9/12/2011

1

6 Steps to Social Media Marketing

SUCCESS!Keeping SBDCs Ahead of the Social

Media Learning Curve

By Herb Lawrence, ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center Director

DISCLAIMERS!

My Co-Presenters ABANDONED ME! I AIN’T NO FREAKIN SOCIAL MEDIA

GOOROO! I’m a User Like You and Your Clients Social Media Marketing CONFUSES ME

TOO! YOU ARE MY PANEL- Want Feedback and

your BEST TOOLS!

I am NOT A GEEK! Love em…not smart enough to be one!

OR:Eating OUR Own Dog

Food…And LOVING IT!

Tweet your comments, thoughts, Ideas, Questions to #ASUDogfood

9/12/2011

2

The SBDC Challenge

TRAINING

HELPING THE SMALL BUSINESS

CONSULTING

MARKETING OUR SBDC

STAYING CURRENT

ASU SBTDC Training Website Planning & Strategy Web 2.0+ 5 Steps to Social Media Success (Intro) Facebook ABCs for Business Advanced Facebook Twitter Fundamentals LinkedIn for Small Business Success Professional E-Mail Marketing Google Tools (coming Google Plus) Mobile Marketing Blogging for Business 21st Century Marketing On & OffLine Get Listed Locally Optimizing Local Search

What is Social Media?

Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and

scalable publishing

techniques. - wikipedia.org

9/12/2011

3

What is Social Media?

An ongoing conversation that’s happening RIGHT NOW

A promotional channel for content distribution

A long-term return on efforts

A steady stream of information

Marketing Fundamentals Haven’t changed

Effective Marketing Segmenting your Market

Developing Target Groups Information Channels

Target Needs/Wants

Craft Compelling Message

Analyze Results

Time Management

Understand the ELEPHANT!

9/12/2011

4

ASU SBTDC Marketing Elephant

Website

Blog

Local Listing

E-Mail

Social Media

Mobile

SEO

SEO

OFFLINE

Because at the End of the Day!

If it doesn’t make:

It doesn’t make:

Just a Bit on Search Engine Optimization

9/12/2011

5

Current Statistics 3 out of 4 use Social networks regularly Social media overtaken e-mail as #1 activity on the web◦ 17% of all web usage

200 million blogs◦ 900,000 blog posts daily◦ 34% of opinions about companies, brands and

products 93% of social media users believe companies

should have presence on social media

Our Challenge with Small Businesses

Just over 10% have CLAIMED their businesses on Google Places

Only 10-20% Have Websites Optimized for Mobile Search

66% Are NOT Involved in Social Media

Small Businesses Challenges

FACEBOOK IS Social Media! Social Media can replace a website Buy MY JUNK! Post when I get a chance I Don’t Understand My Customers Don’t Use Social Media My Customers Don’t SEARCH Online

9/12/2011

6

Where they Get News/Information

Customer Involvement Changed

Customer NOW Find You (Maybe) New Consumers

Begin Search on-Line

Includes B2B

Review Websites

Read Blogs on Subject

Read Comments

Poll Friends on-line

Conduct Local Search

ALL BEFORE YOU EVEN KNOW THEY ARE THERE!

THE CHALLENGE

9/12/2011

7

Social Media Platforms

Of 700+ million users, 20 million join fan pages daily

5 Billion links, photos, videos shared on FB daily

Fastest growing segment 35 and older

FB added 100 million users in 6 months@

Social Media Platforms

Over 99 Million users 80% of Twitter usage

happens off of twitter.com

Over 10 million updates a day

140 character micro-blog

Social Media Platforms

2nd largest search engine 4th largest site on web 13 hours video uploaded

every minute 250,000 videos uploaded daily 250,000,000 viewed daily

9/12/2011

8

Social Media Platforms

Network for Business Professionals 55 Million Worldwide Dominate Group 35-49 & 50+ Develop Business Connections Industry Data

Google +

Still in Beta Want an Invitation? Send me your email and I will get you one.

How is Social Media Used?

• Customer Service• Product/service feedback• Industry networking• Promotions/Contests• News, company updates• Internal Collaboration

9/12/2011

9

Creating a Social Media PlanFor SBDCs AND Our Clients

STEPS◦ Pre-planning - Assessment◦ Listen to the conversations – Get the Intel◦ Create TARGET profile -◦ Set Specific Goals◦ Join Conversation◦ Measure Return

Step 1 PREPLANNING

ASK YOURSELF:◦ Information Flow in Your Industry◦ Where do People Get Information?◦ How do Consumers interact with Industry?◦ Do they use networks?◦ What INFLUENCES your Customers?

Step 1 Preplanning

What are your CURRENT Channels?

E-Mail?

Websites

Direct Mail

Newsletters

9/12/2011

10

Step 1 Preplanning

Asking Questions reminds you WHO YOU ARE and WHO YOU WANT TO BE

It also indicates how SOCIAL MEDIA can be used to compliment your current Marketing Mix

Preplanning

Action Items◦ Make a List of Questions

Step 2 Listen to the Conversation

Secure your brand on social platforms◦ Blogs, twitter, Facebook,

LinkedIn◦ Usernames unique◦ Try to be consistent

Set up monitoring platforms◦ Google Alerts◦ SocialMention.com◦ Technorati◦ Twitter Search

9/12/2011

11

Step 2 Listen to the Conversation

KEYWORD categories to identify:◦ Key industry influencers◦ Competitors◦ Industry news sources◦ Blog Comments

Listen to the Conversation

Action Items:◦ Secure your BRAND◦ Set up Monitoring Channels

Step 3 Create Target Profile Target Audience is 24-50 males◦ 350 billion spending power

◦ 16-19 hours online each week

◦ 96% joined social networks

78% trust peer recommendations◦ Only 14% trust advertisements

Belong to: Quantcast◦ Twitter: 31

◦ Facebook: 33

◦ LinkedIn 39

9/12/2011

12

Step 3 Create Target Profile Find KEY attributes by Listening Chart out their presence in

social media Market Segmentation◦ Demographic

◦ Geographic◦ Psychographic

◦ Behavioristic

Continue to gather customer information along the way

Create your Target Profile

ACTION ITEMS:◦ Establish Target Profiles◦ Give them names, photos, or anything else to

help you relate to them BUYER PERSONAS

Step 4 Set Specific Goals

Brand Awareness/Advocacy Increase Traffic/Opt-Ins Business Partnerships Search Engine Results Generate Leads Reduce CRM Costs Increase Revenues

9/12/2011

13

Step 5 – Join the Conversation Establish an Editorial Calendar Choose schedule for days you

will post Keeps on Track & Organize

Content Consistency Helps when you need Content

Ideas

Step 5 – Join the Conversation

BE TRANSPARENT & AUTHENTIC Don’t be Evasive

Offer your name, title, organization, experience

Admit your interest in the topic Define your Credibility

Be consistent across all SM profiles & Platforms

Step 5 – Join the Conversation

BE the Expert in Your Industry Write about what you know, Offer insights Offer LINKS to resources

When consumers TRUST your content, they will TRUST YOUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES

9/12/2011

14

Step 5 – Join the Conversation

HAVE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT!

Handle NEGATIVE comments Who will RESPOND

Admit mistakes Respond KINDLY

Handling negative comments correctly will turn BRAND DETRACTORS into ADVOCATES

Join the Conversation

ACTION ITEMS:

1. Create an EDITORIAL CALENDAR2. Create RULES OF ENGAGEMENT3. Share your Expectations with all involved

Step 6 – Measure ROI

WHAT IS ROI? Non-Financial:◦ Visitors◦ WOM◦ Page Views◦ Fans & Followers

FINANCIAL◦ Sales◦ Revenue◦ Transactions◦ Coupons

9/12/2011

15

Step 6 – Measure ROI

QUALITATIVE QUANTITATIVE

Involved in Industry Conversations

How Customers Perceive us versus competition

Did we build KEY relationships

Moving from MONOLOGUE to DIALOGUE?

Website Analytics

Social Mentions

SEO Ranking

Link Clicks

Newsletter/E-mail Subscribers added

Measure ROI

ACTION ITEMS: Track Key Social Media Activities over Time Set up Analytic Tools ◦ Such as Google Analytics

Make necessary Adjustments to increase Qualitative first◦ Quantitative numbers will follow Qualitative Efforts

Compare Metrics to Goals

BUDGETING SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN

WAIT!!!!! ISN’T FACEBOOK FREE?

9/12/2011

16

Budgeting for Social Media

TIME DESIGN & BRANDING ANALYTIC TOOLS SOCIAL MONITORING AUTOMATION APPLICATIONS◦ Hoot suite

◦ Ninja social

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING OUTSOURCING/CONSULTING

Levels of Social Media Engagement LEVEL I◦ Place holding Usernames Setting up Fan Pages

LEVEL II◦ Short-term Promotion Answering questions Finding Key Influencers in industry

LEVEL III◦ Dedicated Strategic Engagement Active Profiles on Several Platforms Promotions, Contests, Active Content Distribution

Determine your level of engagement and budget for time accordingly

Bringing it Together

Ok…BUT…Where Do I start?

9/12/2011

17

Tips to get started

Platforms you can ACTIVELY Maintain What outsourcing is needed?◦ Design, Development, content◦ Brand Monitoring,

Plan your Content FLOW Find Tools to AUTOMATE ◦ Ping.fm◦ HooutSuite◦ Tweetdeck

FIND SYNERGY

Combine On & Off-Line QR Codes

Lots of Free & Premium Sites Difference Static vs Dynamic FREE- Read TOS & FAQs Have a Plan Make it SCAN-WORTHY! DON’T Send Visitorsto sites NOT mobileFriendly!

9/12/2011

18

Consultants

Extended Clients◦ Check them out in Google Places for Ranking◦ Look at them Mobile◦ Show them QR Codes◦ Find reason to talk “Social”

Watch Arkansas SBTDC for Consultant Check List coming SOON!

All Clients:◦ Set up Monitoring for Competitive Intel

Talk Mobile YOU & Clients

Why?

What Do YOU Want To SEE?

9/12/2011

19

Other Tools

Nutshell Mail Hyper Alerts

ARE YOU READY TO DIGG IN?

Thank You! Oh or call me: 870-972-3517

Let’s Connect On-LineE-mail hlawrenc@astate.eduASU Small Biz Blog http://www.asbtdc-asu.comFacebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/asu.sbtdcFacebook Profile: http://www.facebook.com/herb.lawrenceTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/asbtdc_asuLinkedIn: http://www.LinkedIn.com/a/asusbtdc