Social Media Marketing Made Simple: Best Practices and Strategy Overview
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Social Media Marketing Made Simple is a document providing an overview of best practices for small businesses and nonprofits using social media marketing. It discusses defining social media marketing, why businesses should use it, and how to do it well through building connections, creating engaging content, and having conversations. It also covers managing activity and time as well as measuring success.
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Social Media Marketing Made Simple: Best Practices and Strategy Overview
- 1. Social Media Marketing Made Simple A Best Practices and Strategy Overview for Small Business and Nonprofits
- 2. Contact Information April Heavens-Woodcock Managing Partner at Touching Clients and Authorized Local Expert with Constant Contact awoodcock@touchingclients.com facebook.com/touchingclients @touchingclients http://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilwoodcock Insight Provided by KnowHow Visit: www.constantcontact.com/learning-center Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 3. Our Agenda What Is Social Media Marketing? Why Market Using Social Media? Doing It Well: Best Practices for Social Media Marketing for Small Business Connections Engaging Content Conversations Managing Your Activity and Time Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 4. Social Media Marketing: What is It and Why Do It? Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 5. Why Do We “Market”? More… Customers Clients We Want More! Volunteers Donors/Members Brand Awareness Sales Time in the day! Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 6. New Tools Have Changed the Shape of Small Business Marketing Tools Used to Market My Business Facebook 96% Twitter 76% LinkedIn 62% Video Sharing 53% Photo Sharing 38% Review Sites 35% Find Social Media Tool Effective* Location-Based Services 25% 86% Facebook Local / Daily deals 24% 71% Video Sharing 19% 60% Twitter MySpace 55% LinkedIn 45% Local / Daily Deals Source: Constant Contact Fall 2011 Small Business Attitudes & Outlook Survey; n=1972; 30%; B2B = 859, B2C = 1,113. *B to B and B to C were analyzed separately, but combined for market-level analysis; Approximately one-half of all respondents are either a sole proprietor or have 1-4 employees. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 7. Five Types of People: Leverage Relationships to Inspire Engagement Raving Prospects Disinterested Fans Customers Suspects Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 8. Social Media Marketing Is … Building your social network of fans, followers, and connections, using relevant and interesting content that is shared, allowing you to reach and engage more people and drive more business. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 9. Concerns? You Are Not Alone Social media marketing looks interesting, but … I will never have a million customers or even 5,000. Using new, inbound marketing tools sound great, but … I will never write thought leadership articles. Paying attention to what’s being said on social media sounds useful, but … I’ll never have a dedicated staff to do it right. I hear about new tools and networks everyday, but … I just don’t have the time to stay current. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 10. What You DO Have is Powerful You can successfully market your small business or association because you have … • Loyal, happy customers • An excellent customer experience • Interesting and important things to say! Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 11. Doing It Well: Best Practices for Small Business Social Media Marketing Connections: Kickstarting your following, and using content that inspires engagement Engaging Content: Creating a presence Conversations: Practical monitoring and measurement Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 12. Set Reasonable Goals and Expectations Leverage your excellent customer experience for social media success Drive engagement (action) Encourage repeat business Encourage referrals Get online endorsements Reach new customers through online, word-of-mouth marketing Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 13. Norwich Agway: Increase Sales, Build Community Norwich Agway is a local favorite store in Norwich, CT. They are everywhere on the Web. Norwich Agway sends a bi monthly email to update customers of special deals, seasonal items, and events. They use social media to experiment, push on-the-fly specials, get feedback from customers & build community. They credit email as the hub that brings everything together. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 14. Connections Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 15. Be Where Your Customers Are Social Content Reviews & Location-Based Networks Sharing Ratings Sites Services The sites that your customers and members are using The sites that your partners & suppliers are using The sites that your competitors are using Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 16. Discover Preferred Channels Add social icons to email Your contacts want to campaigns to define your keep in touch, but on audience’s preferred channels their terms Email Facebook Twitter Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc. 16
- 17. Kickstart Growth: Use Your Email List Announce your new presence in your newsletter with a clear call to action. Include standard links in every email so subscribers can share your content. Include social media signup icons in every email so subscribers can join you on your social sites. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 18. Look Professional Complete your business profile Description Contact information Website URL Join My Mailing List Brand your presence Logo, pictures, backgroun d Add starter content Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 19. Focus Your Presence Make your social presence a reflection of your business/organization. Don’t blur personal and professional use. Be transparent. New users should immediately identify what you do. “Stick to Your Knitting.” Deliberately choose your expertise and areas of engagement. Put the social in the social media. Be broad and informal … and have fun! Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 20. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 22. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 23. Engaging Content Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 24. Starter Content Information, tips, and practical advice Questions asked by your customers Links to: – Archived email marketing newsletters – Polls and surveys – Event homepages and registration pages – Blogs (yours and others’) – Websites (yours and others in your area of expertise) – Product or service reviews – Thought-provoking discussions that inspire dialogue – Relevant videos, photos, podcasts Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 25. Content is King! Content is the feeder of social networks Write great content once, then broadcast it. Create sound bites for shorter media. The best content inspires sharing: a word of advice or one sentence can go a long way! Original, personalized content is important Less is more! Short content is best, one idea at a time. You can always share links to more. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 27. More than 800 million active users Facebook Statistics, 2011 More than 50% of Facebook users log on any given day Facebook Statistics, 2011 ________________________________ Create a Business Page Recruit fans Fill with content that is relevant to them – comments, photos, videos Make settings public so your customers and prospects can find you Use as an alternate landing page for your email Add a Join My Mailing List form to invite people to join your list Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 28. Basic Anatomy of a Facebook Business Page Cover photo & profile picture Recent photos and images Public List of Friends/Fans Posts by You and Others Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 29. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 30. 160 million registered users 100 million active users Mashable.com, 2011 60% of users follow companies, brands, and products Mediabistro.com, 2011 _______________________ Engagement Through Sharing Share links to interesting content & ask for feedback Tweet a survey or poll Send direct messages (DMs) Retweet content from people you are following Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 31. Basic Anatomy of a Twitter Feed Basic Info, Link, Description Avatar – Logo or Photo Your Handle Most Recent & Past Tweets Followers and Following Recent Images Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 32. 86% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn Chief Marketer. “Social Marketing Goes Mainstream: Chief Marketer Annual Survey Find Marketers Believe in Power of Social.” 2011. There are over 75,000 Nonprofit groups using LinkedIn Nonprofit LinkedIn Learning Center, 2011 ________________________________ Manage your professional contacts and relationships Find individuals you know in a professional capacity Join networks or groups by industry, geography, or work history Participate in discussions Recruit attendees to your events Invite people to join your mailing list Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 33. Basic Anatomy of a LinkedIn Profile Name, Location, Basic Stats Your Photo or Your Logo Logo Work Experience, Now & Then Information You Share Communication Options Your Network and Other Info, Twitter, Websites, Recommendations, etc. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 34. Building Your Network Use a variety of ways to expand your network: 1. Send an invitation to your email list 2. Add interactive social icons to your Website Email campaigns (in a sidebar, in the footer) Outgoing email signature Business Card Printed collateral: mailers, flyers, invoices, etc. 3. Put a sign in your storefront window 4. Add a message to your voicemail 5. Include a note on point-of-sale receipts and house coupons Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 35. Conversations Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 36. Social Media Dos: Be the Expert Focus on the content: share knowledge so people care It’s not about you. It’s about what you know. Trade useful information for attention Will people talk about it when out with friends? Will people look forward to your next communication? Will they be inspired to share/tweet/comment on this information? Inspire trust by filtering the noise Be an expert. Clearly convey your area of expertise. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 37. Dealing With The Positive Positive comments are an opportunity to interact and help spread the message Social networks can be a convenient way for people to share interest, excitement. 1. Comment back 2. Answer questions. 3. Share comments (content!) in other Source: SocialMediaQuickstarter.com, 2011 marketing channels. 4. Possibly reward people who took the time to post a positive comment (offline). Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 38. Make Online Conversations Part of Your Presence Invite direction and feedback, and really LISTEN Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 39. Social Media Don’ts What NOT to include in your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn updates Don’t pitch. Don’t overtly self-promote. Don’t offer incentives to get reviews or sharing. Don’t stray from your areas of business into: personal information, politics, sports, religi on, etc. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 40. Turning Negativity into a Great Customer Experience Negative comments are inevitable: Social networks can be a convenient way for people to vent frustrations. 1. Always reach out to the customer. Pick up the phone if possible Use a private message, email, or DM 2. Let your network know that you are addressing the issue. Respond! Show that you are listening and respond positively, publically 3. Always seek to satisfy and delight, not defend. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 41. Managing Your Time Managing Your Time and Activities Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 42. Do It Daily, But Don’t Overdo It A word of advice from Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact: “Keep your time spent in check; doing social media right does not mean doing it a lot.” It is important to stay active! 15 minutes a day, 3 times per 2011 Small Business Attitudes & Outlook Survey week is more than most small businesses. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 43. What Should I Monitor? 1. Your Brand. Think about all its possible spellings/configurations. For example: Far and Away Bicycles, Far & Away, bicycles, bikes, etc. 2. Your competitors. Spot successful tactics being used by others in your industry (and the not-so-successful) For example: Does the pizzeria down the street tweet daily? Do the other consultants in your area of expertise have LinkedIn profiles? 3. Categories, topics, and keywords of your business. For example: pets, dog day care, cat, dog, pet sitting, animals, rescue, etc. 4. The experts and influencers in your business. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 44. Monitor and Manage your Time Popular time management and monitoring tools include: Google Alerts HootSuite TweetDeck RSS NutshellMail Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 45. Use NutshellMail to Engage, on Your Time Track your Page Insights Sign up for a Free NutshellMail Account. www.nutshellmail.com Read Fan comments Reply from your Inbox Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 46. Measuring Success Defining Social Media Marketing Success for Small Businesses and Organizations Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 47. Measuring the Impact of Social Media To begin, look at: What is being said about you? Are you seen as an expert? How well are you engaging with existing experts? Are you reaching new customers? How are you reaching specific customers? Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 48. Social Media Success for Small Business and Organizations Test to learn what works! Set up specific engagement campaigns to track social media programs that drive to your website (Google analytics) How many have read your blog? Watch how many are clicking on the social media icons in your own emails. ExactTarget, "Subscribers, Fans and Followers: The collaborative Future." September 8, 2010 Encourage and track how many people are joining your list from social media. Monitor Twitter for mentions and retweets; reward those influencers. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 49. Next Steps Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 50. Take the Next Step Email + Social = Webinars Social Media Quickstarter Success, Guaranteed. Sign up for a free Email Register for our free Get a Social Media Marketing trial. webinars: Quickstart! Satisfaction guaranteed. Learn more about how Get started building Arm yourself with the social media marketing connections through tools, playbook, and coaching to can help small business social media get your first campaign in front of and nonprofits optimize marketing, today! your email subscribers and social marketing efforts. networks. Watch your business grow! Toll-free: 866-876-8464 constantcontact.com/ constantcontact.com learning-center socialquickstarter.com Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
- 51. Contact Information April Heavens-Woodcock Managing Partner of Touching Clients and Authorized Local Expert with Constant Contact awoodcock@touchingclients.com facebook.com/touchingclients @touchingclients http://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilwoodcock Insight Provided by KnowHow Visit: www.constantcontact.com/learning-center Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Constant Contact, Inc.
Notes de l'éditeur
- Seminar description:This seminar will review the essential strategies and best practices a business or organization should understand in order to successfully get started with social media marketing. We will talk about: What social media marketing really is and why it’s important;Various social media networks and tools: how they interact, ways to leverage their strengths, and how to evaluate them for best use for your business or organization;How other businesses are using these low-cost tools to gain visibility, develop relationships, and drive sales and engagement;How to incorporate it into your business life without losing productivity.
- Local Experts: please include:Your photoYour email addressYour URLYour social media handle informationFeel free to include/delete those tools you are not actively using.
- In today’s seminar, we will learn:What is Social Marketing?Why Market Using Social Media?How to do it well: Best Practices for Social Media Marketing for Small BusinesesManaging your activity and timeNote to LEs: You can describe the agenda in three simple words: Manage, Monitor, and Measure. Major themes throughout are:SMM is about “reach, with endorsement”SMM is about “social word-of-mouth”
- Topic: What is Social Media Marketing and Why do it?
- Everyone markets for the same reason: they want more of something: more customers, more volunteers, more donors and members, but most of all, more time in the day.
- [Click] New tools have changed the way marketers find new customers. Social marketing tools create an opportunity to both find new customers, but also keep nurturing your relationships with your current customers – those that generate repeat revenue and ultimately grow your bottom line.[LE Note: Introduce these statistics by asking: “How many people have ever looked at a website like TripAdvisor to see what people are saying about hotel or destination prior to planning a vacation?” Or, “How many people have read through customer testimonials on Amazon.com before buying an item?” ][Click] We have come to a point where only 14% of people trust ads, but 78% of people trust consumer recommendations (Nielson).As you can see from this graph, 96% of small business owners are using Facebook. Likers of content on social media like Facebook and Twitter become your brand ambassadors, endorsing you and building long-lasting positive buzz. You can shape the dialogue by reaching and influencing your next purchaser or donor. Think of Facebook is the new website. Facebook is the most relevant SMM channel to small businesses today, some studies have said it is 2-3x more relevant than Twitter. Your Facebook fan page is evolving to have the same functionality as your website but with the added benefit of two-way conversations with your customers. Source: Constant Contact Fall 2011 Small Business Attitudes & Outlook Survey; n=1972; 30%; B2B = 859, B2C = 1,113. *B to B and B to C were analyzed separately, but combined for market-level analysis; Approximately one-half of all respondents are either a sole proprietor or have 1-4 employees.
- There are 5 stages in a relationship, or 5 types of people:(Click) Raving Fans: Customers with a high level of loyalty, trust, & engagement. They willingly refer others to you and your business.(Click) Customers: Those buying from you already. These are people who have engaged as a customer at some point in the past. May be willing to try alternatives if encountered.(Click) Prospects – those that have a connection to you via a person, product, or service, but may not know of you yet. A connection exists for you either directly or indirectly through a Raving Fan or a Prospect. Is likely to need the services you provide in the future.(Click) Suspects – These folks are inclined to do business with you someday, but no connection exists. No direct or indirect connections exist. Is likely to want or need the services you provide in the future.(Click) Disinterested – those that have no interest and who will never buy a product or service from you. It’s better to build credibility here and direct them to what they’re interested inIt makes sense to use your marketing resources wisely… with the people who count!Now you can resourcefully apply new tools to acquire, connect, engage, and grow new customer relationships. (Click) Social media marketing uses your Raving Fans to acquire and engage new customers, [Click] connect with prospects, and begin fostering deeper relationships
- If you have concerns, you’re not alone. Many small businesses think:(Click) Social Media Marketing looks interesting, but… I will never have a million customers or even 5,000….(Click) Using new, inbound marketing tools sound great, but… I will never write Thought Leadership articles….(Click) Paying close attention to what’s being said on social media sounds useful, but… I’ll never have a dedicated staff to do it right…(Click) I hear about new networks everyday, but… I just don’t have the time to stay current
- What you do have is powerful! You can successfully market your small business or association because you have…Loyal, happy customersAn excellent customer experienceInteresting and important things to say!
- Topic: Doing it Well – Best Practices for Social Media MarketingBasically, it boils down into 3 “C”s –Connections, Content, and ConversationsConnections: Kick start your following, and use content that inspires engagementEngaging Content: Creating a presenceConversations: Practical monitoring and measurement
- Set reasonable goals and expectations.As a small business owner, set reasonable goals that match expectations and investments of resources and time. The more time and resources you devote to Social Media Marketing, the greater your yield! Realistically, accept that Social Media Marketing is not instantaneous. You do need to invest some time and resources before you reap rewards, and not all of your customers will engage. However, you can:Drive engagement (action/commentary/feedback/sharing) with your base of passionate customersEncourage repeat businessEncourage referralsGet online endorsementsReach new customers through online, word-of-mouth marketing.
- Let’s look some examples:(B2C) In a Pickle’s objective was to increase sales, get customer feedback, and build community.In A Pickle is a local favorite restaurant in Waltham, MAThey are everywhere on the social web: Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, YouTube, etc.In A Pickle sends a weekly email newsletter to update customers of special deals, new menu items, and eventsThey use social media to experiment, push on-the-fly specials, get feedback from customers & build communityThey credit email as the hub that brings everything together
- Section Break: Connections
- Intro: “Raise your hands: how many people here already using Facebook? LinkedIn? Twitter? Etc.” (Effect should be: several using Facebook, less using LinkedIn and Twitter.)Let’s talk a little but about some best practices surrounding creating a presence using Social Media Marketing. First, decide where you should be. There are hundreds of social media tools and networks. Popular social media networks make it easy for small businesses and organizations get started in the social media marketing work in cost-efficient (often free!) and resourceful way. Today we will focus on the “big three” – Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. For the small business or organization just getting started, (click) it makes sense to start on Facebook. After that, the most important thing to do is ask your customers. We’ll speak to ways to do that later in the presentation…Today’s seminar will mention several of these popular tools. To get more comprehensive information about specific tools or social media in general, I encourage you to visit the Social Media page/tab on Constant Contact’s website: http://search.constantcontact.com/social mediaThere, you can find everything from: blogs, guides, Hints & Tips, podcasts, Frequently Asked Questions, and webinars that will answer all your tool-specific questions.
- There are easy ways to discover which social media channels are your customers’ preferred channels. (Click) Remember: your contacts, customers, and prospective customers want to keep in touch with you on their terms, so dive in and learn the nuances of the more popular social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Your audience, marketing objectives, and available resources will dictate which social media is right for your business or organization. Another easy idea? (Click) Add social media icons to your next email marketing campaign or website and measure the number of new fans, followers, comments, etc. You will quickly be able to assess which channels are the most popular using click-through information available within Email Marketing reports or website analytics .
- Announce your new presence in your newsletter with a clear Call-to-ActionInclude standard links in every email campaignAlways include a share bar in every email. Make it effortless for your network to share your great content
- Make sure your presence looks good: make your profiles polished and professional-looking.Complete your business profile with a: description, clear contact information, your website URL, and a Join-My-Mailing-List tab/information;Include your website URLBrand the presence: add your business logo, pictures, and a backgroundAdd starter content! It’s important to populate your social media profiles with interesting, relevant content before you begin inviting folks to fan, follow, friend, and link to you.
- Focus your social presence. Make your social presence a reflection of your business / organization. Don’t blur personal and professional use.Be transparent. New users should immediately identify what you do“Stick to Your Knitting”. Deliberately choose your expertise and areas of engagement. Be firm and clear about who you are and what distinguished you before you dive into social media marketing.Put the social in the media. Be more broad and informal… and have fun! Social media is a much less formal communication type than, for example, standard Email Marketing content. LE Note: Often at this point the question arises: Q: I made the mistake of blurring my personal profile with my business profile. What should I do? A: The best course of action is to go ahead and create a Facebook Business Page, and begin to direct all business-related activity to this page, only. Unfortunately, there is no pushbutton solution for this, you will need to spend the time to create the page. One idea? Send an email to your contacts on Facebook, and ask those business contacts to offically “Like” your business page. Constant Contact actually offers specific email templates for this purpose: to get the word out about your newfound Business Page and/or social presences.
- Nancy Jeutten, Main Street Media Saavy.Example on next 5 slides.Nancy Juetten is a publicity trainer and Extreme Bio Makeover expert who shows business owners how to get seen, heard, celebrated, and compensated in the media. She is committed to helping business owners quickly get up-to speed on the best ways to use do-it-yourself publicity to share their messages in traditional, online, and social media. Her business Page on Facebook is well-developed, with complete contact information about her business, and clearly branded with her “Extreme Bio Makeover” logo. On top of this, her feed is populated with repurposed content from her blog.
- NJ’s Blog.
- NJ’s You Tube page.
- Section Break: Engaging Content
- Wondering what kind of starter content you can use to populate your profiles, today?Information, tips, and practical adviceQuestions asked by your customersOr links to:Archived Email Marketing newslettersPolls and SurveysEvent Homepages and registration pagesBlogs (yours and others)Websites (yours, and others in your area of expertise)Product or service reviewsThought-provoking discussions that inspires debate and dialogueRich media: relevant videos, photos, podcasts
- Write great content once, then broadcast it. Create “sound byte” for shorter media.The best content inspires sharing: a word of advice or one sentence can go a long way! Original, personalized content is important (but you don’t need too much). Reuse your great content. When you add one or more social media networks or a blog to your marketing mix, you do not necessarily have to come up with exclusive content for each network. Reuse articles from your newsletters to prime the social media pump. In turn, your blog or others’ blogs content can be used to feed your email newsletter and social network channels.Less is more! Short content is best, one idea at a time. You can always include a links to more in-depth information.Examples: “Stay Cool this Summer at Jack’s Ice Cream (URL)!
- Speaking of starter content, one of the best ways to reuse content is by repurposing email marketing newsletter content. Most Email Service Providers such as Constant Contact provide a Share Bar at the top of emails which will allow both you – and your recipients – to share your content across social networks. Whenever possible, add Social-sharing capabilities to your content to provide customers and prospects alike an effortless way to share it within their networks.
- Create a Business PageRecruit fansFill with content that is relevant to them – comments, photos, videosMake settings public so your customers and prospects can find youUse as an alternate landing page for your email Add a “Join My Mailing List” form to invite people to join your listA few important things to know about Facebook’s functionality include:Like – lets the Business Page administrator know that you are a fan of their business, association, or brand. Upon “Liking”, a user will receive business page updates in their news feedPost – text, pictures, videos, etc. – the action of putting up content to your pageComment – Leaving a written response for all to see, be it positive or negativeShare – extending the reach of any content object within that user’s network. The content will reference its source. ‘Share’ also gives you the ability to send content as an inter-Facebook message to a unique user(Click) Applications – Join My Mailing List! As with any marketing outpost, you will always strive to collect the contact information of a prospect in order to engage more deeply with them, in more targeted ways. Constant Contact provides you the ability to do this by adding it’ JMML Application to your Business Page on Facebook. As you learn more about applications, you can search for and add those that are right for your business.
- A personal page is different from a Facebook Business Page. On Facebook, you should have two identities: one for you and one for your business or organization. You can establish a page that promotes your business, where friends and fans may “Like” you.The Wall is “the conversation”.
- 51% of active Twitter users follow companies, brands or products on social networks - Edison Research, February 2010If you ask the folks at Twitter if they are a social media network, they will correct you and identify themselves as an “Information Sharing Tool”. In essence, Twitter allows you to listen to global conversations about anything and everything in real time, as they are happening. This is important to any Small Business Owner for many reasons, including: It gives you an easy way to listen to what is being said: about you and your industry; and about your domain of expertise and your competitors;You can become part of the “conversation”, engaging and adding value to the many-to-many dialogue. Cultivating an approachable online personality will increase your visibility and network-effect over time.Using Twitter, you can:Share links to interesting content & ask for feedbackTweet a survey or pollSend Direct Messages (DMs)Retweet content from people you are following
- Let’s talk a little bit about the basic anatomy of a Twitter Feed. Twitter acts as a dynamic “feed” which update you in real-time.Basic Info, Link, Description: again, be sure to write a clear, concise description of your business and expertiseAvatar – Logo or Photo: Brand your profile with your logo or personal photoHandle: this is your Twitter “username”. As a best practice, make your handle short yet recognizable (since “tweets” are character-limited to 140 characters).Feed: Most recent or past tweets by you;Followers and Following: a listing of folks who’ve “subscribed” to read your tweets, and those who you have decided to “follow”Recent Images: You can post images through Twitter; this shows the 4 most recent ones you’ve posted[Aside: For Halloween 2010, Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Content
- Let’s take a look at how to establish a profile on LinkedIn. Your name, location, and basic statistics - simple contact information and geographical locationYour Photo or Your Logo – Like a Facebook or Twitter, include a professional photo or headshotWork Experience, Now and Then – Think of this as your online resume and be as descriptive as possible.Information you Share – This can be about your business, non-profit, or personal expertise. It is customizable to your business objectivesCommunications Options – Using these functions, you can connect with other users, send an in-network email, write or request a professional recommendation, etc.Network Information: This section displays the degree of connection to others, quick links to your recommendations, etc.
- You can build your social network in a variety of ways – both online and offline. In short: be creative and visible everywhere your customers are!Send an invitation to your Email ListAdd interactive Social Icons to YourWebsiteEmail Campaigns (in a sidebar, in the footer)Outgoing Email SignatureBusiness CardPrinted Collateral: mailers, flyers, invoices, etc.Put a sign in your storefront windowAdd a message to your voicemailInclude a note on Point of Sale receipts and house coupons
- Section break: Conversations.
- When getting started with social media marketing, be the expert!1. Focus on the content - share knowledge so people careIt’s not about youIt’s about what you know2. Trade useful information for attentionWill they talk about it when out with friends?Will they look forward to your next communication?Will they be inspired to share/tweet/comment on this information?3. Filter out the noise by narrowing focusing on creating a stream of relevant, interesting contentBe an expertClearly convey the mission. It’s OK to deviate at times, but stick to a 90/10 rule of thumb
- Once you are actively monitoring for social media channels, you will encounter both positive and negative comments. Positive comments are a perfect opportunity to interact and help spread your messages and other content. Social networks are a convenient way for people to share interest and excitement, but more importantly… relationships. So what should you do?Comment back. A simple sentence to show you are interested in what they have to say demonstrates that you are listening to your customers, and those prospects that are lurking. Whenever someone says something positive about your business, simply say ‘Thank you!’ online – publically – to reinforce continued engagement and show prospective customers that you are listening.Answer questions. Clear and helpful answers to questions posed by your customers is a hallmark of excellent customer service. The benefit of answering them on your social media network is twofold: 1) odds are others have the same question and will be helped- or chime in for more information, and 2) you can then repurpose your answer (content!) by including it in your Email Marketing, Tweeting it, etc.This graph shows aggregate rankings of businesses reviews on the most popular ratings and review sites as of September, 2011. This As you can see, the majority of online feedback is positive.
- Make online conversations a part of your presence. You can invite direction and feedback from your customers, and really listen to what they have to say. In this example, Boloco jumped at the chance to correct a poor customer experience. They offered a promotion on Superbowl Sunday, but a went to one of their locations and the restaurant didn’t offer the special. In a little over an hour, they offered to put a free meal on the customer’s Boloco membership card.A little later, another customer was charged for their meal through their membership card instead of getting the promotion. The CEO responded to this one, apologized and offered to replace the free items on the customer’s membership card.
- Negative comments are inevitable: social networks can be a convenient way for people to vent any frustrations. Remember that social media marketing is about creating positive relationships through many-to-many (not one-to-one or one-to-many) engagements. Rather than fear negative comments and a tarnished reputation, look at every negative review as an opportunity to engage with the dissatisfied customer, resolve their problem, and further delight them with an excellent customer experience. Study after study shows that if you can resolve a problem, a customer will be more likely to buy again and recommend you than someone who had a pleasant experience the first time around. And since most content that is shared on social networks can be seen by others, your engagement with both positive and negative commentary will inspire credibility and trust with both old – and new customers. [Note: see in-slide example. Boloco asks both complaintive customers to Direct Message them his Boloco member card number so that they can remedy a poor experience, a.k.a., give them a free burrito on-the-house. Notice that the interaction took place on Twitter, offline, in a Direct Message (DM), but Boloco publicly and graciously responded so that Boloco’s quick action to satisfy their customer is transparent to all Followers).1. Always reach out to the customer, ideally offline!Pick up the phone if possibleUse a private message, email, or DM2. Let your network know that you are addressing the issue. [See Boloco example above]Don’t be afraid of publically addressing a negative comment on social networks. Delight the customer to turn a negative experience into a positive one they’ll tell their friends about!
- Section Break: Managing your Time and activities
- Do you need to spend a lot of time doing social media? Good Advice from Gail Goodman, CEO of Constant Contact:“Keep your time spent in-check; doing social media right does not mean doing it a lot.”It is important to stay active: 15 minutes a day, 3 times a week is more than most small business. Probably the biggest mistake those new to social media can make it to be inconsistent with engagement. Schedule and commit time to engage with customers and prospects.If you tweet too much; people might not think you are serious about your business Note to LEs: the statistics on the right contradicts the best practice we mention – explain this by mentioning that we at Constant Contact are anxious to dispel this myth that social media marketing done right means spending more and more time. Doing it right means NOT spending a lot of time doing it. For larger companies, the former may be true, aggregating various departmental objectives and efforts. However, for small businesses and nonprofits, we believe it can be done in significantly less time, especially when using time-saving tools like NutShellMail.
- What should you monitor? Monitor the activity of all your social presences, including:Your Brand. Think about all it’s possible spellings / configurations. For example: Far And Away Bicycles, Far & Away, Bicycles, Bikes, etc.Your competitors. Spot successful tactics being used by others in your industry (and the not-so-successful!) For example: Does the pizzeria down the street tweet daily?Do the other consultants in your area of expertisehave LinkedIn profiles? What do they look like?3. Categories, topics, and keywords of your business. For example:Pets, Dog Day Care, Cat, Dog, Pet sitting, Animals, Rescue etc.Take a few minutes to make a list of the main topics you’re monitoring, and then make a list of three or four subtopics. If you think about it, when you’re focused on your reader and your expertise, most of what you’re going to be monitoring falls under five to seven main topics. Set these topics up in Google Alerts or Twitter to begin to get a pulse on the conversations happening and content being distributed.4. The experts and influencers in your business. Watch not only what they’re saying, but what they’re sharing, which events they’re choosing to promote, who they’re following, etc.
- When you’re just getting started monitoring and listening to what is being said about you, there are several easy and free tools at your avail:Google Alerts: Google Alerts allows you to “save” keywords. Google Alerts will then send you an email anytime your keyword matches with new content found on the web.HootSuite: a social media dashboard for teams used to gather intelligence, search, etc.TweetDeck: a real-time browser, connecting you with your contacts across multiple social platforms such as: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google Buzz, etc.RSS: Real Simple Syndicate. Use a web reader (such as Google Reader) to “pull” new content to you in real time. You can apply an RSS feed from newspapers, blogs, and most content distribution channels. Last but note least: NutshellMail: (more in the next slides)
- NutshellMail from Constant Contact is an easy, free way to monitor all your social media activity in minutes a day.NutshellMail is a free monitoring tool that brings a summary of your social network updates to your inbox in a single email on your schedule.NutshellMail allows you to easily monitor and track your page insights (how many new friends, fans, followers, comments, Likes, etc.) You can get all your Facebook Birthdays, Photos, Friend Requests, Wall Posts, News Feed, Event & Group Invites, and Messages all in one interactive email. This means that you don’t need to go to each separate social media site to manage your activities: it allows you to see everything in one summary. You can then engage without leaving your inbox!Constant Contact's NutshellMail supports Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yelp, Foursquare, Citysearch, and MySpace.
- Section Break: Measuring SuccessDefining Social Media Marketing Success for Small Businesses
- It can be tricky to add up the value of relationships. As you begin to establish your measure the impact of your efforts, look at:What is being said about you? Are you seen as an expert?How well are you engaging with existing experts?Are you reaching new customers en masse? How are you reaching specific customers?Depending on your business or organization’s unique objectives, you can also look at specific growth measurements such as:Overall growth in your network, i.e. # of new fans, friends, connections, followersEmail List growth, i.e., # of new subscribersEmail Campaign click-through, open rates# of mentions# of retweets# of reviews (positive and negative)# of customers who’ve utilized social promotions# of questions answered by your network# of #mentions on Twitter Aggregate ratings scores SEO rankings…
- Social media marketing goals will often involve different overall strategies and social media channels. It is possible to market with the aim of achieving all the following benefits; they do complement each other and some results naturally arise when other goals are achieved (e.g. better brand awareness eventually brings links). Almost 74% of marketers who have been using social media for years report that it has helped them close business (Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2010).The most common results include:Increased Brand Awareness: Reputation ManagementImproved Search Engine RankingsIncreased Relevant Visitor TrafficIncreased Sales for a Product or ServiceSo, test to learn what works for you:Set up specific engagementcampaigns to track social media programs that drive to your website (You can use Google analytics to track this data.)Track how many people have read your blog (page views)?Track how many people are clicking on the social media icons in your emails (click-through data).Track how many people are joining your contact list via social media sites.Monitor twitter for the amount of “mentions” and retweets. Reward those influencers if possible!
- Section Break: Next StepsWhat should I do now?
- LEs: please include:Your photoYour email addressYour URLYour social media handle informationFeel free to include/delete those tools you are not actively using.