Kiosk joined brands, influencers, vendors and social media practitioners in San Francisco to discuss the latest scoop in social media at the second annual Social Tools Summit. The event focused primarily on tools that companies can use to improve the efficiency of their social campaigns and perception of their brand image in the social sphere. Individual tracks focused on social selling, how to use video, employee advocacy, customer response and curating content. A few highlights:
Social Selling is People Selling
Social evangelist Jill Rowley and other speakers made a strong case for the power of social selling, particularly in business-to-business transactions. Jill highlighted the fact that buyers have access to a wealth of information when making purchasing decisions, often leaving them both empowered and somewhat overwhelmed. It’s smart to look at potential buyers as future advocates, not merely prospects, and approach your pitch accordingly. People will always trust their peers more than they trust a company logo, and social selling provides many tools that build relationships and share information. Her advice? Remember the three C’s: content, conversations and conversions. Jill’s slideshares are well worth a look.
Using Analytics to Drive Storytelling
Keynote speaker Michael Brito, head of social marketing at the W2O Group, offered up a 1/9/90 breakdown of the social audience, and advice on how to break through the clutter with data and analytics.
– 1% are influencers that create content
– 9% are advocates that share and repackage
– 90% are enthusiasts that listen and learn
He described four distinct barriers to reaching your audience: media surplus, attention deficit, tunnel vision and an unpredictable customer journey. With this in mind, he advocates analytics as the key to breaking through clutter with precision. For more on this, check out his presentation.
Talking About Employee Advocacy
Some brands like Zappos, Salesforce and Southwest Airlines are known for their empowered employee advocates. But the reality is that most company employees don’t wake up thinking, “what am I going to share on behalf of my company today?” As highlighted at Social Tools, companies like GaggleAmp and SocialChorus are stepping into the gap to help companies develop and manage employee advocacy and engagement programs. Having trusted employees sharing content online can give a company a relatable face in the social sphere, while encouraging advocacy can help employees feel better informed, and more engaged with a company’s mission.
For advice on how to build your reach on social media please give Kiosk a call.