Social Networks « Robin Leedy & Associates

Archive for the ‘Social Networks’ Category

Who’s Talking?

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

by Alyson O’Mahoney

Here at RL&A, we are a bit obsessed with social media marketing reporting, tracking, monitoring – ultimately, gauging the daily impact of a conversation started, commented responded to, etc. So when Facebook launched a new interactive marketing metric – “Talking About This” – not so long ago, and made it an incredibly prominent feature directly under a page’s fan number, we were a bit like babies staring a shiny object…mesmerized. However, over time, we have grown a bit disenchanted with this number and by telling you this, we hope you will, too (and ultimately, we hope Facebook does away with it!).

From what I have read, this figure is supposed to gauge the past week of a page’s activity related to conversation and interactions, including:

• liking a brand page
• posting to a page’s wall
• liking, commenting on or sharing a page post (or photos, video or album)
• answering a question on a page’s wall
• RSVPing to an event
• mentioning a page in a post
• tagging a page
• liking or sharing a check-in deal
• checking in at a place.

I don’t see advertising mentioned in this list…..but it seems to be the most influential in raising/lowering this number based on our experience. Here’s our own example: two client pages – one has been around for about six months (red box) and has had nice, ongoing organic daily interaction, growth, etc.; the other is a brand new page (blue box) that has invested a modest amount of spending on CPC social ads for its first week of its launch. You can see the existing page has a much smaller percentage of “Talking About This” compared to the page spending advertising dollars in Facebook. You would think the larger fan base would have a higher “Talking About This” figure, but the fact is, this particular week, that brand, though a much larger fan base, had no CPC spending…so is that the key difference here?

A social network, to us, should be measured mostly by organic interaction…and the success of a true social media marketing campaign should reflect this. Based on our own experience, the “Talking About This” snapshot, frankly, seems to be more of a measure of a brand’s cost-per-click (CPC) paid social ad efforts in Facebook and not really the brand’s social conversation prowess. CPC on a social network is not social media, it is advertising in a social media setting, which we highly recommend, but it should not be a number used and displayed second only in importance to total fan base.

Tags: Facebook, Marketing, PR, Social Media, social media PR
Posted in Chit Chatter, Facebook, Social Networks, Talking PR | No Comments »

Facebook Fan Abandonment Should Be Considered as Measurement of Success

Friday, August 26th, 2011

Facebook Fan Abandonment Should Be Considered as Measurement of Success

Anyone who has a brand page on Facebook wants to create a robust brand community and watch those “likes” grow, but building a fan base should be a strategic exercise focused on quality not quantity. If you are too focused on a quick spike in fan numbers with flashy giveaways that bribe potential consumers to like your page (to enter a contest with a big prize, get some type of big freebie, etc.) as opposed to maintaining a long-term, engaged fan base, you will end up losing those fans fast when the promo ends. Once you begin to really converse with them about what the page is about…not the contest or the promo…but the brand, many of these new fans will likely leave because they got what they came for (the giveaway). This is called fan abandonment.

In fact, a recent stat from ExactTarget, a targeted email marketing supplier, indicates that 26% of consumers say they have “liked” a company because they were interested in a one-time offer, and then “unliked” the brand after getting what they wanted, which means the brand lost that consumer’s attention for continued conversation. In addition, we have seen fan abandonment rate stats reported upwards of 30%…that means 1/3 of the page fans have cycled out!

Behavior such as this is exactly what RL&A wants to avoid for our client pages. We avoid this by not participating in “like” bribery; instead we give fans, new and old, brand content they can engage with that keeps them at the page. This may grow the page a bit slower than the page with the $1 million offer, but it means we attract fans that are more likely to stick to and with the brand. In fact, our average fan abandonment rate for the approximately 15 Facebook pages we manage is less than 9%…in some cases, less than 5%, which is significantly lower than the industry’s averages. If you are going to invest time and money into creating a community, do so strategically for the long-term…and don’t abandon this approach for the quick spikes, because over the course, these fans will abandon you.

Tags: Beauty PR, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, social media PR
Posted in Chit Chatter, Facebook, Social Networks, Talking PR | No Comments »

Social Media Spotlight: Twitter For Your Brand

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

By: Brittany Oat

It seems like there’s a new feature on Facebook or Twitter every week. Now, rumor has it that Twitter will soon roll out brand pages similar to those on Facebook. Regardless of whether or not these brand pages come to fruition, there’s already a lot we are doing to build our clients’ brand image on Twitter in efficient ways:

• TwitPics is a Twitter app that let’s us share photos and video on Twitter in real time. Followers appreciate that they have a gallery right on Twitter where they can view a brand’s photos and video without having to leave where they are . It’s come in handy for tweeting where a visual – product shot, video, etc. – is integral in the message, be it to consumers or even media outlets.
• Parties are especially popular among the mom bloggers on Twitter. Often, a brand will fit in perfectly with a themed Twitter Party that some of these bloggers are hosting, or we develop creative parties with them. The product will be discussed during the event, and offered as a giveaway to some participants.
• Hashtags are a great way to make your brand “trendy” on Twitter because people search specifically for these hashtags on Twitter. For example, right now #weneedacurefor is a popular hashtag. We can take advantage of trends like these and include popular hashtags in relevant Tweets from our brands that help cure things from nausea and joint pain, to butt chaffing and chapped lips.
• Conversation…and, frankly, there’s nothing fancy about it…it is just proactively tracking and responding, where appropriate, to people who Tweet about your brand, be it to/on your Twitter page (including your Twitter handle in their Tweet) or on their own pages (without links to yours). You might be surprised to find out how many people are talking about your brand already if you stop to listen….

Posted in Social Networks, Talking PR | No Comments »

ZMOT Supports Social Media Marketing

Wednesday, April 6th, 2011

By Robin Russo

Lately, our most frequent topic of conversation with prospective HBA clients is how to engage consumers through social media — and why it’s so important in today’s app- and search-obsessed world. How can we measure social media results and will social media actually impact sales? In fact, we talk about this so much that sometimes we need a reality check. So I set out to unearth a few little facts to support RL&A’s case for social media marketing in our current world of tight HBA marketing budgets:

 According to Google, consumer searches for beauty and personal care are up 15% — SKU proliferation in the marketplace and more complex product ingredients, additives and benefits (i.e. anti-wrinkle, probiotics, acai, stevia) have given consumers more reason to turn to search engines to help them in the decision-making process.

 And in the blogosphere, the NY Times recently reported that there are now 3.9 million “mom” or “mother” bloggers offering up their views on a host of topics, from parenting to beauty and personal care and OTC health and nutritional products. Some of the top bloggers are even gaining celebrity-like status, showing up as experts on television and talk shows.

 On the healthcare side, 80 percent of internet users search for health information online according to the Pew Research Center in a 2011 report. Two-thirds of internet users search for information on diseases and medical problems and more than half search for treatments/procedures for specific conditions. Looking for health information is the third most popular online activity, the report found.

 Also according to Google, the rise of full internet adoption and increased search engine use often leads to brand interactions taking place between a consumer and a brand before that consumer ever sees a product on a shelf – or what they call the “Zero Moment of Truth”, or ZMOT.

 According to a SymphonyIRI report, 83% of shoppers make their purchase decisions prior to entering a store.

 The SymphonyIRI report also says that consumers are relying more on OTCs and self-treating to save money in our down economy. As a result of taking charge of their healthcare management, they are looking for guidance – NOT from doctors or pharmacists, but from the brands and companies they trust.

 Social media marketing will improve your search engine ranking, when done properly. More importantly, a by-product of social media marketing is organic SEO – which is way more cost-effective than paid search.

Opportunity is knocking…just open the door. Anybody for a lesson on social media 101?

Posted in Facebook, Social Networks, Talking PR | No Comments »

What King James Can Teach Us About Social Media Marketing
Thursday, July 8th, 2010

By John Whitcomb, Social Media Manager

Unless you’ve been living under first base, it has been hard to ignore the hype surrounding NBA free agent Lebron James, which will culminate when he announces his decision during a prime time, much-anticipated, various-cities-on-the-edge-of-their-seats press conference on ESPN.

As a PR professional and a rabid student of social media, I have followed this story with interest because of the rumors of Lebron possibly announcing his decision solely via Twitter. Yesterday this seemed even more likely when a new handle @kingjames sent out its first tweet announcing it was live. So it is understandable that many in the social media industry had their Twitter feathers ruffled when he opted to make use of live TV – yes, that box in the center of your family room with the DVR on top – to make his announcement.

I think it proves that even though social media is all the rage, it is PART of the marketing plan and not solely the only answer. Here at Robin Leedy & Associates, we always look at the overall messaging picture and make sure that a social media effort makes sense for a brand before we recommend it to a client. There are some key factors to consider before just jumping on the bandwagon and each one needs to be weighed with the positives and the negatives of a brand joining a particular medium….and providing enough resources to manage each medium.

Social media is more than just using the tools, it is developing the strategy to make sure you are not just a voice in the wind. As for King James, despite the lure of social media, his team decided that a traditional press conference during prime time would have more effect and in the sports world having a two-hour special on ESPN seems to be the right move.

Now if only he makes the right decision and joins the Knicks!!!!

Posted in Chit Chatter, Social Networks | No Comments »

World Cup Winner: Team Social Media Marketing
Thursday, July 1st, 2010

By Brittany Oat

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup it’s not Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo who are the biggest stars. No, it’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube…and the fans sitting at home using those tools to get so close to the game they might as well be in South Africa.

We’ve seen social media make huge leaps for Barack Obama’s election day victory and the death of Michael Jackson, but it’s nothing compared to the 2010 FIFA World Cup (officially deemed the largest event in social media history). Just look at Twitter- it set a record of 3,283 tweets per second during a tournament! If we could put a sound on the cheers being tweeted I bet you it would be a thousand times louder than the noise in the stadium.

Facebook is seeing similar activity. Fans are celebrating on the thousands of pages created specifically for the 2010 World Cup, teams and players.

So, it’s not surprising that major brands are using this as an opportunity to get some relatively inexpensive playing time. Nike, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Visa and others are having their own competition…who can get the most benefit from the World Cup buzz
. Visa has done well on YouTube with their “Go Fans” campaign. You know, those semi-annoying videos where a fan lathered in face paint yells GOOOOOAL for about 20 seconds? People can even enter their own video on the site. Coca-Cola is using similar strategies.

Going forward, the social media explosion around large athletic, political and cultural events will only continue to grow. Fans, teams, brands, social media sites will all benefit from this. The only real losers I see in the 2010 World Cup are the traditional media outlets.

Posted in Facebook, Social Networks, Video | No Comments »

Thanks to Social Media PR, Your Communications Team is Even More Invested
Friday, June 11th, 2010

By Anne Carlantone

The other day, I was really stressed at work. That’s not unusual for anyone, but the source of the stress was much different than it would have been years ago. The source of the stress was not my boss, my client or even a reporter – it was a less-than-happy Facebook fan (or “liker,” as we say now) of one of my clients’ brand pages! I felt an urgent need to help set things right for this person, not only because it’s in my client’s best interest to do so, but because this person is very active on the page and, in a way, I feel like I know her.

As professional communicators, identifying our audience is half the battle. We spend a lot of time discussing our “targets” and analyzing who our clients’ consumers are. We spend time on focus group research, segmentation studies, etc., and those things are still important. But I don’t think anything has ever “connected” us on a personal level like social media has.

For instance – when a client’s product is placed in a magazine article, we know that a huge number of people are seeing it, but we can never really be sure what the reactions from the readers are. On the other hand, if it’s featured on a blog, there is generally a long list of personal comments to give us an idea on how the product is being received and a reaction to how it’s being presented. As we grow in the management of Facebook pages for our brands, I am constantly amazed at the valuable information we get from the people who “like” our brands…in a matter of minutes. None of this is scientific by any means, but it’s real-time, and well, “real!”

And in turn, as professionals, we feel even more accountable and invested in our clients’ products. If a product isn’t working out for someone, or if there is a problem with product availability in a particular market, they let us know, and we genuinely want to connect them with the information they need. We’re not just discussing our targets…we’re truly interacting with them.

Posted in Chit Chatter, Facebook, Social Networks | No Comments »

Social Networking PR Starts As Early as Pre-School
Friday, May 28th, 2010

By Laurie Lindenbaum

My son has always looked forward to our weekly trips to the supermarket. But ever since he started pre-school, these outings have taken on a life of their own. He now walks the aisles asking for Cheetos, Froot Loops and Gatorade – products that we rarely, if ever, bought.

But where did he learn about these branded products? I was able to quickly rule out TV since he only watches commercial-free shows. And then I realized, he was learning about it from his friends at pre-school. He would see the food his friends were snacking on and toys they were playing with, and he would want them too. Even more amazing, at just four years old he was becoming an informed shopper — telling me product features and why a particular product was better. And while he can’t yet read, he can identify brand names and logos as we walk the aisles.

I must admit, I was a bit surprised at how knowledgeable – and convincing — a four year old could be of brands! I always envisioned him simply running around with friends, playing ball and doodling – not discussing products that they like – and why.

From the PR perspective, this just emphasizes the importance of consumer brand marketing via social networking and reaching consumers through community engagement, since virtually all demographics, even pre-schoolers, have their communities. Today, we are using different methods to find and share information – everything from Facebook to blogs to YouTube. After all, we are more likely to purchase a product that was recommended by a friend or blogger we follow than from a TV commercial. And while I’m not ready for my son to discover Facebook any time soon, I have no doubt that he will continue discussing products while hanging out at the sandbox.

Posted in Chit Chatter, Social Networks | No Comments »

How Social Networking Can Keep You Healthy
Friday, April 30th, 2010

By John Whitcomb

I recently was told by my doctor that I needed to make better lifestyle decisions or else I was putting my health at risk. I went home after this wake up call and did a search on Google for free online tools and came across this website called Sparkpeople.

Sparkpeople is a social network that is dedicated to bringing individuals together who want to make better lifestyle decisions regarding their nutrition and fitness. In many ways, it is very similar to Facebook or MySpace, but is one of millions of the smaller social networks that are designed for a specific purpose or demographic.

The point of Sparkpeople is to connect with others to help you lose weight, exercise more, or just make better lifestyle decisions. The network lets you set up a profile that other users can see and then you share your progress toward your individual goals. In addition, you can also join teams, such as SparkTeam NY or New Parents etc., that allow you to connect with people not only with the same general purpose but also who have a similar lifestyle to yours. The team also has its goals, which are achieved as a compilation of individual team members achieving their own goals.

The network also features trackers for both nutrition, fitness and body metrics This whole tracking method takes the traditional food or exercise journal to an interactive level and lets you quickly see and compare how you are doing and thereby, stay motivated. The basic idea of finding a buddy or a support group, or keeping track of your progress have always been great motivators. This technology just allows you to take it to the next level.

Posted in Chit Chatter, Facebook, Social Networks | No Comments »

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