How to Grow your own Social Media Ecosystem Presented by: Saul Severe, Global Social Media Manager, BitDefender If Social Media is the interactive current, then a well-grown digital ecosystem is the processor of choice. Social media platforms and interaction methodologies are changing swiftly; how do you effectively remain a part of the conversation in such an environment? How does a brand create quantifiable influence as the social web exponentially expands? This webinar will address the advantages of developing your own social media ecosystem -- the qualitative and quantitative advantages of doing so, as well as the strategic advantages. Social media ecosystems are a staple of the internet. Attend this webinar to learn the core principles of social media ecosystems, identify their unique attributes, and how to grow a social media ecosystem of your own. Saul Severe began his professional career as a multimedia systems engineer with smaller software start-ups and larger companies such as Sony Electronics. Saul made the switch to marketing where he has worked with companies such as HP and Commission Junction. He is currently BitDefender’s Global Manager of Social Media Communications.

1. How To Grow Your Own Social Media
Ecosystem
Social Media Ecosystems, Growth & Strategy
by 1
Placide Saul Severe

2. An ecosystem is generally an area
within the natural environment in
which physical factors of the
environment, such as rocks and
soil, function together along with
interdependent organisms, such as
plants and animals, within the
same habitat to create a stable
system. Ecosystems can be
permanent or temporary.
Ecosystems usually form a number
of food webs.
In regards to the social web people serve as the interdependent
organisms with the technological tools and services serving as the
physical factors of the environment. Social platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and the like serve as the various types of physical
2
environments.

3. What is a social Media Ecosystem?
A Social Media Ecosystem is an amalgamation of
interrelated social media communities, services and
technologies that function as a single organism
3

4. In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system (such as
animal, plant, fungus, or micro‐organism). In at least some form, all
organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth
and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole
4

5. According to Durkheim, the more specialized the
function of an organism or society the greater its
development, and vice‐versa. ‐ David Émile Durkheim
All elements of a society or social organism have a function that
maintains the stability and cohesiveness of the organism 5

6. Pierre Omidyar
“Build a platform ‐ prepare for the unexpected... …And you'll
know you're successful when the platform you've built serves you
in unexpected ways. That's certainly true of the lessons I've
learned in the process of building eBay. Because in the deepest
sense, eBay wasn't a hobby. And it wasn't a business. It was ‐ and
is ‐ a community: An organic, evolving, self‐organizing web of
individual relationships, formed around shared interests.”
6

7. There are many
different types of
social media
platforms,
technologies and
social communities
that emerge within
these various
* platforms. A social
Ecosystem is a
unification and
interoperable
*
* functioning system
whereby these
diverse social tools
and communities
interrelate in very
* specific ways in
order to serve a
greater overall
function and/or
purpose for the
* community and
the brand 7

8. Strengths of the Social Ecosystem
Each organism, no matter how simple or
complex, has around it a sacred bubble of
space, a bit of mobile territoriality which only a
few other organisms are allowed to penetrate
and then only for short periods of time.
Edward Hall (also Halle) (c. 1498 – 1547),
Deeper more meaningful and
impactful reach into multiple
social communities....
Greater social influence..
Greater relevancy in terms of
dialog and social engagement
Increase in revenue potential
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9. Let’s Build a Social Media Ecosystem
9

10. -Identify Your
unique Social
Purpose
What social experience do we want to provide in terms of
opportunity, function and or purpose to our target audience that
will empower or build upon what they already value? 10

11. L L
Listen and learn what your target audience is saying, not saying, and sharing. Identify
the core values as well as the peripheral values that they hold. There are a variety of
ways that this can be done, one of which is performing a Brand Audit with a social 11
monitoring tool such as SM2.

12. Own your own
Community
According to Durkheim, the more specialized the
function of an organism or society the greater its
development, and vice‐versa. ‐ David Émile Durkheim
12

13. Establish a Core Value or Community Purpose & Function
* We have learned that social communities are more
engaged, committed, influential and have a much higher
viral growth expansion rate when there is a very tangible
purpose or function that each person can contribute to
from within a social group or community.
* The purpose or function of the “community engagement”
should be an extension of the core values inherent within
the identified communities. Purpose and tangible
contribution toward that purpose empowers people and
thereby engages them in a deeper way and for a longer
period of time.
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14. One Serves the other
Symbiosi
s
commonly describes
close and often long‐
term interactions
between different
biological species
where both
individuals derive a
benefit.
+ 14

15. Facebook + YouTube serve very
different functional purposes
however both systems serve the
other. Without Social Networks like
+ Facebook , MySpace and others the
growth capacity of YouTube would
be greatly limited.
Vice versa social technologies such
as YouTube provides more than the
ability to share videos but
aggregates the various types of
video communities categorically
thus providing deeper extension of
relevant communities within a
= Symbios platform based community such as
Facebook.
is
15

16. Multiple Communities
= Deeper Reach
16

17. -Work with
Influencers
17

18. 18

19. Community Development Structure
Core Initiatives
• Clearly identify which initiative/s are being served/addressed
• The core initiatives will serve as the premise for all strategic activity, and
in turn provide the premise for the KPI’s that will be used to measure the
activity.
Identify Communities & Segment
• Identify target communities‐(i.e. Families)
• Segment the communities into smaller niche communities (i.e. ‐‐‐‐
Mom/geek‐‐‐‐IT/geek etc…)
Research Social Culture
• What are the core values for this social group?
• What types of communication forms are popular? (Blogs,Chat,Microblogging,forums…)
• Who & What are the influencers for these people?
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20. Community Development Structure
Plan & Design Engagement Activity
• Clearly identify which initiative/s are being served/addressed
• The core initiatives will serve as the premise for all strategic activity, and
in turn provide the premise for the KPI’s that will be used to measure the
activity.
Execute
• Analyze magnitude of impact by measuring against KPI’s
• Adjust as necessary according to the analytics and Key
Performance Indicators
20

21. Ecosystem Relationships
Social
Blogs/Forums Community
Engagement
Utilization of
PR/Collateral
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22. Social Community Growth Cycle
Partners Join the
• Influencers social service • Recruit , Engage,
• Other organizations
Proliferate ....
• Collaboration w/ other • Collaboration w/
communities other communities
Participating • Members act
organizations and according to their
companies share and purposes and
expose the social functions Partners recruit
service with others people into the
service
22

23. Full Ecosystem Development Cycle
Study
Community
Define
Analyze / Purpose of
Empower Community
Develop Partner w/
complimentary
communities Influencers
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24. PlacideSevere@gmail.com .......http://www.linkedin.com/in/placidesevere