Harnessing Communities to Build Your Brand

Mel KirkSocial Media Manager

White Label Dating

How Dating Sites Can Work WithSocial Media to Maximise Revenues

Tuesday, 29 September 2009SOCIAL MEDIA ISN'T JUST FLUFFY, IF DONE WELL, IT CAN EARN YOU MONEY

78% of consumers said that they would believe

their social network about a product or service,

compared to 55% who trust TV ads!

Tuesday, 29 September 200978% OF CONSUMERS SAID THAT THEY WOULD BELIEVE THEIR SOCIAL NETWORK ABOUT A PRODUCT OR SERVICE, COMPARED TO 55% WHO TRUST TV ADS!

THATʼS WHY YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO SOCIAL MEDIA.

Business to consumer relationships have always existed!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

As has word of mouth!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009THIS IS NOTHING NEW, ITʼS ALWAYS EXISTED

60%

33%

Tuesday, 29 September 2009NOT CONVINCED?

60% OF PEOPLE WHEN QUESTIONED SAID THAT THEY WILL TELL 10 OR MORE PEOPLE ABOUT A PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT THEY LIKE

1/3 OF PEOPLE WILL TELL 20 OR MORE

THE POPULARITY OF TWITTER IS NOW INCREASING THIS TO HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS

The Changing LandscapeTuesday, 29 September 2009THINGS ARE CHANGING. CONSUMERS ARE MORE EDUCATED AND EXPECT A BETTER LEVEL OF SERVICE THAN EVER BEFORE. IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME.

Social media will not go away, it’s not a fad. It’s a fundamental shift in the way that we communicate and will continue to evolve.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009ITʼS A CULTURAL SHIFT AND THE EMPHASIS IS NOW ON COMPANIES TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY. ITʼS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BE A PART OF THE COMPETITION.

Changes in Brands

The interwebs have redefined communications, regaining intimacy

People talk about everything Brands are socialised, there’s no “going social” Product information and expertise is no longer

controlled by the brand Either you are proactive or reactive

Tuesday, 29 September 2009WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL BECOMING THE NORM, PEOPLE ARE NOW ABLE TO KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY VIA THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS. THIS MEANS THAT NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE IN THE WORLD, THEY ARE STILL ABLE TO COMMUNICATE AND SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES.

YOU CANʼT DETERMINE THE EXACT TALK YOU WANT ABOUT THE BRAND, YOU CAN ONLY ENSURE THAT YOU DO EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. ITʼS ABOUT BEING TRANSPARENT.

BEING PROACTIVE WILL SHOW A REAL INTEREST IN YOUR CONSUMERS AND WILL MAKE YOU SEEM MORE OF AN “APPROACHABLE” COMPANY

Tuesday, 29 September 2009IT'S NO LONGER ENOUGH TO BECKON PEOPLE TO YOUR SITE WITH THE LIKES OF SEO AND PPC

Tuesday, 29 September 2009SEARCH ENGINE PLACEMENT WILL BE ENOUGH TO HOOK PEOPLE IN BUT NOT ENOUGH TO ENGAGE THEM AND KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009YOU HAVE TO FLOCK TO YOUR USERS, TO LEARN HOW THEY COMMUNICATE, WHAT INTERESTS THEM AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH SOMETHING THAT WILL APPEAL TO THEM.

The Benefits of Social Media

Customer Engagement Direct Customer Communications Speed of Feedback / Results Learning Customer Preferences Low Cost Brand Building Market Research Credibility of the Crowd Reach

Tuesday, 29 September 2009CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT - YOU'RE HELPING THEM WITH ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THEIR LIFE AND THEY WANT TO FEEL LIKE YOU RECOGNISE THEM AS AN INDIVIDUAL - SETTING YOU APART FROM YOUR COMPETITORS

DIRECT COMMS / SPEED OF FEEDBACK - YOU CAN DEAL WITH CUSTOMER ENQUIRIES, PROVIDING AN OUTSTANDING LEVEL OF SERVICE & REDUCING COMPLAINTS - INCREASING RETENTION

LOW COST - TRAFFIC IS MUCH MORE TARGETED - THROUGH TWO WAY CONVERSATION, THEY KNOW EXACTLY YOUR OFFERING AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO SIGN UP

REACH - RATHER THAN ONLY GETTING THOSE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR DATING RELATED KEYWORDS, YOU CAN REACH THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T REACHED THAT STAGE OF THE DATING CYCLE

You need to start to:-

Listening Giving people something to talk about Entering into a dialogue with your customers Building places for your customers to gather Make sure that you’re linked from trusted sites

Tuesday, 29 September 2009LISTENING IS IMPORTANT - YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THEIR DESIRES AND DRIVERS.

YOU ALREADY HAVE THE PLACE FOR THEM TO GATHER, SO THAT'S ONE THING DOWN

TRUSTED SITES - NOW WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING, THEY'LL WIKIPEDIA IT! MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE IN ON THE ACTION AS IT WILL BUILD YOUR CREDIBILITY.

LINKS FROM OTHER TRUSTED SITES WILL ALSO HELP YOUR SITE'S RANKING.

How do you do this?

Conversation Monitoring Tools Constant Engagement Total Transparency Listening to Feedback

Tuesday, 29 September 2009CONVERSATION MONITORING TOOLS - GOOGLE ALERTS, GOOGLE BLOG SEARCH, TWITTER SEARCH / TWEETDECK

YOU'LL BE KEPT IN THE FOREFRONT OF PEOPLES MINDS RATHER THAN A ONE HIT ATTEMPT

THERE WON'T BE ANYWHERE TO HIDE. PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BRAND. ADMIT WHEN YOU'VE MADE A MISTAKE. HAVE CHARACTER. BE DIFFERENT.

NO POINT ASKING FOR FEEDBACK UNLESS YOU'RE GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT OR EVEN ACKOWLEDGE IT

Tuesday, 29 September 2009THERE'S A NEW EVOLUTION OF DATING SITES - THEY'RE BECOMING MORE SOCIAL AND DISPERSING THE STIGMA. NOT ONLY WILL THESE SITES DO WELL, THEY HELP EXPAND THE MARKET AND NORMALISE DATING.

THESE SITES ARE FOCUSSED AROUND SOCIAL NETWORKS - THE PLACE WITH MASS SATURATION THAT'S ALREADY TRUSTED

Tuesday, 29 September 2009THE THING THAT MADE THIS ALL POSSIBLE.

Benefits of Social NetworkIntegration:-

Access to an unprecedented amount of user data * Photographs * Personal Interests * FRIENDS LISTS

Fewer barriers to signup encouraging greater conversion from site visitor to member

Tuesday, 29 September 2009IN RESPECT OF THE APPLICATION, THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE THAT FACEBOOK CONNECT CAN MAKE.

FRIENDS LISTS ARE THE MAIN THING HERE. IT ENCOURAGES WORD OF MOUTH (THAT THING THAT EVERYONE TRUSTS) AND OPENS UP YOUR SERVICE TO NEW AUDIENCES.

•In a relationship•Happy not looking elsewhere

•Newly single•Not really looking,•Fancying a few people from circle of friends/ work

•Getting worried about being single•Want to get back in the game•Still selective, looking for Mr/Mrs Right•Prepared to make serious commitment

•Happily single / dating•Being set up by friends,•meeting in bars•Relaxed & carefree•Most attractive because not actively shopping

•Sick of being single•Moaning a bit•Become less picky, will take anything•Looking a bit desperate

Tuesday, 29 September 2009BY TARGETING PEOPLE IN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE, YOU SHOULD BE DISPERSING ANY STIGMA AND CAPTURING MEMBERS EARLIER IN THE DATING CYCLE.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009SOCIAL NETWORK INTEGRATION HAS THE BENEFIT OF BEING TWO-WAY

Tuesday, 29 September 2009BRANDS GET CONTENT INTO FACEBOOK'S VIRAL CHANNELS BY LETTING VISITORS POST NEWS FEED STORIES, STATUS MESSAGES, PHOTOS, EVENTS & MORE WITHOUT HAVING TO LEAVE THE PLATFORM. GREAT FOR BRAND AWARENESS.

Tools for Engagement

Blog Twitter Account Dedicated Product page on social networks Forums Newsletters / Email Communications Groups Social Bookmarking Tools Photo and Video Platforms

Tuesday, 29 September 2009HAVING A BLOG IS A GREAT WAY OF ADDING NEW CONTENT TO YOUR SITE (ALSO HELPING WITH SEO) AND ASSUMING ITʼS INTERESTING CONTENT - PROVIDES A REASON FOR VISITORS TO COME BACK

TWITTER IS A GREAT WAY OF INTERACTING BUT ALSO PROVIDING A VOICE TO THE BRAND AND AMAZING FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

SOCIAL NETWORKS - GREAT FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, PEOPLE SHOWING THEIR PREFERENCES FOR A BRAND ETC

FORUMS / GROUPS ETC - GOOD TO RAISE AWARENESS OF YOUR BRAND, JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

Choose your tone of voice. Ensure you add value.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BRAND - IT GIVES THEM A PERSON TO CONNECT TO AND A CHARACTER TO YOUR BRAND. THEY’LL BE MORE FORGIVING AND ENCOURAGE WORD OF MOUTH.

Don’t spam. It’s not big or clever.

Tuesday, 29 September 2009MORE IMPORTANTLY IT WILL DAMAGE YOUR CREDIBILITY.

Be Smart!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009TRACK EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU, YOU WON'T KNOW WHERE TO FOCUS YOUR ATTENTIONS. EVEN URL SHORTENING SERVICES OFFER TRACKING NOW.

Why Take Facebook Seriously?

The 35-54yr old demo is growing fastest, with a 276.4% growth rate in the past 6 months

The 55yr+ demo isn’t far behind, growing by 194.3%

The 25-34yr old demo is doubling every 6 months More females (55.7%) than males (42.2%)

Tuesday, 29 September 200935-35YR OLDS THE DEMO HAS GROWN BY 276.4%55+YR OLD DEMO HAS GROWN BY 194.3%25-34YR OLD DEMO IS DOUBLING EVERY 6 MONTHSMORE FEMALES 55.7%

AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS....

£=

Tuesday, 29 September 2009GET GIRLS ON THE SITE AND MONEY WILL FOLLOW AS WHERE THERE ARE GIRLS, BOYS FLOCK... IT'S THE BOYS THAT WILL PAY!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009ULTIMATELY, THE MORE PEOPLE THAT YOU BRING TO YOUR SITE, THE MORE REVENUE THAT YOU'LL BE EARNING AND THE MORE PEOPLE'S LIVES THAT YOU'LL BE IMPROVING.

YOU'RE CHANGING PEOPLE'S LIVES. THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuKTEVgVmI&feature=player_embedded#t=42

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Mel KirkSocial Media ManagerWhite Label Dating

www.whitelabeldating.comTwitter.com/melkirk

Tuesday, 29 September 2009