BlogWell Chicago Social Media Case Study: H&R Block, presented by Paula Drum

How Big Companies Use Social MediaJanuary 22, 2009 | Chicago

Paula DrumH&R Block

I Got People (Online): How H&R Block Connects by Using Social Media

© H&R Block Services, Inc. Contents may be confidential & proprietary. Unauthorized distribution or dissemination prohibited.

Paula DrumVice-President, MarketingDigital Tax Solutions

Twitter: @hrblockwww.facebook.com/hrblockwww.myspace.com/hrblock

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Join @hrblock after the conference for more conversation, a drink and even tax advice

Monk’s

205 W. Lake Street312.357.6665

3

Our Journey

1) Recognize changes in consumer behavior

3) Clearly define objectives• Communicate brand attributes of expertise, advocacy &

innovation

• Introduce H&R Block products

• Create unexpected & meaningful interactions with customers

• Listen to what customer have to say about the brand

• Test new approaches

4

Brand Community

Widgets

Blogger outreach &Proactive listening

Blogger outreach &Proactive listening

Brand Community

Widgets

Blogger outreach &Proactive listening

2007 2008 2009

Where we’ve been

What WorkedTax Advice and remaining true to brand

Tailoring the content/approach to be relevant to the audience

Our own community site

One-on-one interactions through Twitter

Creating reusable content

Transparency and letting consumers comment

Using media to promote the community presence

Coordination between multiple agencies6

What Didn’t Work (as well)

Entertainment for the sake of entertainment

• Our content must be useful

Not starting with the end in mind (campaign approach vs. a program approach)

Broader scale meant we were spread thin

Website ownership issues impacted effectiveness of community site

Internal coordination still challenging

Difficult to measure impact of all activities – some measurements are longer term 7

Applying the lessons learned

8

Our heritage is tax – our community revolves around tax

Applying the lessons learned

9

From a fictional character to highlighting our tax professionals

Ap p ly in g t h e le s s o n sle a r n e d

From virtual reality to real tax professionals working virtually

Second Life

Applying the lessons learned

Some things stay the same

Achieving scale without breaking the bank

Reusable content

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Widgets, applications & content

Advice1) Building buy-in is continuous

Educate the organization about changing consumer behavior

Perform brand audits (what are people saying about your products online)

Tests help – worse case use ROI “Risk Of Ignoring”

2) Program orientation versus campaign Metrics – long-term versus short-term

Creative to support a program not a campaign; start with the end in mind

Authenticity and brand alignment

3) Scalability/Sustainability Reach/impact

How to organize to support social media 13

© H&R Block Services, Inc. Contents may be confidential & proprietary. Unauthorized distribution or dissemination prohibited.

Paula DrumVice-President, MarketingDigital Tax Services

Paula.drum@hrblock.comTwitter: PaulaDrum