Chad Wiebesick - #PureMichigan Changing The Conversation

Pure Michigan: Changing The Conversation Using Social Media

Presented to:

Social Mitten

Prepared by:

Chad Wiebesick Director of social media & interactive marketing

Twitter: @WiebesickSeptember 25, 2014

@Wiebesick@Wiebesick #SocialMitten

Michigan: Perception Isn’t Reality

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsR0DeY7f1g @Wiebesick #SocialMitten

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsR0DeY7f1g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsR0DeY7f1g

The Early Years: Weak, Undefined Brand

@Wiebesick #SocialMitten

People Don’t Trust Brands


People Are Bombarded With Advertising


Key to Success: Make Fans the Hero and Share Their Content

We empower our fans to become brand ambassadors and tell the story themselves to their friends and family.

Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% is relevant content from fans and 20% is from you (self-promotion).

@Wiebesick @Wiebesick #SocialMitten

Ask Fans To Share Their Travel Stories With You

Reinforce your brand by using the same hashtag and name across all channels.


Align Your Social Strategy To Your Business Objectives

Brand Goal: “Pure Michigan is majestic, mythic and magical – a place with abundant natural beauty and authentic destinations.”


Pure Michigan Ranks #1 on Instagram

Pure Michigan is the #1 most popular travel brand in the world on Instagram as measured by the number of photos people have hashtagged #PureMichigan, ranking higher than Hawaii, Australia, Museum of Modern Art, Lonely Planet and Carnival Cruise Lines.


https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/puremichigan

Find Influencers

@TonyDetroit = 300,000 followers and following 311 people


Engage Influencers

• Select an influencer to serve as an Instagram Guest Photographer at popular events

• Sprint Cup NASCAR race August 21, 2012

• 75 million NASCAR fans nationally


Instagram Guest Photographer

• Within 20 minutes of posting on Instagram, @TonyDetroit’s photos appear on the Popular Photo Page


Instagram Guest Photographer • Please do:

– Minimum posts per day: 3– Maximum posts per day: 10– Location to be noted in tag or caption.– Name of photographer to be noted in caption (e.g.

Contributed by guest photographer @username).

• Please do not:– Post photos of explicit content or any activity that

could be deemed illegal– Any item(s) that do not represent the Pure Michigan

brand– Comment to fans or answer questions on behalf of

Pure Michigan


Takeaway: Find and Reward Your Social Media Superfans


Oops, He Didn’t Go Through The Logo Request Process


Michigan Ranks #1 or #2 on More Social Networks Than Any Other

U.S. State


New York State Has The Largest Number of Facebook Fans

• Yet, only 0.9% of their fans are talking about the page.• The most popular age group are 13-17 year old teenagers.• Most of their fans live in New York City.


State of Florida Has Far Fewer Fans, But More Engaged

• Average age of fans are 35-54, a demographic more likely to have budget to travel.

• Most fans live in out-of-state, a more lucrative traveler.


Takeaway: It’s Quality Not Quantity of Fans That’s Important


Dec 6, 11:49 am


TravelWisconsin.com


Dec 6, 2:45 pm


Dec 6, 7:17 pm


What, If Anything, Do We Do?

• 1 tweet

• 11 retweets

• 1 story in Kalamazoo Gazette


Dec 7, 11:45 am WhoIsTheRealMittenState.com




Dec 7, 4:43 pmStatewide News


Dec 7, 7:23 pmWisconsin Releases Another Mitten

Travel Wisconsin put up a new version of the mitten in the green and gold of the Green Bay Packers, boasting the football team's unbeaten record and ribbing their rivals, the 7-5 Detroit Lions.


“Is Michigan or Wisconsin the Mitten State?”Google AdWords


Dec 7, 10:20 pmNational News



Dec 13


The Mitten Drive Prompted More Conversations


Dec 14, 2:20 International News


Results:•Over 300 news stories from state, national and international radio, newspaper and TV •396 million media impressions•$17.7 million in earned media value

Takeaway: Utilize real time content marketing to be timely, relevant and to resonate with audiences

Within 15 minutes of Super Bowl 2013 grinding to a halt because the lights went out, Oreo sent this tweet.

Generated 15,000 retweets and 8,000 new Twitter followers.


BONUS: Name Michigan’s Great New Trail

• Michigan has more total trail miles than any other state.

• 2,000 mile trail from Belle Isle to Ironwood in the U.P.

• Submit your name to Facebook.com/MiDNR before Oct 13


BONUS: One Simple Thing Increased Social Traffic To Our Website by 188%


Most popular state tourism web site in U.S. in 2013, seventh year in a row

1. michigan.org 5.68% market share

2. Virginia 5.21%3. Florida 5.00%4. Arkansas 4.86%5. Hawaii 4.56%6. Oklahoma 3.63%7. N. Carolina 3.37%8. Colorado 3.32%9. Minnesota 2.84%

Source: Experian Hitwise


Most Popular Blog Story in 2014

This blog story received four times more traffic than the homepage of michigan.org.

Michigan.org had its biggest one-day spike in traffic in three months.


Story Went Viral On Social Media

• 48% of traffic is “direct” vs 33% of traffic is “social”

• Really? It can’t be direct traffic because the story is too new for people to bookmark, and the URL too long for people to remember.


Google Is Under Reporting Facebook Traffic by 40%

By default, Google erroneously and automatically attributes traffic from mobile apps like Facebook and Twitter as being “direct”.


Use Google Analytics URL Builder To Track Social Traffic

Create unique tracking URL’s to properly credit social media mobile app traffic arriving at your website. http://www.michigan.org

Becomes

http://www.michigan.org?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=post

Becomes

http://www.puremi.ch/1kLHW4U


http://www.michigan.org/

http://www.michigan.org/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=post

http://www.michigan.org/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=post

http://www.puremi.ch/1kLHW4U

Now, Our Social Traffic Is Properly Attributed


Thank You

• Chad Wiebesick

• [email protected]

• Twitter: @wiebesick

• Facebook.com/cwiebesick

• Linkedin.com/in/wiebesick

• (517) 335-1083


mailto:[email protected]