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Using Social Media<br />In Your Business<br />Plan, Launch, Build Business Workshop® #502<br />

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About today<br />Avoiding 1st impression mistakes<br />4 Ways to get more value from digital marketing<br />

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Tim Berry’s 3-Marketing Truths<br />Great marketing beats great products<br />Real people beat real money<br />Consistency beats brilliance<br />

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Social Media Without the Hype<br />Don’t trust anyone who says they’ll reveal the “secrets of social media”<br />There are no secrets. Take away all of the names and social media is basically 3 major activities<br />Listening<br />Connecting<br />Publishing<br />

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3 Things Social Media Does<br />

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Social Media- 12/31/2010<br />What has it been?<br />Social media have been the vehicles used to connect people via the internet. The focus has been marketing and sharing stories? <br />The top 5 most important social-media platforms: <br />1) YouTube- 23.6%<br />2) LinkedIn- 27.6% <br />3) Blogs- 34.8%<br />4) Twitter- 40.0%<br />5) Face Book- 49.1%<br />Source: Summus, Ltd. & SmartBriefs<br />

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Top 5 Social Media Goals<br />

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Focus on the Big 5<br />The focus of most firms is on the five major platforms<br />There is a lower awareness of other sites including platforms such as Flickr with large numbers of users<br />Companies might be missing out on more niche groups that might fit their product/service lines<br />

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How Long Does It Take. . .?<br />At the 2-year mark, 25% of companies begin to confidently and purposefully use social-media for specific business objectives<br />50% have well developed strategies and utilize multiple platforms<br />

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Primary vs. Real Uses<br />Despite the primary goals of increasing brand awareness and building communities for customers and fans, the majority of companies survey use social media to broadcast information instead of creating two-way conversations<br />

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Who Is Leading the Charge?<br />Communications and PR agencies recognized the potential earlier than most<br />Advertising and PR firms have realized the potential of identifying and reaching audiences compared to other industries<br />Communications and PR firms are not the chosen source of advice or consultation by customers<br />The majority of firms are using internal resources for developing and implementing social media strategies<br />

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6 Biggest Obstacles Hindering Social Media for Business<br />

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Does Social Media Work?<br />

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Social-Media & Networking. . .Getting the Right Mind & Skill Sets<br />

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More & Better Connections<br />A skilled networker thinks about what they can do to network more effectively<br />When using social media, it is important to be thinking the right way:<br />Listening<br />Looking for opportunity<br />Asking for feed-back and referrals<br />Using incentives<br />

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Elements to Include in the Mind Set<br />The law of reciprocity “givers gain”<br />Diversity in networking<br />Your relationship based checking account<br />Activate the VCP process<br />Sharpshoot, don’t shotgun<br />Hold one-on-ones<br />

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Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #1<br />Traditional Networking<br />Givers Gain-<br />Avoid- I did this for you, how what are you doing for me?<br />Social Media Networking<br />Social networking is about being able to engage, listen and learn about what your clients are saying and what they want.<br />

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Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #2<br />Diversify Your Networks<br />Traditional Networking<br /><ul><li>Look for groups that don’t target people just like you

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Broaden your network of potential referrals and clients</li></ul>Social Media Networking<br /><ul><li>Look for online groups where what you have to offer might be of value

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Look at the variety of Linkedin groups</li></ul>If you don’t know anyone and no one knows you, it may not be a bad place to be<br />

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Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #3<br />Farming Mentality- It takes a while<br />Traditional Networking<br />It’s a long drawn out process to go from seeding a field to harvest.<br />Relationships take time. You have to make the investment to yield results.<br />It’s a matter of trust.<br />Social Media Networking<br />Social media creates a real time demand for your business.<br />The process is still about relationships but it is quicker on the net.<br />There is not a lot of time for waiting on hold or delay in getting a response.<br />

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Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #4<br />Activate Your VCP Process<br />Visibility, Credibility & Profitability<br />Traditional Networking<br /><ul><li>You have to participate

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Area of focus:

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Chamber mixers

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Writing a column in your newspaper

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Sponsoring special events and activities</li></ul>Social Media Networking<br /><ul><li>You have to participate

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Areas of focus

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Your web site

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Your blog

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Facebook

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YouTube

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Share your opinions, but they must be credible</li></ul>Minimum<br />

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Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #5<br />Sharpshoot, Don’t Shotgun<br />Traditional Networking<br /><ul><li>Focus on your top 2-3 areas of expertise

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Taylor your “areas of expertise” to the networking group

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If working with a team, identify what type of client you are looking for and better leads will be the result.</li></ul>Social Media Networking<br /><ul><li>Make your website intuitive and simple

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Make it easy for your clients to communicate with you.

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Actually read your emails at specific intervals during the day.

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Link electronic inquiries with sales.</li></li></ul><li>Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #6<br />Hold “One-on-Ones”<br />Traditional Networking<br /><ul><li>Personally, speak with clients or respond in person.

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Share something in each category you discuss with your referral source.</li></ul>Social Media Networking<br /><ul><li>Periodically, contact a major referral or client (personally) and do a “GAINS” exchange.

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GAINS- talking about individual goals, objectives, interests, networks and successes.

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Look for areas where you have things in common.</li></li></ul><li>Avoiding First-Impression Mistakes<br />

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Google & Learn <br />Much like an interview for a job, developing a meaningful relationship between your company and another relies on 6-basic elements.<br />Find out information about the company<br />Find out about the company’s leadership – national or local<br />Get the latest news or analysis of the firm<br />Find someone who had done business with the firm and talk with them<br />Know your top objective<br />Know the information – but don’t show off<br />

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Do the Basics- It’s more about them than about you.<br />Know the Company<br />Look at the company website, how does it feel, what are their products/services?<br />What do they do that could make you important to them?<br />Who are the Company’s Leaders?<br />Find an image, read a little about them.<br />Do you know anyone who knows them?<br />

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Do the Basics- It’s more about them than about you.<br />What’s the latest news?<br />Are they in the media and for what?<br />Who is connected in the company that you might know?<br />Where did they go to school and when?<br />What is their home town? Know anyone there?<br />What do you wish to accomplish with the firm?<br />To quote someone famous. . .Begin with the end in mind<br />

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Do the Basics- It’s more about them than about you.<br />Be careful how you use the information you have gathered. <br />Be armed with the information so that you can answer or direct the conversation.<br />

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What is Your Website’s Personality?<br />

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The Top 3 Considerations <br />Does it showcase the company’s advantage?<br />What the company knows?<br />What it can design.<br />Durable products?<br />Friendly service?<br /><ul><li>Does the website effectively communicate these capabilities?</li></li></ul><li>The Top 3 Considerations <br />Is Your Site User Friendly<br />Is the navigation intuitive?<br />Does the format look neat and clean?<br />Is it easy to read?<br />Does it provide important information in a concise manner?<br />Is it appealing?<br />Does it make the visitor want to browse around to learn more about your company?<br />

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The Top 3 Considerations <br />3. Is Your Website Personal?<br />Does the website express how the company can fill the client’s needs?<br />Is it apparent how to contact your company and whom to speak?<br />Does it evoke an emotional response?<br />Does it make you want to get to know the company personally?<br />

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Using your website to drive traffic<br />Having a strong, online presence and strategy is critical to being competitive<br />What are the ingredients?<br />Start with a strong, professional website you can manage on your own.<br />Then use the following 6-step process<br />

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6-step, web traffic driving process<br />

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6-step, web traffic driving process<br />

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Frequently Asked Questions. . .<br />Your Website’s Workhorse<br />

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FAQ- The unsung heroes of your website<br />Done right, the FAQ page helps to build trust, educate and further relationships<br />6- Guidelines for their development:<br />Write answers, not descriptions<br />Don’t be afraid to answer tough questions<br />Avoid “Franken-speak”<br />Register your copyrights<br />Solve, don’t shill<br />Treat your FAQ page as a doorway<br />

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Email<br />On-line Marketing’s Best Kept Secret<br />

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Email marketing <br />Email marketing is the most cost-effective ways to communicate with customers.<br />Ecommerce business owners can use email marketing for:<br />Building brand loyalty<br />To acquire/convert customers<br />Communicating promotional offers<br />

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Email marketing <br />Why you should use email:<br />It require very little effort and cost to get started.<br />You don’t have to write that often.<br />There are hordes of people that want to hear from you.<br />It is a good way to do what you should be doing anyway – sharing your story!<br />Opt-in’s want to be on your list<br />

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Online Surveys<br />To Increase<br />Customer Loyalty<br />

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Why use online surveys<br />Surveys are great ways to show your customers that you value them. They enable you to stay connected and provide insight into how to run your business better. Here are 5 tips for creating better online surveys<br />

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5-tips for better online surveys<br />Fuzzy goals lead to fuzzy results. <br />Start by asking yourself: <br />What do you want to accomplish?<br />What decisions or actions will I take as a result of the survey?<br />You will have a more successful survey if you take some time to identify your goals.<br />Be clear about the purpose of your survey. <br />

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5-tips for better online surveys<br />Make sure to keep your survey focused on a single objective.<br />If it’s just a “nice to have” question, toss it.<br />Tell respondents, up front, how much time it will take.<br />2. Keep the survey short and focused<br />

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5-tips for better online surveys<br />Its easy to influence a question’s outcome, so take particular care to stay neutral when wording the question.<br />Many online survey tools have sample question to help avoid this error.<br />3. Keep your questions unbiased<br />

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5-tips for better online surveys<br />Open-ended questions are difficult to collate, analyze and react to.<br />Closed-ended questions take the form of yes and no, are multiple choice or use a rating scale.<br />Use open-ended questions as a supplement to provide color to your conclusions.<br />4. Use open-ended questions sparingly<br />

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5-tips for better online surveys<br />After analyzing your survey, share the results with your customers by sending them a summary e-mail or by posting the results on your website. <br />This helps close the loop and shows your customers that you truly value their feedback and keeps the communication links open.<br />5. Share the results with your customers<br />