How social media can help busy professionals and small businesses.

1. Social Media: A Must
for Small Business
A Primer for Busy Entrepreneurs
and Professionals

2. Why is it important? The background
• Shift from Me Web to We Web
• Earlier, search for personalization, MyYahoo,
iGoogle, YouTube. Names say it all.
• Blogs largely personal rants, not really discussion
• Friendster, Orkut were too early
• Eventually, desire to be social online.
• Technology caught up with the curve in early 21st
Century

3. Why is it important? The research
• Nielsen: More time spent on social
networking than e-mail
• Forrester’s “Future of Social Web”
• Groundswell
• Some companies already jumping way ahead

4. Social Media > E-Mail
• Nielsen report in April. Paradigm shift in
consumer engagement.
• NY Times: Small businesses moving to social
media. Marketer: Those who don’t adopt
within a year will be left behind.
“I hate to say it, but if they don’t, they’ll get
left in the dust.”
-- Rob King, Sage North America
NYT, June 4

5. Future of Social Web
Five overlapping waves of online change:
• Social relationships (social networks)
• Social functionality (technology)
• Social colonization (Open IDs across sites)
• Social context (Sites serve by identity)
• Social commerce (Social networks supplant
brands/corporate sites/CRM systems)

6. When will this happen?
• 2010: Sites will begin to recognize personal identities
and social relationships to deliver customized online
experiences.
• In approximately two years, social networks will be
more powerful than corporate Web sites and CRM
systems, as individual identities and relationships are
built on this platform.
-- Future of Social Web “The community will take charge,
and that's going to happen whether
or not marketers or brands
participate.” – Jeremiah Owyang

7. Groundswell
• Book from Forrester researchers
• Refers to transformation of
business through social
technologies
• Company blogs least trusted
• Social networking profiles (handled
properly), consumer
reviews/rankings far more trusted

8. Future is now: Just one example
Volkwagen uses a
consumer’s Twitter
profile, analyzing it for
keywords and then
recommends a vehicle
based upon that user’s
Tweets. Far-fetched?
Not all that different
from Amazon
recommending a book
based upon your
previous purchases.

9. Who uses social media?
• Avg. social networker goes to social sites five
days a week, checks in about four times a day,
total of an hour a day
• Super-connected (9%) stay logged in all day,
constantly checking out what's new.
• 52% have followed or become a fan of at least
one brand. 64% neutral on seeing messages
from brands. 45% neutral to seeing more
messages from brands

10. Who uses social media?
• 45% link only to family and friends. Another 18%
will link only to people they've met in person.
• Only 10% will connect with anyone
• Only 15% said they go on social networks at
work.
• Top three interests are music, movies and
hanging out with friends.
• Four times more likely to use discussion boards,
post videos or blog

11. Four types of social networkers
• Business users. LinkedIn and Twitter
• Fun seekers. Students and middle-aged
reconnecting. Facebook.
• Social-media mavens. Power users whose lives
are on social media. Twitter. (Lifecasting)
• Late followers. Middle-aged flocking to
Facebook.

12. Latest on social networking
• Spending on social media marketing by
companies will grow to $3.1 billion in 2014.
• More will be spent soon on social media
marketing than for email or mobile.
• Moms on social media: 11% in 2006 to 63%
today, a 462% increase
• Facebook 142% increase in ATL (Jan. 4-July 4)
• 513% jump on FB among 55-plus at same time

13. Who doesn’t use social media?
• Not tech-haters. Many use Web thoroughly.
They say:
• Don’t have the time. But 22% will be using in 3
months, another 27% in year.
• Don’t think it's secure. (1/3 are retired, may
come around)
• Think it's stupid. (94% of this group will never
use it)

14. But where do I start?
• Blogs (not always social)
• Social networking sites
• Video sharing sites
• Photo sharing
• B-to-B social sites
• Social sites created for profession (e.g.,
LegallyMinded for lawyers)

15. Too many choices, what to do?
• Just choose the sites that make sense for you.
• What sites are others in your profession
using? Competitors?
• Most important, your clients or customers.

16. But I’m too busy!!!
• Just commit to a small
amount of time, M-F.
• Best beginner’s book:
“Social Media Marketing:
An Hour A Day” by Dave
Evans
• Really 20 minutes daily
once you get started.

17. A look at the major players
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• MySpace

18. LinkedIn
• Atlanta 13th biggest user base in world
• 42 million users worldwide (however, growth
flat)
• No. 1 social network for business
• Way to connect with others in your field
• Good way for entrepreneurs, professionals to
market themselves
• More than just job recruiting service

19. Who uses LinkedIn?
• Males 57%, females 43%
• Highest average income, at $89,000
• More likely to have joined site for business, work
• Business networks, job searching, business
development, recruiting
• News, employment information, sports, politics
• More likely to be into fitness, golf and tennis
• Like gadgets. Highest nos. in gambling, soap
operas (12%, 11%)

20. LinkedIn tips
• Changes should be made to profile several times a
week
• Search engine optimization, keywords
• Take advantage of functionality
• Link to sites/blogs, SlideShare, Events Calendar,
Reading List, other apps
• Discussion groups, Q&As
• Powerful research tools, databases provide market
research

21. LinkedIn Groups, Answers
• Establish your credibility
• Enhance status as thought leader, person to
trust
• Answer questions from peers, customers
• Steer people to your blog or site.
• Important: Don't sell yourself or spam. Many
do.

22. LinkedIn research tools
• Company profiles provide sources of clients,
potential connections, avenues for introductions
• Learn more about who potential customers are
and who to avoid.
• Can see movement of potential contacts
between companies
• Make sure your company has a profile, so you
can be found. Also enhances SEO.

23. My Top 5 LI Tips
• Add keywords everywhere (for search)
• Update regularly. Status. Ask questions.
Answer questions. (Secret: You can use Ask
Question to start discussion. Join me on blog.
LI best as channel, not a destination site.
• Take advantage of the search functions.
• Important: Don't sell yourself or spam.
• Be brief. Not long, unless adding keyword

24. Twitter
• Atlanta 10th largest number of users in world
• Conversational, 140-character limit
• Knowledge exchange
• Share thoughts, content
• Make new connections around your brand or
product
• Establish subject matter expertise, trust

25. Who uses Twitter?
• Super users. News, restaurants, sports,
politics, personal finance, religion. Pop
culture.
• More likely to buy books, movies, shoes and
cosmetics online
• Most entrepreneurial. More likely than others
to use it to promote their blogs, businesses
• Avg. income of $58,000. More p-t workers.

26. Twitter tips: 70-20-10 rule
• 70% of time should be sharing quality content
from OTHERS
• 20% should be conversation/collaboration
with others (some room for self-promotion
here)
• 10% can be chit-chat, trivial details of your life.
Makes you human and likable. Not the “eating
a sandwich” cliché.

27. More Twitter tips
• Be active. Appear throughout day. (Don’t
worry about night time.)
• You can use tools to write/schedule tweets in
advance. Spead them out rather than multiple
tweets at once.
• Respond quickly to re-tweets and replies.
Don’t Direct Mail unless specifically
requested.
• Tweets short enough so folks can re-tweet

28. Top 5 Twitter tips
• Be active. Avg. power user posts 108/wk
• Follow the 70-20-10 rule
• Use third-party tools for research – who are
your users, what are their interests/concerns
• Use automation up to a point. Need to be
social, not a machine.
• Be helpful to people, answer questions.

29. Facebook
• Atlanta No. 2 market in world
• 225 million users worldwide
• Massive growth among 55-plus, moms
• Huge, influential social networking site
• Can use as supplement to more business-
oriented approaches on other social sites
• Use carefully for business

30. Who uses Facebook?
• Avg. interest level across news, etc. (because
of large no. of users, no one special interest)
• More likely to be married (40%), white (80%)
and retired (6%)
• They have the second-highest average
income, at $61,000, and an average of 121
friends
• Skew a bit older, more likely to be late
adopters of social media
• Loyal to FB, 75% say it’s their favorite site

31. Facebook and Business
• Can create personal and business accounts
• Group or Fan pages
• Groups gather around topic
• Fan pages can focus on your service/business
• Once you have 100 fans, you can get custom
Facebook URL -- facebook.com/your business
• Increased SEO, good for brand.

32. Top 5 FB tips
• If starting, think through strategy. Marketing
thru biz account or social thru known people
• Can use Boxes area to add content, links
• If you create a Fan page, make sure you offer
something to them – special offers, etc.
• Take advantage of vanity URLs for search.
• Use the box underneath photo to add
something of value

33. MySpace
• Young, fun, but fleeing the site
• 67 million users worldwide, but in freefall
• Has been social, but just revealed new
strategy to become entertainment portal
• Specific hobbies, longtime niches still there
• Not just kids, some parents there.

34. MySpace and Business? Don’t
• Avg. income the lowest, at $44,000
• More likely to be single (60%) and students
(23%).
• Create profile only for SEO purposes. Search
engines like it for now.
• Reputation not good for business. Garish
pages, flashing images.

35. Success Stories -- LinkedIn
• Jim, an outsourced CFO, joined several LI
discussion groups and posted regularly
• CEO of XYZ firm became unhappy with his
outsourced CFO
• CEO had noticed quality of Jim’s posts and
called Jim to hire him
• Connections lead to success
• Quality more important than number.
• Don’t get caught in numbers game.

36. Success Stories -- Twitter
• Cincinnati-area small firm made birdhouses
out of recycled paper
• Started tweeting about birdhouses, green
topics on Wednesday
• By weekend, Disney ordered 400 birdhouses
for education program. Others followed.
• NYT soon featured a story on the business
• Company now has multiple product lines

37. Success Stories -- Facebook
• Companies – big and small – gaining trust,
brand awareness through Fan or Group pages.
• Coke/Starbucks fan pages have large
followings. Special offers, promotions.
• Entrepreneurs direct users to their sites,
blogs, products
• Be careful not to sell directly to friends.
• Used appropriately, social relationships can
lead to business relationships.

38. Keys to Success
• Social media alone can’t bring business
success
• Work hand-in-hand with face-to-face time
• Risky or a waste of time if not done right
• Must have clear strategy and goals
• Be flexible to adopt new directions
• Don’t expect immediate results; it takes time.

39. Questions?
• Jay will help you make sense of
social media with a strategy,
implementation, and ongoing
support.
• Contact Jay Knows Networking
jay@jayknowsnetworking.com Jay Scott
Social Media Strategist
• Call to book Jay to speak at your
404-558-5971
next business gathering