Helping small businesses understand the urgency and value of getting started on Social Media

2. SonicSpider LLC
● RightStartWebsites.com
o Web Visibility and Web Asset Building Services
o WordPress Development and Support
o Training and Coaching Services
o Managed Custom Hosting
● SonicWebTech.com
o On Demand Technical Support
o eCommerce Troubleshooting, Solutions, and
Development
 PayPal Certified Developer
 Authorize.net Certified Developer
 PayPro/ProtectPay Developer

3. A Conundrum?
co·nun·drum
noun: conundrum; plural noun: conundrums
a confusing and difficult problem or question.
"one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts"
synonyms:
problem, difficult question, difficulty, quandary, dilemma
informal poser
"the conundrums facing policy-makers"

4. First - A Quick Survey
1. Does your business have a Social Media Strategy?
2. How often does your business engage in Social Media:
a. Daily
b. Weekly
c. Monthly
3. Do you think Social Media is helping your business?
4. Do you get customers through Social Media?
5. Do you think you should be doing it but…..?

5. The Conundrums for Small Business
● We don’t have time….
● We don’t know where to start….
● We don’t know which platform is best for us…..
● It seems like a waste of time, so what’s the big
deal?
● All of the above!

7. So… Let’s Begin….

8. Who Are YOU?
Clearly articulate for you and your team members
your business identity.
What you’re about, your values, what you do
differently or better than anyone else (in marketing
jargon, your Unique Value Proposition, or UVP),
and why you do what you do.
All of this adds up to your Brand Identity.

9. Something to Talk About
Create content (your website, YouTube,
podcasts,SlideShare, etc), driven by your brand
identity that:
● answers questions
● provides helpful information or perspective
● and is of value to people
It’s not One-to-Many, it is One-to-One

10. Where is your audience?
● Facebook - young = consumer goods, older =
retirement.
● Twitter - news and trending
● LinkedIn - White-collar professional
● Pinterest - mostly female - food, content -
family/parenting
● Instagram - young mostly female - fashionistas
● Tumblr - teens and young adults - self-
expression.

11. Who is my audience?
“You don’t need everybody. You just need to find
the small group of people that care about what you
do. You start small and nurture that audience.
Treat them like gods, serve them, and ask what
more you can do for them. Make them feel special.
Some of them will begin to bring others into your
audience.”
Mark Traphagen, Stone Temple Consulting

12. Finding the Right Mix
● Go with your strengths - Where do you feel
comfortable, where is your audience
demographics
● Google+ for Search

13. How will I be found?
● Google+ is not a “social network”
● It is an identity service with tools to build
identity, trust and authority.
A Google+ profile is the critical “first
step” in connecting YOU to Google

14. “Google+ is the only
viable short cut left to you
on the semantic web”
David Amerland: SEO Help, Semantic Search

15. Google+ Identity Building Tools
● Google+ Profile - Do it all, make it complete.
Connect the Dots for Google
● Hangouts and Hangouts on Air - Face to face
with your audience and customers
● Communities - Engage, build authority and
trust in your marketplace or industry
● Google+ Business Page - Post helpful and
insightful content

16. Building a Presence
● Comment on others’ content - Add useful
information or questions.
● Reshare content with YOUR take on the value
of that content.
Engage and build relationships

17. Be an Expert
● Post your content, share other industry experts.
● Answer common questions
● Helpful solutions or strategies
● Educate your audience

18. Having Time & Making Time
“Your competitors have the same challenges and
worries that you do and chances are they’re not
doing anything about it. So if you just start doing a
little, making your content helpful, targeted, and
coming out of your heart and passion and business
values, you’re already ahead of the game.”
Mark Traphagen, Stone Temple Consulting

19. ● Start small - Baby Steps
● Be consistent - Be There - it builds trust
● Be strategic - Have a Plan
● Be disciplined - Stick to the Plan
What is your SM marketing strategy doing today?

20. Parting Thoughts..

22. Be There….
Don’t compare yourself to big
corporations with big budgets. Honestly
projecting your business identity in small
steps, even if done imperfectly, is worth
doing.