Word Profiteers

Social media has become an integral part of an organisation's business development and marketing platform yet maximising its benefits still has not been fully realised. Brands on every level struggle with innovative and substantive narratives, losing critical opportunities to monetize their client and customer interactions.

While social media is rightly considered to be an essential part of the modern communications mix, there are significant risks to companies who open up social media communication channels without giving proper consideration to exactly how they are going to execute their strategy. One of the most common failings is a dramatic under-estimation of the likelihood of negative conversations. Brands and organisations lacking a clear plan for managing both positive and negative aspects of talking to, and with, consumers via social media quickly end up on the wrong side of negative viral spread. This can have a serious reputation and bottom line impacts.

Customers are evolving constantly across a spectrum of realities within multiple environments. Each customer interaction is 'measured' using different models and in an experience economy means, even the most powerful brands are unconventionally challenged. Viral spread (negative or positive) depends on the conversations in-line with each customer's expectations, the question is... do we really know which experiential narrative drives an effective interaction?

The workshop will take delegates on a step by step journey that will allow them to understand the complexities of a risk aware social media strategy; just how, and how not, to approach the execution of their digital communication strategy.

Facilitator: Andrew Miller, an award-winning author, has over fifteen years of experience working with organisations of all sizes in the development and execution of their digital and social media communication programmes. He brings his professional and personal experiences to the workshop delegates via two days of dynamic discussions, exercises and case studies.

Day 1

Session 1 - Understanding technology change:

• Why Facebook and Twitter don't matter as much as dealing with a new communication context
• Understanding, and working within, the rebound environment
• Developing a communication philosophy able to cope with modern communication - today and in hyper change future

Tea/Coffee networking break

Session 2 - Learning to say no:

• The myth of social media - no one has to do anything
• How to assess your brand's true communication imperatives
• Why no communication is better than uncontrolled communication

Lunch

Session 3 - Case study 1: FMCG brands

Tea/Coffee networking break

Session 4 (a) - CEOs, social media and personal branding:

• Pros and cons of the tweeting boss
• Brands without faces
• Brands without voices

Session 4 (b) Government, state agencies and parastatals:

• The good
• The bad
• The ugly

Day 2

Session 5 - Case study 2: Generating leads. How sales focused brands use organic and paid social media content to generate leads:

• Understanding organic and paid content
• How Twitter and Facebook are forcing advertising sales
• Understanding the importance of new social media channels

Tea/Coffee networking break

Session 6 - Developing a social media team:

• Understanding the dangers and benefits of specialist social media workers
• The importance of developing a social media response matrix
• Public Relations, advertising and social media: how they all fit together

Lunch

Session 7 - When things go wrong...

• Crisis management, social media and viral spread
• Getting to grips with the honesty imperative
• The myths and realities of the era of transparency

Tea/Coffee networking break

Session 8 - What the experts say

• Advice from global leaders
• Advice from local leaders
• Advice from people who died before the Internet was born

Who should attend?

CEOs and MDs
Marketing directors and managers
Brand managers
Products managers
Customer interaction specialists
Consumer engagement strategists
Social media personnel
Social interaction ambassadors
Narrative specialists
Communications personnel
Government communications personnel
National and provincial event coordinators
SME business owners
Emerging corporate representatives
Business development directors and managers
Sales directors and managers
Business development directors and managers
Sales directors and managers

Price: R 6,800 (JCCI and RMI members, CompTIA partners and SEDA clients)
Price: R 7,500 (non-members)

For a full brochure detailing the two day masterclass agenda and registration form, please email Terence Naidoo ([email protected])

Date: 22 July 2015 to 23 July 2015
Venue: Crowne Plaza - Rosebank, Johannesburg
Cost: R 7500 excl. VAT