McAllister and Co Social Media – Social Marketing Maureen #WaterTightBiz

McAllister and Co The online explosion Social networking in Europe increased by 10.9% in 2010: The highest seen in any global region. 75% of consumers don’t believe companies tell the truth in their advertisements: Consumers are increasingly turning to the opinions of other consumers for information. 46.7% of consumers do write reviews and 29% of consumers consider positive reviews as the most likely factor to make them book a holiday online: 25-40% of people who leave a hotel website do so to read an online review

McAllister and Co We like to share experiences

McAllister and Co We share all the time!

McAllister and Co The strategy Social media – simple, free and quick tool  Reach the right audience (mass and/or niche)  Keep your customers / audience up to date  Find out what your customers are saying about you!  Build relationships  Send out a message with a call to action  Direct traffic to your website (and other portals)  Maintain your profile – highlight your expertise  Start and maintain a

McAllister and Co The strategy BUT it is not a standalone tool – needs to be part of an overall strategy.

McAllister and Co The strategy AND the most important part of social media is …?

McAllister and Co Being socialable …. being sociable!

McAllister and Co The platforms  Twitter  Blogging  Facebook  Linkedin Plus, plus, plus Google, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare, Pinterest, Twylah, slideshare … the list is endless!

McAllister and Co Where should you be? Who are you targeting and what do you want to say to them?

McAllister and Co How sociable are you?  Where does this fit with your current work? Have a plan – don’t bite off more than you can chew!  What do you want to say? Clear messages, fully prepared – to give and receive.  Who do you want to say it to? Which channels do your customers use?  When are you going to say it? Sending your message when people want to, and can, read them.

McAllister and Co How sociable are you?  Where can you say it? How many can you manage and where are your consumers likely to be?  How often should you do it? Be regular, but not all at once – time your messages, have breathing space between your updates, blogs and discussions.  What do you want customers to do once they have heard you? Make sure you have a clear call to action. Be prepared to target them directly and to respond to them directly – good or bad.

McAllister and Co How sociable are you?  Make your customers your champions The importance of social media word of mouth. Make it easy for them to share your content ‘share buttons’ … free wifi!  Be visible, be relevant and stay on message Make sure you are part of the place, time and conversation.  How long can you keep going? Don’t start out on the social media/marketing route if you can’t sustain

McAllister and Co Sociable and engaging! What is interesting about what you do? And what you offer? Don’t just sell it – BE it! Be authentic to yourself and your product Tell your story, engage others and be interested in other people’s stories

McAllister and Co Be sociable, seriously sociable It’s not a personal facebook page (I don’t want to know what you had for breakfast) It’s not a personal group on Linkedin (I don’t care if you love McFly) Don’t spam it – think about what you’d want to read. Try to keep political and personal rants to yourself (I may not agree with your views and I could be customer) Show me your expertise, your products and why I’d want to do business with you – don’t give me reasons to go somewhere else!

McAllister and Co Sociable, not desperate If you wouldn’t do it in the real world, don’t do it virtually!

McAllister and Co Be sociable, not desperate! ©

McAllister and Co Be sociable, not desperate!

McAllister and Co Be sociable and show off your skills Max out the company routes on Linkedin Set up a group – based on your expertise or interest – invite others and start debates Share media clips, images and topics relevant to your business Share your expertise – your presentations You’re not just sociable, you’re an

McAllister and Co The professional stage Think about how big your professional stage is: Give the performance of your life.

McAllister and Co Going global? How big is the twitterverse? Make sure your nugget of information travels across the galaxy.

McAllister and Co Monitor and measure your impact Are you being retweeted? Which tweets work well? Which links are clicked? What type facebook content is most often viewed and shared? Which blogs are liked? Which hashtag is taking the world by storm?

McAllister and Co Monitor and measure your impact

McAllister and Co Monitor and measure your impact

McAllister and Co Social media – never missing a trick! Model pineapples waste-money/story detail/story.html Village-Mayor-unveils-Torquay/story detail/story.html

McAllister and Co Social media – never missing a trick! Model pineapples

McAllister and Co Social media – keeping current! My great train adventure of-social-media/ Danny McFly’s poor service

McAllister and Co Don’t bite off more than you can chew …. Don’t start what you can’t