Invite colleagues
Travel companies need to be clear about their objectives before they proceed with adding features such as videos, blogs or other User Generated Content (UGC).
There are many examples of travel/hospitality companies that have rushed onto the social media bandwagon only to find there was much more to consider than just create a fan page or push out a few 'twits'. This approach has the potential to create confusion in the positioning of the company but could actually loose bookings or reservations for the hotel or airline.
Don't misunderstand me. I am a huge fan of 'planned' social media marketing. Leveraging blogs, BBS's, SNS's and the wider range of social book marks etc can be useful tactics towards objectives such as branding, promotion, search engine optimization, building content or soliciting market intelligence.
However, in each case, it is crucial for measurement and metrics to be determined (before you start) and to be aligned with goals. Over the years, social marketers have been challenged by campaign measurement; typically falling back to "no. of comments", "level & type of engagement" but mostly adhoc measures given the lack of social analytics tools.
Most Marketers would agree measuring and determining success is an approach for SMM that should be taken. So why then are there so many examples of social media campaigns with poor or non existent KPI's and measurements? I have pondered this and want to put some thoughts together on specific questions.
Is it possible to engage in social media without allocating specific resources to it as existing roles and departments within a business still stand?
Dr Mathew McDougall: I’m a believer that nearly everyone in an organization should be doing something that relates to the social media efforts of the company. There are many possibilities but having a blog is one simply way for engaging consumers and say someone was complaining about the "check-in process" or 'breakfast was terrible". This provides a great opportunity to seek suggestions, clarify or rectify the issues and have a wider group of people within the company getting involved and 'hearing' from the consumers.
Finding the right balance between participation and observation is part of the challenge of social media. Do you agree and if yes, how can one balance this?
Dr Mathew McDougall: Agree. By listening to online buzz you can determine where you are being discussed and gaugue the tone of these conversations (both specifically about your company and your industry in general).
Listening first is key. Should you stray too far towards observation (and not participate in the conversations), you’ll find your experience with social media to be less than interesting and certainly not effective. However, should you participate too much, your audience is likely to tell you to back off. Finding the right balance takes experience but ultimately each community has their own norms and tolerances so must be considered in this fashion.
It’s early days in social media and therefore testing and learning is key. Being open and honest as a brand and listening and engaging with customers in a fair and transparent way should avoid failure. But for how long should wait to see tangible results?
Dr Mathew McDougall: This is a question that is posed almost every time by someone 'doing' a social media campaign for the first time. The choice of where you develop a social media presence (BBS, SNS, Micro-blogging etc) plus the way you determine 'results' make this an impossible question to answer.
It is important to note two items however;
1) social media is not a “one size fits all” avenue and as such, a single set of metrics will only be the start to effectively evaluating success and
2) social media requires you be part of the conversations taking place about you and your company.
Therefore, one of the metrics that will have to be considered is the cost for not participating in the conversation, something like “lost opportunities” or “brand denigration” if you will. There are real costs to avoiding conversations about your brand and those need to be considered when evaluating social media efforts.
Given the immediacy of social networking, it’s imperative that the strategy and execution don’t end once it’s out the door. The ability to quickly adapt and modify the approach is important based on that monitoring. How do you think one should approach this as an ongoing initiative?
Dr Mathew McDougall: The social media strategy/framework we use at SinoTech Group includes evolution; that means changing strategies and tactics as social media conversations evolve and the communities mature. A clear communication plan and messaging framework needs to reflect the dynamic nature of a community not a static snapshot in time at the commencement of the campaign.
How should you respond to what is being said?
Dr Mathew McDougall: Be honest. I find that many people that are 'motivated' and are participating in social media appreciate that responses. Don't make it a "I said, you said" rather make the comments and responses non-emotional and up-beat. Your tone will impact a much wider invisible group and you don't want or need others coming into a developing 'issue'
Some organizations simply use monitoring to watch “chatter”. Some use monitoring for a variety of reasons including tracking sentiment, message reach, customer service, feedback, etc. What is monitoring all about?
Dr Mathew McDougall: Monitoring has two elements; one transparent and one a bit clandestine. In the first instance, everyone knows you’re listening to what they say and are open with their comments. In the second, it is a little more like eavesdropping. Reacting and involvement in both instances however requires complete transparency to be effective. Social media is not the place to hide behind false facades, rather it is the place to be yourself, be open and honest and you’ll be rewarded for doing so.
Dr Mathew McDougall is scheduled to speak at the forthcoming "Leveraging Social Media for Engaging Consumers" seminar. The seminar will take place in Beijing (February 4th, 2010).
0 Comments