Social Media Marketing Plan

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Social Media Marketing: A Strategic Approach, 2e

Barker & Barker

© 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Social Media Marketing Plan Chapter 15

Chapter Outline (1 of 2)

 Creating an Informative and Eye-Catching Title Page

 Automatically Generating a Table of Contents  Writing a Compelling Executive Summary  Composing a Brief Overview  Observing Social Media Pres3ence  Conducting a Competitive Analysis  Setting Goals

Chapter Outline (2of 2)

 Determining Strategies  Identifying the Target Market  Selecting Platforms  Implementing  Monitoring  Tuning  Budgeting  Calculating Return on Investment  Getting C-Suite Buy-In

Figure 15.1

Creating an Informative and Eye- Catching Title Page  A sharp title page makes a SMM plan stand

out and instantly provides the reader with the information necessary to identify the purpose and authors of the document.

 A title page of the plan should begin with a descriptive name for the document, followed by company name, address, contact information, and authors. See Figure 15.2. ◦ Include the publication date of the document. ◦ Avoid lengthy descriptions on the title page.

Figure 15.2

Automatically Generating a Table of Contents  A table of contents (TOC) is essential for a

lengthy document such as a SMM plan. ◦ If manually prepared, the TOC should not be

assembled until the plan is finished.  Go through the entire manuscript to find and record all

section headings, subheadings and page numbers.  This task is laborious, monotonous, and error-prone.

◦ Modern word processers like Microsoft Word can automatically generate a TOC from formatted section headings in the document.  Formatting can be done during or after document prep.

Figure 15.3

Writing a Compelling Executive Summary  Lead with Why the Plan Should be Adopted.  Keep the Audience in Mind.  Organize the Summary to Reflect the

Structure of the Plan.  Provide a General Overview of the Main

Components.  Limit the Length.  Include the Names of the Plan’s Authors.  Compose the Executive Summary Last

Figure 15.4

Composing a Brief Overview ◦ Describe the industry and firm by providing a

quick look at the past, present and likely future of the industry and the firm’s track record in it. ◦ Explain the competitive advantage to show how

the firm can realize significant gains by using SMM. ◦ Describe how SMM can contribute by concisely

listing the SM actions required to secure the competitive advantage. It is dangerous to assume readers of the plan will readily grasp the value of SMM, let alone how it can deliver results. ◦ See Figure 15.5 for an example.

Figure 15.5

Observing Social Media Presence ◦ Measuring social media brand health can be done

in many ways; five key metrics are:  Sentiment Analysis: shows the number of positive, neutral,

or negative mentions on each media platform.  Reach: Indicates the number of Twitter followers,

Facebook fans, LinkedIn group members, etc.  Company Posts: measure how often the company posts

on each social media platform.  Feedback: Shows the number of comments, likes, or

replies to company-generated content.  Average Response Time: Assesses response time to user

comments on the company’s social media properties. © 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Table 15.1

Conducting a Competitive Analysis (1 of 2)

◦ One useful way to conduct a competitive analysis is with a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats).  Internal factors are classified as strengths and

weaknesses; external factors are categorized as opportunities and threats.

 To begin a Social Media SWOT Analysis, answer the questions in Table 15.2.

 Determine the appropriate strategy in the SWOT Matrix, shown in Table 15.3; if the firm has strengths and opportunities, an S-O strategy is indicated.

 See Table 15.4. © 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Table 15.2

Table 15.4

Table 15.4 (part 1)

Table 15.4 (part 2)

Conducting a Competitive Analysis (2 of 2)

◦ The SWOT options are:  S-O Strategy: Follow social media platform opportunities

that match the firm’s strengths on social media.  W-O Strategy: Overcome weaknesses in social media

performance to follow opportunities on the social web.  S-T Strategy: Identify ways the firm can use its platform

strengths to reduce its vulnerability to external threats.  W-T Strategy: Create a protective strategy that reduces

the chances the firm’s SM weaknesses will make it vulnerable to external threats. This strategy would likely involve monitoring the social web to detect customer complaints and handling them before they become a PR disaster.

Setting Goals ◦ With reconnaissance and analysis complete, it is

possible to determine the SM goals that stand the best chance of achieving a competitive advantage.  Chapter 2 introduced a set of general SM goals, which

provide a good starting point.  They include brand building, increasing customer

satisfaction, driving word-of-mouth recommendations, producing new product ideas, generating leads crisis reputation management, integrating social media with PR and advertising and service engine optimization (SEO).

 The process will involve revising, integrating or dropping some to fit the needs of the firm. See Figure 15.6.

Figure 15.6

Determining Strategies  The next step is to identify the strategies

best suited for helping the firm reach its goals. ◦ Chapter 2 also introduced the Eight Cs of

Strategy Development, guidelines for constructing SMM strategies for a particular firm. ◦ However, they must be fitted to fulfill a particular

firm’s social media goals. ◦ Figure 15.7 demonstrates how these overall

strategies have been customized for the imaginary XYZ Coffee Company.

Figure 15.7

Identifying the Target Market ◦ A firm may know the profile of its target audience,

but the behavior, interests and tastes of that target market might be slightly or radically different on the social web.  Personas provide an effective means for the firm to

categorize target audiences on the social web.  Characteristics include demographics, needs, interests tastes and

behavior.

 One popular way to define personas is with Forrester Research’s Social Technographics Profile.

 Figure 15.8 profiles the personas for the hypothetical XYZ Coffee Company.

Figure 15.8

Selecting Platforms ◦ Once the demographic and behavior

characteristics of the personas have been used to define a firm’s target market, the social media platforms with the highest contraction of the target audience should e chosen. ◦ For instance, if the personas primarily include

conversationalists and content creators, marketers will want to divide their attention between social networks and other online communities where people frequently converse and where people contribute content, such as video and photo sharing sites.

Implementing (1 of 9)  Selecting Platform-Specific Tactics ◦ Each SM platform requires unique and customized

tactics; the following sections summarize the marketing tactics for key SM platforms. ◦ Facebook: especially well-suited for interacting with

end consumers; these tactics can strengthen a brand by improving brand awareness, perception.  Create an officially branded firm Facebook page that

allows users to follow or become fans.  Customize the page to reflect the firm’s style and values,

but provide content distinct from the firm’s primary website.

Implementing (2 of 9) ◦ Facebook: (cont.)  Frequently update the page with content relevant and

engaging for Facebook users; no more than 3/day; be persistent, consistent, and genuine.

 Focus on content (shareworthy, engaging; offer special deals, free products; run contests; give useful tips, etc.)

 FB is about personal connections; let some personality through; give a human voice to the brand; create an emotional connection.

 FB users are often picky about which items they like. Look at other FB pages, especially those offering a similar product to see what is liked the most.

 Figure 15.9 shows tactics customized for the XYZ firm. © 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Figure 15.9

Implementing (3 of 9) ◦ Twitter:  Customize the firm’s profile page, starting with a good

avatar picture and customized background, text color, and firm description.

 The profile's description should complement the avatar by providing context and details; writing space is limited, so the description must be concise.

 A custom-made background image can display personality, a longer explanation of the product, and past accomplishments; place URLs for other social networking profiles here.

 Use Twitter to start a discussion or participate in an ongoing conversation. See Figure 15.10.

Figure 15.10

Implementing (4 of 9) ◦ LinkedIn  Create a company page, use it to showcase job openings,

new positions, etc. to develop a large company following and raise awareness of a brand.

 All employees should strive to complete 100% of their profiles and optimize with appropriate keywords; they should include links to the firm website, FB, Twitter, and blog, among others; Link to 3d party articles.

 Employees should ask contacts, past customers, industry analysists, and employees to join the group and/or follow the brand.

 Groups should be launched with descriptive names.  See Figure 15.11.

Figure 15.11

Implementing (5 of 9) ◦ YouTube  Create authentic videos with real people in actual

locations to make the videos more persuasive to engage viewers; offbeat and unusual videos get more attention.

 Include links to videos on other social media platforms.  Comment on videos that relate to your industry to

make connections.  Choose keywords for videos carefully; tag videos with

various keywords to rank higher in the YouTube search engine; make them relevant to the subject matter.

 Email the video links to consumers.  See Figure 15.12.

Figure 15.12

Implementing (6 of 9) ◦ Instagram:  Use the firms’ Instagram page to share pictures with

customers, keeping them up to date with events.  Show what is going on behind the scenes, featuring

interesting and informative pictures of product preparation, customer service, parties, employees.

 Use photo sharing on the firm’s Instagram page as a teaser for more information elsewhere, such as the firm’s website and Facebook page.

 Ask customers to share photos of the business that capture distinctive aspects of it; recognize the best submissions with an award.

 See Figure 15.13. © 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Figure 15.13

Implementing (7 of 9) ◦ Swarm & Foursquare:  Verify or create a Foursquare business listing.  Update all account information.  Create special offers for customers on Foursquare.  Add customer tips.  Advertise on Foursquare.  Encourage customers to download and use the Swarm

mobile app.  Brands can still see who has checked in to your place of

business via a Foursquare profile.  See Figure 15.14.

Figure 15.14

Implementing (8 of 9)  Creating Content ◦ Developing or Acquiring Content: Conduct a

thorough analysis of the content needs for each social media platform, & the needs of each. ◦ Managing Content: User content should be

moderated, with careful grafting & pruning of discussion threads to keep them on topic. ◦ Cross-Utilizing Content: Restructure content for

cross-platform use; be careful not to over-utilize; search engines may label it spam. ◦ Breaking Apart Content: Use smaller chunks; format.

Figure 15.15

Implementing (9 of 9)  Assigning Roles ◦ Specific responsibilities must be assigned based on

expertise & availability of staff; typically assigned to marketing or PR, but most lack the skill. ◦ The most successful SMM efforts result from

having nontraditional roles lead the conversation.  Home Depot has its associates respond to questions on

Twitter.  Ford has its mechanics tweet about their automobiles,  Starbucks has its baristas lead the conversation.

◦ All need the proper skills and/or training. © 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Figure 15.16

Monitoring (1 of 2)  Tracking ◦ Choose optimal topics of focus; select platforms

with the greatest concentration of the target audience, identify optimal keywords & phrases, adjust searches when necessary.

 Measuring ◦ Define quantitative and qualitative metrics and

KPIs to assess progress in reaching goals. ◦ Table 15.5 shows the quantitative metrics for the

XYZ Coffee Company. ◦ Table 15.6 shows qualitative KPIs for the firm.

Table 15.5

Table 15.6

Monitoring (2 of 2)  Evaluating ◦ The process of interpreting data once it has been

measured, to derive insights and understanding. ◦ Measurement gains meaning through analysis

 Selecting Monitoring Tools ◦ Free monitoring tools work well for listening to

social media (Google Alerts, SocialMention, etc.) ◦ Paid monitoring tools like Radian6 provide all-in-

one solutions for tracking, measuring, and aiding in analysis of qualitative metrics.

Tuning  Tuning is the constant and continuous

process of adjusting and improving the elements of the SMM plan to maximize chances of success.

 Reevaluating the goals, strategies, and execution of the plan is necessary because of ever-changing nature of consumer tastes, countermoves by competitors, and new social media technologies.

Budgeting (1 of 2)  A survey of 140 global corporations provides

budgetary guidelines. ◦ These firms spent from $66,000-$1,364,000 on

SMM, depending on the maturity of the firm. ◦ These firms used the questionnaire in Figure

15.17. ◦ Table 15.8 shows growth in spending in:  Internal Soft Costs in Three Areas  Customer-Facing Initiatives in Four Areas  Technology Investments in Five Areas

Table 15.7

Figure 15.17

Table 15.8

Budgeting (2 of 2)  Since this study was conducted, mobile apps

have become an important part of SMM budgets.

 Cost of the development of mobile apps depends on whether it is done in-house, or by others.

 A firm should prioritize its social media spending depending on the firm’s maturity.

 Figure 15.18 shows the budget for XYZ Coffee Company.

Figure 15.18

Calculating Return on Investment ◦ ROI is calculated by subtracting expenses from

sales, then dividing the result by the expenses.  If the ratio is positive, the investment shows a return

(the larger the ratio, the higher the return.)  But difficult to calculate ROI for many SMM investments,

especially those with qualitative goals.  A proxy ROI is an estimate of the long-term impact of

SMM investments on customer response, but debates about their efficacy continue.

 Some studies have found direct links between Proxy ROIs and financial performance over the long run.

 Figure 15.19 depicts the ROI for XYZ Coffee Co. © 2017 Cengage Learning® May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for classroom use.

Figure 15.19

Getting C-Suite Buy-In  Time to persuade the C-Suite (corporation’s

top execs): ◦ Identify with the Mindset of These Executives ◦ Show Them the Payoff ◦ Present a Detailed Budget Request ◦ Show Them the Timetable for Reaching

Milestones ◦ Close the Deal

Social Media Marketing:�A Strategic Approach, 2e
Social Media Marketing Plan
Chapter Outline (1 of 2)
Chapter Outline (2of 2)
Figure 15.1
Creating an Informative and Eye-Catching Title Page
Figure 15.2
Automatically Generating �a Table of Contents
Figure 15.3
Writing a Compelling �Executive Summary
Figure 15.4
Composing a Brief Overview
Figure 15.5
Observing Social Media Presence
Table 15.1
Conducting a Competitive Analysis (1 of 2)
Table 15.2
Table 15.4
Table 15.4 (part 1)
Table 15.4 (part 2)
Conducting a Competitive Analysis (2 of 2)
Setting Goals
Figure 15.6
Determining Strategies
Figure 15.7
Identifying the Target Market
Figure 15.8
Selecting Platforms
Implementing (1 of 9)
Implementing (2 of 9)
Figure 15.9
Implementing (3 of 9)
Figure 15.10
Implementing (4 of 9)
Figure 15.11
Implementing (5 of 9)
Figure 15.12
Implementing (6 of 9)
Figure 15.13
Implementing (7 of 9)
Figure 15.14
Implementing (8 of 9)
Figure 15.15
Implementing (9 of 9)
Figure 15.16
Monitoring (1 of 2)
Table 15.5
Table 15.6
Monitoring (2 of 2)
Tuning
Budgeting (1 of 2)
Table 15.7
Figure 15.17
Table 15.8
Budgeting (2 of 2)
Figure 15.18
Calculating Return on Investment
Figure 15.19
Getting C-Suite Buy-In