Presentation on using social media for business development and expert positioning for the West Dallas Chamber's first "Brainstorm at the Belmont" lunch series. Presented by Cooper Smith Koch, Principal at Cooper Smith Agency Public Relations on June 1, 2012.

2. Nice to Meet You!
● How many of you are on Facebook?
Twitter? LinkedIn? Pinterest?
● How many of your organizations have
websites? Are you able to update the site
easily and quickly?
● What do you most hope to take away from
this talk?

3. Three Types of Media
1. Paid - Advertising placements
2. Earned - Editorial coverage in the media,
a.k.a "Publicity"
3. Owned - Websites, Blogs, e-Newsletters,
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.)

4. The Changing Media Landscape
The definition and role of "the media" has
changed significantly in the past 3-5 years.
● Recession = massive staffing cuts
● Social Media has grown exponentially
● It's unacceptable for a magazine to not also
have a blog and a regular e-mail update.
● Newsrooms are doing more work with less
people = less depth of coverage

5. Top Social Networks
900 Million Users 182 Million Users
150 Million Users 170 Million Users
104 Milliion
(and growing FAST!)

6. Top Reasons for Social Media
The objective of everything you do should be to
grow your business. Here's how social media
can help:
● Help people find the
business/organization
● Win new clients, customers or donors
● Earn repeat business
● Make the sales cycle process easier
● Recruit & retain top talent

7. Strategies
For most businesses, it's all about helping you
get found online and positioning you as an
expert at what you do.
● Share your specialized expertise and
point-of-view.
● Give your brand a personality.
● Profile your projects, products, etc.
● Spread the word when you're highlighted
somewhere.

8. Getting Found Online (SEO)
"Google It" is now a verb and how most people find what
they're looking for.
● Content that's high quality & updated.
● In-bound links from reputable sites.
● Social sharing.
● Page titles & tags.
Tip: No PDFs.

9. Social Media & Online Outreach
The goal is to make you an expert on a specific
topic and to make you easy to find, contact and
engage.
● Blog - This will be the central hub of all of your online activities where you
can share your insights, opinions, industry news, etc.
● e-Newsletter - Talking directly to your clients, prospective clients and
anyone who has an interest in your firm or the given topic.
● Social Web - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, etc.

10. Tips
1. It's Not About You, It's About Your Customer - Be a
resource for information, fun facts, etc. Give them a reason
to see value in following you. (80/20 Rule)
2. Stop Shilling, Start Filling - Don't be overly
promotional. This is not a sales channel. It's a
PR/engagement tool.
3. Keep It Simple - Avoid jargon and keep it short. If you
think it needs to be longer, it can likely be broken up into
multiple posts.

11. Tips
4. Think Keywords - Think like the person you want to find
you and use the words they would use.
5. Be Human! - It's more than okay to have a personality,
it's encouraged!

12. Example:
You're featured/quoted in a story.
1. Post to website - Highlight that you were "as seen/quoted in."
2. Share story online - Share story on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.
3. Expand on the topic on your blog - Move the story forward and provide
additional perspectives.
4. Share blog post - Share with publication, reporter and "fans" via social
web.
5. e-Newsletter - Tell your contacts about the story, and your expanded
thoughts. This builds credibility through 3rd party validation.

13. Expectations
● In-depth print coverage is a thing of the past.
Articles will be short and photo-driven.
● It's the message, not the medium.
○ Stop asking "Is it going to be in the print version,
too?"
○ Online coverage has more eyes and uses.
● Less control...and that's okay.
● Embrace social media.
● It's a lot of work!

14. Trends in Social Media & PR
● Brands as Publishers/Journalists
○ Skip "traditional media" and talk directly to your
audience in an editorial voice (not salesy).
○ Microsites, microsites, microsites
○ Video will be huge.
● The media will continue to do more with less.
○ PR folks are more necessary than ever, but will be
expected to act like embedded journalists, not brand
representatives (no jargon, marketing-speak).

15. Trends for 2012 (con't)
● Social media is here to stay and will be
bigger than ever.
○ Integration in every thing you do is necessary.
○ "Twit Pitch" - The pitch in 140 characters or less.
● SEO will grow as a PR function.
● Flash is a dead technology.

16. What Do I Do Now?
1. Build a website.
2. Jump in! - Start blogging, start talking to Twitter followers, set up your
Facebook page
3. Launch an eNewsletter - Share your news, point to informative
resources, highlight a recent project/product
4. Integrate Social Media into everything you do - Add
Twitter & Facebook icons to your site; list them on your menus; etc.

17. Thank You & Q&A
● Questions?
Cooper Smith Koch
cooper@coopersmithagency.com