Upload
eight-trails
View
391
Download
3
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Citation preview
Social Media Basics for Small Business
August 19, 2010
Let’s Get Acquainted
Ed Tankersley Eight Trails LLCAlliance Partner
Tom FulcherThe Idea Gardener LLCPrime Contractor
The History of Marketing – Part 1
The History of Marketing – Part 2
The History of Marketing – Part 3
• Through the Internet and social media:• Shopkeepers can “stand in their doorways”
again• They can listen to their customers• They can talk to their customers• People recommend their favorite shops• People do business with people they know
and trust
What is Social Media?
"Social media…is people talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online.”
Ron Jones
Why Should You CareAbout Social Media?
500 Million Active Facebook Users
Source: Tech HeraldPhoto Credit: Oversocialized
10 Billion+ Tweets Sent on Twitter Since 2006
Photo Credit: Rosaura Ochoa Source: Mashable
2 Billion Videos Are Streamed Each Day On YouTube
Photo Credit: jonsson Source: Techcrunch
3.5 billion conversations occur online each day4 billion images on Flickr2.5 billion images uploaded to Facebook EACH MONTH
Photo: Poolie
You Should Care Because:
• Conversations are happening about your industry, your company, and your services and products
• You can share information quickly• You can demonstrate your expertise and
authority• You can put a human voice and face on
your business• You can improve search results
6 First Steps in Social Media
Step 1Decide What You Want
• What’s your goal?• Listen to customers and prospects• Engage with customers• Raise your company’s online profile• Increase traffic to your site• Improve your search ranking
Step 1Decide What You Want
• How will you measure success?• More subscribers or fans• More mentions online• Website visits• Website conversions• More engagement with your blog• Search visibility• Search ranking
Step 2Commit Some Time
• Put someone in charge• Commit to 30 minutes a day• More if you have an active engagement
strategy• Encourage everyone on your team to
listen
Step 3Find Your Current Customers
• Ask• In person• In your emails• On your website
• Flowtown
Step 4Establish a Few Outposts
• Where are most of your customers?• What interests you?• What’s a good match for your team?• What kind of content do you have?
Intro to Social Media Outposts
• Your Blog• LinkedIn• Facebook• Twitter• Slideshare• Flickr
Targeted to business networking. A great place to start for B2B companies. Create connections, join groups, contribute, answer questions.
Create a page for your business on Facebook to connect with millions of people.
Twitter is a “microblog” where you can converse, share thoughts, ask questions, respond to concerns, monitor conversations, and drive website traffic.
If you give a lot of presentations, share them on Slideshare to extend your online presence.
Show your products, processes, case studies, and other interesting visual content on Flickr.
Step 5Make a Calendar
• Brainstorm some topics• Time-sensitive• Seasonal• Promotions
• Evergreen• Can post them any time
• Make a plan for posting content
Step 6Invite People to Connect
• In your emails• On your website• In your ads• On your phone greeting
4 Simple Ways to Use Social Media
Tactic 1Listen to the Conversation
• Who’s talking?• Who and what are they talking about?• What’s the sentiment?• Who are the influencers?
Other Listening Tools
• Twitter Search• SocialMention• TweetBeep
Tactic 2Track Your Competitors
• What are they saying?• What’s being said about them?• Where are there opportunities for you?
Tactic 3Engage with Customers
• Publicly thank your supporters• Publicly address complaints and
concerns• Follow up offline – email, phone
Where to Engage
• Your blog• Twitter• Facebook• Any of your outposts
Tactic 4Contribute to Industry Discussion
• Social media is a networking event• Introduce yourself• Listen to the conversation• Join in
• Leave comments• Answer questions• Be authentic and interesting• Be helpful and relevant• Promotion comes second (or never)
Where to Engage
• Blogs• Forums• Social networks
Tactic 6Create Valuable Content
• Photos of projects in progress or completed
• Product or service demonstration videos
• Articles or white papers• Case studies
Questions? Comments?
Follow us on:
Ed Tankersley Eight Trails LLC@EightTrails
Tom FulcherThe Idea Gardener LLC@TheIdeaGardener