Internet Marketing Crash Course

Internet Marketing Crash Course

Presented by the Texas Forest Trail Regionand the Gladewater Chamber, Main Street &

Economic Development CorporationMarch 25, 2013

Download this presentation at:http://slideshare.net/pagetx

Agenda

Social media reviewSocial media strategyWebsite marketing

Social media tools• Facebook• Yelp!• TripAdvisor• Foursquare

Social Media Review

Photo: erinjpattison

Social media is FREE!

Benefits of Social Media• It’s FREE!• Builds deeper relationships• Increases brand awareness • Broadens your network• Helps SEO• Increases website traffic• Generates leads and sales• Can help reach journalists/media• Empowers fans to be viral ambassadors for

your brandSource: Social Media for Tourism Pros

Is Social Media Right for You?

• Is social media …• Providing value to your organization and your

members/customers?• Bringing benefit via brand awareness,

membership, loyalty, sales, etc.?• Helping to grow membership base?• Justifying the investment?

Source: pammarketingnut.com

First steps

• Find your audience• Know what’s being said• Extend a virtual hand• Get your community to be virtual ambassadors• Have fun, in a professional manner of speaking

Source: DCI

Social Media Strategy

Photo: davidkjelkerud

First, Some Questions

1. Can you describe your business/organization?2. What are your goals?

a. Generate salesb. Brand enthusiasm c. Loyalty

3. What is your relationship with your audience?a. Awarenessb. Interestc. Actiond. Advocacy

Source: Jay Baer (http://convinceandconvert.com)

More Questions

4. How does your audience use social media?5. Who will be your community managers?6. What social media platforms will you use?

(Hint: Where is your audience?)7. How will you be human (what is your

“voice”)?8. How will you know when/if you’re successful?

Source: Jay Baer (http://convinceandconvert.com)

Do You Need a Social Media Policy?

Maybe. Just keep these basics in mind:Be politeBe honestBe openBe inclusiveBe forthrightBe legalBe helpfulDon’t try to control the conversationAccept, respond, and be gracious to negative feedback

Source: The Potluck Guide To Social Media Strategy

So What Do I Say?• Customer FAQs• Tutorials• News (sales, new products/services, etc.)• Events you’re attending• Your own content• Content from others• Attractions and events• Observations• What you’re reading or watching

Social Media Don’ts• Don’t be something

you’re not• Don’t experiment with

the company logo • Don’t think you have to

be on every social media channel

• Don’t tell, show• Don’t feed Facebook to

Twitter (or vice versa)

• Be authentic

• Try new things with personal accounts first

• Start slow and be selective

• Use images • Know your audience and

post accordingly

Remember: Social media

is not an island.

Photo: lisbokt

Website Marketing

Your website should be the hub of your online marketing

Social Media Brings Users To You!

Integrate Social with Web

From this …

Integrate Social with Web

… to this …

Integrate Social with Web

… to this.

Use Calls to Action

Content Really Is King

• Put contact info on EVERY PAGE

• Use easy navigation• Keep content current• Use high-quality

content (including photos and video)

• Add calls to action

Content Is King:Visual Content Is Ruler of the World

• Videos shared 12x more than links and text posts combined

• Photos are liked 2x more than text updates

• Instagram is the 2nd most popular app (globally) behind Facebook

• Pinterest generates more referral traffic than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined

Sources: HubSpot; Marketing Land

Facebook

FacebookOffers

• Affordable and great for brand awareness

• Spent $3.70 and drove over $200 in business

• 102 offers claimed/5 redeemed

• Redemption rate on this offer was low

• Ask your community to share!

Source: Doe’s Eat Place

FacebookOffers

Source: Doe’s Eat Place

FacebookPromoted Posts

FacebookPromoted Posts

FacebookPromoted Posts

Source: Visit Bloomington

FacebookPromoted Posts

Source: Visit Bloomington

FacebookCover Photo as Advertising

Source: Mari Smith

FacebookCover Photo as Advertising

Source: Bass Performance Hall

Text can be no more than 20%

FacebookProfile Photo as Advertising

Source: Kyle Chamber of Commerce

Social spaces represent physical locations.People can add ratings, reviews, and

conversations.

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

Before You Get Started

Create a Game Plan

• Accessibility– Use a shared or neutral email account, not a

personal one– Consider setting up a Gmail or another shared email

address that can be forwarded to multiple people

• Responsibility– Who will monitor on an ongoing basis?– Who decides which reviews are responded to?– Who is in charge of updating photos every 3-6

months?

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

Encourage Reviews• Encourage, but don’t ask for

reviews– “Check us out on…” works better

than “Write a review on…”– Include URLs in follow-up emails

or on receipts– Signs or cards in lobby– Focus on one space, or

encourage them to use the space of their choice

• Remember that reviews from your lobby computer may get flagged

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

Claiming Your Yelp Place

• Step 1: Search for your business– If your business is not listed, click Add a Business

• Step 2: Click “Work here? Unlock this business page”• Step 3: Create a business account using a neutral email

address• Step 4: Phone authentication process• Step 5: Fill out profile information• Great video tutorial in Yelp Support for Business Owners

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

Respond To Good Reviews …

… and the Not So Good Reviews

Why Respond To Reviews At All?

See what this business owner has to say.

Provide Customer Amazing Service

TripAdvisor“According to an MSNBC poll, 86% of respondents use

travel sites to gauge traveler sentiment before they make their accommodation choice…Responding to reviews is

key, too: a recent TripAdvisor survey found 76% of travelers think more positively about owners who find the

time to reply.”

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

TripAdvisor

• Please make sure you encourage reviews when guests get home. A review from an internal IP address could result in getting flagged

• Of course, never add your own reviews of your property!

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

Claiming your TripAdvisor Place• Step 1: Start at the TripAdvisor Owners page

– Choose Hotel, Restaurant, or Attraction and search for your business

• Step 2: Register with TripAdvisor when prompted• Step 3: Fill out your information and confirm to register

your listing– Business listings are available for a monthly fee– If this step is unavailable, contact TripAdvisor through a form

• Step 4: Manage your listing– The Manage Your Listing page makes it easy to add photos

and manage reviews

• More info available on Owners’ Help Page

Source: Fargo-Moorhead CVB

Free Tools for Business Owners

Add these widgets to your website!

Respond and Use Personality

Foursquare

Foursquare

Foursquare

Foursquare

Foursquare

Let’s Look at Gladewater!

NegativeFeedback

If possible, don’t delete it.

But … don’t ignore it either.

How To Deal with Negative Feedback

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/rachel-strella/441158/social-media-consumer-how-handle-negative-feedback

Use it to engage other customers

How To Deal with Negative Feedback

• If you’ve decided the feedback has truth to it, do the following:o Acknowledge the feedbacko Apologize – genuinelyo Take the conversation offlineo Offer a solution

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/rachel-strella/441158/social-media-consumer-how-handle-negative-feedback

How To Deal with Negative Feedback

• If you’ve decided the feedback is only partially true or it’s slightly misguided, do the following:o Acknowledge the error on your part and

apologizeo Gently correct any misinformation o Take the conversation offlineo Offer a solution

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/rachel-strella/441158/social-media-consumer-how-handle-negative-feedback

How To Deal with Negative Feedback

• If you’ve decided the feedback couldn’t be farther from the truth, do the following:o Acknowledge the comment and write a

general apology for any perceived dissatisfaction

o Take the conversation offlineo Get more details

Source: http://socialmediatoday.com/rachel-strella/441158/social-media-consumer-how-handle-negative-feedback

The most awesome example EVAH!

Examples

Follow Me

Linkedin.com/in/sarahpage

Facebook.com/SarahTPageConsulting

@pagetxSarah Page, PrincipalSarah T. Page Consulting, LLC

http://[email protected]

512-914-8873

Can I Help?

Call Me!

Photo: .Uvitra on Flickr

Thank You!

Questions?