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Microsoft and the Business of Social Media
Microsoft's small and midsize business division aimed to enhance its social media presence to better serve customers and reseller partners but faced challenges in realizing its potential. By collaborating with Gage Marketing, Microsoft developed a strategy to leverage social media for driving engagement, conversions, and effectively measuring outcomes. The initiative included utilizing platforms like Facebook to foster connections and promote advocacy among users, while addressing risks and building a structured plan for implementation.
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Microsoft and the Business of Social Media
- 1. …and the Businessof Social Media 1 © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved.
- 2. © Microsoft, GageMarketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Microsoft Small & Midsize Business (Microsoft SMB) had a meager social media presence among its reseller partners (B2B) and SMB customers (B2C). Leadership believed social media had greater potential but did not know how to pursue realizing it. 2
- 3. © Microsoft, GageMarketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. This is about Microsoft SMB and how they worked with Gage to build a social media marketing engine to reach and serve both customers and reseller partners. 3
- 4. The plan forthe next hour or so 1 As many global brands embrace social media channels within their own organization, how do you leverage social media to drive conversions? 2 How did you get buy in from senior management to incorporate social © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. media? 3 How did Microsoft drive awareness, engagement and conversions for its Business (SMB) division through emerging media tools, tactics and technologies? 4 What are the risks involved in seeking to reach 100,000s of Microsoft reseller partners? How were these risks overcome? 5 How is Facebook being leveraged to drive engagement between customers that want to buy and partners that want to sell to those customers? 6 What was the cadence for rolling out the various tactics in social media? Why? = Audience Quiz w/Prizes! 4
- 5. As many globalbrands embrace © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. social media channels within their own organization, how do you leverage social media to drive conversions? 5
- 6. Social Media Marketingcontext Online community includes, but is more than, social media • All relevant online conversations and interactions © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. • As they occur in brand and non-brand communities All relevant online conversations and corresponding venues, participants (this is the opportunity space) 6
- 7. Non-Brand Community =Online conversations Non-Brand Brand Centralize expertise in monitoring and engaging for community building, support, and lead gen • Use Social CRM to find, monitor and engage © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. measurably • Distribute leads to sales • Distribute insights across company 7
- 8. Brand Community =Website (Hub) + Outposts Non-Brand Brand © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Cross-community interactions assumed, encouraged, leveraged… measured 8
- 9. How Social MediaDrives Conversions How people generally experience Ratio to a conversion Seen from a brands in social media (example) measurement POV Time 0% © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Awareness Awareness 100,000:1 Engagement Engagement Advocacy 5,000:1 Conversion Conversions 1:1 Users take a desired action Buy online, live chat, contact form, whitepaper download, visit specified site content, Advocacy Feedback Loop email sign up, RSS, SMS, etc. Advocacy 50:1 Measure and optimize 100% Awareness, Engagement, Advo cacy metrics because they nurture conversion events that drive business outcomes 9
- 10. © Microsoft, GageMarketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. How did you get buy in from senior management to incorporate social media? 10
- 11. How the MetricsMatter A E C L Awareness Engagement Conversion Advocacy © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. • Impressions • Comments B2B: • Advocacy Behaviors • Followers, Fans, • Visit Rate or Content Users take actions known to (various, including:) Subscribers, Members Resonance drive meaningful business • Retweets • Lists • Return Visits outcomes: • Testimonials • Page Views • Click-throughs • Demo sign ups • Recommendations • Mentions per time • Registrations/Opt-ins • Webinar sign ups • Referrals period • Retweets • Contact forms • Co-creation/User • Inbound links • Replies • Whitepaper downloads Generated Content • Share of Conversation • Referrals • Email sign ups • Content Sharing • Brand specific searches • Recommendations • Visits to desired site • Activity Sharing • Sentiment Trends • Thread Size content • Information Sharing • Time with Content • Suggestions/Feedback B2C: • Content Downloads • Go to store and buy • Content Sharing • Find a partner/distributor • Spinoff Content • Lead form Vibrant communities continuously foster Advocacy behaviors, which can be even more valuable than conversions Gage Confidential. All Rights Reserved. 12
- 12. Strategy Market Practice Client-side research Strategic © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Experience, discovery audit Plan Knowledge (Social) Goals, culture, orga Find and analyze Capitalize on Gage Goal-driven nization to assess relevant conversations research and strategic plan: social readiness / experience with 1. Goals 1. Size opportunity maturity tools, technologies, 2. Know where and to tactics and 2. Measurement 1. People Plan whom to play combine with 2. Process (audiences, conver client’s insights 3. Prioritized 3. Technology sations) Initiatives 3. Know how to play 4. Timelines (channels, convers 5. High-level ations, tactics) budgets 13
- 13. How did Microsoftdrive awareness, © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. engagement and conversions for its Business (SMB) division through emerging media tools, tactics and technologies? 14
- 14. Products on Microsoft “In” Page © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Business Insights eNewsletter Cindy Bates’ Blog Delivered to an Amplified through Measured with Compelling engaged an activated platforms and Content audience partner-base tools 15
- 16. Partner Customer Time 0% Demand Generation (Partner + Customer) Social syndication (Org/Structure) © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Facebook Facebook Custom UX Facebook (Partner + Customer) Social Be the Expert Ask A Content Partner Playbook Dashboard Conversion Performance Users take desired action Reporting Usually occurs on hubs SCRM Platform Feedback Loop Branding Social Advocacy 100% Platform n Awareness = Prospect is aware of and/or knowledgeable about product / service n Engagement = Prospect acts to indicate a desire to start, continue and/or deepen information exchange n Conversion = Prospect takes an action known to drive sales n Advocacy = Customer or influencer takes an action in support or recommendation of product / service 17
- 17. What are therisks involved © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. in seeking to reach 100,000s of Microsoft reseller partners? How were these risks overcome? 18
- 18. The Strategic Challenge •How to get Microsoft resellers to use social media effectively: © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. – On-brand – On-message – Measurable – Effective as a means of driving sales 19
- 19. The Reality ofSMB Social Media Sophistication 20 © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved.
- 20. Overcoming the risks •Benefit stated in terms that resonate © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. • Cost does not exceed perceived benefit • Effort minimized, yet deliver maximum benefit 21
- 21. How is Facebookbeing leveraged © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. to drive engagement between customers that want to buy and partners that want to sell to those customers? 22
- 22. Microsoft Partners andMicrosoft Small Business customers have similar needs and interests © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Facebook Be the Expert / Ask a Partner app Microsoft Customers Partners Shared Social Social Content Advocacy Playbook Platform We created ways to benefit both groups and builds connections between them 23
- 23. Creating Customer/Partner connections 24 © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved.
- 24. © Microsoft, GageMarketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. What was the cadence for rolling out the various tactics in social media? Why? 25
- 25. Takeaways… • Know yourorg • Know your audience (and limitations!) © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. • Build a plan w/ meaningful measurement • Experiment with tactics/tools/techniques • Support and defend what worked • Build on successes 26
- 26. And the winnersare… 27 © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved.
- 27. You’re Welcome © Microsoft, Gage Marketing 2011. All Rights Reserved. Christopher McLaren Umang Shah Director, Emerging Media & Strategy Social Strategist Gage Marketing @umang_shah http://bit.ly/cmclaren1 @cmclaren1 Play more “Startup or Star Wars” at: facebook.com/gagegroup 28
Editor's Notes
- #2 Microsoft and the Business of Social Media
- #3 1) As many global brands embrace social media channels within their own organization, how do you leverage social media investments to drive conversions?
- #4 1) As many global brands embrace social media channels within their own organization, how do you leverage social media investments to drive conversions?
- #5 Hold questions for happy hour and/or twitter
- #6 As many global brands embrace social media channels within their own organization, how do you leverage social media investments to drive conversions? (CHRIS)
- #7 Defining the field of inquiry
- #8 Advocacy platformPartner / Franchisee social media activationSocial Media promotionsCurationBranded outpost build and asset publishingImplement a Social Media Marketing System (SMMS)Non-Branded Social Media engagement / ROI tracking (aka social CRM)SEO backlinking campaign for Travel Leaders website Syndicated “Chat” Facebook and TL.com connect with agentsTravel blogging / influencer campaigning
- #9 Illustrating what is meant by brand community.
- #10 Illustrating the symbiotic relationship between conversion events and other forms of value generated through social media marketing.Explain how conversion still matters and ought to be thought of as central, key indicator of effectiveness. From a tactical POV, social media should be thought of as capable of delivering all four value types – because in fact, it does.
- #11 How do you get buy in from senior management and incorporate social media into other marketing initiatives?(UMANG)
- #12 Umang: You start by applying methodologies and means of persuasion they are already comfortable with. That’s why the strategic plan was so important, and why it had to be done so thoroughly and then delivered, both as a document and presentation to senior management.Chris: We developed the plan as follows: [use strategy development slide]
- #13 Illustrating the various commonmetrics and how they tend to fit into the high level categories illustrated on previous slide.
- #15 How Microsoft effectively drives awareness, engagement and measurable conversion for its Business (SMB) division through strategic use of emerging media tools, tactics and technologies.
- #16 Website: http://www.microsoft.com/business/MM FacebookSMB FacebookTwitter SMBLinkedIn – Products Page on Microsoft “In” pageYouTube (Microsoft Small Business)
- #18 Social Content PlaybookSocial WidgetsDashboard DesignSocial Activation for PartnersFacebook: “Ask A Partner” ApplicationFacebook: Promotion (Customer)Facebook: Promotion (Partner)Facebook: Custom UX implementationSocial Advocacy Platform Dashboard DesignDemand Generation / Awareness Building
- #19 What were the risks involved when addressing a large audience of 100,000s of partners to be engaged in a national campaign? How were these risks overcome?
- #21 Microsoft resellers are also small businesses (SMBs)SMBs have to focus on sales - not marketingSmall businesses tend to lack time, expertise and knowledge to make the most of social mediaSocial media tends to be seen as:Time-consuming compared to other marketing activitiesAt least one step removed from driving sales, unlike other things they doConfusing, complicated and changing constantlyHow many Microsoft resellers are going to see social media marketing as worth the effort?
- #25 Partners have significant potential influence with customers, but b/c they lack know-how, need to be presented with explicit ways to meaningfully participate, such as Ask a Partner.
- #26 What was the cadence for rolling out the various techniques through social media? Why?