The document discusses practical social media strategies for businesses to reach customers online. It covers how to build customer personas using social media insights, create targeted web content around keywords, develop messaging across different sales stages, and commit to engaging on social media platforms regularly. The presentation also provides tips on creating a social media strategy, the types of content to share, daily engagement planning, and tools to measure social media performance.

1. Beyond the Basics:
Practical Social Media Strategies
for Reaching Customers Online
Grant Tilus

2. Who is Grant Tilus?
Husband and Father Inbound Marketing Believer in Small
Specialist Business America
Twitter: @granttilus
Grant.Tilus@rasmussen.edu
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3. What This Presentation Isn’t About
The “What, When, Where, Why”
Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/Wgznbd
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4. We Will Focus on…
The “How”
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5. We Will Cover…
• Using Social Media to Help Build Customer Personas
• Creating Web Content
• Keyword Research
• Developing Targeted Messages
• Creating Content within your Sales Stages
• Committing to Social Media Platforms
• Advanced Sharing Strategies
• Tools that Can Help You Be Successful
• Random Tips
Copyright Rasmussen, Inc. 2011. Proprietary and Confidential.

6. Things To Consider During the Presentation
For every subject we discuss, ask yourself…
• How could this improve our business?
• Could our organization be doing this?
• What has our strategy been missing?
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7. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
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8. Learn About Your Followers/Customers
Take insights from your social networks to help you
build your customer/audience personas.
• Facebook: Insights
• Twitter: Social Bro, KnowYourFollowers
• LinkedIn: Insights
• Google+: Integrates with Google Analytics
• Pinterest: http://business.pinterest.com/analytics/
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9. Data For Building Customer Personas
- gender
- family life
- education
- income
- location
- technology
- hobbies
- likes
- influencers
- online behaviors
- obstacles
Image Credit: http://bit.ly/YaRr0U
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10. Personas Help You Be More Social
• Helps create a better user
experience
• Addressing obstacles
• Focus on customers goals
• Creates a better connection
• Increased engagement from
customers
• Content creation is easier
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11. Why Create Content for the Web?
Businesses reported that
adding a blog increases site
visitors by 55%
67% of users on Twitter
reported that they are more
likely to make purchases from
brands they actively follow.
(http://bit.ly/WnqbiE)
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12. Benefits of Creating Your Own Content
• Build Long-term Competitive Advantage
• Become a Subject Matter Expert
• Better User Experience
• Website Traffic (Lead Generation)
• Brand Awareness
• Educate Customers
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13. Focus Your Web Content Around Keywords
“Think about the words users would type to find
your pages, and make sure that your site actually
includes those words within it.”
– Matt Cutts, Head of Webspam at Google
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14. Use Keywords in Your Blog Content
Without keywords your content will most likely not be
found
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15. Good Example
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16. Bad Example
• Not optimized for search.
Yet it’s so easy. Possible keywords
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17. Keyword Research
• Product/Service Names and Variations
• Location Based
• Identify common questions with the buying
cycle. (Search Quora or set up Google Alerts)
Basic Tools:
• ubersuggest.org
• adwords.google.com/o/KeywordTool
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18. Messaging Map: Creating Targeted Content
Step 1: Identify Your Sales Stages
Step 2: Determine the Audience
Step 3: Identify Motivations and Objections
Step 4: Overcome Objections
Step 5: Reinforce Motivations
Use Steps 2-5 to Create Content for Each Sales Stage
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19. Target Your Customers in the Sales Funnel
Discovery/Awareness
Trigger/Interest
Search
Close
You Need
Content Here Stay
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20. Discovery/Awareness Content
• High level content
• Topics should have somewhat of a connection with
your business or industry
• The customer/reader may not yet be unaware of the
need for you or your product
Examples for Business: (Bike Shop and Travel Agent)
• The Beginner’s Guide To Finding Time to Exercise
• 12 Ways To Save For That Dream Vacation
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21. Trigger/Interest Content
• Starting to develop a stronger connection
between customers needs and solutions
• Should motivate readers to take further action
• Not yet self promotional
Examples:
• 20 Reasons Why You Should Bike to Work
• Best Places to Visit in Florida on a Budget
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22. Search Content
• Exploration of options to find a solution
• Looking at specific options from businesses
• Comparing options
Examples:
• The Ultimate Guide to Buying a Road Bike
• Stay & Save: 10 Hotels with Disney Land Discounts
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23. Close/Purchase Content
• Deep dive into details in order to make a choice
• Reconfirming benefits
• How to buy
Examples:
• Customer Stories: Why They Bought a Specialized Bike
• Booking a Disney Hotel: Why It’s Worth It
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24. Stay/Referral Content
• Further validation of purchase benefits
• Exploration of related topics/uses
• Community building
Examples:
• 5 Ways to Connect with Other Bike Lovers
• 10 Rides for Queasy Parents to Avoid Yet Kids Love
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25. When You’re Creating Content…
1. Remember your personas – Is it targeted?
2. Write for the web – Is it scan-able?
3. Keep it simple – Avoid jargon.
4. Be consistent – Have a schedule.
5. Always have a goal – What is the call-to-action?
6. Brand standards – Do you have them?
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26. Sharing Content Tips
• Identify Online Influencers (followerwonk)
• Web Communities (ex. Forums)
• Use the Right Social Platform
• Make Your Customers the Hero
• Be Consistent
• Promote Other People’s Content
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27. Bringing It All Together
Personas + Optimized Web Content + Targeted
Messaging = Business Success
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28. Quick Stop for Questions
Anything regarding:
• Customer Personas
• Using Keywords
• Brand Messaging
• Creating Content
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29. Diving Deep into Social Media Use
• Being Active on Social Media
• Social Strategy
• Social Content
• B.E.A.S.T
• Engagement Plan
• Key Metrics
• Tools
• Tips
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30. Which Social Networks Do You Use?
• Facebook? • Yelp?
• Twitter? • YouTube?
• LinkedIn? • Other?
• Pinterest?
• Google+?
• Foursquare?
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31. Are You Doing Your Best?
• If you’re not active on a platform
every day, don’t use it. (Biggest Mistake I See)
• Encourage your employees to be
social!
• Don’t let this happen
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32. Do You Have an Engagement Strategy?
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33. Social Media Strategy
1. Put Together a Daily Engagement Plan
2. Understand Who Your Audience Is
3. Stay on Brand
4. Try Different Things, See What Works
5. Have Goals
6. Measure Results
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34. Types of Social Content to Post
• Blog Posts (Internal and External)
• Visual Content (Photos, Memes, Infographics)
• Quotes/Tips/Facts
• Business Highlights, Industry News
• Specials/Contests
• Polls/Questions
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35. When Posting on Social Media
• Be on Brand
• Engage, Entertain or Educate
• Audience Awareness
• Stay Consistent
• Test, Test, Test
Image Credit: http://bit.ly/Uyw3FE
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36. Daily Engagement Plan
Go back to your office and
create one of these today.
After 4-6 weeks review what
works and what doesn’t.
Repeat.
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37. Social Media Metrics
If you don’t measure success, it is impossible to improve.
Potential Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) To Review Weekly/Monthly
# of Posts per Week Likes
People Talking About This Tweets
Reach Followers
Engaged Users +1’s
Clicked Links Video Views
Virality Subscribers
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38. Tools I Recommend To Use
• Trello - Task Organization
• Hootsuite - Scheduling/Metrics
• Open Site Explorer
• Google’s Keyword Tool
• Ubersuggest
• Topsy – Social Analytics
• Follower Wonk - Stalking
• Bit.ly – URL Shortener
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39. Bonus Social Media Tips
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40. Tip #1
Facebook rolled out
option for fans to
receive notifications
about page posts!
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41. Tip #2
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42. Tip #3
Create Twitter Lists
for an organized way
for interacting with
followers, customers
or anyone really.
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43. Tip #4
Optimize Your Pinterest Account
• Your Profile: Completing to make your
organization more findable.
• Your Boards: Optimize your boards by using
keywords in your titles. Categorize correctly.
• Your Pins: Use strong descriptions, prices and
keyword use.
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44. Questions?
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