Week 7 - Social Media Analytics

It’s not all balloons, confetti and fun.

No smoke and mirrors!

In response to Kendall’s post this week sparking the discussion regarding justifying social media efforts, I say “just add it to the list of items marketers have to defend”.

Our in-house marketing department, consists of a lively hard- working, talented team of people who make executing our marketing strategy look like a lot of fun. On any given day there can be branded cupcakes, selfie sticks and sometimes balloons. I can sympathize with outsiders who view our job as fluff or fun. Do I get defensive - of course- my marketing integrity and character is being questioned. No one seems to mind when we offer them t-shirts or free pizza, but the minute the talk get serious, it's difficult to get some respect! 

I say let the numbers  do the talking. It's because of this stigma, marketers are called upon to show results even more so than other departments.   With any advertising channel, it’s necessary to track the results. I am often called upon to show results for traditional marketing efforts with data on new business. Digital advertising integration with social media provides tracking and tools to help state your case and show the results.  When we first started our Facebook account there was a process where our CEO and Board of Directors had to get on board with the concept.  This was not an easy  process, after all, this was a  new and frightening foray into the unknown.  To prepare for Facebook, we developed procedures, established goals for content and conducted  risk assessments.  There was little or no expectation that Facebook would help with new business.  Our goal was to have a minimum number of posts of two per week. We were concerned about posting enough content to meet the two day minimum.  We have so much content now we are allocating more time to our page. I have been asked to justify the added costs for Facebook ads, and more employee resources. Presently I use Facebook  analytics,  as well as some build-in website /mobile analytics all which report robust  web insights, page views,  engagement data and adoption metrics. I use the dynamic statistics to provide valuable statistics to help justify, not only cost, but time and resources spent on the Facebook and digital platforms.   

It didn’t work for Hansel and Gretel1 – it will work for your site visitors. 





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The birds ate the breadcrumbs left behind by Hansel and Gretel, but “breadcrumbs ensure more convenience for users " according to Google ( p 10) . "A breadcrumb is defined as a row of internal links at the top or bottom of the page that allows visitors to quickly navigate back to the previous sections of the root page"  This navigation method is similar to the navigation inside many Microsoft Windows platforms. I love this analogy. 



According to Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide, one of the important aspects of using search engine functionality, is to “make your site easier to navigate” (p 10)   When we were redesigning our webpage, I needed to visualize how each page related to the “root” or home page. So I set up a huge navigation plan made up of giant "post –it" paper around my office to visually plan out how people would navigate the site. I am sure there are methods to digitize this process with software, but this approach it worked for me.  It took a great deal of time to configure the pages, and organize the content so that the experience was optimized for the site visitor. The everyday visitor would not take note of how the pages flow, until they can't find what they need!  "A good site structure means a great user experience. When you take away the colors, the fonts, the kerning, the graphics, the images, and the white space, good site design is really about a great structure." (Patel, n. d.). The number of pages of our website was decreased from 368 to 250 when we redesigned the site. The removal of the unnecessary pages made the navigation cleaner, and the flow more logical. My goal over the past few years has been to create a home page hub, which serves as the launching off point for the other major site pages. This is done by setting up a limit on the number of clicks. I strive for 1- or 2-click navigation. This configuration provides for simpler site navigation, and less frustration for the site visitor.  There is nothing is more frustrating than trying to find one that one piece of information and being linked from page to page, with giant links delving down to get the page you need.

  This short video below, provides an easy explanation of snippets. Audio is a little spotty

Google suggests as part of its best practice, to “Avoid creating complex webs of navigation links, e.g., linking every page on your site to every other page, and avoid going overboard with slicing and dicing your content so that it takes twenty clicks” (p 12). Exactly!! That is why my rule is one or two clicks away for the most relevant information. I did not realize until I read the materials this week, how important navigation and landing pages were.

I especially like the graphic, and concept of “Hub-and-Spoke system” offered by 60 Second Marketers, An In-Depth Guide on How to Calculate the ROI of a Social Media Campaign, states  “The hub-and spoke system is at the center of a well-run social media campaign” I intend to use this method to continue to build my social media program

Quote of the Week: 



 

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Visit HubSpot.com for more information about Social Media Analytics

Security and Privacy

Banking on Good Security.  

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The banking industry is responsible for safeguarding the most personal private information of our customers. Social Security Numbers, account numbers, credit card numbers, birthdates. You get the point!  We are held to the highest standard of security and privacy not only by our customers, but our regulators NCUA (National Credit Union Association). So it’s no wonder, when I apply for a Lowes’ credit card on a paper application in the store, I ask them where does the application go, is it filed in a drawer, who  has access to it. Most times I get funny looks when I ask these types of questions. I have been trained and programmed to always be thinking about security.  The reaction I get from people not of this mindset, is part problem with today’s consumers. The general public is not educated on how to protect their own personal information. So, as companies, we need to protect them – sometimes from themselves.

In a regulated environment, where we are audited on our privacy and security by the state, internal auditors and federal regulators, we hold ourselves to the absolute highest standards of privacy and security.   We are also responsible for training the employees and our customers on security.  We have dedicated a special section of our webpage to security and privacy content. Our employees receive annual security and privacy training and tested regularly.

Unfortunately, not all companies are committed to keeping their customer’s information safe. Case-in-point, TJX companies, and Heartland Data Breaches among the top data breaches.   According to Bloomberg.com, top “Data Breaches in the U.S.”, TJX back in 2007 resulted in a loss of 100 million dollars.

 Employee Guidance for Social Media - More than being "social"

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As employers, we have to set the expectations for our employees. When we created our company Facebook business account, I invited our employees to visit and like our page. We had many employees decline because they didn’t want our company, or other employees to see their personal Facebook accounts. Even though, they could change their privacy settings.  Coincidently, we were in the process of compiling a Social Media Policy for our employees. We have both an employee Social Media policy which includes Social Media Management. We provide guidelines for our employees which they agree to every year through policy review. These guidelines like those outlined by  National Relational Labor Board,  are approved and adopted within compliance guidelines for our industry. One of the interesting points made byte NLRB's guidance was the "Opinions are largely protected, even if they are factually incorrect" 

We are in the financial services industry. We have to exercise utmost security, regarding our buildings, security protocols and other information that could be used to perpetrate crimes against our business.  Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) regulates topics like social media guidance for financial institutions. They provide us with the guidance of how we can conduct social media as financial institutions.  (Much, 2017)

  

https://thefinancialbrand.com/35584/ffiec-social-media-regulations-guidelines-banking/2/

https://www.facebook.com/about/basics/how-to-keep-your-account-secure

https://www.ncua.gov

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/infographics/top-data-breaches.html

 15 Social Media Security Tips, Siciliano, 2011

 

Mintz, L. C. (2012, February 1). http://www.natlawreview.com/article/nrlb-report-employers-social-media-policies-must-be-narrow-must-not-restrict-right. Retrieved from National Law Review: http://www.natlawreview.com

 

Quote of the Week: 

 

“Realize that you can become a victim at any time. Not a day goes by when we don’t hear about a new hack. With 55,000 new pieces of malware a day, security never sleeps”. -MacAfee (Siciliano, 2011)

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SOCIAL MEDIA PLANNING - WEEK 4




 

 

Planning Your Way to A Successful Social Media Strategy

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In this week's assignment the readings focused on creating social media plans. To me, planning your marketing and PR strategy, including social media, is similar to planning a trip. There are a several important items that need to be done before you leave on your trip! 

It is hard to reach your destination without a map or GPS. Your plan is like a map to show you the way to your destination (your goals).

Continuing with my analogy of taking a trip, most  people wouldn't  start without knowing where they are going, how they will get there, and how much money it will cost to get there! 

These are the types of questions you should be asking yourself as you plan your social media strategy. Here are other tips offered bySignals.CA at  Adweek.Com,

• Know your audience
• Define clear objectives
• Create key messages
• Plan your content
• Engage on Facebook
• Lead (& follow) on Twitter
• Manage your accounts

Know Your Organization's Goals 

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This may sound like a basic premise for constructing a marketing and PR plan however, this critical first step is sometimes overlooked. According to Scott, when the organizational goals are not clear, it's like watching seven-year-olds-playing soccer. "The lack of clear goals and real measurement reminds me of seven-years-olds playing soccer. If you've seen little children on the soccer field, you know they operate as one  huge organism packed together, chasing the ball. The children are focused on the ball instead of the goal" ( p 163).   

The first  step in strategic planning needs to include measurable goals with action items. A strong plan is one built on a foundation of actionable items, accountably and measurement.  The entire organization needs to operate as a unit with everyone in- step with the company's objectives. Many senior executives and leadership teams are hesitant to utilize social media because they have little knowledge or understanding about how social media works. Ignorance from the leadership team can unknowingly sabotage a strategic plan, especially since senior leadership who generally creates and executes the organization's plan.  It's important to engage senior management when creating your plan.

 

Developing Content to Reach Buyers

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In traditional marketing, marketers create a profile of customers and prospects. Through digital channels, robust personal information is available to pinpoint messages to this subset of customers. David Meerman Scott’s advice:  We "need to think about the information that our niche audiences want to hear, so why not build content specifically for these niche audiences and tell them on online story that is created especially for them? Once marketers and PR people tune their brains to think about niches, they begin to see opportunities for being more effective at delivering their organizations' message" (Scott, 2015 ).

 Scott introduces the importance of buyer personas, “Building buyer personas is the first step and probably the single most important thing you will do in creating your marketing and public relations plan” ( p 164).   Different personas require different approaches and messages.  Understanding buyer personas is a critical step that ties into the organization’s goals and Scott’s, next key point: the importance of rich, interactive web content. Scott states, "One of the simplest ways to build an effective website or to create great marketing programs using online content is to target the specific buyer personas that you have created. Yet, most websites are big brochures that do not offer specific information for different buyers. Think about it, the typical website is one size fits all, with the content organized by the company's product or services, not by categories corresponding to buyer personas and their associated  problems" (p 168).

I agree with Scott’s comment about the website being less of a static brochure and more of a dynamic customer interaction tool.  An interactive, logical approach to website design can appeal to many different buyer personas and position the organization as an expert. 

 Big Data is Big Business

Data management companies like Experian.com who are in the data management business, offer some interesting facts about how companies across the globe use data. “Good data is good for business. Data is fundamental to your organization, and the quality of that data is critical to your success. So it should come as no surprise that an overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of U.S. organizations say that they use data to power business opportunities. And if that’s not enough, another 84 percent of U.S. organizations say that they believe data is an integral part of forming a business strategy. Clearly, data has the potential to shape your organization” (Global Management Benchmark Report, 2017). 61% of businesses' use data to increase revenue.  Companies still use traditional data to create their strategic plan. Of course their primary objective is to increase revenue. 

Imagine if these companies used the information about their customers to create a buyer persona? They would be using actual data about the people most likely to use their product and service by engaging with them online.  

Chart 1 shows how businesses across the U.S. currently leverage their information to power opportunities. By the numbers, it’s clear that organizations are using their data to increase revenue (61%) and to better serve their customers (56%). Meanwhile, enhancing marketing efforts, reducing risk, and finding new revenue streams rank further down.

Survey Produced by Loudhouse for Experian Data Quality in November 2016, the study polled more than 1,400 people across eight countries around the globe. A variety of roles from all areas of the organization were surveyed, including information technology, data management, marketing, customer service, sales, operations, and more. Respondents were chosen based on their visibility into their organization’s customer or prospect data management practices. Organizations that were surveyed came from a variety of industries including IT, telecommunications, manufacturing, retail, business services, financial services, healthcare, public sector, education, utilities, and more.

 

 

 

 

 Let’s Think About It! 

This week’s discussion questions: 

• What do you hope to accomplish as an organization by incorporating social media into your Marketing/PR strategy?  

Be sure to include what kind of challenges you think you or your company may face.  

• David Meerman Scott wants you to "Think Like a Publisher".  Thinking like a publisher, what steps would take you engage your Buyer Personas?

 Looking forward to a great discussion!!!

 Quote of the Week:

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TELL ME YOUR STORY- I'm Listening!  

In the past, consumers who wanted to communicate their complaints would speak to the manager, write a comment card (Kerpen, 2015), or tell their story to everyone they knew! 

In extreme cases, the media would get involved to help create awareness of a problem. Dave Kerpen, author of Likeable Social Media, states “If you have a negative experience with a company, you can fill out a “comment card” from your smart phone and immediately share your comment with hundreds” (p 80). The online review or negative post is a powerful, tool many businesses too often underestimate or ignore.



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The “Do-Not-Delete” concept is one which   I agree with.  From a “netiquette”1 perspective, deleting a comment is equivalent to saying “I don’t care what you have to say”. Wow! What a negative statement directed at your customer and the others watching online.

In face-to-face personal communication,  you would never say that to your customer.  It’s the equivalent to using all caps on a post – yelling online to get your point across. 

 

According to Maxine Kamin, author of Customer Service Training, “The bottom line in customer service is that customers want to feel cared about and respected, and they are more likely to return if these conditions are met”( Kamin 2002).
 

There are however, situations  when the “Do-Not Delete” rule should not apply. We had a situation last year when a customer accused his brother of fraud. This was a volatile situation. In our industry, there is no greater accusation. The online comments contained no obscenities, no vulgar or private information was disclosed. It was just a family disagreement that escalated to cyber-space. We took the incident offline, and worked with this customer to address his issues. His accusations were false and unfounded. After we exhausted all other options, we blocked him from Facebook. We eventually had to get our lawyers involved with a cease and desist order. In this case, we absolutely deleted the comments and blocked him. His comments and accusations crossed the line and bordered on libel and bullying. 

 

Learn more about the “upside” of customer reviews at : Forbes.Com http://bit.ly/2kkjMZ4

BRAND AMBASSADORS – Your Brand Groupies

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Brand ambassadors are the people who love your organization. You could call them your company’s groupies! Word-of-Mouth marketing has always been good but today the ability to effectively and efficiently utilize it through social networks is an unparalleled” (Kerpen, 2015). 

These customers “love your organization no matter what” (p 98).  Your loyal customers already love you and your brand, so why is it necessary to treat them better than your other customers with special offers, incentives and the like? 

Loyalty incentives, which could be available for all customers, would be a more appropriate way to reward all your customers each time they make purchase. I think a company could recognize a loyal member each time an incentive is reached via social media. This approach demonstrates to existing and prospective customers how loyal customers are treated to build trust and loyalty with the organization.  Since their loyalty is organic, and not paid, I think  it’s more genuine.  Kerpen in his book “Likable Social Media dedicates a chapter on transparency and authenticity. In my opinion, paying someone to talk about your brand or company erodes the genuineness of your message.  When I see a celebrity endorsement on TV, I don’t always believe what they are saying because they are getting paid for promoting the product.  There’s a stigma attached to paid endorsements.  There’s a significant difference between asking people to like your page, or to give you a review and giving them money or incentives to so.  

 

Quote of the Week:  Building Trust and Loyalty 

 

It’s not enough to let customers post reviews–you have to let them truly speak their minds. Bryan Eisenberg, founder of Future Now, Inc., which helps businesses optimize their online marketing efforts, says he sees the same mistake all the time: “Businesses put up reviews, and they’re all positive.” (Iverac, 2009)

One of my favorite spots on Cape Cod, MA.

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