FreshNetworks Blog

A study by CNN of how we share and consume news has found that social media is the most frequent way that we share stories online. In their study of 2,300 people over two months they found that social media was used to share news in 43% of all instances. Higher than email, which was the second most frequent method of sharing, with 30% of all instances. SMS was third (with 15% of instances) and instant messenger 4th (12%).

These statistics should not, in themselves be surprising. Social media is the easiest of all these ways for people to share news. To share on Facebook they just need to click a ‘Like’ button, and to share on Twitter or other sites there are one-click ways to share content with your friends and followers. Many sites (including our own) include these links and buttons and news sites, in particular are making good use of these. Sharing by email or SMS is more difficult – you need to copy the link, open the relevant program, find who you want to share it with and then send the link.

Social media tools remove many of these steps and, although we don’t have any timeseries data on this, I would hypothesise that the volume of all news stories shared has increased as the amount of sharing via social media has increased. Social media makes news sharing easier and encourages more people to do it.

The role of social media influencers in news sharing

What is perhaps more revealing from this research is the analysis of who shares what. The study found that 27% of ‘Frequent Sharers’ (defined as those sharing at least six stories each week) were responsible for 87% of all news shared online. As we see in most online communities, a small number of users are responsible for the majority of content produced and shared.

These influencers are those who are sharing very high volumes of news and for news organisations there is a real benefit to be gained from understanding more about how they behave and what they share. There is also a benefit for those advertising around the stories that are shared. CNN’s research found that people who received a news story from a friend in social media were more 19% more likely to recommend brands that advertised around this story. They were 27% more likely to favour the brand themselves.

So sharing of news stories in social media is beneficial not just to the news organisations but also to the brands who advertise alongside these stories. There is a real benefit to properly analysing and understanding how people share content online – who is sharing this and what content are they most likely to share. As social media grows and the use of ‘Like’ buttons becomes ubiquitous we should expect even more sharing online and so an ever increasing importance of proper analysis of what users are doing.

At FreshNetworks we work with many clients to develop and implement their European social media strategy – either for US companies who want to translate the work they do in their domestic market for their European brands, or for multinationals who are looking to develop a social media strategy that they can use across their European markets. For many brands who are developing how they are using social media this will be a common need. They want to understand where social media fits internally, how to manage it across their markets and how to measure and evaluate the success you are having. For many multinationals, these decisions might be made across markets. Or at least a series of guidelines and processes need to be defined that are then interpreted in each market.

A common mistake that multinational brands risk making is to build a European approach to social media by taking a tactic that has worked in one country and trying to implement this in other markets. For example, taking a campaign that might have been run on Facebook in Italy and trying to implement similar campaigns across all their European markets. Such approaches – socialising tactics across Europe – tend to be very difficult to make a success. For the simple reason that a tactic that works in Italy may not work in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain or other European countries. In these different markets, different consumers use social media in different ways; and different consumers want different relationships with brands. You cannot just take a tactic that works in one country and apply it across Europe. When you are developing a European social media strategy for a brand you should develop just that – a strategy, not a set of tactics that you hope to use in each market.

The ideal European social media strategy will provide a framework in which each market can operate. Ensuring that all markets are contributing towards the same overall aims, although they may do this in different ways. You should be able to measure and control each market according to the same set of metrics (although individual markets may add their own measures to these). And you should be able explain and understand why each market is doing what they are doing according to a common set of goals and direction.

A successful European social media strategy for a brand is not a set of tactics to implement across all markets. This never brings as much success as a brand might realise. Rather it is a framework and common approach. A strategy that each market can adopt and work within. Developing their own tactics and creative solutions that all contribute towards the same end goals and the same measures. You may find great insight and innovation from sharing these tactics, and you may find that some do translate between certain markets. But your strategy should not be based on these.

Over the coming fortnight we are going to be looking at a set of issues that brands face when developing a European social media strategy – from sharing best practice and the need to produce a common set of measures and reporting, to the challenges of working across languages and how to implement social media monitoring across markets.

See all our posts on developing a European social media strategy

As a social media agency, FreshNetworks aims to bring you the best posts in social media, online communities, marketing and customer engagement online. In case you missed them, find below our top five posts in September that you might have missed.

1. How BBC London is experimenting with social media to cover the Tube strike

This autumn London is facing a series of strikes on the London Underground system. These are always very disruptive to commuters and when they happen the need for correct, and instant, information is great. BBC London News (@BBCLondonNews) has been using Twitter for some time as a source information, comment and research for pieces. Most notably through certain reporters such as Matt Cooke (@MattCooke_UK) who have built a presence on Twitter. But with this Tube Strike, BBC London News are doing some things different and truly experimenting with social media.

They have launched and are experimenting with the London Tube Strike Map. Plotting information shared on Twitter using the #TubeStrike hashtag, and submitted by text, email and by filling in a form on the site too. What BBC London is doing is experimenting with different ways of both sourcing and then presenting information and news. It is using social media in the way that many of its viewers are doing and providing them a real service.

2. Social media case study: Cadbury spots v stripes campaign

Cadbury Spots v Stripes campaign is a great case study of how to use social media and shows just why social media doesn’t just take place online. The campaign integrates online and offline touchpoints, and rewards people for things they do in social media and offline. What is interesting to see is that Cadbury has recognised that offline is converging with online – something that all digital marketers need to be aware of.

3. The dangers of brands over-responding on Twitter

One of my favourite podcasts is Listen to Lucy from the FT’s Lucy Kellaway and in September she has a great piece addressing how brands are responding on Twitter. Specifically how the Starbucks UK MD is responding to some tweets about the brand and the regularity at which he is doing this. The example she uses is a Tweet from a UK comedian about the hygiene in one Starbucks store, and Kellaway suggests that the MD should have other things to do than worry about the hygiene in one store, that it is worrying that he only finds out about this via Twitter, and that it appears they are only engaging people with a certain threshold of followers on Twitter.

There is a real danger with social media. Because it is easy to find mentions of your brand online there is a temptation to think that you need to respond to them. Kellaway’s point, and one that brands should take into account when planning their social media strategies, is that overall business strategy should not be driven by what is said on Twitter.

4. 5 ways marketers could use Facebook Places

Facebook Places launched in the US in August and in Europe in September. It allows users to share their location with their friends, find out who is near them and to discover new places nearby. This add another geolocation tool into the market alongside the likes of Foursquare and Gowalla and the reach of Facebook will put geolocation tools in the hands of lots of people.

In this post we suggest five ways that marketers can use Facebook Places – from discounts to data.

5. Learn from Abercrombie & Fitch: Embed social media in every customer touchpoint

When you pay at Abercrombie & Fitch in London, you are asked the same question: “Have you checked us out on Facebook?”. Rather than being just a phatic expression, this is a sign that Abercrombie & Fitch is taking its social media strategy seriously. And a great example of just how to embed social media across your customer touchpoints and with all your staff.

If you want to grow and engage more customers in social media the best way is to embed it into your existing processes. You currently have many customer touchpoints so make the most of them. And let social media complement what you already do rather than sitting on its own.