Launching YourSocial Media
Marketing PlanFor Sustainable
Brands
By Brenda Horton
Twitter: @BrendaHorton -- Facebook: facebook.com/BrendaTelloHorton Fan Page: facebook.com/HwareFB -- blog: www.hware.com/blog -- email: [email protected]
Outline Has social media changed the fundamentals of marketing?
What does peak oil and climate change have to do with location-based marketing?
A 5 Step Social Media Marketing Action Plan.
Social media is a technology tool.
It is not the answer to all your sales &
marketing challenges.
image by John Trainor on flickr
In other words, it’s one piece of your overall sales and marketing strategy.
Social media is not going to save your sustainable business from a poorly
designed marketing plan or lack of one.
How do you use the tools of online
marketing like social media to effectively and
successfully support your business goals?
How does social media fit into your sustainable
business model?
We are living in revolutionary times where there is a radical
shift happening in many areas of humanity.
Social media is...revolutionizing our business relationships and it is changing the way we connect and communicate with one another.
The business tools have changed.
However, the fundamentals of solid sales and marketing practices have not.
You still need to know who your target audience is.
Is your sustainable brand a B2B or B2C or
both?
Is your business a “place independent” (virtual)
sustainable brand?
Or a local-based sustainable
organization?
…or both?
How does your marketing support your
triple bottom line?
Does your sustainable business offer services
or products or both?
How do you incentivize your
vendors, suppliers, employees, and
customers to help spread your
sustainable brand and refer business
your way?
People still buy from brands they know, like
and trust.
We still need to ask questions like, “How does
my product or service solve my customers’
problems?”
How do we articulate that through social media?
You still need to know demographics, psychographics, and how your customers
make purchasing decisions.
For eco-conscious customers, it’s usually
value-based versus price or convenience.
What’s your unique proposition value?
What makes you stand out amongst all the other
natural skin care lines…
…or hemp clothing lines?
These are just a few fundamental sales and marketing questions we still need to be asking.
Lastly, as thought leaders and influencers
in building the green economy….
…how are you using online tools to
change the world through your
sustainable business?
How are you using social media to spread your message of doing
good while doing business?
It starts with a clear understanding of the online sales funnel.
delicious
Your Website is your online
Real Estate
StumbleUpon
Email MarketingMadMimi.comAWeber.comConstantContact.com
RSS SubscribersFeedBurner.comFeedBlitz
What call to action do you want
your customer to
take?
For example Do you want them to sign up for your
e-newsletter?
Do you want them to RSVP to an event?
Do you want them to buy your online product?
Do you want them to download your e-book?
Where’s your target audience hanging out
online and how are you connecting with them?
How are you engaging them on an online
conversation?
www.bestgreenblogs.com
What blogs are they actively participating on?
www.businessdegreeonline.net/green-blogs
Are you contributing to the conversation?
636 LinkedIn Groups in category “green
business.”Are you providing value?
We now build relationships
online… Meetup
….before we meet each other offline.
Festivals and Conferences
Networking Events
How does the sales funnel work for a local green
business?
With peak oil and climate change,
many eco-entrepreneurs are
interested in starting local sustainable businesses.
Here are few statistics on local search.
73% of online activity is related to local content.
80% of budgets are spent within 50 miles of
the home.
80% of searchers research online before purchasing in a 10-20 mile radius.
Almost every local search includes
mapped results.
74% of internet users perform local
searches.
82% of local searches follow up offline via an
in-store visit, phone call, or purchase.
35% of all searches are local.
90% of online commercial searches results in offline
brick and mortar purchases.
What location-based online tools are you
using to connect and engage your target
audience throughout the sales funnel?
Google Placeswww.google.com/local/add/
businesscenter
By claiming your business on Google Places
It tells the search engines that they have the most accurate and up-to-date information about your business location.
Google Places
It gives YOU, the business owner an opportunity to optimize your business
listing for targeted keyword sets and geographic areas.
Google Places
Claiming your place page is important, but
adding relevant content to it is what will help
with rankings.
Yelp is not just for restaurants anymore.
Over 38 million people visited Yelp in August 2010 to make spending
decisions.
Yelp Communicate with your customers
privately or publicly.
Track how many people view biz page.
Add photos and detailed biz description.
Announce special offerings.
Post up-to-date information and specialties.
How are you incentivizing your customers to do
business with you?
Check-InsFacebook
Places/Deals
e-coupons
Foursquare
A 5 Step high-level Strategic Social
Media Marketing Action Plan.
1. Envision – Create a vision of results that you want to achieve
2. Plan – High level goals and
create a plan
3. Act – Take action on the plan
4. Track – Measure your results
5. Adapt – Adjust plan, actions, or vision if necessary based on results.
1. Envision It starts with the end in mind.
What outcome do I want to achieve?
What’s my vision?
What values will guide you?
What do I want to accomplish?
2. Plan Identity the goals you want to achieve.
Determine who will lead goal by when.
Make your goals SMART - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound.
Select and prioritize which social media platforms you will use and how you will use them.
Determine how you will measure success and by when: KPI - Key Performance Indicators.
Above all make sure your brand is consistent on every platform.
3. ACTCreate action plans for each goal and take action.
‣ Sign up for key social media platforms using your brand.
‣ Call to action for your target audience.
‣ Do status updates about them on all your social media platforms
‣ Drive traffic to your site
‣ Capture leads and convert to end goal.
4. Track Track progress on
Actions Plans and Goals
Update Results for your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Review Progress and Results
Using Metrics
Using Analytics
Have Accountability
5. Adapt Review
Revisit
Rethink
Revise
Repeat
The ultimate measure for
sustainable brands is the successful execution of the triple bottom line business model.
Social Media Resources
Facebook and local deals - mashable.com/2010/11/03/facebook-deals-platform/
www.hubspot.com
www.copyblogger.com
sethgodin.typepad.com
For more FREE business tips and strategies sign up for Hware’s Blog at
www.hware.com/blog
To get this presentationand links to
social media resources go to
www.hware.com/?p=4540
Thank You!
This Concludes Social Media
MarketingPlan For Sustainable
Brands.
Flickr Photos attributionsThank you to:
Slide 3 geishaboy500
Slide 4 John Trainor
Slide 5 Mykl Roventine
Slide 6 Music2Work2
Slide 8
WoodleyWonderWorks
Slide 10 Alisharusher
Slide 11 Webtreats
Slide 1 Vacacion
Slide 15 Office Now
Slide 16 SarahG
Slide 20 Kevindooley
Slide 23 Aturkus
Slide 26 Rachelvoorhees
Slide 27 Jim Linwood
Slide 29 BurningKarma
Slide 29 sunshinecity
Slide 33 Testsumo
Slide 37 Javier.reyesgomez
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