Coke's Gettin' Social

The next time you lather up in the shower or crack open a Coke it might not seem like anything has changed about your favorite product, but somewhere in the inner workings of these corporate giants—something is shifting.

Coca-Cola and Unilever are just two companies that have announced that they plan to shift from website-based product campaigns in 2010, to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to propel their latest product launches.

Basically, Coke and Unilever are willing to bet that they can attract more people (and more brand advocates) by entering into social media spaces where people already are rather than trying to bring people to a Coke-Zero or a Dove “Campaign for Real Beauty” site.

And we agree…

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For questions regarding your company’s social media marketing plan, contact us here.

In the past the question, “Are you on Twitter” was used as a code for “Are you hip to Social Media”? Not anymore. You’ve heard of Twitter, the buzz is everywhere—the Presidential campaign, Time Magazine cover stories, the Iran elections, your Dad’s Retirement Fly-fishing Club, etc…

So maybe you’ve put your marketing hat on, created a profile and tweeted for the first time: “Just trying to figure this twitter thing out.” And the response? Not exactly staggering.

For the average incoming user, marketing on Twitter is like standing by the freeway pitching your product at the top of your lungs-and hoping to get a lead. There’s too much noise, commotion, and distraction; even if one in a million people actually hears your message, they’re not exactly going to pull over and offer you their business. So why-if it’s so hard to gain followers or attention-is Twitter worth your time? The key lies in your “Engageability”-or, how well you brand, build relationships, and monitor the Twitter universe during your stay there.

Here are three very basic examples to help illustrate the point…

You own Slushtastic Slushies and there are a two other Slushy dealers in town. Neither of them come close to the supreme taste and quality of your slushies but Ken’s Slush-o-rama is right off the highway and Nana’s Slushy Shack is two blocks away from the Elementary school. Where do you get your edge then? Well, you have something that Ken and Nana don’t: The power of Twitter…

To read the entire Twitter Strategy Article follow this link…

When the researchers sorted the brands into groups with similar profiles, the ’social media mavens’ (those with the most social media breadth and depth) on average grew 18% in revenues over the last year. The least engaged companies saw an average decline in revenue of 6% over the same period.

The report’s author, Charlene Li, is quick to point out that “We are not claiming a causal relationship — but there is clearly a correlation and connection. For example”, she continues, “a company mindset that allows a company to be broadly engaged with customers on the whole probably performs better because the company is more focused on customers than the competition.”

The study found that companies that scored well generally have dedicated teams, however small, active in the social media channels they utilise, and that the most successful teams evangelise social media across the entire organization to pull in a broad range of stakeholders. These companies view social media as an indispensable tool to help them achieve results, and their approach is conversational. This differs from the approach of traditional communications and early corporate blog experimentation, says the report, which emphasises messaging and talking points.

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(Excerpt taken from Internet Retailing. To read more: follow this link for the entire article on the link between social media use and firms’ profits)

First of all, we’d like to say “Congrats” to those of you who have held their breath and leapt into the often uninviting waters of social media—despite fears and disbelief that “this thing really works”. Believe it or not, you’re still ahead of the curve as far as Web 2.0 users go, and you should be proud that you’ve already taken the plunge.

We’re sorry that you’re not John Mayer, Shaq, Lindsay Lohan or a boatload of other famous people who instantly attained millions of followers upon their entry to Twitterville. And it’s really too bad that your company might not be as exciting to Facebook users as McDonald’s—whose actual business page gets trumped by a grassroots-created page with almost 2 million fans! Don’t worry, we still like you.

The hard-truth is that social media requires time and effort, and you won’t be instantly popular unless you’re already wildy popular in the mainstream media. Even then, there are stark examples of both how well and how poorly well known brands are doing on Twitter, Facebook, and the likes. Check out Kodak versus Fuji Film; Pizza Hut versus Dominos. Some sink, others swim.

The honest truth is, you have to “work for it” with social media—and we’ll be the first to admit, it’s not easy: we’ve been grappling with ways to promote our Facebook page on a closed network that’s usually meant for chatting and posting funny pictures. The question to ask yourself is—what do I have to offer that people will be interested in (and what makes my company unique)? Whether that means offering daily discounts, positioning yourself as an “expert” in your field by writing helpful blog posts, or using social media as a forum for direct customer relations, your business will dictate the answers. But the first step is doing it, and doing it consistently.

Just think: if you had just left your two-wheeler in the street the first time you skinned your knee, would you have ever learned to ride a bike? If you hadn’t stopped calling until she agreed to see a movie with you, would you have those two beautiful kids and that stunning wife? The point is, every success story starts with a challenge. Sure, adopting social media is tough, especially when it it takes away from “more important things” like paying bills and making money, but we guarantee that it will pay off in dividends if you treat it like any other challenge, and just “keep at it.”

For now, take some comfort in knowing that you’re not the only one who’s sitting in the office scratching their head and asking “But how the heck does this fit into my business plan?” and be proud—thinking about these problems and finding very few solutions is still a thousand times better than just sweeping them under the rug. Give yourself a pat on the back; then start taking the next steps to help build your social media brand (and boost you social media ego!).

Think you might still need a jumpstart to your social media strategy? ListEngage says “Don’t Go It Alone”, we can help you plan the steps you’ll need to take in order to start thriving in social media: contact us or send us a tweet @ListEngage. We’re here to help.

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