Tag Archive for: digital communication

Your Social Media Marketing Plan – Is The Goal Trust or Action?

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Key Takeaways

  • Build Trust Through Authenticity: Utilize social media to cultivate trust among your audience by sharing genuine content that resonates with their values and interests, while being mindful of the motivations that drive them to take action.
  • Leverage Word of Mouth: Encourage sharing among your community, as recommendations from trusted sources significantly influence consumer behavior. Understanding what prompts people to share is crucial for maximizing your reach and credibility.
  • Be Purposeful in Messaging: Every social media post should have a clear objective—whether it’s to build trust or inspire action. Tailor your content accordingly to enhance engagement and effectively meet your marketing goals.

Bet your starting to think about next year’s social media marketing plan. And as importantly, where will social media marketing fall into the mix? Will there be more? Less? The latest Advertising Trust report from Neilsen may offer some insights to help you in your planning process.

One of the strongest reasons to increase your social media is the the number one source of consumer trust and action is “Recommendations from people I know”.  Trust and action are often hand in hand, and we can’t discount the value of trust, but its also hard to measure. However, what creates trust and what creates action can be different. For example, consumers report that humorous ads resonate most with them. We know that humor is a powerful tool, especially in social media. It might be more powerful than cats, dare I say <GASP>. However, humor is rarely what makes people take ACTION.

The action taking piece is the one I’m always most interested in looking at more closely. And its really no surprise that word of mouth leads the pack. Ads on social networks have a lower trust score than they do action score. That’s actually true for several advertising types. With respect to social media, there are two key take aways:
1)  Use social to build trust and be very aware of what motivations exist for taking action.
2) The power of your tribe: when they share what you’ve got, its a more credible source. So be very aware of what and why people share on social. Tribes deeply impact our actions.

Now, the challenge with a report like this is that these results are all self-reported. The challenge with self-reporting is that people don’t always really know why they do what they do. I know, YOU always know why you do what you do. Or do you? Your motivations may not always be clear even to you. That’s why I started Captivation Motivation Training. 

Just remember, what type of message you use impacts trust and action. Decide what you’re trying to establish in every single post. Be purposeful in your social media practice and you’ll find that you can actually be more human.

 

 

 

PS: If you’d like to download the Neilsen Report for yourself: click here

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Word of Mouth Still Leads in Trust & Action

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Key Takeaways

  • Word of Mouth is Key: Recommendations from people we know are the most trusted source for driving both brand trust and consumer action, highlighting the enduring power of personal connections over other forms of advertising.
  • Social Media as a Trust Builder: Brands should leverage social media to build trust, while being mindful of the motivations that lead consumers to take action. Understanding what prompts sharing can enhance credibility and influence.
  • Message Impact Matters: The type of message used in social media directly affects trust and action. Brands need to be intentional with their messaging, ensuring each post serves a clear purpose to foster genuine connections with their audience.

The latest Advertising Trust report from Neilsen reveals some surprises, but least surprising is the fact that “Recommendations from people I know” is the single most powerful driver to product and brand trust AND more importantly, action taking. It’s true that trust and action are often hand in hand, and we can’t discount the value of trust, but its also hard to measure. However, what creates trust and what creates action can be different. For example, consumers report that humorous ads resonate most with them. We know that humor is a powerful tool, especially in social media. It might be more powerful than cats, dare I say . However, humor is rarely what makes people take ACTION.

The action taking piece is the one I’m always most interested in looking at more closely. And its really no surprise that word of mouth leads the pack. Ads on social networks have a lower trust score than they do action score. That’s actually true for several advertising types. With respect to social media, there are two key take aways:
1) Use social to build trust and be very aware of what motivations exist for taking action.
2) The power of your tribe: when they share what you’ve got, its a more credible source. So be very aware of what and why people share on social.

Now, the challenge with a report like this is that these results are all self-reported. The challenge with self-reporting is that people don’t always really know why they do what they do. I know, YOU always know why you do what you do. Or do you? Your motivations may not always be clear even to you.

Just remember, what type of message you use impacts trust and action. Decide what you’re trying to establish in every single post. Be purposeful in your social media practice and you’ll find that you can actually be more human.

PS: If you’d like to download the Neilsen Report for yourself: click here

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Creating Great Content: The Viral Marketing Virus

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Key Takeaways

  • Focus on Quality, Not Virality: The article emphasizes that while going viral can be a benefit of great content, it should not be the primary goal. Instead, marketers should prioritize creating high-quality, emotionally resonant content that tells a story and engages the audience meaningfully.
  • Embrace Purposeful Content Creation: In today’s crowded media landscape, content should be purposeful and relevant. Marketers need to think strategically about their audience, distribution plans, and the cultural context to ensure their content stands out and resonates with viewers.
  • Understand the Role of Storytelling: Effective storytelling is essential for content creation. Whether planned or spontaneous, successful content often strikes an emotional chord with its audience. Marketers are encouraged to craft unique narratives that integrate their brand naturally, rather than forcing the product into the spotlight.

Listen up: Going viral is a benefit to creating great content, not the goal.

But if you’re really committed to creating great content, a viral marketing campaign:

Creating viral content is this easy.
And this difficult.
Here’s my fool-proof 3-step process.

  1. Create content that strikes an emotional cord (funny, sad, inspirational) and is distinctly unique and you’re one step closer to viral.
  2. Create content that tells a story, not a tagline, and you’re one step closer to going viral. 
  3. If you’re branding it, make the product part of the story, not THE story.

Not all that helpful, right? Truly the devil is in the details. Storytelling. More art than science. That’s why there is no Einstein-esque formula for viral. If only “viral” were as simple as math. It takes time to create and make a story. Songwriters, ad professionals, photographers, marketers, movie makers, writers, videographers, graphic designers.  Storytellers. And once in a while, a storyteller also gets lucky. And viral happens. Think of all the stories out there today. Not too many go viral, but does that make them not worth making? Of course not.

Update 2024:

Today we’re reaching into the archives to update a post I authored in 2008. 

Looking through this article (full text below), which originally appeared in 2002, I was struck by how much has changed and how much hasn’t. 

Going viral has changed a bit, and it happens faster than ever, thanks to platforms like TikTok, which we couldn’t even conceive of in 2010. 

On the other hand, content serves us differently now, and we have a lot more at our disposal. 

It’s interesting to look back through the time machine and compare content then vs. now. 

What’s changed?

We have more channels of distraction than ever. 

More isn’t always better, and that’s where we are today.Today, everyone is a creator—from influencers to publicists and marketers, even your neighbor next door. We have more channels competing for our time and attention. A lot has changed since the halcyon days of social media. The competition for eyeballs is great. It’s better to niche down and create content for a very specific audience, but don’t even try to please everyone. Of course, that’s not a license to be offensive, which brings me to my next point.

It means that creating great content must be purposeful and relevant. More than ever, you must think like a movie studio; if you’re going to spend the effort to create great content, what’s the distribution plan? What’s the marketing plan? Is there something newsworthy about it?

Cancel Culture Thrives on Viral Viruses

In today’s world, a very real question brands have to ask themselves: is viral content worth the risk? We live in a very divided time, and often, what strikes a cord is something that’s divisive to others (see: Budlight Controversy) . It’s easy for brands, be they purpose-driven or otherwise, to respond to the cancel culture with bland content to avoid a PR crisis.

Creating great content that goes viral in the best way, without offending a person or a group really requires diversity of perspectives at the content creation table.

We’re All Just Living in This Moment Together

Remember that moment during the COVID pandemic when we were all doing the exact same thing? There was a second there when the world felt very united. We had a common enemy: the virus. A common enemy is a great storytelling level, and lots of brands jumped to be part of the most important cultural moment of our lifetimes. That moment has passed, and it seems we’ve gone from one crisis to another for years now.

Even as I write this, in an election year, there are still things that unite us–your customers. Animals, from dogs and cats to sheep and donkeys, unite us. Rollercoasters (people love them or hate them) are divisive, but they still unite us. Simple pleasures like swimming in a lake or taking a nap under the dappled sun of a big shade tree are a shared experience. Nostalgia is a great uniter.

It’s more important than ever to tap into the zeitgeist of the time, know your audience very well, and be alongside them on their journey. It’s often a surprise when a beautifully created, well-crafted, branded, but bland video doesn’t go viral. I’m often left wondering—what would make it go viral? What planning went behind the distribution of the video? Was there something a viewer could really get emotional about? What was the plan to get people to view it?

So what’s stayed the same?

Create the best, most memorable content you can create.

Today: decide on your overall content strategy, put the time and effort into greatness, think like a movie studio, and create a plan.

Original Post: 2010

So, in honor of The Story, let me tell you one. About 4 years ago, I talked with Judson Laipply, whose own viral video in 2006, “Evolution of Dance,” received 70 million views in under 8 months. At the time, it was the #1 most viewed video of all time on YouTube (way before Gangnam Style). Judson’s performance tells a great story in an entertaining, unique way. When I asked him about his own viral video, he said that he put it up on YouTube as a fluke and that, in fact, someone in the audience recorded it and sent it to him. Judson was as surprised as anyone at the response; he wasn’t already famous (like some other viral video creators) Â, and he didn’t have a huge social media following at the time.  Since then, he’s done several follow-ups but none so successful as the original. Today, Judson is a working motivational speaker. The point is completely of the moment. Yep. Complete accident? Yep. Repeatable? Probably not. With all due respect to Judson, we’ve all been there and done that.

It’s pretty rare that branded material go viral. If you look at the most popular YouTube videos of all time (YouTube Charts), not a single one is a branded video. Almost all of them are music videos (YouTube being to this generation what MTV was to mine). Coincidence? No.  Does that mean that branded content can’t still be powerful? No. Check out the videos in particular categories. The all-time #1 video in the auto & vehicles segment is a COMMERCIAL. The Volkswagen/Darth Vadar commercial originally aired during the Superbowl 2011 (you don’t even have to go find it, do you? You remember it). Notably, none of the other Superbowl ads from that year or this year can claim the number one spot in any category. There were some great branded viral videos in 2012; my personal favorite was the Dollar Shave Club, which appears deceptively simple, but once you break it down, you realize it’s the product of a lot of talent and planning.

There is a theme here: either viral is completely planned, thought out, and scripted, or it’s completely of the moment, off-the-cuff. One is time-consuming, expensive, and lucky, and one is JUST lucky.  Which are you?

So go forth, my marketing compadres. Create amazing content in whatever medium you wish. Please. But create amazing content because it’s the right thing to do if you’re going to create content at all. By creating content, you’re saying something about your brand, whether 1,000 people see it or 1 billion people see it. Create the best, most memorable content you can create. And move on. And remember, sometimes it’s about quality over quantity.

 

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What Makes a Social Media Expert Any Different From a Unicorn?

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Key Takeaways

  • Continuous Learning and Sharing: True experts are committed to lifelong learning, actively seeking out new knowledge and sharing it through various platforms. They engage in conversations that help them refine their ideas and skills.
  • Valuable Learning Experiences: Experts embrace failures as opportunities for growth, reflecting on their past experiences to extract valuable lessons. This willingness to discuss challenges and learnings distinguishes them from novices.
  • Probing Questions and Efficient Use of Time: Experts prioritize understanding their clients’ needs by asking insightful, deep questions. They value both their time and that of their clients, focusing on effective solutions rather than casual meetings.

Its amazing, there are literally thousands of self proclaimed experts, but actually finding one in the wild is about as exciting as spotting a unicorn.  While unicorns are fairly easy to identify when you see one, this isn’t really the case with experts. In a world of so-called experts, how do you define an expert? How do you know if the person your thinking of working with is a hack or really able to be an expert for you?

Its not an easy question to answer, but I thought it would be worthy to discuss what makes an expert so special and how they differ from other professionals in their field. While I typically discuss social media, and these expert requirements certainly apply to finding a social media expert, they aren’t limited to social media experts. If you’re looking to talk to an expert, think about these things before moving forward.

An expert never stops learning:

To be an expert is to be an outstanding student, a natural curiosity. They actively spend time reading and thinking. That means that an expert invests time to improve his/her own skill set to benefit his/her projects, programs and clients. Its worth asking an expert how they keep up with changes, how much time they spend learning. But its even more than that, an expert shares. Why is this important? Because when a person learns information, the single best way to incorporate that knowledge is to share it. That’s why so many people who are considered experts are also speakers and bloggers, writers.  They know the secret to continued thought leadership is to share. They also know that by sharing, they engender conversations, comments and ideas which help them flesh out their ideas and opinions, which takes us back to the fact that most experts are outstanding students.

An expert has had learning experiences and even (gasp!) failures.

If you aren’t taking chances, then you’ve never had a failure. Experts take a risk now and then and they learn from the experience. Finding an expert means finding someone who will discuss what they’ve learned and what they would do differently next time. While experts may not use the language of “failure”, they certainly use the language of “learning lessons”. Show me someone who has never failed and I’ll show you either a noob or a boob.  No expert is perfect and if they can’t find learning lessons in past programs or clients, then they really aren’t asking the right questions.

Experts will ask probing questions.

Asking questions is the very basis to success. Some of those questions will require the client to dig deep to find the most honest answer. Asking questions about your business, your clients, your goals, these are all the kinds of questions that an expert should ask. But if your expert isn’t asking you deep questions, then you’re probably not dealing with an expert. Its the job of the expert to ask these questions so he/she knows how they can help you.  If you aren’t comfortable sharing the answers with your expert, ask them to sign an NDA, an expert won’t mind. An expert will want to get to the deepest part of the challenge and will want to do so quickly.

Experts value your time. And theirs.

An expert isn’t likely to ask you to go to coffee just to chat, and you shouldn’t ask an expert to do that either. Experts are busy people because the business of learning and sharing never stops. While that doesn’t mean an expert doesn’t have a life outside of work, its unlikely that an expert will spend his working hours lounging around at a Starbucks. An expert has typically spent hours honing their craft and you can’t learn everything they know simply by having a cup of coffee with them anyway. An expert won’t waste your time talking about him/herself on an intro meeting instead an expert will spend the time getting to know you, your business challenges and goals.  But more than that, an expert will be able to ask you the right questions and propose a solution efficiently. They also won’t be the cheapest person you speak with and that’s because they invest in you, your project and outcomes. You can hire less expensive people, but you can also go to a horse ranch if you want to see a horse. The unicorn is a rare breed and so is the expert. Working with them will save you frustration and time.

Photo: Creative Commons

Psst: while we’re at it, here’s an article I wrote earlier this year about outsourcing that still holds true: What you should and shouldn’t outsource.

 

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Social Media Strategic Plan Template

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Key Takeaways

  • Structured Approach to Planning: Effective social media measurement begins with a strategic planning phase that includes identifying clear objectives (the “WHY”), determining relevant metrics (the “WHAT”), and setting KPIs (the “HOW”). This structured approach ensures that businesses can effectively measure their social media efforts.
  • Specificity in Goals: Setting specific and realistic goals is crucial. Instead of broad objectives like “drive more sales,” businesses should focus on detailed targets (e.g., driving sales in a specific region or to a particular audience), making it easier to measure success.
  • Accountability and Tracking: Assigning responsibility for each goal and using a tracking system (like the “RYG” method) helps monitor progress and implement corrective actions when objectives are not on track, fostering a culture of accountability within the organization.

Now is the time of year where businesses all over the country are looking forward to the next year and setting goals. You’re social media program should be no different. If you’re like most businesses, you’ll be spending more time on social media next year, so its time to start developing strategy for your social media.

Is it possible to really measure social media and determine ROI? Well, its certainly not impossible. But you will have to do some pre-planning and prep. This is one of those circumstances where the more you put into it up-front, the better your results. I often tell my clients, “Now is the time to set up  to measure. Because someday, you’ll wish you had.” Determining ROI starts with a Social Media Strategic Plan.There are 3 phases to this planning. We’ll discuss two of them today. We’ll cover the third step in another blog post and finally, social media ROI (a.k.a. the Holy Grail) in our third installment. Never fear, you aren’t on your own through this process. We have planning templates to get you started!

I’ll be the first to admit that social media measurement is evolving and slightly awkward still. The industry is still evolving definitive best practices, but that shouldn’t stop you from social media strategic planning.  In fact, the good news is that much of social media measurement calls on some of the very same techniques that marketers have been using for a long time.

But let’s start with the basics. The first step in any kind of marketing measurement is the strategic planning phase.  At its most basic, you’ll take 3 steps to social media measurement: WHY, WHAT, and HOW. Our Social Media Strategic Plan template steps you through the first two: WHY and HOW. Phase one to social media strategic planning may take several hours to complete. If that sounds too overwhelming, consider the amount of time your business will spend on social media and ask yourself the cost of NOT knowing how your efforts are paying off? I suggest breaking it into several short planning sessions if you just can’t do it all at once. The important thing is that you do it.

If you’re already doing strategic planning, but need a nudge on how to measure social media, then this template will help you too.

Also, keep in mind that a platform is NOT a strategy. Twitter is not a strategy. Facebook is not a strategy. Its by determining your goals that you determine metrics, KPI’s then tactics. Platforms are TACTICS. One of the beauty of real social media strategic planning is that it isn’t platform dependent. If Facebook dies tomorrow, you’re strategy shouldn’t change. You’re tactics may change, but not your overall strategy.

First, let’s identify the 3 steps to social media strategy planning.

3 Steps to Social Media Strategy Planning:

The WHY: Identify Objective and Goals:

This is perhaps both the easiest and the most difficult to do. You might be tempted to say “Drive more sales!” but dig a little bit deeper. Go ahead. Do you want to drive sales in a particular region? To a particular audience? The thing with this stage is to be as specific as possible. Being specific makes measurement much, much easier. In the social media strategic plan template, this column is labeled “Goal/Objective.” Be specific, and realistic. Don’t choose so many goals that they will be overwhelming. Remember that you’ll be tracking each of these goals, so choose goals important enough to spend time tracking.

The WHAT: Now identify your metrics.

Metrics will be the tool by which you evaluate success. The key here is to make WHAT you measure consistent with the WHY. For example, if you are measuring leads, the metric might be conversions (email  opt-ins, downloads, registrations, etc.). But if you are measuring awareness, perhaps your metric is more like reach. Get it?

The metric must be quantifiable, otherwise, what will you count? The social media strategic plan template provides a column for “metrics” and even provides you with sample metrics for each sample goal. You can choose to measure track different metrics, just make sure the metrics match the goal. For example, increased followers does not equate directly to more sales, it equates to more reach.

The HOW: Identifying KPI’s.

KPI’s are measured over time. They are also at-a-glance numbers. Usually things like percentages, dollar values, etc. These are the numbers, based on the metrics, which will support the objectives and goals. Our next blog post will go into more detail about KPI’s and provide you some sample KPI’s for metrics.

The final phase of social media strategy planning

But before you move onto the KPI step, its really important that you identify the person responsible for each goal. That person should be reporting on the status of each goal. The Social Media Strategic Plan Template has an area marked “RYG”, for “Red, Yellow or Green.” If the objective/goal is on track to be accomplished by the deadline, its “Green.” If not, it’s “Red.” When its red or yellow, there is space for the corrective action. Corrective action is relevant because its not enough to identify THAT something’s not working, its just as important to FIX it. The simple act of tracking these items helps everyone stay involved in the success of the company. Its amazing what a simple spread sheet can do for a business.

With our social media strategic plan template you can save time and get started today! Best of all – its free! 

Download it here.

Our next blog post will include a template for KPI’s designed for social media. Don’t miss this next blog post, you can get it straight to your email box!

Feel free to email or tweet me with questions on the social media strategic plan!

 

 

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The Hard Questions of Social Media

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Key Takeaways

  • Define Clear Objectives: Before diving into social media, businesses should clarify their specific goals, such as increasing sales, building community, or improving brand awareness. Focusing on a single objective initially can help in measuring ROI effectively.
  • Understand Your Audience: Knowing who your online audience is and identifying influential figures within that space is crucial. Engaging with these influencers can help build relationships and foster community, rather than just pursuing promotional partnerships.
  • Integrate and Commit: Social media should not operate in isolation; it needs to be integrated with other marketing efforts for maximum impact. Additionally, businesses must commit to a consistent presence on social media to build trust and community, rather than treating it as a temporary experiment.

While using social media for business purposes has been around for the better part of 5 years now, we’re reaching a place where businesses are starting to ask “what should I be doing with social media?” Its a fair question. After dabbling in Facebook or opening a Twitter account, the next question is often, “what now?” And much of this questioning is driving the conversation for ROI. But before we dig into ROI, its worth asking some of the tough questions about why we’re even talking about social media.

Why Social Media?

Now, you know that I am an advocate for measuring social media, I also think its also time that we ask ourselves what we are really trying to accomplish with social media. What makes social media so special and how can we really achieve business objectives with it? Every single time I meet a new client I ask “Why Social Media?” I purposely ask the question very broadly, but I also usually get the broad answer of “we want to increase sales.” Its an honest answer. But its also the easiest. Without meeting a single client, without a single email, I already know this answer. But its time to dig deeper, I’m suggesting you dig deeper and I’m asking my clients to also. What are some of the questions we should ask ourselves about the social media opportunities before we get started?

What is our impediment to increased sales?

Do we need to create awareness? Do we need to distinguish ourselves from our competition? Do we want to create community? Do we need to drive traffic to a digital or real-life location? Do we have a PR issue to overcome? These are different goals and social media can be used in each case, but its best if we focus on one, at least initially. Depending on the ability for the company to support the objective, we may initially start with one channel. Its best to really narrow this down, because by answering this question as specifically as possible, we also set ourselves on the right track for ROI measurement.

How are we communicating with our audience now?

A strong mailing list is a great start to social media, as is a website  that supports social sharing and perhaps even a blog. If you are a new business, then its all the more important that your website have sharing capabilities and be integrated with social media. And building that email list will probably be one of your social priorities. If you are an existing business, your customers and clients are probably already using social platforms to talk about their experiences with you. Look into those platforms and start building relationships with people who are talking about you-its back to listen first, and then engage.

Who is our online and social audience?

Do we know who influences our audience in social media? There are certain audience segments where people have carved out niches for themselves, particularly in travel, Moms and B2B spaces. Its good to know and follow these people. Social media can help you create a relationship with these people who influence your potential customers. We tread lightly here because we are creating a relationship, not a promotional partnership. We may be choose to partner with influencial people in social media, but let’s start with identifying who they and why our audience is so passionate about them. Listen first. Talk later.

How can we use social media to support existing mediums and marketing channels?

How can we integrate social media into our existing marketing programs: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, social media is the farm not the silo. Don’t let your social media program live in the dark and don’t let your other marketing initiatives live without social media. Integrate! Let it work with the rest of your initiatives. If your using print, let’s find ways to integrate or even measure your print impact. Events and social media go together like two peas in a pod, there are lots of great opportunities for those two to work together. Look for ways to tie in a particular campaign across the board!

Are we ready for social media?

Are we open to a culture shift? Social media is more than a marketing channel, it really is a culture, a different way of looking at communication.

Its more transparent, more human than traditional marketing, its more individualized and very, very much about supporting customers so they can support you. Social media’s transparency requires that you consider how all your departments and staff can benefit from and participate in social media. Incorporating social media throughout the company is a great way to spread the work, and as we move forward, we truly are going to have to embrace the fact that each employee can and should take a role in marketing as so beautifully articulated by this McKinsey Quarterly article. Really ask yourself if there is any reason why your company’s employees shouldn’t be engaging current and potential customers. You hired them because they understand your business, shouldn’t they understand your customers too?

About a year ago I started advising my clients to “Stop Thinking Like a Marketer and Start Thinking Like a Human.” In other words, think about what makes YOU interested in companies and brands. Think about how you would like to be communicated with if you were YOUR customer.  Its hard to get out of our own heads sometimes, but start thinking about what would make you read more. That’s the essence of social media communication.

Are we committed or is this an experiment?

I strongly discourage dropping in and out of social media. Its sort of like not answering your phone…in both cases, it does nothing to create customer trust. If you just aren’t sure that you’re totally ready for social media, grab your handles and domain names on as many social media outlets as you can and leave a post or similar that directs people to the channels that you do monitor (your website for example). Also spend some time monitoring the social web for mentions of your company and products, this may help you understand the places you SHOULD go when you’re ready. BUT-and this is a BOB, big ‘ol but- remember that if you are going to start responding and engaging on social media that you should keep it up and also remember that the time to build community is NOT when you have a crisis, or a new product. You want community in place BEFORE you need them, which means you’ve already created the relationship.

Its really important that we get to the bottom of these hard questions before we leap into social media. You may find that answering these questions is a process of listening, learning and testing. Yes, these questions may unearth other questions, but if we’re to reap the full benefits of social media then we’ve got to plant the right seeds to get there.

QUESTION: What questions would you add to this list? Did you do this when your company started in social media? Please, let me know!

 

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