Social Media Basics for Small Business

Social Media Basics for Small Business

August 19, 2010

Let’s Get Acquainted

Ed Tankersley Eight Trails LLCAlliance Partner

Tom FulcherThe Idea Gardener LLCPrime Contractor

The History of Marketing – Part 1

The History of Marketing – Part 2

The History of Marketing – Part 3

• Through the Internet and social media:• Shopkeepers can “stand in their doorways”

again• They can listen to their customers• They can talk to their customers• People recommend their favorite shops• People do business with people they know

and trust

What is Social Media?

"Social media…is people talking, participating, sharing, networking, and bookmarking online.”

Ron Jones

Why Should You CareAbout Social Media?

Global Internet Users

Photo Credit: Jess3

500 Million Active Facebook Users

Source: Tech HeraldPhoto Credit: Oversocialized

126 MillionThe number of blogs on the Internet.

Source: Jess3

10 Billion+ Tweets Sent on Twitter Since 2006

Photo Credit: Rosaura Ochoa Source: Mashable

2 Billion Videos Are Streamed Each Day On YouTube

Photo Credit: jonsson Source: Techcrunch

3.5 billion conversations occur online each day4 billion images on Flickr2.5 billion images uploaded to Facebook EACH MONTH

Photo: Poolie

You Should Care Because:

• Conversations are happening about your industry, your company, and your services and products

• You can share information quickly• You can demonstrate your expertise and

authority• You can put a human voice and face on

your business• You can improve search results

6 First Steps in Social Media

Step 1Decide What You Want

• What’s your goal?• Listen to customers and prospects• Engage with customers• Raise your company’s online profile• Increase traffic to your site• Improve your search ranking

Step 1Decide What You Want

• How will you measure success?• More subscribers or fans• More mentions online• Website visits• Website conversions• More engagement with your blog• Search visibility• Search ranking

Step 2Commit Some Time

• Put someone in charge• Commit to 30 minutes a day• More if you have an active engagement

strategy• Encourage everyone on your team to

listen

Step 3Find Your Current Customers

• Ask• In person• In your emails• On your website

• Flowtown

Step 4Establish a Few Outposts

• Where are most of your customers?• What interests you?• What’s a good match for your team?• What kind of content do you have?

Intro to Social Media Outposts

• Your Blog• LinkedIn• Facebook• Twitter• Slideshare• Flickr

Targeted to business networking. A great place to start for B2B companies. Create connections, join groups, contribute, answer questions.

Create a page for your business on Facebook to connect with millions of people.

Twitter is a “microblog” where you can converse, share thoughts, ask questions, respond to concerns, monitor conversations, and drive website traffic.

If you give a lot of presentations, share them on Slideshare to extend your online presence.

Show your products, processes, case studies, and other interesting visual content on Flickr.

Step 5Make a Calendar

• Brainstorm some topics• Time-sensitive• Seasonal• Promotions

• Evergreen• Can post them any time

• Make a plan for posting content

Step 6Invite People to Connect

• In your emails• On your website• In your ads• On your phone greeting

4 Simple Ways to Use Social Media

Tactic 1Listen to the Conversation

• Who’s talking?• Who and what are they talking about?• What’s the sentiment?• Who are the influencers?

Other Listening Tools

• Twitter Search• SocialMention• TweetBeep

Tactic 2Track Your Competitors

• What are they saying?• What’s being said about them?• Where are there opportunities for you?

Tactic 3Engage with Customers

• Publicly thank your supporters• Publicly address complaints and

concerns• Follow up offline – email, phone

Where to Engage

• Your blog• Twitter• Facebook• Any of your outposts

Tactic 4Contribute to Industry Discussion

• Social media is a networking event• Introduce yourself• Listen to the conversation• Join in

• Leave comments• Answer questions• Be authentic and interesting• Be helpful and relevant• Promotion comes second (or never)

Where to Engage

• Blogs• Forums• Social networks

Tactic 6Create Valuable Content

• Photos of projects in progress or completed

• Product or service demonstration videos

• Articles or white papers• Case studies

Questions? Comments?

Follow us on:

Ed Tankersley Eight Trails LLC@EightTrails

Tom FulcherThe Idea Gardener LLC@TheIdeaGardener