Social Media Marketing

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c h a p t e r

8 :

ENGAGEMENT ON THE S

OCIAL W

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with others, and to learn more about how to apply this knowledge toward the end-

goal of “becoming better” at the associated activities of that customer which drove

the actual purchase. Customers want to feel empowered and accomplished: Creating a

space where customers share experiences and learn from each other is a powerful way

to connect your business or organization to them.

Social technology solutions accomplish this by appealing to lifestyles—think

Harley-Davidson for example, whose brand is a lifestyle—or by aligning themselves

with a shared passion or cause, in the way that Dell has done with its ”Take Your Own

Path” community for entrepreneurs and (separately) its Digital Nomad’s community

programs.

Engagement Points

What are some of the typical engagement points—built around associated activities

that run beyond the immediate purposes of marketing—used by businesses on the

Social Web now? Table 8.1 provides examples of social technology and its application

in innovation, support, marketing, and demand generation. The engagement activities

are tied to business objectives and in turn drive the selection of the engagement plat-

form that is ultimately used.

P Table 8.1 Engagement Programs Beyond Social Media Marketing

Brand Engagement Activity Engagement Platform

Starbucks Ideation: Transparent suggestion box seeking

innovative ideas, with visible participation by the

Starbucks team.

Salesforce Ideas/

“My Starbucks Idea”

Dell Member-driven answers to technical questions,

with Dell playing a supporting (participative)

rather than primary (controlling) role.

Lithium Technologies Support Forums/

“Dell’s Support Forums”

Coke Suggesting and voting on ideas to improve the

experience of being an NCAA fan, building on the

participant experience rather than (purely) mar-

keting the brand.

Posterous (blogging)/

“Department of Fannovation”

PGi Developers speak openly with each other as they

develop applications using PGi’s programming

tools and thereby drive demand for PGi’s services.

Jive Software-Based Developer’s

Community/

“PGiConnect”

While Table 8.1 may seem like any other list of tools—leaving you to figure out

where to apply them—the easy way to put the information contained in this table to

use is by looking at the “Engagement Activity” column. Compare these activities with

your own business objectives and look for relevant, interesting ideas on which to build.

It’s always a better idea to start with the end application or business objectives and

then choose the tools than it is to pick a tool and try to come up with a use. Picking