best practices in social media

Social Media Best Practices: Getting Started

Susan MurphyEmail: [email protected]: www.jestercreative.comBlog: www.suzemuse.comTwitter: @suzemuseFacebook: www.facebook.com/suzemuseLinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/suzemuse

√By the end of todayʼs lecture you will:


Understand the importance of creating great content.



Feel more comfortable with social media tools.




Be able to find an audience online and interact with them more effectively.




Be able to find an audience online and interact with them more effectively.

Feel less fearful about engaging with others online.

?Agenda

?• Whatʼs this social media stuff about, anyway?

Agenda


• The best place to start with an online presence

Agenda



• How Facebook and Twitter can be useful for any type of business or individual in any type of industry

Agenda




• 6 steps to get an online presence off the ground

Agenda





• Common fears and misconceptions about social media

Agenda





• Common fears and misconceptions about social media

• Social media in less than an hour a day

Agenda

The Social Media Revolution

Years to reach 50 million users:


Years to reach 50 million users:Radio: 38 years



TV: 13 years



TV: 13 yearsThe Internet: 4 years




iPods: 3 years




iPods: 3 yearsFacebook: less than 1 year


Years to reach 50 million users:

Facebook now has more than half a BILLION active users

Radio: 38 yearsTV: 13 years

The Internet: 4 yearsiPods: 3 years

Facebook: less than 1 year


Over 200,000,000 blogs

77% of active Internet users read blogs

Twitter has over 150,000,000 users


25% of search results for the worldʼs top 20 brands are to user-generated content.


25% of search results for the worldʼs top 20 brands are to user-generated content.

People care more about how their social graph ranks products and services than how Google ranks them.

People are ONLINE.

They are talking about BUSINESS.

Who is Roger Smith?

http://rogersmithlife.com



http://www.facebook.com/rogersmithhotel?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/rogersmithhotel?ref=ts

In-person experience had to measure up


Spacious rooms


Spacious roomsLow Prices


Spacious roomsLow Prices

Great Service


Spacious rooms

Special deals for Twitter followers

Low PricesGreat Service


Spacious rooms


THE best bacon



Spacious rooms


THE best bacon


The WOM network works

"I listen and try to contribute where it matters most - I never sell. It's about people and stories." - Brian Simpson, Director of Social Hospitality, Roger Smith Hotel

Social media = personal connections


Social media = awareness


Social media = awareness

Social media = more business

If you want to compete with the big guys, you canʼt wait for business to come to you.

Social media is an opportunity you to make personal connections with others.

Word of mouth = World of mouth

Your web site is a reflection of

YOU.

www = Information Linked Together

Your Website

Home Base

Your Neighbourhood

Your Website

Home Base

Your Neighbourhood

Your Website

Home Base

Your content lives here

Your Neighbourhood

Your Website

Home Base


You need to give people a reason to go to your site

Your Website

Home Base


You need to give people a reason to go to your site

How do we do that?

How do we build our home base?


Itʼs all about CONTENT.


Blogging Video

Webinars

Itʼs all about CONTENT.

Why should people/companies have blogs?


• To build awareness of brand



• To boost search engine rankings




• To improve customer relations





• To show knowledge & earn credibility





• To show knowledge & earn credibility

• To get new clients/make sales

http://fiskateers.com/blog/

http://fiskateers.com/blog/

Results:

Results:

• Branded mentions of Fiskars have risen 600% per week since the program began.

Results:


• There are more than 5000+ members of the Fiskateers community.

Results:



• Each community member is a "brand ambassador" who spreads the message to other crafters.

Results:



• Each community member is a "brand ambassador" who spreads the message to other crafters.

• The program successfully de-commoditized Fiskars and made crafters value their products beyond price.

Easy ways to include video in a web site

Show a product in action

Share expertise through educational videos, a newscast

or interviews with team members.

Search Engines love Video!

Promote a special event, new product release, or special offer

Customer Testimonials

Have a community post their own videos

Create a video podcast that people can subscribe to.

Stand out from competitors. Be the

first in your community to try video!

Results:

Results:

• Through the podcast, Gary grew Wine Library from $4 million to $50 million business in 18 months.

Results:


• He’s done over 900 episodes, the show gets 100,000 viewers per day.

Results:


• He’s done over 900 episodes, the show gets 100,000 viewers per day.

• Gary is a bestselling author of business books and has his own show on Sirus Satellite Radio called Wine and Web

Whatʼs a Webinar?

Whatʼs a Webinar?

• It's more than just promoting a product

Whatʼs a Webinar?


• Share knowledge, bring in industry experts, educate your customers

Whatʼs a Webinar?



• Value-add "insider" knowledge for existing customers

Whatʼs a Webinar?




• A way to interact with customers

Whatʼs a Webinar?





• Can be "free" or "premium" content

Whatʼs a Webinar?






• Content can be made "on-demand" and linked on a site

Whatʼs a Webinar?






• Content can be made "on-demand" and linked on a site

• A variety of tools available

$4,000 per session

• Training and customer demos


• Involve decision makers regardless of geographic location



• Webinars are recorded and can be shared any time



• Webinars are recorded and can be shared any time

• BusinessFitness reports cost savings of $100,000 and significantly reduced sales cycles

Your Home Base

Give people a reason to drop by

Your Home Base

Give people a reason to drop by

They will come back if you provide relevant, updated content that is

interesting to the community.

Your Home Base

Your Neighbourhoods

Twitter is your coffee shop

@littlerandy

Silly !

http://search.twitter.com



Randy uses ONLY Twitter to market

his business.

Results:@littlerandy

Results:

• Gained several new clients, grew his business, and survived last year’s downturn.

@littlerandy

Results:


Randy’s Twitter Advice:

@littlerandy

Results:



• Devote your time to making meaningful connections, not marketing.

@littlerandy

Results:



• Devote your time to making meaningful connections, not marketing.• Try to meet as many people as you can in person - offline meetings trump online meetings every time.

@littlerandy

Results:



• Devote your time to making meaningful connections, not marketing.• Try to meet as many people as you can in person - offline meetings trump online meetings every time. • Find networking and social events to go to (Tweetups) to further expand your online network in the offline world.

@littlerandy


• Twitter is a worldwide, 24/7 conversation.



• Itʼs a meeting place.




• You can listen in, learn something new, and share what you know.





• Itʼs not a broadcast channel. The loud people get weeded out.





• Itʼs not a broadcast channel. The loud people get weeded out.

• Itʼs a way to get to know people before you invite them to your home base.

Facebook is your community centre

Danny BrownSocial Sensei

The Challenge

• 12 months, different charity each month

The Challenge


• 1200 people @ $10 per month

The Challenge


• 1200 people @ $10 per month

• Done entirely through social networks

The Challenge

http://www.facebook.com/12for12k?v=app_2392950137%23!/12for12k

http://www.facebook.com/12for12k?v=app_2392950137%23!/12for12k

Results

• Over 4,000 supporters worldwide

Results


• Twitter marathon, live streaming concerts

Results



• In 2009, 12for12k raised over $100,000 that was shared with 9 different charities

Results



• In 2009, 12for12k raised over $100,000 that was shared with 9 different charities

• Awareness of each of the charities grew as a result of the campaign

Results


• Facebook can be the central hub of your community. where people can find and share information about your business.



• Like a community centre bulletin board. Tell your story and provide calls to action.




• Your community can share their stories too.





• It links people back to your home base.





• It links people back to your home base.

• Itʼs opt-in.

Re-Cap

Re-Cap

• Social media can be used successfully for all types of businesses - B2C, B2B, and across industries and sectors.

Re-Cap


• Social media is about leveraging technology to create new connections with customers.

Re-Cap


• Social media is about leveraging technology to create new connections with customers.

• Social media is less about the sales pitch, and more about the conversation.

Bringing it All Together:How to develop a social media

strategy that works for your business

The New Kid

Get your house in orderFIRST

Step 1: Clean up your Home Base


• Set specific and measurable goals



• Give your blog a home or revisit your blog




• Consider where video, webinars, or other fresh content could be added




• Consider where video, webinars, or other fresh content could be added

• Create your profiles on social networks (as placeholders)

Step 1: Clean up your Home BaseSuggested Toolkit


• Blogging tool: Wordpress.com or .org

http://wordpress.com


http://wordpress.org




• Webinar tools - DimDim or GoToMeeting





http://www.dimdim.com


http://www.GoToMeeting.com





• Video Tools - FlipCam, YouTube









http://www.theflip.com/en-ca/


http://www.youtube.com/SteveKloyda





• Video Tools - FlipCam, YouTube

• Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN













http://www.twitter.com

http://www.twitter.com

http://www.facebook.com


http://www.linkedin.com

http://www.linkedin.com

Step 2: Go out Exploring


• Check out the neighbourhood



• Set up listening posts




• Find your customers, and listen to what they are talking about





• Share this info with your colleagues





• Share this info with your colleagues

• Collaborate/brainstorm on content ideas

Step 2: Go out ExploringSuggested Toolkit


• Twitter Search (use #hashtags), Twitter Chats to find conversations

http://livepage.apple.com/


http://wthashtag.com


https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=ruaz3GZveOsoXUOOt86B3AQ%23gid=0




• Search Facebook Groups to find communities with shared interests











• Search Facebook Groups to find communities with shared interests

• Use Google Alerts, Google Reader to have information delivered to you.









http://www.google.com/alerts

http://www.google.com/alerts

http://google.com/reader

http://google.com/reader

Step 3: Build A Team


• Define the roles of your team up front. Who will contribute to the blog? Monitor comments? Manage Facebook, Twitter, and photos? Create videos?



• Build an editorial calendar, and set deadlines, and deliverables.



• Build an editorial calendar, and set deadlines, and deliverables.

• Decide what content will be posted when. Make sure itʼs manageable and ties back to your goals.

Step 3: Build Your TeamSuggested Toolkit


• Google Docs for collaboration

http://google.com/docs




• DropBox for file sharing



http://dropbox.com

http://dropbox.com



• DropBox for file sharing

• Google Calendar for editorial calendar



http://dropbox.com

http://dropbox.com

http://google.com/calendar

http://google.com/calendar

Step 4: Just hit Publish


• Work on your content first - start to build blog posts, videos, content for webinars.


• Work on your content first - start to build blog posts, videos, content for webinars.

• Get some stuff “in the can”.

Step 4: Just hit PublishSuggested Toolkit


• Google Docs for team collaboration, Evernote for “anywhere” ideas

http://www.google.com/docs


http://www.evernote.com




• Invest in an audio recorder or FlipCam







• Invest in an audio recorder or FlipCam

• Create spaces - YouTube Channel, Wordpress Blog, Flickr Page





Step 5: Engage!

Step 5: Engage!

• Create your neighbourhoods.

Step 5: Engage!


• Facebook is a great place to start. Create your fan page, load up links, photos, videos, start discussions.

Step 5: Engage!



• Invite people to “Like” your page. Link your Facebook page off your web site/blog

Step 5: Engage!



• Invite people to “Like” your page. Link your Facebook page off your web site/blog

• Donʼt just post links to your own stuff. Posts links to things you find in your Google Reader that are interesting.

Step 5: Engage!

Step 5: Engage!

• Post links on Twitter to things you find interesting. Re-Tweet othersʼ interesting content.

Step 5: Engage!


• Participate in Twitter Chats. Share your knowledge.

Step 5: Engage!



• Following other people is like a handshake. Say hello!

Step 5: Engage!



• Following other people is like a handshake. Say hello!

• Build a YouTube channel and post your videos. Point people to that content too.

Step 5: Engage!

Step 5: Engage!

• Beef up your profile on LinkedIN, and link your blog feed to your profile.

Step 5: Engage!

• Beef up your profile on LinkedIN, and link your blog feed to your profile.

• Post photos to your Flickr page of events and interesting things that happen in your day.

Step 6: Manage and Maintain


• Donʼt stop now! If you disappear for days youʼll lose momentum.


• Donʼt stop now! If you disappear for days youʼll lose momentum.

• Find some time every day to interact - make it a habit, like checking your email or voicemail.

Yah, BUT....

Top 5 reasons why businesses are afraid of social media

We don't have time for social media.



Social media is a waste of time and resources.




"Haters" will damage our brand.





If our employees are allowed to Tweet, they might give away company secrets.






It's impossible to track ROI.


We donʼt have time for social media.


Make it a team effort.



Make it a habit.



Make it a habit.

Make it part of your marketing plan.



Make it a habit.

Make it part of your marketing plan.

Make it a priority.

Social media is a waste of time and resources


Itʼs one of the fastest ways to build brand recognition



Itʼs not just “playing”, but it is fun!




80% of my companyʼs new business in the past 2 years has from social media channels.




80% of my companyʼs new business in the past 2 years has from social media channels.

My company would not have survived the downturn if not for social media.

“Haters” will damage my brand.


If youʼre already listening, youʼll be able to hear immediately if there is an issue.


If youʼre already listening, youʼll be able to hear immediately if there is an issue.

You can address problems directly, quickly, and personally.


Set up guidelines for your staff about what they can and canʼt say online about the company.


Set up guidelines for your staff about what they can and canʼt say online about the company.

Your employees are the human face of your company. Encourage their

personalities to shine through.

Itʼs impossible to track ROI.


Social media tools are very trackable.



Analytics are available across most platforms.




Tools like Radian6 help with monitoring and tracking ROI.

http://radian6.com

http://radian6.com




Tools like Radian6 help with monitoring and tracking ROI.

If you focus on your goals up front, youʼll know when youʼve been successful.

http://radian6.com

http://radian6.com

Social Media in Less than 1 Hour a Day


• Google Reader: 10 minutes with your morning coffee



• Neighbourhood Check-In: 10 minutes morning, lunch and end of day (Hootsuite helps!)

http://hootsuite.com





• Community Search: 10 minutes a week to seek out new people and build your network






• Community Search: 10 minutes a week to seek out new people and build your network

• Spread it around: Share the tasks with your team.



Some final words of wisdom

• In the old days, it was mass all about mass media



• You don't have to control the message, you are part of the conversation




• Customers are your best source of information. Understand what they really want, desire, dream about





• Create an experience that matches their dreams






•Transparency builds trust






•Transparency builds trust

• Encouraging your staff to interact with people creates a human company.


Content is King.

Content is King.

Conversation is King.

Conversation is King.

Are you ready to start?

best practices in social media

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