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Professional Services Marketing Blog
Social Media for Professional Services: A Case Story
By Sean McVey
It’s easy to dismiss Facebook and Twitter as a waste of company time and a productivity killer. To be honest, sometimes they are. But in the case of Fortinet, an IT services firm with an extraordinary grasp of social media, there’s nothing unproductive about it.
Marketing Senior Manager Maeve Naughton and her team have found unique ways to use popular social media tools leading to increase their brand visibility in the marketplace. Let’s take a look at what tools this network security company uses and how:
Who Runs It: Maeve, Senior Manager
Time Spent Per Day: 1 – 2 hours per day
Purpose: Customer support. Customers post issues and questions on Twitter and Fortinet responds with assistance. More and more people are Tweeting to get in touch with service providers, and Fortinet’s presence shows they care.
Who Runs It: Maeve, Senior Manager
Time Spent Per Day: 1 – 2 hours per day
Purpose: Relationship building. Maeve posts and responds to questions, engages with visitors in a friendly way, and builds trust. Their biggest success on Facebook has come from a t-shirt giveaway that involves Facebook fans submitting funny pictures.
Who Runs It: HR Department and Maeve, Senior Manager
Time Spent Per Day: 1 hour per day
Purpose: Recruiting. Fortinet uses LinkedIn as a source for prospective employees. With an extensive Jobs section and high credibility, this social network is a prime place to discover talent. Fortinet also has a LinkedIn Group in which members can discuss network security issues.
YouTube
Who Runs It: Product Marketing Team
Time Spent Per Day: 1 – 2 hours per week
Purpose: Product demos. YouTube is the perfect place to house company videos. The product team takes advantage of this highly trafficked site by showcasing the latest products and services from Fortinet.
Blog
Who Runs It: Technical Team
Time Spent Per Day: 1 – 2 hours per week
Purpose: Technical Education. Even the tech guys at Fortinet get involved in social media. Their blog focuses on threat research and highlights what’s going on in their niche industry. This content positions them as thought leaders and also attracts web traffic.
The Big Takeaways
I asked Maeve if she thought the social media work they were doing was paying off. “It’s absolutely paying off," she said. "We can see our engagement numbers such as likes, followers, and comments going up. We are more visible and our brand has become recognizable online.”
She then went on to explain why she believes their social media efforts have been so effective. Here's a brief summary:
1. Involve the team — Social media doesn’t have to be a full-time job. Instead, it can be part time and spread across multiple departments, each of which have different goals. The more people you have involved, the more ground you can cover.
2. Keep it personal — People don’t want to buy from a company. They want to buy from people. A lively Facebook page with productive conversations and friendly people encourages prospects to interact with the company and build a relationship.
3. Be transparent — Authenticity is key. Welcome the people in your network to explore your company page and get to know your culture. Post company pictures and videos, and be open to the world. People love a company with personality.
Have a look around Fortinet’s social pages and see how your social media presence stacks up:
Want to read more on managing your online presence? Check out Why Online Branding Matters.