Social Media Marketing

1. Social Media Marketing

2. 1 What is Social Media Marketing? • Social Media defined as "a group of Internet applications that build upon Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” • We define it as “Utilising social media websites as a means to promote your business” • Wide variety of sites: ranging from social networking to sharing photos, videos • Minimal cost, high returns • And it can be fun!

3. What makes Social Media websites different? • Communities of users, interacting with each other • Emphasis on two-way communication with potential customers. • Compare this with offline brochures: static, one-way tool • No longer considered a fad • Recently, Facebook topped Google as most used site… • …400 million members worldwide: 23% of all internet users • France one of the fast-growing countries (17m users);other major countries = all our target markets • 25% of UK travel bookings influenced by social networks

4. What you will take away from this session? • Give you insights into Social Networking • Provide you with tools and tips • Show you strategies to link them together

5. 2: Types of Social Media • We’ll be looking at… • Social Networking Sites (Facebook) • Blogging (Wordpress, Blogspot) • Micro-blogging (Twitter) • Photo Sharing (Picasa, Flickr) • Video Sharing (YouTube) • But there are many other sites

6. Social Networks: Visualisation

7. Facebook: Basics • Start by signing-up as a User • Note that you can control privacy settings • Once you sign-up, you can populate your personal profile… • …and create a Page • Group vs Page • Important distinction • Groups like ‘clubs’, association of people, lack features for promoting your business • Pages: indexed by search engines • Allows your personal profile to be distinct from your business

8. Facebook: Features of Pages • Fans: people Like Pages, and it’s easy to send updates • Photos & videos • Wall • Discussions • Events • Insights

9. Facebook: Setting up a Page • Go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ • Click on ‘Create Page’

10. Facebook: Setting up a Page 2 • Select ‘Brand, Product, or Organization’ • This, rather than ‘Local Business’, gives you ‘Company Overview, Mission’ options • Give your Page a name • Click ‘Create…’ button • Once you log-in, you’ll be able to administer your page Once created, flesh it out

11. Facebook Page: key elements • Page is like your Profile • Look for edit icons • Main image: click to edit, browse to select • Basic & Detailed info • The more you put, the better!

12. Facebook: Photos • Allows you to organise into Albums • Also allows people to post to ‘Fan Photos’

13. Facebook: Events • Lets you showcase event • Lets you broadcast the event to your Page’s Fans

14. Facebook: Promoting your page • Use the ‘Suggest to Friends’ • Link to your FB page • Encourage your guests to become Fans, post photos • FB also offers paid advertising • Don’t forget to check your Page’s Insights

15. Facebook: Summary • Starting point: signing-up • Then create a Page for your business • Make sure you choose ‘Brand, Product, Organisation’ • Choose Page Name carefully • Use main elements: photos, events… • Check Fans contributions • Use Insights! Facebook: Questions?

16. 3: Blogging • Why • Blogs allow you to say more than Twitter, Facebook • Blogs encourage dialogue (via comments) • Blog allow you to become an ‘authority’ on a topic • Blog allow you to enhance your company’s reputation • A well-written blog is loved by search engines… • …especially Google • Blogs can automate ‘distribution’: ‘feed’ to people, other sites

17. 3: Types of Blogs • Wordpress, Blogger main ones • Great start-up web presence • Blogger – part of the Google ‘empire’ • Updates show in Google in real-time • Other blogs: e.g. LiveJournal, Moveable Type

18. Blogging essentials • Always use keywords & Labels! • Blog regularly • Use photos from your Flickr account (see later) • Make use of your RSS feed

19. Blogging: other ways to push • TwitterFeed.com • Using your RSS URL, pushes it to Facebook, Twitter

20. 4: Micro-blogging • Twitter dominates, but others such as Plurk • Growing trend web-wide • So important search engines including them in results

21. 4: Twitter • A Social Networking site in which a user can send (and read and re-send) short messages: Tweets! • A user answers the question ‘What’s happening?’ • 140 characters limit because it was originally SMS-driven • 4 billion tweets in 1st QTR 2010; 18 million registered users:10% of Internet users

22. Twitter: basics • So, a Tweet is a message, 140 characters max, whereby you update the ‘world’ about ‘what’s happening’ in your world • A Retweet is the re-posting of someone’s tweet • Following is becoming a ‘fan’ of someone • You can ‘Direct Message’ someone privately • Functions not supported by Twitter directly are provided by third-party applications – e.g. the ability to post a photo is done via a site like TwitPic.com

23. Twitter: tips • Customise with a good background image • Use keywords, hashtags (#Dominica) – remember, that search engines are using Twitter is one of the reasons we are! • Use to deep link into your blog, website

24. Twitter: Summary? • Has a place in your marketing • Use keywords, hashtags Twitter: Questions?

25. Photo Sharing • Lets you share your photos to a wider audience • Flickr, Panoramio, Picasa, Shutterfly Gallery, Photobucket • Each is its own search engine • As is Google Image search

26. Photosharing: Flickr • One of the heavyweight photo-sharing sites • 4 billion images • Now owned by Yahoo • Free and Pro accounts • You should add a Description and keyword Tags to your photos

27. Photo Sharing: Panoramio • Another photo-sharing site • Focus on ‘geo-location’ – placing image on maps • Integrates with Google Earth/Maps • Owned by Google • Google Maps ‘#1 travel website’

28. Photosharing: Picasa • Free: part of Google; #16 Top 20 websites • 1Gb storage • Note: also allows you to upload via e-mail. • Importantly, you can control who you share with, which will allow your photo to be included in Google Image search results.

29. Video sharing • YouTube dominates • 32 billion watched; 40% of market • Another Google site • Remember: other Social Networking sites (Flickr, Facebook) can host video clips • Strategy: • Host your videos on YouTube, & link to or embed them • Make use (link/embed) of others • Don’t forget to use keywords when describing your video

30. YouTube: • Videos now up to 2GB & +15 minutes long • Your account – ‘Channel’ – can be customised

31. Photo & Video Sharing: Summary • Flickr can facilitate blogging • Picasa to tap into Google Images • Panoramio to tap into Google Earth • Host your videos on YouTube, and link to them from your blog, twitter, website Photo & Video Sharing: Questions?

32. Pulling it all together • Participating in the biggest of the Social Networking sites could take a lot of your time! • So make the process easier! • Use the ability of Social Networking sites to ‘share’ • Sharing

33. Social Networking Strategy • Use the ability to automate sharing • Push, Pull and Feed!

34. Sharing: sending from your phone • A mobile phone lets you keep easily update your Social Network sites • Can send updates direct to Facebook, Twitter, blog • Even better, you can send photos • Key to this: each site has an private ‘updates’ email For example, at Carnival I updated Facebook, Twitter, Blog by sending one e-mail with a photo.

35. Sharing Updates via E-mail: How? • Find out the private e-mails of your accounts – these are used to send updates (text/photos) to the account. Don’t share these! 1. In Facebook, click on the ‘Photos’ icon on your Profile

36. Facebook Updates cont… Step 2: Click ‘Upload a Photo’ Step 3: Click ‘Upload via e-mail’

37. Facebook Update E-mail • Final step is to note the unique e-mail address for your updates.

38. Sharing between sites • It’s relatively easy to feed an update across social media sites! • Upload a photo to Flickr • Click ‘Blog This’ • Choose blog or even Twitter • Post it!

39. Review Your Progress • You must review the results of your Networking • Ultimately, your aim is to drive traffic to your website. So check traffic using a tool like Google Analytics. • Don’t judge ‘results’ by bookings, check the source of your traffic • Use your Facebook PageInsights

40. Facebook Insights • Analytics for Facebook

41. Watch the stream • Search for you business, product • What are people saying about you? • Participate in discussions

42. Summary • Use update e-mails • Share… and connect your networks • Use analytics & Insights • Thank you! • Questions? • Check http://www.delphis-intl.com for material