Strategies for Blogging and Social Media Marketing

Strategies for Blogging &Social Network Marketing:

A Case Study

December 2008

Teach a Man To Fish…Teach a Man To Fish…

• Sales – Give a man a fish

Teach a Man To Fish…Teach a Man To Fish…

• Marketing – Teach a man to fish

Teach a Man To Fish…Teach a Man To Fish…

• Social Media Marketing – Give a man a bass boat, 12 rods and reels, a case a beer and free weekend.

Even the critics…Even the critics…

• I actually disagree in that bloggers want their seat at the table. ..I guess what’s wrong with it is that I find them stupid. They add nothing to the discourse. They’re written so someone can hear the sound of their own voice…

• [T]hey’re here to stay. They’re not the future, they’re the present. Collectively, they’re a tremendous force, and they’re gonna be with us as they become the new form of media.

Buzz Bisinger, Writer for Vanity Fair

AgendaAgenda

• What is a Social Network?

• Why Social Networks Matter

• A Case Study

• Your (yes, your) social media presence

What is a Social Network?What is a Social Network?

• An online meeting place for consumers and influencers

• to create,

• share and

• interact with

• content.

What is a Social Network?What is a Social Network?

• YouTube• Facebook• MySpace• LinkedIn• Amazon• Technorati• Flickr

• CitySearch • Wikihow• Wikipedia• Craigs List• Newsvine• Yahoo! Answers• Digg

What is a Social Network?What is a Social Network?

• CGM – Consumer Generated Media

• SMM – Social Media Marketing

• WOM – Word of Mouth

• Viral Marketing

• Buzz Marketing

What is a Social Network?What is a Social Network?

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

“Search, as we know it, is dead… with the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Second Life, LinkedIn …the next generation of Web users may find what they want by using their social network rather than a search algorithm. After all, the people in your online social network should know you better than a mathematical equation, right?”

--Glenn Derene

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

“Consider how much information you voluntarily provide on your Facebook profile. Now imagine if you could combine that with your Netflix renting and Amazon buying habits. Then throw in the suggestions of your friends and the pages you visit the most often. ..just imagine how accurate a search could be if every time you had a query, the mass of data about you that exists on the Internet could inform the results.”

--Glenn Derene

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

• 47% of all respondents said they would go to a social networking site to download coupons or search for gift ideas if those services were available;

• 45% said they would visit a social networking site to find out about upcoming sales in stores or discounts on products;

• 22% said they would read or write a product review on a blog.

--BrandWeek

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

CGM -ConsumerGeneratedMedia

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

Shopping networksWikipediaYouTubeProduct review sites

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

Why Social Networks MatterWhy Social Networks Matter

• The most visited sites on the Internet:– #3 MySpace– #4 YouTube– #5 Facebook– #7 Wikipedia– #11 Blogger.com– #12 Craigs List– #15 Photobucket– #20 Flickr

Alexa, May 2008

Shizuka New York

• Located in Midtown Manhattan

• Cosmetology & skin care with “Eastern Holistic Knowledge”

• Featured in international media including Marie Claire, Shape, Vogue, and Harpers Bazaar

Shizuka New York

• Following Word of Mouth program:– Mention on Jay Leno– Mention on CNN– Home page of CNN.com– E! “The Soup”– The Hollywood Reporter

With a Compelling Hook

• Highlighting “Bird Poop Facials”

The Right Channels

• SEO Press Release

• Blogger Outreach

• Video

• Social Networks

And Goals

• Branding and awareness

• Increased site traffic

• New clients

SEO Press Release

SEO Press Release

SEO Press Release

SEO Press Release

Google News results were at two at the beginning of May and are now at 50

Blogger Outreach

• Identify bloggers in key categories:– Already talking– Skin Care– Pop Culture– News of the Weird

Blogger Outreach

• Read the blog!

• Clearly identify who you are

• Tailor your message

• Provide only relevant content

• Ask yourself again before you hit “send”

Blogger Outreach

Blogger Outreach

Blogger Outreach

• Since the campaign launch, 71 emails have been sent to targeted bloggers and websites telling them about the spa and the funny Shizuka “Bird Poop Facial” video.

Blogger Outreach

• Of the 71 sites contacted 14 have posted about the video.

Blogger Outreach

• Responses have been positive. – “Many thanks for the information...sounds very

interesting and I will look into it.” – “Thanks for writing us! We'd be happy to feature your

video - do you have embeddable code for it?” – “Thanks much - I will take a look.”

Video

• Spoof interview produced

• Uploaded to YouTube

• Embedded in press release

• Sent to bloggers

Video

Video

• The YouTube Geisha Facial video – 15,000+ views

Social Networks

• Use social networks to connect with influencers, reporters and consumers:– StumbleUpon– Mixx– Digg– MySpace

Social Networks

Social Networks

• Since Mid-May, sites sending traffic to ShizukaNY.com have been from the PR and WOM effortsSource Pages/Visit % New Visits

stumbleupon.com 1.17 98%

prweb.com 3.15 81%

newyork.citysearch.com 3.88 90%

beauty.ivillage.com 2.11 98%

spafinder.com 3.49 79%

cnbc.com 1.51 21%

elvacilon.lamusica.com 2.21 94%

mizfitonline.com 1.04 100%

mixx.com 1.05 93%

Social Networks

• 46% of site traffic in May and June came from Social Networks, including StumbleUpon, Mixx, YouTube and Digg

Other Results

• Site traffic

• Inbound links

• Web results

Site Traffic

• Site traffic increased more than 60%• Traffic increased from all sources• Inbound links increased from 529 to 917

Top Content

• The Geisha Facial information and Geisha Facial video pages were in the top five most popular pages

Web Results

Ice Rocket web results were at 3,960 at the beginning of May and are now up to 20,700

Your Buzz

Alterra Group

Americalist

American Greetings

AmTrust

Third Federal

Kroll Direct Marketing

Summary

• Create a great hook, you can’t fake it– Funny– Useful– Outrageous– Taboo

• Find the right mix of complementary channels

• Measure results

Get Social Today

• Attendance and enthusiasm are half the game

• Dedicate time to making this work

• Bring wine

• Seek first to understand, then to be understood

• The conversation is going on right now, the only decision is if you will be involved

Questions & Comments

Bill Balderazbbalderaz@webbedmarketing.comwww.webbedmarketing.comTwitter: @bbalderaz