Welcome! Thanks for coming to this morning’s presentation, “Social Media Basics for Small Businesses.”

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Hello! My name is Mikki Burcher and I am the owner of MBurcher Consulting, a Topeka-based content generation and social media management firm. I have been in business for a little over a year now, and took the leap of faith into full-time self-employment in August of 2014. I have always been a writer at heart, and after taking multiple advertising and marketing classes in college, I realized I could combine my two loves to serve a need for my clients – providing high quality written content. Often, that is in the form of social media posts, but it could also be writing a fundraising letter, a CEO’s bio, content for a blog or newsletter, or even helping to write content for websites as they are created or rebranded.

As I said above, my academic background is in strategic communication, journalism, and creative writing. I hold three degrees from Washburn University, including a BA in Mass Media, BA in English, and a Master’s in Liberal Studies.

Other things you might find interesting about me… I love Harry Potter; I’m an organization junkie; I’m housed in 712 Innovations; glitter makes me happy; I describe myself as an eternal optimist; Topeka is my passion; and if you want me to be your best friend forever, all you need to do is bring me a dirty pumpkin chai latte with almond milk, one shot (the barista will know what that means, I promise).

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The first thing clients usually tell me is, “Mikki, I set up this Facebook page/Twitter account/Instagram thing and now I have now idea what to do with it.“ In essence, they are asking me to answer a very simple question, and that question is, “How do I actually USE social media?” My answer is almost always the same. I tell them, “Social media isn’t any different than what you’ve been doing since the day you opened your doors. It’s just on a digital platform.” Most people nod along, but I can still see that shard of panic in their eyes, so…

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I explain that social media is nothing more than having conversations and cultivating relationships. Let’s look at these two areas further:

Conversations – Social media allows you to “listen in” on other people’s conversations. This can help you to generate leads, field complaints, and discover new trends in your market.

Relationships – Social media is another form of customer service. If a customer has a question, was particularly pleased with an experience or product, or had a negative experience with your company or product, they will reach out to you on social media. You then have a chance to interact with them and provide great customer service, and great customer service can lead to loyal customers.

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When your business starts its social media journey, there are a few steps that should be taken to ensure success.

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The first step is understanding the 3 types of social media platforms.

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The three types of social platforms are publishing platforms, sharing platforms, and networking platforms.

Publishing platforms (Tumblr, Instagram, Vimeo, SlideShare) allow you to share your original content with your online communities.

Sharing platforms (Diigo, Delicious, Reddit, Pinterest) allow you to curate articles that you find interesting and share them with others. These platforms differ from publishing platforms because you are simply sharing content that you have found online, not creating the content on your own.

Networking platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) combine publishing and sharing features and allow for networking between individuals, companies, and organizations. Networking platforms allow you to publish your own content, share content, and interact with other users extensively.

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There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different social media platforms. Many social media sites are considered “niche platforms” because they cater to an extremely specific audience. Examples of niche social media include Goodreads, a social site for bibliophiles, 43 Things, a site for goal-setters and list-makers, and Ravelry, which caters to yarn workers.

In order for you to pick the best platform for your business, there are a few things you will need to be aware of.

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When choosing which platform or platforms your business will have a presence on, it’s important to keep your own limitations in mind. You will need to think about the time you or your employee(s) have to dedicate to building your social media brand, your experience with marketing and advertising, your knowledge of social media, and the expectations of users on each platform.

For example, it wouldn’t be practical for your business to use Tumblr if you or your social media manager doesn’t understand how to use or interact on Tumblr. Similarly, it wouldn’t make sense to set up a Vine account if you aren’t willing to create videos to post, or to create a blog if you want to send short, specific messages multiple times a day to the entire platform.

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When choosing a platform, you also need to know who your target audience is and where to find them. We will talk more about this in the next few minutes, but if you don’t have a clearly defined picture of who your target market is, you need to figure it out BEFORE you pick your social platforms.

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Finally, I want you to keep in mind that being able to upload or post something instantly doesn’t mean you can skimp on quality. Your customers are expecting professional content, so make sure that you choose a platform where you can deliver quality content. Just like the jumping little goldfish above, you want to stand out on whatever platforms you are engaging in, not just put out the same overused materials that already exist.

Think about the content you have to offer. If you own a clothing store, there are many opportunities to share visual content; you can post pictures of your favorite seasonal outfits, a video showing customers 10 ways to tie a scarf, or pictures of new inventory as it arrives. For a company like this, Pinterest or Instagram may be a better fit than LinkedIn. But for a business that provides a service, such as my business, there aren’t as many visual opportunities, so a focus on Facebook or Twitter would make more sense.

It is important to remember, however, that visual content is necessary on any platform, so don’t think you’re off the hook. We will talk more about this later.

So now that you know what to keep in mind when choosing a platform, let’s get to the good stuff. Let’s talk about the major platforms.

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Facebook is the most popular social media platform.

It has around 2 billion users worldwide.

Almost three-quarters of the adults in the United States are on Facebook.

Data from the Pew Research Center shows the demographic distribution is pretty level across the board, however…

Many preteens, teens, and young adults are not active users of Facebook. They have accounts but have moved to other platforms.

The advertising capabilities of Facebook are incredible and allow highly-targeted advertising.

It is my recommendation that every business have a Facebook page because of the sheer volume of users.

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Twitter is used by approximately 1 out of 5 adults in the US.

Even though it lacks in user base, Twitter users are loyal. Nearly half log in every day.

Twitter has a large “silent audience.” A large chunk of Twitter users don’t engage – they just “listen” to what is going on.

Twitter is very much about being in-the-moment, so if your business is in any way tied to instant updates/notifications, you should be on Twitter.

Data from the Pew Research Center shows that most Twitter users are urban, male, between the ages of 18 and 50, are college educated, and make $50,000+ per year.

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23% of the US adult population uses LinkedIn.

It is the “oldest” platform in terms of demographics, with over three-quarters of users being age 35 or older.

Data from the Pew Research Center indicated that LinkedIn users are more likely to be college educated and make $50,000+ per year.

It’s important to note that this platform is used irregularly. Research has shown that most people sign in sporadically to check up on their profile, answer messages, etc.

Because of the sporadic use, this platform is relatively low-maintenance.

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Data from the Pew Research Center shows that 21% of US adults use Pinterest, but this platform skews heavily female – almost 85%.

Pinterest users are more likely to make over $50,000 a year.

Almost one-third of Pinterest users have a household income surpassing $100,000 per year.

By nature, this site is image-heavy, so businesses without a lot of image-based content will struggle.

A recent report from Piquora found that the average pin has a value of about 78 cents in the real world, making it the most valuable social media post. That same report found that a pin by a business, on average, leads to two website visits and six page-views.

If you are interested in using Pinterest for your business, make sure to explore the option of “rich pins.” (https://business.pinterest.com/en/rich-pins)

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Instagram, according to the Pew Research Center, is used by 21% of US adults.

The platform skews to a younger demographic – ages 18-29.

This is the only platform, according to Pew, where users are more likely to be Hispanic or African American.

Instagram users are loyal to the platform; it’s second in loyalty only to Facebook and ahead of Twitter.

In general, content created by individual users gets more interaction than content generated by business, so it could be hard to break into the market.

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Google+ is male-dominated, with 67% of users being men, according to the Pew Research Center.

The average age of a Google+ user is 28.

Google+ is used heavily by two industries: engineering and technology.

Since Google+ is, obviously, a product of Google, factors from this social media site play heavily into search engine optimization, so it’s beneficial for companies to engage on Google+.

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Fun facts about YouTube: Frequently referred to as the “second largest search engine.” Processes 3 billion searches a month. Has 1 billion unique visitors monthly. Over 100 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every minute. YouTube reaches more US adults aged 18–34 than any cable network.

For small businesses in particular, YouTube can be the hardest platform to see success on. Successful videos are generally well-produced and have quality editing, so producing meaningful, successful content on YouTube can be challenging. However, it only takes one good video to encourage traffic to your site, so investing in a high-quality explainer video, case study, tour of your store, etc. could be worth the investment.

One nice thing about this platform is that it’s ok to set it up and then post only when you have content and time.

SIDE TIP: Google’s search algorithms focus heavily on video content, so having a video on your website is a great way to increase SEO.

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Of course there are hundreds of other social media outlets available, and maybe a niche platform such as Behance or Reddit would be a good fit for you. If you want to know more about a specific platform, please feel free to shoot me an email and I will do my best to explain it to you.

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Once you’ve picked your platforms, you need to register your business name on those platforms. Your name should be as close to your business name as possible, and should be easy to spell and remember.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to registering social media accounts: register everything or register only what you’re using. I tend to advise registering on as many platforms as possible for two reasons.

1) You don’t want someone else to have control of an account with your business’s name. 2) Reserve your company’s name for future use and eliminate “squatters.”

No matter which route you choose, make sure to keep a secure log of usernames and passwords, as well as the emails associated with each account.

PLEASE REMEMBER: Do not sign up for business accounts by linking to your personal Facebook account. Your Facebook account is not actually yours.

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Before you jump into social media, you need to take some time to learn about the platforms you are using. I call this time “listening.” How should you do this?

1) Read conversations that pertain to your product and service. 2) Observe the types of content others in your arena are producing and sharing, and the reactions the content receives. 3) Research various hash tags to make sure you know what they mean, and make a list of a few your company could use regularly. 4) See who the big influencers are in your target market and in your industry. 5) Learn how the platform works and, again, research what the expectations are of that platform’s users.

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Sit down and create a social media strategy. There are samples of different kinds of social media strategies online, so look at a few different types to find a format that will fit your needs. As with any strategy document, it’s critical that your social media strategy is actually usable. A two-page usable strategy is better than a 20-page document you never look at again.

At the very least, write down what platforms you’re using, why you’re using them (the purpose), a goal or goals for each platform, how often you are going to post, and a short list of content ideas.

If you are working for a company and are in charge of proving ROI, this stage is more important, because this is where you will set your benchmarks and make SMART goals, which you can then show improvement on with data.

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Now that you have researched different platforms, registered your profiles, “listened” to the online communities you will be participating in, and have created a simple, workable strategy, it’s time to start creating content!

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But what in the world should I create? What should I post?

There are a number of ways to come up with content.

1)  Brainstorm. Really. Don’t underestimate the power of your own creativity. 2)  Look for ideas from industry leaders, competitors, and businesses you

want to be like. 3)  Make a list. Not of ideas, but a list your consumer can use. 4)  Look at your website for nuggets of content. 5)  Share your company culture or behind-the-scenes content. 6)  Aggregate, aggregate, aggregate. 7)  Ask a question! 8)  Look for relevant content not specific to your business. 9)  Use writing prompts or an idea generator to inspire you, like portent.com. 10) Rethink content. It doesn’t have to be written!

Here are a few other important things to keep in mind while crafting your content.

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Humans are highly visual creatures. We are so visual that specific images will come to mind when you are asked about high-profile events. Some images even become iconic, and are known across the world and across generations, such as this Abbey Road picture.

Because of this, your posts should include visual content whenever possible, even on platforms that don’t rely on images. This doesn’t just mean a picture – you can (and should) use varied visual components, including videos, pictures, infographics, animated pictures, etc. Posts on Facebook and Twitter specifically are more likely to engage a viewer if they include a visual of some sort.

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One of the most important tips I can give you is that it is perfectly ok to recycle content. If you are in a creative slump and absolutely cannot write another Facebook post, it’s ok to repost something you posted 3 months ago. In fact, I encourage this practice. When you post to a social media platform, not every person who has liked or followed you will see your content. When you recycle content, it increases the visibility of that content to your fan base. It also encourages more interactions and can drive more traffic back to your page if it is linked in the post.

If you have a wide customer base, you can recycle content to meet the needs of potential customers in different time zones. Guy Kawasaki, a well-known entrepreneur and author, receives a lot of attention for his quadruple-tweets, where he tweets the exact same thing four times throughout the day. He says he does this in order to reach followers in different time zones.

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To round things off, I wanted to share with you what I call “the fast five.” This is a short list of best practices that I share with anyone and everyone I meet, because they are the basic foundations to social media success.

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Don’t be a robot. Be human. Have a human voice. What do I mean by this?

Have an authentic voice. The way I “speak” online for my business mimics my own voice. It’s ok to show your real self.

Don’t speak in jargon. Ask yourself: Would a real person say this out loud?

Don’t automate all your posts. A robot cannot build relationships – but a human can.

Approach social media as you would a face-to-face conversation – it’s not all about you.

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Like almost any other aspect of your life, success on social media requires a full and functioning toolbox. Coming today is just one more thing to add to your social media tool kit, but there are many other tools you can add to your toolbox on your own.

Take a small chunk of time each week to seek out information about social media. You’d be surprised by how much you can learn in half an hour! Set aside 30 minutes regularly each week to read up on the newest developments, learn more about new platforms, etc.

There are multiple social media management tools that allow you to schedule multiple posts/tweets in advance. Many will provide analytics on your content and profile. Some tools are platform specific, such as CoTweet, and only manage or analyze a specific platform. Facebook has well-developed in-platform management tools. There are also tools that allow you to manage multiple accounts across multiple platforms, such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Buffer.

But the best tool to have in your social media toolbox is an editorial calendar.

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An editorial calendar will help you to manage and plan your content in relation to your strategy and will ensure you never sit down at your computer without a plan of action. This calendar is where you will lay out your content for a week, month, or year at a time. Editorial calendars are especially good at outlining seasonal content, holiday specials, yearly events, and series, such as a 31-day challenge or a contest.

Editorial calendars can take many forms, both digital and on paper. I have seen regular calendars, spreadsheets, Google calendars, whiteboards, and paper planners used as editorial calendars. There are even editorial calendar programs and apps for sale. If you are interested in blogging as a form of social engagement, there are tons of free “blog planners” available with a quick search on Pinterest.

Again, there are tons of examples online, so do a little research, find a method that works for your learning style and company, and just do it.

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When producing content, especially on platforms where there is such a large flow of information (such as Twitter), the line that marks pushing your product or business too much can get blurred. A great way to keep your engagement and promotional activities in check is to follow the 411 rule. For every 6 posts you make on a platform, 4 should be aggregated content pertaining to your customers and your industry, at least 1 should be engaging with someone else’s content, and 1 should be a hard promotion.

Of course, this isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s a good rule to keep in mind as it ensures the conversation never becomes too focused on your business.

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If a customer had a bad experience in your store, venue, or with a service you provided, it’s likely to end up on social media somewhere since negative experiences are shared 2:1 over positive experiences. So figure out how you will deal with negative comments or complaints. As a general rule:

-If a complaint is made, you want to respond to it before it becomes an even more negative experience. It takes 12 positive experiences to overcome a negative experience. -Don’t delete negative comments unless they are profane, outright lies, or totally outrageous. -Answer complaints on the platform if it is a simple fix, or respond publicly that you will be contacting the poster shortly and then move the conversation out of the public.

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Thanks for coming this morning! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me with the information here.

If you want to follow my adventures, feel free to follow my business on Facebook and Twitter, @mburcher1. You can connect with me professionally on LinkedIn, and if you have any interest in what I do daily or the random thoughts that run through my head, feel free to follow my personal accounts on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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