This is a presentation given at Social Commerce Camp DC on the foundations and components of social commerce. This includes a case study of Browncoats: Redemption, a fan film for charity that is using social commerce to raise $500,000 for charity.
3. “ 69% percent of consumers who buy mostly online visit social networking sites” – IBM e-Commerce Survey 2009
4. “ Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves using social media , online media that supports social interaction and user contributions, to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services.” – Wikipedia
5. Cocktail Party Version: “ Social commerce is the fusion of social media and e-commerce to create an entirely new experience.”
8. Steve’s Three Eras of Social Commerce 2000-2005 The Community Era This all about getting together and forming relationships 2006-2009 The Crowdsourcing Era Things were now about doing something together 2010-2015 The Collective Era People via social networks form buyer collectives and become brands
Social commerce is not a new term. Its brothers and sisters include social media, social networking and social shopping. I don't know or care which sibling was born first. Each has a slightly different meaning, but they all share that prefix in common. However, social commerce, more than the others, helps underscore two important centers of gravity that CMOs and marketing professionals should orbit themselves around. The term "social" reminds us that these new marketing strategies are about customer-to-customer interactions. Said another way, it's not about us! The beating heart in the definition of "social" is a relational connection that motivates customers to participate, contribute and create experiences. And the output of these interactions is the relevance, credibility and authority that the next customer is yearning for, or else they'll run away from traditional marketing.
Picture of people talking at a networking event
Pont Du Gard - The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct in the South of France constructed by the Roman Empire, and located in Vers-Pont-du-Gard near Remoulins, in the Gard département. The Pont du Gard was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1985.
I always like to start with a respected third party source. Jeremiah Owyang of the Altimeter Group and formerly of Forrester put together a paper on the five eras of the social web. The era of social relationships: Beginning in the mid-1990s, people signed up for online profiles and connected with their friends to share information. The era of social functionality: As it exists today, social networking is more than just a platform for "friending," but one that can support a broader array of what Owyang calls "social interactive applications." However, identities are essentially disconnected silos within individual sites. The era of social colonization: By late 2009, technologies such as OpenID and Facebook Connect will begin to break down the barriers of social networks and allow individuals to integrate their social connections as part of their online experience, blurring the lines between networks and traditional sites. The era of social context: In 2010, sites will begin to recognize personal identities and social relationships to deliver customized online experiences. Social networks will become the "base of operation for everyone's online experiences." The era of social commerce: In approximately two years, social networks will be more powerful than corporate Web sites and CRM systems, as individual identities and relationships are built on this platform. Brands will serve community interests and grow based on community advocacy as users continue to drive innovation in this direction.
Mine is a subset that is focused on the evolution of social commerce over the last decade. 2000-2005 – The Community Era – This all about getting together and forming relationships (Yahoo coined social commerce term during this era) 2006-2009 – The Crowdsourcing Era – Things were now about doing something together 2010-2015 – The Collective Era – People connected through social networks will form buyer collectives and become brands in their own right Sites themselves will become less relevant as brands deliver content based on social network identities instead of requiring consumers to surf and search. Social networks will no longer be destinations as much as they will be "aggregations" of communities unattached to individual sites.
Can Do to Create a Killer Social Commerce Web Site Experience
Description : The social shopping toolset allows people to share the act of online shopping together (synchronous shopping). The toolset includes Group Buying: Enabling people to use their collective buying power to buy together to get a better deal (e.g. Dell Swarm, Adidas Freestripes, Intel Fan Plan) Co-Browsing: Enabling people to shop together on an e-commerce site at the same time (synchronous shopping) with synchronised page views and integrated chat (Charlotte Russe, Mattel) Group Gifting: Enabling people to buy a gift collectively (e.g. Apple iTunes Group Giftcard) Ask-Your-Network: Feature embedded into product pages enabling people to get realtime advice and recommendations from their own trusted social circle by posting questions directly to their news feeds (e.g. Charlotte Russe, Mattel) Social Network Storefronts: Enable people to buy where they connect within the walled gardens of a social network and solicit opinions and recommendation from their online social circle (Best Buy, Reebok) Social Shopping Portals: Enable people to shop multiple stores together using social shopping tools, often combined with ratings and reviews, and recommendations and referrals (e.g Kaboodle, ThisNext) Review : With new tools bringing e-commerce to social networks and vice versa – such as Facebook Connect, social shopping is the new motor driving the social commerce trend. Promotes purchase decisions primarily through the ‘ liking ’ social intelligence heuristic ( see previous post for explanation on the psychology of how social commerce works), allowing people to shop with people they know, like and trust. Adds emotion into the e-commerce mix, and enables realtime recommendations. DecisionStep has measured sales impact of social shopping software +25% in shopping cart, +50% in average order value. Solution Providers : DecisionStep, Fluid, Wisheo, eWinWin. Tags : Social Shopping, Group Buying, Dell Swarm, Adidas Freestripes, Intel Fan Plan, Co-Browsing, Charlotte Russe, Mattel, Group Gifting, Apple iTunes Group Giftcard, AYN, Social Network Storefronts, Best Buy, Reebok, Social Shopping Portals, Kaboodle, ThisNext. Bottom Line : Great social commerce solution for online retailers
Description : Ratings & Reviews provide independent third-party evaluation of a product or service review, with an opportunity for viewers to contribute and discuss. The toolset includes Customer Ratings & Reviews: The skinny from real customers, either integrated into an e-commerce product page, a social network page, a customer reviews site and/or in customer news feeds (e.g. Amazon, iTunes, Buzzillions, Epinions) Expert Ratings & Reviews: The view from the independent voice of authority, professional or prosumers, either integrated into an e-commerce product page, a social network page, a product reviews site, an online magazine and/or in news feeds (e.g. Metacritic) Sponsored Reviews: Paid for reviews, either customers or experts on social media platforms (e.g. SponsoredReviews, PayPerPost) Customer Testimonials: Customer stories typically published to an e-commerce site, allowing comments and discussion (e.g. Bazaarvoice ‘Stories’) Review : If social shopping is the new kid on the block, Ratings & Reviews are the perennial Godfather of social commerce – around since 1995 (with Amazon) and a proven solution for boosting traffic volume, conversion and average order value through ‘word of mouse’. Work primarily through the ‘ social proof ‘ and ‘ authority ‘ SI heuristics, promoting purchase decisions with credible information. ‘New news’ in Ratings & Reviews are review syndication (to social networks), contrast reviews (showing positive and negative reviews), tagged reviews (tagging reviews with keywords), video reviews , geo-tagged mobile reviews and story-based customer testimonials . Bazaarvoice measure impact of Ratings and Reviews to boost conversion by up to 25% – interestingly negative reviews appear not have a detrimental effect on sales; we don’t live in a five-star world and shoppers don’t expect it… Solutions Providers : Bazaarvoice, PowerReviews, SponsoredReviews, PayPerPost. Tags : Customer Ratings & Reviews, Expert Ratings & Reviews, Sponsored Reviews, Customer Testimonials, Amazon, iTunes, Buzzillions, Epinions). Metacritic, Sponsored Reviews, PayPerPost, social proof, authority. Bottom Line : Want a proven solution for ROI on social media? Ratings and Reviews should be your first port of call.
Description : Promotes personal recommendations and referrals within online social circles, often rewarding referrers for their efforts. Sometimes integrated in social shopping portals (e.g. Kaboodle, This Next) that bundle ratings and reviews and social shopping tools. The recommendations and referrals toolset includes Share With Your Network: (social bookmarking) Recommended products, deals and tips are bookmarked and syndicated to friends, fans and followers Referral Programs : Rewarding customers and partners for referring new customers (e.g. Vente-Privée, Gilt, Amazon Affiliates) Social Recommendations : Personal shopping recommendations based on profile similarities to other customers (e.g. Apple Genius Recommendations, Amazon Recommendations, Netflix Cinematch, Honk) Review : Whereas ratings and reviews are usually visible to all, recommendations and referrals are personalised endorsements designed to realise the referral value of customers and advocates. Often take the form of online versions of traditional customer-get-customer referral-rewards programs (e.g. Sky Introduce a Friend) but can also use syndication tool via Twitter and Facebook to share recommendations with friends, fans and followers. For example, fashion label Juicy Couture increased conversion rates by 162% using CreateTheGroup’s recommendations and referrals social software. Powered primarily by SI heuristics of liking, scarcity (of information) and reciprocity. Innovations include social recommender systems (e.g. Stylefeeder, Honk) that automate personal recommendations based on algorithms comparing similarities between customer purchasing histories and profiles. Solutions Providers : Facebook Connect, PowerReviews Social Megaphone, CreateTheGroup Social Software Tags : Share With Your Network (SWYN), social bookmarking, Referral Programs, Vente-Privée, Gilt, Amazon Affiliates, Social Recommendations, Apple Genius, Amazon Recommendations, Netflix Cinematch, Facebook Connect, PowerReviews Social Megaphone, Stylefeeder, Twitter, Honk, CreateTheGroup, Juicy Couture., Kaboodle, ThisNext. Bottom Line : If what you sell is really worth recommending, recommendations and referrals should be top of the social commerce list.
Description : Forums and Community platforms connect people with each other and to a business in a moderated and curated environment. The toolset includes User Forums : People offering each other support and solving each others’ task or product problems – members typically customers and/or partners (Apple discussions, Threadless forums, P&G BeingGirl) User Galleries : People sharing and discussing video and image content with each other and with the gallery host, around a particular theme (e.g. Burberry Art of the Trench) Idea Boards : Online suggestion boards for constructive feedback, often with voting and commenting features (e.g. MyStarbucksIdea, Dell IdeaStorm) Q&A Forums : New-style FAQs harnessing user contributions to answer common questions in a structured format (e.g. Bazaarvoice ‘Ask & Answer’, PowerReviews AnswerBox) Brand Communities : Private communities of customers/partners, usually with a loyalty or advisory purpose Review : The forum is the unsung hero of social media, effective; popular and useful. Can be integrated into social networking platforms to allow personal messaging and status updates to create an increased sense of community. Promotes purchase decisions primarily through consistency and authority by allowing members to share trusted information with each other and the host. P&G has calculated that its BeingGirl forum is 4x as effective as TV advertising. Innovations in this space include Idea Boards – online suggestion and discussion boards to capture constructive feedback, and user-powered Q&A forums for customer support in a moderated, curated and structured environment. Solutions Providers : Bazaarvoice, PowerReviews, Salesforce Ideas, Ripple6, Pluck Tags : User Forums, User Galleries, Idea Boards, Q&A Forums, P&G, Burberry, Starbucks, Dell, Threadless, Brand Communities, Bazaarvoice, PowerReviews, Salesforce Ideas, Ripple6, Pluck Bottom Line : A powerful long term solution that requires ongoing investment and commitment.
Description : A toolset designed to attract visitors to websites and website content by promoting and publicising these destination and content through social media. Typically involves seeding marketing collateral to major social media platforms: News Feeds : offering syndicated news on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs (RSS) and other social media platforms, providing a resource for exclusive information and (often) special deals (e.g. Dell Outlet, Carrefour FaceShopping) Media Sharing : Publishing advertising and promotional content to popular social media platforms such as YouTube, Flickr and Slideshare (e.g. Blendtec Will it Blend Ads), and informational content to Wikipedia (e.g. Skilttles) Social Media Events : Running media events in social media space such as webinars, press briefings, contests, screenings, and shows (e.g. Random House Cover Design contests) Link Building : Adding linked comments to third party social media content, such as blogs, forums and media sharing sites Review : Social Media Optimisation increases traffic volume to e-commerce destinations, both via inbound links from social media and through improvements to search engine rankings driven by these links. It’s a social media version/complement to SEO (search engine optimisation) Promotes purchase decisions primarily through social proof, scarcity and consistency. For example by posting amusing online video ads to its own site and to major video sharing sites, food processor manufacturer Blendtec increased sales by 500%. Also of note, confectionary manufacturer Mars replacing product sites with single landing pages – linking to social media platforms (e.g. Skittles). SMO is typically offered with social media monitoring services. Solution Providers : Most Social Media Agencies Tags : News Feeds, Media Sharing, Social Media Events, Link Building, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Wikipedia, social proof, scarcity and consistency, Dell, Blendtec, Carrefour, FaceShopping, Mars, Skittles, Bottom Line : Steer clear if you see social media as just another messaging channel
Social Advertising represents ad formats that engage the social context of the user viewing the ad. Whereas in traditional, non-social, advertising the ad is targeted based on what it knows about the individual person or the individual page, in social advertising the ad is targeted based on what it knows about the individual user's social network. Social Advertising is the first form of advertising that systematically leverages historically "offline" dynamics, such as peer-pressure , friend recommendations, and other forms of social influence . Description : Branded content in social media in the form of paid advertisements or social applications Social Ads – placing advertisements in paid-for media space on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, (and soon) Twitter, as well as on blogs and forums. Social Apps – creating branded online applications that support social interaction and user contributions (e.g. Nike+) Review : Social Ads and Apps stimulate purchase decisions through the social intelligence mechanisms of ‘consistency’ and (in the case of apps) reciprocity. By clicking on a e-commerce link embedded in an app or ad, the user is making a small psychological commitment to making a purchase. Arguably, social apps outperform social ads here because they also use reciprocity; social applications that solve people’s problems (e.g. motivation and performance tracking in the case of Nike+) can create a sense of psychological indebtedness, making purchase more likely. However, social ads are far simpler to deploy, and are less dependant on insight and creativity – they simply require a compelling reason to click. For example, fast-food chain Chick-fil-A ran a successful Facebook free-sample engagement ad campaign; clicking on the ad revealed a form to receive a mail coupon. The downside of social ads is that they have low click through rates – social media users appear to be more focused on communicating to pay attention to the ads – despite the ability to run highly targeted ads based on profile and social graph. Solution Providers : Many Social Media Agencies Tags : Social Advertisements, Social Applications, Facebook, Nike+, Chick-Fil-A Bottom Line : An easy first step into the world of social commerce
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Explain Film Mission Picture of Firefly and picture of Serenity then ? Of wanting more content CSTS was charity example Make more content + leverage charity approach of Browncoats = Browncoats Redemption
Explain Film Mission Picture of Firefly and picture of Serenity then ? Of wanting more content CSTS was charity example Make more content + leverage charity approach of Browncoats = Browncoats Redemption
Explain Film Mission Crowdsourcing Picture of money or charity work?
Explain Film Mission Crowdsourcing Picture of money or charity work?
Starting Point Social Media Leverage existing fan base to build our own community Facebook group - Twitter channel Production blog Podcast E-mail newsletter Storefront Plan going forward
The movie wasn’t going to be out until fall 2010 so we had 18 months to fill the gap. Production blog Podcast E-mail newsletter Storefront Plan going forward
Talk about I am a Browncoat video - Bring in a few examples
T-Shirts Causes Small Charity events Con attendance with auctions and flat out asking for donations Sponsorships
T-Shirts Causes Small Charity events Con attendance with auctions and flat out asking for donations Sponsorships Thank you on DVD IMDB credit (screen shot)
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Social media is about conversations and relationships Customers are in control, but not total control because you CAN participate People do not want to me marketed to; they want to be heard and can relate more to another human than a banner ad It’s not just about great content, it’s about relationships Chances are there is a conversation going on online about your products or services, or even the business itself. Are you going to participate, or let someone else?