Social Media: What’s Working and the Top Five Immediate Action Steps

October 2009

Steve Suhm, Marketing Manager, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)

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Agenda

• Social Media Research Results• Getting Senior Management Buy-in• Implementation Tactics• What is Working• Top Five Immediate Action Steps

Social Media – Research Results

Which of the following Social Media sites are you aware of?

Which of the following Social Media sites do you use for personal use?

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Social Media – Research Results

Rate your level of interest in joining an online community specific to your industry.

Which of the following Social Media sites do you use for work or to obtain industry

information?

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Getting Senior Management Buy-in

• Dispel the myths– Myth: Our attendees have no interest in Social Media

– Myth “Facebook is only an online hangout for teens/college students.”

– Myth “Twitter only has chatter about menial tasks.”

– Myth “LinkedIn is only used when someone is looking for a job.”

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Getting Senior Management Buy-in

• Set Expectations– Planting the seeds – It’s going to take time

– Potential for negative or even vulgar public comments

• The “do nothing” Conversation– Conversations happening whether we participate or not– Missing component of a promotion plan– Competitors fill void– Missing communication channel to customers

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Implementation Tactics

• Facebook / LinkedIn– Pre-show

• Develop Pages, Groups, and Events for each show• Promote corporate page to/through:

– Marketing and Management Committees– Exhibitors– Show Website– Prospect lists– Registered attendees

• Monitor groups, reply to questions if unanswered

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Implementation Tactics

• Facebook / LinkedIn– Onsite

• Answering questions within groups• Post pictures from the show

– Post-show• Report on measurables

– Number of “connections”– Number of comments/posts on wall

• Final report results of discussions• Post additional pictures from the show

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Implementation Tactics

• YouTube– Pre-show

• Post abbreviated versions of the show video• Solicit past attendees and exhibitors to post their videos from

previous shows– Onsite

• Visit exhibitors ask for video on their new products• Record/post testimonials• Record highlights from the show – Action Shots

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Implementation Tactics

• Twitter– Pre-Show

• Two messages a week starting six months before the show• Generate followers by promoting Twitter account through:

– Show Website– Email promotions

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Implementation Tactics

• Twitter– Onsite

• Send five to ten messages a day during show hours– Post-show

• Send twenty messages• Report on measurables

– Number of followers– Number of @ replies received– Number of visits to promotion Web page

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

What’s Working

• Twitter– Social Media savvy exhibitors and publishers are active on twitter– Viral effect – Re-tweets!– 100’s of followers– 500+ tweets on “ICUEE” during the week of latest show– Twitter on the homepage

• YouTube– Videos of new equipment– Video of the opening ceremonies on homepage

• Facebook, LinkedIn – Extremely low activity, but planting the seeds

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Immediate Action Steps

• Register Accounts! Careful of who you attach the accounts to and don’t forget Hootsuite

• Buy a Flip Camera• Add Social Media option for

“How You Heard of Show”• Designate onsite “Social Media”

person or team• Find the bloggers

Research Results Getting Buy-in Implementation Tactics What’s Working Top Five Immediate Steps

Success Stories

National Association of Broadcasters: 1,500 Registrations – top performing strategy First-time attendees

Dell Computers: 1 million followers on twitter $3 million in revenue

MTO Summit: 8% of audience Twitter Recruitment

Walt Disney: 65,000 Happy Birthdays Twitter Recruitment

Digital Thought: 20% of revenue LinkedIn Recruitment of Suppliers and Attendees

Blogs Tradeshow Week, Event Tech www.tradeshowweek.com/blog/stephennold Socialnomics – Social Media Blog www.socialnomics.net Chris Brogan www.Chrisbrogan.com

Events IAEE Expo Expo in Atlanta, December 9-12

Websites MeetingTechOnline.com

Books Socialnomics Trust Agents

Resources

Copy of this presentation at www.slideshare.com/stepnold (Search Stephen Nold)

For more information on Stephen Nold and MeetingTechOnline

stephen@advontech.com LinkedIn:    http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephennold Twitter: @stepnold Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stephen.nold

For more information on Steve Suhm and AEM

SSuhm@AEM.orghttp://www.aem.org

http://www.mtosummit.com/webinar

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