This document provides an overview of social media strategies for business beginners. It discusses establishing clear objectives and goals for social media use, identifying where target audiences engage online, and developing a strategic plan that includes tracking and measuring social media activities. The document also touches on managing risks when using social media and provides examples of how to engage audiences on platforms like Facebook. It emphasizes the importance of having a consistent brand presence and maintaining relationships with customers online.
1. with LISA HARRISON
Social media
for buSineSS
beGinnerS
create your
StrateGic plan
2. “The future of marketing integrates traditional and social tools, connected by successful,
ongoing relationships with media, influencers, and people. That’s right…it’s about
relationships and it’s about people. Relationships serve as the foundation for everything,
whether its traditional or new media, and the constant reminder that we’re reaching
people, and not audiences, will keep us on a path to relevance.”
Brian Solis 2007
International publisher in new media.
3. TWEETS GALORE!
Feel free to tweet!
Hashtag: #SSMM
@secretstomedia
whoo hoo learning all about @secretstomedia #ssmm
4. ACCESS THESE SLIDES ON.
http://www.slideshare.net/
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6. GROUP ACTIVITY.
Tell us about yourself,
your social media experiences and
expectations for today.
7. AGENDA.
I. Social media landscape
II. Personal v’s Professional
III. 7 Essential Ingredients Of A Successful
Social Media Campaign.
IV. Risks
V. Just do it!
8. Social networks in 2011 are dominated by Facebook world wide
2010: 1.97 billion internet users – 29% of the worlds population
10. WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
Everyone defines social media differently. So, how can you make sense of all those
definitions, and which one should you use for your business?
The answer is to accept the diversity and decide, as a business, what social media means
to you.
GROUP ACTIVITY
Define a term for social media in your own words relating to your
business.
11. WHY IS SOCIAL MEDIA GOOD FOR
BUSINESS?
As little as two years ago, social media may not have even been considered in the flow of
product information.
Brand reputation and awareness top the chart. Overall, the results show:
• Social media is a very effective branding strategy
• SEO uses social media to improve rankings and drive traffic
• Lead generation effectiveness may be lower on the list, but best practices are
emerging rapidly
• Used in purchasing decisions
12. PERSONAL V’S PROFESSIONAL.
When using social media for personal and professional there will alway be a blur between
the two. The trick is to make sure you understand the implications and tools avaliable
to keep the the separated as clear as you can. The first step is to ensure you have done
these things on your personal profile:
• hide your year of date
• update your bio
• have a profile photo that is recent and looks exactly like you to build trust
• make sure you are happy with your contact information,
• revise privacy settings.
• Facebook - make friend lists - control who see what, filter news feeds, control chat
avaliability.
13. SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUR BUSINESS.
Why are you choosing to use social media? Why not advertising?
OR beefing up your marketing?
GROUP ACTIVITY
What business objectives are you linking your social media to?
14. COMMITMENT AND READINESS.
Determine and prepared for the time
commitment and resources necessary to be
successful.
Assess if this venture will complement or take
away from your existing activities.
15. 7SECRET INGREDIENTS FOR
DAZZLING SUCCESS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA.
1. KNOW your niche
2. CREATE a world class, consistent brand
3. set CLEAR aims and objective
4. fish where the fish are
5. have a social media POLICY and STRATEGIC plan
6. drive traffic into your funnel
7. track, measure and monitor
18. CUSTOMISED PAGES.
If your business is on Facebook, adding a custom landing page can have a big impact on
your presence there. A custom landing page can help drive web traffic, add value to your
online marketing efforts and increase sales.
A custom Facebook landing page can:
1. Highlight a call to action.
2. Drive interest in current promotions, events and products.
3. Do something DIFFERENT.
4. Personalize your company in an impersonal world.
5. Welcome visitors to your page.
6. Determine ROI with iFramed landing page tabs.
7. Highlight special offers for “Liking” your page..
8. Draw attention to your “Like” button.
9. Showcase your creativity or humor with unique content.
10. Call attention to your value propositions.
19. 3. SET CLEAR AIMS AND OBJECTIVES.
S pecific
M easurable
A ttainable
R elevant
T ime-bound
20. GOALS.
Goal-setting, and writing those goals down,
is an essential component of success. It’s also
essential to really managing your social media
expectations as well.
When you have something to work for, rather
than despairing over what you don’t have,
you’re just more productive.
GROUP ACTIVITY.
21. SOME HELPFUL HINTS ON SETTING
SOCIAL MEDIA AIMS.
Starting at this broad level and thinking about the goals you have for your business can help
you begin to write up a list of realistic ways in which social media might help you reach those
goals.
Some pointers before you dive in:
• Set only a few very specific goals.
• Be realistic.
• Make sure you can measure the results.
• Make sure your monthly goals are aligned with the general objectives of having your business online.
• Choosing a goal that is bigger than you are. Be pulled forward by it, instead of pushing yourself.
• Knowing what is unique about your business. And design your plan to fully promote them.
• Learning how your business naturally operates. Come to honour your business dynamic.
• Making what you don’t know more interesting than what you do know. Enjoy learning more than demonstrating what
you’ve learned.
• Stopping resistance. Assimilate and learn from events the first time they occur.
• Connecting with a compelling vision. It’s easier to create a plan of action when you know where you want to go.
• Focusing on the source of the problem, not the symptom. Do complete work and move forward, rather than in
circles.
• Making the present perfect. You’ll make the most of today because you’re not wishing it were different.
• Detaching from the outcome. You’ll enjoy the journey when you aren’t focusing only on results.
• Your goals are business goals. What do you hope to achieve using social media?
• Brain-Storming marketing goals - I always suggest to brainstorm and get input from all the business participants
when it comes to setting marketing goals for the coming year.
24. 5. HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
AND STRATEGIC PLAN.
Social media is growing up and requires grown-up social media strategists.
It not appropriate in 2011 to take social media strategy advice from your 16-year old
nephew who set up your Facebook fan page. If you business is going on the feeling that
‘this is something important so I’m going to do it even if I don’t know why.’ Or worse,
your competitors earn accolades in the press for their work in social media, and your
afraid of losing any more ground.
Solution: If social media is your job, invest in professional development or hire help.
Businesses can no longer afford to invest their time, people and resources in social media
recklessly. Social media needs to part of an integrated media strategy - fast.
26. SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY CHECKLIST.
The principles of transparency and openness are key. This checklist will help you identify
the appropriate ways to interact with the social media community in line with your overall
brand identity and business ethos.
• Disclosure Of Identity
• Personal/Unofficial Use Of Social Media
• Community Relations
• Compensation And Incentives
• Agency And Contractor Disclosure
• Creative Flexibility
• Consequences
27. DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND PIN
POINT YOUR DIRECTION.
This way you can concentrate your efforts and not waste time, remember time is
money.
Just because Facebook boasts 600 million users, it doesn’t mean that they are all
active, in fact around half add status updates on there daily and “not everybody is
interested in what you have to offer!”
28. THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
Thanks to facebook and other social media channels Nestle has an enormous public
relations mess to deal with in March 2011 when Greenpeace created a parody video.
30. SOCIAL MEDIA HAS CHANGED THE
SALES CYCLE TO THE BUYING CYCLE.
1. Acknowledging the need
2. Awareness
3. Research
4. Consideration (the short list)
5. Evaluation
6. Purchase
7. Applications
8. The Experience
9. Reaction
10. Opportunity for advocacy
32. RETHINKING MARKETING.
OUTBOUND MARKETING. INBOUND MARKETING.
Interrupt consumers Permission to
communicate
• Telemarketing
• SEO/SEM
• Trade Shows
• Blogging
V’S
• Direct mail
• Social Media
• Email Blasts
• RSS
• Print ads
• Free tools/trials
• TV/Radio ads
• Viral videos
33. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR
AUDIENCE IS?
One key reason companies fail in social media is because they don’t know where their audience
is. Too many times, overexcited business owners see the latest and greatest social media tools
talked about on the cable news channels and think, “we have to be there.”
Profiles of internet users
Think of your“target audiences” in terms of:
• Passionates
• Influencers
• Ad-Hocs
34. SO HOW DO YOU DETERMINE WHO
IS WHO.
Every case is different but typically:
a) Pay attention to the Ad-Hocs immediately, ubiquitously, forever;
b) Seek out and engage the Passionates; then, when you’re ready,
c) Approach the Influencers.
The Ad-Hocs should be buzzing about you in a nice way to give you the street cred to say
hello to the Passionates — who are particularly wary of marketers.
Win them over and you’ll have staunch defenders online, as well as a better-defined path
to the Influencer communities.
35. ENGAGEMENT.
Social media in B2B marketing is a fascinating place to be at the moment. The
temptation to chase after the latest shiny object used in social media marketing is just too
easy…not to mention distracting.
Absolutely, social media needs to be integrated into existing marketing methods.
However, it’s more than simply adding a Twitter icon to the bottom of an email campaign.
The core value of social media is the fact that you meet, greet, chat and interact with
PEOPLE.
Here are some tips for engaging your social network:
1. Listen Then Leap
2. Be a person – Not a logo
3. Be Responsive
4. Ask And You Shall Receive
5. Act Within Social Media Guidelines
37. RISK MANAGEMENT.
Increased presence on social media, means increased interaction with consumers
Engaging in conversations that break down traditional barriers to communication.
Businesses open to new risks as well.
38. STEPS TO MINIMISING RISK.
To minimize the risk of a loss or damage to the company’s reputation, companies can take a
number of steps:
1. Actively engage on social network venues to understand how reputation can be
impacted by the interactions
2. Gather information on the social media activities your company is considering. Then
assess the areas of vulnerability, create counteraction plans and communicate them
to employees.
3. Develop a comprehensive “new media” policy. The policy should establish the
ground rules for all employees — not just those in marketing — on communicating
online, including social networking.
4. Establish a social media point person. There should be at least one person, if not a
team, in charge of overseeing the company’s social media activities and responding
in the event of a crisis.
5. Review general liability policies have very restrictive coverage regarding advertising
injuries.
39. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT.
I challenge you to develop your own Facebook engagement spreadsheet and fill
it with your data. Spend the rest of January and February plugging in your weekly
numbers from Insights and answer these questions:
• Is the activity on your page increasing parallel to the growth of your fan base?
• Are you maintaining more page activity than content hides on a consistent
basis?
• Where is the strongest concentration of your fan base geographically, and is
it where it should be?
40. LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE.
To understand how we got to this point so quickly, here is how the web has evolved:
• 1996 we had Web 1.0
• 2006 Web 2.0
• 2011 In Web 3.0