Having the human touch when it comes to social media is the best way to forge a link between an organization and its supporters (read: customers). Don't hire robots: choose employees who are willing to own social media by becoming brand ambassadors and the main point of connection with customers, who then become brand ambassadors in turn. Presented by Jeanette Gibson, Hootsuite's VP of Customer Experience & Community, in a session at SXSW Interactive on how to enable your employees to become social without becoming robots.

1. Don’t Hire Robots:
• Why the Human Touch Still Rules on Social Media
VP, Community & Customer Experience
@JeanetteG
Jeanette Gibson
#SXSW
#HumanTouch
#HootSX

2. 11M+
Users
worldwide
1600+
Enterprise
Customers
744
out of the
Fortune 1000

3. Hootsuite Vision
Revolutionize Communications via Social
Community Vision
Be the most loved brand in social media by building
lasting relationships with our users and inspiring
Hootsuite fans around the World

4. #HumanTouch

5. The State Of Customer Experience, Management, 2014
Companies view
customer experience
as one of their top
priorities
Use customer
experiences as a
competitive
differentiator
92%
© 2014 Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
60%

7. Employees & #HumanTouch

8. “The general public want to hear
directly from employees as
‘Ambassadors for the company.’”
Edelman Trust Barometer

9. Employees Make Your Brand Personal
● Motivate with purpose, not profits
● Mobilize with education, provide the tools
● Make sharing content simple & easy
● Bring employee ideas front and center

10. #HootsuiteLife Employee Engagement
@David_Thai That time I wore a
kangaroo suit to the company
retreat #hootsuitelife
#TBT to that time we all tried to do the
@torisswanson pose #whatgems
#whodiditbest #Hootsuitelife

11. Customers & #HumanTouch

12. Brand Ambassadors
900 Ambassadors in 62 countries
Being a Hootsuite Ambassador makes you part of a
growing global community. Regardless of what country you
are in, each local Hootsuite community is built by the same
grassroots efforts that has made them such a huge
success. - Danielle Hatfield -Hootsuite Ambassador, North
Carolina

13. • Let community tell their
story with visuals
• #WellTraveled
Photo Contests 480K
Instagram Followers
• 60% Increase in positive
brand sentiment

14. @Jimmyjohns
@Nordstrom
@Airbnb
@Lululemon
@Medium
@ZenPayroll
@ZenDesk
@Westjet
@Translink
Brands you tweeted…#SXSW
February 2015 “Love List”

15. Tools & #HumanTouch

17. Key Takeaways
• Trust your employees with business on social #Empower
• Champion your customers’ needs #FeedbackLoop
• Share content that resonates with your audience #Content
• Use events to connect users with one another #Networking
• Gamify the experience to make it fun and challenging #Reward

18. Thank You!
Jeanette Gibson
@JeanetteG
#SXSW
#HumanTouch
#HootSX