With
75% of businesses planning to increase social media spend this year, there is no
doubt that more and more companies understand the need to capitalize on what
has become an increasingly critical part of online marketing – becoming a
social business.
But what does
that actually mean?
Fresh Networks describes
‘social business’ as “the implementation of the
unique communicative properties of social media across all levels of a
business.”
This
means that it’s not just about one area of your company being prominent on
social networks, but about ensuring that every employee is educated in social
practices (communication, transparency, being responsive), and these are
practiced both internally and externally.
 |
Edelman
Digital created this fantastic graphic to show the internal/external areas of a
social business
|
Here’s what that means for your company and a few
ways you can go about implementing best practices.
Implementing social
business
1.
Internally
Open
up the channels of communication and educate employees in the part they can
play to help you become a social business.
For
example, who at your company is responsible for Facebook? Is it marketing?
Sales? PR? Customer service? In truth, they all have a role. Lines of
communication internally need to be open and effective in order to collaborate
successfully.
A
great case study is Dell, who sends any employees who wants to engage – regardless of their role – through social media training. This
program, known as the Social Media And Community University (SMACU), teaches
that “it’s not about controlling the message, but making sure that everyone in
the organization…can be a part of the message which, in effect, controls it.”
Such
a program means that all employees are educated to go out and use social media
to represent the company. That could mean contributing to a blog, getting
involved in Twitter or using experience from their own role to improve the
overall strategy. Ensuring that everyone at your company truly understands what
social media is about, the benefits it can provide and the risks it entails
results in more valuable, collaborative and reliable social media efforts.
Educate,
communicate and collaborate internally. Consider how each department can be a part
of your online presence, and the effect they can have by interacting and
engaging with consumers. Also, think about how you could use social media
internally to communicate, train, educate, facilitate and share information
among your team.
2. Externally
Companies
are in the public eye on a daily basis, and conversation will happen about
their product, with or without them. So the question really, is how can you use
tailor this conversation to your advantage?
Social
channels are all about discussion, which provide the perfect environment to get feedback and listen. Use
social monitoring tools such as Twitter Advanced Search, Social Bro and
Radian6, to find out what people are saying, how they feel, and consider how
you can shape their attitudes towards your brand through your reactions.
JELL-O
pudding exemplified this back in 2011, when they ran a campaign
which cheered up unhappy Twitter users by giving away free pudding. They
monitored Twitter for happy and sad emoticons, using the JELL-O Pudding Face Mood Meter to gage the mood of the
country. When the mood dipped, they started to offer free pudding to users who
had included a sad emoticon in their tweet, to bring the collective mood back
up again.
JELL-O
listened to the public and responded appropriately, turning something bad (a
sad emoticon), into something positive (a happy emoticon). The popularity and
publicity they received from this campaign was incredible, and one of the most
successful social campaigns to-date, as measured by brand interaction and
social mentions. This huge benefit to them came from one simple process - listening,
socializing, providing value and driving engagement.
Becoming
a social business is not an easy transition, particularly for organizations that
have become comfortable in their traditional roots. Nonetheless, it’s an
important step to take and will drive considerable benefit in the long run as
online becomes a more and more important part of all of our day-to-day
activities as individuals and as businesses.
Praetorian Group has always aimed to lead the way when it comes to new ways to reach the public safety audience online, so we’re excited to introduce pre-roll video ads to our inventory and thought we’d share our experience and the parameters we’ve developed.
Pre-roll video ads are one of the strongest online ad formats available. A
2008 study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that pre-roll ad placements perform particularly well for unaided brand awareness, online ad awareness and tagline association.
In our initial tests, we’ve seen much stronger clickthrough rates (CTRs) than static banner image placements. For example, our most basic banners average .2 to .5 percent click through rates, whereas our preroll video ads have been 1.60 to 2.63 percent – in other words they can be literally more than 10 times as effective in terms of CTRs.
When it comes to length, we strongly recommend 15-second units, which were found in the study to be the optimal length for brand association, ease of understanding and most efficient with the highest level of engagement.
“In the pre-roll placement, the 15-second unit performed optimally not only managing to increase
awareness measures over control but also impacting positive brand associations,” the IAB study found. “While the 30-second creative performed well, in a pre-roll placement it actually deterred viewers from shopping and distanced them from the key communication. In other words, good creative was hurt by bad placement.”
Based on our research, testing and player setup, we recommend advertisers follow these specs for their pre-roll videos:
File format: Quicktime (.mov, .gt, .mp4, .3gp), MPEG (.mpg, .mpeg, .mp2), Window Media (.wmv), AVI (.avi)
Aspect ratio: 4:3*
Spot Length: 15 seconds or less
Bit rate: Greater than 2Mbps
Clickthrough URL: Provide the URL which users will be redirected to upon clicking on the video screen.
In addition, we recommend advertisers consider using a call to action in their video to direct users to click on the video screen as not all users may be aware of this functionality.
With studies singing praises of online video boosting
purchase intent,
recall levels and effectiveness over
banner ads, it’s easy to see why advertisers in the online space are moving more of their budgets into
video advertising.
As our nation commemorates 9/11, mourning those we lost, celebrating acts of heroism and considering how our country has changed, I wanted to take a moment and encourage everyone to reflect on that tragic day. As CEO of an online media company dedicated to keeping first responders informed, I want remind all of us to remember those who lost their lives and those who made the ultimate sacrifice – many of them police officers, firefighters and paramedics - to save others. I encourage you to review the amazing coverage and stories of sacrifice we have posted on each of our sites:
You may be wondering how 9/11 affected the Praetorian Group as a company. When I think about 9/11, I can’t help but consider the formative impact that day had on our mission and future as a company. At the time, we had 5 employees and were struggling to find our way and make ends meet. Praetorian’s future was uncertain. But overnight, 9/11 changed everything. All of a sudden, the 70,000 law enforcement members on PoliceOne.com at the time as well as departments across the country had an urgent need to stay informed. They turned to the Internet and to us. I’ll never forget the day shortly after 9/11 when one of our members who was a chief of a small department called to ask for help. The only way he found out that his department was on alert was when he arrived home and his wife told him (she had seen it on CNN).
Correspondingly, we created site sections and newsletters as well as an email and text messaging alert service to disseminate information. PoliceOne became a ‘must have’ tool to help spread the news of terrorism threats and educate law enforcement on tactics and best practices to prevent terrorism. Our membership grew by 100% in less than 12 months. At the same time, 9/11 energized our company and fueled our resolve to keep pushing forward in a time of significant uncertainty. It crystalized our role in the community and brought us closer to the first responders we serve, strengthening our mission and commitment.
Ten years later, that energy and commitment is still strong and continues to ignite our mission. We count 700,000 first responders as members and a significant portion of our nations’ public safety community relies on us daily to provide them the information they need to stay informed. As I consider 9/11 and the state of Praetorian, I’m confident that we’re not only helping first responders everywhere better prepare for 9/11 related threats, but as importantly address the tragedy, challenges and threats they face on a day to day basis.
As part of a company dedicated to first responders, 9/11 has significant meaning for our members, our customers and each of our employees. Let us take a moment to reflect upon the tragedy of 9/11 and the examples of heroism and sacrifice we saw that day and how the first responders we serve – whether they be police officers, firefighters or paramedics – make sacrifices and risk their lives every day to keep us all safe.
In remembrance.
Alex Ford
CEO and Founder
Praetorian Group
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