Landau Design Reviews presents an easy formula for creating an online marketing plan. Just follow the 5 steps to figure out the optimum strategy for using social media to market your business.
2. What is Social Networking?
Simple definition:
Interaction of individuals using online tools
Features:
• Internet-based technologies
• Socially engaging (i.e. to develop relationships)
• User-generated content (participation vs. observation)
3. What top marketers say
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for social media
Social media has become a mainstream marketing tool.
You must have a plan in order to be successful.
Watch the trends. There are new opportunities all the time.
Just like every other marketing tool, effort is required. It does not
bring miraculous results overnight.
Companies working as a team have greater success than
employees working as individuals.
4. Why use social networking?
Discover new leads, leaders and markets
Promote and grow your online reputation
Generate traffic for your website
Keep in touch with clientele & provide customer service
5. Market Intelligence and Leads
Consider how you use your own network
• Are you online or on your feet?
• What recommendations do you value? For what products or services?
• How much information do your clients need before acting?
How social networking can assist
• Learn what your clients are thinking online (Landau Design Reviews)
• Make connections through your networks
• Discover your competitors strategies both in social media and product.
• Utilize industry online networking
• Create motivated prospects (warm leads)
• Social media reaches many people for the same effort.
6. Develop Online Reputation
What do have to offer?
• Do you have interesting hobbies? Do you have things outside of
business to offer?
• Are you published? Do you do workshops or public speaking?
• Do you mentor others or help in your community?
• Do you have materials created already? “Helpful not promotional!”
• What types of customers are your best clients?
How social networking can assist
• Establish expert reputation on valued sites.
• Present your expertise in global conversations
• Gain “eyeballs” i.e. readers for your blog, website or other content.
Social media gets the eyeball and the trust. You will get customers if
you get the other two.
7. Build Website Traffic
It is relatively easy to check using analytics tools.
How social networking can assist
• Share part of the information on your website
• Links to your website with every post or connection
• Increased Google indexing
• Ideas to develop make a better site
8. Support Your Image
Business Networking sites (LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc)
Community sites (Facebook, Myspace, etc)
Mini-blogging sites (Twitter, Tumblr, etc)
Blogs
Message Boards
Bookmarking sites (Delicious, Stumbleupon, etc)
Social News sites (Digg, Reddit, etc)
Commenting on your site or other sites
Media sharing (YouTube, Flickr, etc)
Q&A Sites (Yahoo Answers, About, LinkedIn, etc)
Information Aggregators (Wikipedia, etc.)
9. Most popular outlets
Facebook- the 600 pound gorilla
LinkedIn-business focus
Blogging- topic focused; longer time per article.
Video sharing sites- YouTube & Vimeo
Twitter- QUICK!
Online Message Boards- community, professional or
recreational. They all have possibilities.
10. How to choose outlets?
Determine how much time you have
Determine your social networking goals
Know your customers’ preferences
Choose outlets based on time + goals + customers
11. Determine Goals
Choose top 3 goals:
a. Generate leads (probably the #1 reason)
b. Learn industry news and competitive research
c. Generate PR for your company
d. Connect and interact with customers
e. Share information to establish your expertise
f.
Generate SEO (search engine optimization)
g. Bring traffic to your website and/or blog
h. Just to see what it’s all about
12. Choose outlets by goal
Outlet
a
b
c
d
Twitter
x
x
x
x
Facebook
x
Linked In Groups
x
Build LinkedIn connections
x
Industry message board
x
x
g
h
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Read other blogs
f
x
Your own blog
Guest blogging
e
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Comment on other blogs
x
Create and distribute articles
x
Utilize bookmarking sites to
distribute content
x
x
x
Use Hubpages or Squidoo
x
Write press releases and
distribute to free PR sites.
x
x
Online Business Directories
Free Webinars
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
13. Determine time available
Decide how much time you want to invest each day
(Monday-Friday). ________ minutes
Do you have any extra time to spend on weekends?
_______ minutes
Do you have employees, friends or fans that can help?
If so, they must be consistent to make your plan work.
14. Consider time available
Outlet
< 15 minutes
15-30 minutes
Twitter
x
x
Facebook
x
x
Linked In Groups
X
x
Build LinkedIn connections
x
x
Industry message board
x
30-60 minutes
1-2 hours
> 2 hours
x
x
Your own blog
x
x
x
Guest blogging
x
x
x
x
x
x
Use Hubpages or Squidoo
x
x
X
Write press releases and
distribute to free PR sites.
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Read other blogs
x
x
x
Comment on other blogs
x
x
x
Create and distribute articles
Utilize bookmarking sites to
distribute content
Online Business Directories
Free Webinars
x
x
x
15. Create social media calendar
Create a list of daily/weekly tasks
Put them into your calendar
Treat them like a real meeting
Be consistent and follow through
16. More tips for success
Integrate your social media sites with each other and
your website.
Keep it fun.
Don’t oversell.
Don’t reach for a connection.
Believe in the system.
ASTD board in 2001-2003
developed and presented training for Mattel consumer relations among others.
Taught software in community colleges for 5 years.
Masters in OD
Social networking as an extension of our work with professional organizations.
Creates credibility and rapport
Social value; stress relief
Takes time
Beware of the hype; there is no magic bullet.
Evaluate where it fits in your business plan.
Be excited about where you can use it.
Make a plan and keep your commitment.
Affinity groups- connect with those who work or hire in your field.
Use an example from Paul Flett.
Social networks allow you to propagate expertise faster and wider with a minimal amount of effort ongoing.
Show Bonnie’s profile or Beth Thomas Kim in Linked In.
It may be worthwhile to know what your competitors are doing online too.
To talk fully about how to integrate social networking into marketing completely is beyond our scope.
If you want to increase traffic from search engines, it is essential to know how social networking can help. If you don’t know how, it is worth the investment in professional assistance. I’d be happy to refer you to someone after the presentation.
Show Chess Edwards
If you have a business card, you better have a website as a contractor.
There is limited space for content, file sharing in a public network.