the social web for small business 2010

The social web for small business Jonathan Crossfield / Netregistry 2010

The Social Web for Small Business

Presenter: Jonathan Crossfield Date: August 2010


Why should I care about social media?


Time spent on social media is up 82%


Aussies are the highest users worldwide!

Country Time/ person Unique audience

Australia 6:52:28 9,895United States 6:09:13 142,052

United Kingdom 6:07:54 29,129

Italy 6:00:07 18,256

Spain 5:30:55 19,456

Brazil 4:33:10 31,345

Germany 4:11:45 28,057

France 4:04:39 26,786

Switzerland 3:54:34 2,451

Source: The Nielsen Company, January 2010


Twitter visitors doubled 2009 - 2010

*Data from Comscore,

June 2010


Facebook overtook Google in March 2010

*courtesy Hitwise Australia,

March 2010 (Hitwise.com.au)


So, what is the social web?


You might think social media is this


These are just tools – snow shovels


Deciding to use a tool is a TACTIC

I want to use a snow shovel to benefit my business


Using them to reach goals is a STRATEGY

Clearing my driveway helps more customers get where they’re going


Knowing the customer goal may reveal better tools

Wow! Cleanest driveway in the street!


The entire web is social – with many tools


Replying to an email is a social activity…


Writing on a blog is a social activity…


Interacting with a website is a social activity…


…& everyone has access to the toolshed!


The audience is now the media...


...but so are you!


The web is a two way conversation!


How should we use the social web?


Businesses often ask the wrong question

How can my business sell more by using social media?


There is a better question

How can I use the social web to help consumers achieve their goals?


Human behaviour is the key!


Start thinking like an ANT!


ANT businesses can grow extremely BIG!


Google: built for users, not businesses


Twitter – evolved with user behaviour


Amazon – made buying books easier


They provide 'elegant organisation'!

You don’t start communities. They already exist. They’re already doing what they want to do. The question you should ask is how you can help them do that better. Bring them “elegant organisation”.

Mark Zuckerberg - Facebook


Identify the customer goal, need or obstacle


Understand the route they prefer to take (behaviour)


Use the right tools to make it easier


Watch more people choose your route!


Let’s look at just one tool


What is Twitter?

A “microblogging” platform

Allows people to create posts (“tweets”) of 140 characters or less

Users can “follow” others that interest them


Starting out as a ‘broadcast’ medium…

One way messaging

Followers couldn’t reply to tweets

Difficult to create conversations


...it evolved into an 'engagement' medium

Users created the ‘@’ reply

Began using # to tag conversations

Twitter adopted and built these behaviours into the application


Users transformed how Twitter worked

Turned it into a true communications network

Extremely rapid spread of ideas, content and comments

Twitter is entirely about people talking to each other – word of mouth


Word of mouth marketing


WOM most powerful marketing around!


Will someone recommend your product?


Will someone recommend your shop?


Wow! Now this is word of mouth!

a


But then, so is this!

a


Should we care what one person thinks?

Trib has over 4,000 followers. I’d care!

How many followers may share this with their followers? And so on…

Do you know what people are saying about your business?


Twitter marketing strategies


Direct sales via links & promotions


Brand awareness / customer engagement


Feedback & complaints management


Customer service & support


But where’s the ROI?


Is there a relationship between SM and $?

*Source:

Engagement db.com

July 2009

Prepared by

Wetpaint and

Altimeter


Show me the money!

Wallflowers

(low – or no - engagement in 6 or less channels)

Selectives

(high engagement in 6 or fewer channels)

Butterflies

(low engagement in 7 or more channels

Mavens

(high engagement in 7 or more channels)


What about a small business case study?


A fun, friendly website…


…with a regularly updated, funny blog…


…a popular newsletter…


…quirky YouTube videos…


…great use of Twitter, with a business account…


…and a personal account!


A casual, irreverent style


…mixed with a sense of community


The brand has PERSONALITY!

My tone seems to be novel in the retail world because it pulls no punches, but it's just me. It's not elitist and the humour is adult. It's free entertainment.

Janet Leach – Arterystore.com.au


All are connected. Many tools, one voice


Sales enquiries rise approx 200% after each email


One email saw sales of Nooka watches rise 500%!


Twitter provides 10% of all traffic…

Nearly 2000 unique visitors per month

Using unique links in tweets allows for better tracking


…and fantastic word of mouth!

Supporters spread the word

Happy customers tweet about their purchase


Other blogs have picked up on the site


Each blog mention boosts traffic


Hasn’t sent a press release in 18 months!


Customers have direct influence on the brand!

I want to be the design store at street level, creating a community and being created by its community.

Janet Leach – Arterystore.com.au


Nearly there…


I grew up near a corner shop


They knew me, my family, our story…


…and we knew them


It’s gone now but 30 yrs on I still remember them


Corner shops gave way to supermarkets


We scaled up production


We scaled up marketing


We scaled up sales


We couldn’t scale up relationships

Do you want

fries with

that?


The social web scales up relationships!


What does this mean for you?


Listen and respond – don’t just broadcast


View everything from the customer’s POV


Treat everyone as individuals, not a mass market


Become an ANT business!

Understand your customers’ goals and online behaviour

Choose the right tools to fit that behaviour

Develop a strategy

Simplify, simplify, simplify


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