Part I:
Social Media 101
AJ Gerritson Founding Partner
617.986.0224
linkedin.com/in/ajgerritson
@ajgerritson
www.451Marketing.com
Agenda • Defining Social Media
• Review of Major Tools and Goals
• Blog
• Social Media Best Practices
• Q & A
What is Social Media?
Communication is Changing
of people say that they trust
peer recommendations
(Qualmann, Socialnomics, 2010)
…what has changed is where they get
their recommendations
of marketers use social media for business
(Qualmann, Socialnomics, 2010)
Why Should Our
Brand Use Social
Media?
Demonstrate Value – Users See You
as Reliable, Responsive, Intelligent
Increase Sales, Loyalty and
Awareness
Gauge Your Audience:
The New, Digital Focus Group
Today We’ll Cover Four Major Tools
I’m eating a #doughnut
I ‘like’ doughnuts and doughnut-eating groups
I have doughnut-eating skills and expertise
These are my opinions and expertise on doughnuts
Social Tools Explained…
…Using Doughnuts
(I’m eating a #doughnut)
January 15, 2009
> 200 Million Accounts
91% of active users
polled follow a brand
7.8 million brand
recommendations
each month
39% of companies
have acquired new
customers using Twitter
Goals for Using Twitter:
1.Engage Current Fans & Increase Awareness
2. Increase Traffic to Website
3.Customer Service
4.Marketing/Competitive Research
Content
#Hashtag
Credit the Source
Link
Check out our latest blog post by @maxesilver "Not -So-Quiet Riot: Why Boston’s #RubyRiot Was a Success" http://ow.ly/4Zn3D
@451Heat
≤ 140 Characters
Anatomy of a Tweet Handle
What is a #Hashtag?
Twitter users use the # symbol,
called a hashtag, to mark keywords
or topics in a tweet.
Hashtags help to categorize the content
and context of Twitter messages.
Trending Topics (Often comprised of #hashtags)
Question
@Reply
Retweet With Context
Content
Twitter Interactions
Opportunity to Extend Your Brand
Proven Ways to Get
More Followers
(Dan Zarella, HubSpot)
1. Show who you are – a complete bio
2. Stop talking about yourself – don’t be that guy
at the cocktail party
3. Identify yourself authoritatively
4. Avoid negativity - like sadness, aggression,
negative emotions and feelings, and morbid
comments
Who Should You Follow?
• People you want to engage with:
• Customers • Potential customers
• People in your industry:
• Competitors • Partners • Industry influencers
(I ‘like’ doughnuts and doughnut-eating groups)
Over 800 Million Users
41% of companies using Facebook
have acquired new customers
from it
51% of Facebook fans more
likely to buy from a
company they
40% of users 35 years
or older
(if it were a country, it would be the 3rd most populated)
Goals for Using Facebook:
1.Branding and Loyalty
2. Increase Fans & Awareness
3.Sales (sometimes)
4.Customer Service
Anatomy of a FB Post
Content
Picture
Link
≤ 250Characters
@Mashable -
Author
Opportunity to Extend Your Brand
(I have doughnut-eating skills and expertise)
Over 131 Million
43 years old/
$107,000 annual income
(a new member joins every second)
Members
Women 42%
Men 58%
>880,000 groups
Goals for Using LinkedIn:
1.Network with Potential Clients
2.Build Profile and Network in Your Industry
3.Showcase Brand, Products, Thought Leaders
Optimize Profile
Engage in Community
AJ Gerritson
Leverage Groups
Set Alerts
(These are my opinions and expertise on doughnuts)
55% more web traffic
Companies With a
70% more leads
57% have acquired a customer
through their blog
Goals for Using a Blog:
1. Increase Brand Awareness
2. Increase Traffic to Website, Online Visibility
3.Establish Brand/Corporate Figures as Thought
Leaders
4.Show Personality
Central place for content creation, establishing voice, and positioning thought leaders
Opportunity to Extend Your Brand
Social Media Best Practice
Listen
WHAT are people saying about
your brand or product/services?
WHERE are people discussing
your brand or products/services?
WHO is discussing your brand
online?
Also Listen For…
Industry
Competitors
#TrendingTopics News
Establish Your Voice
Depending on your brand, your voice
can take on different tone…
Conversational/Casual News Source/Formal
Show Brand Personality
Ask
Respond
Reward
Champion Your Stakeholders
Use Your Tools
Questions?
– Founded in 2004
– Based in Boston
– 30 Communications Professionals
– Partners Nicholas Lowe, AJ Gerritson, and Tom Lee
– Named a 2011
AJ Gerritson Founding Partner
617.986.0224
linkedin.com/in/ajgerritson
@ajgerritson
www.451Marketing.com
Part II: Developing a Social Media Strategy
Thursday, March 22nd
