Social Media Today, The Big Cultural Shift, Role of New Media Engagements, Overcoming Challenges, Integrating Communications with Your Business Strategy

1. @larsv
Rules of Engagement
Meaningful Communications Strategies in the Digital Age
Lars Voedisch
Communications Strategist
lars@preciouscomms.com
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2. @larsv
Your reputation is precious…
• Communications Strategy
• Traditional & Social Media
Relations
Let’s talk!
• Crisis Preparedness
• Internal Communications
• Media Training
• Analysis, Measurement,
Research
Lars Voedisch
Communications Strategist
lars@preciouscomms.com

3. Rules of Engagement
Meaningful Communications Strategies in the Digital Age
People • Social Media Today
Processes • The Big Cultural Shift
Policies • Role of New Media
Engagements
• Overcoming
Challenges
• Integrating
Communications with
Your Business Strategy

4. Who is… Lars Voedisch?
International Communications Strategist
• Lars is an experienced global communications and business professional with 15
years expertise in growing, managing and defending leading global brands’
reputation across industry sectors.
Background & Expertise
• Clients include: AT&T, Citi, Coca Cola, DBS, GIC, Honda, ING, Macquarie,
Motorola, Panasonic, Porsche, Procter & Gamble, Yahoo!, VMware
• Companies he worked for: Hitradio Antenne, AIESEC, DHL, Fleishman-Hillard,
Dow Jones, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
• Experience in public relations, internal communications, marketing,
journalism, as well as M&A, crisis and change management
• International working, training and team leadership experience on five
continents
• Sought-after moderator and speaker on social media, public relations and
communications thought leadership
Personal Background
• German by birth; living in Asia (Hong Kong / Singapore) for 9 years
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5. Misconceptions about Social Media
1. Build it and they will come
2. Using Social Media to broadcast, not to LISTEN
3. It’s FREE!!!
4. You have to react to each negative comment
5. No plan or objective
6. Tracking the wrong stuff
Dealing with
Social Media is an ART:
Authentic
Relevant
Transparent
Source: The 7 Misconceptions of Social Media, Mike Lewis 5

6. 6
Source: What happens on the Internet every 60 seconds - Rosa Golijan

7. Don’t Panic! Focus on the Influencers
90-9-1 Principle:
The Inequality of the Web
Source: Jakob Nielsen - Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute 7

8. The BIG Cultural Dilemma
• Be (Seen) Innovative –
But Please Don’t Take Any Risk, Use Only Proven Methods

9. Online Engagement? Customers are very demanding!
[Brands] have to surprise me, not only meet
my needs, but anticipate my needs.
By using social media exclusively, I think the
company has to
answer me whenever I have a question,
enlighten me whenever I complain,
and thank me whenever I compliment
them.
Source: The Language of Love in Social Media - Firefly Millward Brown
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10. The BIG Cultural Dilemma #2
• From natural respect to suspicion
• Are you approachable?
• Why would people want to connect
with you?

11. More pressure than anytime before
“ Make sure
you’re doing stuff
that matters to
the business
and contributes
to its success
”
Source: IABC professional member, www.iabc.com 11

12. Challenge Within Organisations:
Who ‘Owns’ Social Media?
Source: Blurring Lines, Turf Battles and Tweets: The Real Impact of Integrated Communications on Marketing and PR 12

13. Challenge Within Organisations:
Who ‘Owns’ Social Media?
Who Cares?
Source: Blurring Lines, Turf Battles and Tweets: The Real Impact of Integrated Communications on Marketing and PR 13

14. ‘Digital waste’ polluting the online world?
11%
13% 32%
43% of Singapore consumers don’t 45%
want to be bothered in social
networks
Source: Digital Life 2011 - TNS 14

15. What are people saying?
11%
13% 32%
45%
Source: Digital Life 2011 - TNS 15

16. Integration is Key – or Waste
ONLINE
BUILDING (DEEPER) ENGAGEMENT
OFFLINE
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17. The PR Perspective:
Social or not – it’s Media Relations?!
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18. Social Media Relations: Everything Changes!?
Everything Changes Nothing Changes
• It’s about two-way • You’ve to manage
conversations relationships
• You’ve to deal with more • So it’s wires, print, broadcast
channels – and social media
• We HAVE to listen and • You already: monitor and
understand what’s said! analyze your media coverage
• What about those negative • Not every negative comment
comments and posts? means a crisis
• The game get’s so much • Already forgot newswires?
faster Look at trends over time
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19. Basic But Crucial:
What Are Your (Social) Media Objectives
 Awareness & Reputation
 Thought leadership
 Sales / Activation
 Cost Savings
 Research & Insights
 Something else?
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20. Social Media is about Content
What Should We Be Talking About?
Industry…
trends, news,
E.g. Technology, data, advice
Legislation,
Competition
Your… products, offers, service,
people
Source: Developing your conversation sphere - CommsCorner 20

21. Marketing, Editorial… Conversation Calendar
It’s all about planning – On- & Offline
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22. What happens in Huili county / Sichuan…

31. How to Deal
with Comments –
YOUR Response Plan
• Comment / Blog Post
Validity
• Level of Responsibility
• Level of Respect
• The Commenter is a
Troll / Rager
• The Commenter is a
Spammer by Nature
Source: PR 2.0 Comment Response Chart 31

32. The BIGGER picture:
What’s your engagement plan?
What can/should your staff say – or not?
Do you have a proper escalation path?
How do you get ready for ‘beta’ mode?
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33. Does every scenario need the same response?
People
Impact
Process
Policies
Engage
Discover
Analyze
Monitor
Time
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34. When things go wrong…
Constantly check the temperature!
How bad (or good) is
it? Where does a
CRISIS happen vs.
How does the story where does it start?
play out in traditional
and social media?
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35. Key Learnings
1) Speed is critical (on Twitter)
2) Honesty is a virtue
3) Make your CEO visibible
4) Brands have to be on alert in order to
correct any false assumptions before
they reach critical mass
5) Track it
Source: Not So SMRT: A Case Study of Communications Failure - Skribe 35

36. Reputational Risk:
It’s all about perception...
Establishment:
Full crisis
Erosion:
Spreading: Relevance
Growing declines
interest
Emergence:
Issue gets
Potential: public
Known areas
YOU?
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37. Reputational Risk:
It’s all about perception...
Establishment:
Time is crucial for managing risk Full crisis
as it allows you to stay in the
‘driver seat’ Erosion:
Spreading: Relevance
Growing declines
interest
Emergence:
Issue gets
Potential: public
Known areas If a crisis happens:
Get it fast,
Get it right,
YOU? Get it out, and
Get it over!
Your problem won’t improve with age.
N. Augustine, CEO Lockhead Martin

38. Crisis Survival Lessons for the
Social Media Age
In a crisis, consumers need honest answers and
they need them fast – and no messaging vehicle is
better suited to meet this demand than those fueling
the crisis in the first place.
Transparent engagements in the online
communities, where your customers already live,
provide a credible and direct channel for the
answers they need.
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39. Are we too proud?
Sorry seems to be the hardest word…
• Don't RE-act right away
• Acknowledge - Don't be angry
• Admit the mistake and apologize
• Take ownership
• Ask for forgiveness and make the needed changes
Source: When You're Wrong, Say You're Sorry - SOLUTIONS: Social Media 40

40. Time to start or review
Review your current policies for engagement
Do scenario / crisis planning
White-board your process
Draw and distribute
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41. We heard about the Bad and the Ugly….
Let’s switch to the ‘Good’: The Old Spice Campaign
Source: W + K Old Spice Case Study

42. How Much Time Does Social Media Engagement Take?
Data is everywhere – you need meaningful analysis!
Source: How much time does social media marketing take - Gigaom / Aliza Sherman 43

43. When it comes to an end… the Social Break-Up
Source: The Social Break-Up – Exact Target 44

44. When it comes to an end…
the Social Break-Up
How to be fan-worthy
1) Be clear about your
page’s purpose &
objective
2) Take prospects to a
welcome tab, not your
wall
3) Engage potential fans
Source: The Social Break-Up – Exact Target 45

45. The world we live in…
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46. The Inside Look:
How do you WANT your staff to use Social Media?
• Do you have a social media policy?
• Is your policy easy to read? Can you make it an engaging
experience?
• Is it welcoming to employees and customers, or does it sound
like it was written by lawyers?
• In addition to your policy, are you educating your employees
on how to properly use social media in a way that will help
them as well as help tell your brand story?
Source: Is Your Social Media Policy Hurting Your Brand? - MENG 47

47. Social Media Policy - Examples
Transparency
Protection
Respect
Responsibility
Utilization
Respect
Responsibility
Representation
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48. Social Media Policy - Examples
Transparency
Protection
Respect
Responsibility
Utilization
Respect
Responsibility
Representation
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49. Social Media Policies – More than Common Sense?
What should be included?
• Purpose (encouragements or laws; personal / business use)
• Dos (e.g. respect copyrights; say who you are…)
• Don’ts (e.g. forget your day job; get personal, …)
• Escalation process & Contacts
• Implementation plan!!!
Useful Resources:
• Social Media Daily: 6 Key Elements of a Social Media Policy
and Why You Need Them
• Social Media Policy Templates: Lessons Learned for 20 IT
Social Media Policy Documents
• Social Media Governance – 164 Company Policies
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50. You DON’T have Social Media Access?
Common (questionable) reasons for
blocking SNS
• Productivity (Productivity increases 9% among employees who are
able to access the Net for fun during work – University of Melbourne study)
• Attacks from Hackers (If the U.S. Military can do it, so can your
organization)
• Data Leaks (… but you DO have email, mobile phones, blackberry’s…)
• Slows a company’s internet connection (Bandwidth is the
paper of the digital age)
Source: Demolishing Barclay Communications’ blocking argument point by point – Stop Blocking 51

52. Same, same – but different
What lies ahead?
• Embrace online – leverage insights
and connections
• Demonstrate your link to business
objectives
• Integration will be everything
• Meaningful Metrics will rule the
world
• Media will live – probably even
stronger than before
• We are content producers. Think
video!
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53. Future-Proofing Public Relations
Who do YOU want to be?
Critical Analytical Skills
Gamblers Winners
Vanity Strategic Business
Publishing Orientation
Ostriches Bluffers
No Analytical Skills
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54. Winners know what success look like:
Translating PR results into the language of business
• 60% of companies (PR Week) are measuring PR/
Communications at the request of senior
management. – Better start before management
asks for it
• Use the right approach with the correct content
– Show the whole picture through meaningful
KPIs
• Turn simple outputs into meaningful outcomes:
Connect the dots between clip counts –trends in
coverage and favourability
Source: Dow Jones E-book: “Talk to me – 10 tips for translating the PR results into the language of business“. 55

55. Winners know what success look like:
Translating PR results into the language of business
• 60% of companies (PR Week) are measuring PR/
Communications at the request of senior
management. – Better start before management
asks for it
• Use the right approach with the correct content
– Show the whole picture through meaningful
KPIs
“…From an executive’s viewpoint, it can be
•interpreted asinto meaningful outcomes:
Turn simple outputs the difference between the PR
Connect the dots between clip counts –trends in
team being busy and the PR team being
coverage and favourability
indispensable.
Source: Dow Jones E-book: “Talk to me – 10 tips for translating the PR results into the language of business“. 56

56. Rules of Engagement – Things to Consider
Get your processes right
• Monitor
• Analyze
• Discover
• Engage / Respond People
What you need:
• A PLAN & Resources!
• Scenario planning & Reaction Plans
Processes
• Guidelines
Policies
There is no one-size-fits-all
• Better start small than not at all
• Form a team
• Have fun!
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57. ‘Classic’ Case Study: Domino’s YouTube Experience
• Domino’s Pizza Chain discovered the power of viral marketing last month:
Who in YOUR organization
two employees in the US filmed "prank" videos of themselves stuffing
cheese up their noses and then putting it into sandwiches.
• The video went popular on go on Youtube? Twitter lit
would YouTube (over 1 million views), and
up with disgusted customer complaints.
• Domino’s apologized and put its own President on YouTube, started a
Twitter response site;
What to wear?
• Still: In just a few days, Domino’s reputation was damaged.
What to say?
Who to talk to?
Are you ready?
Nobody will wait for you…!
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58. @larsv
Lars Voedisch
Communications Strategist
lars@preciouscomms.com
59

59. @larsv
Your reputation is precious…
• Communications Strategy
• Traditional & Social Media
Relations
Let’s talk!
• Crisis Preparedness
• Internal Communications
• Media Training
• Analysis, Measurement,
Research
Lars Voedisch
Communications Strategist
lars@preciouscomms.com