Kristel Hayes, Mesh Marketing Creative GroupApril, 2012

EMBRACING SOCIAL MEDIASuccess on Any Budget

What We’ll Cover...

As with any other marketing efforts, attracting and engaging an audience on social media requires strategic planning.

Getting StrategicGetting Focused

The first step in building an engaged following on social media is knowing who you’re

talking to, and what they need.

Getting Results

Understanding your “social media sales funnel”:

Awareness > Interest > Action

Hi! I’m Kristel...

I like dogs, singing, the great outdoors,

and helping businesses achieve their business goals

thru online marketing.

More Specifically...

Bachelor of Music from UCI• learned to promote & present myself to people who are most likely to enjoy what I do• learned to get creative visuals, audio, video, and most importantly, how to engage my audience• learned to work with NO budget• old school...back when we used word processors & copy machines

San Francisco : Sales/Marketing/PR for Britanne Corporation• “snuck” email & internet access into the picture• thought leader w/in my organization to leverage online marketing• helped grow the brand & sales over 200% annually on a VERY tight budget

Maine: Began Work as Independent Consultant• Helping small businesses present the best version of themselves. • Auditing current efforts, and building strategies based on those observations• Empowering clients to maximize efforts based on their unique budget limitations via best channels for their organization.

Organizations I’ve Enjoyed Working With...

So Enough About Me

What is Social Media?

noun : forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which

users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos)

What is Social Media?

Any media or communication method your organization uses to engage its ideal target audience

The goal is not to be good at social media...

The goal is to be good at business because of social media.

~Jay Baer

Social Media is no longer the Wild Wild West. As folks become more savvy, it’s important to be sure your efforts are focused and effective.

Promoting a Social Media Channel You do not Actively Participate in is Like Opening an un-staffed Office.

Get Focused & Be Present

Everyone likes vanilla, but is it really all that interesting to anyone?

"If you dont have a big budget, you need to be the Pistachio"

~Sally Hogshead

Know Your Ideal Audience

10/12

WHO is most likely to support an engage with your organization?

GET SPECIFIC man or woman, how old, how many kids, what kind of car do they drive, what do they order at Starbucks?

DEVELOP your voice so that you are speaking directly to that person.

Who is your ideal target audience?

Who is Your Ideal Target Audience?

• Male or Female?• What’s their name? • How old are they? • Tall or Short?• What color hair/eyes do they have?• What do they do for a living?• What car do they drive?• Married?• Kids?• Attitude toward the world?• What do they do on Friday nights?• What keeps them up at night?• How does this make them feel?

Digging deep helps you connect.

Digging deep doesn’t just help your organization develop a specific voice...

It creates messaging that will attract your ideal target audience and allow them to

connect with your message on a truly emotional level.

Be Strategic

“Organize, don't agonize.” ~ Nancy Pelosi

Create a Strategic Plan

Objectives & Goals

What do we want to accomplish?

Tactics

What tools and tactics will help us accomplish our goals?

ROI

How will we measure success?

TAKE ACTION: Write down THREE primary objectives for your organization on social media

The Social “Sales Funnel”

Awareness

The initial goal is to make your target audience aware of your brand. This is a necessary prerequisite to moving them further down the conversion path. This primarily takes the form of a “follow” or “like”.

Measured by Followers/Fans

Awareness

Interest

Once you’ve generated awareness, you need to generate interest in your prospects. This involves creating and/or sharing interesting, relevant content that drives engagement and clicks from your followers.

Measured by clicks and engagement

Interest

Action

Prospects have been groomed down the path to conversion. This can be an event signup, trip purchase, or simple micro-conversion, such as a page-view...

Measured by social conversions

Action

Awareness

Basic Awareness Strategies Awareness

Add URLs to email signature Include URLs on biz cards Link personal profiles to Facebook biz page Email subscribers & give them a reason to become a fan • contest / giveaway• discount• great content• some sort of incentive that will be valuable to YOUR target audience

BONUS: Add Like box to thank you / confirmation pages, about page, anywhere you have lots of traffic

Add a Like Box to your website• Allows people to LIKE your FB page w/o leaving site• Shows YOUR friends who like the page at top of faces grid• Similar tools available for other channels (just ask your friend Google)

TAKE ACTION: Write down ONE basic awareness strategy you’re not using and commit to implementing it within 24-48 hours.

• Add URLs to email signature• Include URLs on biz cards• Link personal profiles to Facebook biz page• Email subscribers & give them a reason to become a fan • contest / giveaway• discount• great content• some sort of incentive that will be valuable to YOUR target audience

• Add a Like Box to your website

Awareness

Interest

How to engage and encourage interest... Interest

Use Images to Tell Your Story • Users are more likely to engage with photos• Photos on Facebook generate 53% more likes than avg post• Images, when done right can drive traffic to your site via Pinterest• Great tools to elevate images: PicMonkey, Snagit, & Instagram

Rocking the Visuals... Interest

How to engage and encourage interest... Interest

Get Active Outside of Social, and your ideal audience will make the effort of finding you via their preferred channels.

Think “Story” not “Promotion”

• Convey your organizations mission w/peeks behind the scenes

• Share “on location” stories & images

• Speak directly to your ideal target audience...they WANT to hear your story

Venture Outside the Social Media Box

• Attend networking events

• Say “yes” to interviews

• Create awesome video & blog content that people will be eager to share

TAKE ACTION: Write down ONE basic interest strategy you’re not using and commit to implementing it within 24-48 hours.

• Use Images to Tell Your Story • Think “Story” not “Promotion”• Peeks behind the scenes• Share “on location” stories & images• Speak directly to your ideal target audience...they WANT to hear your story

• Venture Outside the Social Media Box• Attend networking events• Say “yes” to interviews• Create awesome video & blog content

Interest

Action / Results

Measuring Results

16/14

Action

• Google Analytics• Surveys• Email Campaign Analytics• Social Media Analytics• Attendance Records• Financial Records

Whatever your objectives are, you need to identify

how you will measure results before you begin efforts to get there.

The B Word

What to Budget For...

Analysis & Planning

AuditStrategizeExecuteRinse & RepeatExpect 3-4 hrs/month

Conversation & Outreach

Content CurationGraphic Design & ManipulationHeavy Focus on Visual MarketingEducate. Entertain. Inform.Expect 2-3 hrs/week per channel

Learning & EducationFree WebinarsOnline Video & Forum MembershipsIndustry Leader BlogsIndustry Leader E-NewsList at the end of this presentationExpect 3-4 hrs/month

What to Budget For...

Don’t forget to budget for ads!

• Google Ad Words• Facebook• Twitter• LinkedIn

ALL of these platforms allow you to set your own budget, and you will want to be strategic in exactly which objectives can be best supported with ads.

How much should we budget for online advertising?

What is the value YOU place on the actions & results you hope to achieve with online ads?

Resources

Resource Lists: Measurement

Dashboards• Google Analytics• HootSuite (plans start at $5.99/month)• RavenTools (plans start at $99/month)Channel Specific (free)• Facebook Analytics• Pinterest Analytics• LinkedIn Analytics• YouTube Analytics• Twitter: FollowerWonk

Resource Lists: Learning

Free Resources• Blogs / Subscriptions • Social Media Today• Social Media Examiner• Social Fresh• Amy Porterfield (FB page)• Jay Baer / Convince & Convert• Mari Smith • Webinars

Like what you see on these blogs/websites? Be sure to subscribe to receive tips & webinar invites via email.

Resource Lists: Learning

Are you on Facebook?

Subscribe to my“Social Media Marketing”feed to tap into the feeds of my favorite resources and colleagues on Facebook.

http://bit.ly/SocialFBFeed

Resource Lists: Learning

Incredible Value• In Depth Library of How To Videos• Interactive Forums/Group Pages on FB• Lifetime Memberships for one flat price• Consistently updated for most current best practices

FB InfluenceFBInfluence.com

$97

LinkedIn InfluenceLinkedInfluence.com

$97

PowerOfPinningPowerofPinning.com

$197

Coming Soon from Mesh Marketing

How-To Video LibrarySocial Media Basics & Quick TipsWordpress How To Basics

Dr’s Hours at Roost House of Juice20 min appts - bring your list of online marketing questionsIncludes a Green Juice

Private Coaching2 hour time slotsOne-on-one help with your social media & online marketing challenges

Social Media AuditsAudit > Strategy > Initial Content Calendar

Services On RetainerMonthly Audits & Planning, Assistance with social voice, blog content & community management, and more...

Be among the first to know as new services are launched:Subscribe for free content, updates, and exclusive invitations at http://meshmarketing.biz/FreeUpdates

Blog & Website Design

“Everything is Figureoutable”

~Marie Forleo

Thank You!

Contact me

websitehttp://MeshMarketing.biz

Kristel HayesFounder

Facebook.com/MeshMarketing

@MeshMarketing

LinkedIn.com/company/Mesh-Marketing-Creative-Group-LLC