Today, social marketing has matured. Instead of winging it, a solid audit of the various channels available and one's marketing goals now is virtually required to make social outreach a real part of the marketing mix rather than an experiment.
“That's the key, determining the goal of your program and, even more granular, the specific goals of the different social properties,” said Kirsten Bjork-Jones, director-global marketing communications at Edmund Optics, a worldwide producer of optics, imaging and photonics technology. The company examined the “social landscape” of its competitors, customers and prospects; made sure its brand was “claimed” within each social channel; and planned content, timelines and metrics.
“The audit is not [simply] about assessing where we stand at this moment in time but also where we have some opportunities, where we can stand out,” Bjork-Jones said. “Our industry wasn't the quickest to adopt social, but clearly we are social in our personal lives. That's where we set this up. We wanted to be in the forefront of people's minds.”
For help, Edmund Optics turned to Digital Brand Expressions, a Princeton, N.J.-based search and social media consultancy. Digital Brand Expressions offered a five-step process that began with protecting the company's brand by claiming corporate names and marques. The process continued with an external and internal social audit of who's doing what in the social space; a strategic analysis of the regulatory landscape (if applicable) and which channels are most appropriate for which goals; building out channels with design and content; and management of the ongoing program.
“We call it the "five phase social media parachute process,' ” said Veronica Fielding, Digital Brand Expressions president-CEO. “Many companies still jump into social. We say that's OK, but just have a parachute ready.”
At Edmund Optics, Bjork-Jones settled on three social channels: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
“Facebook tends to be personal and is important for recruiting, retention and customer relations,” Bjork-Jones said. “And one thing that sets it apart from the other channels is the use of photos. We use Facebook to promote our culture, to show the human side of the company.”
The company decided to use Twitter more as a classic marketing tool to break company news and further brand awareness. And the company's presence at trade shows was supported with ongoing tweets about promotions and events.
“And YouTube is where we made a significant investment,” Bjork-Jones said. She hired the services of a professional videographer, whose work is featured on the Edmund Optics YouTube channel with demonstrations and explanations of company products and newer optical techniques, she said.
Product highlights aside, one of the most popular company videos is “Rube Goldberg—Happy Holidays From Edmund Optics,” showing how engineers might devise a way to put marshmallows in their holiday hot chocolate. After a mind-boggling array of skittering balls, miniature trains, catapults and rolling imaging lenses, a shower of marshmallows does indeed wind up in cups ... and everywhere else as well.
“It's a fun way for people to interact with our brand,” Bjork-Jones said of the tongue-in-cheek video. “You want people talking about you instead of your competitors.”
On the traditional front, Edmund Optics annually mails about 2 million copies of its 436-page catalog. But a well-planned social media program is thoroughly integrated in the mix as well.
“Social media is a natural extension of traditional marketing,” Bjork-Jones said. “Of course, it gives us marketers some anxiety. Now there are even more channels we have to monitor.”
THE CONVERSATION (add your response in the comments): Have you done a social marketing audit, and with what results?
