Photo Credit: Aquilo – http://mrg.bz/AuebO8

Q:  Why has your company chosen to participate in Social Media? 

A: We see Social Media as a means to improve customer engagement.

Q:  Congratulations!  How interesting.  So what does that mean exactly?

A:   – Well, we communicate with our customers. 

      - We get them to like us on Facebook.

      – We tweet our promotions to them.

      – We create content for them to consume.

What is customer engagement?

The Advertising Research Foundation provided the first definition of customer engagement in 2006, broadly stating, “Engagement is turning on a prospect to a brand idea enhanced by the surrounding context.”

In order to succeed at anything you do, you must know what you’re trying to accomplish.  The task, the process, the outcome, must always be clearly defined and universally understood.

The company must “increase profits” is an example of a vague goal. 

A more clearly defined objective would be: The company must reduce operating expenses by 5% and improve product sales by 10%. 

When you understand what must be accomplished, determining the necessary steps, timing and required resources becomes feasible.  Do you drive to an unknown destination without having a map and a plan?

Importantly, there are now stated benchmarks to allow progress to be tracked and to determine how the various initiatives are working.  Adjustment and improvements can be made as necessary, along the way, to ensure you meet your goals.

 Customer engagement is a relationship between the customer and your brand/product or service. 

Customer engagement has become a ubiquitous term, used to express customer interaction or involvement.  Facebook likes and Twitter followers are not engagement; both are a result, and a measurement, of the effectiveness of your efforts.

Engagement can be the level of interest.  It can be the level of interaction.  Engagement can denote participation or it can simply be empathy.

Engagement is a process.  It is a relationship between your consumers and your product or service.  Engagement is built, or broken, at every point of contact.

It involves trust, credibility and respect and consistency. 

Define what customer engagement means for your company.

Think about meeting a new person when you’re networking.  There is an assessment of whether or not this person can help you achieve your purpose.  If yes, then you move on to think about how.  Then you make a plan.  And you develop a relationship.

You want a relationship with your customers?  Define exactly what that relationship is.  Do you want to flirt, hang out, date, go steady, live together, get married?

Commit to what you want to do and you can execute against it.  Because there is a set objective (or set of objectives) it is possible to outline the steps needed to get you there, and maintain it.

Define it and you can own it.

Too often in Marketing and Communications, we fall into the habit of adopting terms and expressions that are not clear, and we use them freely.  That’s great, we are particularly conceptual people.  However what it does to the outside world, who may not understand, is strengthen their suspicions that we are lazy, lax and maybe a little slippery.

It’s little wonder there is such scepticism and doubt about the potential of Social Media when it is discussed in imprecise, hazy or poorly defined terms.

Believe me, I understand putting a positive spin on things.  I can say “challenge” rather than “problem” and  “course correction” rather than “detour”. These words are accurate synonyms for each other.   They are clearly defined and widely understood.

You can’t say you’re involved in customer engagement unless you have a strategy, a plan, adequate resources, action corresponding to the plan and clear measurement of results in place.

If you want to use a term like “customer engagement” then do so.  But first define it, then own it.

Photo Credit: natepowers, http://mrg.bz/8nbCXo

I contributed a post to Leaders West back in October entitled “How Twitter is Like Online Dating”.  My sociology background and my participating in Twitter, while being a member (at the time) of an online dating site, led me to view quite a few similarities and some parallels.

Having observed a consistency between Twitter and on-line dating sites – both by definition, social networks – it seems to be only a logical leap for sex workers (masseuses, prostitutes, escorts) to be using Social Media.

It’s not surprising to find that this is exactly the case.  I guess I sort of thought I’d have come across this somehow, rather than having to have it pointed out to me, via this article in the Telegraph, “Prostitutes advertising on Facebook and Twitter”. As Social Media is a microcosm of the larger world, so exist the subcultures of Social Media.

I have to admit to being fascinated at how this particular industry is using the various social media channels.

Searching sex worker, male/female companion, prostitute, call girl, escort or gigolo in any of the Social Networks – and I only checked out the most mainstream ones – easily allows you to find out what’s going on.

SM for Advertising and Promotion

Social Networks are being used as a mean of advertising, promotion and client acquisition.  According to one user, “The social network can be developed easily while keeping the user masked, thus confidentiality”.

A post  Social Networking for Service Providers asks, “Are you an escort that uses Facebook as well? If so join the Escorts on Facebook group.  Facebook is becoming more and more popular and is an ideal networking tool. A great way to find new friends for discrete encounters. : p”

 Join Escorts on Facebook Group advertises as Consulting/Business Services. “Become an Escort” teaches females how to be safe successful escorts.

 Google+ provides resources to find various escort services.

Lululist.com Escort Marketing Blog is a blog – you guessed it, about how to use social media networks for business building.

There are also services for the ladies, if you type “Gigolo” or “Male Escort”, blog posts on the women who use them, as well as what might be called “special interest groups” on Facebook (warning nudity).

SM for Activism

Social Networks are also being used to establish groups which provide information and guidelines for sex workers or, alternatively, for activists to organize and reach out to the industry and the public-at-large.

And if you don’t think this is a labour force that deserves to be organized and supported, read this article from The Atlantic.

Check out the #sexworker hashtag on Twitter, this page on Google+ or this interesting bibliography of related blog

A Different Story on LinkedIn

 LinkedIn updated its User Agreement the middle of month.  The professionally oriented networking site officially banned people from creating “profiles or provide content that promotes escort services or prostitution” – “Even if it’s legal where you are located.” 

 I found it interesting that LinkedIn has taken this stand, and I’m wondering if there is a clear distinction between declaring my occupation as an escort or sex worker and promoting my business.  Is it in the context of the profile or the activity in which I engage on the site?

 I’m not dissing LinkedIn, I agree that a high level of credibility and professionalism needs to be maintained or I might want to reconsider membership.

 I do feel strongly, though, that everyone who wants one is entitled to have a profile. 

 After all, bottom line, these are business people too.

Photo Credit: FlyingPete, http://mrg.bz/i1vZnu

So you’ve got a handle on content, which I’ve taken the liberty of defining as the fusion of information and entertainment.

Great!  You’re halfway there.  Yes, I’m sorry to have to advise you that content is only a part of the necessary effort.

In review

Ideally, content is a story.  The story should have a beginning, middle and an end. It should include a conflict, which is successfully resolved.

Good content is a story with substance, appreciated and/or valued by its intended audience; a meaningful and significant story, which answers a need or provides relevant, useful information.  Strong content is read because it resonates, interests or captivates its audience.

If content is the story, and must be compelling, then equally important is the setting where it appears – the context.

Context is where content lives

Context 1: the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning.  2: the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs: environment, setting ‘the historical context of the war’

Context is where the content exists or lives, the vehicle or platform where it is featured, its environment.  It is selecting the appropriate network, channel or vehicle where thecontent is provided.

Your content should fit the environment as if it was its “natural habitat”, an environment frequented/popular with its intended consumer.

If your content is not in the appropriate environment i.e. not where your target is hanging out or looking for it, then it’s missing the mark.  It is ineffective, shooting blanks.  It means it is unlikely to be read, shared or commented on, and will probably not generate  dialogue or initiate a relationship, which are the objectives of producing content.

The ideal context, because you have total control of the experience, is your own website.  Here are some examples of great content delivered on target-specific websites.

However, not everyone has the resources to create their own environment.

Cookie-cutter content won’t work in every context

Many companies generate content without considering how it will be used, perceived or received.  They use exactly the same material across all Social Media channels automatically.  Perhaps they just don’t realize each network has a specific reason for being and as a result, is a unique environment. 

The obvious examples are the “visual” sites, such as Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, where content needs to be pictures or video, versus text.

Regarding text, however, How-To or DIY articles may be ideal on Facebook, but LinkedIn’s professional orientation makes it an ideal environment for business issues and career advice.  Google+ is a little more a blend of the two, but depends on the group or hangout.

An article on personal finance may be an equally appropriate topic for both Facebook and LinkedIn, however given the distinct difference in the target audience’s orientation and interests, the format, tone and references should be different to be appropriate for the professional orientation of LinkedIn versus the personal, casual atmosphere of Facebook.

Spend some time understanding the different networks you are considering.  Get to know the interests, language and etiquette of each.  Ensure there is a natural fit between you and the audience.

In order to understand the context to best frame the content, ask yourself:

Why is my target audience here?

What is my target audience doing here – what is their interest, activity or purpose? 

When is my target audience here?

What are other companies doing/offering and what does it look like?

Content must be consumer-centric

To be successful, all content must be consumer centric. This means that when content is produced, it must be produced with the end user/consumer/target audience in mind.  It needs to respond to their wants and needs.  An important way to understand the consumer is to consider where they are hanging out and why.  By understanding the context, the appropriate content can be provided.

It important to remember the reason for doing what you’re doing, creating and providing content. 

The purpose is to create a relationship, namely building awareness, trust and interest so that you have a place in the mind, and hearts, of your audience.

Photo Credit: priyanphoenix, http://mrg.bz/dsCY0w

Affiliation – we all have needs

Social Media is about affiliation.   Affiliate is defined as “to bring or receive into close connection as a member or branch; or to connect or associate oneself”.

Social Media provides the vehicles where connections and links are created between like-minded individuals and/or people with common interests.  Communities are created among those who share occupations, specialization, recreation, hobbies, life stage, lifestyle and more, which foster a sense of belonging.

As individuals, we participate in diverse activities, fulfilling several roles within any given day: significant other, parent, child, businessperson, colleague, friend, consumer and client, among many others.

While for each of these roles, there is a quintessential you – the fundamental person who, at this point in time, is the culmination of one’s life experience (so far) and attitudes– distinct qualities and characteristics are called to the fore to fulfill whichever part you need to be, whatever circumstances require.

If we agree that we adapt ourselves to the different environments and associated expectations in the various areas of our lives, which helps enhance the experience of belonging, then it might be fair to say that we generally try to be appropriate to the circumstances.  Making an effort to blend in helps satisfy the sense of affiliation (and vice versa).

Consistency is Important

I have been looking at a number of competitive sites within a particular industry as homework for a project.  What I have noticed most markedly is that, no matter the channel; Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube being the main contenders, the character of the company presence/page is exactly the same across all Social Media Sites.  This is a problem.

Consistency is important to establish and maintain your identity, to help ensure recognition, to build awareness and stand out from the competition.

However, as discussed earlier, it is not appropriate to be totally consistent in every single environment or circumstance.  It demonstrates a lack of understanding of the requirements or a disinterest in fitting in.

Targeting is Equally Important

It is important for companies to tweak their presence to “fit” the different Social Media channels; while consistency is important for recognition, uniformity doesn’t work.

First, it demonstrates an understanding of the channel, the reason why it is important to be there and how participation/presence will help achieve what it hopes to accomplish in the environment.

Secondly it shows it is in touch with the audience it wants to reach; their needs and their reason for being in each particular community.

The best example is Facebook versus LinkedIn.  There are excellent reasons to be a member of both, and thus, while the same people may be on both Social Media sites, they are there for very different reasons and with very different representations.

Both networks foster contact. One is friendly, casual and even gossipy.  The other is professional, business-like, reserved. 

So companies and organizations, in order to fit in and increase your target’s affinity to your company or product, you need to tweak your corporate page according.  Your page needs to feel like it belongs in the environment, so that your target identifies with you and feels you have important things in common.

Otherwise, you may stand out – but not in an entirely good way.  Like attending a black tie event in shorts, a t-shirt and sandals.

Photo Credit: mconnors, http://mrg.bz/7mjDzv

Remember “Pen Pals”?

I believe everyone is familiar with the concept of Pen Pals.  When the earth was young(er), before the Internet, when the available forms of communication were telephone, telegram and the post, the most economical way to keep in touch over long distances was snail mail. Often, teachers would set up Pen Pal programs, to help link children to their peers in other areas in the country, or of the world. 

This served to foster knowledge of different circumstances, lifestyles and even cultures, while reinforcing many skills and disciplines, such as writing (the grammar, spelling, punctuation type of writing), the actual skill of cursive handwriting, the etiquette of correspondence and more.

I know people who had lifelong Pen Pals, who had long-term relationships, which started in grade school and continued through to adulthood.  I know of Pen Pals whose correspondence led to meeting, and regular “face-to-face” interaction.

A Good Pen Pal

To maintain a Pen Pal, you had to be a good Pen Pal.  This implied responding within a reasonable period of time.  You had to be interesting and be interested, share news or information that your correspondent found engaging and/or stimulating and wanted more of, in order to cultivate a relationship.

You had to maintain a dialogue; respond to questions you were asked in the letters and pose questions that would provoke answers from your Pen Pal.  If you expected prompt replies, you had to ensure your missive went out in a reasonable time from when you received it.

The Pen Pal Principle applies today, to Social Media, and the principals are as relevant to your participation in social networking they once related to being a good Pen Pal.

The effort you put into your networking efforts will determine what you reap. You get out of the activity what you put into it.

The Pen Pal Principles:

Reply promptly.  On Social Media, that means within 24 – 48 hours.

Ask questions.  Questions, especially open-ended ones (i.e. those that don’t require a yes/no) show interest, solicit knowledge, demonstrate interest.  This creates the engagement that ensures the communication is two-way.

Comment.  When someone has posted or shared information, a story, or has made a statement, commenting on it shows you’ve read/heard them.  It can often facilitate a continuing dialogue.

Share personal information.  Personal information does not, in this case anyway, mean I’m advocating the sharing of personal details.  I’m suggesting to provide information about yourself and the person you are.  What you like, dislike, your interests, how you spend your time, what is important to you, your opinions.  Talk about what really matters to you.

Tell stores.  This may be the best way to provide insight on you and your life.  Stories tell what happened; however, they also reveal your perspective, character traits and attitude.

Be genuine.  Stay true to yourself.   Be who you are, not who you think others want you to be. 

Be honest.  Sure, a little exaggeration can add humour to your stories, but integrity, credibility and trust are a result of honesty.  You want to establish yourself as trustworthy and credible if you want interaction and shares.

Keep notes.  When corresponding with multiple people, it helps to jot down relevant information to keep track of what you’ve talked about, what their interests are and other information (significant other’s name, children’s names/ages etc.).

The key is the old adage “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. 

Aspire to be the ideal “Pen Pal” you would want to have.

Photo Credit: Pippalou

“We gain more status from sharing our knowledge than from protecting it.”

I was inspired by this quote by Jonathan Wichmann, Social Media Manger for Maersk, in this video, which you can find in Jim Dougherty’s blog at Leaders West; regularly thought-provoking, interesting and inspiring. 

Let me tell you a little about the context.  Maersk Lines is an International shipping company out of Denmark.  A B2B company, (and I want to stress this), selling its freight and transport services to companies looking to move their goods.  They started a Social Media experiment in 2011, which won them the Social Media Campaign of the Year in September 2012.

Wichmann was kind, and savvy enough, to share Maersk’s learning’s with several groups and the presentation I viewed, from SMW (Social Media Week) Copenhagen, was videotaped. It’s very much worth the 40 or so minutes it takes to view it.

What is Maersk Lines Doing/Doing Differently?

Maersk Line made a deliberate decision not to use their B2B social media channels for customer acquisition and rather than attempt to sell directly through the channel they decided to establish thought leaders in their industry.  Their stated goal “To get closer to their customer.”

Maersk then began by examining what they were currently doing.  They looked at their audiences and segmented their “connections” according to the vehicles where they were accessible.  Then Maersk decided what kind of content each vehicle would receive (can anyone say strategy?).

The next step – and this is very bold for any large corporation, but especially one in the B2B environment – they turned the content generation over to their employees, who were already using Social Media and the chosen vehicles.

Key Learning for Organizations, Especially B2B

I’m dwelling on the B2B status of Maersk here, because B2B seems to be the sector struggling most with Social Media.

The key take-away from Maersk:

- Understand your target and where they are congregating.  Examine the channels you believe are appropriate and find out who, exactly, is talking about you or your industry and in what context. Tailor your content accordingly.

- Articulate your objectives and develop a plan in consequence. Set goals.  Know what you want to achieve.  Share it with your organization, at the very least.  Figure out how to get there/what will take you there.

- Leverage the loyalty and advocacy of your employees.   Not only are your employees a valuable resource, they are stakeholders in your company’s success. In Maersk’s case, the company’s employees, the best ambassadors, created content that was interesting, shareable and memorable.

- Don’t spam your networks with business content.  (This paraphrases another quote by Jonathan Wichmann.)  Ensure you provide diverse content, which is channel appropriate.  People appreciate novel and little-known (outside the workings of the organization) background and behind-the-scenes information.

Measures of Success

Maersk has several measures of how the initiative has worked for them, for example, the number of followers on the various Social sites (750,000 Facebook Friends), the prize they were awarded and the interest and attention from Social Media organizations and from other B2B businesses.

Most telling for me is Wichmann’s take on customer care. Maersk achieved significant savings because they were able to replace call center employees with social care reps. An added benefit to this change is customer service issues are regularly answered by fans before the customer care team can intervene. That’s a fabulous measure of success and a significant ROI.

What Maersk has also gained, and this in large unquantifiable amounts, is status.  Which, as Jonathan Wichmann points out, comes from sharing knowledge.