100 Ways to Measure Social Media Success

During my daily morning Internet perusal, I came across a list of 100 ways that companies can measure social media. One. Hundred. Ways. Holy schnikies.

Since we are always trying to convey the importance of metrics and ROI of word of mouth marketing, I did a little dance (something of a shimmy, mixed with some hair tossing and a quick head nod) to celebrate my discovery of this wonderful list. I even added the number “100″ into my win column for today. So what if the post I found was from 2009? I understand that this makes my “100 wins” more like “99 wins,” but the best posts have longevity, right?

Since it was first posted, I can almost guarantee that this list has grown, but these 100 are a great way to get started. I’ve included some below. These are the ones we leverage most often. I can only encourage you to go read the entire article and put it into the framework of your company, clients, or marketing objectives.

1. Amount of buzz generated
2. Growth rate of fans, followers, and friends
3. Site Traffic / Page Views
4. Increase in searches due to social activity
5. Shift in sentiment before, during, and after social marketing programs
6. Clicks
7. Number of interactions
8. User generated content created that can be used by marketer in other channels
9. Volume of customer feedback generated
10. Impact on sales (online OR offline)
11. Leads generated
12. Products sampled

Via Media Post | Social Media Insider.

And Then God Said, “Let There Be Chicken…”

Who doesn’t love chicken? Everyone loves it, except for maybe vegetarians or people who are just generally miserable about life. But here at The Cyphers Agency, we couldn’t love chicken more. But it goes beyond our graphic designers eating some nuggets for an afternoon snack. We work with The National Chicken Council to promote… you guessed it… chicken!

While this partnership is anything but new, 2010 proved to be an extremely effective and extraordinary year in the life of this account. Adding social media into our mix over the past few years, we began the long journey down the road of social network promotion for this yummy food. And while we don’t mean to brag – okay, we mean to brag – we blasted this one out of the water.

Bawk!

Chicken is a unique ad animal (pun most definitely intended). Because of the nature of their brand, their goals are quite unique. Yes, they’d love to help boost the sales of chicken, but their primary objective is to increase awareness and get people to love it (which in turn gets people to buy it). This is our charge, and we are responsible day in and day out for encouraging conversations about chicken.

The Challenge

The National Chicken Council’s biggest challenge was two-fold: their old, outdated website in combination with their modest marketing dollars. Since people’s love for chicken spreads across the country, the NCC needed to reach a national audience on a not-so-national budget. We had to come up with a way to reach all the fans of chicken without breaking the piggy bank (don’t you just love all of my animal jokes here?).

The Awesomeness

With this in mind, we helped the NCC create a cost-effective social media campaign that helped to get people talking about chicken. And trust me, there isn’t much more that people love to talk about than how much they love their food. So we got all close and cozy with chicken lovers where they were already spending time and interacting.

We used tactics such as low-budget Facebook ads to build an audience on Facebook and Twitter, and we reached out to online influencers to help us keep the conversation and content flowing. These social networking sites became hubs for all things chicken – funny videos, photos and polls along with recipes, cooking tips and gift card giveaways. And once we got a new, much more user-friendly website up for the National Chicken Council, we were able to leverage our awesomeness to drive traffic to the site.

Chicken For The Win!

While our awesome communities were soon teeming with all sorts of content, it all came back to one simple thing – folks just kept saying how much they freakin’ love chicken. We practiced what we preach about listening to our audience and developed the concept for a video contest around that very pledge of undying love.

In partnership with The National Chicken Council and El Pollo Loco, we challenged fans to prove how much they love chicken. A shiny new microsite housed all contest info – everything from rules to info about the fat cash prize to a page dedicated solely to entries. We were able to cut overhead costs by not using pricey software to run the contest and instead got our hands dirty, handling all the logistics in-house from tracking votes to answering questions to encouraging participants to get their friends and family to vote. Millions of impressions, thousands of votes and 34 unique video entries later, we’d generated serious online buzz for chicken and The National Chicken Council, as well as a ton of valuable user-generated content that we could use in the future.

The Results

The 2010 campaign helped grow our already fanatical following – we doubled Facebook likes (or fans, depending on what Facebook terminology you like to use). But we all know number of fans or followers doesn’t mean squat if there isn’t some serious interaction going on, fostering community and loyalty (yes, those might be annoying social media buzz words we hate to throw around but they are cliches for a reason). Gotta say, the level of engagement was intense during the contest, with voting giving everyone something to talk about. But even after the contest, we kept up the pace of fun, conversation-worthy content, so fans have kept on comin’ and keep on talkin’.

Word of Mouth Toolbox: Ambassador Programs

Blog post theme of today: back to basics! There are a few things that we’ve got in our word of mouth toolbox that are tried and true tactics, so we thought we’d revisit some and share them with you. One of our most powerful tools as word of mouth marketers is the creation and implementation of an ambassador program. We’ve seen it in action, helping create some serious online buzz for a number of clients.

So what the heck is it?

An ambassador program is a way to leverage the very idea behind word of mouth marketing: the passing of information from one person to the next. Ambassadors in and of themselves are people who speak on behalf of a brand. Sometimes they are celebs, but most of the time they are normal folks. It has been said time and time again that the most powerful recommendations come from friends and family, so enthusiasts’ opinions obviously matter to marketers. Ambassadors will talk about their love for a brand or service on their own, but it is our job to find those people and magnify their voice. We bring structure and organization to a group of enthusiasts, encouraging them to do a number of things, which include posting positive reviews online, attending offline events, and passing along coupons or news.

Think about it. Some of the most potent brands are chalk full of people who will go to the ends of the earth to show their love. Apple. Starbucks. Whole Foods. Harley Davidson. Coca Cola. Louis Vuitton. You can’t escape those enthusiasts. They are in your face whether you like it or not.

Let’s go get those brand ambassadors!

The thing about brand enthusiasts is that they are passionate for a reason. It could be the strength of the product (Apple), the value of the service (Whole Foods), or the way the brand experience makes consumers feel (Starbucks or Louis Vuitton). It is important to have a great offering in order to have enthusiasts. You can’t fake brand love. Great brands like these reward their enthusiasts up front, regardless of if they write a positive review online or tell someone about a new product. And even more so, its important to build relationships with your enthusiasts before asking anything of them.

Well, okay! Now what?

Consider what you’ll need for an ambassador program. Each is drastically different, and should correlate with a larger campaign idea or a set of objectives you’d like to accomplish. The main thing you’ve got to keep in mind is that ambassador programs should be designed to be mutually beneficial. Participants must find a reason to be a part of the program.

Why should they sign up? In an ideal world, just telling others about their love would be enough, but most often, it isn’t. Make them feel special by letting them in on breaking news, asking for their opinion about new products, providing them with coupons or free products, or giving them VIP access. Then, provide them with ways to help you: direct them to places online where they can review you, lead them to your Facebook page where they can “like” and share their opinion, or have them talk to a potential customer about why they love you.

The main key to a successful ambassador program is to locate your enthusiasts, and reward them upfront for their love. Then, make it easy for them to share their thoughts, and reward them for that, too.

Here are some general things you’ll need:

• Objectives – What are your goals? Do you want event attendance, positive reviews, general feedback?
• Outreach Plan – How many enthusiasts are you going to need? How are you going to reach out to them? Communication is KEY here.
• Timeline – How long will the program last? Is it a 6 month campaign or a lifetime program?
• Tasks - Exactly what will you have the participants “do”.
• Rewards & Incentives – The most obvious part: thanking people for their love.
• Tracking – Know what your ambassadors are up to!

Ready to take the leap? We’d be happy to help you locate your brand enthusiasts and build some meaningful relationships with them.

I Hope This Gets To You (And Everyone Else on the Internet…)

I ran across this video on Gizmodo and, well, just watch it first:



I was immediately struck by this video for two reasons: Number one, it pulled at my heartstrings. I must admit that at first, the “aww” factor got me. My husband and I were once in a long-distance relationship and so I get just how meaningful this will be for the video creator’s girlfriend when she does see it (she hasn’t yet).

But then I noted one small fact that Gizmodo was sure to point out: The guy that made it is in a band called The Daylights. It’s a band I could like judging by this song, but I had never heard of them. Until now. Hmm… I think there is a name for this… oh, yeah. Viral marketing. What better way to get people to pass your band’s music along than fueling it with a romantic story, complete with a call-to-action anyone with a soul couldn’t refuse?

Maybe I’m a cynic. When you work in advertising, you start to think about the motives behind everything. Maybe both romance and exposure for his band was this guy’s aim. While the video hasn’t gotten to her yet, the second part seems to be working out well – Katy Perry has tweeted it and he got an interview with The Village Voice. We’ll have to wait and see if his long-distance love is impressed, though I have a feeling she will be.

What do you think? Savvy social media marketing maneuver, or simply a romantic boyfriend sending a sweet message in a big way?

Have a WOMderful Thanksgiving!

The Cyphers Agency team is ready to get down on some turkey, how about you? Before we all head off for the long weekend, we thought we’d share awesome finds of the WOM persuasion with you. It’s always a good idea to have some light reading material on hand over the holidays so your social media know-how doesn’t get rusty, or just so you can have an excuse to not talk with Aunt Joan about her newest ailment.

Facebook’s “Email System” is Way More than Email

This morning we let you know that Facebook was making an announcement about their much anticipated Project Titan, a rumored web based email system that would challenge the likes of Gmail & Yahoo. Well folks, the rumors weren’t exactly accurate. Project Titan, or “Messages,” in and of itself isn’t a self-proclaimed “email killer” as much as it is a convergence conversation system. According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook will bring in SMS, email, IM, and Facebook messages into one place.

“Messages” Foundations

Seamless messaging – “Messages” will integrate across four platforms, listed above, into one singular system. The new platform will enable sending and receiving of all four forms of messaging. Messages no longer live in independent homes – your email account, your Facebook page, your phone – but will follow you to where you are depending if you are on or off-line, or if using a Facebook app on a smart phone.

Conversation history – The new messaging system will enable users to track all communications in a single thread, going across all platforms; a “box of letters,” if you will. This history will provide context to not only conversations, but relationships.

Social Inbox – There will three different inboxes categorized by conversation type: messages, other, junk. The first will group close friends and priority conversations. The second will comprise of messages from acquaintances, group messages, fan page messages, etc. The third is obvious: junk! The user will have control over who is categorized where, and can drag threads to different inboxes. Facebook will also allow users to bounce and filter messages from those you don’t want to hear from. This makes for a spam-proof and potentially much more private system than regular ol’ email.

Rollout

Facebook isn’t planning on rolling out “Messages” immediately or all at once. It will be an invite-only system for a bit, allowing users to give feedback and for Facebook to make necessary changes before opening it up to the general public. And while we want to be a part of that invite-only community, we think it is smart for Facebook to work out the kinks of the system before inviting the world in for criticism.

The Future of Email

Don’t worry, email isn’t dead. However, we think that this changes the way that friends will communicate with one another. Email, on the other hand, will take on a different set of priorities, maybe taking on more of a business role, enabling business partners and coworkers to maintain contact with each other. “Messages” will be used more for personal conversations with close friends.

Marketing Implications

As marketers, we must always be concerned about what Facebook changes mean for our clients. However, this new messaging system doesn’t alter Facebook’s awesome advertising platform. Ads will appear just as it did before: on the side bar. The content of the conversation will not play a role in the advertising displayed. The same old rules apply: content inputted into Facebook by the user will dictate advertising targeting options.

Our one critique is that it equalizes all forms of conversation. It assumes that people want to have the same kind of communication all on one platform. It doesn’t enable the ability to choose what topics you discuss over different platforms: it is all incorporated as one. Regardless, we think the ability converge on multiple platforms has great potential.

What do you think? How will this affect the way you communicate with your networks? Will you opt in to an @facebook.com address?

New Disney Campaign Wins Us Over

Lately, we are loving the new Disney campaign, “Let the Memories Begin.” The commercials expose real life experiences through a series of home videos displaying real moments between vacationing families.

For me personally, these commercials take me back to when I was young. There was nothing like waking up at the crack of dawn to catch a flight to some fantasy land you’ve never been to. These commercials tug at your heartstrings, making you long for days of yore.

What we here at The Cyphers Agency admire most about this campaign is that it is comprised entirely of user generated content: real people going to the park, real excitement, real memories. Control is being handed to the consumer. These real experiences bring back real memories for the audience, creating that emotional connection that is often difficult for advertisers to obtain.

Take a look at the campaign below and read more about how Disney is turning to guests to promote their park. What do you think about Disney’s new ads?

Social Good for a Social Media Generation

These days, it seems like everyone is “going digital” and leveraging social media to communicate their message. But, as we’ve mentioned before, it goes way beyond just Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. We’ve noticed that Web 2.0 is emerging as a way for newer generations to change the world without even leaving home. People are already making friends and doing things online based on their interests – its a natural next step to use social networks to connect to causes you care about.

Being A Part of the Online Experience.

Non-profits and corporations alike are embracing the web to get their message to millions of people. These groups can have enormous success by taking their causes online. While non-profits traditionally promote one fundraising event at a time, social media allows charitable organizations to become part of the online experience, enabling more frequent interactions with their audience. And if organizations make it is easy to get involved, people are more than willing to contribute.

It could be on a Facebook page where you can “like” an initiative you’re passionate about. In the case of Pedigree’s “Become a Fan, Help A Dog” campaign, fans can actually make a difference with just one click. Or you could use Twitter hashtags like #AmericaWants to share information with like-minded people and get your cause noticed. You can donate online, and not always just with your money – you can find volunteer opportunities through search engines, message boards and online communities like Jumo. It’s never been easier for people to support a cause.

So what?

Companies are seeing big results from engaging in social good. For example, Pepsi took their Super Bowl advertising budget and turned it into a social good phenomenon. Their Pepsi Refresh program has engaged thousands of regular people by giving them the opportunity to win grants for their grassroots projects. Even more so, Pepsi set aside an additional $1.2 million for projects dedicated to helping the Gulf after oil spill crisis occurred. Since January, more people have voted for Pepsi Refresh causes than voted in the last presidential election. Amazing, huh? And the best part? Pepsi hasn’t suffered from taking their Super Bowl ad money and setting it aside for good – they’ve received a tremendous amount of publicity for encouraging others.

What We’re Doing.

Here at The Cyphers Agency, we’re engaging in some social good of our own by support a local Annapolis grassroots effort, Carol for a Cause. The mission of this community project is simply promoting goodwill, and so we leverage social media and word of mouth tools to engage with people and spread our client’s message. Right now, we’re building some meaningful relationships with bloggers who care about the same things we care about and become ambassadors on our behalf. We’re also running an awesome contest where Carol for a Cause fans can show what “doing good” means to them. The winner will get money towards their favorite charity.

We’re happy to be taking part in social good. We’ve seen some incredible things happen through the web, and we’re glad that we can help businesses use such a powerful and multifaceted tool to make a difference. Have you seen anything like this online? We’d love it if you shared it with us by leaving a comment below.

Interactive YouTube Videos are Bringin’ It

Recently we’ve seen some amazing things done with YouTube. It seems that companies are leveraging the video platform to take their brand to an entirely new level (think Isaiah Mustafa and the Old Spice viral campaign). We recently came across an amazingly awesome interactive video, courtesy of Tipp-Ex correction fluid out of the UK.

At first, you come across your average YouTube video. Andy the Hunter is shown preparing to shoot a ferocious bear encroaching on his camp site. His cameraman is yelling at him in the background, begging him to shoot that dang bear! But Andy the Hunter freaks out and doesn’t want to shoot, so he enlists the help of Tipp-Ex and the viewer to help him rewrite the story. Check it out over at YouTube or follow the series of pictures below.

We played around, typed in some actions, and did exactly what Tipp-Ex wanted: for us to play around with their campaign.

The potential for this kind of engagement is limitless. It gives the consumer direct access to the product, brand, and messaging without smacking them across the face with it. This goes to show that if you provide fun or unique opportunities for your audience, interaction is almost a given. Humor doesn’t hurt either.

I can almost guarantee that more of these will start popping up online. While YouTube may not be the best avenue for every brand, it does encourage “think-outside-the-box” syndrome for brands who might ordinarily use traditional means of advertising. Thinking of new ways to approach the consumer while maintaining the same message can present challenges. In this case, Tipp-Ex took a classic product and made it digitally relevant. And for that, we applaud them.

Seen any like this recently? Leave a comment below – we’d love to learn about it.

Effectively Leveraging Facebook Advertising (part 2)

This is the second part of a two part series on Facebook Advertising. See part one of Effectively Leveraging Facebook Advertising here. Here are some recent graphs from a client’s Facebook advertising campaign.

In our last post, we talked about what we measure, how each metric is affected, and what they all mean. But you can’t just go sign up for a Facebook ad and automatically get these results. How do we get such great results from our Facebook ads? Read on…

Compelling Creative

We wouldn’t be in business if everyone could come up with a creative way to convey a client’s message to target audiences. Our creative team has been doing this for over 20 years, and Facebook ads are simply a new way to convey that message. When our creative team spends time working on our Facebook ads, they consistently achieve significantly higher results. We’ve tested!

Strategic Targeting

We don’t ever just blast out an ad to “everyone.” In this business, there is no “everyone.” There is always a specific target audience, usually many, that will be more interested than others in a clients message. If we are paying to send clients’ message to the wrong people, it’s a total waste of money. What we like about Facebook Advertising is that we can target users several different ways. We can target people based on their: location, likes/dislikes, relationship status, age, school, workplace, and more. With all of those options, we can usually pare down the audience to exactly the type of people that we want to target. That way, each time money gets spent to show the ad, it isn’t wasted on people that don’t care.

Tweaking and Maintenance

No, Tweaking and Maintenance aren’t our nicknames for the office interns. Rather, the terms describe the art of a successful Facebook Ad; the continual maintenance and tweaking of things like the ad copy (words in the ad), graphics, title, demographic targeting, keyword targeting, and bidding. We don’t have time to explain all the terms here, but the idea is to hit your different audiences sequentially, instead of all at the same time, so that you aren’t spending tens of thousands of dollars in a month. Instead, you target one audience after another. We monitor the real-time statistics to help determine when an ad has saturated a certain audience. When our results decrease to the point where our clients’ money is less effective and less efficient, we tweak (or completely redesign) the ad to target new audiences, or target the same audience a different way. This might be through different keywords, different creative strategy, or any one of the myriad adjustments that we can make.

Research and Planning

We didn’t just come up with a cute ad for our client out of nowhere. We started working with this client months and months ago, as every good campaign starts, with a marketing plan and a creative strategy. That way, every time we want to create a new campaign or a new ad, we have all the information we need at our fingertips, and we are better equipped to clearly articulate our clients’ value proposition to their different audiences. Without the appropriate research and planning, we wouldn’t know who target audiences are, where they interact online, or what the client’s message should be.

So there you have it – more than you ever wanted to know about Facebook Advertising. Any questions?