The document discusses the myths and realities of social media for small and medium-sized enterprises. It summarizes that while many companies are using social media, few are effectively measuring its impact or integrating it into marketing. It recommends that companies focus on listening to customers, capturing actionable data, learning from insights, and engaging customers in relevant conversations. Rather than viewing social media as a separate department, companies should see it as a way to better understand customer needs and bring customers into the business.

1. Social Communications:
The Myths and Realities

3. There is a lot of noise around social media...

4. Some of it is even true...

6. I’m going to try and avoid the usual clichés

7. So, we’re not going to talk about experts

8. We’re not going to talk about theory

9. We’re not going to talk about tricks

10. Corporate social media myths
1. Social media will expose us to negativity
2. We should buy it or outsource it
3. Social is a departmental focus
4. Senior executives can’t use social media
5. Social media is a waste of time
6. Social media is free
7. Social media can’t be measured
8. Social media will replace traditional media
9. We have a social profile/blog, it’s covered

11. We’re going to focus on social
communications for SMEs – removing the
myths and helping with the realities

12. I know this isn’t a perfect world

13. I know budget is tight

14. I know social media isn’t your biggest priority

15. I know you are short on time...

16. But making time to develop your social
approach will bring benefits....

18. Harvard Business Review analytic services
report - The New Conversation: Taking Social
Media from Talk to Action*
• Three-quarters (75%) of companies do not know where their most
valuable customers are talking about them
• Nearly one-third (31%) do not measure the effectiveness of social
media
• Less than one-quarter (23%) are using social media analytics
tools
• A fraction (7%) are integrating social media into marketing
activities
* 2,100 organisations surveyed

19. Of the 2100 organisations
surveyed, 79% were using
social media channels
Top 5 benefits of social media according to the research:
1. Increased awareness of the organisation
2. Increased traffic to website
3. More favourable perceptions of the brand
4. Ability to monitor conversations about the organisation
5. Increase in new business

21. So how can social communications help you?
• Concentrate on your customer’s need
• This need is not motivated by being a fan or friend of your
organisation
Here’s the truth: Potential customers will only engage with
your organisation if they see value in the connection

22. Focus on the needs of the social customer
“Social communications should be focused on
bringing the social customer into the business. It is
not about the technology, it is about the people,
process and cultural shifts necessary to support and
grow a business.”
Mitch Lieberman

23. So stop trying to talk at your customers and
start listening to them

26. Don’t leave conversations with your customers
and potential investors to chance

27. To engage with the Social Customer, we
need:

28. As with all good plans it has 4 stages

29. Listen: to customers and community.
Understand issues and identify needs
• Review your digital / social infrastructure: Audit
website, SEO, social channels
• Social media monitoring: introduce/review tools

30. Who should be part of the social team?
Ideally those with:
• Passion for the product
• Knowledge of the theories of social communication
• Experience of the social tools
If not available: focus on people that have passion for your
product/service
• Train them to understand social
• Social team represented by sales, marketing, customer
services, HR, R&D, management, etc

31. How much resource should I put into this?
Allocate resource relevant to your digital footprint and
potential customer base:
• a training budget to get your people up to speed (short
term cost / long term gain)
• develop a communications plan: get experienced help
• develop social guidelines: to confirm who
communicates on your behalf, how they communicate, the
tone and objectives

32. Capture: feed your new team with actionable
data
• Data is the fuel that drives the social campaign: the
quality of the fuel will dictate the effectiveness of the
process
• Data capture: website analytics and data captured from
customer interactions and the wider community
• Data analysis: understanding the data is essential. Too
much could choke the process. Too little could starve you
of any useful insight

33. Learn: feed learnings into the organisation
• Internal communication of findings: share data with
relevant department/individuals
• Measurement: Set your objectives, find metrics to
measure and evolve
• Business-wide social strategy: (the ultimate goal)
Turn social communications into an opportunity to build
customer engagement and drive value

34. Engage: be relevant and useful. Engagement is
an opportunity to build a conversation
• Use your social media guidelines: not an onerous
book of dictations, but a guide for your organisation
• Content development: This is your social currency.
Quality wins over quantity every time
• Social tool / profile management: Tone, frequency
and response essential

35. Social tools
• Social network profiles: focus on the networks most
relevant to your sector
• Social media monitoring tools allow you to identify
your community and track conversations
• Use a mixture of paid and free tools e.g. Radian6,
Brandwatch, Engage Sciences and UberVU to get the full
picture

36. Summary: forget the myths
• Don’t assume your social communications are being
taken care of - you will regret it
• Select your social team on the grounds of product
passion and social skills. Train them!
• Use your budget in the right places: training, planning,
tools and measurement

37. Summary: focus on the realities for your
organisation
• Get involved, experiment and don’t be afraid to make
mistakes that you will learn from
• Set your objectives, measure objectives and evolve
based on the outcomes

38. Further reading
• Social Media ROI - Olivier Blanchard (The Brand Builder)
• Me and my web shadow – how to manage your
reputation online - Antony Mayfield
• Harvard Business Review analytic services report - The
New Conversation: Taking Social Media from Talk to Action
http://www.sas.com/events/pbls/2010/las-vegas/documents/TheNewConversation.pdf
• Social Comms For Start-Ups - The Myths And Realities
(TechCrunch) http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/17/social-comms-for-start-ups-the-myths-and-realities/
•Defining and developing Social CRM (Liberate Media
whitepaper)

39. Lloyd Gofton
Managing Director
lloyd@liberatemedia.com
07919 353484
twitter.com/liberatelloyd
uk.linkedin.com/in/lloydgofton
www.liberatemedia.com/blog