Posts Tagged ‘social influence marketing’

Can Hospice Caregivers Benefit From Social Media, Part Three-Engagement

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Beyond creating the strategy that determines what users will gain from engaging in social media platforms, is creating tone and voice. For social media platforms to be engaging to women in the caregiving cycle they must embody key characteristics.

Anoroc’s hospice research has determined much about this target. She will most likely see herself as a caretaker and nurturer and it is important to establish a tone that speaks to her with an understanding of this emotional perspective.

Women, in general, are more emotionally connected and therefore are likely to tune into emotional benefits over functional ones. They include emotions in their decision making as opposed to basing them only on rational elements. So don’t be afraid to give them a ‘feeling’ to show the emotion, the ‘what matters’ behind your brand. She will see hospice services as typical among all hospice providers – unless your hospice provides a unique service that makes her world function better – you better ensure your social media platform provides her with the emotional connection she is seeking.

Women also want a dialogue, not just a transaction. That means encouraging a two way conversation on your social media platforms vs solely spouting company news, successes, facts, or services. She really doesn’t care and if this is all you are doing you can wish her a fond farewell.

Research is proving that women are engaging in social media in droves – wonder why? Because women strive to establish links and connect through affinity. Since women seek commonality and look for similarity between themselves and the ‘speaker.’ Make sure your social media platforms are not a nameless, faceless entity. Many organizations newly embarking into social media are making this mistake – remember this online world is about connection, nobody wants to connect to a nameless ‘site monitor’.

Hospice agencies that we have taken down this emotionally supportive and resource driven path have seen an increase in census of 60% plus. Equate that with not only the potential to your bottom line but the potential of increasing the number of families given a better end of life experience. And to those of us who know how profoundly hospice can improve the quality of life for both patients and their families – that sounds pretty dang good.

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Posted in Anoroc, Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Decision Cycle, Healthcare, Hospice, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking, Women | View Comments

Companies That Get The Social In Social Media

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

There are numerous platforms and brand opportunities via social media and social media strategies are as diverse as the voices that communicate through them.

Many are dedicated to customer service, care and connection: @Zappos, @JetBlu, BestBuy.com/Twelpforce and @comcastcares. Some are focused on re-emerging their brand through transparency: Sun Microsystem’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz’s blog (http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan), Scott Monty (Ford’s community manager) blog (www.scottmonty.com). Others focus on re-engagement through viral participation: Burger King’s Whopper Sacrifice (233,906 friends were removed by 82,771 people in less than a week) or Starbuck’s My Starbuck’s Idea (www.mystarbucksidea.com). All of these sterling examples of social media well played.

But as I was tooling around today I came across two that, depending on on-going commitment, may make the list of The Best In Social Media. I like these examples because they focus on building brand advocates through not only allowing targets to actively participate in the brand and allowing their followers to be heard and acknowledged, but because they provide a real resource and use participation to turn followers into stakeholders. A great combination that can lead to real brand affinity.

Take a look at Wepc.com by Intel + Asus. Here is a community designed as a source for innovation.  Intel + Asus have created a gathering place allowing users to congregate where they don’t merely observe but share ideas and concepts about their “ideal” PC. But here is the gold of this social media platform: design concepts, feature ideas and community insights will affect the blueprint for an actual notebook PC built by ASUS and Intel. How much louder can you say: “We hear you and we care about what you want.”

Then there is the newly launched Inkpop.com by HarperCollins Publishers and perhaps my personal favorite. An interactive writing platform for teens, Inkpop, was created by HarperTeen. The strategy focuses on encouraging a continuous dialogue with its audience, understanding what their community cares about, and gaining an unfiltered look at teen reading trends. Inkpop enables community publishing through user-generated content, and social networking. But it takes it a step further (and here is the real depth of it’s ‘resource’ strategy) it connects writers in teen literature with talent-spotting readers and publishing professionals.

According to HarperCollins, Inkpop will be the anchor of its ongoing teen strategy.

“What sets inkpop apart from other writing communities is the Editorial Board,” says Kat Musallam, an Inkpop user. “Other communities only have that writer-reader interaction, but to have a panel evaluate your work is something that we writers–especially those who aren’t so familiar with the publishing world–can only dream of.”

Now that is an example of a true social influence marketing strategy that might just turn ink into gold.

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Posted in Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Decision Cycle, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments

Beware: Social Media Could Be Harmful to Your Brand

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

I have an upcoming meeting on the books with a new client. One I am actually dreading, well not quite dreading, but nonetheless not exactly looking forward to.

You see, I have to tell them they need to start over, and not only start over but repair the damage. Like many companies today they jumped into influence media marketing, chose an agency/firm (whatever you want to call it) that claimed they did ‘social media’. As one of my colleges likes to say, “you can swing a dead cat today and hit a ‘social media agency’.”

Unfortunately, they chose an agency that is a shape shifter. You know the kind: one who was first a web agency, then a design agency, then branding agency and now they’re social media. I am not talking about legitimate agencies with deep roots in marketing, branding, and digital media that evolved, like us, to harness the power of social media. Many have. As they should. I am talking about those who think it’s enough to set up a Facebook or Twitter site and add a blog to a Web site.

And so now I have to tell my client that their blog is useless, Web site has major issues, that their Facebook was a complete miss and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s more than I can discuss here. Bottom line- it is more likely that they have been disengaging their key targets than engaging. My biggest worry is that we won’t be able to re-engage those they’ve lost, for they have likely moved on to a competitor who did it right. And by doing it right I mean one who developed a social influence strategy that embraced their brand promise and community, was relevant to target needs, opened communications, offered tiers of engagement, empowered super-users and delivered.

So I will jump off my soap box now but leave you with this. Just because someone can play the game Operation doesn’t make him a surgeon, be careful who you entrust your brand to.

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Posted in Anoroc, Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Marketing, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments