Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mob
Social Media &Brand Awareness
Dave Tanchak | BCIT
CCAE National ConferenceJune 8, 2009
Here on behalf of a diverse and dynamic team…
Who is this dude anyway?
• Manager, Web Services, BCIT• Part-time web design instructor• Beer-league hockey player• Rock star wannabe * * More on this later
Definitely not a social media:expertevangelist (maybe a little)
strategist (well, not entirely)
guru
More of an experimentalist, if anything.(aren’t we all?)
The Social Media Starfishhttp://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2007/11/scobles-starfish.html
The Conversation Prismhttp://www.briansolis.com/2009/03/conversation-prism-v20.html
Can social media equal this?
…as a way to raise awareness?
Dunno.
But it definitely won’t if we don’tget engaged.
Via Jeff_Werner on Flickrhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffwerner/274490620/
Our research has shown:
• BCIT brand awareness is high
• Perceptions are skewed• Breadth is poorly
understood
Can we make people aware of the breadth of our offering…
…by getting them to think and talk about their interests and goals?
Photo via Matt Hamm on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthamm/2945559128/
Using communication methods and tools that are meaningful to our target audience.
We thought we’d try.
So let’s flip the conversation around…
Via activeside on Flickrhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/activeside/2180730719/
them
us
An arduous journey…
1 Early conversations2 Transmogrification *
3 Loving the mob4 What to worry about next
Our, uh, “egg hunt” so far:
* Props to Calvin & Hobbes
Early conversations
1
2
3
4
We tried to start the conversation in 2003
Yeah, right.
So we went about our business…
…but we kept talking about “the mob.”(Notice the old screenshots…)
Yo Dave. S’up?
You know those blog
things?
Yup.
Think we could get some
students to write some of
those?I reckon.
Kay. Lemme know when
they’re ready.
Will do.
Then, one day in 2006……and so, about 3 months later…
Director of Marketing(Boss)
Me
“Real students. Real life.”
bcit.ca/mylife
The big idea:
• Give potential students:– Unmediated commentary about BCIT– A glimpse of student life that no
brochure or website content can provide
– A chance to interact with real students
• Then watch the applications roll in!
We definitely got some interesting
stories…
So what about all those conversations?
Year # of bloggers Comments Total UPV myLife UPV
06/07 7 84 > 10K > 3K
07/08 7 21 > 12K > 4K
08/09 10 47 > 36K > 5K
It seems clear that:
• Student bloggers have been providing valuable perspective over 3 years
• We still haven’t seen the level of engagement we hoped for
Transmogrification
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2
3
4
Images ©Universal Press Syndicate. Original work by Bill Watterson. Originally published on 1987-03-23 & 1987-03-24.
For the uninitiated
Yo Dave. S’up?
We’re looking to do more stuff on the
web this year.
Cool.Uh...
In the spring of 2008…
Director of Marketing(Not my boss)
Me
Some of that social media
stuff. The Myface and
so on.
And video. Lots of video.Seriously.
It’ll rock.Is this a
joke?
Yes, actually. I’m not really a Marketing archetype.
We need to transmogrify from:
• Static to dynamic• One-way to two-way• Announcement to conversation
Move past brochureware:
• “Here’s what we’ve got.”• “Here’s what it costs.”• “Here’s how you get in.”• “Here’s what it’s like to study.”
The big idea:
• Use social media aspects:– Creating– Connecting– Collaborating– Critiquing– Consuming
To help us increase awareness of
our brand and breadth.
Promotional tactics:
• Outdoor advertising• Online• Theatre slides• Nightcasting• Street decaling • Street stunts• Recruitment events
Skytrain platform posters
Skytrain interior cards
• Nexopia• Laineygossip• Somethingawful• Beyondrobson• Livejournal
Online advertising
Theatre slides:
• 117 screens in Cineplex Movie Theatres
• Full-motion commercials
Theatre slides: “Rims”
Theatre slides: “Date”
Mobile unit that projects ads on sides of buildings in high-volume locations
Nightcasting
Street decaling
Street stunts
BCITwebsite
Campaign results:
• 10,000+ visits• 110 transmogrifications• 630 text changes• 84 video changes• 300 registered users (suspects)• 42 star users (prospects)
Loving the mob
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2
3
4
Yo Dave. S’up?
In February of 2009…
Director of Marketing(Still not my boss)
Me
So I really want some
video on the site.
Uh huh.Like, a lot of video.
Uh huh.
I was thinking we could shoot
for three days and nights.
Haha! Good one.
I’m not joking. I
even have a name for it:Webathon!
Stop! You’re killing me!
Seriously. …
Oh, and I want to do it four weeks
from now.Aw, crap.Ow! My sides!
Hilarious!
Biannual BIG Info event plays big part in students’ decision to come to BCIT.
The big idea:
• Shoot and post video non-stop for 4 days and 3 nights (67 hours)
• Then watch the applications roll in!
First things first – lose the webathon name.
Second, a very fast conceptual design phase.
Then we built the @#%$! thing.
67 hours is a lot of video.
Sample 3bn videos
Skateboarders Tuition winner Colonel Panic
Also notable:
• During event we used twitter to interact with and convert a disgruntled BIG Info attendee
• BCIT President actually passed along congratulations to the 3bn team (I know!)
We have started to engage the mob…
…and they aren’t that scary. (Mostly).
What to worry about next
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Integrated strategy:
• Why are we involved in social media? Why is our audience?
• How does it enhance offline efforts?
• What behaviour are we trying to influence?
• How will we measure success?
Community tending:
• Staying engaged with the community (wherever they may be)
• Getting internal stakeholders to participate
• Where will conversions happen?
Focus on the experience:
• How does our presence on SM sites integrate with our website?
• Do we have the technical expertise to create a killer experience?
• Are our people ready to engage online and F2F?
Via rumikel on Flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/rumikel/2931980674/
The mob is out there. Talking about
you.
Show them some love.
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