What We’re Covering Today

• The Social Landscape• Social Media Defined• Building A Strategy• Social Media Growth Plan• Why I’m Mad At Facebook• Stump the Teacher

Warning: this presentation will not make you an expert.

The Landscape

• 72% of all Internet users • 71% use mobile devices• Messaging apps (Snapchat,

Kik, WhatsApp) are the fastest growing segment

• Instagram is the fastest growing site (25% increase over the past six months, while Facebook is at -4%, Twitter at -3%)*

*Source: Global Web Index, April 2014

The Landscape

Is this all that matters?

It depends.

Social Media is…

...online tools built for sharing information.

• Wiki (Wikipedia)• Location-sharing (Foursquare)• Marketplace (Etsy, Groupon)• Shopping (Amazon, eBay)• Q&A (Answers.com, Quora)• Social Networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, G+)

• Photo-sharing (Instagram, Flickr)• Document-sharing (Prezi, Slideshare)• Event-planning (EventBrite, Meetup)• Reviews/ratings (Yelp, Angie’s List)• Blogs (WordPress, TypePad)• Microblogs (Tumblr, Twitter)

Social Media is…

...online tools built for sharing information.

• Wiki (Wikipedia)• Location-sharing (Foursquare)• Marketplace (Etsy, Groupon)• Shopping (Amazon, eBay)• Q&A (Answers.com, Quora)• Social Networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, G+)

• Photo-sharing (Instagram, Flickr)• Document-sharing (Prezi, Slideshare)• Event-planning (EventBrite, Meetup)• Reviews/ratings (Yelp, Angie’s List)• Blogs (WordPress, TypePad)• Microblogs (Tumblr, Twitter)

...online tools built for sharing information.

Good news: you don’t need to know them all.

Build your social media strategy

Each business’ strategy is different, but all rely on three distinct facets:

• Audience (fans/followers)• Content (story)• Conversation (activity)

Audience

Identify the right time of day• B2B – during work hours?• B2C – early evenings or weekends?Identify where they spend their time• B2B – LinkedIn, Twitter, Slideshare, WordPress, Quora• B2C – Facebook, Yelp, Instagram, FoursquareIdentify their interests• B2B – Entrepreneurs, Skilled Trades, Business Issues• B2C – Fun, Humor, Family-Related

Content

Add personality. Boring online is worse than boring in person.

Add variety. Feel free to deviate from your business offering. No one wants to read the same stuff over and over.

Think mobile. Simple posts are best (images get more interaction than text, video or links combined).

Alert: boring chart…

Source: ShareThis, April 2014

Another boring chart…

Source: SocialBakers, March 2014

Conversation

• Ask thought-provoking questions.• Provide timely responses. • Maintain personality. Don’t bore people away.• Do not argue. Remain tactful.• Never shut off comments. Address them.• Never try to sell. • Create shareable content (the conversation can

spread, and doesn’t have to be centered around you)

Conversation: Good vs. Bad

Adding Value

The Social Media Growth Plan

• Better conversations build your audience

• The audience provides content through participation, and guides the content you provide

• More targeted content creates more conversation

• And on, and on, and on…

Tips

• Think mobile first.• Likes don’t matter. Shares and comments matter.• Don’t just post. Participate.• Automate posts (WP plugins, Hootsuite)• Twitter tip: following others back will make your feed worthless• G+ tip: if nothing else, it’s a great SEO boost• LinkedIn tip: find active groups, and post links with questions• Facebook tip: don’t rely on simply posting (this is why I’m mad at them)

Tips

• Think mobile first.• Likes don’t matter. Shares and comments matter.• Don’t just post. Participate.• Automate posts (WP plugins, Hootsuite)• Twitter tip: following others back will make your feed worthless• G+ tip: if nothing else, it’s a great SEO boost• LinkedIn tip: find active groups, and post links with questions• Facebook tip: don’t rely on simply posting (this is why I’m mad at them)• Track your results (Google Analytics, Sprout Social, Klout)• Have fun!

Questions?

Questions?