Leveraging Social Media for RVA Biz

Monica Horsley Trevor Dickerson@byinviteonlyrva @TrevorDickerson

INTRODUCTIONS

Social Media Timeline: Trevor

Started with Twitter in March 2008

Attended spontaneous “tweetups”

Met wide variety of people from all backgrounds/industries

Used Facebook personally since high school; for business starting in 2008

Grew recognition of Downtown Short Pump through Twitter

Social Media Timeline: Monica

Started tweeting in April 2009

Got connected to keep up with competition

Wanted to build relationships with current/future customers

Low-cost way to get name out

Used Facebook personally for several years

Learned of need for Fan Page

Getting Started with Twitter

Twitter: Step by Step

Pick perfect Twitter handle related to your business

Consider attaching “RVA” to associate locally

Interact as if you were in a physical group

Form relationships naturally and your presence will grow organically

Twitter: Step by Step

Stay consistent in amount of daily tweets

Be yourself and keep it authentic

Be true to your brand - you are the face of your company!

Pimp your wares, but don’t be annoying about it

Be more conversational than self-promoting

Show rather than tell

Getting Started with Facebook

Facebook: Step by Step

Set up both a personal profile and business Fan Page

Same rules apply: be consistent and authentic

Give customers a visual of what’s going on at your business

Attach photos

Share posts from vendors & success stories from customers

Facebook: Step by Step

Actively participate in vendor and local business Fan Pages

Make comments

Add them to “favorite pages” on your Fan Page

Keep page frequently updated

Use pictures to communicate

Getting Started with Blogging

Blogging: Step by Step

A blog is an extension of yourself personally; an extension of your business professionally

Use blog to showcase events, products and experiences in your business

Use as an outlet to connect with your customers

Brand yourself as an expert in your niche

Build customer loyalty through interesting posts

Bringing it all Together:Cross-Platform

Integration

Cross-Platform Integration

Social media is an extension of your website & brand

Set up auto-publishing between Blog, Facebook & Twitter to save time & promote simplicity

Cross-polinate between platforms to grow your voice and your bottom line

Cost vs. Impact Analysis

Cost vs. Impact Analysis

Low investment and high return

No overhead

Little time investment

Big rewards if implemented correctly

Special incentives for followers/fans can be highly successful

Cost vs. Impact Analysis

Important to continue traditional ad campaigns, but make sure you’re maximizing profits with each strategy

Consider low-cost, pay-per-click ads on Facebook

Can target to age, gender, location and more

Success Stories

Questions?

Thanks!