Social Media “Plugged In and Turned On” Or... I have a twitter account, now what? by Christy VividPoint Interactive

The most three most trusted forms of advertising are: Recommendations from people I know - 90% Consumer opinions posted online - 70% Branded websites - 70% What Social Media has done is make the traditional two-way word of mouth marketing accessible and available to everyone with a computer (or phone). FROM THIS TO THIS The question is, how do we engage the guy with the megaphone? Word-of-Mouth Goes Virtual

def (Wikipedia) - Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social Media IS NOT A fad A replacement for traditional advertising The first step The magic bullet FREE All about YOU Social Media IS A big deal Going where your customers already are or where they want to be Applicable to most companies in some way or another Time-consuming All about THEM What is Social Media?

Socialnomics Video

Blogging Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Youtube The Stats - The Why - The How The BIG FIVE

def (wikipedia.com) - "A type of website with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video." The Stats Approximately 200 million blogs 90% of blogs fail in the first year The majority of web users interact with blogs every single day Blogging

Why blog? Constantly updated content Gives visitors a reason to check out your site again and again Become an EXPERT in your field Search Engine Optimization ENGAGEMENT with customers Blogging

How blog? Common Blogging Platforms Blogger, Blogspot, Wordpress Minimum of 2x per month 1000 words or less per entry Blogs are NOT press releases EACH post should have some interactive/multimedia element Polls Video, Photos Links to other relevant sites Lists Enable comments and only filter them if they are explicit or spam Integrate all of your other social media platforms (“Add to Any”;“Tweetmeme”; “Meebo”) Blogging

The Stats 400 million users The average U.S. Internet user spends more time on Facebook than on Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Microsoft, Wikipedia and Amazon combined. Average age is 38 #2 visited site (after Google) The New Oxford American Dictionary voted “unfriend” as the 2009 Word of the Year. Facebook AKA THE BIG ONE

Why Facebook? The stats speak for themselves Mix of paid (Highly targeted) And unpaid (permission marketing) Facebook AKA THE BIG ONE

How to Facebook? EVERYDAY – Respond to inquiries, add fans, post on other pages, share links. WEEKLY – Feed your blog posts. Use the paid advertising Friend pages are for individuals; Fan pages are for businesses. Don't sell, sell, sell Lighten up Facebook AKA THE BIG ONE

The Stats 50 million+ users The largest truly business-oriented site Average age is 44 LinkedIN Your Virtual Resume

Why LinkedIN? No brainer The best Rolodex ever Lead generation LinkedIN Your Virtual Resume

How to LinkedIN? Make a personal page for everyone in the company. Link them to your company profile. EVERYDAY Followup on messages/requests; Check in on your contacts; Post a status update. WEEKLY Feed your blog posts; Answer questions; Make recommendations; Join groups. Use the search feature for lead generation. Get serious LinkedIN Your Virtual Resume

def - The platform that allows users to send a receive 140 character messages known as tweets. You opt in to follow users whose content you want to receive. The stats “Twitter” was the top word of 2009, according to the Global Language Monitor. Average age is million-ish users Only about 20% are active Twitter It’s not about what you had for breakfast. Ok, maybe sometimes.

Why Twitter? Users in the prime spending period of their lives. Smaller amount of users, but VERY ENGAGED and CONNECTED. Real time search capabilities for lead generation and customer service Twitter results now turn up on the front page of Google. Twitter It’s not about what you had for breakfast. Ok, maybe sometimes.

How to Twitter? DAILY – post links, “retweet” content, share your blog. Engage prominent personalities. Feed your blog Press release distribution search.twitter.com If you're not going to make a committed effort to use a twitter account, don’t make one. Twitter It’s not about what you had for breakfast. Ok, maybe sometimes.

The Stats 2 billion videos watched daily The number two search engine after Google YouTube Cute kittens everywhere get their 15 minutes.

Why use it? For the visual learners Search Engine Optimization YouTube Cute kittens everywhere get their 15 minutes.

How to use it? Post at least quarterly; share other Youtube content monthly. Invest in a video camera, hire a video production company, or use "photo- based" video software. How-to tutorials, video tours of your office, event wrap ups. Post videos as "replies" to already existing and related content. Integrate into your blog with embed feature. YouTube Cute kittens everywhere get their 15 minutes.

Mobile. Mobile. Mobile. Google Buzz Geolocation Corporate policy & procedures Diaspora The end of marketing? Trends for the Future

Work closely with your already existing marketing staff to understand your marketing strategy and goals. Research the most appropriate social media channels for your business. Help you set up your accounts. Determine with the best tools to manage those accounts. Train internal staff how to manage those accounts using the tools. Develop metrics and institute tracking devices to gauge return on investment. Advise on how to deliver promotional content and campaigns through the channels. Monitor changes in social media technology, channels, and tools and make adjustments and provide training. What Does A Social Media Strategist Do?

Write content Manage the day-to-day uploading of content Take the place of a true brand and marketing strategist What Does A Social Media Strategist NOT Do?

1. Formalize your brand strategy. 2. Put together a comprehensive marketing plan. 3. Take a critical look at your current website. 4. Set benchmarks Google Analytics; Alexa “How did you hear about us?” SEO Ranking 5. Make a decision on time investment. 6. RELAX! 7. Set up your accounts. 8. Take some time learning the tools and the lingo. 9. SHARE 10. CARE What do I do next? (10 steps)

What is your time worth? DIRECT SALES Example: $250/week (5 hours/week x $50/hr) $500/year (Average client spend) 2% closing ratio (Through the website – WITHOUT an incentive) 100 visitors/month (Approximate increase in site traffic to break even) Are your social media efforts bringing 100 extra site visits/month? Return on Investment “Half of my advertising spend is wasted, but I don’t know which half.”

PROMOTIONAL EVENT Example: $2,500 overall event budget $ spent on social media advertising (15 hours x $50/hr) $500/year (Average client spend) 10% closing ratio 50 attendees (Amount needed to break even) Did your social media efforts bring 50 attendees or more? Return on Investment “Half of my advertising spend is wasted, but I don’t know which half”

OTHER METRICS WORTH MEASURING (BESIDES DIRECT SALES) SEO Ranking Media Placements “Buzz” – Retweets, followers, comments, Facebook page activity, channel subscriptions, pingbacks Customer retention/referrals Return on Investment “Half of my advertising spend is wasted, but I don’t know which half”

Mashable.com Slideshare.net Technorati SocialMediaToday.com Chris Brogan And, of course, Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube. Additional Resources