International PR Network

Presenter: Benjamin Ellis

Check him and his services out at: http://benjaminellis.org/

Issues with social media from a corporate client point of view

• return on investment
• “make it stop, turn it off” – they don’t like what is happening or the way it’s going
• “I need it, but I don’t know why, or how, or what to put on it”

The idea is to change what people believe…

• Advertising – readers are impervious to banner advertising. Their eyes process out online advertising without reading them – they went onto the site for the editorial content, not to be sold to!
• FMCG brands don’t want to know what people say about their brands and social media is uncontrollable. If you take the messages back to a big corporate it’s often a big shock!

In terms of PR, it’s usually a one way street – we tell them what we want them to know
Social media is a two-way street and can create controversy

ROI

Not all units are equal in social media.

Do you want 1m hits to a website or 500 hits to a campaign website that generate sales – so it’s qualitative not quantitative!

It’s more about how many people you influence not quantity reached – most marketing directors don’t get this

It’s not about getting to people at POP, but perhaps a week before. Eg. don’t tell me which glass of wine to buy at the bar, but influence me over time so I recall it when I want to buy. Remember, it’s direct communication to the public, but they will make their own mind up

Three users

• Those that generate content
• Those that participate in content
• Most are passive and consume content

Bloggers – three types

• Professional bloggers – get paid to do it
• Corporate bloggers – doing it for large corporations
• Hobbyest bloggers – just for fun

Audience

HH pen of internet use: 75%

More retirees on the internet than teenagers

Facebook has highest percentages of 35+ and 45+ sectors of society

Young people create more content, but it’s probably rubbish

Lesson 1 – don’t build a community, find one and join it

Lesson 2 – Social media tools create outreach to traditional media

Lesson 3 – remember it’s two way, not just one way (see before)

Above all, social media is not about creating a sale

It’s about influencing people