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Development

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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"

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…..?

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!

So… Let’s Begin….

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.

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

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.

● Google+ - Google Search

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

Finding the Right Mix

● Go with your strengths - Where do you feel comfortable, where is your audience demographics

● Google+ for Search

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

“Google+ is the only

viable short cut left to you

on the semantic web”David Amerland: SEO Help, Semantic Search

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

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

Be an Expert

● Post your content, share other industry experts.

● Answer common questions

● Helpful solutions or strategies

● Educate your audience

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

● 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?

Parting Thoughts..

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.