White Paper

1

Social

Media

May 27, 2010

The B.O.S.S. Group Inc.

2 Bloor Street West Suite 2601

Toronto Ontario

M4w 2E2

2 White Paper Copyright © The B.O.S.S. Group

White Paper

1

With the maturity of Social Media channels such as Blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and many others, the

need to establish a corporate social media strategy becomes more critical. Initially viewed as a communication source

between companies and consumers, Social Media now represents a significant part of an overall marketing strategy

requirement. Tracking referrals and leveraging social media produces a tangible ROI while allowing your marketing

message to reach targeted groups at an efficient cost. On average, approximately 2/3 of new clients for healthy

entrepreneurial companies come from referrals and/or

networking-again validating the reason to initiate a social media strategy within a marketing mix.

Like any relationship, consistent communications is the key

to building knowledge, trust and loyalty with consumers and clients. An important question to consider with this facet of

the social media strategy focus is how much is too much communication and how much is too little. Every company

will need to find their comfort level of how much they attempt to communicate through any social media channel.

Whatever level is found to be comfortable for the company, that level must remain consistent. Building relationships can

take time but when compared to the costs of other more traditional channels, social media is highly effective and cost

friendly.

So how does a company integrate a social media component

into the overall marketing strategy that will guide all their communications to consumers and/or clients? Several steps

need to be followed to ensure that an effective and comprehensive social media strategy is arrived at. Those

steps include:

1. Define the purpose of your communications-Know why social media is to be included in the marketing mix

3 White Paper Copyright © The B.O.S.S. Group

White Paper

1 and know the goals you want to achieve.

2. Research- Find out by searching blogs, forums,

Twitter, Facebook, etc,. exactly what people are writing

about as it relates to your company, your industry, your marketplace etc.

3. Listen- The tone of the communication that you have

researched is critical to understanding how you communicate through social media channels.

4. Understand the channel- Knowing about the channel

and how you would communicate within that specific channel is important. As an example, one channel (i.e.

MySpace) may be reaching an audience of users that does not fit into your mix or, that you would need to

change your message to meet the profile of the users of that channel.

5. Make a plan- This plan should include traditional marketing plan guidelines-who is our target, where to

we find them, what is our overall message, how often do we send the message, etc.

6. Consistency- Always make sure that your message

represents the voice of your company and is the same across all social media channels that you use.

7. Keep it simple- Social media is meant for short direct

conversations with your target group therefore, your message must match the medium by being simple and

direct.

8. Review- Constantly monitor the results and the

feedback from all social media channels.

4 White Paper Copyright © The B.O.S.S. Group

White Paper

1

Summary of key Social Media Channels

Blogs - This social media channel can be considered the

primary source to define your companies personality and message. It can be used to influence your target group and

take a thought leadership role in your product category. New blog entries are easily promoted through other social

media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Additionally blogs are an important factor in SEO to move

your company website up to the top of Google and other search engines.

Twitter - A hugely popular social media channel, Twitter

encourages target groups to follow your short direct messages. It can be used to promote blogs, websites,

contests and events however to grow the number of followers it must have relevance to the reader (follower).

Facebook - Perhaps the most personal of all social media channels since it allows companies to create communities,

post pictures, and encourage discussions.

LinkedIn - A must channel for company-focused business networking. Owners, managers and other key staff can

create profiles of their company and their work history and philosophy. This social media channel has a database of

over 60 million users with an astounding 10-12% considered active users. LinkedIn allows users to join groups targeted

to specific common interests allowing companies to reach not only those in their individual

5 White Paper Copyright © The B.O.S.S. Group

White Paper

1

About The B.O.S.S. Group

The B.O.S.S. Group Inc. was created in 2004 by senior corporate executives with one overriding purpose to work

with progressive companies that recognize the need to engage their clients and customers in a meaningful way,

and by doing so, increase sales and revenue.

The B.O.S.S. Group unites social and online, giving our clients the opportunity to reach their customers by allowing

them to participate in the most unique blending of web, mobile, social, direct mail, loyalty and analytics.

As a true digital marketing partner, we develop the

strategies and offer the products to engage current client base, acquire new clients and build brand value in the

marketplace.

Contact Us

The B.O.S.S. Group Inc. 2 Bloor Street West

Suite 2601 Toronto Ontario

M4w 2E2

Or call 416 948 9093

Or e-mail connect@bossgroup.ca