1. Public Version
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
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Social Media
Playbook:
Everything Your
Company Needs
CoPYright Eloqua aNd JESS3
to Know to Succeed
on the Social Web
CoNtENt bY JESS3 &
JoE ChErNov (@JChErNov)

2. Social Media Playbook Contents
Social Media Playbook
Contents
iNtroduCtioN MaJor PlatforMS
> Why use this Playbook, who it > Twitter ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
Technically, it’s swine flu�
is for, and how to use it ���������������������������������������������� 4 > Facebook ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 20
But we call it H1N1 because
the hashtag’s shorter� > What social media needs
to really work������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 othEr KEY PlatforMS:
> Blogs ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
SoCial MEdia guidEliNES > LinkedIn �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26
> The 5 dos and 5 don’ts > YouTube ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27
of social media ������������������������������������������������������������������ 6 > Wikipedia ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28
> Delicious ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 30
> Flickr ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 31
EMErgiNg PlatforMS
> Google Buzz ����������������������������������������������������������������������� 32
> Geosocial Networks (Foursquare
and Gowalla) �������������������������������������������������������������������� 34
> Tip Sheet: Using Social Media
to Cultivate Leads��������������������������������������������������������� 38
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 3

3. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
introduction
WhY uSE thiS PlaYbooK? Who thiS PlaYbooK iS for
This Playbook will help you engage and This Playbook has been compiled based on Users who are new to social media
interact more effectively online, by showing the collective experience and insights of engagement
you how to: the Eloqua team and its online network of
thousands of friends, followers and fans� Users who are already engaged in social
> Leverage best social media practices media who want to take their participation to
Disclaimer: This Playbook does not survey the next level
> Link online engagement to targeted all social networks. Instead it focuses on the
objectives specific to your goals most important networks and most essential hoW to uSE thiS PlaYbooK
behaviors for businesses seeking effective
> Access supplemental applications to social media engagement. For best results, adopt and adapt these
quantify, monitor, and expand efforts Lastly, the Playbook was written for all practices, strategies and tactics in a manner
towards reaching those goals marketers; therefore, you will find some consistent with your personal comfort and
counsel that is best suited for consumer your corporate culture� As always, changes
marketers, and other tips for business-to- in corporate policy should be executed in
business marketers. Ultimately it was our concert with your organization’s legal and
goal to speak to all marketers. human resources teams�
4 Social Media Playbook: Twitter www�eloqua�com

4. Introduction
> Increased Recognition. Recognition If you are like most social media users,
What doES SoCial MEdia NEEd
is important to online contributors. you may have started out by signing up for
to rEallY WorK?
Individuals generally want recognition an account because a friend or coworker
Social media works best when there are real
for their contributions. suggested you try it out� You may find
people, with genuine intentions and quality
yourself using it when you remember and
content, behind every profile, tweet and tag.
> Sense of efficacy. Individuals may neglecting it when you don’t�
Automated social-posting systems diminish
contribute valuable information
the value of your presence by corroding real The goal is to continue to engage consistently
because the act results in a sense
engagement� Ultimately, what motivates and authentically, while adding strategic
that they have had some effect on this
people online is similar to what motivates thinking and planning to increase your
environment.
them offline� According to professors Peter company’s effectiveness� Trainings, review
Kollock and Marc Smith motivations for > Communion. People are fairly social of best practices, adoption of guidelines,
contributing to online communities do not beings and it motivates many people organized/planned editorial content, company-
rely on altruistic behavior on the part of the to receive direct responses to their wide awareness, and, most of all, peer
contributor they depend on these four pillars1: contributions. support/promotion will all contribute to your
1
Wikipedia articles:
Virtual_community,
ability to achieve these goals� To this end, this Egoboo and
> Anticipated Reciprocity. A person Social media participation frequently suffers
Playbook ends with a tip sheet entitled Using Sense_of_community
is motivated to contribute valuable from the “tactical enthusiasm” syndrome.
Social Media to Cultivate Leads� (Retrieved February
information to the group in the Your organization should be focused on 2010)�
expectation that one will receive useful objective-driven participation.
help and information in return.
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 5

5. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
introduction cont.
While there are hundreds of ways to approach that sharing this information is comfortable If possible, establish brand guidelines for
the social web, there are 10 basic principles with you personally and doesn’t run counter individual and group participation within your
that should always guide your participation: to the company’s culture and values�) company so that you can build trust with and
recognition from others whether you are on
1 Do Listen� The most important first step 3 Do be consistent. When cultivating your Twitter, Facebook or blog comment sections�
you can take in social media is to listen social media presence, be consistent about
before you “speak�” Social media offers a the information contained in your profile and 4 Do be gracious. Applauding the good
unique window into the lives of colleagues, the content you share� work of others and thanking others for their
customers, and influentials, but only if you support are the cornerstones of any good
don’t talk over the opportunity� Adhering to community on or offline� Whether it is citing
a “listen-first” mantra will help you can gain a source with a link in a blog post, retweet-
valuable insights that inform how – or even ing or giving a “shout out,” be sure to credit
if – you want to engage� and thank the original creator�
2 Do be authentic. The era of online ano-
nymity is over (if, in fact, it ever really ex-
isted)� Social media demands honest, trans-
parent, and authentic participation� Social
networks are human networks – so don’t be
afraid to share about your hobbies, travels, On the internet, nobody
knows you’re a dog�
and even weekend adventures (to the extent
But they can smell a
marketer from a mile away�
6 Social Media Playbook: Contents www�eloqua�com

6. Contents
Social media works best when there are real people, with genuine intentions and
quality content behind each and every profile, tweet and tag. If there is an automated
system in place, the value and engagement drop significantly
5 Do disclose. Letting your online audi- 6 Don’t share confidential information 10 Don’t misrepresent yourself or your com-
ences know that you work for your company about your company, clients, colleagues, pany. Every action online is, at some level,
is essential if you are tweeting, blogging partners, or competitors� traceable, so make sure the content that
or posting favorably about your company you are creating and impressions you are
online� A great way to do this is filling out 7 Don’t criticize your company, clients, col- leaving, no matter how big or how small, are
your Twitter bio with a brief line about your leagues, partners, or competitors� accurate and honest�
company affiliation, as well as including
8 Don’t spread rumors or false information
your company’s name as an employer on
about your company, clients, colleagues,
your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles� Ad-
partners, or competitors�
ditionally, if you are supporting the efforts of
a client, make sure to disclose your interest 9 Don’t reveal personal information about
in the matter� For more on disclosure best
any of your colleagues� Examples include
practices, visit the Word of Mouth Marketing
tweeting side conversations or posting per-
Association’s ethics / disclosure page: http://
sonal photos to Facebook or Flickr without
womma�org/ethics/disclosure/ (full disclo-
their explicit permission�
sure: Eloqua is a member of WOMMA and
serves on its ethics committee)�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Contents 7

7. Social Media Playbook
Major Platforms
twitter
twitter advantages
From coordinating disaster relief to carrying Platform combination platter: Twitter is a Credible traffic funnel: Twitter is fast
out customer service in front of a crowd, mind-bending combination of blogging, becoming a top referrer of traffic to
Twitter connect the right people at the right emailing, social networking, and texting, blogs, news sites, and company websites�
time in 140 characters or fewer� that allows users to cast a wider net to It accelerates and amplifies business,
people they otherwise wouldn’t be able politics, and entertainment news and
Key Facts to reach� Stay on top of industry trends provides a new way to place stories with
> Twitter is a “micro-blog” or “micro- and news at the same time as you build key players�
communications” tool and platform your network of friends, family, and
> Twitter has more than 75 million accounts colleagues� Instant roving reporter: People go to
worldwide Twitter to find what others are talking
> Twitter allows a user to send a text-based The new face of marketing: Twitter allows about in that very moment—with the
message, known as a “tweet”, up to 140 companies to listen in on and participate ability to examine the profile (name,
characters in length, to other users who have in public conversations customers biography, location), followers, and
requested to receive updates from that user are having, which enables them to previous posts to Twitter of those doing
> Twitter includes social functions to publicly attract new customers and strengthen the talking� Since Twitter profiles are
message (@message) and privately message relationships with existing ones� mostly public, users can also have instant
(direct message or DM) other users� Companies can test out a new product or access to data contained in the network�
get feedback on an existing one for very
little cost while creating a buzz at the
same time�
8 Social Media Playbook: www�eloqua�com

8. Twitter
Twitter users have employed the platform to stage protests, coordinate
disaster relief, break news, air grievances against brands and stay in
touch with one another
twitter disadvantages how to use twitter
Easy access to influentials: The most active Far from mainstream: Less than 11% of all
and influential accounts on Twitter are U�S� Internet users visit Twitter, with 5-7% 1 Sign up
those run by the media, politicians, and of those using Twitter actually participating 2 Find people
tech experts� (How celebrity Demi Moore’s on the platform� 3 Post helpful content
twitter feed helped prevent two suicide 4 Take your Twittering to the next level
attempts, is just one example of this�) Young people don’t want it: About 17% of
This presents a prime opportunity for your all Twitter users are between 13 and 17,
company to be visible to opinion setters with just 2% of all users in the pre-teen 1 Sign up at Twitter.com
and their bases of followers� demographic� Teens say they don’t need Choose a user name that is logical enough
Twitter because text messaging is their for easy recognition by users yet flexible
main method of communication and they enough to encompass all of your tweetable
are more accustomed to the Facebook interests� For many people, using your
platform, according to the New York Times� first and last name or the name of your
company makes the most sense� If you
Short shelf life: Twitter is a strong, but have a brand that is already recognizable,
fleeting content tracking tool� Be advised an astutely chosen Twitter name can
the shelf life of tweets in terms of impact reinforce and amplify that image�
ranges from a few hours to a few minutes�
Chirp and peep are so
passé� Now it’s all twitter!
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 9

9. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
twitter Cont.
2 Find People > Find your following/followers comfort zone > Follow accounts that you find interesting.
Using Twitter’s “Find People” search It’s common to treat part of your follower list
function in the menu bar at the top of your > Follow your colleagues. This is a great place as social and real-time RSS feeds, where
Twitter page when logged in: to start – not only can you learn from more you follow news accounts from major media
advanced users, but it helps establish a organizations, industry blogs, and industry
network of people who can be mobilized in thought leaders� By following these types of
the future� “feed” accounts, you will be able to receive
updates in real-time via Twitter�
> Follow accounts owned by people with
whom you want to connect. One of the best > Be mindful of your follower : following
ways to engage with individuals on Twitter ratio. Avoid following a significantly larger
is to follow them, then start conversations number of Twitter accounts than follow you�
> Upload your personal and professional through @ messages and, in the event This can appear overzealous at best and
email contacts through the “Find on Other that they follow you back, through direct “spammy” at worst� Consider, for example,
Networks” option� messages (DMs) as well� that if you are followed by 5,000 users, and
follow 5,000 back, can you keep up with
the level of engagement that comes with
the @ messages and direct messages (DMs)
that these accounts might demand? You
might want to keep your “following’ number
to less than 1,000 of the accounts that you
find most interesting and fit into your overall
goals for engagement�
10 Social Media Playbook: Twitter www�eloqua�com

10. Twitter
Twitter influences the influencers. Currently, some of the most active and
influential accounts on Twitter are those run by members of the media,
politicians and technologists
> Retweet (RT): Giving someone a public > Direct Message (DM)
3 Post helpful content shout out where an already tweeted resource DMs are a way for Twitter users to privately
is usually shared with followers� to connect� You can only DM people who are
PoStiNg 101: KEY tErMS Example: “RT @Username: Original following you, and, conversely, you can only
> Following: To receive messages on Twitter, message, often with a link�” receive DMs from people you are following�
you follow other people and companies Advanced posting
you’re interested in� Their messages appear > @username: Companies can exchange Tweeting from a web browser has limited
in your incoming timeline on your Twitter public messages with individual users� For functionality, so we suggest using TweetDeck
home page and your followers get your example: or Hootsuite to maximize your Twitter
messages� monitoring and engaging experience� (More
“@JohnHancock Glad you
information on this later in this section�)
liked our software program
> Tweet: Answers the question “What are you
Handwriting Magic. Thanks for
doing?” or “What has your attention”, as
twittering about it.
Social Media blogger, Chris Brogan says�
Users are allowed 140 characters maximum > If @JohnHancock is following your account,
for each tweet, but 100-120 characters is your message will appear directly in the
recommended to leave room to be retweeted individual user’s account if he is following
(RT)� your account, or, if he’s not following
your account, in his folder of @username
mentions� Those following both you and @
JohnHancock will also see the message and
it will appear in search results�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 11

11. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
twitter Cont.
PoStiNg EtiquEttE: > Report events with behind the scenes > While pure text tweets are appropriate when
doS aNd doN’tS coverage, especially photos you have an original thought to share or
when you want to start a conversation, make
> Share jokes, puns and quirky things that sure to mix in rich media (links, photos,
do’S happen to you� Humor and playfulness are videos) to keep your tweets dynamic and
> Be yourself, be original: Social media is at the core of what it means to be human, inviting�
meant to be human, so don’t be afraid to so don’t be afraid to let your hair down a
share about your hobbies, travels and even little (but not too much, remember, it is a > Become an authority and provide value�
weekend adventures (within the boundaries public record)�
of good taste, of course)�
> Give credit to others for the information you doN’tS
> Make sure to disclose in your Twitter bio found and “name-check” people you want > Be unprofessional: When it comes to
the company you work for, an industry to reach with your tweet� Reciprocity is the company clients, partners, colleagues, and
best practice touted by the Word of Mouth currency of the web; the more you give, the even competitors do not share confidential
Marketing Association’s (WOMMA) code of more you get� information, criticize, or spread false
ethics� information� In other words, don’t be evil�
> Participate regularly: Almost all sites that > “MeTweet” all the time. Too much
assign account holders a Twitter score place corporate-promotion can lead followers to
a high value on activity level� tune you out� Make sure to contribute to
existing conversations, retweet smart links/
statements and ask your follower base:
12 Social Media Playbook: Twitter www�eloqua�com

12. Twitter
The platform is not yet widely adopted by general Internet users. Current statistics
show that less than 11% of all U.S. Internet users visit Twitter; the number of
participants is closer to 5%-7% from this same U.S. group
“what are you doing?” and “how are you > Too much. You want to avoid filling your 4 Take Your Twittering to the Next Level
doing?” The ideal balance is 90% about followers’ home screen with nothing but
others, big ideas, and resources with just tweets from you and/or a company-related Use more advanced posting techniques:
10% about you� account�
> Reply to another user’s tweet using @
> RT with abandon. Make sure you click > Not enough. Try to tweet at least several Username
through and read the resources you are times a week, if not daily� This is key to
retweeting� People often interpret a RT as creating a follower base, media attention, > Prefacing one’s comment with the other
an endorsement of the content� Be sure and a deeper level of engagement that user’s Twitter handle signals to that user
that you have read all of the tweet and advances your goals� and to others that your reply is a message
subsequent links before you RT content� directed at them that others may also see�
> Auto-tweets: auto-tweets from an RSS feed > Manual or Automatic Retweet (RT)
can often come across as spam and turn off To repeat a message by another user,
your followers� sometimes accompanied by an additional
comment (only when manually retweeted)�
> Auto DMs: There are multiple services that This additional comment may preface the RT
will allow you to send an automated direct or follow it, if separated from the retweeted
message to each new follower on your message with a pipe “|” or double-slash “//�”
Twitter feed� At best it tricks a few of your -Manual: RT @Username (tweet text)
followers and at worst, it turns them off all -Automatic: By selecting the “Retweet”
together� button in bottom right hand corner of
the tweet you wish to retweet, you will be
prompted “Retweet to your followers?” Once
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 13

13. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
twitter Cont.
you select “Yes” it will automatically repost > CC / Alert Some suggested List
the tweet in your update box� You cannot When you have information that you think one categories include:
make any edits to the tweet� That can only be or more of your followers or people you are > Blogs and bloggers in your industry
done in the Manual Option 1� trying to attract on Twitter might like, you can (technology, CPG, political, health,
use the “cc” to get in their tweetstream as an etc�)
> Mention @ reply, but without being too forceful�
(tweet text) @Username (tweet text) (Insert tweet) cc: @Username—can also > Media outlets and reporters in your
Discussing another Twitter user in a tweet� be added parenthetically like this (cc: @ industry (can be included with
Using mentions can be especially useful for Username) bloggers, but might also be good to
giving credit to other users by making your look at separately)
followers aware of their handle� The message Use Twitter’s “List” function to create
will appear in the Mentions column of those and follow targeted subgroups of > Other key thought leaders such as
who you mentioned� people. analysts and pundits who regularly
opine on your industry and / or “set
the agenda”
> If you are in a government relations
role, make sure to have a list of
legislators and legislative staffers in
your state and / or issue area
14 Social Media Playbook: Twitter www�eloqua�com

14. Twitter
The more people you follow, the more the List function will come in handy, as it helps
you parse out relevant conversations and people based on your desired outcome
(trying to contact the media, stay on top of industry trends, catch up with a particular
community such as those you follow who enjoy sports or politics)
> Colleagues and partner organizations lEvEragE trENdiNg toPiCS aNd
Geographically-specific contacts EvENtS oN tWittEr: obSErvE > Industry Events: Make sure to participate
aNd liStEN in existing conversations by using the
> Using lists gives your company the What are others talking about? What value established hashtags, which often are
ability to see what issues are being can you add to the conversation? announced at marketing and technology
covered and discussed by each group events, and sometimes include the year the
for your own intelligence gathering, > Twitter’s Search Engine (search�Twitter�com) conference took place (e�g�, #SXSW10)�
and you can also more readily reach is a good place to start for basic searches
out to certain subgroups when you > Company Events: Employees are encouraged
have an issue to pitch to the media > When thousands of users all tweet using to establish and promote new hashtags
or want to be heard by decision the same term and/or hashtag, the topic for your events (e�g�, #YC09 or #YC10)�
makers� becomes an official “Trending Topic�” You Make sure that you communicate to those
can view what is trending on the right hand attending—and those watching from an
> It’s also worth noting that Twitter has side of your Twitter account when you are afar—what hashtag they should use to tag
a “private List” function that permits or are about to log in� The art and science their content� You can do this through
users to create Lists that cannot be behind trending topics, much like Google traditional marketing and advertising, as
seen by others� This is a helpful way search results, is held only by those who well as through other social media platforms
to reduce the size of your Following run the platform� But it’s clear that getting such as Facebook and your company’s
universe should you find there is a dedicated and diverse user base tweeting blog� The more you can work to “get the
simply too much information being about something in concert with each other word out” in advance of the event during
piped into your feed� can certainly drive pick-up from a broader the registration period and when working
group of users� with those requesting media passes, the
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 15

15. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
twitter Cont.
more the hashtag will likely take on its own > To see topics that are “trending”, visit ExPlorE aPPliCatioNS to
life and momentum with little additional applications like http://tweetstats�com/ iMProvE aNd ENhaNCE Your
promotional efforts once the event nears� trends and others available on the master ExPEriENCE.
Twitter application directory http://oneforty� Experiment with applications to help you
> Trending Conversations: Look for virtual-only com� monitor, analyze, and participate on the go�
conversations that crop up around ideas, Then, optimize your content once you’ve been
issues or current events and participate up and running for a few days or weeks�
where relevant and appropriate to your
company’s social media goals� Your > Master Directory: OneForty.com -
organization should also be sure to comment Complete directory of applications with
on industry-related topics, but everyone is a recommended “essential” section,
also encouraged to discuss whatever topics too� (Note that OneForty�com founder @
interest them—TV shows (#30rock), a movie pistachio is a wealth of information on
you saw (#ironman), news stories (#haiti)� Twitter, and a person definitely worthy of
You are free to express your personality and following�)
should feel free to tweet about personal
interests, everything from #brunch to the > TweetDeck: Good for tracking terms and
#weather� creating groups to follow; allows you to
save your preferences and organize your
followers� It also allows for management of
multiple Twitter accounts� Requires that you
download and install it to your machine�
16 Social Media Playbook: Twitter www�eloqua�com

16. Twitter
When thousands of users all tweet using the same term and/or hashtag, the topic
becomes an official “Trending Topic.”
> Hootsuite: Runs directly from your web > TwitterCounter: Tracks growth with a visual > Mobile SMS: By adding Twitter to your
browser� Similar functions to TweetDeck chart of your followers over time� address book under the specific number (for
but also great for scheduling your tweets example, “40404” for USA) and synching
in advance to go out on a specified date > Klout: Measures influence on topics across it up on your Twitter profile on the web, you
at a specified time� It also allows for the social web to find the people the world will be able to text message your updates to
management of multiple Twitter accounts listens to most� Twitter from your mobile device:
and it recently released workflow tools to
simplify account management for corporate > Tweet Reach: Measures the reach of your
handles run by multiple staffers� tweets/retweets (RTs) via impressions,
a number reached based on how many
> Twazzup: Great for when you are monitoring followers a user has; This application does
a hashtag during a live event� not count unique impressions�
> Twubs: Similar in functionality to Twazzup, Mobile:
allows you to save, capture and archive > Blackberry: While BlackBerry now has it’s Include Photos and Videos in Your Tweets
hashtag-based discussions� own native mobile application, ÜberTwitter > Tweet text needs to be less than 110
is the recommended choice� A lighter characters to leave room for the URL that
Analytics: version of this application is OpenBeak, the application creates for your photos and
> Twitalyzer: Evaluates the activity of any which takes up less battery power and videos� Leave room for being retweeted
Twitter user and reports on dozens of useful memory, but has fewer features� by subtracting the length of your Twitter
measures of success in social media� username (e�g�, @JohnHancock) plus 4
> iPhone: Tweetie 2: This is the more characters to cover the @, RT, and
recommended iPhone application and was space between the two�
recently purchased by Twitter�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 17

17. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
twitter Cont.
> Make sure to set up your account on the
Web before you go to your mobile device� It > Flickr2Twitter: This application allows users
will automatically generate a unique email with existing Flickr accounts to post your
address for you to send your media to, photos via email and the web directly to
which should be saved as a contact in your Flickr and Twitter�
phone (e�g�, TwitPic @JohnHancock)
Photo Tweeting Applications:
> TwitPic: Twitter photo sharing site that Need More Twitter Resources?
supports upload via web and email� We have you covered:
http://business�twitter�com/twitter101/best_practices
> TweetPhoto: Twitter photo sharing site that http://business�twitter�com/twitter101/learning
supports upload via web and email� Offers http://business�twitter�com/twitter101/resources
a number of additional features, such as http://blog�twitter�com
voting / favoriting stats, geo-tagging, and
Facebook integration�
> Yfrog: Twitter photo sharing site that
supports upload via web and email; most
popular for iPhone users, as it is a default
setting on many iPhone applications�
18 Social Media Playbook: Twitter www�eloqua�com

18. Twitter
By following others from your company, you will likely get to know them better and be
able to help spread the word when they have news they are sharing on Twitter about
company initiatives and/or personal news.
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Twitter 19

19. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
facebook (fb)
Key facts
Considered to be the most popular social Facebook was founded in 2004 > Joining networks organized by city,
network on the Internet, Facebook is a Facebook has over 450 million accounts workplace, and school or college�
“superplatform” that allows users to connect worldwide, with almost 250 million > Becoming a “fan” of things like brands,
and publicly and privately share all kinds of visitors per day as of May 2010� companies, celebrities, politicians and
information with the people in their network. Internet users spend more time on other high-profile individuals�
Facebook than on Google, Yahoo,
YouTube, Microsoft, Wikipedia and
Amazon combined, according to the
social media blog Mashable
Facebook’s most used and basic features
include, but are not limited to:
> Searching and adding friends, sending
them private and public (Wall)
messages;
> Updating your personal profile with
daily information (what you are up
to, where you are traveling, what you
are thinking) and more permanent
information (your employment and How long have you
educational history, your favorite been on Facebook?
pastimes and interests, etc�)
20 Social Media Playbook: Facebook www�eloqua�com

20. Facebook
According to the social media blog Mashable, Internet users spend more
time on Facebook than on Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Microsoft, Wikipedia and
Amazon combined
> Tagging friends (via a hyperlink to their Learn more here: http://blog�facebook�
actual profile) in photo, video and status facebook advantages com/blog�php?post=383515372130
update posts�
> Creating more personalized experiences Personalized, networked web navigation > Greater privacy, greater comfort: FB is
on a variety of partner websites through > Facebook Connect—Connects your affords users greater privacy than other
Facebook Connect and other Social visitors’ Facebook profiles to your communities like Twitter, which means
Plugins such as the Like button and company site, allowing them to seamlessly users get to choose who views their
Friends Activity Stream (e�g�, http:// share and engage with your content, while content� As a result, users feel more
washingtonpost�com) having their activity show up on their comfortable sharing with their Friends
Friends’ Wall Feed� or fellow Fans of particular Pages� They
Learn more here: http://developers� create content and engage with brands
facebook�com/docs/guides/web and users more openly than on YouTube
and Twitter� However, FB has come under
> Social Plugins –“Like” / “Activity Feed” / fire in recent months for their adjustments
“Recommendations”: Announced at to their Terms of Service, where they
Facebook’s annual F8 Conference in late are allowing more personal posting and
April 2010, these social plugins have content to be publicly searched and
been launched on 30 partner sites and indexed by search engines like Google
will soon be available to the public� They and bing� They have also been criticized
enable more social and personal for having an unruly, 5,000+ word privacy
experiences around your website’s policy, which is daunting to casual users�
content, powered by the Facebook data
and network of your visitor�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Facebook 21

21. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
facebook Cont.
facebook disadvantages
> Credible traffic funnel: Like Twitter, FB > The Feed Factor: Each time a Fan engages Metrics
is changing the way users find websites: with a Page, this action is updated within Due to its Privacy Policy, FB has limited
Sharing links to interesting, helpful, or their Wall Feed, alerting Friends about the metrics currently available for Page
funny websites is an integral part of the their recent interaction with a company Administrators� FB has yet to offer metrics
way users engage with each other on FB� brand and introducing the Page to a similar to Google Analytics which would
Webmasters have identified a significant new group of users� The Wall Feed is a enable Page Administrators to gain a deeper
spike in web traffic as the result of shared comprehensive and accessible real-time understanding of their Page’s Fans and
FB links� archive of a user’s specific interests� Visitors�
> Highly personalized advertising: Because
of Facebook’s “closed’ platform, users
feel more comfortable sharing personal
information such as their political
affiliation or their favorite movie than
they would on other sites� These granular
details about a user’s preferences allow
advertisers to create campaigns aimed at
much smaller, more appropriate audiences
than ever before, while maintaining user
privacy�
22 Social Media Playbook: Facebook www�eloqua�com

22. Facebook
Facebook is changing the way users find websites. Sharing links to interesting, helpful or
funny websites is an integral part of the way users engage with each other on Facebook
Administration
Currently FB only allows Administrators to
moderate Comments and post content to the
Wall Feed� A tiered management structure
would allow Page owners to give your
company’s members the ability to post Wall
Updates and engage with Fans on behalf of
the brand�
Stay on top of present and upcoming
changes:
http://www�allfacebook�com/
http://insidefacebook�com
http://blog�facebook�com/
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Facebook 23

23. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
blogs
Should my company start a blog? > Become a thought leader: contribute.
What are the options? Your voice and insights are unique and
they matter� The more diverse, expert
Your blog should ideally be the hub of > Support colleagues: Leave a comment, and useful your posts are, the greater
your company’s content-creation wheel by tweet about it, and/or share the link your chances are to increase leads, me-
providing relevant commentary and news on Facebook� This helps strengthen dia coverage, and overall industry clout�
that positions you as an insider within your coworker relationships, while also show- Is there something that your company
particular industry. ing visitors – who could be a prospect, does that you know really well that oth-
a member of the media, or even a ers always ask you about? Consider
competitor – that your organization is a writing a post, or series of posts, for the
team� company blog�
> Point prospects to relevant entries� Your
goal is to have timely, relevant, and in-
sightful content about your industry and
your products� Follow-up with a lead or
connect with a new prospect by sending
them a link to a relevant blog post that
someone from your company has written
with a simple “Thought you might be
interested in this post�” Use your orga-
nization’s blogs like a tailored Wikipedia
entry�
24 Social Media Playbook: Blogs www�eloqua�com

24. Blogs
Your voice and insights are unique and they matter. The more diverse, expert and
useful our posts are, the greater our chances are to increase leads, media coverage
and overall industry clout
How should I engage in the larger > Gain industry insights: With over 126 mil- > Set up RSS feeds to more effectively and
blogosphere? lion blogs and counting, there is a blog efficiently manage the blogs you read:
for just about anything you might want to There are a number of RSS (Really Simple
> Build relationships with influencers and know about� Syndication) readers that you can use to
prospects: Marketers, reporters, technolo- organize the blogs that you are following
gists and even clients maintain personal > Examples: and keep on top of your blog reading� Net-
and professional blogs� Searching some- Social media and technology: Mashable, vibes, Google Reader, and my6sense (an
one’s name within Google Blog Search ZDNet, TechCrunch and ReadWriteWeb� iPhone app) are recommended�
and/or Technorati their blogosphere activi-
ties� Once you have found them, work Macro trends in marketing, media and
on becoming a regular commenter and a advertising:
promoter of their content on Twitter and AdRants, AdFreak, MediaShift and
Facebook� MediaPost�
> Track competitors: Many of your com- I had my own blog for a while,
petitors maintain blogs, Twitter feeds, and but I decided to go back to just
Facebook pages� By following what they pointless, incessant barking
are talking about and promoting, you can
gain important insights into what they are
interested in�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Blogs 25

25. Social Media Playbook LinkedIn
Social Media Playbook
linkedin
Why use linkedin?
LinkedIn is a business oriented social LinkedIn is most useful for those interested > Keep track of your job positions, pro-
networking site that allows you to display in making business connections, cultivating motions, and accomplishments in one
your professional experience, academic leads, developing their personal brands and place�
accomplishments, connect with former and growing their professional networks�
current colleagues, and perform prospect > Have the potential to rank well for your
research. It was founded in May 2003 and Specifically you can: name in search results (depending on
has over 60 million registered users from Use LinkedIn to serve as a virtual Rolo- how many other people share your same
more than 200 countries. dex™ of contacts that can be accessed name and their activity level online)
from wherever you are� with highly relevant content that you
have control over, such as your resume
> Connect with other professional and
educational contacts that may serve > Connect with current and former em-
as leads themselves, or connect you to ployees of your company�
other leads� The platform allows you to
identify the types of connections that For more information on how to leverage
your connections have (e�g�, first or sec- LinkedIn to generate and cultivate leads,
ond degree) and see how far away your please see the tip sheet at the end of the
contacts are from people you are trying Playbook�
to contact�
26 Social Media Playbook: LinkedIn www�eloqua�com

26. Social Media Playbook YouTube
Social Media Playbook
Youtube
Why use Youtube?
YouTube is a video sharing website on which Content Supplier: YouTube videos are SEO Goodness: Google rewards
users can upload and share videos. Founded platform-agnostic and can be shared multimedia content with higher search
in February 2005 and acquired by Google in on nearly every platform� The same rank� Uploading videos to your corporate
November 2006, over 20 hours of video is cannot be said for Facebook or Twitter, channel, and linking / embedding those
uploaded to YouTube each minute.� as YouTube does not currently offer the videos in your news releases is helpful for
ability to post tweets or share Facebook search rank�
status updates on this platform�
Google-Level Analytics: Since it is owned
by Google, the analytics include key word
and traffic sources, Hot Spots (showing
when viewers stop watching the clip), and
insights about what other content users
also watched�
Global Reach: YouTube is available in
14 different languages and 21 different
countries, positioning it as one of most
global social networks�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Media Playbook: YouTube 27

27. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
Wikipedia
What is Wikipedia? What Should i Know
about Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia
created and maintained by volunteer Most important reference site on the
editors� Founded in 2001 by Jimmy Internet: According to the website
Wales and Larry Sanger, it has tracking service Alexa, Wikipedia is the
grown quickly to become the largest 5th most visited website in the United
encyclopedia in the world, covering States, and 6th most visited in the
many more topics than any traditional entire world, with more than 50 million
encyclopedia before it� Wikipedia now visits per month� Wikipedia articles are
contains more than 15 million articles, often found at the top of Google search
among them 3�2 million in English� results, contributing to its prominence�
Researchers, journalists, and students
rely on Wikipedia daily as a starting point
for research�
28 Social Media Playbook: Wikipedia www�eloqua�com

28. Wikipedia
According to the website tracking service Alexa, Wikipedia is the 5th most
visited website in the United States, and 6th most visited in the entire world,
with more than 50 million visits per month
Let the reader beware: The defining feature consensus of participating editors, which
of Wikipedia is its open nature� Because sometimes leads to contentious disputes�
anyone may contribute, new information may
be added easily and mistakes can be quickly What to know about participating:
corrected� However, vandalism is a constant Employees should find out what company
problem, and some information that appears policy is regarding editing of its page and
authoritative may in fact be wrong� When adhere to those policies� However, if you
in doubt, look to the references for more decide to make changes to Wikipedia
information� articles related to your personal interests,
first create an account (link in the upper-
Complex set of rules and community: How right hand corner of every Wikipedia page)�
does information get to Wikipedia and Familiarize yourself with the site’s policies
stay there? All Wikipedia editors are self- and guidelines (search Google for “Wikipedia
appointed and may change almost any policies”), the most important of which is to
page without prior review by any Wikipedia be polite�
authority� Wikipedia content is governed
by approximately 50 mandatory policies
and 100 guidelines� The rest is decided by
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Wikipedia 29

29. Social Media Playbook Delicious
Social Media Playbook
delicious
What is delicious? Why use delicious?
Founded in 2003 and bought by Yahoo The concept of social bookmarking expands the
two years later, Delicious is a social utility of saving links to your machine’s desktop
bookmarking web service for storing, by:
sharing, and discovering web bookmarks�
It has over 5�3 million users and 180 > Making your bookmarks to be accessible from
million unique URLs bookmarked� the cloud, or the Internet�
> Allowing you to tag the content with key
words that can help you remember why you
saved it and/or help others find what you have
saved� Much like geosocial networking, the
value is in the metadata volunteered by thou-
sands of users�
> Helping you find highly relevant content from
other users by seeing how they tagged it, if
they gave it a description, and what other
types of content they have saved� Think of it
as a highly refined, pre-vetted Google search
with the ability to learn more about the per-
son who saved the link in the first place�
30 Social Media Playbook: Delicious www�eloqua�com

30. Social Media Playbook Flickr
Social Media Playbook
flickr
Why use flickr?
Flickr is an image and video hosting website, Increase the reach and relevance of your Allow your photos to be shared, embed-
web services suite, and online community. In photos: Tagging and titling your photos ded and blogged about: While Facebook
addition to being a popular website for users help them rank in Google Image searches trumps Flickr when it comes to sheer
to share and embed personal photographs, and can increase your SEO findability� volume, Flickr wins when it comes to
the service is widely used by bloggers to host off-platform sharing and embedding� Fa-
images that they embed in blogs and social Connect with like minds that enjoy pho- cebook is a “walled garden” that has a
media. It was founded in February 2004 and tography in general, or taking photos of lot of privacy layers in place between you
acquired by Yahoo a year later. It states that certain subject matters such as birds, and photos, where as Flickr is much more
it hosts over 4 billion images. butterflies, food, travel, animals, cats, open (provided users continue to allow
and more� Flickr has what is called their content to be public), allowing you
“Flickr Groups” for users to join based on to link to and embed photos as you would
interest and Flickr Pools for photos to be a video from YouTube�
pooled together based on relevance of the
topic� An example of using Flickr well: HubSpot-
http://www�flickr�com/people/hubspot/�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Flickr 31

31. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
google buzz
Why use google buzz?
GooGle Buzz is a social networking and Share publicly or privately: You can pub- Inbox integration: For Gmail users, you
messaging tool launched in February 2010 lish your ideas to the world or just to your can have comments sent right to your
by Google that is designed to integrate into closest friends� inbox so it’s easy to keep the conversation
Gmail and allows users to share links, photos, going�
videos, status messages and comments via Monitor relevant conversations: Public
organized “conversations” that are visible in conversations can be searched, just like Photo friendly: Google Buzz allows you
the user’s inbox. Twitter, and provided you have a relevant to see thumbnails with each post, and
Check out the official product video from group of private friends, their content can browse full-screen photos from popular
Google that explains further: http://www. be equally valuable for industry insights sites�
youtube.com/watch?v=yi50KlsCBio and monitoring your company and com-
petitors� Connect sites you already use: Like many
sites, Google Buzz allows you to import
your content from Twitter, Picasa, Flickr,
and Google Reader�
See updates in real time: Just like an
instant message (IM), new posts and com-
ments pop in as they happen� No refresh
required�
32 Social Media Playbook: Google Buzz www�eloqua�com

32. Google Buzz
Public conversations can be searched, just like Twitter, and provided you have a
relevant group of private friends, their content can be equally valuable for industry
insights and monitoring your company and competitors
Recommendation engine: Google Buzz
promises to recommend “just the good
stuff” that is comprised of “interesting
posts,” while weeding “out ones you’re likely
to skip�”
Geosocial aspect: Google Buzz allows you to
see publicly posted “buzz” around you and
tag posts with your location�
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Google Buzz 33

33. Social Media Playbook
Social Media Playbook
geosocial Networks – foursquare and gowalla
advantages Joining a disadvantages of geosocial
geosocial Network Networking
Geosocial networking is “social networking in To connect and coordinate with users and Put bluntly by the blog ReadWriteWeb:
which geographic services and capabilities events based on their geographic location “If you really feel the need to share your
such as geocoding and geotagging are used to and your interests (e�g�, local restaurants)� location with the whole world, then you
enable additional social dynamics,” according have to accept the risks� This isn’t just
to Wikipedia. In addition, “geolocation on To enjoy loyalty programs offered by limited to location-aware applications,
web-based social network services can be IP- some venues� For example, a Foursquare though� Posting Twitter updates from your
based or use hotspot trilateration. For mobile “mayor” – someone who has earned their vacation also make it pretty obvious that
social networks, texted location information position after checking in at the same you are not at home�”
or mobile phone tracking can enable location- location a certain number of times – is
based services to enrich social networking.” offered special deals on food, clothing and
drinks by certain venues such as a free
beer by Good Hurt in LA: http://twitter�
com/goodhurt/status/1888504443�
To learn more about a given area or venue:
The data volunteered by users is often
helpful and insightful when it comes to
what to order (or avoid) as well as which
sights to see when you are visiting a city,
region or street�
34 Social Media Playbook: Geosocial Networks www�eloqua�com

34. Geosocial Networking
As of May 2010, Foursquare has over 1 million members and Gowalla has approximately 500,000
members. During South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) in March of 2010, Foursquare boasted
single-day checkin numbers surpassing 347,000 and 352,000 respectively
top geosocial Networks
Risks include: Brightkite: Allows registered users to connect
> Signaling to criminals that you aren’t home: > Appearing unprofessional to clients or with their friends and also meet new people
The site PleaseRobMe�com has since been coworkers in the event you are out late based on the places they go� Once a user
taken down, but was posting people’s during the work week. This may sound “checks in” at a place, they can post notes
Foursquare updates that indicated that they silly (or obvious, depending on your and photos to that location and other users
were everywhere but their homes� perspective), but checking in at a bar at can comment on these posts� Users control
1 a�m� when you have a big client project the privacy of their updates and can choose
> For higher profile individuals and women, due the next morning is likely to be to share them with their Twitter and Facebook
it creates a vulnerable point of access for viewed as unprofessional� Make sure that accounts, while also having the option to
crazed fans and stalkers. you are using your best judgment when share their geotagged photo posts to Flickr�
participating on social media in general,
and especially when you are volunteering Gowalla: Called a “geocaching scavenger
your location� hunt,” you check in at various locations in a
given city (their list is confined to a sort of
top ten list, such as New York, San Francisco
and Boston) and receive points and collect
“stamps,” “icons,” and “pins of glory�”
A stamp is received when you check in a
certain places� Think of them like stamps
in your passport (Source: Jeff Croft http://
jeffcroft.com/blog/2009/mar/20/a-
look-at-foursquare-and-gowalla/).
© 2009 ELOQUA CORPORATION Social Media Playbook: Geosocial Networks 35