The importance of being communicative

Communicate, communicate, communicate

Frieda Brioschi

frieda.brioschi@gmail.com

IEDLesson 6

Course program1. Italian Startups2. Set up a startup in Italy3. I've got an idea. And now? 4. Value analysis5. Business model6. Communicate, communicate, communicate7. Being net 8. Find your market9. Funding: venture capital, business angel and other ways of financing 10. Pitch

Today's table of content

1.Needs2.Landscape3.Effective message4.Rules of engagement 5.Editorial plan

Business model: quick recapDuring last lesson we discussed what is a business model and how fulfill a business model canvas, looking into each part:1.Value proposition2.Customer segments3.Channels4.Customer relationship5.Revenue streams6.Key resources7.Key partner8.Key activities9.Cost structure

Business model: quick recapThen we detailed some wellknown companies business model:

• Coca Cola (glass bottle!)• Financial Times• LinkedIn• Groupon• Twitter• Facebook• Blockbuster• Google

Business model: quick recap

In the end we touched community business model (geographically based, professional and online communities) and what is a business plan and how is diverse from a business model.

Needs

Discuss & test my idea

[mini]marketing approach to Rich Aberman’s “How to (In)validate Your Startup Idea”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ0s1gbMlcI

http://blog.wepay.com/2010/12/17/how-to-invalidate-your-startup-idea/

Landscape

Where are we?

"A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies."

Cluetrain Manifesto, 1999

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluetrain_Manifesto

Social Vs industrial mediaSome parameters:

1.Reach: global audience2.Accessibility: government or corporate (privately owned)/generally available to the public at little or no cost3.Usability: specialized skills and training/anyone with access can operate the means of social media production4.Immediacy: instantaneous, days, weeks, or even months/instantaneous5.Permanence: cannot be altered/can be altered almost instantaneously by comments or editing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

Social mediaOnline technologies and practices that people use to share text, image, video and audio.

Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content."

They represent a change in how people learn, read and share information and contents: a blend between sociology and technology takes place and it tranforms a monologue (1-to-many) into a dialogue (many-to-many) and information result democratized, transforming persons from users to editors.

Social networkDanah Boyd and Nicole Ellison define a social network as "a web-based services that allow individuals to

1.construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, 2.articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and 3.view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system.

The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.”

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

Networked publics/1

According to Danah Boyd, social network sites can be understood as networked publics which are simultaneously

• the space constructed through networked technologies and

• the imagined community that emerges as a result of the intersection of people, technology, and practice

http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf

Networked publics/2Four properties:1. persistence2. searchability3. replicability4. scalability

Three dynamics:• invisible audiences• collapsed contexts• the blurring of public and private

http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf

http://www.copyblogger.com/history-of-social-media/

http://www.copyblogger.com/history-of-social-media/

Top 3 SN

http://vincos.it/2012/06/11/la-mappa-dei-social-network-nel-mondo-giugno-2012/

Most used SN in Italy

http://vincos.it/osservatorio-facebook/

Effective message

Why?

If I write in a well-aimed and simple manner, I can obtain a double effect since:

• my contents are shared by my followers and can reach a wider audience

• my pagerank, and generally the presence of my brand on search engines, will increase

Customizing

Pages and profiles should always be customized and complete, since they're my public presentation.

I need to include at least: • a photo (my logo?)• a cover image• some information about me/my company.

Fixing

I can always modify my post: if (when!) I discover an error, I must fix it as soon as possible.

Besides, remember to add "content" to your posts, by including your opinion/doubts and not just publishing useful links.

Continuity

Try to publish fresh news at least once a day...

...but not too often.

Information overflow is a problem!

Groups

Join groups, since there you may:

•Find useful info•Take part in discussions•Find customers/partners/etc.

Don't use groups ONLY as an adverting place, spamming is unfair (and often backfires).

Habits

Learn local habits and adopt them, or help in creating new habits.

Such as...

• Friday on Twitter is Follow Friday #FF.

• Thursday on Google+ is the moment to share interesting circles.

Immediacy

Try to create immediate content: text and images are quick, few videos are ok, watch out for external links.

Time & day

During early morning and after dinner the online information flow is lower: I've more chance that my message reach my public.

For the same reason, Sunday is a great moment for publishing new contents.

But, mind!...

Time & day /2

...That is not always true!

Some social media (Reddit, Friendfeed) rely on word of mouth to keep the focus on a news piece.

If you write when too few people is there to read and “up” your post, it will fade out quickly.

Be aware that some websites have more public during the working hours, some are more active in the night, some are more continuous (especially if they have a worldwide community).

Concise

Pay attention to lenght!

The message should be clear but not too long.

Length is related to which medium I'm using.

•Twitter: 140 chars

•Facebook: Few lines

•Blog: Few paragraphs

•Newspaper: Few pages

Diversifying

Remember that you can use as many ways of communicating as possible: beyond text/image/video, you can involve people with photo galleries and polls.

In some settings, sound, lights and movement are great attention catalysts.

Think of Steve Job's Keynotes!

URL shortener

Better avoided.With a visible link, the user knows what to expect once he clicks.

If they are really needed, use an URL shortener that allows to give a custom name to your links.

Consider that some security systems blocks URL shorteners and redirects in order to prevent malware exploits.

Rules of engagement

Basic assumption

"Markets are Conversations"

Cluetrain Manifesto, 1999

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluetrain_manifesto

Conversating

Join the conversations and answer to comments.

As in many other environments, on Social Networks it is critical to listen!

Listening

Listening is not only a matter of courtesy, but a powerful instrument that can let you:

• Discover the environment and its opinion leaders• Measure the “sentiment” of a brand/product and its competitors• Improve the management of communication, especially on social media• Enhance CRM

Roles

Present yourself with an official profile whenever needed.

If you want a more direct and involving communication, set up some personal profiles for your key figures.

Human relations are more pleasant and well received.

Editorial plan

Rules

ExternalRules of engagement for my readers• Moderation• Etiquette• Stay in topic

Internal • Your communication must be uniform• Decide who decides what• Keep a regular schedule• Make clear who should answer

Spreading

The channels I oversee (not necessarily the channels I own) must be advertised and the word spread: on your website, newsletters and events.

Linking a company profile to a “person” (true or fake) profile could be a plus.

Your employees/partners could be your best presentation.

Press release

Include your social channels in the press releases!(mostly FB and Twitter)

Text should be thought out to be shared, too.

Objectives

To make measured evaluations, you need targets:

• Increase the number of followers• Increase the daily interactions• Increase the percentage of readers coming to the website from Social Networks• Increase the number of subscribers coming from SNs

Tecniques

• Observe and copy what you think interesting• Answer. At least once a day. Readers must not always be the first to interact, must they?• Sometimes, share informations not strictly correlated to your business• Be personal, impersonal is not sexy• Keep in mind that a question mark every now and then is important.

Storytelling

Use SNs to tell stories, not only the core of your business.

If you set up an event, tell something about it, its background, challenges, successes etc.

Create expectations (and meet them).

Narrate the everyday life of the company: a photo of the team, a personal touch...

Get a plan!

To make a good plan, you need:

1. Analysis2. Strategy3. Action

3bis. Luck!

Analysis

Is anyone talking about me online?Where? How?(is the presence on that channel worthy?)

What do my competitors do? What they do well? What can I learn from them?

Strategy

What channel I decided to oversee?

What are the targets for each channel?

BE SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timed)

Actions

Actions must not be unrelated from each other.

Integration is the word: newsletter, websites, events, all the ways of communications must be coordinated.

One last word

Social media are a marketing tool (too).

Next week

Being net.