.
Companieshavetoreactinthemomentnowmorethanever.Theycantfullyrelyon
spotlesspressreleasesorflashyadcampaigns,asSorenGordgamer,authorof
Wisdom2.0,putsit.Hestatescompaniesnowfaceaclearchoice:wallthemselves
inandbecomeincreasinglycontrolledandhidden,orusesocialmediaandother
meanstorevealtheirhumanside,welcometransparencyandforgenew
relationshipswiththeircustomers.Theoldgameisundoubtedlyover,andthe
questionnowis,whatcanbusinessesdototransitionandsucceedinthisnewera?
Gordgamerpointsoutseveralshiftsthatsocialmediamarketinghastaken
fromtraditionalmarketing.Thefirstofwhichisthatcompaniesarenowseekingthe
opportunitytoengageusersandtheyaretryingtocreatelastingrelationships.This
onetooneinsteadofonetomanyapproachisrelativelynew.Thesesocial
networkingsitesallowcompaniestoengageonaonetoonelevelwithapotential
customer.Thereforecompaniesarepostinglessaboutjusttheirproductsandare
havingmoreconversations.Thecompaniesarebecomingmorehumanandless
focusedonjustsellingtheirproduct.GordgamerusestheexampleofPresidentand

CEOoftheTimberlandCompany,JeffSwartz,asanexampleofthisshift.Swartz
usedhisTwitteraccount,Timeberland_Jeff,toshowcasehispersonalityandnon
businessrelatedaspectsofhislife.Bydoingthis,Swartzcreatesapersonality
behindthecompanyandgivespeoplesomethingtorelatetoandrememberthe
companyformorethanjustwhattheymake.
AsecondshiftthatGordgamersuggestsisthatcompaniesarefocusingless
onlargecampaignsandmoreonsmallacts.Becauseoftheeaseofsharingand
postingcontentandwiththenumberofpeopleitquicklyreaches,companiescan
relyonsmallactstoproducebigresults.Itsbeenseenbeforewhereacompany
startsasmallcampaignbecauseitscheapandeasytoproduceanditcatchesonlike
wildfire.Thisiswhererespondingtoasinglepersonbecomesimportantaswell.If
onepersonisdissatisfiedbyacompanysproductandsharestheirdislikeonasocial
network,anexponentialamountofpeopleseethatdissatisfactioninamatterof
seconds.Byrespondingquicklyandhonestlytoapersonspost/tweet,companys
canaddresscustomerconcerns.Thisalsoreinforcestheimportanceofcreating
relationshipswithusersandfollowersofacompanyssocialmediasite.
AthirdshiftthatGordgamerseesissimilartothebuildingrelationships
concept.Heseessuccessfulcompaniesonsocialnetworkingsitesbeingthemselves
insteadoftryingtofullycontroltheirimage.Thereisgoingtobenegativecontent
postedaboutonescompany,butthatdoesntmeanthatacompanyshouldhold
strongrestrictionsonhowitsemployeesusetheirownonlinespaceorthatnegative
contentshouldbedeletedorignored.Givingemployeesfreedomonlinewillonly
enhancetheideathatthecompanyishumanandseeingnegativecontentwillonly

makethesiteseemmorebelievableandrealtoafollower.Gordgamerstates,Iam
notsurehowNBCdirectsthesocialmediaeffortsoftheiremployees,butin
watchingNBCnewscasterAnnCurry(@AnnCurry)onTwitteritisclearthatsheis
notsimplytryingtogetpeopletowatchhershows.Curryissomeonewhospeaks
outaboutwomensrights,deeplycaresaboutjusticeandlikestoquotethePersian
poet,Rumithereisapersonthere,notacompanyrepresentative,andassuch,Iam
muchmorelikelytopayattentionwhenandifshedoestalkaboutanyofher
televisionshows.
Finally,thefourthshiftinbusinessbecauseofsocialmediathatGordgamer
pointsoutisthesiftfromhardtoreachtoavailableeverywhere.Customersno
longerhavetowaithoursonthephonetoengagewithavoiceactivatedsystem.
Withsocialmediasites,peoplecanreachcompaniesatanytimeandthrougha
mediumthattheyarecomfortablewith.Forthisreasoncompanieshavespecific
pagesortwitterchannelsfordifferentproblemsandareasoftheircompanies.
Socialmediamarketingstrategiesdonothavetocostalotofmoney.Infact,
manyofthemostsuccessfulcampaignshavebeenextremelycheaptocarryout.
Engagingusersthroughsocialmediatakesadifferentperspectivethantraditional
marketing.Userswanttobeentertained,findinformationquicklyandseethatthere
isarealpersonrespondingandpostingonthecompanyssite.Peoplearemuch
morelikelytotrustarealpersonthanhavingjustWholeFoods,forexample,writea
genericpostbacktothem.Thefollowingpartofthispaperwillconsistofsimple
successfulsocialmediamarketingstoriesthathavebeenusedbycompanieson
FacebookandYouTube.Afterthecasestudyportionofthepaper,Iwillpresentmy

TwitterprojectthatwasdoneoverthecourseofafewweeksinwhichIsentouta
questionnaireaboutthebusinessuseofTwittertodifferentbusinesscontactsI
receivedfromtheCEOofthecompanyIaminterningatduringthisschoolyear.
Thesecontactsarepeopleaffiliatedwithbusinesscompaniesinprimarilythetech
sector.

FacebookCaseStudy

Withmorethan400millionactiveusersandwith50%ofthoseactiveusers

loggingoneveryday,companieshavebeeneagertohopontoFacebooktogeta
pieceoftheaction.Whatmakesasocialmediamarketingstrategysuccessfulon
Facebookthough?Themediumisknowntobepopularforgiveaways,anddaily
coupons.But,somecompaniesaredoingveryinterestingstuffthathashelpedthem
growasacompany.AgreatexampleisToyota.Withtheirmassiverecallearlierthis
year,Toyotasreputationwasslidingdownaslipperyslope.However,accordingto
anarticleprintedinAdvertisingAge,itsFacebookfanbaseactuallygrewmorethan
10%sincelateJanuary,aroundthetimeofthemarketersJan.21recall
announcementThatsatestamenttotheresilienceofthebrand,butalsoto
Toyotasabilitytoquicklypickuponeofthemostimportanttoolsinacrisis
communicationshandbook:socialmedia.AroundFeb.1stofthisyear,Toyota
createdasocialmediaresponseroom,accordingtothearticle,wheresixtoeight
peoplewereconstantlymonitoringwhatwasbeingsaidonthesocialmediasites
andtheywouldrespondaccordingly.WhatseemedmostimportantwasthatToyota

actedauthentically.Toyotareactedproactivelyanddidonethingthatmany
companieshavefailedtodo,listen.

AnotherexampleofasuccessfuluseofFacebookforcompaniesisBestBuy.

Theyaskedfansabouttheirfavoritevampiremoviesandthenputthemallonsale.
Thisisagreatexampleofabrandsolicitingfeedbackfromfansandthenresponding
accordingly.Theyopeneduptheopportunityfordialogueandthenthefanssawreal
liveactiontakeplace.

ChaseBankstartedtheChaseCommunityGivingFacebookpageinaneffort

togetpeopletodonateto100differentcharities.TheFacebookpageletsitsown
fansvoteforwhichcharitiesitwantsthemoneytogoto.Itwasthefirstprogramto

bebuiltoncrowdsourcedcharitable

giving.

Althoughtheseareallbigbusinesses,smallbusinesseshavealsoseenhuge

benefitstojumpingonboardwithFacebook.TheNewYorkTimesArticle,Howto
MarketYourBusinessWithFacebookstates,agrowingnumberofbusinessesare
makingFacebookanindispensiblepartofhangingouttheirshingles.Small
businessesareusingittofindnewcustomers,buildonlinecommunitiesoffansand
digintogoldminesofdemographicinformation.Whilebigbusinesseshavebig
budgetsandhavethetimeandmoneytotrymanydifferentthingswiththeirbrand
presence,smallbusinessescanstillachievealotwithverylittle.Replicatingthe
personalityofyourbusinesswithphotos,videos,commentsandusefulinformation
isquickandcheaptodo.Forexamplethearticlestates,Lastyear,ArtMeets
CommerceintroducedaFacebookadcampaigntopromoteanOffBroadwayrunof
themusicalFela!ThecampaignaimedatFacebookuserswithinterestslike
theatricalshowsorAfrobeat.Accordingtothecompany,itgenerated18million
impressions,morethan5,700clicksand$40,000inticketsalesallfor$4,400spent
onadvertising.Demographicinformationiswidelyavailableforadvertisersand

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thatallowssmallbusinessestotargetspecificcustomers,leadingtobetterchances
ofinterest.ThearticleshowsthatChrisMeyer,aweddingphotographer,canfind
engagedwomenaged2228intheMinneapolisSt.Paulmetropolitanarea.He
estimatesthathehasspentabout$300onFacebookadsinthelasttwoyearsand
hasgeneratedmorethan$60,000inbusiness.Anothersmallcompany,Sprinklesa
cupcakebakery,reliesentirelyonsocialmediaformarketing.Theypostapassword
onFacebookeverydaythatcanberedeemedforafreecupcake.Theiradvice,Make
itrelevanttothecustomer,keepitfreshandrememberthatthereturnon
investmentmaycomeslowlyPeoplearenotgoingtoflocktoyoursocialmedia
siteovernight.Technologyisaboutthenetworkeffect.Ittakestimeforthose
connectionstobuild.

YouTubeCaseStudy

Videocurrentlyrepresentsaquarterofthewebstraffic,butcouldbeashigh
as90%inonlythreeyearstime(accordingtoCisco).And,forYouTubethiswill
meanbigbusiness,whichalreadyseesover20hoursofvideouploadedevery
minute.Manybigcompanies,suchasGuinnesshaveputupalltheiroldarchived
ads.NikehasproducedasuccessfulYouTubestrategywithitsShowYour5

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campaignwhereitrecorded20professionalclipsandthengaveregularsubmitters
toYouTubetheopportunitytouploadtheirownclips.Theentirecampaignended
upwithabout1,000clips.InanarticlefeaturingBruceDaisely,GoogleUKsleader
forYouTube,hesays,throwingmoneyatacampaignhasneverguaranteedsuccess,
butcertainproductionstandardsareexpectedoftelevisioncampaigns.OnYouTube,
however,lowfiisembracedjustasmuchasbigbudget.Assuch,thecombinationof
tinybudgetandbigviewsistheholygrailfororganizationsonYouTube,andin
particularvideosthatgoviral.Itsdirectlinetocustomers,abenefitthatkeeps
showingupinconversationsaboutsocialmediamarketing,allowsfortwoway
contactaswell.Forexample,BarackObamabecamethefistUSPresidenttobe
interviewedonYouTubeandheansweredtextandvideoquestionssubmittedby
users.

InanarticlewrittenbyCatherineGailReinhard,creativedirectoratan

agencythatfocusesoncreatingvideoinfotainment,shesays,thebrandsthat
achievelongtermsuccessonYouTubearetheonesthatconsistentlyandfrequently
publishrefreshingcontentthathasintrinsicvalueforaudiencesonline.Takefor
exampleQuicksilver.Theyusevideosthatfeaturebigandbeautifulwavesthat
certainlycapturetheaudiencesattention.But,theyalsoproducewebisodesand
minidocumentariesthatgivepeopleaninsidescooponthelivesofprofessional
surfers,skateboardersandsnowboarders.Withalmostonenewvideoaweek,
Quicksilverkeepscontentfreshanduniquesothatpeoplekeepcomingbacktotheir
channel.

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AnotherexampleisFordModelsandyes,whileitmaybeunfairthatthey

havesomeofthemostbeautifulwomenintheworldattheirfingertips,FordModels
usesseveraldifferenttechniquesthatmakeitagreatcasestudyforYouTube.
ReinhardpointsoutthatFordModelsisuniquebecauseofitsuseofmultilingual
content,therebybroadeningtheirpotentialaudiencereach.Theyalsoofferawide
rangeofinfotainment,includingvlogsofmodelstravelingtoexoticlocations,tips
fromprostylists,tobehindthescenesvideosofphotoshootsandfashionshows.
TheUniversityofPhoenixOnlineisalsoaprimeexampleofwhattheonline
educationindustryhasbeentryingtodoovertheyears.Eventoptieruniversities
areholdingclassesonlinethesedays,andtheUniversityofPhoenixOnlinehas
chosenYouTubeasitsmajormarketingstrategy.Theyoffervideotestimonials,
reviews,minidocumentariesandwebisodes.Theirgoalistomakeavideothatwill
fitforeverytypeofpotentialstudentoutthere.Becausetheywereoneofthefirst
onlineschoolstouseYouTubetheyoftenappearatthetopofsearchesforonline
schools.

Finally,ReinhardpointsoutHomeDepotasaleaderincreatingthe

successfulhowtovideoonYouTube.AbigtopicthatIkeepcomingbacktowhile
researchingsocialmediamarketingisthefactthatbrandsarebeinghumanized.
ThisisexactlywhathasmadeHomeDepotasuccessonYouTube.Givingafaceto
thecorporationhashelpedpeoplebelievethatHomeDepotismadeupofnormal
peopletooanditenablespeopletorelatetothem.Theirproductsarefeaturedinall
theirvideosasproductplacementinsteadofblatantadvertisementsandthevery
samepeoplewhoworkinthestoresperformthehowtovideos.

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TwitterProject

Twitterhasbecomeoneofthemostinterestingsocialnetworkstoriseinthe

recentyears.Witha140characterlimit,peoplenowhavetogettothepointquickly.
Businessesnowhavetoprovideentertainingandattentiongrabbingcontentinjust
afewshortsentences.With105,779,710registersusers(asofApril2010)and180
millionuniquevisitorscomingtothesiteeverymonth,itisnowonderthatTwitter
hasbecomethenewestfad.Twittersrealtimefunctionalityandabilitytoeasily
retweethasopenedthedoorsforitsbusinessappeal.Howarethemostsuccessful
businessesusingTwitter?Theyarenotusingitjusttotweetoutpromotional
messages.Aninterestingfindisthattheyarebeginningtouseonlinelingosuchas
omg(ohmygod)andbtw(bytheway)tohelpwiththecharacterlimit.A
popularandsmartuseforTwitteriscustomersupportbecauseoftheabilityto
personallygetbacktoeachpersonwhotweetsaboutabusiness.Peoplewillalsobe
abletoseethatacompanydoesnotignoreitsfollowers.

InShelIsraelsbook,Twitterville,heexplainsthatTwitterisspecialbecause

itismorelikereallifethananythingelse.Itdoesntbeginwithatransactionlike
mosttraditionalmarketingandsales,butitisaboutconversationandrelationships.
InsteadofthinkingintermsofTwitterasamarketingtool,hesuggeststhinking
aboutitasacommunicationtoolthatcanbeusedwithpeople,notatpeople.Israel
says,Twittervilleexaminestheinefficiencyoftraditionalmarketing.Itarguesthe
caseforusingsocialmediainsteadofads.Itarguesthatfromabusinessperspective,

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Twitteristhemosteffectivetoolyetdeliveredintothegrowingarsenalofsocial
mediatools.(pg.7)Inspiredbythisidea,Isentoutaquestionnaire(madeusing
Googleforms)focusedonTwitterforbusinessusetoasmanybusinesscontactsI
couldgetfrommyschoolyearinternship.Thesepeoplewereaffiliatedwith
businessandmostwereinthetechsector.Thequestionnairewasemailedoutand
theanswerswereautomaticallyupdatedintoaGooglespreadsheetasIreceived
answers.Ireceivedabout100responsesandtheyarecompletelyanonymous.Inthe
openendedbasedquestionnaireIaskedthemsixquestions:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

DoyouuseTwittertomarketyourcompany?
WhydidyourcompanystartusingTwitter
WhatareyourgoalsrevolvingaroundtheuseofTwitter
HaveyouseenanymeasurableresultsfromyourTwitteruse?
SincestartingtouseTwitter,hasthewayyouusetheplatformshiftedatall?
How?
6. Whatstrategiesdoyouusewhendecidingwhattotweet?

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Forquestion1,mostpeoplerepliedyes,thattheydouseTwittertomarkettheir
company.Someinterestingresponsesincluded,weuseittomakepeopleawareof
ourinformationupdates,nottomarketmycompanybuttoshareinformation
aboutinstructionaltechnology,weuseTwittertopointtointerestingstuffwedo,
andyesindirectly.Itseemsthatthemostcommonanswersleantowardssharing
informationasmostimportant.Also,theindirectapproachisinterestingbecause
thesecompaniesmaynotevenlistTwitteraspartoftheirmarketingstrategybut
asapartofsomethingnewaltogether.
Question2sawavastarrayofresponses.Someofthemoreinterestinginclude,
becauseIsawitasanotherusefulinfosharingvehicle,becauseitshowwetalkto
people,interactwithconsumers,educate,everyoneelsewas,togainanedge
overcompetitorswhohadnotyetembracedsocialmedia,topromote
conversations,realtimecommunications,bepartoftheconversation,and
adaptive/experimentstrategy.Again,itseemsasthoughinformationsharingis
mostcommon.Ialsofinditinterestingtoseesomanypeoplepointtoconversation
andinteractionaskeyreasonswhytheychosetojoinTwitterforbusinessuse.
Interestingquestion3answersinclude,relationshipbuildingandcredibility
enhancingkindsofthings,tounderstandandbeunderstood,keepingthepulse
andmyownvisibility,increaseawareness,educationalopportunitiesand
networking,weuseitmorefornewsandinformationatthispoint.Weare
interestedinlookingatwaystofostercommunityengagement.Wehavealsoused
Twittertorecruitpotentialjobapplicants,forwork,Twitterprovidesanother
channelthatuserscancommunicatewithusandwecancommunicatewiththemit

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isntreallyaboutmarketing,anddeepenrelationships.Isawalotofdifferent
typesofanswersforwhatareyourgoalsfortheuseofTwitter.Someweremore
focusedonbrandbuilding,yetIstillsawagreatdealofcommentsonrelationship
building.Therewerealsoseveralthatpointedtowardsthehopeofbuildingsome
sortofcommunitywithinitsfollowersasthenextstep.
Question4answerswerealittlebitmoremixed.Itwasaboutevenforpeople
respondingyesandnotothequestionofseeinganymeasurableeffects.Therewere
alsoresponsesthatstateditdidntmatter,whichwereperhapsthemostinteresting.
Someofthemoreinterestinganswersforthisquestioninclude,wearent
measuring,yes,itsconversationinallthings,yes,readersknowmoreaboutwho
Iamandtendtofeelmorecomfortabletalkingtome,morewebtraffic,we
haventlookedforthem.Howcanyoumeasureconversation?Thelastcommentis
themostinterestingIsaw.SocialMediaROI(returnoninvestment)hasbeenatopic
ofconversationassoonaspeoplestartedusingitinthebusinessworld.Howdoyou
measureitsresults?Somepeoplehavetakenthepathofsayingitdoesntmatter;
anyconversationyoustartwithaprospectivecustomerisworthwhile.With
Twitterslowcost,anyfeedbackorrelationshipthatisbuiltmaybeworththeeffort
ofkeepingonesTwitterstreamupdatedconstantly.
Withquestion5,Iwaslookingtoseeifthestrategypeopleusetotweethad
changedatallaftertheyhadgottencomfortablewiththeplatform.Someinteresting
thingssaidwere,yesatfirstwejustdidrandomupdatesbutnowweuseanRSS
feedtobroadcastallofournews.Wealsoaremoreresponsiveandsolicit
interactionmorenow,ItrytoreplyasmuchasIsharetobepartofconversations,

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notjustoneway,Irarelytweetwithoutalinknow.Someinterestingpointswere
thatcompaniesstartfocusingmoreontheindividualthemoretheyuseTwitterand
getcomfortablewithit.AlwayshavingalinkhasbecomeverycommonwithTwitter
andhelpswithinformationsharing.Withtheadditionofbit.lyandotherURL
shorteners,therehasbeennoproblemsharinglongURLswiththe140character
limit.Youcanalsotrackhowmanyclicksyougotonaspecificlinkasawaytotrack
someresults.

Finally,forthelastquestionIwantedtoseeiftherewereanysortofsocial

mediamarketingplansinplacebeforepeopletweetedatacompany.Interesting
answerswereretweetasoftenasItweet,relevanceofinformation,abitof
humor,andconsidermyaudience.Anotherinterestingaddwastodiversify
learningexperiences,crowdsource.ForthemostpartIdontthinkthemajorityof
companiesouttherehaveaverydefinedorelaboratesocialmediamarketingplan.
Thoughitisrelativelynew,peoplearelearningastheygoalongitseems.Themore
comfortabletheyareusingtheplatform,themoretheystarttounderstandTwitters
truepotential.ListeningissomethingIdidntseetoomuchofintheresponsesandit
wassomethingIwasspecificallylookingfor.Twittergivescompaniesthe
opportunitytolistentowhatpeoplearesayingaboutthemandtodosomething
aboutitinatimelymannerandusingaplatformtheiraudienceiscomfortablewith.
WhatIwassurprisedaboutwastheamountthatpeoplerespondedwithanswers
aboutconversationandsharing,whichareideasthatShelIsraelspokeaboutinhis
book.Thisprojecthelpedtoshowthatcompanies,forthemostpart,arentthinking
aboutTwitterasastraightupmarketingtooltouseforbrandbuilding.Insteadthey

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aretryingatleasttouseitinawaytoconnectandinteractwithpotential
customers.

Conclusion

Itcanbeseenthatsocialmediawillonlygrowinthebusinessworldasmore
peoplebecomecomfortablewiththeidea.Moreandmorepeoplewillstart
gravitatingtowardsitbecausetheywillbelosingoutiftheydonotdoso.Social
mediamarketingisnotsomethingthatwilltakelittleeffortandtime,itmustbe
updatedconstantlywithfreshandinterestingcontentorelseitsfollowerswill
quicklyloseinterest.However,itsabeneficialprocess.Companiescandiscover
moreabouttheircustomers,provideinformation,receivefeedbackandmoreallfor
fairlycheapbudgets.ThoughIonlylookedatFacebook,YouTubeandTwitter,there
aremoresocialnetworksouttherethatwillfitanycompaniesgoals.Itseemsas
thoughthecompaniesthatarehavingthehardesttimetrustingandbelievingin
socialmediamarketingaretheonesthatarestuckinthepast.Iamnotsuggesting
thatcompaniesgiveupontheirtraditionalmarketingandadvertisingstrategies.I
onlysuggestthattheylookatwhatothersaredoingandwhattheyhave
accomplishedwitheasewithsocialmedia.Companyscanbecomesfriendswith
customers.Theycanshowofftheirpersonalityandconnectwithrealpeoplewho
usetheirproducts.Mostimportantly,theycanlistenandreactinrealtime.There
aremanybenefitstostartingasocialmediamarketingplanandmanybusinesses
havealreadyseengreatresults.Thereisnotellingwhatthefuturewillholdfor
business,butsocialmediawillonlycontinuetogrow.

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