WHERE TO START WITH SOCIAL MEDIA?

Building a Social Media destination, like a Facebook page, LinkedIn group or new website with added social functionality is rarely the way to embark on a Social Media campaign.  

Whilst an overall Sponsorship & Social Media strategy might ultimately feature these tools, unless you've got bags of new, on-brand content sitting in your media library, they're unlikely to be the best first step.  

Social Media is nothing without Social Content, in the same way that a billboard is nothing without an ad and a Radio Show nothing without a DJ.  Social Content comes first.  What you need to put out there comes before where you put it.  This means asking yourself the same question you normally would before embarking on any marketing activity, 'what do I want to achieve and who am I targeting?'

Your passionate target audience are already out there, using Social Media, consuming and sharing content, across many digital destinations and platforms, from blog posts to Twitter accounts to Facebook pages to specialist interest communities to good old fashioned one-way web sites.   

The key is to create something that is of value to your consumer (read our POV on entertainment vs. enablement as Social Content) and put it where they can most easily find and appreciate it.  If your Social Content offers real value, it will naturally be shared across existing destinations.  Your own destination can come when your consumers have developed a taste for the value you offer and it comes frequently enough to warrant it's own 'outlet'.   

But as a first step, create Social Content that gets your message across and is of value to your community.  This will travel and transcend boundaries.

Long before running fans flocked to Nike's Running Community (the world's largest running club), they consumed and shared news of 'NikeRun 10K' events (Social Content).

Long before live music fans embraced o2's Blueroom as a conduit to premium music experiences, they signed up and poked their friends about PRIORITY (Social Content). 

Long before football fans checked in at McDonalds Football, mums signed up and encouraged other mums to join the brand's grass roots coaching scheme, 'Mums on the Ball' (Social Content).

Content creates Connections create Community.

What do you want to say?

Tweet

SPONSORSHIP'S ROLE IN RETAINING 'CONTROL' IN SOCIAL MEDIA.

Sponsorship gives brands a fantastic access point into Social Media, especially those with concerns about 'loss of control'.  Consumers are given free reign to say what they think, wherever and whenever they want...and for some brand owners, this is scary stuff.

The Social Media industry gives some stock responses to the calls for clarity and confidence:

"Your consumers are talking about your brand through social media anyway.  You have no choice but to get involved."

"It's not a question of whether to do social media.  It's a question of how."

"You've just got to jump right in with both feet.  Fortune favours the brave."

Although true, none of these responses restore confidence or give brand owners a sensible pathway into social media.  Sponsorship is a great way to dip that toe in the wide open ocean that is Social Media.  Here's the '3 Ps' that make the difference:

1. PASSION-POWERED CONTENT

Sponsorship operates in a space where activity is inspired by people and their passions or interests.  

In Social Media, the Sponsorship-driven conversation is smaller, warmer and more welcoming than many other brand conversations that take place, such as customer service.   

2. PARTICIPATIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Great Sponsorship ideas are 'participative'.  Social Media facilitates participation in a big way.  

When consumers are part of the solution, Sponsorship platforms are co-created and co-owned.  This strengthens a brand's positive bond with the community that helped build them and share them.

3. POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP

The big opportunity for brands in Sponsorship is to help consumers and customers get more from their passions.  Today, it's more about enablement than entertainment.  Sponsorship's social voice is insightful, helpful and value-adding - part of an intrinsically positive conversation. 

So, yes.  Regardless of whether your brand 'does' Social Media or not, consumers are 'doing' it and they are talking about you.  And, yes. you do have to get involved to reap the rewards.  

Sponsorship is a great way to enter the world of Social Media confidently and positively.

Tweet

FEED THE FANS AND BUILD BRAND HUNGER

Communities of fans are a hotbed of high quality insights, inspiration and ideas for brands looking to create Sponsorship Platforms that give their consumers what they want.  

Something exciting happens when you ask fans what they want and then give it to them: they get hungry for more.  

Not just for more of what they want, but for more opportunities to contribute their thoughts, voice their needs and express their desires.

As these thoughts, needs and desires are answered in the form of new experiences and content from brands, consumers get savvy, they get a taste for it...and look out for the next opportunity to shape their lifestyle experiences through brands.

The brand becomes the catalyst, the enabler, the man that makes it happen.

This is interesting stuff.  

This is not brand PUSHING to consumer.

This not brand PULLING consumer in.

This is consumer PULLING brand in.

For the consumer, brand becomes 'opportunity to get me closer'.

josh@robinsonpincus.com

Tweet