Social Media intelligent outsourcing (part 1)

Some companies are looking at outsourcing social media, just like they already outsource other services like advertising, branded material production, creative design, etc. I guess the main reason is because they don’t really have anyone in-house up to date with the constant changes and new technologies.

There is a danger though in that many companies are not just looking for help but offloading all their activity onto an outside agency that is not integrated into the company but still representing them in social media. I find that very risky as well as being really costly.

If you’re thinking of hiring someone to manage your social media accounts and handle your online networking, you may want to think again, because you might end up with exactly the opposite of what you’re after.

Of course the choice to outsource must be determined on a case-by-case basis based upon the company's culture and objectives. If outsourcing is already a core tactic your company uses to create campaigns or implement programs, then outsourcing some social media functions may make sense for the company.

In this first part we will see what is best to outsource:

1. Strategy development: this is where you need the experts’ advice. Strategy is important and well as the implementation. A good strategy will provide you a map for all future activities and lead you to success...or failure.
2. Staff training: Not everyone is familiar with social media, the agency or consultancy should provide a foundation course or training session where all employees could familiarize with the corporate aspect of social media.
3. Employee policy:  Have someone to draft a policy for employees with corporate guidelines or principles of communicating in the online world. Without knowing it employees can seriously jeopardize the company’s image and/or reputation.
4. Content formatting and editing: if you’re not too sure about your grammar and/or design, have someone to review it for you. That way you’ll still communicate the way you like.
5. Audio and video editing: these are definitely not my strengths, so to get a professional to tidy, enhance and add effects it is a good investment.
6. Friend/Fan Requests: can save a lot of time having an assistant to filter out the obvious junk from your following, lists, friend requests, networking contacts and so on before you give them the final approval.
7. Research Content: you might find an outsourcer can find information faster and higher quality, this again will save you lots and lots of time.
8. Content uploads: it takes time usually to upload your content onto the various platforms than having someone to do it for you would be best.
9. Online monitoring: Rather than sit watching reports and streams of search results, have someone else monitor your brand mentions and jump in to respond as and when necessary. There is also plenty of good software programs, check this post I did a few months back.

Hiring an expert, an agency or a consultant, to provide guidance on the tools and potential strategies is smart, as it will shorten the learning curve. But you can't outsource your voice.

Viral video of the month - Coca Cola happiness

Usually this section covers great viral videos a few years old. This time the video is very recent since it was made this year in January.

Very simple and very smart. Makes people like the product even further.

Credits go to Definition 6, an integrated interactive agency based in USA.

Enjoy.

If you want to see the previous videos i posted here you find the John West 1 and 2, Quicksilver.

Omani companies on Facebook - TOP 10

I have compiled a list of companies in Oman using Facebook. I have only taken into consideration the ones who use a Facebook Page (business page), therefore not groups or personal pages, and the ones in English.

Here is the top 10 in terms of fans/likers:

1. Burger King - they’re obviously trying hard but it seems they’re customer service is letting them down as they keep getting lots of negative comments. However the lead this top 10 with 6893 fans. If they don't improve their service i wouldn't keep the page open, some of the comments they get can potentially destroy their reputation and image.

2. Oman Sail - Oman Sail is rekindling Oman's maritime heritage and it operates with the support and guidance of the Ministry of Tourism. A great initiative for young Omanis to discover and enjoy sailing as well as a recreation which combines physical exercise with mental stimulation and teamwork. Number of fans 4344.

3. Fruitesca - Oman's first juice bar; never been there but they seem to have a good variety of products all 100% healthy. And everyone loves healthy stuff! Number of fans 2274.

4. Oman Air - the flagship company of the Sultanate of Oman’s Civil Aviation sector, Oman Air played a major role in making Muscat a major traffic hub in the Middle East. Quite a new page but it seems the company wants to go social has it also uses Twitter and has a blog. Number of fans 2243.

5. Muscat Buy or Sell - not a company but a great place where you can buy or sell pretty much anything. Number of fans 1900.

6. Al Bustan Palace - in my opinion the best page of all. The only one with a proper landing page and lots of comments and interaction. Nicely done. Number of fans 1536.

7. Totem - one of my favourite. Great clothes, great atmosphere and unique customer service both pre and after sales. Totem’s page is a sort of small community. A good example for anyone who want to open and run a page. Number of fans 1314.

8. Creative Minds - Creative Minds is a local management and personal development organization focusing on improving and empowering Omani's in the workplace, and at home. Their motto is “investing in minds”. They have lot of fans and enquieries, let’s see if they can capitalise on them. Number of fans 1205.

9. Muscat City Centre - good number of fans but they should probably have many more. They could also improve on the way the communicate to people however still in the top 10. Number of fans 1036.

10. Knowledge Oman - the only one under thousand fans. For the ones who don’t know KO is an online community platform specifically engineered to create a knowledge based economy with a focus on developing the Information and Communication Technology Sector in Oman. As there’s a lot of interest in this area they have quite a lot of fans and communicate well with them. Number of fans 810.

There are some pages like Chips Oman, Haya Water, Nawras and others who could make it to this top 10 but because they’ve stopped updating the page, or actually never started it properly or other reasons were not taken into consideration. I probably missed some pages, if you know any please let me know and I’ll update the post.

Lastly, it is surprising to see how banks and telecoms or even restaurants are not taking advantage of Facebook. 

In a couple of days I’ll post the top companies with smaller number of fans...plenty of surprises there.

UPDATE: i was informed of another page which should be in the top 10.

Aitken Spence Hotels in Oman - really good page, good use of FBML, great landing page, videos, photos, constant updates and good interaction. One of the best. Number of fans 1032 which will place the page at number 10.

Our good friend Rashad suggested another very good page, thank you Rashad!

B+F Roadside Diner - very good page; (nearly) everyone seems to like these guys and their food as the reviews are mainly positive.Some photos and lots of comments bu their fans. 3202 fans place the page at number 3!

"Call 911!" "...um do they have a Twitter page?"

There have been numerous parodies already of the soon-to-be-released Facebook movie which portrays how the company started (see my previous posts here and here). Now, a YouTube video portrays a similar trailer based not even remotely on the true-life adventures of Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone. The trailer was created by Next New Networks.

The video opens with such epic tweets as “my hair is sad today” and “my computer is being a fart butt right now.” Then it traces the origins of Twitter: "I need to create a way to blog that is as random and incoherent as writing on a bathroom wall.”

You won't find this at cinemas, it is worth watching this short trailer though.

Dehli Police using Facebook and Twitter

The Dehli Traffic Police recently joined Facebook and it seems they are getting a lot of help from the general public. Many people are reporting all sort of infractions, or areas to avoid because of traffic, non working signals, etc. Check out their page here.

The Police has also joined Twitter (here) to give constant updates.

I think this is a great service not only because it keeps citizens informed but also as a form to stop bad drivers as they have more chances of being caught and pay penalties.

Should the R.O.P. do the same?

Save Energy Oman Campaign arrives at Salalah Tourism Festival

It's time for an update on the Save Energy Oman campaign. I do not have any data yet on the actual savings but what i can say is that many public and private institutions have joined the campaign. Here are a few: Ministry of Fisheries Wealth, Ministry of National Economy, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Interior, HSBC, Oman Arab Bank, Omantel, nawras, City Center, Oman Cables Industry, Ahli Bank, Microsoft and many more!

The campaign is these days in Salalah, for the famous Salalah Tourism Festival which is taking place from 15th of July to the end of August. If you have not been there yet i suggest a visit as it is the greenest and coolest place in the Middle East this time of the year.

Visitors to the stand, beautifully designed by navyblue, can hear tips on how to save electricity, and money, within their homes and at their workplace, while cute Noor, the animated White Oryx and the campaign’s unofficial spokesperson, will appear on a number of TV screens talking about how and why everyone should sign up to the cause.

Here are a couple of photos of the inauguration of the stand by the Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar H.E. Abdullah Aqeel Al Ibrahim as well as the popular "kids zone".

There are lots of freebies to be collected too, if you hurry, as well as a grand prize of a 32” LCD TV kindly donated by OTE.

For more information on the Save Energy Oman campaign and how to join it please visit www.saveenergyoman.com

Oh, and don't forget to set your AC units on 23 degrees or Noor will be upset!

An Arab company that beats western corporations at their own game

Aramex is a global, progressive and innovative company headquartered in Amman, Jordan. The company is the largest global freight, logistics and transportation company in the Middle East, and one of the top five players in the world behind international brands such as FedEx and DHL.

Aramex has built a strong reputation for having a customer-focused culture and operations that shows quite the opposite of the stereotypes westerners often label Arabs.

Aramex through its website and social media has managed to build relationships and strengthen their brand with their customers. The CEO, Fadig Ghandour, (@fadig), is very active on Twitter where he openly gives kudos to employees, responds to questions and retweets a customer’s stories as well as quickly solving problems and complaints.

 

Aramex has also its own Twitter account as well as the Shop&Ship service. Of course we can also find Aramex on Facebook and YouTube.

If you look at the way Aramex interacts with it customers and potential ones you will notice how good the team is at using it, much better than Aramex's competitors from the western world. Hats off and let's hope more Arab companies will follow this example.

Facebook movie - the trailer

Last month i posted (here) about "The Social Network", the movie about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his partners, written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher. A few days ago the trailer was released by Sony, you can view it below.

Sony is using Twitter to drive people to 500MillionFriends.com, the site that houses the film’s trailer, music and the movie poster featuring the tagline, “You Don’t Get to 500 Million Friends Without Making a Few Enemies.”

The funny thing is that Sony can’t market the film on Facebook!! A Sony spokesman said that Facebook doesn’t allow ads that reference the company unless Facebook is cooperating. Facebook, as a matter of fact, is not cooperating on the movie...

At a recent conference Mark Zuckerberg, the main character in the film, said  that he wished the film hadn’t been made in his lifetime.

Will you watch it?