Hit me-upsocial-crm-110509104538-phpapp01

We do a little bit of everything in Social CRM, but our work focuses on 4 main areas.

We serve global and regional clients, including some of the ones listed above.

2010 was an interesting year full of disasters, entertainers and new product launches.

The Chilean miners, the Haitian earthquake, the BP oil spill, Bieber Fever, The World Cup were all in the top 10 trending topics in Facebook status updates. It was the year the iPhone 4 and the iPad were launched, which were also top trending status updates. But most used phrase in all of Facebook in 2010 was…

… a 3 letter acronym http://www.facebook.com/blog.php?post=466369142130

HMU stand for “Hit Me Up” , The term encapsulates the current state of multi-channel communications that is common among many people in the world. It’s used instead of, call me, text me, email me or Facebook me. Hit Me Up  implies… “contact me in the most appropriate way for you at the time. It’s a call for contextual communication.

PEOPLE COMMUNICATE USING THE MOST APPROPRIATE METHOD AVAILABLE

Skype is ideal for connecting with people overseas, under-the-table texting is common in meeting rooms, a whisper is still the best form of private communication in public setting. The most appropriate way to communicate will vary by time of day, topic and personal preference.

RECEPTIVE

RESPONSIVE+

HMU means marketers need to understand when people are most receptive as well as responsive People are more receptive during certain parts of the day. It’s easier for them to passively take in information, then it is to participate. Responsive times tend to increase during global events. Before and after work are also good examples.

According to Vitrue, Monday-Wednesday communications result in better click-through-rates. The reasons may vary. Marketers must learn now only how to engage consumers, but also when to engage them. A little bit of measurement and trail-and-error go a long way.

HUMANINTERACTION

In a complex world of virtualized communication, the best forms are still based on basic human interaction. The technology may change, but people remain the same.

HUMANINTERACTION

The infrastructure of a networked society doesn’t change the reasons why we communicate. The best marketing is the kind that doesn’t feel like it.

The infrastructure supports massive movements. People gather around ideas in these types of networks. Entertainers like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are part of a new generation of people who were lifted fast into global fame like none before them. It’s every marketers dream to use the existing infrastructure to it’s full potential, but unfortunately, those types of lightning strikes are rare.

UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE

CREATING THINGS TO PUT INTO IT

Marketers will have a better chance of “Hitting Up Consumers” if they focus on two things. 1. understanding the landscape. How people behave and the environment in which they behave in. 2. Creating things to stimulate that environment.

Let’s pause for second. It’s easy to get lost in the theoretical, so let’s get practical. Ffocus on simple human behaviour and your’ll be on the right track. Another point the makes social an easier concept to grasp, is that it rarely works well alone. Think of it as a paired concept. Like Social CRM, Social + Email, Social + Tracking. You always need to pair it with something to get the most out of it. Don’t use social by itself.

CONTEXT

CONTENT

CONVERSATION

Managing multi-channel relationships involves listening and consumer insights in order to get an understanding of how you consumers are using digital technology. Creating content and real world experiences that align with the audience insight and digital consumption. And lastly, managing the conversation and directing the desired behaviour.

CONTEXT YOUR BRAND

STARTS WITH LISTENING

YOUR AUDIENCE

Find your brand’s salient points. What are your superlatives

Find your audience

passion points that

relate to your brand

UniquePremium

SophisticatedRefined

Exclusive StoryValues

TravelDiscovery

ArtEnvironmentGlobal Issues

Finances

COMMONGROUND

(ideas, activities & presence)

Managing multi-channel relationships starts with listening. Listening internally to match your brand’s most salient points that align with your audience’s passion points. There’s a sweet spot where you both can co-exist. Brand activities, Content, and key words should align with the common ground between brand and audience.

CONTEXT STARTS WITH LISTENING

Example: Zacapa is a premium rum (£50-100 per bottle) that’s comfortable in spaces normally occupied by wine and whiskey connoisseurs. We listened and found that our product could behave like a cognac. Listening also revealed that the influential affluent males could help us spread the word. So, we reached out to key opinion and bloggers leaders in travel, wine, whiskey and other circles and developed a program that rewards discovery of the brand in unexpected places.

CONTENT CONTENT WORKS BEST

WITH THE RIGHT CONTEXT

All brand and

agency content

User Generated

ContentCo-Created

Content

ContentFrom

Partners

Relevant 3rd Party Content

CuratedContent

Sourcing EvaluationGovernance Strategy

HMU also forces us to look at content and develop strategies that make use of all available content, while giving it context that consumers will react to. Planning good content requires a solid foundation including ways of sourcing content, governance, strategy and a method of evaluation.

CONTENT CONTENT WITH THE RIGHT

TIMING WORKS BEST

Example: For Baileys, we listened an noticed that contextual posts about the weather or the Royal Wedding were popular with our audience. We increased topical content to include “taggable” images for St. Patrick’s Day and ended up growing the group by over 35K in week without a media spend. The group was one of the first alcohol brands to surpass 1M Fans. We continue to use contextual activity to engage our audience throughout the year.

CONTENT CONTENT WORKS BEST

WITH THE RIGHT CONTEXT

Content Weight:

Types of content are weighted based on the past interactions of that type of content

Affinity: How often you and your friends interact on the platform

Time: How old the published content is

We also try to optimize content to align with Facebook’s Edgerank algorithm in order to be relevant and increase the likelihood that we are relevant to our audience.

CONVERSATION

With Content it’s important to treat all communication across channels as different parts of the same conversation. A central idea that works across platforms is needed In order for social CRM to be effective. Remember to appeal to the human need for interaction and try appeal to the senses if you want your conversation to move through the web.

CONVERSATION

We measure conversations using tools like bit.ly, hashtags and social monitoring tools. When we map the data against activity, find that solid email campaign can drive more traffic to Facebook or a web site than a TV advert with a weak call to action. Competitions also work well. The most effective campaigns today connect communications dots. They use conversations to direct traffic to the desired results. It’s as easy as connecting the dots, but often infrastructure issues prevents seamless integration.

CONVERSATION

It takes a lot of effort maintain mass conversations. A good way to expedite the process is to recruit influencers. It’s always a good idea to build relationships with key influencers in your category. Finding them may take some time, but owning these relationships is vital to spreading messages across vast networks. Different influencers require different forms of compensation, some don’t require any. It’s a good idea to keep a fund for unique requests.

IN SUMMARY…

Social is a paired concept. Don’t use it on its own.

KEEP IT SIMPLE:

FOCUS ON HUMAN

INTERACTION

CONTEXT

CONTENT

CONVERSATION

Luis Carranza, Head of Social MediaChemistry Communications Group [email protected] Line: +44 (0)20 7751 3506

@[email protected]

THANK

YOUFOR YOUR

TIME