Get Social:Small Business' Guide to Social Media Success

Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Getting Started on TwitterChapter 2: Diving into FacebookChapter 3: Loving LinkedInChapter 4: Understanding Google+Chapter 5: Using YouTubeChapter 6: Picking Up PinterestChapter 7: Promoting Your Social Channels

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Get Social: Small Business' Guide to Social Media Success

Introduction

If you haven’t heard about the virtues of social media for small business, you might be living under a rock like we were here at CorpNet.com when we first embarked on getting our business social! Social media is rapidly becoming the marketing tool of choice for businesses of all sizes. But for small businesses, tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are even more important, since they’re affordable to use (they just require the time to manage the accounts) and are a great place to connect with customers.

Social media helps brands engage with consumers. What that means is that instead of forcing a customer to watch a commercial, view a print ad or click an online banner ad, a company can talk to customers directly (and believe us: they like being heard!). They can get feedback from customers about their experiences, as well as their thoughts about new products. Companies can find out quickly when a customer is unhappy through social media, and can take steps to remedy the situation.

For customers, social media provides a great way to learn more about a company. A Facebook page for a brand, for example, might offer photos or videos of a product a person is considering buying. She might find that the company is hosting a contest that she then enters and tells her friends about. Social media creates a degree of trust between brands and consumers that you simply can’t get anywhere else.

“But I Don’t Know The First Thing About Tweeting!”Fortunately, social media is easy enough to pick up, and because the tools are free, it fits perfectly into your small business budget (which is likely pretty small). That being said, if you don’t have the time to manage your own social media, you can hire a freelancer or marketing agency to handle it on your company’s behalf. It all comes down to what you have more of: time or money.

Social media is great because it’s easy to measure what sources send traffic to your site using Google Analytics (also free). You’ll get a report of which sites referred traffic to yours, so you can see if your efforts on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube or Pinterest are netting the results you want. If they’re not, you can easily shift gears and change your focus.

Social Media is All About BrandingAll that being said, however, keep in mind that social media marketing isn’t about instantly doubling your sales. It’s about building trust and relationships with potential and existing customers. You do that by providing value, not sharing link after link about how great your products are and self promoting.

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We’ll get into what you should share on each social site later in this guide, but the big picture is: valuable content. Whether that’s a link to a blog post (whether you wrote it or not), a video or a photo, it should deliver value to your followers. They should want to click those links because they know what you share is good stuff.

The Big PlayersWe’ll go in detail on each of these social networking tools, but to begin, let’s get an overview of the primary players in the social media space. Keep in mind: these will likely change, and others will be added to this list over time, simply because there are constant innovations in social media technology.

• Twitter: great for sharing links and short comments in 140 characters or less.• Facebook: good for longer posts, videos and images.• Google+: great for sharing blog links and starting dialogue about them.• LinkedIn: groups are great for creating conversations around a specific topic of interest.• YouTube: excellent for sharing how-to videos.• Pinterest: ideal for sharing images that relate to the lifestyle your brand portrays.

CorpNetNellie’s Social Media Tips

1. Social Isn’t the Place for the Hard SellIt’s hard to resist sometimes, but keeping the hard sell out of social media is the best strategy. Keep only 5-10% of your social media activity as self-promotional, and focus the rest of your efforts on growing trust.

2. You Don’t Have to be EverywhereThere’s a lot going on in the social world, and you’ll make yourself crazy if you try to be everywhere. Instead, focus on one or two of the channels most relevant to your business (i.e. where your customers are) and dedicate your efforts there. Remember that having profiles that you never update makes your brand look shoddy, so in this case, less is more.

3. You Don’t Have to Keep Up With the Big BrandsYou’ll never have the deep pockets of a corporation, so don’t try to mimic big brands in their social media efforts, especially contests. Rather than giving away 10 iPads, which you probably can’t afford, give away products you can afford, and that your customers will appreciate.

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4. Social Media Isn’t “Free”While yes, it’s free to set up a Twitter or Facebook account, remember that it will cost you: in time and effort. Social media requires constant commitment, from keeping fresh content on your accounts to engaging your community. Unless you consider your time (or the time of your employees) worthless, there is cost involved with social media. For example, if it takes one employee approximately ten hours a week to manage social media accounts, you can assign a hard cost to the effort.

5. Don’t Measure Success by Follower CountsStarbucks has more than 1.3 million followers on Twitter. You probably don’t, and that’s okay. As a small business, you shouldn’t get caught up in the numbers game or try to keep up with the big brands. Growing your community is important, but you should be focused on who’s engaging with you and at what levels. It’s tempting to pay a service that promises to deliver thousands of followers literally overnight. However, in the long run it’s more important to have a devoted, enthusiastic community. Be patient. It’s organic growth that matters. Things don’t (and won’t) happen overnight.

6. Learn From the ExpertsThere are some great companies and brands doing great things with social media, so there’s no reason for you to reinvent the wheel. Get ideas for your own social media campaigns by seeing what other companies in your space (or other industries) are doing. But don’t be a copycat! Just because something worked for one company doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your community, and of course, copying isn’t ethical. Find your own path, but take notes along the way.

How to Use This GuideWe at CorpNet.com designed this guide to help you set up your social media accounts as well as develop a strategy for connecting with potential customers. We’ve broken the chapters down by each social media platform (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest).

At the end of each chapter are Terms to Know. If, while reading the chapter you come across a word you’re not familiar with, flip ahead to the end of the chapter to find out its meaning.

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Chapter 1: Getting Started on Twitter

Twitter allows you to share updates in 140 characters or less. You’ll quickly learn how to say what you need to say in as few words as possible! You can follow others who have similar interests as you, potential customers or even competitors, and others can follow you.

Creating a Twitter AccountIf you don’t yet have a Twitter account set up for your business, set one up here. Go ahead. We’ll wait. Fill out your profile in detail and include a link to your site, as well as your company logo or a photo of yourself.

When creating your Twitter name, choose wisely. If you’re representing your company, go with your company name, or an abbreviation of it. If you’re branding yourself, you can use your own name. For example, we use @CorpNet to brand our company, but our very own CEO, Nellie Akalp, has her own Twitter account as @CorpNetNellie. Sometimes the content overlaps, but mostly it doesn’t. The company account is the voice of the company, whereas Nellie has her own distinct voice on Twitter.

CorpNetNellie’s Twitter Tips

• You don’t have to follow everyone who follows you. Focus instead on people who have similar interests, are in the same or parallel industries, or who have talked about your brand or type of product.

• Go beyond those that follow you and actively follow others. There’s no exact science to it, but aim to follow more than the number of people who follow you.

• Use Twitter etiquette at all times! Pretend you’re at a dinner party. Don’t just talk about yourself! Ask about the other person as well, and focus on providing valuable comments.

What to TweetYou’ve set up your Twitter account. Now what? Here comes the fun. Don’t be intimidated by not knowing what to share on Twitter. This section will give you plenty of ideas.

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Your best strategy on Twitter is to share a mix of different types of updates. Remember to keep the self-promotional posts to about 5-10% of your total tweets. Here’s what you should be sharing:

• Personal comments: don’t go overboard sharing personal information, but do put some personality into your tweets.• Company news: share those news tidbits you’re excited about.• Retweet others’ tweets: great way to build relationships with other Tweeters.• Links to interesting blog content: consider what your audience/customers would be interested in reading.• Your own blog links: increase readership to your own blog.• Ask questions: create interesting conversations around topics relating to your industry.• Answer questions: be the expert by lending your own advice.

“How Frequently Should I Tweet?”There’s no magic number for tweeting. The more you do tweet, however, the more your followers will see what you’re sharing and click the link, retweet it or otherwise take action.

Aim to tweet every day, several times a day, if at all possible. There are some fantastic tools, which we’ll cover in the next section, that you can use to schedule your tweets in advance so that you’re not tied to your computer 24 hours a day.

Following HashtagsIf you’ve dabbled on Twitter, you’ve likely seen words with a hashtag in front of them, like: #smallbiz. These are simply referred to as “hashtags,” and they’re designed to organize content on a particular subject. If you search on Twitter for #smallbiz, you’ll find dozens of people who are talking about smal business and using this hashtag right now. It’s a great way to find new people to follow.

Hashtags are also used in TweetChats, which are events held at predesignated times when people discuss specific topics. For example, #SMBChat is frequently used to gather small business owners together to talk about topics they’re interested in.

Did You Know?

Twitter.com is often not the best tool for finding new people to follow and following tweets in real time. Check out the tools below for other tools that amp up your Twitter experience.

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Top Twitter ToolsIt seems like new Twitter tools pop up every day, but here are a few of our favorites.

• HootSuite: HootSuite allows you to post to not only Twitter, but also Facebook, LinkedIn and other social sites. You can set up columns for what you want to be able to quickly skim, such as all tweets for a given hashtag, or from a handful of other Tweeters. You can also schedule your tweets in advance. Note: basic use is free, and there are paid subscriptions as well.

• ClickToTweet: Type in a tweet you’d like others to share, and ClickToTweet will generate a link for it. Then you can give someone else the URL and the tweet will automatically populate for them on Twitter, making it easier for them to share your updates.

• Co-Tweet.com: Tweeting from CoTweet will allow you to see the stream of those you follow, as well as give you the opportunity to interact with new people. You can RT any tweet you find interesting, @ people you want to connect with, and find new people to follow. Note: there is a fee for this subscription based service.

• Buffer: Add the plugin to your browser, and by clicking it on a webpage you want to share, the content is automatically added to your Buffer, which sends out tweets at pre-set times throughout the day. Note: basic use is free, and there are paid subscriptions as well.

• TweetChat: If you’re participating in a TweetChat, this tool will help you follow the stream of tweets for a given hashtag. It’s useful because TweetChats tend to move quickly, and you can often miss out on great tweets via Twitter.com.

Terms to Know

• @Reply: When someone sends you a tweet, you have the option to reply to that comment. You can click the “reply” button or simply put @ in front of the username, such as:

Example: @CorpNetNellie that’s a great idea! thanks for sharing!

• Direct Message (DM): This is a private message on Twitter. To send one, click the message button, or put a “D” in front of the username:

Example: D CorpNetNellie here’s the link we discussed: http://www.corpnet.com

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• Follower: A person who receives your stream of tweets on his homepage of Twitter.

• Follow Friday (#FF): A hashtag used on Fridays to highlight people on Twitter you think are worth mention.

• Hashtag (#): Marks keywords on topics you can follow on Twitter. Some like #smallbiz are frequently used, and you can search for them to see who’s talking about a subject.

• Retweet (RT): A Twitter message shared by others. Click the “retweet” button or copy message and add RT in front of the username.

• Tweet: The public message you send when you type in the message box. Anyone who follows you will be able to view this.

• TweetChat: A scheduled event on Twitter where participants discuss a given topic. It typically includes a hashtag that organizes the tweets for the event.

• Tweeter: Person who tweets.

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Chapter 2: Dive into Facebook

Facebook’s not just for teenagers! Thousands of businesses--small and large--have business pages on Facebook as a way to connect with customers and create a one-stop shop for everything relating to their brands.

Page Versus ProfileThere’s a bit of confusion about the difference between a personal profile and a business page on Facebook. In a nutshell, a profile is what you use for you, the person. A page is what you use for your brand. There are a few key differences between the two.

On a personal profile, you can “friend” other people (that is: send a request to connect so that you can see one another’s information and updates). You can’t do that with a page (likely because we’d all be inundated with companies wanting to be our friends!). What you can do with your page is share it on your profile wall so more people see it, as well as invite people you’re already friends with to Like the page.

You have to have a personal profile in order to create a brand page, though there won’t be a visible connection to the outside world between the two. So if you only want to share pics of your kids on your personal profile, no one who likes your company’s page will be able to access those pictures unless you friend them.

When you create your Facebook page, you are the Admin, meaning you have authorization to make changes to the page. You can also assign others the role of Admin, Manager, Content Creator, Advertiser or Insights Analyst, depending on what each person should be able to do on your page. Find out more about what each of those roles consists of on Facebook’s Help Page.

Creating a Facebook Page for Your BusinessAssuming you already have a personal profile, click the “Create a Page” link at the bottom of any page on Facebook. You’ll be presented with options as far as what kind of page you want to create:

• Local business or place• Company, organization or institution• Brand or product• Artist, band or public figure• Entertainment• Cause or community

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The purpose of this is that each type of page is geared toward its category, so choose the one that fits best. Then, select the category your business falls under and give it a name. Note: it’s a bit difficult to get your Facebook page name changed down the road, so make sure you get it right and double check it before saving.

Now that you’ve created a shell of a page, fill out everything possible on the page itself, including:

• About your company• Contact information• Website• Photos• Videos

Once you’re done, click Publish! You officially have a Facebook page up and running.

What to ShareSome of what you can share on Facebook will be similar to what you’d share on Twitter, although you’ve got more space to work with, plus the added benefit of being able to share visual elements like videos and photos. Again, aim for a mix:

• Company news: share those news tidbits you’re excited about. Link to your press releases.

• Content from other Facebookers’ walls: click “share” at the bottom of any post another user has to get it on your page.

• Links to interesting blog content: consider what your audience/customers would be interested in reading.

• Your own blog links: increase readership to your own blog. There are apps to automate your blog feed to your Facebook wall (in next section).

• Ask questions: create interesting conversations around topics relating to your industry.

• Answer questions: be the expert by lending your own advice.

• Videos: create videos of employees or of yourself sharing tips that relate to your industry. Go on a tour of your office to share with followers.

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• Photos: post photos of your products, your staff or anything else your followers might appreciate.

• Contests: great platform to promote contests, as entrants post them to their own profiles.

The Basics of Custom TabsYou’ll notice when you’re on Facebook visiting a brand’s page that sometimes you’re taken to a tab that’s not its main page of posts. This is what’s called a custom tab, and you can get one too!

The benefit to custom tabs is that they allow you to highlight what’s important with your company right now. That might be a special promotion, contest or new product. Essentially the tab consists of an image or images that have links that take the visitor to your website or other site.

Here’s an example from Skinny Cow:

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As you can see, you have a few options as to what promotion you can click on.

Before you get scared off from creating custom tabs, know that there are several tools designed to help people of all technical levels create tabs. Start with the apps that are built into Facebook and see how comfortable you are in implementing them.

There are also programs you can use (some paid and some free) that make creating tabs simple. A few are:

• Lujure• Pagemodo• Wildfire iFrame app

And if you want to set up contests on Facebook, there’s an app for that too!

If you use custom tabs, make sure to change them once your promotion or contest is over. You can use the tab as a landing page for different events throughout the year.

Creating EventsIf you have local meetings or parties, Facebook is a great way to invite your fans to attend. Events are also good for virtual gatherings, like webinars and Tweetchats.

From your business’s page, click the status bar and choose “Event.” Fill out the information and invite the people you are connected to who you think might like to attend. You can share the link to the event via email, Twitter or your blog, and anyone can RSVP if you make the event public.

Should You Consider Facebook Ads?Facebook’s got its own built-in pay-per-click ad system. What’s really great about it is that you can really zero in on who you want to see the ad. So if your demographic is single women between the ages of 30 and 45 who live in Florida, you can select this criteria for your ad!

Facebook ads work best if you sell a product online. Include a great photo of your product with catchy wording (don’t forget that call to action) to increase likelihood of getting clicks and subsequent sales.

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If you’re not sure if Facebook ads are right for you, give it a test drive. Invest $50 to $100 in ads and see what comes of it. If it works, incorporate the ad campaign in your bigger marketing strategy.

Facebook ToolsJust like with Twitter, Facebook’s got some amazing tools that will make your work that much easier. Don’t reinvent the social media wheel!

• Buffer: You can also use this for Facebook. Add the plugin to your browser, and by clicking it on a webpage you want to share, the content is automatically added to your Buffer, which sends out tweets at pre-set times throughout the day. Note: basic use is free, and there are paid subscriptions as well.

• Pagemodo: This tool helps you build appealing business pages. Use templates to create your page, and Google Analytics to track results. Note: the free account lets you create and manage a single page, and paid accounts start at $6.25 a month.

• RSS Feed: There are several apps within Facebook that you can use to automatically publish your blog’s RSS feed to your page’s wall. This keeps you from having to do it manually.

• Payvment: If you run an ecommerce store, Payvment helps you sell products through Facebook. Note: a basic account is free, and a premium account starts at $29.95 a month.

• North Social: This platform offers a variety of a la carte or bundled Facebook apps, such as Sweepstakes, Coupons, Video Channel and Map It. Note: the Starter Pack is $19.95 per month.

CorpNetNellie’s Notes on Facebook

• Use complete, conversational sentences on Facebook.• Provide specific calls to action when you can. Invite fans to like a post or comment on it.• Ask questions that warrant a relevant, stimulating response.• Keep your company overview short, as only a fraction of it appears on your wall page.• Create a customized offer only available through Facebook (also promote it on your other social networks).• Use your cover photo to promote events or contests.

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Terms to Know:

• Event: A physical or virtual meeting, party or other gathering that you can invite others to via Facebook.

• Facebook Ads: Pay-per-click ads that appear on the right side of all Facebook pages.

• Facebook Page: The page a business uses to connect to fans on Facebook.

• Facebook Profile: The page a person uses to connect with friends on Facebook.

• Fan: Someone who has clicked “Like” on a business’ Facebook page.

• Like: The button a visitor can click to get more information on a business’ page, as well as to share content from that page on her own wall.

• Message: A private message sent between two or more individuals that are connected on Facebook.

• Wall: The page or profile where the owner and her followers or friends can post content.

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Chapter 3: Loving LinkedIn

If Twitter is a wild party with all kinds of people dancing and sharing things, then LinkedIn is an office party in the break room. It’s more professional and formal than its cousins, Facebook and Twitter, but it still packs a punch when it comes to social media marketing.

LinkedIn serves as your online resume. Even if you’re a business owner and not looking for a job, it’s a great place to show your experience and expertise. People often link with others based on the industry they work in, where they’ve worked in the past, or other connections you might not expect. LinkedIn users also link with others to find new business, connect with people they’ve met or get expert advice from professionals.

Setting Up Your ProfileWhen setting up your personal profile on LinkedIn, be sure and fill it out in detail. The site may make recommendations for what else you can add to get the best results. Make sure to include the last several jobs you had before starting your current company.

Under the Skills section, include keywords that relate to what you do through your company. These are searchable through Google and other search engines, so focus in on what you want to be found for.

Make sure to include links to your website, blog and social networking channels.

As soon as you’ve set up your profile, ask your colleagues and clients to write recommendations for you. These appear on your profile and serve as proof that you know what you’re doing and that your customers enjoy working with you.

Adding ApplicationsOne way to enhance your LinkedIn profile is by adding apps to it. Amazon has an app you can add, displaying books you’ve read or plan to read. There are apps to display posts from your blog, display upcoming events you’re participating and even show where you’re traveling. See which ones resonate with you and add them to your profile.

Using LinkedIn GroupsLinkedIn Groups also provide great opportunity for you to find new customers and connect with others in your industry. There’s a group for just about every topic or role you can think of: from social media

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marketing to hedge funds. Join groups that cover your industry, as well as groups that your target market participates in. Make an effort to regularly contribute to all the groups. Share relevant content (yours and others’) and ask and answer questions.

CorpNetNellie’s LinkedIn Group Tips

• Don’t go overboard! Don’t join more groups than you can participate in, or the effort will be wasted.• Consider what types of groups your ideal customer would be a member of and join some of those.• Don’t self-promote. Instead, focus on sharing relevant links and contributing to conversations.

What to ShareContent is the number one thing you’ll find benefit in sharing on LinkedIn. When you do share a blog post of your own or from another site, consider whether you should also share it on one or more of the Groups you’ve joined. Add a personalized comment with your link to spur discussion.

LinkedIn AnswersAnswering questions is a current hot marketing tool, with sites like Quora and Focus. LinkedIn’s got an Answers section as well. Essentially people with questions about industries, trends, or tips submit the questions, which you can browse and answer. The purpose here is to show your expertise. The more questions you answer, the higher visibility your LinkedIn profile will get. It’s also a way many people look for service providers, so you might just get new business!

Should I Create a Company Profile?LinkedIn now offers companies the opportunity to create a profile for their brands. In all honesty, most companies don’t fully leverage this, but it’s a good idea to create one for your company and fill it out fully. Your employees can link to this page in their employment history. You can add services that your company offers, and you can also use the analytics to see who has viewed your company page. If you’re hiring, you can also post jobs under your company.

LinkedIn AdsSimilar to Facebook, LinkedIn offers pay-per-click ads that can be targeted to your audience. If you

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sell professional services or products, this might be a good avenue to explore.

Terms to Know:

• Application: Add-on you can optionally add to your profile to enhance it.

• Company Profile: Overview of your company. Can link employees, jobs and services.

• Groups: Collections of individuals who share common interests on LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn Ads: Pay-per-click advertisements shown only on LinkedIn.

• Profile: Your “online resume.” Contains info on your work history, education and skills.

• Recommendation: Option add-on to your profile. Colleagues, clients and contacts can share their positive experiences with you or your brand on your profile.

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Chapter 4: Understanding Google+

Google+ may be a newcomer to the social media space, but already it’s a formidable player. Because Google gives priority to the content that comes through its own channels, being active on Google+ can get you more exposure on search engines.

Getting StartedIf you use any Google property, such as Gmail, Calendar or Docs, you should be able to easily create a profile in Google+. You can also create a business page, and it’s wise to have both for maximum results.

Fill out your About section, including links to your website and blog. Add photos of you, and of your logo and products for your company profile.

Setting Up CirclesYou’ll notice a button called “Circles” on the left of your screen in Google+. These are your contacts, and you can set them up in “buckets” to organize who you share content with. For example, you could have one circle for clients, another for people in your industry, another for friends, and so on.

You can find people to add to circles by connecting to your Google mail, or by searching for them. Just click “Add to Circle,” choose the circle, and you’re set!

CorpNetNellie’s Google+ Tricks

• Realize that not everything you share will be of interest to everyone you follow. Break down and segment your content by its appropriate audience.• When someone emails you, look to see if they have a link to their G+ account in their signature. Click and follow.• Discover other cool folks on G+ by searching terms you’re interested in.

What to ShareYou’re starting to get the idea that sharing content is always a good thing on social media, right?

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Google+ is no different. Many blog sites have embedded buttons that let you simply click +1 to “vote it up,” so to speak. Here’s what else you should share.

• Blog posts• Videos• Photos• Questions• Answers

When you add content to Google+, you’ll be asked which circles you want to share the post with. You can select “Your Circles” to send to all, or you can choose just the ones that would best enjoy what you’re sharing. When you share content that you want specific people to see, you can “tag” them by putting a + in front of their name. As long as you have that person in a circle, you can tag them in the post, and they’ll see your post on their wall.

Google+ HangoutsA feature that makes Google+ unique is its Hangouts. A Hangout is a video chat you set up with multiple participants. You can set up a Hangout to be invitation only for up to 10 people, such as with your clients, or you can broadcast it publicly with anyone who’s interested able to view it.

EventsOne of the newer features of Google+ is Events. You can set them up to be public or private, and attendees can share photos of the event on Google+. This is great if you have a webinar or online event and want a wider audience.

Google LocalIf you’ve ever searched for a restaurant near your home on Google, you’re already familiar with Google Local. The newest version is incorporated into Google+, so you can view businesses’ information and reviews within the social media engine.

Terms to Know:

• Circle: An organization of your contacts in Google+. Create a circle for people with something in common, like being your clients.

• Hangout: An online video meeting that can be be public (broadcast with unlimited viewers) or private (up to 10 participants) hosted through Google+.

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• Local: The component of Google+ that highlights local businesses, tied in with maps and reviews.

• Page: A company’s page on Google+.

• Tag: Notifying a Google+ user of a post you share by putting “+” in front of her name.

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Chapter 5: Using YouTube

Everyone takes in information differently. For some people, reading blog posts works best. For others, videos help them process information more easily. YouTube is a great channel for this. You can upload videos of you talking about things your customers care about, in the same way you would on your blog (in fact, many blogs

use what’s called a vlog, which is essentially a blog post done on video). You can demonstrate how to use your product, or provide tips for using it. You can take a tour of your facility. The possibilities for video topics are limitless.

Getting Started on YouTubeIf you have a Google account, you’ll be asked if you want to tie it to your new YouTube account. We recommend you do this only if your Google account is for your business. If not, create a new one.

Select a username that is your business name or shortened version. Fill out your profile.

ChannelsIf you have more than one category that you plan to create videos for, create multiple channels to organize them. For example, if you have a marketing firm, you might create one channel for marketing and another for an industry you work in, such as retail. Only do this if you think you’ve got completely different audiences for the two (or more) channels.

Creating Video ContentUsing your computer webcam or other digital video camera, create videos that you think your target audience would appreciate. Typically, focusing on the same kind of content you would on a blog works for videos. Here are some topic ideas:

• Product demonstrations• Explain a concept• Provide tips• Share your thoughts on a topic• Take a tour of your facility

Make sure you don’t have a distracting background! Many a time, an unsuspecting video star has had a lamp or plant growing out of her head!

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CorpNetNellie’s YouTube Secrets

• Your camera doesn’t have to be professional; even a phone cam can do the trick!• Practice a few times without the camera to get what you’ll say down pat.• Avoid saying “um” and “you know.”• Keep your arms still. Many people flap them when they’re nervous on camera.

Video SEOThe really great thing about YouTube is that it’s the second largest search engine, behind Google. So every word you put in your video description can help it be found when people search. So when uploading your video, pay close attention and fill out all of these sections with keywords you want to be found for, as well as useful descriptions:

• Title• Description (great place to include a URL back to your site or blog)• Tags• Category

It’s easy to skip over these, but if someone is browsing videos, you want to provide enough of a description that they click on your video. And including a URL back to your site is how you drive traffic!

Sharing Your VideoInclude a link on your blog (YouTube allows you to actually embed the video into a blog post) so your readers can view it. Share the YouTube link on all your other social channels. Include a link in your email newsletter. The more places you share it (and encourage others to share), the more it will be viewed!

Terms to Know:

• Channel: A category of videos, organized by subject.

• Embed: The ability to take code provided on YouTube and place it on a website or blog.

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• Tag: Keywords that relate to the topics covered in your video.

• Video Statistics: Analytics within YouTube that allow you to see how many views a video has received, and where the visit came from.

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Chapter 6: Picking Up Pinterest

Pinterest is another fabulous social networking tool. Rather than sharing content, though, you share images. Pinterest works best for brands that have physical products or are otherwise visual, like those in graphic design or remodeling. Essentially, if you can use images to depict your brand or the lifestyle you want to portray,

Pinterest may help you get more traffic and sales.

Getting StartedOnce you create a Pinterest account, start pinning! Pinning refers to sharing an image from a website or other user’s page on your own profile. Your profile starts with several Boards, or categories, like Favorite Places and Spaces, but you’re not limited to these. You can create your own Boards based on what categories you want to share.

What to PinStart by browsing what other users are pinning. Whatever speaks to you, pin to the corresponding board. You can also follow other users so their pins appear on your homepage. Here are other ideas about what to pin:

• Your own products• Similar products• Photos that evoke the lifestyle you promote with your products• Infographics

With each pin, fill out the title and description. If your goal is to drive traffic back to your site, include a link to the page you want people to visit.

CorpNetNellie’s Pinterest Pointers

• Don’t only share your product photos. The purpose of Pinterest isn’t to be self-promotional, but to share content others will also want to share.• Attribute where you found the image so others can go to the original site.• Find images that relate to the culture of your brand. For instance, if you’re a travel company, use great travel photos from around the world.

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Using the Pin It ButtonYou’re probably starting to see Pin It buttons on different sites and blogs. This makes it easy to click and pin an image onto your profile. You can also use a plugin for your browser that will allow you to pin an image from any website.

Terms to Know:

• Board: A grouping of images on your profile.

• Pin: The act of adding an image to your profile.

• Repin: Sharing an image that was previously pinned by another Pinterest user.

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Chapter 7: Promoting Your Social Channels

Now that you’ve set up accounts in these social media channels, you want to get more followers. It will take some effort, but in this chapter we’ll help you out.

The first thing to do is add icons for each of the channels you have a presence on to your website and blog. Many people now look when they arrive on a company’s website for these familiar icons, so it’s in your interest to get these up immediately.

You can also share your social icons in your monthly newsletter. Build them into your template, and link to the actual pages, so that they’re present in each newsletter you send.

How to CrosslinkYou can also encourage your followers on one channel to connect with you on others. Someone may love following your tweets, but not realize that you also are on Facebook or YouTube. Simply send out a notification like this one with a link to where you want to direct viewers:

Like us on Facebook? You’ll love us on Pinterest! Click here to connect.

You might consider adding value to each channel that followers can’t get on the other channels. For example, you could offer special coupons only on Facebook, and then encourage your Google+ and Twitter followers to Like your Facebook page to get access.

CorpNetNellie’s Social Media Don’ts

These are the things you should avoid doing on social media if you want to build your following and create trust.

1. DON’T constantly self-promote. There’s a time and place for that.2. DON’T expect social media to create overnight sales. It’s a process.3. DON’T only talk about yourself. Connect with others and ask what they’re up to.4. DON’T post anything you wouldn’t want your mother to see. A business’ social media profile should always be professional.5. DON’T post pictures your kids shouldn’t view. Keep it clean.

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Creating a Social Media StrategyIt’s not enough to just be on these social sites. You now need to figure out how you’ll use them. We find it works best to have a plan for each, such as following a certain number of users a week and posting a certain number of posts each week.

You can even create a sort of editorial calendar to help you remember what you need to do where. An entry might look like this:

• Twitter- Follow 10 people - Share our post on marketing - Personally reach out to 5 different followers

• Facebook- Suggest our page to 10 people- Offer coupon to followers- Ask question: how do you use free marketing tools?

• Pinterest- Follow 10 people- Repin 15 other pics- Pin our newest products

You get the idea. But with all these efforts, what are you hoping for? We find that brand recognition is the best result that social media provides, as well as an uptick in traffic. Track your web traffic with Google Analytics and see which sites are sending you the most traffic, as well as where they go on your site. You can always tweak your social media strategy if you’re not getting the results you want.

Social Media as a Listening ToolThe neat thing about social media is that people are publicly having conversations about your brand that you can find by searching. The potential negative is: if they say something bad about your brand, that’s out there too! Use social media to monitor what’s being said about your brand. A simple search on Google or Twitter can show you who’s talking about your company (as well as your industry if you search for keywords).

If a customer is sharing an unhappy experience, respond immediately, and do so publicly. For example, if a customer tweets that she wasn’t treated nicely by a salesperson, respond publicly on Twitter, apologizing for her experience and then tell her you will DM (Direct Message) her to see how you can help. You might offer her a refund on her purchase or a discount for next time. Do whatever it

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takes to keep the vocal customer happy, and hopefully after the situation is remedied, she’ll share that too.

ConclusionThat about wraps it up! We hope you’ve gotten some great information about how to get your business social in this social media guide that you can now put into action! Thanks for reading!

As always, if you need help with starting a business, incorporating a business, or forming an LLC, CorpNet.com's professional staff is here to assist you every step of the way... And once you know what you're required to file, we can take care of the details for you! Of course, if you have specific legal questions or concerns, you should consult an attorney for sound advice. Please reach out to us with any questions as YOUR business is OUR priority!

And please follow us on the social media platforms at:

Twitter: @CorpNet and @CorpNetNellieFacebookLinkedInYouTube

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About the Author

Nellie Akalp is an Internet entrepreneur, mother of 4, and CEO of CorpNet.com, her second incorporation filing service based on the simple philosophy of truth in business and her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting and protecting their business. Through the various “Do-It-Yourself” and “Business-Startup” services she has founded since 1997, she has formed over 100,000 corporations and LLCs for small business owners.

Her last company, MyCorporation.com, was acquired by Intuit in 2005. Today, she and her husband, Phil, operate CorpNet.com where they help small business owners incorporate a business, Form an LLC, or File a DBA, in any state, and in any county across the U.S.

As CEO of CorpNet.com, Mrs. Akalp is a strong advocate in educating small business owners and entrepreneurs about the importance of protecting their personal assets and enjoys discussing legal and business issues concerning everything from business startup through (hopefully) acquisition. She is also responsible for overseeing and managing the daily operations of the business. Mrs. Akalp is also a small business expert contributor at a variety of small business outlets, including: Small Business Trends, The Business Insider, Mashable, and AMEX OPEN Small Business Forum.

To learn more about Nellie, view free guides starting a Business, Incorporating a Business, or Forming an LLC, Receive a special discount, or see how she can help your business get off the ground quickly and affordably, visit her small business corner or follow her on twitter @CorpNetNellie.