Social Media Marketing Taught by Naomi Bishop

www.socializemeseattle.com

What is Social Media?

What is Social Media?

• A tool, not a miracle• A manner of communication: A hearing aid,

not a megaphone• Content marketing

Is Social Media Marketing Free?

Yes:• Tools are free• Connections are free• Talking is free

No:• Your time is money• Contest

prizes/discounts• Designs/Strategy

Introduction

• Why use social media?• How is it the same or different from

traditional media?

Why Use Social Media to Market?

• Direct connection to customers• Find new clients• Create a space for people to be in your

business when not physically there– Or at a time when they aren’t looking for you

How is it Different from Traditional Media?

• There is no right way to do it• Fast moving

How is it Similar to Traditional Media?

• Awesome content wins• Garbage product still means garbage

reputation

Planning a Social Media Strategy

• Making Goals• Choosing Platforms• Locating Target Audiences• Choosing Tools• Choosing Voice• Creating a plan

Make Goals

• Long Term Goals• Short Term Goals

Choosing Platforms

• Facebook• Twitter• LinkedIn• Blog• YouTube• Yelp• Citysearch• Foursquare

Choosing PlatformsTwitter Facebook YouTube Blog Foursquare

Short bits of content required

Content required, needs to be varied

Need video capabilities

Involves a lot of writing

Prize donations/Specials

Daily time commitment (20 minutes or so)

Small, regular time commitments

Large amounts of time, not regularly

Weekly time commitment

Minimal time commitment

Locating your Target Audiences

• Poor users think their intended audience is not on there– CPA (Seattle Tax Man) says: my audience isn’t on

Twitter: http://twitter.com/seattletaxman – IBS Company: nobody wants to talk about the shits

www.twitter.com/glutenfreedr • Good users create an audience– Example: Allium Restaurant—on Orcas, has

positioned itself as a draw for Seattleites: http://twitter.com/alliumonorcas

Locating your Target Audiences

• Where are your current clients?• Where are people talking about your industry?—

and you!• Why are these people on social media?

Choosing Tools

• Applications• Desktop• Mobile

• URL Shortners/Picture Tools• Other tools• Follow finders: wefollow, twibes• Unfollow Finders: twitterless, qwitter• More: oneforty.com, web2review.com

Choosing Tools: Picking an App• Why use an app?• Easy interface• Help save you time• Notifications• Mentions• Searches• Certain lists

• Tweet delays

• What App to use?• Desktop• Tweetdeck (Adobe

Air)• Hootsuite (Web

based)• Iphone• Tweetdeck, Twitter,

Echofon• Android• Twidroid, Twitter,

Tweetdeck

Choosing Tools: URL Shortner

• Why use a URL Shortner?– Save space– Monitor stats

• Why use bit.ly?– Retweeted more than others– Bit.ly/+

Choosing Tools: What not to do

• Do not use any tool that will connect your Facebook to your Twitter. In either direction– Kills Kittens• Misses the point of SM Marketing• Tells audience you are not listening• Very difficult to hide (though possible)

– Hashtags– Links– @replies

Choosing the Voice

• Brand yourself as an expert– Will you give direction or offer suggestions?

• Answer questions– Link to outside sources or on your own reputation

• Outlook– Snarky or positive? Entertaining or earnest?

• One person or multiple?

Platform Specific Tools and Techniques

• Twitter• Facebook• Foursquare/SCVNGR

What to use Twitter for

• Community• Knowledge sharing• For business– Word of mouth

marketing– Industry watching– Customer Service

• Why does your audience use Twitter?– Support businesses—

and be rewarded for it www.twitter.com/pacific_place

– Keep up on news www.twitter.com/cnn

– Entertainment/Friendship: www.Twitter.com/conanobrien

A few of my favorite Twitter Analogies

• Cocktail Party– Don’t just talk about

yourself– Have multiple subjects– Be concise, but get your

message out– Don’t randomly add

unnecessary things (see hashtags)

– Don’t be afraid to jump into the conversation

• River– Be quick, eye-catching– Try to get tugged back

up stream– Call to the shore

A Few Twitter Basics

• Short, concise username• Fill out your bio/pic about yourself and what you

tweet about, location• Get a background going: utilize the space• Reach out• Be yourself• Don’t be afraid: There is no wrong answer!• Fail and fail fast with few followers• Use your manners

Using Twitter

• Impersonal, shotgun approach=impersonal followers–www.twitter.com/Rainshadowmeats

• Thought, effort, advice, engagement=engaged, loyal followers–www.twitter.com/sassyfitseattle

• Put out value (in knowledge, goods, time etc.)=Receive etc.–www.twitter.com/herbguy

Twitter Tips

• Think about when your audience will be on Twitter– Most retweeted is at noon

• Use your manners– Please (retweet)– Thanks (for talking me up, following, whatever)

• Participate– In chats in your industry (or out of it)– #FollowFriday, etc.

How to best use Facebook

• Front Page• User Generated Content• Posting Content

Facebook

• Create an online version of your business– They can’t come to you everyday, but they can

come here• Posting is like putting up a sign– Don’t have too many (too often)– Make sure it gels with your message/image

• You would invite your friends into your business, so why haven’t you invited them to your page?

Facebook

• Create a front page that makes you stand out– They’ll get to the wall later– Present your content– Show off on your terms

• If you don’t know FBML hire someone—simple design should be less than $200

Facebook

• If you post content to your wall your fans will see it (~50-200+)– For each fan who then likes or comments on the

post, all their friends see it (~200+ each)– Post interesting things by you, about you, related

to your industry and occasionally (not too often!) totally random

• Even better, get tagged in their post or photo (User Generated Content) and it goes on your wall

How to use Fourquare (or similar)

• Figure out whether you want to reward loyalty (mayor) or multiple check-ins (10th check in recieves) or numbers (check in to receive)

• Register• Check in—but always add extra info (value!)

– Encourage users to as well

• Add tips (and have others do so as well)• Leave tips at various places

– Photogs leave at venues– Caterers at preferred place

Creating a plan

• Create new goals– What will you do to achieve them– How will you measure them– Short and long term

Creating a plan

• Design Path– Where is ultimate goal?• On your website

– Making purchase– Browsing

• Physically in your store

Creating a Plan

• Choose Platforms– Format purpose for each outlet• i.e. Facebook as online version of physical space

– Geared toward current clients

– How often will you post on each platform• What type of post?• When will you design, write, and/or post?

Creating a Plan

• Create Schedule– Specify what day/where content will go– Specify what type of content– Specify who will post it

Schedule Example: Single Platform, goal event

Planning for things you can’t plan for

• How to respond to negative blog comments or Facebook posts– Keep or delete?– Respond or ignore?

• What to do with positive posts– Retweet– Thank

Measuring Your Social Media

• Fans/Likes– Go for increases, not hard numbers

• User Generated Content– Separate comments from user initiated

• Retweets• @Replies• Positive/Negative• Link clicks (bit.ly)

Other Business Uses of Social Media

• Reptutation Management• Customer Service• Feedback• Contests/Promotions• Industry Networking and B to B trades

Reputation Management

• People are talking about you on the web, you need to be listening!– Social Mention– Twitter Search– Google Alert

Reputation Management• People are reviewing you– Yelp– Google Places

• Free tools exist– Don’t leave info entry to public– Start the page with YOUR message– Respond to criticism

• Determine if it is factual (are you dealing with a sane person)• Apologize either way• See if you can somehow fix it/get them back in for a better

experience

Contests

Facebook• Involve posting content

– Photos– Videos– Blogposts

• Post rules directly in FB– On wall– In note

• They’ll have to ‘like’ to enter

Twitter• Require use of a unique

hashtag to track• Make it easy to retweet

(short)• Ask for comment-use to

gain insight• Have a static page with

rules– FB, blog or website

• Push multiple times

Next Steps

• Get going: Follow your plan• Experiment• Monitor what works, what doesn’t– Think about why– Edit plan

• Twit-Twitter Class• Hire Socialize Me– www.socializemeseattle.com