Social Media is here to stay and through it the opportunities to communicate, influence, inspire, and inform are offering us ever expansive ways to sustain relationships, build new ones, connect with like-minded others we would otherwise never meet, and to participate at a higher level in what’s happening in the world. In this session you will learn the basic elements of the top social media sites today and get the knowledge you need to start up your profiles and start creating your online presence right away!

1. UNDERSTANDING AND
USING SOCIAL MEDIA
WITHOUT LOSING YOUR
MIND
Presented by
Sara Carbaugh

2. WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY TODAY
 What is Social Media
 New way(s) to communicate
 Types of Social Media
 Finding your Social Media Goal
 How to get started on:
 Twitter
 Facebook
 LinkedIn
 Google+
 A Basic Starting Plan

3. TYPES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
 Social Networking (What we’ll be focusing on)
 Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google +
 Blogging
 WordPress, Blogger
 Bookmarking sites
 Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Digg
 Photo / Video sites
 Flickr, Photobucket, YouTube
 Groups
 Google, Yahoo!, etc.

4. HOW DOES SOCIAL NETWORKING
WORK?
 Twitter = Cocktail Party
 “Check out what I just saw at Comic Con!”
 Facebook = Water Cooler
 “Look at this great article I just read!”
 LinkedIn = Networking Event
 “This is what I do. What do you do? How can we help
each other?”
 Google+ = A Possible combo of all of the above

5. FACEBOOK
 Personal Profiles
 Use these for friends and family
 Promote events sparingly
 Pages
 Create a Page for each business or brand you have
 Use these to promote your work
 Direct clients, publishers and other business related users to
your page NOT your profile

6. FACEBOOK PAGE

7. LINKEDIN
 Built to focus on creating connections
 Create a Company Page for additional
exposure
 Great for job searches or creating contacts in
a particular area
 Utilize the Q&A section to increase your visibility

8. LINKEDIN PROFILE

9. TWITTER
 Updates that are only 140 characters (micro-
blogging)
 Follow who you want to create a relationship with
 A GREAT way to bring your personality front and
center
 Utilize a site like HootSuite or Tweetdeck

10. TWITTER – HOOTSUITE

11. GOOGLE+
 The newest social media kid on the block
 Utilizes circles to organize contacts
 Very similar to Facebook so far in usability
 Included status sharing and video chatting
before Facebook
 Great for creating conversation

12. GOOGLE+

13. GET UP AND STRETCH!
Questions before we dig into how to use each
site?

14. WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?
 Why are you starting an account?
 What are you hoping to do?
 Who are you looking to connect with?
 Which social media site(s) will be the best fit?

15. USING FACEBOOK
 Deciding on your level of privacy
 Sign Up for a profile for friends and family
 Create a Page for your brand/Business
 Be careful with your privacy and account
settings
 Don’t post something you’ll regret later
 Coming Soon: Timeline

16. NEW FACEBOOK TIMELINE

17. USING LINKEDIN
 Have your resume available when you set up your
account
 Always send a personal note when sending a
connection invite
 Create recommendations for your connections
and ask for them in return
 Again, utilize the Q&A section to boost your
reputation

18. USING TWITTER
 Create your account along with a brand
oriented background
 Make sure you use an easy to see icon photo
 Create content that is in line with your brand
 RT and @reply more than you simply update to
create converstions

19. USING GOOGLE+
 Create your account through your current
Gmail account
 Utilize the Circles to create different groups of
people
 Send different updates to friends than you do to
clients and business peeps
 Create a Business Page
 Still a very new site with lots of potential

20. TO AUTOMATE OR NOT
 Hootsuite, Ping.fm
 Hiring a social media virtual assistant
 Linking your blog/newsletter to your social
media accounts
 Be careful: Social Media is supposed to be
SOCIAL!! You will only get back what you put
in.

21. WHAT IS A SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL MEDIA
PLAN?
 There are a number of ways to decide if you
have a winning social media plan
 Choose the one that best fits your goals
 Number of followers, friends or fans?
 Number of RTs and @replies?
 Number of comments?
 Number of leads generated?
 Number of contacts made?

22. BASIC STARTING PLAN
1. What is your goal?
2. Decide which site(s) to focus on.
3. Decide your time limit for the site(s).
4. Decide if/how you will automate your social
networking.
5. How will you gauge your success?
6. Have fun!
If one site doesn’t work try another!
Everyone uses social media in completely
different ways!

23. QUESTIONS?
 Follow me on Twitter: @creativeally
 Connect with me on Facebook, Google+ and
LinkedIn
 Sign up for my weekly newsletter and read my
blog by visiting my website:
http://www.yourcreativeally.com
 Don’t forget to fill out your questionnaire before
you leave!