As some of you may know, VaynerMedia operates out of Sunshine Suites, a co-working space in New York City.  Co-working is an incredible opportunity for small businesses, not only for the direct business benefits of a professional working space but also for the networking opportunities inherent whenever you have so many diverse companies in one space.

Full disclosure; VaynerMedia not only works at Sunshine Suites but they’re also a client.  One of the first things we noticed when we began working with them was that there wasn’t an efficient way for businesses under the Sunshine umbrella to connect.  In order to remedy this situation, VaynerMedia advised Sunshine Suites to implement a Yammer network.

For those unfamiliar with Yammer, it’s best described as Twitter for a closed community.  Businesses began signing up for accounts and were getting some really great results, but it still lacked the wide-scale adoption that would truly unleash its potential for the entire Sunshine community.  In order to build its visibility and create community-wide buy-in, VaynerMedia and Sunshine Suites began working on a day dedicated to creating excitement for the Yammer community.

The result: “Yammer Day,” which occurred last Thursday, February 4^th.  It was an incredible success in all regards – not only did it create buzz throughout the day, it established a level of engagement that would ensure the long-term utilization of Yammer.  VaynerMedia utilized three main strategies to optimize the event’s success:

Yammer Q&A Sessions

One of the most beneficial aspects of a Yammer network is the ability to tap into the expertise of a community.  To showcase this, three experts in the Sunshine community volunteered to spend an hour on Yammer answering questions relative to their respective fields.  David Tunstall answered accounting and tax questions, Sabir Semerkant gave advice on branding and social media, and Shezi Sardar advised on legal matters.

These sessions were a great success, attracting questions from a wide variety of businesses.  Most importantly, however, they delivered a real, concrete example of how the Sunshine Suites community can leverage Yammer to improve their business.

Social Media Panel

In order to give businesses a relevant and actionable game plan for utilizing Yammer, as well as other social media tools, Sunshine Suites held a panel discussion featuring Sunshine businesses who were already utilizing these tools.  Featured in this panel were Yipit, Britemap, and VaynerMedia.  Attendees were encouraged to ask questions while panel members explained how specific businesses could benefit from embracing social media. The panel was followed by a networking event, further building the relationship foundations created throughout the day.

Free Wine

It’s not exactly a secret that people love free stuff.  In order to encourage interaction during the day, VaynerMedia offered up a case of wine to be randomly given away to anyone who posted on Yammer before 3:00pm.  By creating an incentive to get involved, and get involved early, the wine giveaway helped jumpstart the conversation on Yammer.

Overall, Yammer day was a great success for Sunshine Suites.  For the short-term, the number of interactions doubled the previous high, representing a huge increase of Yammer usage on the day.  More importantly though, Sunshine saw a huge increase in businesses requesting a Yammer account, placing the service closer to achieving a closer representation of the Sunshine community.

Going forward VaynerMedia will continue to work with Sunshine Suites to ensure that momentum from Yammer Day is not lost.  The day, however, serves as a good example of how to relay the value of beneficial services in a relevant, engaging way… and the power of free alcohol.

Before the start of any working relationship, we insist that there is an initial strategy meeting. We predominantly listen during this meeting (shocking, I know) with the sole purpose of gaining an understanding of the big picture. Details are important, but details can be outlined in a word document or sent via email at a later date. The story is what matters most, and having a full appreciation of what the client is trying to accomplish with its brand will allow you to execute on individual projects and initiatives at a higher level.

2. What Are The Goals?

Now that you understand the global vision, it is important to understand the goals being set for your working relationship. By knowing what the client’s goals are, you and your team will have the ability to focus your energy on what is important. Do not allow the client to deliver vague and unclear objectives. This does not mean you should ask for numeric measurables, in-fact we advise against simple numbers – but that is a different blog post for a different time. If the goals are clear, you and your team have the ability to over-deliver.

3. Why Do We Want To Accomplish These Goals?

After receiving your identifiable goals, ask the client why (exactly) do they want to accomplish these goals. Understanding the reasoning behind each goal will allow you to either accomplish each goal effectively or adjust misguided goals to an objective that falls more in line with the global story the brand is telling.

4. What other marketing initiatives are currently in place?
Our belief is that social media can assist in any marketing plan for any brand. With that in mind, we ask that the client to keeps us in the loop with every current or future marketing initiative. By being aware of other initiatives you have the ability to be a major asset beyond your hired role. This shows the client that your involvement may be more valuable than they may have originally thought and that you are willing to over-deliver if the opportunity is there.

5. What Can’t We Do?

Ask the client for a list of don’ts / can’ts ( I know that you shouldn’t make those two words plural, but it works here, at least for me). Knowing what you “can” do is actually limiting and a waste of time. Believe it or not, knowing what you can’t do gives you creative freedom. Every client will have unique rules and regulations. The best way to over-deliver is to respect their boundaries and brainstorm ideas for every other angle imaginable.

Do you work with clients? If so, what questions do you ask during the discovery phase of your working relationship? Share your ideas below: