Strategizing for Engagement in Social Media

Posted on | January 25, 2008 |

by Dr. Mary Lou Roberts

The siren song of social media is that it’s really easy to do. An individual or a company can set up a MySpace or Facebook page, establish a presence in Second Life, or start a blog, to name only a few of the possibilities. The danger lies in entering the world of social media without a strategy for engaging people with the brand in a meaningful way. Without a roadmap for follow through the company’s effort is wasted or, even worse, the brand is weakened or damaged.

First, ask the classic question, “What are my objectives?” There are a number of reasonable ones:

• Breathing new life into a mature brand. Heinz ran a video contest, the TopThis TV Challenge last year. They were so pleased with the number and quality of entries that another contest is now underway. See the winner of the previous contest on their site. Or watch this video [youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=GocSVh58TEE[/youtube]that has been uploaded three times with a total of over 35,000 views. Heinz uses the winners, based on consumer votes, as television commercials. Watch for more examples on the Super Bowl.

• Creating buzz in various media. Procter and Gamble has announced a contest that offers consumers a chance to appear in print ads. Called “Bounce Everywhere” it is seeking stories of product uses beyond just dryer sheets. Interestingly enough, it’s not featured on the Bounce page on the P&G website, it is on their Offers and Promotions page. Sissy Biggers of Victory Garden, MSN and CBS (buzz opportunities already!) will select winning entries each month. The grand prize winner will appear in print ads and be interviewed in local media. Weekly winners receive a month’s free housecleaning service (which doesn’t sound half bad) and attention in their local media. Most of the online contests are doing some sort of weekly selection to keep up interest and P&G is highlighting that aspect.

• Reaching segments that aren’t reachable through traditional media. Young women, and young men also, are becoming difficult to reach through traditional media, witness the success of Glam.com. Take a look at the website. The main menu bar includes highly engaging components like blogs and quizzes. Prominently featured are daily polls and contests and give aways. All these make the site more “sticky,” and until the ARF or someone else comes up with a better metric, time spent on the site will be the measure of engagement with the medium.

• Building a brand community. There are numerous examples of vibrant brand communities. My personal favorite is the HOGs (Harley Owners Group), which actually grew out of the activities of customers, not Harley-Davidson, long before the Internet was a factor. It’s still focused on customers and their activities although many elements including the website are supported by the company. Harley executives participate in activities and one presumes they learn a lot from this kind of interaction with their customers. Not every brand generates this level of passion on the part of its customers, but people do interact around the brands they consume. Ask yourself what the opportunities are to identify brand loyalists, participate in brand conversation, and give the conversation a home where it can thrive. Do it all with a light hand; overtly commercial initiatives will be a major turnoff. Marketing Profs recently published some guidelines for building brand communities that are worthy of consideration.

The Internet offers unparalleled opportunities to interact with consumers in meaningful ways and to build connections to the brand. But it doesn’t happen by accident. As we all search for our way in the brave new media world, plan carefully and measure results as precisely as possible, listening to your customers every step of the way.

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