1. How to Market your
Small Business Online
Margot Peterson

2. How Digital Strategy Can Help Your
Business Goals
1. 1st Impression to your customers
They already know you buy the time they meet you in person
2. Direct connection to customers
It’s an easy way to learn about them
3. Receive instant feedback from customer’s perspective
4. Helps find new customers and grow your audience
5. Relatively affordable/can do it in-house
6. Gain market insight and get ahead of your competitors

3. Max’s Social
Content
Strategy Matrix

4. Digital Marketing Campaign Strategy
Template
 Overview, Goals, & Outcomes
 Opportunities & Differentiators
 Audiences
 Key Messages
 Budget
 Tactics (print, radio, TV, billboard, collateral, earned media, internal comm., & digital)

5. Template Cont.: Digital Tactics
 Website: different locations on the website and what they will do / online store
 Blog/Vlog
 Email – different messages to each segment
 Social (paid & unpaid)
 Facebook: posting schedule, promoted posts, ads, etc.
 Twitter: posting schedule, promoted tweets, etc.
 YouTube: video itself, ads on other videos, etc.

6. How to do Online Marketing in a Nutshell
Website
Blog
Social media
Email
Others
Blog/
Vlog
Website
Email
Social
media
Others

7. Websites: why only having a Facebook
page doesn’t cut it
 Website is a hub of information
 It can be used for a variety of things
 Store/Registration, Forum, Chat with Support, Coupons, etc.
 Facebook is just one of many tools to interact with customers and drive them to your
website
 As new algorithms come out, pages need to spend more time and effort (and $$) to have
their posts seen
 Information can stay where you want it and can be changed easily.

8. Website: Reasons to have a Mobile Site
 93% of adults own a mobile phone
 63% use it to go online
 21% primarily use their phone to go online
 Mobile web will overtake PC’s in 5 years
 Your regular website isn’t going to work right
April 2014

9. One Website For All vs. All The Websites
 If you are a part of a franchise or own a franchise, do you have 1 website or many sites
per location?
 McDonalds
 Sonic – social
 If you are owned, find out what you can/can’t add to the website and what your limits
are on social media.
 Come up with a strategy for why & ask for change (if needed)

10. Social Media
The tentacles of marketing

11. How You Sound on Social
Do’s
 Use “we” & “our”
 Find your voice. Are you
 Professional?
 A best friend?
 A teacher?
 Figure out who your audience is on each
channel and talk to them in their
language – with your voice in mind.
Don’ts…
 Say “I”
 Share personal information
 Assume everyone knows the backstory to
your team

12. Holy don’t,
Batman!
• “I” – who are you?
• Their… common spelling
errors
• Sups long – ain’t
nobody got time for
that

13. What’s wrong with
this post?
Many times we’re asked…
“how long will the benefits
of my facial last?” Now
you know  - Melissa loves
this little graph! What’s
your favorite (brand)
facial???

14. Don’t listen to your
mom.
Sharing isn’t
always the right
thing to do.
(shared by a local
coffee shop)

15. Wait. What?
“We love Autumn”

16. Besides the
Seahawks…
What’s wrong with
this tweet?
(tweeted by
another local
coffee shop)

17. Hooray! A “Do”

18. #GoodJobTheSkimm
Found a funny
photo and tied it
into their content
and voice.

19. What are some brands you follow?
What do they do well?
Please, please, please… someone say something. I don’t like awkward silence. You
don’t like awkward silence. You can even say “Oreo” or “Taco Bell”.

20. How to choose the right platform:
Facebook
Pros
 Largest social network – even
grandma uses it.
 Advertise direct to target market.
 Keep tabs on the competition.
 Host contests
Cons
 You should really have a budget set
aside for Facebook ads/promoted
posts.
 Algorithm changes and businesses
need to work harder.

21. How to choose the right platform: Twitter
Pros
 Get to the point – easy calls to action
 Be a part of larger conversations
#somanyhashtags
 Real time
 Customer feedback
 Giveaways/coupon codes
Cons
 Need to update frequently.
 Your target audience may not use it.
 Customer feedback

22. How to choose the right platform:
YouTube
Pros
 Use as educational tactics (How-To
use your product or share part of a
seminar you hosted).
 Don’t need to pay for videos to be
promoted – it’s currently strictly by
views (getting enough in the
beginning is your challenge)
 Capture viewer’s attention for about
1-2 minutes (way more than a news
feed).
 Eventually, you can get paid $$.
Cons
 You need more time than other social
channels.
 Concept
 Script
 Recording
 Editing
 Graphics/animation

23. How to choose the right platform: Pinterest
Pros
 Specific target audience
 Build brand awareness
 Can use it internally for looking at
competition with secret boards
Cons
 Specific target audience
 Your original copy can be erased
when repining.
 More “ideas” than action

24. Top Platform: Facebook
Best Practices

25. Best Practices
1. Include a call to action (within the first 90 characters)
2. Use high quality photos
3. Combat Ad Fatigue (get a face lift every 2-3 weeks)
4. Identify your target audience (even in regular posts)
5. Keep posts short and sweet
6. Boost important posts
7. Use Facebook Offers (special discounts to fans & non-fans in the area)
8. Direct people to specific links
9. Follow Facebook.com/marketing & Facebook.com/business

26. 5 Ways to Increase Awareness on
Social

27. 1. Branding
Optimize your
organization’s social
presence:
Sanfordhealth.org
Facebook.com/sanfordhealth
Twitter.com/sanfordhealth
Guidelines

28. 2. Cross Promotion
 Promote social media
everywhere
Website
 Email
 Brochures
 Business cards
 Etc…
 Same theme on
different platforms

29. 3. Content: Useful, Relevant, & Valuable
 Know your organization’s voice
 Who’s your audience?
 What’s your goal/outcome?
 What do people like on social?
 How does your brand relate?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eubWYPhcEEo

30. 4. Interact
 Respond in a timely manner
 Questions:
 Answer a commonly asked question or
misconception about your company
 Explain the problem you solve
 If you ask questions, ask for a reason
(not just “what are your plans this
weekend?”)

31. 5. Giveaways and Contests
 Rafflecopter (free option)
Wildfire (need to contact for price)
 Blinkd (free option)
 Contest Platform (wizehive) $249 + $3/day
 Strutta $399

32. Digital Campaign Strategy Template:
Group Activity
Don’t worry, I’m not going to start Margot’s Macaroons for real.

33. Content Calendars
Campaigns October November December January February
New Fall
List Tactics
Flavor
Here
20% off Fall
Flavor
10% off Skinny
Macaroon
BOGO 50% off
Love Special

34. Who Should Run Your Digital Strategy?
Yes
 Personally active on social
 Writing experience
 Digital experience
 Measurement experience & proven
results
 Intern with clear training, direction, and
vetting process
No
 Your nephew who made a website once
 An intern who you don’t have time to
train or supervise
 Yourself, if you don’t personally use social
media

35. Where to Find Content Ideas?
 Mindshare & Differentiators. Figure out what other businesses are like yours, what
consumers think of them – what makes you different?
 New Services
 Promotions & Contests
 Before/After. Customer Stories/Successes.
 Industry Blogs & LinkedIn Groups
 Where do you currently find content ideas?

36. How you Know it’s Working
Data & Analysis

37. Creating a measurement plan
https://analyticsacademy.withgoogle.com/preview Thanks Google Analytics Academy!
1. Define your organization’s needs & define measurement plan (what
will you measure?)
2. Document your technical infrastructure (is it possible to track what
you need?)
3. Create an implementation plan (who will set up what you need?)
4. Implement your plan (set up tracking recommendations)
5. Maintain and refine

38. Additional Measurements
 AdWords
 YouTube Analytics (“Channelitics”)
 Pinterest Analytics
 Simplymeasured.com
 Numerical vs. Engagement

39. How can a small business keep up?
 Stick to the strategy
 Only do what you can do well
 Make meaningful content with a purpose
 Gather groups of knowledgeable and capable
volunteers/interns/staff/etc… (Social Media
Dream Team)
 Give specific tasks/jobs
 Expectations

40. What will you take away from this
training?

41. What is one thing you’re work on
when you go back to work?
How will you know you’re
successful?

42. Questions?
www.belugasocial.com
margot@belugasocial.com
Facebook.com/belugasocial
Twitter.com/belugasocial
Pinterest.com/belugasocial