Consumer engagement through social media quick lessons 4rm gt bank

CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA :Quick lessons from GTBank

-www.adeolakayode.comme@adeolakayode.com

Ok, should I have said client, consumer or customer engagement?*

* Services are usually paid for by clients, customers are used for those who pay for goods and consumers for those who use the goods. They may not be the same person.

Whichever, there are seven basic things you will never find out from them (unless you ask, of course!)

They won’t tell you why they enjoy being your customer

They won’t tell you what influences their buying decisions

They won’t tell you what else they wish your business did

They won’t tell you who else likes to do business with you

They won’t talk to a machine when they are angry with you (0700 - ANGER)

They won’t offer advice on how best you can keep them for life

They won’t tell you how best to reach them

12

4

5 6

7

3

But your customers are already talking. Individuals are forming digital communities and conversations are going on about anything – including brands.

The power to invoke a buying decision has not only moved from businesses to consumers; the customers have CHANGED.

Customers now look to their peers to make a buying decision. This has affected marketing channels and methods and business owners are getting worried.

Simple ad campaigns and increase in bottom-line are no longer simple equations

Since people are actively forming online communities in social media, it has offered businesses a new way to reach their target audience - in a personal way.

Social media has been the greatest revelation since the advent of the internet.

‘Social Media Engagement is the summation of all forms of marketing, service, communications, branding, and relationship management between an organization and its target audience through social media platforms’*.

* Paraphrased

People and brands can now engage social media

As of today, GTBank is the leading brand in social media engagement in Nigeria, and that is my opinion. Any other ideas?

They were recently recognized as the most customer focused bank in Nigeria (Corporate and retail).*

*(KPMG, Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey, June 2010)

With service as a key proposition, they have succeeded in building bridges using a variety of means including social media, in reaching their target audience.

GTBank Fan page on Facebook – 94,453 fans

GTBank Interactive website.

They have…

GTBank On twitter - 1,259

followers

They have…

10 videoson

Owners of one of the few multimedia magazines in Nigeria - GTBank E - zine

Only bank listed among the top 10

visited Nigerian websites by Nigerians

One of the top spenders in Print

Advertising

They are…

The simplicity of social networks makes it easy for anyone to join and create a profile. However, a successful social media engagement depends on your strategy, devices and tools employed.

Online brands are differentiated by the value they offer. This will dictate the strength of the brand in reaching its target audience.

What are the critical points to note when you are about to engage your customers through you social media?

Don’t think outside the box

Push yourstuff out!

Have a clear communication

strategy Identify and deliver value

Get personal

There is

no box!

Don’t think outside the box

No use being a dinosaur in a digital age, social media is no more a distraction for your business – others are already riding on this digital wave.

Incorporating social media is no more a fad, it is an imperative for success in a digital age.

If your business is busy looking for a way to BANsocial media, your competitors are busy BANKING on it.

When engaging social media,

you are neither going to control the conversation nor generating ideas for the usual shouting of interruption advertising, listen, then participate, no PARTICIPATE.

Social media engagement is a dialogue, not a monologue.

Have a clear communication

Strategy.

Going online isn’t about having a website, and going social media isn’t about a Facebook fan page.

It takes more than that.

The evolving demand for digital marketing and social media engagement requires clear policies, guidelines and experienced staff. Your engagement may involve employees in every aspect of your business operations –Human Resource, Customer Service, Branding and Marketing.

Profile your target audience before allocating resources. Don’t be so busy spending money on ads if your audience is busy in traffic or with their phones.

Identify where they are and engage.

Prepare for crisis

Those days people and organizations don’t care what others think about their brand as long as others they only tell a few people.

Not any more.

Those people now can air their views and millions of others are waiting to listen and comment.

Unlike before, they can now form an organized army against your brand.

Having a crisis plan helps you beat the unexpected peradventure it happens.

Don’t commit social media suicide by going social without a crisis plan…

ask Nestle!

Check out my presentation on “How to deal with online social media attack on brands”.

Get personal

No other platform allows you reach your target audience in a more personal, interactive and dynamic way than social media.

Determine the identity, character, and personality of your brand and match it to the qualities of the individuals who will represent it online.

Remember it is about

Giving a face and action to your brand.

Determine the identity, character, and personality of your brand and match it to the qualities of the individuals who will represent it online.

This assignment for not any junior staff. That person will be responsible for responding to all things that can affect brand perception across multiple scenarios…

Engage your customers in a meaningful way; share, link, communicate (take customer service away from bored officers and auto responders). When your expertise is sought, demonstrate intelligence and authority.

In dealing with brand attacks and complaints, assess the perspective of the comments, complaints and commendation and respond intelligently in order to establish meaningful connections.

When responding don’t ever forget you are representing a brand – Nescafe will never forget that bitter lesson!

Ultimately don’t let your platforms become inactive, become a true participant. Move beyond marketing and sales.

Give back, reciprocate, and recognize notable contributions from participants in your communities.

Identify and deliver value

Blend tech is a manufacturing company producing high quality blenders.

In engaging social media to promote their business. they decided to produce an in-house video. To show the strength of their blenders

The “Will It Blend” campaign featured several videos where the blenders worked on everything from iPhone to iPads – it worked!

With one of the videos having 134.6 million views on YouTube – minus secondary viewers. It has become a social media/viral video success.

Give them something worthy of value. GTBank went beyond having a website to deliver internet banking to its subscribers.

eBanking services are responsible for 84% of GTBank’s website visitors

Don’t be consumed by marketing possibilities, create competition, give freebies, keep adding value by becoming a resource to your communities.

If you are bold enough, relinquish ownership of the brand and give customers the opportunity to own the brand.

Nike - www.nikeplus.com,

Starbucks –www.mystarbucksidea.com

Push yourstuff out!

Content - push your stuff out!

Go viral ( get others to tell your story – give them something to talk about)

Engage your customers

Video, adverts, photo mentions, designs, competitions

… CONTENT IS KING

úIDENTIFY

ú PREPARE

ú ENGAGE

ú MONITOR

Coast on to web success!

every move counts

Credits:

I love photography and get kicks out of gathering designs and pictures. But I must credit the right of the owners.

- www.Fredcavazza.net

- www.1x.com

- GTBank: Website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

- GTBank Statistics – Alexa

- KPMG, Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey, June 2010

- Willitblend.com

- www.facebook.com