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Social CRM/Big Data in the News: Barack Obama’s Re-election Tied to Efficient Use of Big Data

November 7, 2012

Social CRM/Big Data played a critical role in the re-election of Barack Obama. In order to understand how and why this happened, it’s important to understand what Social CRM means. At its core, Social CRM/Big Data is customer relationship management system which uses social, mobile and digital channels to keep track of and respond to the needs and wants of an organization’s existing or prospective customers or supporters.

Businesses have used some form of CRM for many years, but it has only been in the past few years that digital, mobile and social media have had sufficient penetration that enabled them to be used to listen and respond to customers. The “trick” in this complicated calculus is to understand both the listening and the responding sides of this equation.

President-elect Obama surrounded himself with a team of Social CRM/Big Data experts and they used these mobile, social and digital tools in: (a) the identification of likely supporters in key electoral college states (e.g. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada), (b) the timely messaging of these supporters and Obama leaning prospects and (c) turning them out on an early voting and election day ground game that would have made Patton proud.

The Candidates Spent Campaign Funds Differently

The lede on any post-election analysis/stories will likely involve the record setting expenditures of both candidates. While the numbers have not been tallied at the time of this writing, it is safe to say that total collective expenditures of the Romney and Obama camps will be north of $2 billion, which makes it the most expensive campaign in the history of the United States. Unlike most previous campaigns, both Romney and Obama seemed to have plenty of cash to spend and their choices on allocation of these budgets will likely be analyzed by future candidates for many years to come.

Most of these campaign dollars went to broadcast media – specifically network and local television spots – that reached parts of the country that held large pockets of Electoral College voters. The Electoral College, often described as a byzantine relic of the early days of the country, consists of electors who are supposed (but are not legally obligated) to vote for the candidate who received the majority of votes in their state. The magic number for any candidate is 270 Electoral College votes.

Both candidates purchased as much TV spot inventory as was available in Electoral College rich areas that pollsters said were still in play on elections day. The unfortunate citizens of the states of Ohio, Florida, Nevada, Colorado and Virginia were inundated with TV ads – usually of the negative variety – from both camps. However, the manner that the two candidates allocated their budgets in the realm of Social CRM/Big Data media is telling indeed.

Digital Marketing Expenditures Tell the Tale

The Federal Election Commission filing, reported by the publication “Politico” noted that the campaign for President Obama spent more than $47 million for online advertising and marketing, compared to $4.7 million by Governor Romney. This represents a substantial difference in priorities, given that both men had ample budgets to do pretty much whatever they wanted to do.

This digital component is an important tactic in any Social CRM/Big Data strategy and clearly the Obama camp felt it was about 10 times more important than Romney’s team. However, the volume of money is not the complete story. Every business person knows that “about 50% of all advertising (even digital advertising) is wasted” which is folksy way of saying that savvy targeting of the best online media and tactics is more important that flooding cyberspace with a huge volume of un-targeted messages.

The Obama campaign used search, key-word advertising and other digital media such as targeted banner ads with good precision, particularly after each of the Presidential debates. Several third-party companies, which were not associated with either campaign, noted that the Obama campaign responded to media references to “wins” and “losses” after the debates with paid-search ads and compelling landing page that supported his points. This is a classic Social CRM/Big Data strategy and the Romney camp did not take advantage of this tactic.

Search agency Rosetta, offered some post-election analysis of the keyword paid search ads before and after the debates and noted that neither candidate used as many key-words as they could have but Obama did a better job, particularly in the key Electoral state of Ohio. In this state, the search company noted that Romney held 3% coverage and Obama had 41% coverage.

Both candidates had plenty of resources, but Obama chose to place his in this very specific digital realm and respond to specific issues raised by the voters after the debates. So, if the voter Googled a search query that was tied to the key words that Obama had bought, a specific digital display ad would pop up.

Businesses can also take a cue from how the two camps dealt with bidding on competitive brand terms. Both candidates had a strategy in place to deal with searches from voters about the other side’s stances. Romney bid on Obama-related terms about 35% of the time and Obama bid on Romney-related terms about 17% of the time.

The lesson here is one that search marketers try and share with their business clients. The prices are higher and the conversion rates are lower when the bidding is for competitive brands, because people who are buying paper towels or presidential candidates have a brand preference and it is very difficult to get them to change brands. Thus, most of the money bid on these competitive terms was likely ill-spent.

Other Social CRM/Big Data Effects

As late as the Monday before Election Day, social, mobile and digital media experts were predicting an Obama victory based on his allocation of budgets to these media. During the campaign, it was reported that President Obama was averaging between $4,400 and $13,100 daily on Google search ads, compared to Governor Romney’s $3,400 to $6,300 daily spend. The Obama camp also spent considerably more of its budget on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter than did the Romney team. Website visitors to the Romney website were estimated to be 2.6 million versus Obama who had 8.6 million visitors. Romney got 28,579 YouTube subscribers and Obama got 257,471 subscribers. On Twitter, Obama was a tweeting machine. He had 21.7 million Twitter followers and Romney had 1.6 million. There is an obvious disparity between the two candidates social media presence.

Even the weather proved to favor Obama’s campaign. During Hurricane Sandy, when most of the populous Northeastern states were without electricity, and therefore were not susceptible to TV advertising, Obama appeared to take a page out of the Social CRM/Big Data playbook using mobile tactics to energize voters, many of whom were sitting in the dark at home waiting for the power to come on. Although many mobile advertising specialists noted that neither candidate took advantage of all of the aspects of mobile marketing, Obama seemed to do better than Romney, particularly in using the Social CRM/Big Data tactic to turn out the pro-Obama voters on Election Day in critical states such as Ohio.

What Else Happened?

In a U.S. presidential campaign, there are many factors that determine the outcome, many of which have little to do with Social CRM/Big Data. For example, there were big gaps between the two candidates among women voters, Hispanic voters and white male voters. Plus, the positive earned media that Obama received after Hurricane Sandy was a powerful image of the leader of the country working with local officials to help those in need and this was no doubt on the minds of many when they went to the polls. One could argue that these other factors were exploited/enhanced by Obama’s use of Social CRM/Big Data.

However, the positive effect of Social CRM/Big Data was much more dramatic than the percentage of the budget it received and this will not be lost on future campaigns. Mobile, digital and social media are relatively new tools for candidates involved in electoral politics and by the time the next Presidential campaign rolls around, there will likely be more digitally-based media that have not even been invented yet.

Interested in Social CRM/Big Data? Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo credit: soleilnoelle.blogspot.com via Melba Gipson / Zodiac Mugs / on Pinterest

Social CRM/Big Data in the News: Marketing Lessons Learned from Hurricane Sandy

October 30, 2012

Social CRM/Big Data tactics are normally used to help businesses understand their customers and drive revenues However, when a major storm hits one of the most populated and most digitally plugged-in areas in the world – the cities in the northeastern United States – and disrupts even the most basic services such as power and public transit, it can have other uses such as response and rescue. Hurricane Sandy and her aftermath is also proving to be an excellent testing ground for companies that want to build loyalty that will stay in effect long after the water has been pumped out of the subway tunnels.

Real Terror on the Eve of Halloween

The so-called “Frankenstorm” that traveled up the Atlantic seaboard during the final week of October 2012 got its name from its proximity to Halloween and the fact that many dangerous weather elements – hurricane winds, rain, snow, wind and even the full moon – combined to form one, monstrous storm. Since hurricanes usually slam into warmer coastal areas that typically don’t have the population density as the northeast U.S., the circumstances surrounding this storm held the prospect of much more mayhem than its Category 1 status might suggest.

Hurricane Sandy, with its high winds and drenching rain collided with a strong cold front from Canada and battered the heavily populated northeastern U.S. Even the moon joined forces with the superstorm. The day that this hurricane came on shore was the day of the full moon of October. This astronomical event is also known as the “Hunter’s Moon” and it marks a time when the sun, earth and moon are in a straight line. Because of this, the gravitational effect of the moon is increased.

This phenomenon results in higher tides and this had devastating effects on water surge in the area. The reason for this is simple. When the moon is directly over the water, gravity lifts the water toward the moon, resulting in higher tides. When the wind of the hurricane blows over these tides, the wall of water is blown much higher over the land than normal. This resulted in a high water surge that swamped one Consolidated Edison substation in Manhattan’s East Village, which has never before been flooded, and caused an outage of the underground electrical systems. More than 1 million ConEd customers lost power and most of these will not regain electricity for days.

Mobile is Always On

Reliance on mobile media took a giant step forward as a result of this massive storm. With all of the hoopla surrounding social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, some Social CRM/Big Data practitioners forget about the unique benefits of mobile communication. Mobile has been called the “always on media” and this distinction has proven to be invaluable to pre-storm warnings, aftermath rescue efforts and practical marketing programs for those who are affected by Hurricane Sandy. This is especially true with news and weather websites. More on this later.

During and after the storm, Social CRM/Big Data experts are watching the performance of the mobile media such as mobile websites and SMS texting programs to ensure that the systems can withstand the pressure of dramatic increases in usage. This represents a never-before case study of the effectiveness and performance of mobile communication.

With the power outages that are associated with this storm, where millions of people are without electricity, smartphones are being used to access the web, connect on social media, send and receive texts and communicate with loved one using old fashion telephone function.

Consumers have already begun to rely on their mobile devices for everyday activities such as shopping in record numbers. However during the aftermath of the storm they will be accessing mobile apps such as the Weather Channel app and taking advantage of the temporary lifting of the subscription payment wall from publications such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. These publications normally charge a fee for their content but chose to make it free to help inform readers who are affected by the storm. While the intent of this action is no doubt altruistic, it is also a brilliant promotional tool to introduce the content of these media to millions of prospective subscribers!

What Happens When Frankenstorm Goes Back to the Laboratory?

It’s interesting to consider what effect Social CRM/Big Data tactics will have after Frankenstorm is just a bad memory. How will customer engagement change with such media such as the Weather Channel, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times? What about the forward-thinking retailers who use Social CRM/Big Data tactics to help consumers find goods and services during and after the storm? Hurricane Sandy might offer another excellent case study for the efficacy of Social CRM/Big Data.

First, here are a few predictions:

Mobile media will be used by millions of new customers and found to be invaluable for emergency situations. This will translate into more mobile penetration post hurricane.
Mobile applications such as the excellent Red Cross app will be emulated by other philanthropic organizations.
Media such as the Weather Channel, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times will be consumed by hundreds of thousands of new readers, some of whom will choose to pay the fees for this content in the future.
Retailers that use social, mobile and digital media combined with sound Social CRM/Big Data tactics such as tracking customer complaints media habits will earn new customers and increased market share.
Talented citizen journalists who posted about the storm on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks via blogs will establish new followers and some will keep these readers long after the mess of the storm has been cleared.
Smart companies will see this type of stressful situation as a chance to build consumer sampling programs for their products.

What Doesn’t Destroy You Makes You Stronger

Many technology companies are closely watching the effects of Hurricane Sandy on their digital, mobile and social network tools and equipment. The stress that results from emergency situations force companies to build sturdier and more robust equipment and software. However, the people who are involved in the marketing strategy and tactics for consumer products companies, media companies and other categories can also benefit from the lessons of Hurricane Sandy.

Innovative Social CRM/Big Data tactics can help companies “listen” to their customers more effectively, predict what might occur under emergency conditions and communicate with these customers before, during and after the emergency. Because these events of Hurricane Sandy occurred in and around the media center of New York City, the effects of social, mobile and digital media responses – Social CRM/Big Data – will be magnified and communicated worldwide.

Our hopes and prayers are with the people in the affected areas. When the winds and rain die down, let’s put our contributions and our support behind the families who will be rebuilding some of the greatest cities in the world.

Interested in Social CRM/Big Data? Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo Credits: ccho on Flickr, Duke Punhong

Social CRM in the News: What Big Bird Can Teach PBS About Using Social, Mobile and Digital Channels to Raise Money?

October 9, 2012

Big Bird: Social CRM change agent

This blog post is brought to you by the word “Social” and the letters “C-R-M.” As many online and traditional media pundits have noted, last week’s presidential debate has a clear and obvious winner and his name is Big Bird. In less than seven days, this large and somewhat shy yellow bird has become a multimedia sensation. He’s large and in charge.

With appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” “The Today Show” and thousands of other television newscasts, plus hundreds of thousands of tweets and other social network mentions and goodness knows how many emails and blog references, Big Bird has accomplished in less than one week what it took “The Most Interesting Man in the World” years to do. He’s become a meme.

The phenomenal social, digital, mobile and traditional media chatter that surrounds the Big Bird controversy could serve as a platform for Public Broadcasting to get in the black without taking another federal dollar. All it will take is some well-conceived Social CRM tactics.

The Back Story

For anyone who has been in a coma since Wednesday night’s presidential debate and has not seen any news & entertainment websites, blogs, twitter feeds, Facebook posts or text messages, here’s the back story on Big Bird’s blow-up. It’s a textbook case for the power of social, digital, mobile technology, in other words, it’s another example of how Social CRM can be used for fun and profit.

It started simply enough. Midway through the debate, Republican challenger Mitt Romney vowed to cut subsidies for television’s PBS. He followed that claim by stating “I love Big Bird. I actually like you too (referring to the debate’s moderator, PBS’ Jim Lehrer) but I’m going to stop borrowing money from China to pay for things we don’t need.” Pretty tame stuff as campaign rhetoric goes. However, somebody forgot to tell the world.

As social media blogger Jason Boies notes, “After that, “Big Bird” was Tweeted 17,000 times per minute and it was also the fourth highest-rising search term on Google… Showcasing just how quickly social media allows people to respond to major TV events and news happenings.” Over the next 36-hours, it was reported that social media posts that mentioned Big Bird exceeded 373,000 conversations. Not bad for fictional character on educational TV.

“Entrepreneur’s” Catherine Clifford wrote, “Almost instantaneously, Big Bird became a social media sensation. Twitter handles were created — @FiredBigBird and @BigBirdRomney — among others. The debate was the most tweeted political event in history, according to Twitter’s political branch, with 10.3 million Tweets in 90 minutes.” It’s enough to make even Oscar the Grouch smile.

In Clifford’s article she highlighted the “lessons” entrepreneurs should learn from the public’s response to the threat to downsize the big yellow bird. “(1) Emotional is best. The reason that everyone got so up in arms about Big Bird, during a presidential debate chock full of economic policy no less, is because people care about Big Bird. People remember Big Bird from their childhood, or they know that their own children are fans of Big Bird. (2) Make it visual. Big Bird is more than 8 feet tall and bright yellow. He’s hard to miss. There were images of Big Bird served on a Thanksgiving dish and Big Bird waiting on an employment line. People react to the images and share them. (3) You have got to be on top of your brand on social media. The worst thing an entrepreneur can do is not respond when his or her brand is on stage in the social media world. Things happen quickly. And you can’t have your head in the sand.”

What Does This Mean for PBS and Other Non-Profits

Professional sports teams know that investing in a superstar can pay big dividends in the form of putting butts in seats. The movie industry is also based on this simple premise. People will pay to see an athletic star or an “A” list star perform. We don’t need the The Count to prove this. The numbers don’t lie. So, what does this mean to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting? Can Big Bird save them? Yes he can. All it takes is for someone at the public television network to embrace Social CRM tactics.

There are several Social CRM tactics that should be explored by PBS while Big Bird is a media maven. There is no doubt that a “non-profit” organization like PBS has very specific and likely proprietary objectives that outsiders may not have access to or understand. Ultimately, however, the network is similar to other philanthropic endeavors in that it seeks to engage the largest group of supporters and, in the process, encourages these supporters to put their money where their support is. This is where Social CRM can help.

Hopefully, the network, which is seen as social media savvy by many experts, has started doing some of these things while the yellow bird is red hot. Social CRM strategists would suggest that PBS, immediately implement these tactics.

Publically available data should be gathered from all of the social networks and aggregated in a database. This can enable the network to identify its supporters and use the Social CRM data to solicit donations to “Save Big Bird and All of His Friends.”
This database of supporters can also be used for ongoing messaging via digital media such as electronic newsletters, websites or mobile media such as opt-in text messaging and other media about how funds are used, what innovative programs are upcoming, how to support local and national PBS initiatives.
Permission for future communications can be obtained from those (millions) of people who were/are up in arms about the prospect of Big Bird getting his pink slip. All it takes is a simple Social CRM tool to ask for this.
With this level of excitement, PBS might consider using a very effective Social CRM tactic to raise money – crowdsourced fund-raising. Using Big Bird as the primary creative element on a platform such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo and then employing social media to promote this effort could reap substantial investments from friends of the Bird.
Another simple fund-raising/engagement technique that Social CRM practitioners use involves building cross-promotions between PBS and other traditional media such as newspapers and other broadcaster, websites, social network contests, mobile applications and any number of media that allow supporters of the Bird to weigh in with their checkbooks.

The possibility that an iconic character of our collective childhood – Big Bird – could possibly be eliminated clearly struck a chord with millions of Republicans, Democrats and independents. Now is a great time for PBS to use this hue and cry to build a funding juggernaut and all it takes is learning the lessons of the word and letters that brought you today’s post – Social CRM.

Interested in Social CRM? Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo credit: britannica.com via Beth on Pinterest

Social CRM in the News: Emmy Awards Spoof Shows the Power of Social Media

September 25, 2012

Social CRM and funny business can be complimentary. In fact, the biggest joke of this past weekend, unless you count the work of the replacement NFL officials, was Tracy Morgan passing out cold on stage at the Emmy Awards Sunday night. This was part of a social media prank to drive Twitter feeds crafted by the producers of the show and host Jimmy Kimmel. It shows how powerful Social CRM is – especially when it’s tied to a live event on network television – and how pervasive social media has become in pop culture.

During the show, Morgan, in full formal attire, came on stage and appeared to pass out, falling to the stage. Kimmel suggested that viewers tweet “OMG Tracy Morgan just passed out on stage! Turn on ABC now!” to help boost ratings and to play a prank on Twitter users who weren’t watching the broadcast. Then the social media fun began!

After Morgan assumed the position on the stage – in this case, supine – TV stars like Stephen Colbert and Joel McHale got out their phones to participate. The fact that both men have a large number of Twitter followers no doubt enhanced the promotional effort. Even though anyone who was watching the show was aware that this was a gag (unless they had chosen this moment to go into the kitchen and grab a snack), the power of social media which in this case was Twitter, kicked into high gear!

Morgan remained on the stage floor during the entire commercial break that followed. Country music stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, who appeared a bit confused by the gag and may not have been informed of the ruse, had to step over Morgan when they presented the next award.

While we can’t know all of the data acquisition objectives for this prank, we DO know that the opportunities for meeting Social CRM objectives are immense! For example, the producers can and possible will use this data to ascertain the effectiveness of one media (social) to drive traffic in other media (TV). They can use the data resulting from this gag to collect additional information on those consumers who were both watching the show and those who resend this message via their social networks. They could use this Social CRM to identify influencers and could potentially gain permission to re-engage with these consumers in the future.

As any business who has taped the power of Social CRM could have predicted, the stunt worked. More than 25,000 tweets followed after Kimmel made the request. When Morgan was literally dragged off the stage, he screamed, “Tell Kerry Washington I’m all right!”

So, what Social CRM lessons can be gleaned from the silly but ultimately effective stunt? Getting a social media message to “go viral” can be dramatically enhanced when they are instigated on live events, particularly glamorous live events such as an awards show on network TV. However, this same social media rush has been seen when it was associated with events that are decidedly unglamorous – armed conflicts, riots and wars for example.

With a great deal of planning and approval from the live TV event producers, consumer products companies could exploit this Social CRM tactic, to drive social media penetration. Just as Kimmel urged everyone watching to tweet “OMG. Tracy Morgan has passed out at the Emmy Awards. Tune into ABC,” this type of effort could be used to promote anything else.

There is however, a landmine field surrounding this Social CRM tactic. Most people don’t like being made to feel silly or dumb. Those who are in on the gag (in this case millions of people who were watching the telecast), were likely to think this gag was humorous. Those who were checking the Twitter feed on their mobile phone and were duped into turning of ABC to see what was up with Tracy Morgan, might not be laughing. There is a big possibility of backlash when Social CRM tactics such as this are used.

Another, one more subtle, Social CRM tactic could be at work here. Jimmy Kimmel is moving into late night hot seat to compete against Letterman and Leno. It was clearly no accident that he was chosen by ABC to host the Emmy’s and to execute the social media stunt. Imagine what the producers of the new Kimmel show could do with the data that could be gleaned from this gag in many areas, including driving new viewers to sample the show.

Increasingly, live TV awards shows are being hyped by social media and Social CRM can be used to “listen” to these activities and repurpose this content across social, mobile and digital channels. Media Post notes that “social media TV consumers hyped the “64th Prime Time Emmy Awards” much more than a year ago. But the big TV awards event was well behind other entertainment awards TV programs.

Trendrr, a social media researcher, says social media interactions grew 42% to 1.57 million — up from 1.1 million a year ago. Total on-air activity was at 1.26 million. Trendrr says total activity accounts for all social interactions of public profiles on Twitter, Facebook, Get Glue and Viggle.

The report noted that positive sentiment of those messages was at 54 percent, 23 percent of those messages were negative and another 23 percent were neutral. This Big Data can be used by social media practitioners to plan future promotions. As with most TV programming in prime time, women made up the majority of those who sent out social messages at 61 percent, giving men 39 percent.

All this gave “The Emmy Awards” sixth place for the year among award shows. The still overwhelming leader was MTV’s “2012 MTV Video Music Awards” with 19,175,032 interactions. It was also the overall leader in social media for any TV show.

Future Social CRM campaigns might consider the other big award shows from this year. These include: “The 54th Annual Grammy Awards,” “The BET Awards ’12″, “The 84th Annual Academy Awards” and Fox’s “Teen Choice 2012.”

Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo Credit: baubauhaus.com via Ítallo on Pinterest

Social CRM in the News: Social Media and Kate Middleton’s Topless Photo Scandal

September 18, 2012

Scandals, particularly those that involve famous people in various stages of undress, spread through social media as fast as you can spell Princess Kate, Prince Harry or paparazzi. Of course, this assumes that you can spell paparazzi. This tendency is both a boon and a challenge for practitioners of Social CRM.

As you read this post, millions of otherwise civilized and sane people are surreptitiously Googling: Kate Middleton’s Topless Photos. Why? It’s basic human nature following the new rules of Social CRM.

The ubiquity of social media allows, and even encourages, people to read, react, and share such juicy information, and the juicer the better! This pushes everyone the deliciously forbidden area that religious blogger Alan Rudnick calls “social media voyeurism.” Most of us would agree that being associated with the term “voyeurism” is not something to be proud of. This involves someone secretly watching someone else who is not aware that they are being observed. It’s a word, for better or worse, which has that faint hint of perversion associated with it.

Unfortunately for the Royal family, the members of the working paparazzi have been called much worse names than perverted. This group could care less about privacy, good taste or common decency. They are merely concerned about getting paid and get paid is exactly what someone who secretly snaps a photo of Princess Kate while she’s partially clothed does.

As Rudnick noted in his blog, “The social media voyeurism plays out on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and other platforms and it feeds our need to know everything about everyone. The whole concept of Facebook is based on the idea that we really need to tell everyone what we are thinking.”

So, what can companies learn from this latest scandal? First, once a story is “on” social media, there is no stopping it and no way to ameliorate the damage. Even though the Royal Family has chosen to bring suit in France because the photos first appeared in a French publication and the country has very strict privacy rules, these photos will be on digital, social and mobile channels forever.

Secondly, companies and high-profile individuals should anticipate potential problems that will occur when the jackals of the paparazzi see a potential paycheck and put extra firewalls between them and the jackals. Sadly, the power of social media has mandated that companies and famous people have a higher standard of behavior than the rest of us regular folks.

Finally, companies should employ sound Social CRM practices that harness this incredible power of social, digital and mobile media, especially when it is combined with traditional media such as reality TV and mainstream news programs. By closely listening to the social media, digital and mobile channels and offering these users something of value or interest, companies can use this media to meet marketing and public relations objectives. Plus, everyone can keep their clothes on while this is occurring!

Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo Credit: racked.com via Julia on Pinterest

Social CRM in the News: Social Media for Fan Engagement in the New NFL Season

September 11, 2012

Are you ready for some NFL football? Apparently a lot of people are because media experts estimate that 181 million people make up the NFL fan base. Many of these rabid fans are using social, mobile and digital media to get access to the never-ending story-lines. Plus, the blue-ribbon advertisers such as GM Trucks and Proctor & Gamble are deploying Social CRM strategies to take advantage of this massive and extremely engaged audience.

The NFL’s digital media group, led by Jeff Berman, has implemented programs that ascertain what fans want to know, when they want to get this information and what medium they want to use access it. This is a classic Social CRM strategy. The league’s new content management system is designed to get fan input about league-wide initiatives and the NFL team platforms give these teams the opportunity to experiment with new social, mobile and digital programs.

There is a particular emphasis on mobile and social programs this year. Forbes noted that the every NFL team has implemented mobile-optimized websites that enable fans to quickly and easily find reams of information about their favorite teams on their mobile phones. Again, this is an excellent Social CRM tactic. The New England Patriots head of new media, Fred Kirsch, was quoted as saying that the team’s “biggest growth area in digital has been our app for iOS and Android.” The team uses these apps to incentivize and reward fans and it “takes the engagement to the next level.”

Companies have eagerly stepped up to pay the hefty price tag for NFL sponsorships and most are incorporating Social CRM tactics to activate these deals. The General Motors GMC Truck division is the “Official Vehicle of the NFL” and they will again use the “Never Say Never” campaign to build excitement. The company will have weekly contests where NFL fans vote on their favorite plays, interact with football star on social media and get a chance to catch a hail-Mary GMC vehicle of their choice, tickets to Monday Night football games or tickets to the Super Bowl. All of these efforts will involve the company coordinating Social CRM campaigns with the NFL.

While it may surprise some that there is an Official Detergent of the NFL, but there most definitely is one and it’s Tide. The brand has hired New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees to serve as its spokesman and it will use Social CRM tactics such as running videos featuring him online and in social media. The brand will also incorporate local marketing elements such as Tide bottles decorated in team colors. The campaign themes for this effort: “They’re not just colors. They’re your Sunday best!” and “When colors mean this much, you can only trust them to Tide.”

All of these programs, from those of the teams to those of sponsors, are designed to build even more fanatical loyalty of NFL fans for their favorite teams and products that have paid for the “halo effect.” In the process, Social CRM tactics are becoming even more important to these loyalty building efforts.

Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo Credit: google.com via Donatella on Pinterest

How to Make Social CRM Work for Your Brand: Get It in the Hands of Your Salesforce

September 9, 2012

Source: tumblr.com via Maddie on Pinterest

At Pocketstop we know Social CRM. We know the technology and how to power the people behind that technology, but there’s one very important step your brand needs to take to get the most out of a Social CRM platform: put Social CRM in the hands of your salespeople.

Once your brand makes the move towards Social CRM, you’re moving in the right direction. Use these tips and you’ll maximize the already strong force behind such a powerful platform:

1. Remember that your salespeople may not be as techy as the rest of the team

Chances are you’ve got a team of marketers, creatives and/or developers who know the latest and greatest social media tools and how to use them. It’s true that your salespeople might be up-to-speed with what’s happening online and behind the scenes, but don’t make any assumptions. Many times salespeople are out there using their days to make face-to-face interactions with your clients instead of all day at a computer. They might not be as tech savvy as the rest of your bunch, and it’s your salespeople you need to keep in mind when thinking about the ease of your interface. Keep it simple and easy to use.

2. Remind your sales team that social media and online tools are a good use of their time

Unfortunately, spending time online has developed a reputation of being a time-waster. But when you’re using your Social CRM platform to analyze online behavior, online is where you need to be. You can’t get to know online trends and the people behind them without spending time online yourself. Encourage your salespeople to spend time online using social media tools.

3. Integrate your Social CRM platform into your sales flow

Many teams tend to think of Social CRM as an extra tool instead of part of the everyday plan. Change this attitude by including integral steps of your sales flow into your Social CRM platform. Train your salesforce on your platform and send frequent reminders about updates and/or new tools.

Social Series: The Social Success of Fashion’s Night Out

September 6, 2012

Source: mooshoes.com via raven on Pinterest

Designers, editors, celebrities, and fashionistas from all over the globe will be joining together tonight for the fashion extravaganza that is Fashion’s Night Out. The one night event was created in 2009 by Vogue’s Editor in Chief, Anna Wintour as a way to “restore consumer confidence” during the recession. This year FNO turns 4 and the fashion industry is pulling out all the stops. This of course, includes going social.

Before I plunge like the necklines on Alexander Wang’s new Spring collection into the many ways Fashion’s Night Out will incorporate social media into the big night, let me first tell you why social media has been so vital to the fashion world since its debut. Many believe it’s because fashion is all about telling a story and social media creates a better, more interactive, more engaging way to tell that story. Stacey Bendet of Alice+Olivia looks at social media as creating the world of your brand. Ari Goldberg, CEO of Stylecaster goes as far to say that “Brands that do not engage using social media will not be here in ten years to talk about it!” Quite a bold statement. Bold, but predictably true. It’s evident that brands are not taking the addition of social media into their marketing mix very lightly as we can see with designers such as Calvin Klein. The well-known brand increased its advertising budget for interactive and online media from just 1% in 2009 to 23% in 2012.

This being the fourth year for FNO, the core-team of organizers behind it wanted to expand the impact of the night, and what better way to engage with people all over the world and with all different interests than through social media? But how exactly is Fashion’s Night Out going to use the socialsphere to tell their story tonight? To start out, fashionistas can join the conversation by following the event at #FNO on Twitter and by liking the Fashion’s Night Out page on Facebook. By following the event, fans will get exclusive info on different offerings and sweepstakes, as well as the scoop on where to find celebrity designers throughout the night. Then of course there’s Pinterest, every designer’s social dreamscape, where you’ll be sure to come across fabulous contests like the one Milly NY is hosting: to participate each entry must create their own Pinterest board showcasing what they believe embodies the lifestyle of a true “Milly Girl.” And for the winners, tickets to the Milly Spring 2013 show. And while you are out and about during Fashion’s Night Out, you can tag your instagram photos to #FNO for a chance to have your pics featured on FNO live.

The main strategy behind FNO is to engage with customers and retailers, and thanks to social platforms, Fashion’s Night Out will succeed in “putting the fun back in shopping.”

Are you looking to grow your brand and increase engagement? Find out how social media can work for your brand, right here.

- Katie Cohen, Junior Copywriter

Social CRM in the News: Social Media at the Democratic and Republican Conventions

September 4, 2012

TV viewership of the recently completed Republican convention plummeted from that of 2008 and the Democrats will likely experience the same erosion. In spite of this seemingly lack of interest, tweets about the GOP gathering were out the roof. What gives here? Both political parties have discovered social media and they are about to stage the first U.S. election that will feature Social CRM as a primary tactic.

TV rating service Nielsen Co. estimated that 30.3 million viewers watched the GOP convention on the night that Mitt Romney delivered his prime time acceptance speech. This represented a 23 percent plunge from the same night, four years ago, when John McCain basked in the radiance of an adoring convention. It’s interesting to note that the Republicans drew a decidedly older audience, well over half the viewers were 55 or older and a very small percentage falling in the 18-34 year range. Meanwhile, the Democrats meeting in Charlotte this week can expect the same dearth in viewers with likely more 18-34 years olds and less 55+ viewers.

What does this mean for Social CRM? Plenty!

While relatively few people were watching the Romney speech on TV, those who did were tweeting up a storm – about 14,300 tweets per minute – making it the most tweeted political event of 2012. Given the higher digital penetration among the younger Obama supporters, we can expect an even bigger twitter outbreak when the President takes to the podium Thursday night.

The President’s team showed their social network savvy on Thursday after actor/director Clint Eastwood performed a parody with an empty chair intended to represent Obama. The Obama team tweeted a photo showing the president seated in the cabinet room in his “commander and chief” chair with the caption: “This seat’s taken.” This was the most tweeted item of the GOP convention. Touche’.

Twitter, Facebook and other social media have largely replaced network TV for political junkies and normal citizens alike. As one Fordham University professor told AP, “the changing media landscape has given people a chance to gather convention information relevant to them through social networks and other nontraditional sources.”

Both political parties understand this and will try and exploit this “new media landscape” on Election Day using Social CRM tactics to: (1) identify their base – those favor their candidate, (2) communicate candidate positions on issues that are narrowly (but potentially powerful) focused to specific audiences, (3) disseminate these messages through the social media that these votes prefer to receive this information and (4) turn out these voters in November in a very efficient manner (i.e. without spending enormous sums on network TV, phone solicitations and millions of yard signs).

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are both savvy digital communicators and both of their teams are hard at work developing what they hope will be a winning Social CRM strategy. Which will prove victorious? Stay tuned. Or, better yet, log on and find out.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo credit: prnewsonline.com via Meg on Pinterest

Social CRM in the News: Hurricane Isaac Tests Gulf Coast Emergency Communications

August 28, 2012

As the citizens on the Gulf coast of Louisiana braced for Hurricane Isaac to come ashore on August 28, the concerns about safety of citizens were numerous as were the opportunities for Social CRM to play a critical role. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina was still on the minds of the citizens of New Orleans, but the substantial increase in the penetration of social, mobile and digital media has dramatically changed the way the area prepares for the worst. Disasters – both in the preparation for the storm and during the clean-up – are tailor made for using Social CRM tactics.

The city of New Orleans set up a NOLA Ready website and @nolaready (Twitter account) to get information out as soon as it became available. In a story about social media and Hurricane Isaac, “PR Daily” noted, “Some of the direct responses to citizens have come from the mayor’s Twitter account, often with the intent of correcting misinformation. The NOLA Ready account has mostly been answering questions about closings and transit changes.” The twitter account and the city’s website was also used to keep citizens informed of dangerous situations, missing people and critical services after the storm had hit.

Being able to determine where citizens prefer to get their news about the storm – twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, mobile text messages or specially designated websites – is Social CRM 101. Just as emergency plans and rescue can be enhanced by these media, companies can also use Social CRM to inform customers on the location and availability of such items as emergency generators, bottled water and non-perishable foods. Emergency officials expect that Social CRM will help save property and most importantly lives before, during and after Hurricane Isaac.

Click here to get a copy of Pocketstop’s Enterprise Social CRM checklist.

- Art Young, Client Development

Photo credit: via Don on Pinterest