The August 30 entry deadline for Forrester's 2013 Groundswell Awards is right around the corner. If you have not submitted an entry yet, what are you waiting for? If you believe that you do not have what it takes to be a "winner" — here is some insight on what we look for when judging Groundswell Awards entries. Since my research focuses on Social Depth, I will use the Forrester Groundswell Social Depth category as an example. But first, let me define "Social Depth":

In our latest social marketing playbook report — which my colleague Nate Elliott summarizes in this blog post — we define Social Depth as tactics that help prospects explore and buy your products. When you provide Social Depth on your own branded website(s), you offer detail about what your brand stands for and expose your prospects to real customer experiences.

Basically, if you are a B2B or B2C company and you have a . . .

  • blog
  • online community
  • message board/forum
  • ratings and reviews 
  • real-time user generated content
  • social sign-on

. . . then you have implemented a Social Depth strategy!

What does it take to be a Social Depth Groundswell winner? Some of the best examples of Social Depth (both past Groundswell winners and personal favorites) we have seen over the past two years include:  

1.  an online community that incorporates customer ratings and reviews to drive purchases

2.  a thought leadership blog for a multi-channel campaign

3.  a user-generated content campaign for a branded microsite

 

In addition, a great Social Depth strategy can influence a purchase, e.g., generate referrals, leads, and conversions. 

Do you think you have what it takes to be a Social Depth winner? You won't know unless you submit your entry! Good luck!