Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Media

May 5, 2012 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

Organisations are now becoming more customer-centric as they seek to utilise cost-effective social media technology to achieve greater competitiveness. As competition increases, these organisations will need to differentiate themselves further by not only being customer oriented but also by becoming socially responsible.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about managing the triple bottom line of the company in a socially responsible way. The triple bottom line refers to people, planet and profit. It involves treating people ethically, whether they are customers, employees, suppliers or other stakeholders. It is concerned with the proper and ethical use of resources in ensuring that the environment is not jeopardised and it seeks to create shareholder value and profit by enhancing market share through gaining the respect of customers.

How social media impacts Corporate Social Responsibility

As a result of the increase in transparency and scrutiny, social media has had a huge impact on organisations who try to differentiate themselves as being ethical. We now have transparency not only in how companies do business, but also in how they act while doing business.

It is no longer just about products, services or pricing, but about corporate behaviour which includes how a company treats employees, suppliers, customers and how they relate with their communities.

Social media is an important tool for an organisation to use to manage its brand.  When you have the opportunity to communicate to a huge audience instantly and across channels, it means that there are lots of people scrutinising the company all the time. Social media is also a powerful tool for consumers to voice out against inappropriate corporate actions. An example of this is “Boycott BP”, a Facebook group formed to express opinion against the Gulf oil spill.

Managing your brand perception on social media channels also means a great opportunity to publicise all the relevant ways you are giving back into communities. This can influence your customer base and market share.

Colgate’s smile for change video on YouTube 

Colgate Australia used Social Media to drive their Corporate Social Responsibility when they included on their Facebook page a Welcome app, with a message indicating that $1 would be donated to a needy kid for every smiling kid’s photo that was uploaded.

Colgate Mother’s Day smile with Mary Mary


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Social Media World Forum Europe 2012

Mar 28, 2012 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

The Social Media World Forum has been on for two days now in London at Olympia 2. It’s been a worthwhile visit and an interesting SMWFexperience.

Workshops

One of the workshops featured a panel of social media experts and traditional marketers who shared their perspective on new trends in social media measurement. Here are nuggets from the discussion:

Engagement remains a fundamental aspect of social media marketing but there is now a greater realisation that it is engaging with the people that is more important than just the numbers. As a result, social media tools and channels should also be harnessed to provide excellent customer service.

There is now a greater shift towards measurement and metrics. Data and information gathered through social media channels should be put to good use in addressing customer service issues, informing content marketing and in research and development.

Google Analytics is also an effective tool in social media for tracking customer acquisition and retention.

Since we use social media to drive traffic to marketing campaigns, measurement of the effectiveness of social media channels to drive traffic to the campaign becomes important. We compare how much investment we have put into it in terms of money, time and other resources with what we actually achieved with each channel.

Recommendations by the panel

Don’t try to measure everything. One size does not fit all, so tailor measurements and analytics to what is important to you.

Don’t over emphasise volume. Context is very important.

It is not necessary to adopt every latest application. Find out what will resonate with your customers and adopt this.

Be consistent with keeping to overall business strategy.

Social Espresso courtesy of 77 Agency

Having heard about the social machine by 77 Agency, it was fun trying it out at the exhibition…and enjoying a cup of espresso.SMWF Exhibition

The social machine is a new and smart way to share actions and thoughts with friends on Facebook while you are out and about doing things such as shopping at your favourite store.

For more SMWF flavour, visit Social Media Forum blog

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Why video is important for your Social CRM

Feb 17, 2012 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

YouTube receives 3 billion views per day and 48 hours of video is uploaded every minute.

Forrester Research identified that a page with a video is 50 times more likely to appear on Google’s first page of search results than a text page on the same topic. A video is the quickest way to attain first page ranking on Google.

Online communities such as YouTube are popular because video content is rich media that communicates visually and is most engaging. It is effective at enhancing communication, supporting and driving business.

For some of the best examples of social media video, visit http://www.simplyzesty.com/video/10-of-the-best-social-media-campaign-video-case-studies/

What you can use video for

To demonstrate products

To promote the company

Customer testimonials

Instructional videos

Video interviews

Training

Press releases (Social Media Release SMR)

 

 

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Content is Key

Jan 27, 2012 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

The core of social media is content. This is why there needs to be an effective content strategy. Brands need to provide their followers and prospective customers with content that provides meaningful interactions and incentives if they are to attract and keep the attention of the social customer.

It is necessary to create and distribute content that helps to attract, engage and acquire prospects and that is effective in bringing about profitable customer behaviour.

Creating effective and relevant content

Creating value
Social media content has to be relevant to be effective. All customers have questions and when the basis for generating content is to help your customers and prospects answer their questions and solve their problems, it becomes an excellent way of providing value.

So find out what problems your customers and prospects may be having that is related to your industry and market and begin to solve these in the social media content you provide.

Creating consistency and authenticity
Credibility can be achieved when a company adopts integrated social media across relevant social channels and consistently offers relevant and valuable content as opposed to just bombarding the audience with sales propaganda.

Consistency of message content and chosen way of communication enhances authenticity. The brand can thus be trusted.

Targeted Content
You should create valuable content targeted at your particular audience. Your content should resonate with your customers and prospects that you want to attract, engage and acquire.

Different thinking styles and preferences for consuming media should be considered. For example, some people may like images or videos and others may prefer texts. All these can also be combined to provide meaningful interactions and rich customer experiences.

Calls to action
Calls to action such as to subscribe, or register for an e-newsletter will encourage future participation and enhance engagement. This will eventually help to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing about profitable customer behaviour such as in placing an order.

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The future is multi-platform apps

Nov 30, 2011 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

apps worldApps developers, operators and marketers converged at Apps World on 29 and 30 November 2011. The show at the Olympia Conference Centre revealed all aspects of apps from development to implementation and marketing. Apps for mobile, TV and internet were all covered.

The future is clearly digital, multi-platform and significantly mobile. Apps

An increasing number of organisations are looking at applications aimed at rich digital experiences and there has also been a rise in e-shopping via mobile phones and other mobile devices such as iPad.

Mobile advertising and mobile search is being used to drive traffic to retail websites.

Apps developers are engaging a multi-platform strategy that responds to the increased mobile and social behaviours of consumers.

An organisation should look at the needs and habits of its customers and then decide what apps will best improve their experience with the company’s product or service. Your company should look at what is important to your target audience and the sort of device they are likely to have.

#AppsWorld Europe 2011: Thank you London, you’ve been marvelous!

#AppsWorld – Jonathan Posner, Ciklum – Top tips for developer

#AppsWorld – Andy Eardley – Co-Founder & Director of TV App Agency

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Web analytics in social media

Oct 30, 2011 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

By integrating web analytics into a social media campaign, you can measure its impact from start to finish, from click-throughs to conversions.

Demographic and heat maps shows where your audience is and help to determine the best times to reach them.

High level web analytics can reveal which social media sources contribute most to growth in terms of users and visitors. It can show:

Engagement
How do visitors to your website engage with the site? How long do they stay and on which pages? It can also reveal what activities, such as downloading files or completing an online form, they perform on the website.

Retention
How often identified visitors return to your site and for how long they keep returning.

Monetization
This metric reveals how much revenue is generated from users of the website.

Landing page

A specific page should be created and optimised as a new landing page for each social media campaign. It simplifies the task of isolating and tracking traffic for specific campaigns.

Return on investment

ROI can be calculated by:

Identifying all visitors that were influenced by the social media campaign to visit the website

Calculating the revenue from these visitors

Subtracting the total amount invested in the social media campaign from the total revenue.

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8 steps involved in the process of planning a social media campaign

Sep 26, 2011 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

QR code with adidas logo

Successful communication campaigns start with specific communication objectives based upon strategic intent that stems from the company’s overall communication strategy. A social media campaign enables you to structure messages and responses that optimise impact and reach in engaging with new and prospective customers through the sales cycle and from awareness to conversion. Below are eight significant steps involved in the process of planning successful social media campaigns.

Strategic intent

The desired position of the company in relation to the current position with stakeholders is what informs strategic intent. It is formulating what needs to be changed or consolidated in order to attain the desired positioning with stakeholders.

Defining measurable goals

Social media campaigns should start with SMART objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Campaign goals inform content strategy. It also enables you to establish how successfully the campaign is going or has been.

Identifying target audience

It is necessary to target specific campaigns to particular stakeholders because organisations may not be able to communicate with all stakeholder groups simultaneously as they do not always all respond to the same stimuli. There are also sub groups or segments within each group. It is important to identify the segment of individuals from a stakeholder group that is the focus of a particular social media campaign.

Establishing a theme

A theme based campaign emphasises a specific topic or message that is central to a particular aspect of the company such as brands, products or corporate strategy. It also showcases specific company strengths or capabilities. It considers the target audience’s demographic, interests and culture. It will be affected by the social environment and channels available.

Campaign Types

Campaign objectives determine the campaign type. Campaign types include:

Informational campaign
A campaign type that is geared at keeping customers and stakeholders informed and up to date with new products, services and company news.

Promotional campaign
This type of campaign aims at promoting sales by making customers aware of special offers, sweepstakes, discounts and so on.

Transactional campaign
This type encourages customers to make a purchase using coupons, QR codes or other promotional offerings.

Engagement campaign
This is a campaign aimed at generating specific reaction or participation from customers.

Event campaign
An event campaign is related to a particular event and communicates information that create interest and encourage participation in the event.

Choosing a message style

Message styles could be any of the following:

Rational
Factual and informational.

Emotional
When it appeals to or evokes specific emotions such as joy or excitement.

Generic
When raising awareness of issues that are industry-wide.

Symbolic association
Association with a respected or admired public figure such as a sports figure.

Pre-emptive message style is similar to Generic but communicates a superior position within the industry.

The target audience and campaign objectives are factors that determine appropriate message style or mix of message styles which can be enhanced through the use of creative and appealing stimuli.

Channels

In social media, communities control the dialogue and where it takes place, whether Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, company blog or other channel. An effective social media campaign will include all channels where the interactions are most likely to occur and where they may lead. A multichannel approach is therefore useful in ensuring a successful social media campaign.

Online efforts may also be combined with offline methods such as in the use of Quick Response QR codes which a user scans with their QR barcode reader or camera phone. QR codes can be used to enhance your campaign by providing the customer with special deals or offerings available online from the company.

City Harvest QR code

City Harvest charity uses QR codes to increase donations

The budget

The budget available will affect communication objectives and the processes involved in planning and executing the campaign.

It is also essential to analyse the impact of the campaign and to evaluate it for results, whether the campaign goals were achieved or not and to what extent.

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An effective social CRM system

Aug 18, 2011 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

What makes for an effective and efficient social CRM system? Here are the main points to consider.

Inter-departmental collaboration

Social CRM is effective when carried out cross-functionally. Usually, it is the Marketing and Communications department that would be mostly responsible for the company’s social CRM. However, they would need to communicate and collaborate with other departments to ensure efficiency. For example, they would need to have up to date information on products, pricing and the sales and purchase cycle from the Sales department. Also, liaising with Customer Service department is crucial regarding customer interactions and any complaints. Input from Product Development department is essential to resolve matters relating to existing products and to innovatively meet customer demands.

Centralised data storage

Since social CRM needs inter-departmental collaboration and communication, it is most effective when each department has access to up to date relevant data about matters and as they arise. Hence, data should be stored centrally.

Content creation and distribution

Good quality and relevant content that encourage dialogue and participation will enable an understanding of your brand while increasing brand visibility. A multi-channel approach to distribution of content is necessary since customers can change channels as easily as they do with television. You need a system and routine in place that helps you to proactively and persistently engage the customer in all the places relevant to your brand.

Monitoring of relevant platforms

Since the focus is to create and support a dialogue system of communication that enhances customer engagement and collaboration, you will need to listen and be responsive to what is being said. You should develop a system of listening to discussions on all relevant social media platforms, using monitoring software that records relevant messages from the social media platforms.

Having in place a reliable social CRM system that comprises of the above will enable co-ordination of staff, communication and activities, saving time and money.

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Image is no longer everything…

Jul 23, 2011 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

According to Kevin Bishop, Vice President of IBM, authenticity and advocacy are the two most relevant marketing fundamentals in these days of social media and both are growing in importance. Kevin spoke at the annual Dinner and Lecture held by Cambridge Marketing College on 14 July 2011.

Kevin Bishop
Kevin Bishop, IBM Vice President

Kevin quotes ‘Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing’. Social media means that corporate character is now more easily revealed as increased use of social media sites has empowered consumers to be better informed and more knowledgeable about their choices. When corporate character is found to be inconsistent with perceived reputation, consumers can now spread the word, good or bad, via these sites. Hence the rising importance of authenticity, where behaviour is in line with communicated promises and corporate values. Authenticity will help towards achieving advocacy which is the highest level of customer loyalty where the customer or stakeholder advocates, promotes and sells for you.

All these highlight the need to build from within, ensuring that corporate character lines up with desired image and reputation. Corporate behaviour is a huge aspect of this and can be influenced through internal marketing.

Customer relationship marketing is also necessary to bring about transition from customer to advocate.

Internal Marketing and Social Media Customer Relationship Marketing

Internal marketing is necessary to improve employee participation and performance. It is vital so that all internal stakeholders are equipped to support corporate strategy through behaviour, bringing about authenticity.

Social CRM can enhance rich exchanges with stakeholders and customers in a strategy of engagement and collaboration which not only enables understanding but also encourages involvement and commitment, thereby turning customers into advocates.

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Important considerations for implementing social CRM

Jul 2, 2011 by Eniola Alabi MCIM Chartered Marketer

An effective social CRM system involves careful planning and implementation. It is a company-wide approach that requires social CRM goals to be identified and clearly communicated to all. Social media requires new capabilities and you would need to identity the channel or mix of channels that would deliver the best results.

Collaborative teamwork

Collaborative teamwork across functions is important for customer-centric social CRM

The following are three aspects for consideration in implementing social CRM:

Policies and systems

You will need to formulate policies that enable you to respond to customers most effectively to improve customer experiences. All social CRM communication must be guided by policy. Policy will need to adapt as the media evolves and therefore needs to be flexible. The policy should set out guidelines on daily routines for content generation and distribution. It should include guidelines about who is authorised to post content online on behalf of the organisation. Also, company rules against posting offensive or confidential information should be made clear. Company social CRM policies and systems should include provision for risk management and issues arising. This requires a structured assessment of the opportunities and threats.

Key Performance Indicators should be included to continuously measure success.

Social channels and social CRM Technology

With social media, it is the customer who controls the dialogue and where it occurs. It is important to keep up with the customer as they switch from one social channel to another.  In order to be everywhere that conversation about your company may occur, you will need a multichannel approach involving a combination of social channels such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, YouTube, Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit and message boards.

Social CRM software
Social CRM activities are better structured, systematic and automated. Automation saves valuable time and frees your time so you can engage in other creative activities that cannot be automated. The choice of social CRM software will be greatly influenced by the company’s social CRM goals and any existing software system already in use to ensure compatibility.

Good social CRM software should offer the following:

Campaign management features: to organise and manage tasks with the ability to handle varying types of content such as photo, videos and user-generated content.

Advanced scheduling features: that include bulk upload of content, single and repeated posts scheduling and automated multichannel content distribution.

Monitoring and evaluation features: It is necessary to monitor conversation within those identified channels that are significant to your company and product. The advantage of social CRM is the ability to listen and monitor to be able to react. You need technology that enables you to evaluate the effectiveness of the social channel and your social CRM strategy. An effective solution will help you track when and where your impact is greatest.

Training

Collaborative teamwork across functions is important for customer-centric social CRM. Objections to implementation of social CRM can be overcome and a company-wide involvement can be achieved via training.

Your company’s social CRM policies should be clearly communicated to everyone in the company. Procedural training and software specific training should be provided so that all staff engage appropriately and creatively in responding to customer and community feedback.

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