Interested in why social media here is your guide.

1. social media selling
getting started
Author:
Giles Crouch
Managing Partner
Some Usage & Distribution Restrictions May Apply. See document conclusion.
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide

2. Getting Started
First Things First - Listen
Take an hour or two with a cup of tea or coffee and settle down for some time to just surf around
online. But be specific. Go onto Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and search for people in your
industry. Search for local blogs in your community and specify your industry sector.
Take a look at what other professionals are saying, how they present themselves, the pictures they
use and how often they update their profile. The more active they are, the more they are
connected. if the information is stale, then they’re just not engaged and that means they’re also
less of a competitor to you. That’s good.
Take notes on ideas and things to say that reflect who you are.
Second - Brand You
Now it’s time to think about “you” and how you would like others to see you. Perhaps talk to your
business partner, associates, friends or spouse. Get some ideas from them. You’re about to build
your profile and there’s any number of ways people will find you. We’re all unique in one way or
another. How are you unique? What’s worked for you before? Do you specialize in an area that
sets you apart?
Third - Prepare Your Content
Time to get some work done. Now you’re going to get your “content” ready; all the bits and pieces
that go into making your profile online and presenting your brand. Here’s a basic idea of what you’ll
need to get together. I recommend creating a folder on your hard drive where you can keep your
profile content, I call this folder “My Profile” and keep pictures, snippets of my bio and such. Then
when I need it, it’s all there and easier to upload to the various services you will use.
✓ Pictures: 2-3 head-shots you like, either colour or black & white
✓ 140 Bio: Your bio in 140 characters, be clever as well if you like
✓ Long Bio: a 200-300 word bio on yourself, but don’t go longer
✓ Honours: A list of any awards or honours you’ve acheived professionally
✓ References: Have some references on hand in case someone asks for them
Fourth - Select Your Social Corners
Now that you have looked at some competitors or others online and have a “sense” of what to say
and what not to say, you know how you want to present yourself and you’ve got your content
ready, it’s time to start building your presence.
There are hundreds of Social Media tools such as blogs, Social Networks and microblogs (i.e.
Twitter) to use. In Atlantic Canada for business professionals just getting started we recommend
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If you want to start a blog, the best and easiest to use free one is
Blogger (owned by Google.)
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide

3. To get started, set aside an hour or two when you’ve got time to put it all together. The longest
time is the set-up. Don’t worry, if you miss something or make a mistake, it’s always easy to go
back and change it. Keep track of your passwords and the email address you’ve used to register.
We recommend using a Gmail or other free webmail account, since you can access it anywhere
and it is easier if you move to another company later.
Where to Set Up
Facebook
While Facebook is a great place to connect with current friends, family and old high-school and
university pals, it also is another way to be seen by potential clients. If you don’t want to use
Facebook for business, be very sure to set your privacy settings accordingly and be more selective
of who you accept as a friend on Facebook.
Fan Page: Once you have your profile on Facebook, look to set up a Group or Fan page. We
recommend a Fan Page as you’ll have more creative freedom available. You do not have to know
any code. The best way to create a Fan Page is to search “how to create a fan page” on Facebook
or go to the “help” section. One downside to Facebook is that it is not easy to search or set up fan
pages. Hopefully it will get better.
Have a company logo or your own select image ready to upload to the Fan Page when you’re
setting it up. Include all your primary contact information as well and then “publish” it when your
ready.
LinkedIn
This is a great spot to connect to professionals in Atlantic Canada. Essentially it is a living resume
of your career. Best to have an updated resume on hand when filling our your profile. Just go to
“Register” when you visit linkedin.com for the first time. It will guide you through the steps from
there. Remember to have your photo ready.
If you’re using Twitter, you can connect your Twitter feed into LinkedIn as well. The key to success
in LinkedIn or any other Social Network service you use is to participate. Here’s some of what you
need to do on a regular basis on LinkedIn;
- Contacts: As soon as you set up your profile, start looking for people you know and “add them
to your network”. They will receive an email alert and should soon connect you. Build your
network over time.
- Discussions: A feature of LinkedIn that can help build your exposure is the discussion groups.
When your profile is set up, then do a search for some groups. Find those of interest and either
join or request to join. Some groups allow instant joining, while others may view your profile first
before you are accepted. If you want, you can create your very own group to discuss issues.
Participation
It is critical to take some time and participate in the discussion groups. Read the questions or
issues posted and then leave your response. Let people get to know you, offer solutions to
problems and get a sense of the flow of a group. In LinkedIn, discussions are often over a longer
period of time than on Facebook.
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide

4. Twitter
The most important thing to remember with Twitter is that it is an ongoing conversation. If you’re
going to use Twitter, that means being on there at least once or twice a day. It is a commitment so
be prepared. There are etiquette guidelines to Twitter and some are provided below. Follow them
and you’re sure to find some success there. Twitter will also start to make “sense” when you reach
over a hundred followers.
When setting up Twitter, be sure to have a background with your picture and company logo. Use
PowerPoint to make a background, concentrating on the most on the left hand side of the slide.
Take an image capture of the slide and upload the image in the “settings” on Twitter.
Some Twitter Etiquette
Don’t Broadcast: It’s not all about you and simply posting messages that “I sell x, buy from me”
will not get you followers. Twitter is a conversation.
Profile: When setting up your account, enter some information about you, just a short bio. If you’re
a musician as well as an account executive, say it. This way people feel more natural with you and
their barriers are down. Be sure to include a link to your website.
When Is It About You: About every tenth “tweet” can be about you specifically, such as when you
close a big account, list a house, engage a new client. Write a new blog post? Send it out.
Hashtags: These are the “#” symbol followed by a word or letters (i.e. #socialmedia) and people
use them as a conversation media or when they want a “brand” such as Nike to see them. Use a
“hashtag” if others are doing the same about a topic.
Follow Friday: When you’ve built up some followers (30+) then on Friday’s “recommend” some of
your favourites by using the hashtag #FF (for Follow Friday) and listing 3 or 4 people to follow. Over
time, others will do this for you.
Thank New Followers: When someone new starts following you, pop them a DM (Direct Message)
and say thanks for following. It’s courtesy.
Re-Tweeting: Also known as RT, is like forwarding an email message. See something you like
from someone and want to share it? RT the message. When someone does this for something you
say, then send them a “thanks for the RT” message. Again, courtesy.
Over time, you’ll either get used to it and find value, or find that Twitter isn’t for you. That’s OK too,
you don’t have to be on Twitter. You may find another service that is more useful to you. There are
plenty out there.
Building Followers: If you live in a city like Halifax, go to http://search.twitter.com and search
using “Halifax” or “Nova Scotia” to find people in Halifax or common names of places in your city.
Click on those peoples profiles, read a little of what they are saying and decide if you’d like to
follow them. Remember, some people are on Twitter just to connect with a few people, so they
may not follow you back or you may not find them interesting - that’s because they aren’t talking to
you and that’s OK. For the most part, people will follow you back.
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide

5. Your Topic
Engage in discussions and topics that are of interest to you and that you have an opinion on or are
passionate about. You’ll connect with similar people and that will help at the start to build common
ground and connections.
Blogging
Like Twitter a blog is a commitment of time. But a good, steady blog can yield some excellent
results in sales and marketing profile. If you’re new to blogging, we recommend using Blogger at
blogger.com. It’s easy, you have some choices with templates and colours, fonts and images. You
can’t break anything so log onto Blogger and just play around until you get it looking the way you
want.
Specialize: With a blog, it’s important to specialize in a topic or subject matter. So do your
research and prepare topics around what you know.
Prepare Content: Before you set up your blog, write a few blog articles for posting. Have maybe
3-4 ready to go ahead of time and post them over the period of a week, just to get some content
on your site.
Regular Posting Schedule: You do not have to post everyday. If you want to, you can. Posting
once or twice a week is fine. Try to be regular though.
Comments: Make sure you allow people to leave comments. If you don’t want comments, ensure
they can “share” the content elsewhere with a sharing application. We recommend letting people
leave comments. This is important to do, since it shows other people you are willing to have a
conversation. Sometimes, people won’t agree with you. That’s OK. They should be polite and if
not, delete the comment.
Outbound Linking: If you are referring to a website or news article in your blog article, be sure to
use a “link” to that article or website. Using such links is very important with search engines. It’s all
about sharing content.
Length of Blog Post: A blog “post” or “article” only needs to be 200-300 words maximum.
Anymore and people likely won’t read it. Stay short and to the point, keep your conclusions
concise.
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide

6. Engaging in Social Media Channels
Don’t Hard Pitch
Your profile will speak for itself. If you go into a discussion group about road construction and
simply say “I like roads and I sell xx so come buy from me” you’re likely to be kicked out of the
discussion. Participating means adding value. When people get to know you, they will reach out
and ask you for information.
Ask Questions
OK so someone has asked about your service or product directly. Great! Now it’s time to get to
know them a little. ask some questions, find out that the person you’re connecting with is really
interested and by asking defined questions, you’ll have a better idea of what they need - and a
much better chance to close the deal.
Letting People Know Where You Are
Once you have your profile(s) set up on Facebook and LinkedIn (or whatever service you use) send
out email to your contacts, let them know you’re there. It’s an opportunity to touch those prospects
and leads you’ve been looking for a reason to connect with. Send them an invite to connect if you
didn’t find them when searching LinkedIn.
Taking Time
There’s that old saying “you get out of something what you put into it” and Social Media holds true
to that axiom. Schedule some time to get engaged daily and weekly. Over time, you’ll connect with
people.
Social Media are simply technologies that enable you to have a presence on the Internet and to
connect with people easily. For sales, it’s the new cold calling. As with any form of prospecting, it
doesn’t happen instantly.
Evidence & Trust
Remember, you’re building evidence and trust with prospects. They’re getting to know you and
together, you’re deciding if you want to do business with each other. You’ll be surprised how
people find you and how seemingly unconnected comments and conversations lead to proposals,
quotes, listings and...sales!
Remember - Socializing is what we do
We go to parties, we talk to our coworkers, we attend networking events and conferences. All of
these are social activities where we meet the people we know and sometimes people we get to
know. Being social is a part of being human. If you didn’t go to networking events to find prospects
or use marketing tools like direct mail and advertising, how could you find potential prospects?
Social Media is simply another way to connect with people.
The difference with Social Technologies though is that we want to actually “connect” in a two-way,
meaningful way; we don’t want to be broadcast to. When you talk to a prospect in person,
chances are you seek common ground and understanding to move the sale forward; Social Media
is just another way to do that.
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide

7. Remember
What Goes Online Stays Online
Remember that what you “tweet” or put on Facebook or a blog stays there. Especially if Google or
Yahoo index and store that page. Content lives forever on the Web and you never know where and
when it will resurface.
Use Common Sense
When engaging with Social Media and talking about things, use common sense in how you reply.
Remembering that what you type can show up again later. Before you get frustrated or drawn into
an angry conversation, take a step back and clear your mind before responding.
Representing Your Company
Be sure when you’re building your profile and showing that you’re working for a company that you
respect the brand values of your employer. Keep confidential information confidential - it is not a
secret when you post it on LinkedIn or send a Twitter message. Ever. Respect the privacy policies
of your employer and if your company has a workplace policy for Social Media, be sure to become
familiar with it. This can save you, your employer and family some embarrassing moments.
Two Topics To Avoid
Unless you’re running for public office it’s best to stay away from highly political issues. Politics can
be very divisive and cause you image problems and reflect on your company’s brand. We
recommend avoiding this issue. Another similarly divisive issue is religion. Unless you participate in
forums that are distinctly separated from your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles.
This document is registered as a Creative Commons
document. You may copy and distribute this document
in whole as long as credit to the author is given.
©2009 MediaBadger Public Affairs | Social Media Start Guide