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Why small business owners should care about social networkingA presentation to SCORE

Mary Ellen MillerNovember 4, 2010

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1. Why Should We Care About Social Networking?

2. Ways for business owners to Use Social Networking

3. Take Home Tips

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Seth Godin David Meerman Scott

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“Social media marketing eliminates the middleman and provides brands with a unique opportunity to have a direct relationship with their customers.”◦ 360i

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Social Media Adoption"Tough market

conditions mandate small businesses to think and act creatively to sustain themselves,"

Connie Steele, Director at Network Solutions

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Source: American Express Open survey October 19, 2010 Four out of ten small

business owners are actively using social media to communicate with their customers and market their products. (One year ago: one in ten)

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Company page on a social networking site Use social media for identifying and

attracting new customers Built a network through a site like LinkedIn Almost half expect social media to be

profitable in the next twelve months

Small business owners use social media to attract new customers:

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Small business social media users say it takes more time than expected  

Social media gives people a chance to criticize their business on the Internet

Only 6% feel that social media use has hurt the image of the business more than helped it  

Small business owners still have concerns with social media:

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Learn by listening Your customers social media behavior Dialogue about your brand Monitor your competitors

Establish stronger ties with your customers

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Small group time!What are some ways that you or companies you admire are using social media as part of a successful PR plan?

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What are Social Media’s Big 3?

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More than 500 million active users

50% log on Facebook every day

More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college

The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older

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- More than 1.5 million “local businesses” have active Pages on Facebook

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User Engagement Average user has 130

friends on the site More than 700 billion

minutes per month It commands their

time and attention!

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Celebrity tweetersLady Gaga 6.9 million followers

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The man your man could smell like

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Piglets mean profits

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“Oregon Farmer says twitter a business necessity.”

The Rural Blog

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“I think that social media is so important to my farm’s success that I have to make time for it.”

◦ Heather Walters 7th generation farmer, Yamhill, Oregon

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How does a business owner get social?

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How small business owners can get social :

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Set goals What’s your niche? Let your personality shine Generate top of mind awareness Monitor your customers/competitors Put social media logos on all of your

materials

Some tips for business owners to get social :

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Listen Contribute to others’ conversations Post comments, pictures and videos Promote causes you care about Share valuable information

Some tips for business owners to get social :

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Integrate social media into everyday life Accept ownership (only you truly

understand your business) Real customers connecting with real

company representatives

Concluding thoughts

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1. Why Should We Care About Social Networking?

2. Ways for business owners to Use Social Networking

3. Take Home Tips

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http://marketingmel.com twitter @MarketingMel Facebook: MarketingMelPR LinkedIn: Mary Ellen Miller maryellen [at] marketingmel[dot]com

Innovative Marketing, Public Relations and Social Media Strategies for Business Professionals