Presentation of social media strategy at Barcamp Zimbabwe on 6 September 2012 in Harare by Larry Kwirirayi

1. Social Media Strategy
By
Larry Kwirirayi
Barcamp Zimbabwe 2012
6 September 2012
@kwirirayi

2. Without a clear
direction,
social media can pull you
in all directions.
@kwirirayi

3. Clear goals and realistic expectations can help avoid:
•Wasted time
•Wasted effort
•Backlash
•Social media fatigue
•Missed opportunities
@kwirirayi

4. Business case for Social Media
Social Media Pitfalls
Avoiding Social Media Pitfalls
Social Media Strategy Framework
@kwirirayi

5. The Web is essential in our daily lives
 33% of media consumption(1)
 Boomers are gaining on Gens X/Y
Social media to comprise 50% of usage(2)
 Social media now surpasses Email in global reach(3)
 Fastest growth: women over 50
Word of mouth is reaching a new level
 Millions of interactions take place every hour
 Brands are being discussed 24/7
@kwirirayi

6. 1. You are already involved in Social Media
 Your friends are doing it
 Discussions about your brand are taking place
If
 you participate you can shape outcomes
2. Comparative advantages
 Word of mouth is #1 influencer of purchases
 Does not require a media budget
 Viral effect can carry a message a long way
3. Revenue growth
 Among top 100 Brands, those using social media saw 18% lift in revenue
 91% of Inc. 500 use social media
@kwirirayi

7. 4. Must-have for Startup Marketing:
 Creating brand awareness and consideration
 Inbound marketing / research
 Community relations
 Recruiting / employee relations
 Investor relations
 Crisis / corporate communications
5. Search Engine Rankings!
 Can produce great results!
 See example on next slide
@kwirirayi

8. Social Media Pitfalls
Rush to action without a plan
Lack of objectives and measurement
Content guidelines
Failing to engage audiences
Limited Reach
@kwirirayi

9. 1. Rushing to action without a plan (shiny new
object)
• Hasty decisions and knee-jerk reactions
• One-off approach
• Focus on the wrong objectives or platforms
• Failing to understand requirements and resources
@kwirirayi

10. 2. Measurement
Success requires:
• Defined and measurable objectives
• Metrics that tie to those objectives
• Tools (and knowledge) for tracking metrics
• Ability to translate online activity to business results
• Methodology to calculate ROI
@kwirirayi

11. Web 2.0 Metrics
 Posts
Engagement metrics
 Tweets and ReTweets
 Site visits
 Facebook Fans
 Unique visitors
 Followers
 Visit frequency
 Ratio: Following to
 Page views per visit Followers
 Time on site  Mentions
 Registrations  Content views
 Conversions  Content uploads
 Shared pages
 Sentiment ratio
@kwirirayi
 Page 1 search rankings

12. 3. Content
• While content is critical, it is often an afterthought
• Once the genie is out of the bottle, it’s too late
• Requires content planning
• Format: copy, video, photos, audio
• Type: original vs. repurposed
• Source: where will it come from?
• Requires approval
• Brand guidelines
• Legal issues (beware of astro-turfing!)
• Must be engaging…
@kwirirayi

13. 4. Failure To Engage
• Social Media is about listening and interacting vs. shouting
• “Spray and Pray” doesn’t work
• Think: Telephone vs. Megaphone
• Engagement hurdles:
• Lack of interesting and relevant content
• Self-focused content
• Too much self-promotion
@kwirirayi

14. 5. Limited Reach
• Social Media only works with a large audience
• Process of building a network is often overlooked
• Without reach, there is no ROI
@kwirirayi

15. 1. Goals: Who and What?
• Define audiences and identify influencers
• Define objectives
• Set reasonable expectations
2. Media: which social media platforms?
3. Engagement: how to listen and interact?
• Content: types of media, voice, frequency
• Duties: producing, posting, sharing, responding
• Policy: addressing negative comments
@kwirirayi

16. 4. Reach: how will you promote your program?
• Online, email, offline, PR, word of mouth
• How will you build your network?
5. Resources: what is needed; what will it cost?
• People, process, assets, tools, etc.
6. Metrics: how will you measure success?
• What metrics will you use?
• What tools will you use?
• How will you translate into ROI?
@kwirirayi

17. Components of a Social Media Strategy
• Audiences
•Objectives and Metrics for measuring success
•Team and resources
• Key influencers (and tactics for engaging them)
• Social Media sites, networks and groups
• Content guidelines
• Operational plan for producing, posting, sharing
• Marketing plan to promote and build network
• Tools (influencer tracking, monitoring, reporting)
• Methodology for translating activity into ROI
@kwirirayi

18. Can you distill your social media mission down to one sentence?
How will you know if it’s working?
Who’s responsible for reaching these goals?
What’s in it for your customers?
@kwirirayi

19. A core philosophy
gives you a
daily focus and helps
define
your goals.
@kwirirayi

20. Thank You
Q&A
www.facebook.com/ThreeMenOnABoat
www.twitter.com/ThreeMenOnABoat
www.twitter.com/kwirirayi
@kwirirayi