Emma social and media and content strategy recommenda1ons July 2013
Outline 1. Introduc2on
– Background / brief – Target audience – Considera2ons – Our strategic process
2. Audit – Understanding the behaviour of the target audience – Understanding what direct / indirect compe2tors are doing
3. Channel and content planning – Channel objec2ves / roles – Content mapping – Management processes
4. Ac2va2on and management protocols 5. Summary and next steps
emma (Enhanced Media Metrics Australia) is Australia’s only cross-‐plaRorm audience survey that accurately represents media consump2on across print, website, mobile and tablet plaRorms.
The product is aimed at media agencies, adver2sers and publishers.
Owned digital channels will provide emma with an opportunity to build and maintain produc2ve rela2onships with key industry figures.
These channels and associated ac2vi2es also give the brand an opportunity to posi2on itself as a thought leader in its sector.
Our recommenda2ons for using social media and content to achieve these goals follow.
Background
Target audience(s)
Media Agencies
Adver1sers Publishers
We have a very clear and defined target audience
Strategic process explained
Step Output Listening / audit -‐ Analysis of exis2ng digital footprint / performance (if appropriate)
-‐ Analysis of behaviour / preferences of target audience
Planning and framework
-‐ Social media mission / vision -‐ Channel ploXng -‐ Content framework, themes, sourcing and examples -‐ Tone of voice and style guidelines
Engagement / management
-‐ Content calendars and approvals -‐ Modera2on protocols
Analysis / repor2ng
-‐ Establishment of KPI’s / benchmarks -‐ Repor2ng templates
Allows for con2nual improvement and op2misa2on
Our task is as follows:
• Develop a social media and content strategy for emma
• Clarify the role and purpose of each social property
• Establish the content themes for each channel
• Illustrate how these themes will manifest themselves
• Clearly outline how this strategy will be rolled out and managed
But first, we need to conduct and audit to understand the current state-‐of-‐play.
Resul1ng objec1ves / requirements
The most important element of the social media and content strategy process is the audit conduc2ng up front. It helps us establish:
• What digital footprint is currently in place
• What the direct and indirect compe2tor set is doing, highlight the things we should and shouldn’t consider
• How the target audience is behaving online and what opportuni2es exist to add value to their 2me spent online
This enable us to clearly iden2fy the role emma can play within the social media eco-‐system
Why we listen / analyse first
Sweet spot iden1fica1on
emma footprint
Compe1tor set
Audience behaviour
Sweet spot
Analysing these three areas gives us the best chance to iden2fy the emma social media and content marke2ng sweet spot.
emma – exis1ng digital footprint
Hub
?
?
?
?
We are dealing with a rela2vely blank canvas which enables for the recommenda2on of the most appropriate digital footprint for emma.
The only assump2on made is that the online ‘hub’ will be the primary
emma website.
emma -‐ digital assets Emma is in a fortunate posi2on where its product will naturally be able to produce compelling content for the people it is trying to reach.
This includes the produc2on of infographics resul2ng from the research conducted by emma.
It also has access to individuals who can create relevant content.
These assets will form a part of the content created and curated for emma’s owned social media channels.
The primary compe2tor in the research space in Australia is Roy Morgan Research (RMR).
We have taken a look at RMR’s digital footprint and rela2ve performance to inform the recommenda2ons for emma
Compe1tor set analysis
RMR – exis1ng digital footprint
Hub Roymorgan.com
Roy Morgan Research has a presence in six major social media eco-‐systems.
RMR – digital footprint performance PlaNorm Subscribers / fans Ac1vity level (1-‐10) Performance level (1-‐10)
Twi`er 2,853 8/10 5/10
Facebook 225 8/10 4/10
Google+ 42 5/10 2/10
LinkedIn 1,233 8/10 7/10
YouTube 21 3/10 2/10
Pinterest 11 2/10 2/10
The Roy Morgan Research approach is symptoma2c of many other brands opera2ng in the social media space in that it is trying to be everywhere,
with the same (or similar) content.
This leads to inconsistent performance across each plaRorm and being primarily ‘push first’ (as opposed to dialogue-‐shaped).
The top line scorecard featured on the previous page takes several factors into account.
The reason why LinkedIn rates be`er than the other channels is because the content shared suits the plaRorm and the ac2vity levels (predominantly frequency) also suit the audience behaviour specific to the plaRorm.
Addi2onal informa2on about this analysis can be provided upon request.
RMR – addi1onal commentary
RMR – content strategy examples Facebook What works? -‐ Topical research results / charts -‐ Digital device insights What doesn’t? -‐ Na2onal events that aren’t relevant to
the core RMR product e.g. spor2ng events
-‐ Stock imagery suppor2ng stats / facts Key takeout -‐ Facebook is a difficult plaRorm for
RMR to thrive in
RMR – content strategy examples TwiUer What works? -‐ Topical research results / charts, esp
Morgan Poll analysis What doesn’t? -‐ Pushing people to subscribe to the
newsle`er -‐ Tone of voice isn’t conversa2onal,
hard for followers to engage Key takeout -‐ Narrow focus on own content and
glaring lack of interest in par2cipa2ng in dialogue
-‐ Using it as a news feed
RMR – what we can learn The main learning from RMR is that while there is an appe2te for data-‐shaped content, it can’t be the only element of the content and engagement strategy for emma.
What RMR should be doing, and something emma can champion, is cul2vate rela2onships, especially on Twi`er, through par2cipa2ng in conversa2ons that the industry is having.
There are countless opportuni2es to add value to exis2ng conversa2ons and simply become a more trusted source of informa2on by behaving in a more people-‐shaped manner.
An example follows.
Best prac1ce – SM Examiner Social Media Examiner is the world’s largest online social media magazine.
While it is not exactly a research company, it’s output is similar, producing B2B content that is relevant to the marke2ng and media industry.
Some specific examples of dialogue that taps into the challenges faced by the audience follow.
Best prac1ce – SM Examiner
These examples illustrate the engagement that can be achieved when ques2ons are posed to an audience allowing for mutual knowledge
sharing.
Best prac1ce – SM Examiner
These examples show that useful ar2cles can be shared and s2ll generate engagement as long as they are part of a rounded approach.
Understanding how the target audience behaves has a big impact on the strategy emma should adopt. We’ve taken a look at:
• Popular plaRorms for industry-‐related content
• Popular industry-‐related news sources
• Popular industry influencers
All of this informa2on can help shape the approach emma takes, especially in iden2fying the unique ‘ownable’ content themes at its disposal.
Audience insights
Content gathering eco-‐system
News sites
Blogs Social profiles
Individuals
The target audience primarily consumes industry-‐related content via these three avenues
Key media-‐industry conversa1on drivers
News sites
Blogs Social profiles
Individuals
Emma’s content and social media behaviour needs to appeal to and add value to the online lives of these audiences
Aden Hepburn
Jeff Bullas
Trevor Young
Chey Ainsoworth
Ed Dale
Impact of news sites
News sites
Blogs Social profiles
Individuals
News sites, with their associated reach, have the greatest mainstream influence of the three avenues. B&T and AdNews are two of the most
influen2al in emma’s case.
Impact of (3rd party) blogs
News sites
Blogs Social profiles
Individuals Niche blogs exert influence in very specific circles, and are onen amplified by social profiles operated by individuals. The blog and associated Twi`er feed from Jeff Bullas is an important one for emma (especially in rela2on to the use of digital devices)
Impact of (3rd party) social profiles
News sites
Blogs Social profiles
Individuals
3rd party social profiles / individual par2cipants seek out informa2on related to the industry but also use their footprint to share things that find them. Ed Dale needs to be considered as part of this group due to the commentary he shares
and the resul2ng re-‐shares / engagement.
The key learning from the way the target audience finds and engages with industry-‐related content is that each of the primary avenues play specific roles.
emma must keep this in mind when it creates and curates content.
Original content will appeal to news sites and blogs while curated content from other sources will primarily appeal to ac2ve individual social media par2cipants.
The media-‐related industry is one of the most vocal on the social web so genuine value must be added with each and every social ac2on performed by emma.
Addi2onally, based on the behaviour of the target audience, the key plaRorms for emma are Twi`er and LinkedIn (at this stage).
The key takeout
What are our op2ons? What is the purpose of social media for emma?
Social media objec1ves -‐ op1ons
Advocacy? Popularity?
Visibility? Foster dialogue?
Trust? Loyalty?
Customer service? Reputa2on?
Thought leadership? Reach?
We see the purpose of the emma social media presence as:
An opportunity to posi2on emma as a genuine thought leader in the media consump2on / people behaviour
space.
Share content and engage in dialogue which posi2ons emma as a thought leader.
Social media objec1ves
While it will take 2me to establish emma as a trusted thought leader amongst an already vocal collec2on of niche communi2es, it is achievable.
Adding value through the consistent delivery of content and conversa2ons relevant to the target audience, more and more people will build a rapport with emma, increasing brand / product considera2on.
Increased visibility + increased trust = considera2on and recommenda2on
Resul1ng impact
The three primary ways we’ll achieve the over-‐arching social media objec2ves are:
How do we do it?
The right content The right processes
• Themes • Tone • Sources • Frequency
• Calendars • Guidelines • Modera2on
All three elements needs to work hand in hand.
The right footprint
• Channels • Purpose(s) • Impact
Note: The right processes and management infrastrure would need to be developed by the agency / person responsible for managing the emma social media porRolio
footprint – recommended architecture
Hub website
Ini2ally, Twi`er and LinkedIn should be the focus for emma, but other channels can be considered in the future.
Primary channel purpose
Influencer dialogue Content visibility
Secondary channel purpose
Content visibility Website referrals
footprint – recommended architecture
Ul2mately, social channels will be used to generate interac2ons with the brand and the proprietary and curated
content it shares.
The most efficient and effec2ve ways to establish a compelling social media presence is via three primary content ‘buckets’ which drive the majority of output.
Our recommended content buckets are:
Content – conversa1on themes
emma insights Global trends Device news
Proprietary content origina2ng from emma
reports (in various formats). IPSOS and TRW content can
be feature here too.
News and trends about media device / type
usage published by 3rd par2es
General consumer behaviour insights
published in Australia and globally
40% 30% 30%
Content -‐ tone of voice
Character / Persona Informed / smart
Tone Helpful / expert
Language Concise / jargon-‐free
Purpose Educate / inform
Content – brought to life
10 facts about consumer behaviour on Facebook <link> <-‐ a useful presenta2on from the team at Quickstarter
The latest emma infographic about tablet usage is available now: <link>
emma’s social media ac1vity is about being a resource to the industry.
Do you follow @adenhepburn on Twi`er? He’s a great resource for all things digital <link>
Content – pos1ng frequency A consistent presence on both Twi`er and LinkedIn will help improve rapport and visibility of the emma brand (and associated content. The recommended pos2ng frequency for both plaRorms are: • 2 x broadcast tweets per day (Mon – Fri) • 1 x broadcast updated on LinkedIn per day (Mon – Fri) No minimums are recommended in rela2on to interac2ons with ac2vity by 3rd par2es but it is advised to par2cipate as much as possible (where appropriate).
Content -‐ specific style guidelines • Although emma is an expert, we don’t want to talk in a
bossy or condescending manner
• Establish a set of important keywords to monitor and, where appropriate interject with
• Use generally ‘smart’ language, but use informal language in mul2ple interac2on exchanges
• Abbreviate words (where appropriate) to ensure brevity of pos2ng
Content – sources Original • Original content from from the emma research and survey
process
• Original content from key members of the emma senior management team
• Brand assets developed as part of the brand launch
Content – sources Curated • Re-‐purposed content from relevant 3rd party blogs / news
sites
• Re-‐purposed image-‐based content from 3rd party aggregators e.g. Pinterest
• Re-‐purposed opinions / points of view from ac2ve Twi`er users
Content – modera1on Considera2ons • The processes for modera2on are normally fleshed out once
the content strategy had been agreed
• Things like issues escala2on and customer query fulfillment both fall out of this process
• We normally adopt a green, amber, red system which categories the level and poten2al impact of incoming queries
Ge[ng up and running In order to get up and running, two broad areas need to be covered off:
1. Technical set up 2. On-‐going management processes
The following slides outline what this specifically entails and how it should be delivered.
Technical set up laundry list The key technical set up tasks include: • Recommenda2on of handles / names for Twi`er
and LinkedIn • Dran bio’s / background informa2on for both
plaRorms • Access to visual assets e.g. profile pictures • Ini2al follower target list for Twi`er • Establishment of appropriate management and
modera2on tools
Technical set up -‐ handles Our available op2ons for emma include: • Emmainsights • Emmametrics • Emma_Media / Emma-‐Media
Note: the compe22on for handles on Twi`er is very fierce, and emma faces several challenges including the how common the name ‘emma’ is and the length of the full company name is too long.
Technical set up -‐ bios The biographies / background informa2on copy for both plaRorms would need to be draned up as a separate piece of work. The things to keep in mind include: • 160 character maximum for Twi`er bios • LinkedIn features some very specific sec2ons for companies
to fill in including ‘home’, ‘products’ and ‘business type’ informa2on
This would be adapted from approved website copy.
Technical set up – visual assets Both LinkedIn and Twi`er have specific size and style guidelines for featured imagery e.g. profile pictures, background images etc Key specifica2ons include: • LinkedIn horizontal logo = 100 x 60px • LinkedIn cover photo = 646 x 220px • Twi`er profile picture – 85 x 85px Bespoke imagery / adapted master imagery need to be produced to fulfill these requirements.
Technical set up – follower targets In order to ensure emma is following the most appropriate people on Twi`er in the ini2al stages, a tool called followerwonk.com will be used to iden2fy people by loca2on and interest e.g. Sydney and Marke2ng. Other tools like TweetLevel.com and Klout.com will be used to assess influence ra2ngs which will also shape follower lis2ngs. This work would be completed during to set up phase.
Technical set up – mgmt tools To begin with, we recommend the use of Hootsuite as the primary engagement and listening dashboard. Hootsuite allows for pos2ng and scheduling to both plaRorms and provides adequate levels of repor2ng. A cost is associated with this tool and is provided in the budget breakdown in the appendix of this document.
Management protocols laundry list
The key management protocols that need to be in place on an on-‐going basis include: • Content planning process (crea2on, cura2on and
approvals) • Content calendar templates • Content publishing and modera2on protocols • Time alloca2ons • Repor2ng templates
These processes can be adapted depending on the resources at the 2me.
Content created / curated centrally
Monthly plan reviewed / approved
Real-‐2me updates published where
relevant
Published as per approved plan /
2mings
All published comments
monitored for responses
Create Approve Publish Monitor
Proac1ve publishing framework
10th -‐ 15th 15th 20th 22nd 25th
Monthly planning mee2ng staged (includes internal and external content managers)
Community manager / social planner creates first dran of content plan
Dran content plan shared with project team / final decision maker for approval provides content
Adjustments made based on feedback
Final plan approved and ready for implementa2on for the following month
Content plan ac2vated for
following Month
Customer service and stakeholder engagement
Content planning schedule
New post is directed toward emma brand /
product
Comment is assessed for ac2on
FAQs are referenced
Comment requires addi2onal internal
input
Bespoke response is draned and
posted
Tailored response based on FAQs
published
Monitor Assess Allocate Respond
Comment / men1on response framework
No response required
‘Off page’ modera1on The process for ‘off page’ modera2on and interac2on doesn’t differ too greatly from the ‘on page’ or ‘owned’ channel protocols. However, a number of specific monitoring protocols can be implemented, including: 1. Hootsuite keywords – use of keyword columns to monitor for brand-‐
related keywords such as “emma + metrics”, “enhanced media metrics australia”, “emma research tool” (full list to be developed as part of set up stage)
2. Google Alerts – the same set of keywords can be set up within Google Alerts (allows for ‘as-‐they-‐happen’ alerts to be sent and flagged up if appropriate)
As per the comment / men2ons response framework, interjec2ons will be assessed on a case-‐by-‐case basis.
Time alloca1ons (per month) Content planning • Allow 6 -‐ 8 hrs per month Modera1on / community management • Allow 1 hr per day (20 hrs per month) Repor1ng • Allow 4 hrs per month
Note: If executed by an external agency, allow approx 4-‐5 hours per month for mee2ngs, updates etc
Next steps In order to make these recommenda2ons happen, the following steps need to be taken: 1. Technical set up – two weeks would be required to
complete the tasks outlined in this document 2. Monthly planning and management – ini2al content
planning would occur during the set up phase but an addi2onal week should be built in for approvals and bespoke content produc2on
It would take three weeks from ‘go’ to be in a place to be live / ac2ve.