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

1. Social Media “Plugged In and Turned On”Or... I have a twitter account, now what? by  Christy Williams @christycantsell VividPoint Interactive www.vividpointinteractive.com @vividpointweb

2. Word-of-Mouth Goes Virtual 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 THISThe question is, how do we engage the guy with the megaphone?

3. What is Social Media? 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 fadA replacement for traditional advertising The first stepThe magic bulletFREEAll about YOU Social Media ISA big dealGoing where your customers already are or where they want to beApplicable to most companies in some way or anotherTime-consumingAll about THEM

4. Socialnomics Video

5. The BIG FIVE BloggingFacebookLinkedInTwitterYoutubeThe Stats - The Why - The How

6. Blogging 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 yearThe majority of web users interact with blogs every single day

7. Blogging Why blog?Constantly updated contentGives visitors a reason to check out your site again and againBecome an EXPERT in your fieldSearch Engine Optimization ENGAGEMENT with customers

8. Blogging How blog?Common Blogging Platforms Blogger, Blogspot, WordpressMinimum of 2x per month1000 words or less per entryBlogs 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”)

10. Facebook AKA THE BIG ONE The Stats400 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.

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

12. 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 advertisingFriend pages are for individuals; Fan pages are for businesses. Don't sell, sell, sell Lighten up

13. LinkedIN Your Virtual Resume The Stats50 million+ usersThe largest truly business-oriented siteAverage age is 44

14. LinkedIN Your Virtual Resume Why LinkedIN?No brainerThe best Rolodex ever Lead generation

15. 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

16. Twitter It’s not about what you had for breakfast. Ok, maybe sometimes. 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 39100 million-ish usersOnly about 20% are active

17. 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.

18. 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 distributionsearch.twitter.com If you're not going to make a committed effort to use a twitter account, don’t make one.

21. YouTube Cute kittens everywhere get their 15 minutes. The Stats2 billion videos watched dailyThe number two search engine after Google

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

23. 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.

24. Trends for the Future Mobile. Mobile. Mobile.Google BuzzGeolocationCorporate policy & proceduresDiaspora The end of email marketing?

25. What Does A Social Media Strategist Do? 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.

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

27. What do I do next? (10 steps) 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 Ranking5. Make a decision on time investment.6. RELAX!7. Set up your accounts.8. Take some time learning the tools and the lingo. 9. SHARE10. CARE

28. Return on Investment “Half of my advertising spend is wasted, but I don’t know which half.” What is your time worth? DIRECT SALESExample: $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?

29. Return on Investment “Half of my advertising spend is wasted, but I don’t know which half” PROMOTIONAL EVENTExample: $2,500 overall event budget $750.00 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?

30. 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

31. Additional Resources Mashable.comSlideshare.netTechnoratiSocialMediaToday.comChris BroganAnd, of course, Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube.