Social Media For Small Biz

Developing A Strategy

There Is No Magic Wand

If you fail to plan,

You can plan to fail

There Is No Cookie-Cutter Approach

We believe that…

While a cookie-cutter

approach is great for

making cookies,

it doesn’t necessarily

translate to

Social Media Marketing.

Monetize vs. Collect• Friends, Fans and Followers should not be collected like baseball cards• There are many social networks to join, but these are tools, NOT a strategy• Growing a large following is great, but you need to do something with

them.

Where Do I Start?

Ask yourself…– What are my objectives or goals?– Who is my target market?– Which social networks do they use?– What type of content do they prefer?– What cost(s) are involved?– What is my competition doing?

What are my objectives or goals?

• Increase e-commerce• Increase traffic to website• Increase brand awareness• Increase email

subscriptions• Build thought leadership

reputation• Announce events,

promotions, sales

Who Is My Target Market?

Where Is My Target Market?A quick snap shot of some social media demographics compiled from Pew Research’s latest

report includes:• Gender: 9% more women use social channels than men. Pinterest is the most used channel

by women and Google+ is preferred by men.• Age: While the 18-29 year olds continue to be the most active social users (83%), their

usage actually dropped slightly recently. This age group spends much of their time on Facebook and Twitter. The 30-49 age group has recently increased usage by 4% points growing to 77%. As expected, senior citizens are the least social at 52%.

• Income: Income level also influences the level of time spent on social channels. Pew found 72% of the lower-income population on social networks compared to approximately 65% of middle class and affluent shoppers. Women with post high school education and above average incomes enjoy spending time on Pinterest.

• Race: Brands that are marketing to the Hispanic population will be interested to know that this is the most active race on social media (72%), followed by African-Americans (68%). Instagram is the most appealing social channel for these two races. Hispanics are also most likely to purchase on mobile devices.

For full infographic, log on to http://theresematthys.com/2013/06/06/target-market-social-media-demographic/

What type of content do they prefer?

What Costs Are Involved?

• Will you manage site in-house or outsource?• Will you purchase a management tool such as

HootSuite or use the free Buffer app?• Will you create content in-house or outsource the

graphic art or copywriting?• Will you experiment with paid adds?• Will you hire a dedicated Social Media Manager?

Competitive Analysis

5 C’s of an Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy

Consistency

Keep going! Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will

your social media community be. Regardless of which channels you choose to devote your energy to, it takes time to build a following. The key to success is consistency: keep posting updates, keep creating original content, and keep engaging with your community.

Character

Be authentic, have fun and keep it real! When building your digital brand, it’s important to stay

true to your brand’s existing personality. Consumers appreciate a genuine tone in your message and a trusting relationship. Your community consists of real people who appreciate real messages. Tell compelling stories such as what inspired you to start your company, or how you solved a unique solution for one of your customers. Remember to have fun too! Add a little humor to your story to show the human side of your brand.

Content

Keep focused on your message!• While planning your content marketing strategy, keep

focused on the message you want to share with your community. For example, if you’re an insurance company, your postings could include messages regarding industry related information on auto, home, or life insurance issues… you get the idea. Keeping focused on your messages will prove to your following that you are knowledgeable and up-to-date on the latest trends in your field. Veering off topic, however, can cause confusion and you may begin to lose your following.

Connection

Find a common bond with your audience• Research your target market thoroughly. Discover

which social media channels they prefer and what type of content they consume most often. For instance, the preferred social channel for engineers is Facebook, with videos being consumed more than other types of content. Make inquiries into your target profession to determine the best channel(s) to devote your social media marketing efforts.

Communication

Inform, instruct and entertain• There are many forms of communication to

choose from today to share valuable information with your social media audience. Whether you choose images, infographics, video, white papers, case studies, or another media, the goal should always be to inform, instruct or entertain the user. Use hashtags to encourage greater sharing by your community.

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