Overview - Social Media Strategy for defero

Welcome to the Collins Media Consultants blog, created as a proposal for the launch of defero in 2010. This page provides access to each portion of our proposed social media strategy, which can also be accessed from the Blog Archive section of this page.

As you can see, we have developed a clean and simple logo for defero. The simple, sans serif font implies communication, particularly computer-based, and the red arcs over the "o" are reminiscent of the RSS feed symbol, implying transmission of information. This logo will be used prominently throughout defero's social media strategy.

Each deliverable in our proposed strategy for defero is presented in an individual posting in this blog. Please begin by reviewing the following post: Utilizing Social Media. This posting provides an overview of the strategy Collins Media Consultants has developed for defero's launch.

The Website post provides a mock-up of Collins Media Consultants' vision for defero's website.

The Blogging post describes the proposed design for defero's corporate blog.

The Podcasts post discusses plans for developing several key podcasts to be available at defero's launch, along with subscription capability for users to follow the podcasts.

The Videos page identifies topics for defero videos, including one to be released prior to defero's launch, to generate excitement and interest in defero.

The Wikis page explains the importance of wikis and how defero can use them to position themselves as leaders in the social media industry.

We look forward to speaking with you regarding our proposed strategy. Our team is standing by to help prepare defero for its launch and to position defero as a powerhouse in social media consulting.

Regina Collins

CEO, Collins Media Consultants

Wikis - building defero's knowledge base

Although not as flashy as other forms of social media, wikis can be an integral component in a company's social media strategy. A wiki can be used internally to coordinate projects, to collaborate, and to collect and share knowledge between employees. A wiki created for public viewing can collect and share non-proprietary knowledge, can discuss industry trends and innovations, can publicize upcoming industry events, and generally raise awareness of not only the wiki's topic but the company building and maintaining the wiki.

As part of defero's initial launch, we propose the creation of a social media wiki to be shared publicly with defero's current and prospective clients. The wiki will be another method for defero to display their expertise in the area of social media, and by publicizing the wiki, defero can enhance their image as an industry leader by becoming the "go-to" place for anyone interested in social media knowledge.

The illustration below shows our proposed wiki design for defero. Content will be provided by defero team members but should focus on specific topics in the realm of social media.

To see how many small businesses use wikis to simplify tasks and streamline projects, we suggest you watch this video.

Videos - keeping defero relevant

YouTube, the largest video source on the web, has proven the effectiveness and broad appeal of video as a social media tool. In March of 2008, about 78.3 million videos were uploaded to YouTube in that month alone, and current estimates cite over 150,000 videos being uploaded per day. These videos reach millions of people, and some have taken on an almost viral life, spreading over the internet like wildfire.

We at Collins Media Consultants feel that it is imperative for defero to have a strong video presence at their initial corporate launch in 2010. We will therefore create several videos to be available upon defero's launch, with one video being prereleased to generate interest in advance of the launch.

The prelaunch video should generate excitement about the power of social media and should emphasize how defero's team members are poised to implement cutting edge social media innovations for their clients.

Other video topics can include:

• A marketing video to build defero's brand recognition; i.e. frequent use of the defero logo with samples of social media projects.


• A press-release style video announcing defero's launch, including images of team members, images of defero logo and website, and some text-based images.


• A showcase video where defero team members talk about social media innovations, again using images of the defero logo combined with displays of social media innovations. This type of video will help position defero as an industry leader.

Here is a video describing the "social media revolution." It is an excellent example of how powerful a simple video can be in conveying a desired message.

Podcasts - narrowcasting defero's message

Podcasts (with and without video) are another very effective way for defero to get their message out to a wide range of people. According to eMarketer, in 2008 about 17.4 million people downloaded podcasts on a monthly basis. By 2013, that number is expected to grow to about 37.6 million!

A podcast is like a television or radio program that your viewers can watch wherever and whenever they want. The defero team should take advantage of the opportunities afforded by podcasts to reach out to existing and prospective clients as well as others in the social media industry. Just like in blogging, defero can use podcasting to establish itself as an industry leader by producing informative, effective podcasts. Once defero's clients see the power of podcasts, they will be sure to ask defero to include podcasting in any strategy defero develops for them.

To that end, Collins Media Consultants will work with defero to create several informative podcasts (including video) for defero to present to clients on the website. Additionally, using RSS capability, we will include a Subscribe option to ensure that users can subscribe to defero's podcasts so that they can receive updated content whenever it becomes available. The illustration at right shows a possible design for the defero podcast channel.

Podcast topics will include:

• Informative interviews with key defero team members.


• Message from the defero CEO about the evolution of social media and defero's place in that evolution.


• Detailed podcast about how social media can help defero's clients position themselves in the marketplace.

Other topics for podcasts may include day-in-the-life stories from defero team members, overviews of client projects combined with client interviews, social media product reviews and user advice, and descriptions of cutting edge social media innovations.

Watch this brief video to hear what other experts say about the benefits of corporate podcasting.

Blogging - part of the defero strategy

Blogging is one of the easiest ways to reach a huge audience. Current estimates are that about 96.6 million internet users read blogs! With numbers like that, it is imperative that defero create a corporate blog to not only reach out to prospective clients but also to showcase their blog design capabilities and the power of blogging.

Here is our proposed design for defero's corporate blog. As with the website, we have created a clean, uncluttered look for the blog.

Because so many people will be viewing defero's blog, it is crucial that defero make a commitment to keeping the blog up-to-date. Nothing will turn your customers away more than a stale blog posting. We recommend that defero designate an employee to manage the blog and ensure that it is frequently updated with current, interesting information.

An integral part of our strategy for defero's blog is also providing an RSS feed and an option to follow the blog on Twitter. This not only allows clients to be notified when the blog has been updated, but it shows that defero understands the social media impact a blog can have both for themselves and their clients.

• A blog positions defero as a social media expert so that both clients and other social media companies will turn to defero's blog to read about the latest social media innovations.


• A blog encourages strong relationships between defero and its clients and shows clients how to build stronger relationships with their own customers.


• A blog develops a media-based relationship where people come to the defero site to see what's new.


• A blog allows defero to test new ideas by posting them in the blog and reviewing the comments and discussions generated.

For more information on why defero should have a corporate blog, we recommend this video.

Website - defero's first line of access

As part of our social media strategy for defero's 2010 launch, we will create a website as an organized forum for highlighting defero's capabilities as social media consultants. In this posting, we present our storyboards for the defero website.

Note: There are some constants across all the web pages. The logo and slogan should appear in the upper left hand corner of every page. The counter, indicating how many hits defero's created social media sites have received, should always appear in the upper right. The navigation buttons should be consistent throughout all webpages.

The homepage of the defero website is clean and uncluttered. We suggest a powerful visual such as the one shown here, along with some introductory text. Navigation is easy using obvious links, and a video showing the power of social media would be appropriate on the home page.

In stepping through the website, the Blogs page will illustrate sample blogs created by defero either for their own use or for clients. Text will be limited, highlighting the major advantages of creating blogs for clients, and blogs will have RSS feeds and buttons for following on Twitter, as shown on this sample page.

Videos are becoming an increasingly powerful social media tool. Our sample Videos webpage lists some exciting statistics about videos on YouTube. This page of the defero website will highlight videos defero has created both for themselves and for clients. Again, text will be limited and will highlight how videos can enhance a company's social media presence.

Another powerful social media resource is podcasts. The Podcasts page of the defero website will provide potential clients with links to podcasts defero has created for their clients and themselves. Instead of providing text, it would be appropriate for defero to create a podcast explaining why podcasting is a powerful social media tool and citing some statistics to verify that claim.

Wikis can play an integral part in the social media infrastructure of a corporation. The Wikis page of the defero website should highlight any wikis created by the defero team and explain how wikis can be used as social media. To that end, defero will have their own corporate wiki dealing with topics relevant to social media. By becoming the "go-to" place for social media knowledge, defero can position itself as an industry leader.

It is critical for a social media company to have its own website. The website page will provide examples of websites defero has designed for its clients. A company that does not have a website in this day and age, or a company that has a poorly designed website, will lose clients who will immediately judge the company based on that fact alone.

A critical part of any company is what happens after the product is delivered. The defero website will highlight their commitment to customer satisfaction and customer support and their additional services (maintaining blogs and websites, etc.) on the Support page.

Utilizing Social Media - A Proposal for defero

We are excited that you have chosen Collins Media Consultants to develop a strategy for launching your new social media company, defero. With your experience in traditional media and your knowledge of Web 2.0, you are poised to make the critical transition from traditional media to the exciting new realm of social media. As you yourselves say in your mission statement, "If you don't help define yourself with compelling content, others will do it for you."

As you well know, social media is revolutionizing the ways information and knowledge are disseminated. According to Wikipedia, social media delivers the following benefits:

• Reach - you will have access to a global audience.


• Accessibility - anyone can interact using social media tools with little or no investment.


• Usability - your users will not require any special skills.


• Recency - you can deliver information quickly and efficiently.


• Permanence - you can instantaneously update your/your client's message.

The most important thing to remember about social media is that it is still evolving, and defero must be ready to evolve along with it. In order to be successful, we have developed a multi-faceted approach: we will develop a presence for defero in each of the main social media venues and see what works and what doesn't.

With that in mind, Collins Media Consultants proposes the creation of all the following for defero's launch in 2010:

• Website dedicated to highlighting the services provided by defero


• Blog where defero employees can communicate with their customers, both existing and potential


• Podcasts about the benefits of social media and about defero's successes


• Wiki to provide a central location for experiences and knowledge gained through defero's engagements with clients, thereby establishing defero as an industry expert


• Videos to display defero's expertise and innovations in social media

The posts in this blog discuss each of the deliverables listed above in more detail. Each of these deliverables will be developed by Collins Media Consultants for defero for its 2010 launch.

It is important to remember that social media, by its very nature, presents legal issues regarding proprietary information, miscommunication, and misinterpretation. The deliverables we create for defero will all be reviewed by our legal department to ensure that appropriate disclaimers and copyright notices are in place. It is strongly recommended that defero hire legal consultants as they move forward with their own business to ensure compliance with all laws regarding distribution of information.