1. Your Brand Isn’t Boring
How to motivate people to engage with a brand
they’d rather ignore.
Social Media Plus
November 16, 2011
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2. We thought our brand too boring for social media
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4. What we’ll discuss today
What makes your brand exciting
Tell a compelling story about your brand
Engage your audience and measure success
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6. How is your brand unique?
Every brand has something that resonates with their customers
and differentiates them from the competition.
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7. Learning to listen
Conversation about your industry and your brand is already
happening – so why not listen in?
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8. What IBX learned by listening
• People were already talking about our industry
• People were talking specifically about our brand
• We were missing opportunities to assist and engage customers
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9. Join the conversation where it’s occurring
Which social media platforms are
right for your brand?
• Your industry is discussed there
• Allows you to share your content
and knowledge
• Use the hub/spoke approach
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11. Agree on the rules of engagement
• Understand the restrictions from legal and compliance
• Get buy-in from your senior executive team
• Identify stakeholders
• Establish policy on use
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12. IBX’s Social Media Goals
Our mission is for our members to be welland feel positively
about our brand.
We produce engaging, informative materials that can:
• build community
• empower our audience to live a healthy lifestyle
• benefit our business
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13. The story IBX tells…
Corporate
Partnerships
Promoting Volunteerism &
Health & Community Investment
Wellness
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14. …and the people who tell it.
Chef Katie Cavuto-Boyle
Dietitian, Philadelphia Phillies
Kimberly Garrison
Daily News Columnist &
Wellness Guru
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17. Managing your message
Create an editorial calendar to manage your narrative
• What excites your audience?
• Gather news, events, and observances in your industry
• Leverage existing partnerships
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19. Seek opportunities to help your customers
• Listen so you can assist proactively
• Provide tools/facts that are both fun and useful
• Uncover systematic issues
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20. The value of engagement
“ Ten years ago daddy
quit smoking, lost 50
pounds, and ran his
first mile.”
- Michael & Rachael S.
IBC members
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21. Building brand ambassadors
“ Thanks to
Independence Blue
Cross, I got the care I
needed for my leg
and was married less
than three weeks
later.”
- Mark W., IBC member
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We were concerned there was no point to IBX being socialBCBSR was the Tipping Point – Britt’s proposal followed by demand for photos on Flickr- We had a built in audience of over 30,000 runners from the BCBSR
We realized the Power of Social Media to connect and join the conversation- Now we know our brand isn’t boring, and yours isn’t either.
This is what will we will discuss today
What makes your brand unique? What is your BCBSR? your most iconic product, service, or visual?- your company’s goal, mission, and vision statement?- yourknowledge that no one else has?- your signature event?
You have to listen before you engage - what is being said about your brand, your competitors, and your industry?There are tools that can help you listen Don’t restrict yourself to only a handful of networks – listen to the entire web
Based on the listening, what interest or need can you fulfill? In early 2010, there was a rising negative sentiment around healthcare reform. Customers already bring their complaints to social media People are eager to share and discuss their healthy habits We should act as more of a business-to-consumer brand
“Don’t be everywhere” - you can’t possible engage meaningfully on every network. Narrow the fieldByNumber of users for you to engage withChoose networks that can expand the reach of your shared storiesChannels for a specific type of content, like YouTube for video We decided FB was the best hubOur spokes include corporate web site, Twitter, Flickr, and a WordPress blog
You’ve decided to commit to a social media strategy. How do you get buy-in through your org? My experience getting exec buy-in was…- It was important for us to establish policies to govern use because…
Talking about your brand on Social Media is not the same as sending a press release or scripting an ad campaign.- Sales messages wouldn’t work; not everyone can choose their health care product-We want to show members and businesses how they can control their health care costs- Members can’t discuss personal healthy information (PHI)
If you didn’t have a product or service to sell, but still wanted to improve someone’s life in a way based on your expertise what would that be?For us, it was our commitment to wellness throughout all of our partnerships and events.
Who is the face of your brand – and should that be the person who is your voice on Social Media?- Customers- Employees- CEO or Sr. Executives- Experts
This campaign consisted of:- Health focused content- Healthy Steps mini-site Promotion
This campaign consisted of:- Photo contest (this really resonated)- Let’s Get Walking!- Step Out event promotion- Associate blogging- Philadelphia Union sponsorship
- We’ve found the best way to cultivate a community is posting interesting and unique content.- Create an editorial calendar to manage frequency and flow of content, but don’t be a slave to it. Be flexible. Listen to your audience as they engage with you. What excites them? Who are your “internal reporters”?- Align with what is happening in your industry. What news, events, or observances can you talk about?
- What are your goals for customer service?- What do your customers want and need?- How can you execute customer service based on legal or regulatory restrictions?- Our example: The ASK IBX Team
Contest photo of member with his newborn“I am now a top regional expert mountain bike racer, elite marathon runner, Ironman finisher, mountain climber, and indoor cycling spin instructor.”- Are you an indispensible part of your customer’s lives? Are your customers part of your story?
From our Annual Report:“While in Mexico to marry his fiancee, Mark broke his leg. He was without phone service, but was able to contact us through Facebook.”- Are you there when your customers need you the most? Have you converted followers to brand ambassadors?
We have grown our corporate fanbase strategically with our campaigns, hub/spoke approach, and by telling our brand’s story We also continue to listen, and find new ways for our community to engage with us-What does your audience want read about, see, and interact with?- How you can find ways to tie those things to your brand experience?
BCBSR grew organically, not as part of a campaignThe 30,000 runner audience is already there, waiting to talk!Does your band have that kind of audience for a product or event?
Use your existing partnerships and media buys to promote social Don’t just point to your social media page – point to what’s exciting about it.
We saw a major change in social growth when we integrated into our existing ad campaigns.
Find a way to quantify brand engagement to Sr. Execs- This may be different for every network.
