Are you seeking a proven path to grow your business? Do you want to know how social media could build you a more profitable business? During this high-energy session, Michael Stelzner (founder of one of the world’s largest blogs – Social Media Examiner) will share the strategy he used to attract more than 550,000 monthly readers and generate millions in revenue – all in less than two years. You’ll walk away with a new and exciting way to rapidly build a following that will fuel your business growth for years to come.

1. Putting Social to Work:
How to Rapidly Grow Your
Fans, Your Prestige & Your
Business
Michael Stelzner
Social Media Examiner
@mike_stelzner • #cmworld
#cmworld

2. What you’ll learn...
• Why marketing must change
• How to eliminate reliance on marketing
channels
• Step-by-step strategy for massive growth
#cmworld

3. The road less traveled
• There is no easy path
• Success is hard work
– But you already know that!
• Social media is complicated
– So many options
– How does it all work?
– Where do I focus?
#cmworld

4. Marketing in the 1990s
• Yellow pages (for local
businesses)
• Magazine ads
• Radio spots
• Newspapers
• Direct mail
• Public relations
– Really means press relations
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5. Marketing in the 2000s
• Web banner ads
• Google pay-per-click
• Email newsletters
• White papers
• Press on major websites
• Direct press releases
• Google news
• Experimenting with blogs
• Internet radio
• YouTube
#cmworld

6. Today
• Print newspapers, yellow pages
and magazines mostly dead
• Public/press relations gone (along
with press releases)
• Internet music replaces radio
• Email replaces direct mail
• Web-based video replaces much of
TV
• Social networks become source of
news and greatly reduce search
engines
#cmworld

7. How do you find customers
today?
•Two ways:
– 1. You pay someone who has access to them
• This is always how marketing worked
• VERY costly
• Always reliant on others
– 2. You build your own audience
• You become the publisher
• Less costly, but still an investment
• You become independent
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8. Content drives social
media
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9. Examples of publishers
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10. More examples
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11. Why become a publisher?
• Lower marketing costs
– Don’t pay big $ to others
– Invest small amount in
creating great content
• More traffic
– Each piece of content is a pull
• Independence
1 week traffic on
– No longer reliant on outsiders Social Media Examiner
to bring you traffic
• Rapidly build your business
• Can sell ad space
#cmworld

12. 4-step strategy to growth
• Become a publisher
– Create valuable content
• Integrate social media
– Make it easy to share
• Build a community using existing social networks
– Bring people together using popular networks
• Build your own community
– Own your turf
#cmworld

13. Becoming a publisher: First
steps
•Determine who you want to reach
•Ask them what they want to know
– U
s
e
d
a
t
a
t
o
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14. Give your audience what they
want
• Produce content your audience
finds valuable
– How to
– Reviews
– Tips
• Recruit experts to help with your
content
– Craft posts
– Conduct interviews
#cmworld

15. Why work with outside
experts?
• They have extensive knowledge
– Something your readers seek
• They’ll often promote their content
– Brings you new readers
• Enhances credibility
– Can create a movement
(coopitition)
• Attracts other experts
– Power to peers!
• Can lead to alliances
#cmworld

16. How to recruit experts
• Step into their shoes
– Determine what they want
– Make it easy to say yes
• Typical desires:
– Exposure to right audience
– Promotion of new book/project
– Recognition
– Money
• Don’t ask for anything in return (nor
expect it)
– Gift mentality
#cmworld

17. What makes for great content
• Highly relevant
– Know your readers
• Educational
– Tell them how
• Easy to digest
– Conversational
– Short paragraphs
– Visuals
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18. What makes for great content
•Visually appealing
– Eye is path to mind
•Conversation inviting
– Ask for thoughts
•Lacks sales angle
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19. Creating an editorial
guide
• Write up a guide for writers:
– Original
– Audience profile
– Article length
– Tips on writing
•
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20. Types of content
• How to articles
– Share details
– Show people
• Expert interviews
– On camera, via Skype or
over phone
– Ask questions your
audience is interested in
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21. Types of content
• Reviews
– Books, products or
services
– Be honest
• Case studies
– Share success
stories of others
– Format: Challenge,
solution, results
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22. Types of content
• News stories
– Can be tricky if you
chase news
– Do weekly wrap-ups
• Can eliminate need
for your readers to
look elsewhere
#cmworld

23. Integrating social
• Make it easy for people
to share your content
• Few things to think
about:
– Most people never
log out of social sites
– If you make an action
effortless, more
people will take it
#cmworld

24. Twitter integration
• Tweet button
– Typically highest social #s
– Good for social proof
– Built into iOS 5
– Place at top and bottom
– Include suggested follow
• Follow button
– Grays out if following
• https://twitter.com/about/resour
ces/buttons
#cmworld

25. Facebook integration
• Facebook Like box
– Major source of fan growth
– Faces = powerful social proof
• Facebook Like/Send button
– Send allows targeted sharing
• New verbs coming
– Love, watched, own
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26. Facebook open graph protocol
• Tell Facebook how you want
content displayed
– Control image, title, link,
description
– LinkedIn also uses it
• Useful links
– http://ogp.me/
– http://developers.facebook.com/
tools/lint/
#cmworld

27. Google+
• Add badge to your page
– Google connects your content for
search benefits
– https://developers.google.com/
+/plugins/badge/config
• +1 button
– Very similar to Facebook
– Embed at bottom due to small
network size
– http://www.google.com/webmasters
/+1/button/
#cmworld

28. LinkedIn
• Many people connect
Twitter & LinkedIn
• Most popular shared
items show up on
LinkedIn Today
– Large source of traffic
for SME
• https://developer.linkedin.
com/plugins/share-button
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29. Share page
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30. Community building
• Once you have faithful
fans with common interest,
bring them together
– Surprised how fast it
happened
• Facebook is easiest
platform
– People spend time there
– You gain insights on
activity and fans
#cmworld

31. Our Facebook strategy
• Hired a community manager
– Answer all questions
• Break news on wall
– Keep folks informed
• Post third-party article daily
• Post our daily article
• Regularly ask questions
• Fan of the week
#cmworld

32. Building your own community
• Networking Clubs
– Facebook limits what
you can do with fans
– Hired developer
– Upgraded servers
• Gives fans a reason to
come back
• Creates more content on
your site!
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33. Networking Clubs
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34. Enable discussion
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35. Summary
• To become independent, become a publisher
– Reduces marketing expenses
– Generates more traffic
– Allows you to build a business
• Enable social sharing
• Build a community
– Start with free networks
– Build your own as you grow
#cmworld

36. Questions?
To learn more:
• SocialMediaExaminer.com
– Facebook.com/smexaminer
– Twitter: @mike_stelzner
• Suggested reading
– Launch: How to Quickly
Propel Your Business
Beyond the Competition
#cmworld