Are you a small or mid-sized business marketer? Do you own or promote a green / sustainable business? Taiga Company's guide can help you kick start a successful social media program and generate easy social media success.

1. Guide to Green Business
Social Media Success
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888.824.4220

2. Table of Contents
Why Social Media
Is Social Media Here to Stay?
4
Why Social Media for Green Business?
5
Building a Foundation
Starters
8
The Growing Need for a Social Media Strategy 8
Success Strategies
Components of Social Media Success
11
Considerations in Planning Your Strategy
12
Implementation Guidelines
Twitter? Facebook? LinkedIn? Blogging?
14
But, Social Media isn’t only about Facebook
15
Engagement Strategies
Content for Engagement and ROI
18
Build Relationships with Sustainability
19
Success Metrics
Business Goals and ROI
21
How to Determine Your Metrics
22
Next Steps
Social Media - an In House Job?
24
Outsourcing Social Media
25
Why Taiga
26
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3. Why Social Media?
Did you know...
55% of Buyers Search for Information on Social Media. (Social
Media B2B)
33

4. Is Social Media Here to Stay?
A survey of 600 small business owners across the United States indicates that 90% are
actively engaged in social networking sites and 74% perceive social networking as valuable
— if not more valuable — than networking in-person.
The 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report illustrates small business owners are
seeing the greatest results from social media marketing.
•
The self-employed and small
business owners were more likely to
report new partnerships, with at least
59% noting a benefit.
•
Small businesses were twice as
likely to find qualified leads than
other types of businesses.
•
Forty-eight percent of self-employed
Photo courtesy of www.marketingpilgrim.com
and small business owners saw
improved sales as a direct result of their social media efforts.
•
The self-employed (59%) and small business owners (58%) were more likely than
others to see reductions in marketing costs when using social media marketing.
Furthermore, a new study, authored by The Economist Intelligence Unit and Pulse Point,
interviewed 329 US and Canadian executives (C-level to CEO) from 19 different industries to
glean their perspectives on engaging customers “in meaningful conversations-enabled by
social technologies-so both parties benefit.”
The good news? Social media among the C suite is catching on. Executives agree that social
media engagement has tangible economic benefits including increased market share,
Guide to Social Media Success
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5. improved product/ service quality, improved collaboration with partners, and improved
marketing/ sales effectiveness.
The takeaway is clear. Social media is here to stay.
Why Social Media for Green Business?
With new tools and strategies changing the way the business world communicates and
exchanges information, social media is becoming the transparent, engaging, competitive
advantage that business sustainability delivers. However, to effectively harness the power of
social media to create business sustainability value, our consulting practice explores the key
components for success.
Social media success is no longer a defined by how well your company communicates its
message to the external world. It is rapidly becoming a critical business sustainability skill
and a business sustainability catalyst that is affecting the bottom line.
Social media and blogging can help build better green businesses and here's why:
•
As consumers, employees, businesses, communities, and non government
organizations increasingly question business actions on climate change, they want to
see transparent, more credible information on the responsible actions companies are
taking to addressing their social and environmental impacts. A corporate blogging
program executed successfully can be a powerful vehicle to build sustainable business
communications by engaging with stakeholders.
•
The use of social media collaboration technologies can help organizations break down
silos and facilitate knowledge sharing across business units and corporate
functions. The Information Week article, What Enterprise Social Success Stories Have
In Common, examines the adaptation of social tools and strategies into today’s
business improvement efforts. Contrasting the limited success of simple external tool
implementation, the true differentiators are implementing social media strategies with
purpose.
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6. •
Social media can make CSR more visible. "A Reputation Institute 2011 survey found
that a company’s CSR program (in its broadest sense), can be responsible for more
than 40% of a company’s reputation, whilst companies with stronger social leadership
programs have 55% better internal morale and 43% more efficient business
processes."
•
Social media has an emerging role in knowledge management. Creating bridges
between the corporate world and its stakeholders, social media closes the gap on
knowledge management and business intelligence. Specifically so if sustainable
communications and performance is valued by your stakeholders. Social media for
sustainability communications has become a risk or an opportunity. Monitoring,
listening, and dialoguing with key stakeholder in the social space not only offers a
competitive advantage but also provides other key ingredients for successful social
media engagement.
•
Sustainability and social media together offer a refreshing and innovative approach to
business. Beyond the more familiar and tradition business value drivers of out-bound
CSR communication or internal stakeholder engagement, our sustainability consulting
explores some of the lesser known but equally viable social avenues to value.
Sounds great! But social media can be daunting for businesses especially on two points:
‘Where do we start?’ and secondly, ‘How can it benefit my green business?’ Hence, this
guide to help you navigate the way.
Photo courtesy of www.soshable.com
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7. Building a Foundation
Did you know...
61% of US Marketers Use Social Media to Increase Lead Gen
(Social Media B2B)
77

8. Starters
Sometimes, in order to know the right way to
do something, it’s easiest to first look at what
doesn’t work. What are the wrong ways or
pitfalls that impact a social media marketing
strategy?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Inauthenticity
Impatience
Lack of executive/ top level
management buy in
Improper goal setting
Social media as a stand alone program
within the organization
Lack of stakeholder engagement
Success undefined
The secret of getting ahead is getting
started. ~ Agatha Christie
The Growing Need for a Social Media Marketing Strategy
There is a sustainable business mindset that is gaining tremendous momentum, yet many
companies are still just coming to grips with it: Today’s consumers are becoming more socio/
eco aware and companies with a traditional business approach are sure to witness a
diminishing return in simple product marketing.
Described in greater detail in the Bloomberg Business week article, The Key to Success?
Your Corporate Mission, today’s consumers are less focused on products than they are on the
companies who sell them.
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9. “The world has wised up. No one is going to be tricked into buying something by cute TV
commercials. In the Internet Age, everyone has the ability to find out everything about your
company, market, and products. If you want to sell, you’d better show customers that you
care intensely about your product and what it stands for.”
This increase in buyer eco awareness has resulted in a significant shift in sustainable
business expectations. We find that companies now realize that a solid reputation goes
beyond product characteristics. Consumers want to know they are being heard. Are you
listening to what the world is saying about your company?
The simple truth is that consumers are now in driver’s seat and business sustainability actions
speak louder than words. In fact, a study by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing
reveals:
•
Only 9 percent of consumer say green advertising is their primary influencer
•
15 percent cite brand loyalty
•
19 percent say word of mouth
•
And 25 percent of consumers say it is a product’s reputation
A strong emphasis on reputation management is not a new concept, but it has become
especially important in driving consumer eco awareness and business sustainability
perception. The key is to not just promote but to engage with the outside world.
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10. Success Strategies
Did you know...
75% of Buyers Likely to Use Social Media in the Purchase
Process (Social Media B2B)
1010

11. Components of Social Media
Success
Navigating the social media waters can be
tricky. As we’ve said, started with a clear
objective is a great place to start but what
might some of the steps towards moving from
a beginner on social media to proficiency?
• First - Get Started with Social Media!
• Chose the Best Platforms for your Business
• Create your online Accounts
“The stand out leaders in
this year’s Social Media
sustainability Index all
fully embrace their newfound power to publish
and provide useful,
regular, transparent, and
creative sustainability
content for their social
media communities.”
~ The SMI-Wizness Social
Media Sustainability Index
• Identify Goals and Objectives
• Set Targets
• Create a Social Media Policy
• Plan your Social and Content Strategies
• Analysis and Monitoring: What’s your ROI?
• Develop Team Building and Workflow Process
• Get Clear on Brand Management: Mishaps and Opportunities
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12. 4 Things to Consider When Planning Your Company’s
Green Social Media Strategy
In building an active social media engagement strategy that yields results and success, there
are several things to keep in mind:
•
Begin with a Clear Vision: What are your social media goals? Is it to increase website/
blog traffic? Promote brand image and credibility? Communicate and engage on CSR/
sustainability related topics? Clearly identify your traditional sales objectives combined
with your sustainability metrics and design a social media marketing strategy that
delivers results to both.
•
Know your audience. Identify Stakeholders and Online Communities: Stakeholders
are a bit easier to identify, but online communities can be centered theme based and
centered on sustainability concepts such as recycling, CSR, water, energy, social
investing. Or, they may be geographically based. Consider shareholders, partners,
employees, customers, suppliers, local communities, and NGO's.
•
Understand the Important Process of Content Creation as it relates to your audience,
building an online community, and generating business opportunities for your business.
•
Commit! Social Media is an ‘Always-On’ Platform: This implies being present to the
ongoing conversation: listening, contributing to the conversation, providing timely
feedback, and incorporating that information into products, services, and ongoing
dialog.
Granted, there are numerous decisions to make before getting started. However, if you start
with a clear objective, it will be easier to find your way.
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13. Implementation Guidelines
Did you know...
87 percent of SMBs believe that social media has helped or
somewhat helped their organization. (Vocus)
1313

14. Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Blogging? Which One?!
Which platform is best for your business? How do you know
which platform is best in reaching your business goals whether
that be increased sales, better customer serivce, or improved
brand awarness?
The 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report states that:
• 85% of all businesses that have a dedicated social media
platform as part of their marketing strategy reported an
increase in their market exposure.
• 58% of businesses that have used social media marketing for over 3 years reported an
increase in sales over that period.
Large corporate businesses that may already be household names are going to have a very
different approach to social media marketing than a small, local business – social media
marketing is definitely not one size fits all.
From a green business viewpoint, is it possible that Twitter, Facebook, and blogging could be
the three pillars of sustainable communications? Some food for thought:
• Two recent posts, Business Blogging for a Sustainable Purpose and Who are the Tweeps
Tweeting for A Better Green Brand? explore the value of social media for sustainability
communications.
• Our friend Fabian Pattberg asks, Facebook – A useful Sustainability and CSR platform?
• Mirroring thoughts on the subject include those found in the post, Sustainability
Professionals + Facebook = Worth It? All included as suggested reading to help you
select the best social media platform (or we can help you do that!).
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15. But social media is not all about Facebook, Twitter and
Blogs...
Nearly every business is on Facebook and Twitter, but other social media platforms are often
overlooked as a means to communicate business sustainability initiatives, reporting, and
successes.
Exploring the benefits of using YouTube for sustainability related content, the post, CSR on
YouTube – Why Web Video Needs to Be Part of Your Social Strategy, shares, "there are
many ways that sustainability enthusiasts use online
video, and if you’re not on YouTube already, you’re
missing a big part of the conversation. Industry
professionals highlight corporate sustainability
programs. Consumers upload product reviews and
search for eco-friendly how-to and DIYs. And while
there is one hour of video uploaded to YouTube every
second, there’s still much less competition for
strategic keywords. On Google, for example, the term
Photo courtesy of www.ijustdid.org
“Sustainability Consultant” returns 1.86 million web
pages, but only 9,000 video hits. Similarly, “Corporate Social
Responsibility” returns 130 million web pages, but only 230 thousand videos. The bottom line
is, online video is the easiest way to be competitive in search."
Additionally, ever since its launch, Google+ has received a tremendous
amount of attention in the social media world. While there is confusion as
to its place among Facebook and Twitter, it is a new, unique platform in its
own right. Regardless of what you think of Google+, it's best not to be
ignored; the integration with Google search alone makes it an important
channel to consider in your social media engagement for sustainability
and CSR.
Finally, if you haven't heard of Foursquare, then you might want to familiarize yourself with it
and GreenSquare. Both are like a combination of micro-blogging (like Twitter), and GPS
geocaching (finding places) and you can use the programs to highlight eco awareness to your
friends, colleagues, and community. Basically, by using your smartphone, you 'check in' with
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16. the Foursquare website, publish your physical location, and write a quick review about the
restaurant or pub or coffee shop you are visiting. Foursquare and Greensquare can be
components of a social media marketing strategy
assisting to spread the good word of local green
businesses, non profits, and green events. By
checking in at sustainable businesses offering green
products and services, you are putting those
businesses on the map (including your own),
introducing those businesses to other like minded
sustainability professionals, as well as supporting for
these businesses with your financial dollar.
The truth is, setting up a Facebook page or Twiter account is easy. Using social media
channels to foster authentic conversations with a community without a strategy or content
plan is not.
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17. Engagement Strategies
Did you know...
87 percent of SMBs believe that social media has helped or
somewhat helped their organization. (Vocus)
1717

18. Content for Engagement and ROI
The new saying is that Content is King. What exactly is content marketing?
It's the creation and publication of original content -- including blog posts, case studies,
white papers, videos and photos -- for the purpose of generating leads, enhancing a brand's
visibility, and putting the company's subject matter expertise on display. HiveFire's
researchers found that an impressive 82 percent of B2B marketers now employ content
marketing as a strategy in their marketing programs. Coming in at a distant second place is
search engine marketing at 70 percent, followed by events at 68 percent, public relations at
64 percent and print/TV/radio advertising at 32 percent. Content can include:
• Customer stories of their use of your products/ services
• Blog post, Videos, and Quotes
• Pictures of Company Events, Conferences, and announcements
• Key data regarding your sustainability report.
• Supplier, Customer, Community related information
• Questions that cause consumers to pause, reflect, and
take action
• And More!
The savvy aspect of content creation and curation is in
leveraging its use to not only build your brand but also create and connect your online
community. There are numerous tips, tricks, and tools available to help select the best
content to share, as well as help make your content easy for others to share capitalizing on
the viral nature of social media.
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19. 6 Ways to Build Strategic Relationships with Sustainability
TITLEInfluencers of Social Media
Community and collaboration are central themes to sustainability. By building strategic
relationships with key influencers of sustainability in
the social space, we all create and empower
sustainability and its mainstream adoption. Here's
how you can build strategic relationships for your
sustainable business too:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify key influencers - select a handful of
sustainability professionals for social media or
key leaders in the space. A good place to find
Influencers on twitter can be found via the SMI Wizness Social Media Sustainability Index
Connect - follow, like, subscribe to their social
media streams and platforms.
Engage - show your support by retweeting,
commenting on blog post, and liking Facebook
Photo courtesy of socialmedia.biz
updates.
Social - introduce others to key influencers, share
mutual interest whether that be a resource, website, blog, or topic of interest.
Promote: offer to interview a key influencer. Or, review their book, product or event.
Comment - offer feedback, honest opinions, or additional viewpoints.
Because sustainability concepts and definitions are still subject to interpretation and debate,
the ‘active’ engagement and dialog with key influencers cannot be overlooked when building
effective business sustainability programs and a social media marketing strategy. The
propagation of sustainable information to effectively communicate business sustainability
successes is becoming a more active dialog.
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20. Success Metrics
Did you know...
The top two measurement metrics are 1) traffic (76%) and 2) #
of new customers. (Vocus)
2020

21. Business Goals and ROI
For the past few years, marketers have been content to measure “soft” metrics, such as the
number of “Likes” or followers their brands have acquired. These numbers, though, are
usually not indicators of an active community. For instance, One of the aspects of social
media that is changing as it matures is measurement When businesses first started to
experiment with social media activity no-one was particularly concerned with measuring
anything. However, the single most common question that is addressed to all social media
experts is: How do you determine the ROI of all of your social media efforts?
Basic ROI analysis begins by measuring what matters, what you can measure, and final
outcomes. As in, what did people do as a result of reading your content or engaging with you
on a social site? Did they click a link, share your content, visit a landing page, fill in a form,
download a whitepaper or a coupon, watch a video or recommend you to a friend?
Social media can be used for a variety of business
objectives including:
• Marketing
• Sales
• Customer service
• Research
• IT
• Human resources
• Executive management
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22. How to Determine Your Metrics
The specific goals and KPIs of these departments will vary dramatically. To estimate the
social media return and ROI, you need to start with a 3-step process:
1.
Define your social media goal.
2.
Based on the goal, define your social media return.
3.
Finally, define how you will tie hard dollars to the social media return.
What types of outcomes should we measure? Well, that’s really up to you. Depending on your
budget, capabilities and resources, you can
define as many as you want. Ideas include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Site traffic
Number of fans/ followers
Number of positive customer mentions
Number of page views
Number of mentions
Engagement rate
Facebook: talk about this and reach
Twitter: retweets and impression reach
Social clicks
Conversion Rates
Revenue
Reduced call volume
Increased channel sales
Photo courtesy of www.effectwebagency.com
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23. Next Steps
Did you know...
Top executives need to be involved in social media.
77% of buyers say they are more likely to buy from a company
whose CEO uses social media. (eMarketer)
2323

24. Social Media- An In House Job?
Should business owners outsource social media?
It depends. Finding the right person to manage your company’s social media presence can
be a challenge. Yet, on the other hand one of the keys to a successful social media
marketing platform is knowing your business, clients, suppliers, and competition.
Personally as a business owner, you don’t need to be active on social networks, but your
business does.
Test it - Do you like creating content? As in, do you enjoy writing well crafted email, sharing
blog posts from reputable sources? Commenting on blogs, tweets, and Facebook shares?
How comfortable are you networking publicly? Try a retweet or two and engage with others
and see if it is a fit for you.
However, if you’re a business owner feeling like everyone around you is already fully
immersed in social media yet you are limited on time or find social media intimidating, it might
be a good idea to ask for help.
Photo courtesy of blog.hubspot.com
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25. Outsourcing Social Media
For smaller businesses, the process of creating a social media
program, implementing that program effectively to your market, and
building upon results can be time and resource constraining. As a
result, you may consider social media training or even outsourcing your
social media efforts to a firm that shares your sustainability values.
What might you look for in hiring a social
media company to help you?
Photo courtesy of www.finalsite.com
When did you start in social media? Why?
Where can I find you online? Do have a blog? Which social sites do you engage?
What is your background other than social media?
What social media marketing channels do you have the most expertise in?
How will you help us determine our community influencers?
What methods will you use to grow our audience?
How do you handle legal risks?
How will you coordinate social media with our other communication functions?
How do you measure results and calculate ROI?
It is much easier and effective to hire a trained expert in this field instead of attempting to
figure it out on your own or task one of your other employees—whose training and expertise
are better used elsewhere. At Taiga Company, we’d love nothing better than to help you with
your social media success.
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26. Why Taiga?
We believe there is an emerging role of social media for stakeholder engagement and for
businesses to communicate their broader corporate responsibility agenda. With the
traditional press release falling way to anyone publishing or promoting content and
preferences as to how we communicate and exchange information changing, social media is
becoming the transparent, engaging, competitive advantage and risk mitigation that business
sustainability delivers.
Navigating the complex social space, Taiga Company's social media unites business,
sustainability, and communications in powerful dialogue to engage with online communities
and stakeholders.
With proven blog success, 30,000+ followers on Twitter, 900+ fans on Facebook, and 900+
connections on LinkedIn, Taiga Company leads by example via effective real - time listening
and monitoring of communications, and humanized engagement in the social space for green,
sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Our Services
Social Media - Business Basics - Training - Social Media 101 Crash Course
Social Media - Business Implementation
•
•
•
•
•
Social Media for Sustainability Professionals - an online course
Social Media and Sustainability Software/ Tool Recommendations
Social Media Audit and Competitor Analysis
Social Content Strategy
Optimized Content Distribution Channels
Social Media - Business Optimization
•
•
•
Social Media Stakeholder Engagement / Community Building, Engagement, and Monitoring
Social Media Corporate Strategy and Policy Development
Social Media for Sustainability Reporting
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