Building Brand Value Through Social Media
10/01/2009
Recently I had the pleasure to speak at New Media Atlanta about Building Brand Value Through Social Media.
Managing a brand in this new social media world is definitely a challenge for any brand steward. A world where the voices of your customers (and stakeholders) can block traditional marketing messages, takes new skills: understanding the culture of the "conversation" and how to join in while maintaining brand's equity and your individual authenticity.
I asked the attendees to fill in the blank: Managing A Brand In The Social Media World Is Like ________. Their responses were .. awesome! Which is your favorite?
- Christmas. You can make a list but you could get socks. - @andreamoe
- Juggling chainsaws - @jeremyporter
- Managing an army - @benag
- Trying to control your mother-in-law - @appsolutegenices
- Trying to manage my 8 year old daughter’s slumber party. @60secondturner
- Herding cats - @iamtherealnick and mikele130
- A wrestling match - @atlmarketing
- Remembering to Think before you open your pieholder. - @michelekersey
Updates:
@timjackson - trying to hold smoke rings in your hand
I believe that social media is quickly taking its place as aspect of brand value. As customers come to expect the opportunity to interact directly with the people behind the brand social media will be integrated into the overall development of the "brand."
10 Guide Posts to Social Media Brand Value
1. Understand the brand strategy including: brand values, promise and overall direction
a. Does the value proposition of your social media strategy support your brand value/promise?
2. Understand more than the demos about your target audience
3. Develop a communication system that loops employees into brand strategies
4. Understand the company culture before you venture into social media
5. Provide tactical support as needed to employees who engage with customers
6. Develop a 1st Listening Post program
7. Create/ensure communication processes are in place to provide feedback within organization and to the customer
8. Identify what is success for each tactic
a. Based on business goals and objectives
b. Based on the social media outputs – may be different that traditional measurements
9. Create flexible social media guidelines for employees
10. Create flexible social media guidelines for customers
As promised, here's my presentation from New Media Atlanta. Enjoy! Let me know if you have any questions.
