Page 228 - Social Media Marketing

c h a p t e r 8 : ╇ E ngagement on the S ocial W eb╇ ■with others, and to learn more about how to apply this knowledge toward the end-
goal of “becoming better” at the associated activities of that customer which drove
the actual purchase. Customers want to feel empowered and accomplished: Creating a
space where customers share experiences and learn from each other is a powerful way
to connect your business or organization to them.

Social technology solutions accomplish this by appealing to lifestyles—think
Harley-Davidson for example, whose brand is a lifestyle—or by aligning themselves
with a shared passion or cause, in the way that Dell has done with its ”Take Your Own
Path” community for entrepreneurs and (separately) its Digital Nomad’s community
programs.

Engagement Points

What are some of the typical engagement points—built around associated activities
that run beyond the immediate purposes of marketing—used by businesses on the
Social Web now? Table€8.1 provides examples of social technology and its application
206 in innovation, support, marketing, and demand generation. The engagement activities
are tied to business objectives and in turn drive the selection of the engagement plat-
form that is ultimately used.

P Table€8.1╇ Engagement Programs Beyond Social Media Marketing

Brand Engagement Activity Engagement Platform
Salesforce Ideas/
Starbucks Ideation: Transparent suggestion box seeking “My Starbucks Idea”
Dell innovative ideas, with visible participation by the
Coke Starbucks team. Lithium Technologies Support Forums/
“Dell’s Support Forums”
PGi Member-driven answers to technical questions,
with Dell playing a supporting (participative) Posterous (blogging)/
rather than primary (controlling) role. “Department of Fannovation”

Suggesting and voting on ideas to improve the Jive Software-Based Developer’s
experience of being an NCAA fan, building on the Community/
participant experience rather than (purely) mar- “PGiConnect”
keting the brand.

Developers speak openly with each other as they
develop applications using PGi’s programming
tools and thereby drive demand for PGi’s services.

While Table€8.1 may seem like any other list of tools—leaving you to figure out
where to apply them—the easy way to put the information contained in this table to
use is by looking at the “Engagement Activity” column. Compare these activities with
your own business objectives and look for relevant, interesting ideas on which to build.
It’s always a better idea to start with the end application or business objectives and
then choose the tools than it is to pick a tool and try to come up with a use. Picking