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Marketing Melodie Social Media: Your Business Tool for Growth Presented by: Melodie Tao Social Media Strategist, Educator & Speaker October 14 th , 2010: INET Beirut

INET Beirut: Social Media- Your Business Tool For Growth

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Social media continues to create new opportunities for businesses to grow.While many companies are taking advantage of these innovative online tools, there are still many things to learn beforediving into social media. In the emerging social media environment, it’s important to understand best practices on how to communicate professionally and authentically with relevant information, timely updates and compelling content. In this session, you will learn how to develop a social media strategy that engages your customers while encouraging community participation and user generated content. You'll walk away with an understanding of how to build strong communities on social media that are consistent with your overall marketing strategy and lead to long term growth and success for your business.

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Page 1: INET Beirut: Social Media- Your Business Tool For Growth

Marketing Melodie

Social Media: Your Business Tool for Growth

Presented by: Melodie TaoSocial Media Strategist, Educator & Speaker

October 14th, 2010: INET Beirut

Page 2: INET Beirut: Social Media- Your Business Tool For Growth

Marketing Melodie

Professional: •My company: Marketing Melodie

Social Media Strategist, Speaker & Educator•Online Marketing Educator

Platt College San Diego

Background:•Interactive and marketing : Radio, outdoor, events, promotions •Online and interactive agency experience•Featured speaker at marketing and online conferences/events

Expertise:•Community Building•Brand Development

Location:•San Diego, California

About Melodie Tao

Page 3: INET Beirut: Social Media- Your Business Tool For Growth

Marketing Melodie

Presentation OverviewIf tweeting about the event on My

Twitter handle is: @MyMelodie

• Getting Started in Social Media Social Media Monitoring Strategy Design Promotions

• Facebook Facebook For Business Page Customization Welcome Profile Photo Privacy Settings

• LinkedIn Company Profiles Business Benefits Title & Heading Profile Info Summary & Specialties Recommendations Applications

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Marketing Melodie

Getting Started in Social Media

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Marketing Melodie

Social Media MonitoringSocial Media monitoring is the first step in creating an effective Social Media Strategy. It’s important to LISTEN and LEARN about your consumers needs and concerns before diving into social media:

• Educates you on what questions and concerns your consumers have about your business

• Provides you with knowledge to lead conversations• Allows you to locate and reach out to bloggers and industry leaders who

are creating buzz around your industry• Empowers you with information to customize content that is engaging,

compelling and educational for your audience.

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Marketing Melodie

Social Media Strategy Social Media is a long term engagement. This ensures an ongoing strategy with campaigns and promotions working toward the overall marketing goals. A solid strategy is the foundation for success. After listening to your audience there are still things to consider when creating your Social Media Strategy:

• Consistently post useful tips

• Be an industry leader status by writing relevant articles and blogs

• Ask your community questions that prompt replies and encourage user generated content

• Create buzz through strategic promotions

• Overall strategy- With the continued changing landscape in social media your strategy must constantly be reviewed and modified to meet the needs of the consumer

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Marketing Melodie

Social Media Design & SetupYour Social Media design will strengthen your brand recognition around the web. It’s important that your business is branding itself consistently throughout all networks.

• Design elements are consistent with the look and feel of your website

• Design elements drive traffic back to your original website/blog to increase conversion

• Design elements encourage and prompt user generated content and participation

• Cross promotion of your other networks, blogs, websites, etc

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Marketing Melodie

Social Media PromotionsSocial Media promotions will create buzz and provide value to your consumers. The following are social media promotional ideas:

• Contests that give away cash/gift card prizes

• Contests that request consumers to submit photos and videos on a specific topic regarding your business (user generated content)

• A charity campaign that results in your company donating money by users participating. allowing the winner to donate money to their charity of chose

• Blogger outreach by rewarding bloggers for their contribution

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Marketing Melodie

Facebook

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Marketing Melodie

When reaching out to consumers through Facebook your interaction should be personal. Think about how individuals you’re targeting will benefit from using your products or service.

Examples on how to personalize your Facebook interaction:• Photos of employees in casual office settings• Photos of employees and customers interacting.• Trade show photos• Pictures of employees working on community service projects• Company executives speaking, accepting awards, etc• Photos of facilities • Photos taken with resellers or channel partners

Facebook for Business

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Marketing Melodie

Default Tabs

Application TabsFBML Tabs

Facebook Page TabsFacebook is one of the most flexible networks for customization. Although it does not accept all codes, a maximum of 6 tabs can be viewed and many customized

• Recommended all 6 be visible and optimized to serve your audience• Application tabs allow 3rd party programs such as YouTube• FBML tabs (Facebook Markup Language)- Developed and designed to match your audience’s needs• To change your page’s tabs add FBML application to your page. Then, go to your page manager, find the FBML tab and click ‘edit’. Within the box that opens, you will be able to change the tab name and add code

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Marketing Melodie

Your custom Facebook page should be designed to educate your audience on important matters about your industry, and build relationships that lead to your Facebook audience to convert to customers

• Review, define, and improve content organization of the tab structure.

•Review, define, and improve content layout of the various page types under each tab. •Branding of Fan Page assets (images, placement, multimedia) that appeal to the intended target audience.

•Editorial review, widget creation and/or refinement of content used throughout the Page.

Facebook Page Customization

Cisco incorporates

videos into their Facebook Page

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Marketing Melodie

Customization (Example)• International Delight understands that drinking coffee is an expensive habit

• They understand many consumers want to save money

• They customized their page to provide an interactive calculator to show your savings

• Savings is something that fans want and appreciate

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Marketing Melodie

Facebook Page Welcome• Have a landing/ welcome page for new visitors to see and experience first. Set this up in your admin page

• People who are already fans of your page, will see the “wall” first when they enter the page

• The welcome page is an informational page for new visitors that should provide an incentive for joining

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Marketing Melodie

• Your profile photo for your page can be as large as 200 x 600 pixels.

• A larger picture offers more visibility. You can include a logo or promotional banner

• Preview ideas to decide what’s best for your goals

• Important to have your name displayed in the thumbnail (200px by 200px) because this icon is your brand image on Facebook comments and posts.

Facebook Page Profile Photo

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Marketing Melodie

Facebook Privacy Settings• Create lists

• Sort new friends as you add them

• Customize who can view your wall post

• Account > Privacy Settings > Search

• Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites > What your friends can share about you

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn Company Profiles• LinkedIn Members can “Follow companies”

• Company information, location, website, etc

• Make sure your profile is linked to your company when adding your work information to LinkedIn

• Connect your company blog or news to update prospective customers and partners

Page 19: INET Beirut: Social Media- Your Business Tool For Growth

Marketing Melodie

Business Benefits of aPersonal LinkedIn Profile

• Business owners and employees who have personal LinkedIn Profiles are demonstrating that their company understands social media.

• When potential customers or clients do their research for your company they will search for you on LinkedIn. This will give them a more personal connection and understanding of who they’re working with.

• Individuals can utilize LinkedIn to promote your company’s accomplishments, events, blogs and news

• Provide more credibility to fellow colleagues and partners through LinkedIn recommendations

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn Title & Headings

Full Profile

Public Profile

• Under your name list your title(s) Keyword focused

• List your city so people know where you’re based

• Industry- Many people search by industry

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn Profile Info• Status Updates- Allow others to gain insight on your professional developments: Focus on updates that provide value about your expertise and company

• Showcase other websites relevant to your business

Many use the default listings: “My website”, “My blog” etc. Instead of using these you want to customize the links

Opportunity to highlight your company website

Opportunity for keyword focused anchor text

Choose “Other” when listing websites and write in keyword to link directly to your site

• Customize your profile link URL

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn Summary & Specialties• Summary & Experience- List specific accomplishments

Rather than just listing “tasks” of your job, list how you made an impact Designed websites vs Designed interactive websites that lead to 20% increase

in conversion rate from new visitors.

• Specialties: Keyword focused. This is picked up by LinkedIn search results. Include service offerings for your current business or company

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LinkedIn Recommendations• Peer recommendations are a trusted source

• Demonstrates your credibility through real life work experiences

• Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations

• Make sure to give recommendations to colleagues, partners, etc.

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn Applications• Add applications that optimize your profile by showcasing your professional development to create networking opportunities and cross promote your other social networks.

Wordpress: Live feed to enhance your blog community and get your posts across to a new audience

Tripit: Lets others know your travel plans so they get a sense of your upcoming conferences, networking events. This creates opportunities to set up in person meetings and shows that you’re actively attending events for professional development

Amazon Reading Lists: If you read books on business, professional development, etc, this shows your initiative for learning.

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Marketing Melodie

LinkedIn Application Examples

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Marketing Melodie

[email protected]://www.marketingmelodie.com

Connect:Twitter.com/MyMelodie

Linkedin.com/in/MarketingMelodieFacebook.com/MarketingMelodieSlideshare.net/MarketingMelodie

Thank You