The document discusses the rise of social media and its impact on corporate communications. It notes that social media has leveled the playing field by allowing anyone to broadcast their message to millions, unlike in the past where only large companies could do so. It also discusses how this has created new challenges for companies, such as measuring the changing media landscape, steering management through changes, upgrading public relations, shielding from threats, equipping non-PR staff, training on best practices, helping other functions evolve, and tying metrics to business outcomes. The document advocates an evidence-based approach to social media that addresses these challenges.

1. Burson-Marsteller
US Corporate Practice
Corporate S cial Media
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

2. In the beginning, communication meant conversations among
individuals.
Everyone was in the same room. Everyone’s voice was the same
volume. At some point one person shouted to the
others, achieving the very first broadcast. It didn’t go far.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

3. Technology advanced. It became possible to broadcast a
message to millions of people. Since broadcasting required
expensive equipment, great expertise and specific license to
operate, only big companies could use it.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

4. Things got better for individuals, too. Distance as a barrier to
communication was conquered. Cheap, real-time conversation
was available to all so long as it was just one person speaking
with another.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

5. Then something changed.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

6. Social media is the first technology that allows
anyone to converse with everyone.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

7. These technologies are free, require little expertise to use and
enjoy broad license to operate. Social media’s favored status in
search engines – tools that are used by nearly everyone –
extends its influence to every corner of the web.
The power to speak to millions, once the privilege of the
powerful, is now in the hands of all.
And the communication isn’t one way – it’s a conversation.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

8. What’s different?
1. Rise of the web “street”
Anyone can have a big impact on your company in minutes.
2. Everyone wears multiple hats
Investors are giving ideas to R&D. Customers are lobbying governments.
Employees are covering the company like journalists. Executives are
managing their own brands.
3. Centrality of search engines
Helping people find you is now more important than you finding them.
4. People are filters
There may be one web, but each person filters it in their own way.
5. If you own the forum, you own the market
The goal is no longer to send messages to audiences but to assemble a
community and join them in achieving common goals.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

9. What’s the same?
1. Human nature
People want to connect with each other, discuss their interests and belong to
communities.
2. Two ears, one mouth
Conversation requires listening with respect and speaking with humility.
3. Trust is built on promises kept
Products have to perform as well as the marketing promises it will.
4. Content rules
Good content is helpful. Great content is entertaining. The best conent sparks
conversation.
5. Dale Carnegie’s still right
“What’s in it for me?” is the most important question to the people you care
about.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

10. What else is the same?
public relations – “An applied social science that
influences behavior and policy, when
communicated effectively, motivates an individual
or group to a specific course of action by
creating, changing or reinforcing opinions and
attitudes.”
-Harold Burson’s definition of public relations.
Published on his blog, 4/20/11.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

11. The rise of social media creates eight new
challenges for corporate communications
1. Measure the 2. Steer management 3. Upgrade the public 4. Shield company
changed landscape through changes relations function from new threats
5. Equip non-PR pros 6. Train company in 7. Help other 8. Tie metrics to
with needed tools best practices functions evolve bottom line
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

12. Our charge is to help you meet these challenges with
measurable success.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

13. 1. Measure the
changed landscape
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

14. Social Media Audits Online Influencer Databases
Quantify how much stakeholders are With 156 million blogs worldwide –
discussing a company, its not including those on
products, stock, executives and other LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ –
topics. Coupled with qualitative finding who matters requires proven
analysis, the audit informs the methodologies and deep domain
strategy. experience. B-M applies both to build
influencer databases rich with metrics
that turn strategy into action.
Community Maps Competitive Analysis
Reveal the most influential people in Conducted to assess the degree to
a conversation about a which other companies are
company, industry or other topic, as succeeding in their own social
well as how information flows media efforts and identify
between social networks on- and off- opportunities to secure the digital
line. high ground.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

15. 2. Steer
management
through changes
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

16. Steer management through changes
Corporate Social Media Strategy Policy Creation & Upgrades
Social media has advanced from a Following the identification of business
communications phenomenon to a goals, B-M works to craft or upgrade the social
business platform. From changing the media policy needed to see them through.
way companies invent products, find
talent and collaborate internally, to
allowing direct engagement with
industry, government and interest Regulatory Counsel
groups, few business objectives have
B-M’s social media specialists have deep
been left untouched. To manage this
expertise in all applicable
change, B-M helps clients establish a
FTC, SEC, FINRA, CFTC/NFA and other regulatory
governing strategy and operating
regimes, as well as extensive experience in
infrastructure that reduce risks and seize
applying them to unique corporate and
new opportunities.
marketing structures.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

17. 3. Upgrade the
public relations
function
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

18. Upgrade the public relations function
Social Media Engagement
B-M applies social media’s unique strengths to bring bottom-line benefits to businesses. The
technology’s ability to bypass traditional media filters, converse directly with stakeholders and
precision-target online elites is remaking the corporate communications function.
Real-Time Monitoring Channel Building & Management Conversation
• All social media channels • Blogs, Twitter, Wikis, Forums, Q&As • Blogger releases
• Expert Boolean construction • Back-end analytics • Blogger relations
• 24/7 availability • Integration into marketing funnel • Conversation curation
• Global coverage • Content & conversation strategy
• Every major language • Multimedia: video, audio, widgets, apps
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

19. Upgrade the public relations function
Traditional Media is Now Social Media For the Record
• B-M makes active use of comments sections to
Every article on every online publication now correct mistakes, expand on quotes and break
features conversation forums below through in crises.
them, social media “share” buttons beside
them, and search engines staring deep into
them. Traditional media coverage has gone Micro-Community Engagement
“social,” providing opportunities for companies • With each article now its own mini-
to engage stakeholders, correct wrong community, B-M engages in real-time to steer
information and offer new perspectives. stakeholders toward business objectives.
B-M’s media relations professionals have Definitive Measurement
embraced the social nature of the media • By monitoring the entire media ecosystem –
formerly known as “traditional” and helps traditional, social, search and company-owned
clients extract full value from it. properties, B-M tracks marketing metrics to their
business outcome.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

20. Upgrade public relations function
Integrated Search Engine Optimization
B-M applies SEO principles to every communications function, activity and output to ensure
the highest and most strategic visibility among search engines.
Media relations Thought leadership Online Executive Positioning
• Press releases • Message bibles • Audits
• Bylined articles • White papers • Crisis mitigation
• Target prioritization • Presentations • Proactive positioning
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

21. 4. Shield company from new threats
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

22. Shield company from new threats
Digital Crisis Plans Long Tail Crisis Mgmt.
While all crises now contain a Old reputational threats can
digital component, some become new again givens the
crises have unique roots in web’s ability to archive every
the digital realm and so complaint, lawsuit and rumor
require different responses. forever. B-M has developed
To that end, B-M helps clients unique approaches to reduce
create crisis plans that work and resolve these reputational
at internet-speed. threats.
Multimedia Response Stress Testing
When press releases and With new types of threats
statements can’t adequately emerging by the week, it’s
express a company’s important to stress test
response to a crisis, B-M’s digital plans to find and fix
multimedia team steps in to vulnerabilities. B-M’s teams
deliver communiqués via have decades of experience
video, audio and images. in designing and operating
war games.
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

23. 5. Equip non-PR
pros with social
media tools
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

24. Equip non-PR pros with social media tools
Oversight capabilities Measurement CRM
• Customized policies • Standardized metrics • Strategic planning
• Monitoring • Centralized resource • Technical standardization
Channel creation tools Coordination Legal support
• Templates • Resource for Q&A • International & Industry
• Multimedia • Knowledge warehouse • Creative Commons
Training Content Crisis management
• Cultural best practices • Style guides • Planning
• Technical • Storehouse of fodder • Stress testing
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

25. 6. Train company in
best practices
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

26. Train company in best practices
Global, multimedia, multi-language social media policy training
Beginner Methodology & Technology Advanced
Blogs How to Build Online Influencer Databases Analytics
Facebook How to Conduct a Social Media Audit Podcasting
Flickr Online Executive Positioning Events
Google+ SEO for Media Relations Crowdsourcing
LinkedIn
Monitoring
Quora Online Relations
Bespoke
Twitter Community management
Executive training
Wikipedia Blogger Releases & Relations
1-1 training
Wordpress.org Online Ambassadorship
Speeches
YouTube Tweetups
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

27. 7. Help other
functions
evolve
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

28. Help other functions evolve
Internal Communications
Customer
HR Sales Service R&D
Executive training Executive training Executive training Executive training
1-1 training 1-1 training 1-1 training 1-1 training
Speeches Speeches Speeches Speeches
Inter-Department Social Media Workflow
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

29. 8. Tie metrics to
bottom line
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

30. Tie metrics to bottom line
Change PR Metrics to Business Value Metrics
• Increase qualified leads • Lower cost of talent acquisition
• Increase margins • Decrease R&D costs
Connect Social Media to CRM
• Strategic planning • Standardization of metrics
• Technical upgrades • Cross-function integration
Application of Scientific Method
• Continuous testing of new ideas • Centralized research hub
• A/B testing structure • Implementation of new practices
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS

31. Burson-Marsteller
US Corporate Practice
Corporate S cial Media
EVIDENCE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS