Living Proof That Defense Contractors Can Rock at Social Media

Social Media Targeting

Raytheon is a technology and innovation leader specializing in missile defense, civil government, and cybersecurity solutions. With an astonishing $23 billion in sales and 61,000 employees worldwide, they have established an impressive presence in the field of national security.
So why would a business such as Raytheon need social media? Well up until 2012, company leaders didn’t think it did. But when their tune changed, it was Lori who helped launch its entry into the social space.
Building a social program from scratch is no easy task—especially when your target audience consists of engineers and rocket scientists who may not be all that interested in social media. However, Lori had a plan to make social media not only relevant to their audience, but an important tool in helping Raytheon meet its business goals.

In This Episode

• How creating defined strategies for each social channel leads to an effective and targeted marketing plan
• Why a classified environment means more effective listening
• How secondary audiences can shape a company’s future
• Why a comprehensive digital and social media plan means including HR
• The importance of tying metrics to business goals

Quotes From This Episode

“I work with a lot of engineers and rocket scientists that saw social media as something their kids did. Each one of us have had to take that challenge on and try to show its relevance.” —@lmarino
“We try to dovetail digital and social media to help the business achieve its goals.” —@lmarino
“It’s amazing how creative you can be if you’re just curious and follow what your customers are doing on social media.” —@lmarino
“Before you engage and before you begin to speak or publish content, you listen.” —@adamcb
“We need good scientists and we need coders. So we’re trying very hard to recruit them and we’re using social media and the website to do that.” —@lmarino
“Having an internal social tool is critical for the success of any business. It encourages collaboration and without it, doing your job would be so much harder.” —@lmarino
“We always tie our metrics to our goals.” —@lmarino

Resources

• Lori Marino on Twitter: @lmarino
• Raytheon on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram
• A River of Opportunity: Raytheon, No Barriers take 10 wounded veterans on Grand Canyon trek
• No Barriers Warriors
• No Barriers USA
• Yammer