This document provides information on using social media effectively for business purposes. It begins by explaining the benefits of social media for businesses, such as spending time rather than money, directly connecting with customers, and networking. It then discusses common mistakes marketers make, such as underestimating the time investment required. Specific social media platforms like Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube are explained. Steps are provided for developing a social media strategy and allocating time and resources. The document emphasizes developing a plan and monitoring results.

1. SCORE Arlington Economic Development Savvy Use of Social Media for Business Owners Jeanne Rossomme, President jeanne@RoadMapMarketing.com www.RoadMapMarketing.com 202-257-0663

2. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Your feelings about Social Media?

3. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Why Social Media is a great tool for you: Spend time rather than $ You already are your brand/business You already directly connect with customers Efficient way to network Access to larger companies, press, networks Democratic: based on client opinions rather than media spend * Social Media Marketing Industry Report March 2009

4. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Biggest Mistakes Marketers Make with Social Media: I must be behind! Everyone is doing it. 72% of marketers have either just started or have been using Social media for only a few months. They underestimate the investment. 64% of marketers are invested 5+ hours and 39% 10+ hours per week Those reported sales effects have been using Social Media for years and investing 16+ hours per week They overestimate the impact on sales. They have no clear objectives, goals or plan Social Media doesn’t “go” anywhere Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2009

5. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Top 10 Social Media Marketing Questions* What are the best tactics to use? How do I measure effectiveness? Where do I start? How do I manage the social balance? What are the best sites and tools? How do I make the most of my time? How do I focus my efforts on my target audience? How do I convert my social media marketing efforts into tangible results? How do I cohesively tie different social media efforts together? Does social media marketing work, and if so, how effective is it? * Social Media Marketing Industry Report March 2009

6. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing What will you leave with today? Social Media demystified You are the driver, not the latest tech trend How Social Media can help your business 5 Smart steps to start and be successful

7. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Savvy Social Media Smart Steps

8. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Savvy Social Media Smart Steps

9. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Commonly Used Social Media Tools http://namechk.com/- to see what names are available across other networks Social Media Industry Report 2009

11. Tweet: 140 character message (use 120 char so others can retweet you)

12. Retweet – when someone passes on your tweet

13. Twitter Name - @RoadMapMarketin

14. Follow/Followers

15. Replies

16. DM (direct message)

17. Hashtag # - for category

18. Tools:

19. TweetDeck: to organize into categories

20. Tweetburner: to create tiny url and track results

21. TweetLater: to post tweets later automatically

22. Measures: Retweets, Followers

24. Terms:

25. Blog post: comments, observations or research from a few sentences to a few paragraphs in length

26. Comments: replies or comments to blog posts

27. Keywords: words to categorize or capture topic

28. Tools:

29. Blogger.com

30. WordPress

31. Measures: Comments and votes on blog posts, visits, time spent per visit, outbound links to sales page

33. Changing “what I am working on now” send an update to your network.

34. SlideShare: can post presentations

35. Polls

36. Measures: size of network, # of recommendations, position/level of connections

38. Company fan page

39. Wall post

40. Fans

41. Tools:

42. Insights feature

43. Measures: number of fans, interaction with wall posts, response to special offers, links from FB to your website

45. How-to or demonstration

46. Provocative topics

47. Humorous

48. Events

49. Measures: Views, Votes, links from YouTube to website, search ranking

51. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Savvy Social Media Smart Steps

52. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Social Media: part of your marketing mix

53. Social Media is most effective at the top of the sales pipeline Target Market Top Of The Pipeline = Marketing Bottom Of The Pipeline = Sales Suspects Leads Prospect Customer 81% generated exposure for my business 52% helped us rise in search rankings 35% helped me close business 61% increased my traffic/subscribers/opt-in list 56% resulted in new business partnerships 48% generated qualified leads 45% reduced my overall marketing expense Social Media Industry Report 2009

54. Social Media Top Of The Pipeline = Marketing Bottom Of The Pipeline = Sales Target Market Suspects Leads Prospect Customer Monitor the market and competition Create offers to close more sales Attract suspects to your company/brand Build community: convert suspects to prospects Great Customer Service Test Product concepts Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Raise awareness/exposure.

55. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing It all needs to work together

56. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing

57. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing

58. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing

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60. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Savvy Social Media Smart Steps

61. What to do: Your company name, Your name Your key competitors Key clients/prospects Thought leaders, Industry and other key words When to do it: Annual/Quarterly: Competitive review, trends Weekly: Competitive offers/products, Key client and prospect actions Daily: Mentions of your company and you Tools: Search.Twitter.com Google.com/alerts Technorati.com – blog search engine Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Monitor the market and your competition

63. Offers/promotions

64. Pricing

65. Product features

66. New product ideas/enhancements

67. When to do it:

68. Create a landing page or options and track clicks/selections

69. Tools:

70. What the Trend

71. The Top 100

72. Linked In Polls

73. Facebook fan page polls and wall questions

75. Share high quality content via postings

76. LiveTweet industry events

77. Integrate articles with blog posts with tweets

78. Pass on news of your company on the media, awards, etc.

79. Webinars

80. When to do it:

81. Record live presentations, seminars

82. Tools:

83. SlideShare on Linked In

84. YouTube for speaking engagements and events

86. Invite to events

87. Demonstrations on YouTube

88. Listen, Learn, Care, Serve*

89. When to do it:

90. Record live presentations, seminars

91. Tools:

92. Twellow – twitter directory where you can search for industry contacts

93. Linked in Search feature to look for contacts, connections

94. Linked In introduction feature* From Twitter for Dummies

96. Coupons and special discounts to FaceBook fans or Twitter followers

97. Contests/giveaways to encourage passing the word

98. When to do it:

99. Not too frequently or people will stop following

100. Tools:

101. Twitter

103. Create a wiki for your FAQ or Customer Service knowledge base

104. Monitor Twitter for complaints and company mentions

105. Monitor alerts for blog and other mentions of your company

106. When to do it:

107. Respond as quickly as possible

108. Tools:

109. Twitter

111. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Plan:

112. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing Savvy Social Media Smart Steps

114. Linked In: 3-4 hours

115. Twitter: 2-4 hours

116. FaceBook: 2-4 hours

117. Blogs: 2 hours

118. Daily/Weekly Updates:

119. Linked In: 1 hour /week

120. Twitter: 1 hour per day in two 30 minute sessions

121. FaceBook: 30 minutes per day

122. Blogs: 1 hour per blog post

123. Monthly upkeep:

124. to cull through friends, followers, connections: 1 hour per social media tool

127. Individual free one-on-one counseling/mentoring

129. Identify and solve operating problems

130. Recognize and capitalize on new business opportunities

131. Develop business plans

132. Find sources and qualify for financingCopyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing

133. Check Out Other Workshops Go to www.scoredc.org to find local workshop scheduled Whether you want to start or grow your business, SCORE workshops are a valuable way to learn more about doing business and a convenient forum for networking with other business professionals who can help you succeed. SCORE offers more than 6,500 local business workshops each year across the country. These low-cost seminars focus on important small business issues, ranging from business planning and marketing to Web-based retailing. Copyright 2010 RoadMap Marketing

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