1. Using Social Media In Your Business Plan, Launch, Build Business Workshop® #502

2. About today Avoiding 1st impression mistakes 4 Ways to get more value from digital marketing

3. Tim Berry’s 3-Marketing Truths Great marketing beats great products Real people beat real money Consistency beats brilliance

4. Social Media Without the Hype Don’t trust anyone who says they’ll reveal the “secrets of social media” There are no secrets. Take away all of the names and social media is basically 3 major activities Listening Connecting Publishing

5. 3 Things Social Media Does

6. Social Media- 12/31/2010 What has it been? Social media have been the vehicles used to connect people via the internet. The focus has been marketing and sharing stories? The top 5 most important social-media platforms: 1) YouTube- 23.6% 2) LinkedIn- 27.6% 3) Blogs- 34.8% 4) Twitter- 40.0% 5) Face Book- 49.1% Source: Summus, Ltd. & SmartBriefs

7. Top 5 Social Media Goals

8. Focus on the Big 5 The focus of most firms is on the five major platforms There is a lower awareness of other sites including platforms such as Flickr with large numbers of users Companies might be missing out on more niche groups that might fit their product/service lines

9. How Long Does It Take. . .? At the 2-year mark, 25% of companies begin to confidently and purposefully use social-media for specific business objectives 50% have well developed strategies and utilize multiple platforms

10. Primary vs. Real Uses Despite the primary goals of increasing brand awareness and building communities for customers and fans, the majority of companies survey use social media to broadcast information instead of creating two-way conversations

11. Who Is Leading the Charge? Communications and PR agencies recognized the potential earlier than most Advertising and PR firms have realized the potential of identifying and reaching audiences compared to other industries Communications and PR firms are not the chosen source of advice or consultation by customers The majority of firms are using internal resources for developing and implementing social media strategies

12. 6 Biggest Obstacles Hindering Social Media for Business

13. Does Social Media Work?

14. Social-Media & Networking. . .Getting the Right Mind & Skill Sets

15. More & Better Connections A skilled networker thinks about what they can do to network more effectively When using social media, it is important to be thinking the right way: Listening Looking for opportunity Asking for feed-back and referrals Using incentives

16. Elements to Include in the Mind Set The law of reciprocity “givers gain” Diversity in networking Your relationship based checking account Activate the VCP process Sharpshoot, don’t shotgun Hold one-on-ones

17. Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #1 Traditional Networking Givers Gain- Avoid- I did this for you, how what are you doing for me? Social Media Networking Social networking is about being able to engage, listen and learn about what your clients are saying and what they want.

20. Look at the variety of Linkedin groupsIf you don’t know anyone and no one knows you, it may not be a bad place to be

21. Comparing Traditional & Social Media Networking #3 Farming Mentality- It takes a while Traditional Networking It’s a long drawn out process to go from seeding a field to harvest. Relationships take time. You have to make the investment to yield results. It’s a matter of trust. Social Media Networking Social media creates a real time demand for your business. The process is still about relationships but it is quicker on the net. There is not a lot of time for waiting on hold or delay in getting a response.

23. Area of focus:

24. Chamber mixers

25. Writing a column in your newspaper

27. Areas of focus

28. Your web site

29. Your blog

30. Facebook

31. YouTube

32. Share your opinions, but they must be credibleMinimum

34. Taylor your “areas of expertise” to the networking group

36. Make it easy for your clients to communicate with you.

37. Actually read your emails at specific intervals during the day.

40. GAINS- talking about individual goals, objectives, interests, networks and successes.

42. Google & Learn Much like an interview for a job, developing a meaningful relationship between your company and another relies on 6-basic elements. Find out information about the company Find out about the company’s leadership – national or local Get the latest news or analysis of the firm Find someone who had done business with the firm and talk with them Know your top objective Know the information – but don’t show off

43. Do the Basics- It’s more about them than about you. Know the Company Look at the company website, how does it feel, what are their products/services? What do they do that could make you important to them? Who are the Company’s Leaders? Find an image, read a little about them. Do you know anyone who knows them?

44. Do the Basics- It’s more about them than about you. What’s the latest news? Are they in the media and for what? Who is connected in the company that you might know? Where did they go to school and when? What is their home town? Know anyone there? What do you wish to accomplish with the firm? To quote someone famous. . .Begin with the end in mind

45. Do the Basics- It’s more about them than about you. Be careful how you use the information you have gathered. Be armed with the information so that you can answer or direct the conversation.

46. What is Your Website’s Personality?

48. The Top 3 Considerations 3. Is Your Website Personal? Does the website express how the company can fill the client’s needs? Is it apparent how to contact your company and whom to speak? Does it evoke an emotional response? Does it make you want to get to know the company personally?

49. Using your website to drive traffic Having a strong, online presence and strategy is critical to being competitive What are the ingredients? Start with a strong, professional website you can manage on your own. Then use the following 6-step process

50. 6-step, web traffic driving process

51. 6-step, web traffic driving process

52. Frequently Asked Questions. . . Your Website’s Workhorse

53. FAQ- The unsung heroes of your website Done right, the FAQ page helps to build trust, educate and further relationships 6- Guidelines for their development: Write answers, not descriptions Don’t be afraid to answer tough questions Avoid “Franken-speak” Register your copyrights Solve, don’t shill Treat your FAQ page as a doorway

54. Email On-line Marketing’s Best Kept Secret

55. Email marketing Email marketing is the most cost-effective ways to communicate with customers. Ecommerce business owners can use email marketing for: Building brand loyalty To acquire/convert customers Communicating promotional offers

56. Email marketing Why you should use email: It require very little effort and cost to get started. You don’t have to write that often. There are hordes of people that want to hear from you. It is a good way to do what you should be doing anyway – sharing your story! Opt-in’s want to be on your list

57. Online Surveys To Increase Customer Loyalty

58. Why use online surveys Surveys are great ways to show your customers that you value them. They enable you to stay connected and provide insight into how to run your business better. Here are 5 tips for creating better online surveys

59. 5-tips for better online surveys Fuzzy goals lead to fuzzy results. Start by asking yourself: What do you want to accomplish? What decisions or actions will I take as a result of the survey? You will have a more successful survey if you take some time to identify your goals. Be clear about the purpose of your survey.

60. 5-tips for better online surveys Make sure to keep your survey focused on a single objective. If it’s just a “nice to have” question, toss it. Tell respondents, up front, how much time it will take. 2. Keep the survey short and focused

61. 5-tips for better online surveys Its easy to influence a question’s outcome, so take particular care to stay neutral when wording the question. Many online survey tools have sample question to help avoid this error. 3. Keep your questions unbiased

62. 5-tips for better online surveys Open-ended questions are difficult to collate, analyze and react to. Closed-ended questions take the form of yes and no, are multiple choice or use a rating scale. Use open-ended questions as a supplement to provide color to your conclusions. 4. Use open-ended questions sparingly

63. 5-tips for better online surveys After analyzing your survey, share the results with your customers by sending them a summary e-mail or by posting the results on your website. This helps close the loop and shows your customers that you truly value their feedback and keeps the communication links open. 5. Share the results with your customers