This document discusses how Hootsuite builds brand advocacy through social media. It outlines how Hootsuite listens to customers, engages advocates through challenges and events, and encourages employees to share their experiences. Measuring success, over 200 blog posts were written by advocates in one quarter and advocates contributed 10% of app reviews. The key takeaways are to define clear objectives for advocates, target super-users to start, focus on long-term engagement, and get feedback to adjust the strategy.

1. Building Brand Advocacy:
How Hootsuite Uses Social to Grow its Business
and Build Brand Love
MAY 7, 2015
VP, Community & Customer Experience
@JeanetteG
Jeanette Gibson

2. #CvHNY
Hootsuite
11M+
Users
worldwide
1700+
Enterprise
Customers
744
out of the
Fortune 1000

3. Agenda
Jeanette Gibson
VP, Community & Customer
Experience
@JeanetteG
• The State of Social
• Top Trends
• Building Advocacy
• How Hootsuite Engages
with Customers
• Measuring ROI
• Key Takeaways

4. • Networks
• Participants
• Content
AN EXPLOSION OF:
The State of Social

5. 2.1 BILLION Active
Social Accounts
15% YoY Growth
Over half on mobile.
Global
Growth

6. Fastest growing segments:
Twitter: Age 55-64 (up 79% since 2012)
Facebook: Age 45-54 (up 46% since
2012)
Google+: Age 45-54 (up 56% since 2012)
Not Just “the Kids”

7. Buyers Have Changed.
75% 70% 92%
Of B2B buyers
use social media
to research a
process - IDC
Of the buyer’s journey
is complete prior to
engaging a vendor
- Forrester
Of consumers trust WOM
and recommendations
from friends and family
above all other forms of
advertising - Nielsen

8. Top 5 Trends

9. Aligning Systems
● Social to CRM, Marketing, etc
Aligning Processes
● Stand alone to aligned.
Aligning Strategies
● Social to social everywhere
Customer Service to
Customer Experience

10. From Social Marketing
to Marketing Is Social
From “marketing is dead” because of
social to marketing IS social
● Campaigns
● Social Ads
● Integration
● Social everywhere
● Content

11. Advocacy/Social Selling
● The promise of social for
execs.
Aligns with goals and culture
● Conservative/Aggressive
● Marketing/HR/Beyond
Impact for everyone
● Small/Medium/Large
The Power Of Employees

12. The push beyond pockets
creates demand for social
skills enterprise wide.
● Training
● Enablement
● Education
● Centres of Excellence
Social is a Skill, Not a Department

13. Meaningful Measurement
Social metrics still matter
● Progress, direction and activity
Move to impact of social
● Traffic, content and action.
Integration is key.
● Web analytics, automation
and beyond.

14. Building Brand Advocacy

15. Who are your Brand Advocates?
Customers Influencers Employees
Advocate: one that argues for a cause, a supporter or defender
Brand advocates are customers, employees or influencers such as bloggers who love your brand.
The best advocates have a social presence and passion for your brand and industry.
Debra Trappen
@debra11
6k twitter followers
Bryan Kramer
@BryanKramer
117k Twitter
followers
Diana Luong
Works for Hootsuite
613 Instagram followers,
12k Instagram on her Etsy store

17. 5.7m+
TWITTER
REACH
15748
CHALLENGES COMPLETED
232
HOOTUPS
449
PUBLISHED CONTENT
PARTICIPATE IN
GAMIFIED CHALLENGES
560
1K+ Ambassadors
34%
INCREASE IN SELF-SOLVE
RATE

18. How We Build
Advocacy

19. Listen

20. Valentine’s Campaign
Engage
Objective: Spread the #HootLove - to increase awareness of
the @HootCommunity and @Hootsuite profiles through a
transactional “user focused” activity that helps us make a
personal connection with our audience.

21. 67%
of 2014 Hootups led by Hootsuite
Ambassadors
15,780
2014 attendees
67
participating countries 250+
2014 Hootups
Hootups
Engage

22. Engage
Who Attends Our
Hootups?
13% of prospects in 2014 Hootups
converted to Hootsuite customers.

23. The general public want to hear
directly from employees as
‘Ambassadors for the company.’
Edelman Trust Barometer

24. Employees Share #BrandLove
● Motivate with purpose, not profits
● Mobilize with education, provide the tools
● Make sharing content simple & easy
● Bring employee ideas front and center
Share

25. #SMW14: #HootsuiteLife Employee Engagement
“@David_Thai That time I wore a
kangaroo suit to the company
retreat #hootsuitelife #SMW14”
Share

26. Build Advocacy

27. Beta test our new mobile app!
Sare
Build Advocacy

28. The Outcome: Engaged Advocates Who Review Our Product
● Over 200+ blog posts written by
our ambassadors in Q3/4
● 10% of app reviews on iTunes
contributed by Ambs.
● Total Twitter reach of
#HootAmb: 4.5 million!
Build Advocacy

29. 1033
AMBASSADORS
67
COUNTRIES
395
CITIES
AVE. RATE OF
ENGAGEMENT
41.14%
52.4%
Social Share of Voice
Measuring Success

30. Key Takeaways
● Define a clear purpose and set of objectives for
advocates
● Target the super-user/super-fan (not the
‘influencer’) to launch your advocate community
● Focus on long-term, repeatable actions to create a
sustainable community
● Layer in offline initiatives aligned with shared
interests of the advocate community (education,
inspiration, entertainment)
● Develop a feedback loop and adjust strategy on-
going

31. Hootsuite University
https://learn.hootsuite.com/
http://signup.hootsuite.com/ambassador/
Hootsuite Ambassador Program
@hootsuite
/hootsuite
/company/hootsuite
/+hootsuite
Thank You!
VP, Community & Customer Experience
Jeanette Gibson
@JeanetteG