Social Media 7 steps to socializing strategically Michael Boyer, COO ELEMENTS, Inc.

12 years in business Over 4,000 clients

My Background … 17 Years of Online Marketing Consulting 13 Years Executive Project Leadership A few of my past clients

Why Social Media? The world is changing our Businesses need to move with the change Facebook has 850+ Million members Twitter has 450+ million members Your local community uses facebook/twitter Your local press uses facebook/twitter

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing is attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

1.Don’t have the time – 10 minutes 2.It’s a time-waster – Saves time 3.Social media is for teenagers – All ages 4.It’s just a fad – Fundamental Change 5.Social media replaces my other lead generation activities - Enhances 5 Myths of Social Media

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing is attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

Blogs (Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger) Networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+) Media-sharing sites (Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr) Micro-blogs (Facebook, Twitter, friendfeed) Social bookmarking (Digg, Reddit) Review sites (Google Places, Yelp, CitySearch) Splash page (About.me, Crunchbase) Location (Foursquare, Facebook, Gowalla, Loopt) Rating (Klout.com) Identify the Types of Social Media

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing is attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

Blogs (WordPress) Networks (Facebook, Google+) Media-sharing sites (YouTube) Micro-blogs (Facebook, Twitter) Social bookmarking (Skip it) Review sites (Google Places, Yelp) Splash page (About.me) Location (Foursquare, Facebook) Rating (Klout.com) Which sites are best for you?

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing is attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

Rule: Create specific goals and don’t lose sight of them, setup a system and do it every day (post everyday) Rule: Adhere to the appropriate tone of your brand and industry, be consistent with your message. Rule: Mind your image, your business depends on it Rule:Listen, observe and participate. Rule:BE GENUINE! Know the rules for Business

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing is attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

DO Brand Yourself DON’T X Have Inconsistent Image & Voice Follow Best Practices

DO Converse: Start and participate in interesting conversations DON’T X Sell and/or use bots and automated software Follow Best Practices

DO Regularly post meaningful content DON’T X Saturate with meaningless content Follow Best Practices

DO Use captivating titles DON’T X Use generic titles Follow Best Practices

Use Titles That Get Clicks “How To” Blog Titles “7 Steps to” “The worst way to ….” “Mistakes to avoid” titles Questions to peak curiosity Humor

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing is attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

Facebook Google Places Linkedin Tips for you Business

Twitter Tips Reply or “converse” with people regularly Retweet often and ask for Retweets from your followers Make tweets “retweet-friendly” -120 characters Shorten links goo.gl Bit.ly Follow people from your industry Twellow.com Search.twitter.com Use applications to make it easier

Facebook Tips Create a fan page (takes 5 minutes) Be professional, but a bit more (this is a social place) Share your Success! Share your troubles, be genuine! Create Facebook Events for any upcoming events Timeline & Questions

Google Places Tips Claim your page (takes 5 minutes) Edit your profile to include descriptive content about your business! Share your Google places on Facebook! Ask your customers to review your business Make sure your Business location is correct

LinkedIn Tips Ask people to connect! Search for related industry groups and join Post informative content regularly Participate in the conversation Remember: This is a Business-social environment

Applications to make it easier Social Media Applications Tweetdeck.com Hootsuite.com Cotweet.com SproutSocial.com

(1)5 Myths of social media (2)Identify the types of social media (3)Determine which sites are for you (4)Know the rules of SM for business (5)Follow best practices (6)Tips for your business (7)Sharing attracts customer interest 7 Steps to Socializing Strategically

The more your customers know about your business the easier it is for them to recommend you! LinkedIn Post comments and articles to groups Request connections & Post press releases Facebook Share business news to your network Include photos with your posts Twitter Reply to followers professional tweets Retweet & add links to your tweets Sharing Attracts Customer Interest

Thank you! Michael Boyer, COO ELEMENTS, Inc.