CDC Uses Social Media To Tackle The Swine Flu
November 14, 2009 by Chris Marentis
Filed under Blog
If you ever wondered whether social media is becoming a mainstream communications platform this may be your tipping point. Fact is that to help educate and inform the public about this nasty virus (and many other communications needs), the CDC turned to social media and Web 2.0 applications.
Why? The same reason your business should. It is a very efficient and effective means to engage with customers, and through education and information, move them to take action. Let’s look at what they did:
CDC in Social Networking Sites
The CDC made social networking sites a centerpiece of their outreach and education to effectively and inexpensively reach individuals with personalized and targeted health information. CDC currently participates in four social networking sites:
CDC launched the official CDC Facebook profile in May 2009 to communicate up-to-date information about novel H1N1 flu. This profile communicates featured health information daily and also highlights new social media information.
In November 2007, CDC launched the official CDC MySpace page. The CDC MySpace profile includes blog posts, quick access health information and much more. CDC is using MySpace as a channel to direct users to consumer health information on CDC.gov, In addition, CDC badges are available through the CDC MySpace page, and users can get information on incorporating CDC health messages and graphics into their own pages, empowering our friends to become our advocates.
DailyStrength is a collection of safe, anonymous, online support groups focused on specific health topics to help people overcome their personal challenge or support a loved one through theirs. CDC hosts a group page on DailyStrength that provides access to CDC’s featured health information to empower individuals to lead healthier, safer lives.
CaringBridge
CaringBridge connects family and friends during a critical illness, treatment or recovery. CDC provides access to the CDC A-Z Index via content syndication automatically to every single CaringBridge profile.
Twitter/Microblogs Updates
The CDC uses Twitter to update people on new content that is released on their webiste, keep in contact with professionals and ping any significant updates to the general population.
Online Videos
The CDC releases on-line videos that are educational (how to make sure you wash your hands properly) to educational (how to use disposable respirators). These become viral and also get indexed by search engines for people who are searching for solutions on these topics.
The CDC also uses RSS, Widgets, Text Messaging, website badges and other applications to complete the social media platform. You can learn more about what they are doing at http://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Campaigns/H1N1/index.html.
The key here is the CDC has created a consumer and professional communications platform with all these a various tools. They do not cost a ton of money to maintain, and they can activate people very quickly. Wouldn’t that be nice to be able to do that for your business? I also like the idea that the government is finding powerful but inexpensive ways to communicate to us!
Marketing and Branding is Changed Forever with New Technology and Tough Economic Times: 5 Steps to Keeping Your Business on Track.
October 7, 2009 by Dan Kolansky
Filed under Articles
The Internet has done nothing if not offer millions of options for doing business. In any economy, the problem’s not having enough opportunity – it’s knowing what to do when. Read on for the 5 steps you MUST follow to succeed online today.
While the Internet is abuzz of how tough economic times may affect online business, the new technology and presence of social media offer a promising future for business owners who focus on social Marketing and Branding. Still, the challenge of increased competition and a need for growing revenue can leave executives overwhelmed, frustrated and unsure about the next step. The key to success is to have a solid marketing system in place that takes advantage of the current economic and online climates.
With so many options and potential directions to go within online marketing and branding, it is often hard to know what system is best. To help you simplify the process, here are five basic steps to keeping your business on track and moving forward:
1. Research and then research some more!
Don’t overlook the importance of your customers’ and competitors’ digital footprints. By engaging in research of these footprints you can identify customers’ needs and interests and then fine-tune your USP and brand in order to become the perfect solution for these needs.
From being able to reverse engineer customer search engine queries to better understand how they search to accessing new tools where you can find out what competitors are doing with their keyword and conversion strategies, the current digital world makes it possible to rise to the top of the competition more easily than in years past.
Research is the key to finding out what your target market needs, so that you can offer the solutions. You no longer must start at the bottom of the barrel and do your time. You can rise quickly to the top, using research methods that are 100% free—a major bonus in hard economic times. It pays to listen to your customers in the new social graph.
2. Leverage social web applications and technology
Once you have done the research and created a list of keywords and keyword phrases to pull in the customers, you are ready to put the research into action. Social marketing makes this step easy.
Search engines are doing their job to track and index social web pages, and you only must put the quality content out there to attract the search engine spiders. Using content such as articles, video, audio and blogs you can create a social web strategy with your keywords that can help you to make your mark at the top of the search engine listings.
As a member of the social web, you want to add something of value to make the most of your online relationships. The philosophy of sell, sell, sell is worn out and yesterday’s marketing tactic. Instead, listen to what your customers need and offer information and support, earning you the right to present your products and services when the time is right.
While you always want the information you offer to be fresh and relevant, you can maximize the effort you put into your content by reusing it in appropriate places throughout the web. Instead of plugging content into your website and waiting for customers to come, the social web allows you to get out there, get involved in various social communities and networks where your customers are, and interact in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Before long, you are viewed as the expert of your niche and customers will come to you.
3. Convert leads into repeat customers
It is important to create multiple sources for your business leads in both the online and offline worlds. Building your list is not as overwhelming as it may seem. Use conversion mechanisms and continually pump out marketing efforts to reach your prospective customers and turn them into paying customers.
When you have a target customer list, take advantage of free marketing opportunities through e-mail, or consider direct mail for customers with a physical address. Converting list members into paying customers is easier to do when you make an effort to develop loyalty and trust through communication with your list.
By appealing to customers’ need for information, you can get them to sign up for automated information products that help you to establish a solid relationship. From newsletters and whitepapers to ebooks and videos, the content can also serve as “bait” around the web to attract customers to your list. It’s all about giving the customer a reason to come back to your site again and again. When you offer them something of value and then follow up with repeat communications, people begin to trust you.
Interject personality and passion into your content to establish a rapport. Share a personal story, so that you can stand out amongst your competitors. At the same time, keep the content relevant and cutting-edge so the customers can view you as a real person with an interesting story who offers a valuable service.
Utilizing a lead generation program along with social media can attract customers to your site. These programs help you to separate the lurkers from the buyers, and who wouldn’t prefer to spend time and effort targeting the buyers? As more and more people are getting involved through various social sites, it makes sense to use a lead generation program to help you zero in on the people who are most likely to become conversions.
4. Maximize Monetization of the Customer
In a tight economy it is more important than ever to take a holistic approach to monetizing the customer. After all, with so many competitors online, you want to make the most of each and every buyer. The costs of time, effort and money are too high to be satisfied with a one-time sale. Today’s business must take a lifetime value approach and focus on making the customer a repeat customer.
Consider the additional products and services you can offer to your target market. Information products are a great, low-cost, or even no-cost, way to meet your customers’ needs. The idea is to search for the true need your customer has and provide the solution through your information product.
Social media offers an ideal way for you to identify the needs your customers have. By interacting with them on various sites, you can get a good feel for what solutions would be a hot commodity and then promptly offer those solutions. Whether you create e-books or facilitate webinars or both, you can leverage your good standing with customers who previously purchased from you and offer them additional products to keep them engaged.
5. Use a well-organized and accountable system.
Being organized is vital to good business. Establishing a productive system and sticking with it ensures you have momentum to keep your business going in the right direction. While it may seem overwhelming to create your own system from scratch, there are a variety of marketing systems already available online to help you efficiently and effectively connect with your target market through social marketing.
In your search for a reputable distributed web marketing system for your business, there are certain programs that will stand out above the rest. For example, GenNext Media’s system helps business owners to create a firm foundation based on smart strategy and positioning—all the while taking advantage of what the social web has to offer. It is important to have a system in place that encompasses research, lead generation, value-backed information and social web outreach.
Chris Marentis is a serial entrepreneur and recognized Internet Marketing expert having served as SVP at AOL and CEO of Clearspring Technologies. For more information on Marketing and Branding, go to http://www.gennextmedia.com today.
