Integrating Social Media & Your Web Site Into Your Marketing Mix

Corey C. WalkerPresidentThe Marketing Specialist

• Worked for and with several Sacramento companies, specializing

in healthcare, real estate and non-profits. • Works closely with Mercy/CHW on a variety of marketing needs

including managing their six-hospital social media efforts,

producing internal newsletters and producing web content. • Helps several small businesses with social media, e-zines, sales

collateral and other marketing programs.

President, The Marketing SpecialistCorey C. Walker

themarketingspecialist.comfacebook.com/TheMarketingSpecialist@marketing_gal

•The importance of having a web site

•Web site basics and next level needs

•Introduction to social media

•Facebook 101

•Twitter 101

•Managing your social media time

•How to integrate your web site and social media into your

marketing mix

•Q & A

•Raffle for Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed

Agenda

•Adds value to your business AND your patients.

•You stop being invisible.

•It’s available 24/7 – you are not.

•You can offer online appointment scheduling.

•You create another sales tool for your business.

•You build authority & credibility.

•You can build an e-mail list for other promotions.

•It can be a hub for your social media networks and blog.

•PS – Make sure your site is mobile-friendly!

Why YOU need a Web Site

•Home

•About us

•Services

•Product lines (frames/lenses)

•Contact/location information

•Photos of office and staff

Web Site Basics

•Articles about a variety of eye health topics

•Patient forms

•Online appointment scheduling

•Promotions

•Events

•Success stories/testimonials

•Contact lens reordering

•Videos

•E-mail newsletter sign-up

•Blog

•Social media icons or feeds

Next Level Web Site Needs

Design Speaks to Professionalism

Design Speaks to Professionalism

Social Media

•Easy

•Transparent

•Generous

What is Social Media?

Aggregate Disseminate

Communicate

Discover

• Writing• Graphics• Photography• Video• Audio

“Spend less time perfecting your blog post and editing your video and more time in your community, online and off.”

Gary VaynerchukWine Library TV

What is Social Media?User generated content shared with many

•Keeps you “top of mind” for current patients and prospects if you are updating regularly.

•You can learn more about your patients’ expectations and experiences by listening and commenting when appropriate.

•You can extend your marketing reach beyond your web site or printed materials.

•You can get better search engine rankings by participating in several places.

Why should you participate in social media as an optometrist or ophthalmologist?

•A referral from a “friend” is a much stronger form of advertising.

•Information found in someone’s News Feed is not considered an ad.

•It’s an extremely inexpensive form of advertising (but it takes time!).

•Shows you are innovative, and on-trend with the latest marketing tactics.

Why should you participate in social media as an optometrist or ophthalmologist?

Facebook

• More than 750 million active users• 50% of active users log on to Facebook in any given day• Average user has 130 friends• Fastest growing population on Facebook: women 55-65• People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on

Facebook

Facebook Stats

• Create a FAN page for your business• Look at other successful fan pages to see how it’s done• Post regularly – every day if possible• Be warm, friendly and helpful, yet still professional• Pay attention to what your patients are saying and

respond to comments, complaints or questions• Follow HIPAA guidelines for patient information• Use a mixture of text, links, photos and video to keep

things interesting (Facebook EdgeRank algorithm)

Facebook Do s

• Use a personal profile for your business unless you

are using the new Subscribe feature• Build a page then rarely or never post to it• Feel like you have to “create” everything yourself• Post anything you wouldn’t want your own mother

to see

Facebook Don’ts X

Facebook Fan Page

• Photo of you, your staff, your business or logo• Contact info and web site address• Summary of your services• In Photos section, take some pictures of staff, post

pictures of office events or specialty frames• Use Notes tab to post longer articles• Use Events tab to post any upcoming events or specials

Facebook Fan Page Basics

• Start a personal Facebook profile and get “friends” first. Then invite friends using “Suggest to Friends” link on your Facebook fan page.

• Get a personal Facebook URL. Once you achieve 25 fans go to facebook.com/username to get a URL with your name

• Link Facebook on your web site, print on your direct mail, flyers and business cards.

• Talk it up to your patients, friends, family and other business associates! Once they become a fan, the message “John Smith likes Eagle Eye Vision” goes in the News Feed of all of John Smith’s friends.

• Place a sign on your reception area with all of your social media sites listed

Getting Facebook Fans

Contests• They do allow third-party apps to promote

contests. I suggest WildFire applications. www.Wildfireapp.com

• It is against Facebook’s rules to giveaway anything directly on the page. Especially anything that requires you to Like the page or post a comment.

Getting Facebook Fans

Twitter

• There are 200,000,000 registered Twitter users  • Almost 88% of people have awareness of Twitter

and its existence• There are 450,000 new Twitter accounts created

every day• 46% of Twitter users are female• 54% are male – very equal demographics• The majority of twitter users are aged between 30

and 49 

Twitter Stats

• Described as a real-time micro-blog• Signing up is easy• You follow other people’s “tweets,” and when

other people follow you they can see your tweets• Tweets are limited to 140 characters• Most people will write a brief message and include

a link• You can also include links to photos or videos• Use a URL shortener like tinyurl.com to shorten

links

Twitter Basics

• @reply = tweet directed at someone that is not private @marketing_gal where are we meeting?

• DM = direct message is private D marketing_gal where are we meeting?

• RT = retweet, re-sending someone’s tweet RT @marketing_gal great link about social

media http://ow.ly/6rhyt

• # = called hashtag, used to categorize information @jonb Meet us at the #focus2011 reception

Twitter Lingo

Your Twitter Profile

• Unique user name (twitter handle) Max 20 characters, shorter is better

• Headshot

• Very short biography

• Link to your web site or blog

Your Twitter Profile

• Follow others in your industry

• Use twellow.com to register yourself and search for other local businesses to follow

• Share interesting articles and information links

• Be a generous resource

• Ask questions, answer other people’s questions

• Use @mentions to direct info or questions at people

• Retweet other people’s tweets

Best Ways to Tweet

• There are many other 3rd party tools to view Twitter in an easier way, or manage multiple accounts

Hootsuite

Tweetdeck

Seesmic

Ping.fm

• You can also schedule tweets for later times/dates

Using other tools to manage Twitter

Hootsuite

• Recruit your staff to help with ideas for posts

• Have a brainstorming session to think of what types of info you want to post

• Develop a content schedule to make things easier: Monday: Eye health article

Tuesday: Promotion or office event

Wednesday: Patient photo w/new glasses

• Write several posts in batches, then schedule in Hootsuite

• Set a 10 min time block in the morning & evening to monitor page comments

Managing your social media time

• Put links to your social media sites on your web site• Or, go one step further and put a mini-feed on your

web site• Link your social media posts to information/articles on

your web site• Put social media and your web site links on:

Business cards Advertisements E-mail signatures E-mail campaigns Direct mail Signs in your office

Integrating social media & your web site

•Social media coaching, set-up, content and management

•Copywriting

•Graphic design

•Marketing planning

•E-mail campaigns

Corey C. WalkerContact me for:

Q & A

916.847.8671themarketingspecialist.comFacebook.com/TheMarketingSpecialist@marketing_gal

©2011 Eyefinity, Inc. Eyefinity is a registered trademark of Eyefinity, Inc.

JOB#7020XA