Social Media Business Strategy

No notes for slide

Who – is your target audience – primary & secondary. Key stakeholders who you would like to connect with, or monitor (i.e. competitors). What - What is Social Media? What to say? What kind of campaign to run? What platforms to engage in? What are my goals? What does success look like?When – When is the best time to post? When is the best time to start a social media plan?Where – Where do I learn more about how to do this? Where is all the action? Where do I put my time to be most effective?How – How do I do this? Do I hire someone? How much time do I spend? What are best practices?Why – Why bother? Why do I need this? If you don’t know the why…none of the rest of it matters because you won’t have direction, it takes time… you need to be patient.. And if you don’t have a clear why…

Interesting statistics… 20134.2 billion people use their mobile device to access social media sites28% of Retweets on Twitter are due to inclusion of “please RT!”Google + 40% of marketers use it, 70% want to learn more and 67% plan to increase activities42% update their profile information regularly on LinkedInEvery second 8000 users like some or other photo on Instagram60% of consumers say the integration of social media makes them more likely to share product and servicesBUT just because all these social media sites are active…it doesn’t mean you need to engage on all of them.. You need to continue with the questions… to fine tune your plan so it is effective.. For success and your time management.Beyond the statistics…Expected to be there Conversation – “Two- Way Communication”Listen to feedbackOpportunity to extend reachCreate ambassadorsSpeed to reachMonitor BrandMarket ResearchNetworking with PeersSalesRef: http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-social-media-stats-2013/

Mobile searches have local intent. http://www.6smarketing.com/blog/infographic-canadian-internet-usage-statistics/GENERAL STATISTICS27.4 million Canadians are online (that is 80% of the population!)17.2 hours are spent on the internet a week93% go online for product information44% use online videos more than they did last year25% would give up TV over their smartphone64% have a profile on a social network MOBILE79% of Canadians don’t leave home without their mobile device97% use their phone at home83% use mobile on the goPeople are using their phones in businesses:77% use mobile in stores77% use mobile at the workplace72% use mobile in restaurants56% use mobile in airports60-70% of Canadians are on mobile80% are on a smartphoneSmartphone searches to regular phone: 60:186% of smartphone users notice mobile adsSEARCH AND SOCIAL4.8 billion Canadian Google searches are performed each month16% of daily searches have never been searched before16.9 million Canadians are on social networks32% increase in total minutes on social networking sites from 2010 to 2011Canada is leading on Google+ per capita25 million people in Canada watch online videos every monthEach person in Canada watches one hour per day of online videos – 80% of that is on YouTube

Build awarenessLet them know who you are as a company (brand awareness) – what are your values, your mission, competitive differentiation, etc. Let them know that you understand their business challenge(s)You are able to provide a product or service to meet their needs. You will be there to support their needs: short-term and long-term. Are you out there to be found? Know where your customers are spending time (talking, researching, etc.) and make sure you are there.EducateProvide them with the right information, at the right part of their buying cycle, to help with their buying decision(s)Once your customers invest in your product/service, what do they need for long-term satisfaction? (i.e. user manuals, training, customer service, upgrades)Can you be a resource of information to support their business goals? Help them be successful and they will be more receptive to other products or services you may have for them in the future.Engage (‘Call to Action’)Information – you don’t want to have everything out on the internet for your customer to have access to, but make sure you give them enough to want to ask for more. Certain information can be available by registering an email address. Information that requires a discussion should always be request for a meeting.B2B companies searching for product/service will most likely spend more time researching online before contacting a company for a discussion opportunity. If you don’t give them enough information to give them the confidence to contact you, they will move on to your competitor. No one likes a pushy sales person, but if they think what you have to offer is worth it, they will call. Give them the opportunity to find out enough about you to give them the confidence that you are worth the time and risk to take the chance in calling you for more information Purchase – Sometimes you can cut down the sales cycle and go right to purchase. Isn’t this every company’s dream? This is why inbound marketing has become so popular, especially among B2B companies.Make sure all your online sites (website and social media) have easily found ‘call to action’ buttons to meet the goals of your campaign: For purchasing, your button could say ‘BUY NOW’. Customer service – if there is a problem, make sure your customer can easily contact you and get the help they need. Many companies still think a 1-800 number is the only way to offer customer support. Social Media and websites all need to be considered a customer service point of contact. Your customers are on many platforms themselves – personally and for business – and they expect you to be there listening and responding as well.Your reputation can be measured. Davies, et. Al, (2004) suggests that ”reputation contributes between 3-7.5 percent of revenues yearly, and that reputation should be considered an investment toward increased revenues rather than a cost to the firm” [2] http://www.lauradunkley.com/?s=measureYour reputation is the most valuable asset you have - A healthy reputation supports a healthy bottom line 1. Market Share (maintain and potentially increase)2. Ability to attract and retain valuable employees (especially when recruiting ‘Millennial’ employees)3. Attractiveness to prospective donors and members (they have their reputation to maintain as well)4. Ability to carry out their mission with relative and freedom and autonomy5. Stock Prices (we all remember the “Motrin Mommies” story)

Here are some of our surprising findings: Facebook still skews young, but the 45- to 54-year-old age bracket has seen 45% growth since year-end 2012. Among U.S. Internet users, 73% with incomes above $75,000 are on Facebook (compared to 17% who are on Twitter). Eight-six percent of Facebook's users are outside the U.S.Instagram: Sixty-eight percent of Instagram's users are women.Twitter has a surprisingly young user population for a large social network — 27% of 18 to 29-year-olds in the U.S. use Twitter, compared to only 16% of people in their thirties and forties. LinkedIn is international and skews toward male users. Google+ is the most male-oriented of the major social networks. It's 70% male.Pinterest is dominated by tablet users. And, according to Nielsen data, 84% of U.S. Pinterest users are women.Tumblr is strong with teens and young adults interested in self-expression, but only 8% of U.S. Internet users with incomes above $75,000 use Tumblr. Ref http://www.businessinsider.com/a-primer-on-social-media-demographics-2013-9http://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-in-2013-user-demographics-for-twitter-facebook-pinterest-and-instagramSo, who is the average Facebook user? According to the research, it’s a young, 25 year-old woman, living in a big city, with a college degree and a household income of more than $75k a year.https://www.quantcast.com/linkedin.com?country=CA – Linked In Gender – 69% Malehttp://blog.vidiq.com/tag/youtube-audience-demographics/ 86% Male

Refer to your stakeholder map (these are just an idea) when deciding on who will be your target audience. It will change depending on your goals and objectives.Conversations… Listen respond share… are the ultimate goal when engaging any of these audiences..

Still a very real part of social mediaExtending your people-to-people reachBe yourselfIntegrate ‘Traditional’ networking with online networking – mention you are on Twitter, hand out business cards / postcards promoting your sitesWe are social creatures.

You need something worth sharing.. Which is why Content is King.“Content is King” is a term that Bill Gates used in a Microsoft speech in 1996. Gates emphasized using technology’s interactive media along with quality content when speaking, stating that people “must be rewarded with deep and extremely up-to-date information that they can explore at will,” but stated that “those who succeed will propel the Internet forward as a marketplace of ideas, experiences, and products-a marketplace of content.”[1]KISS – Keep it Simple Stupid - Simplicity – “Become the master of exclusion”Unexpectedness – Present in a striking wayConcreteness – get to the point, use visualsEmotions – experiences & feelingsStories – easier to rememberBe awesome… be memorable.

http://www.lauradunkley.com/2013/11/24/tips-creating-great-content/Original – any information created by your sales agency, staff / ambassadors – directly involved with an event, review of a product, personal insight….Curated – what you collect and share from other sources – always stating the source – what will interest your audience??? Don’t always sell

Ben & Jerrys Examplehttp://www.annhandley.com/2014/01/06/joint-effort-why-ben-jerrys-won-social-media-last-week/ - >>>>>(Author of Content Rules – take book to show everyone)TimelyCreativeTone & Voice“What do I mean by “voice and tone”? Voice conveys the personality of a brand or a company, and tone convey’s the content’s “attitude.” You probably learned about both in literature class, but they apply equally well in a world where every one of us—not just professional writers—is publishing. Its voice is not corporate-big, it’s Vermont-small: It’s playful, fun, humorous, and approachable. But it’s also intelligent.As a brand, Ben & Jerry’s “delights the weird,” as Seth Godin terms it. (And, of course, we are all weird.) Knowing who you are as a brand also means knowing who you aren’t.” – Ann Handley

Oreo during the SuperBowl 2013$4 Million for a busy TV commercial, where Social Media more affordable and increased longevity if you can get the right post20,000 Facebook LikesThey were prepared & had a team looking for opportunitiesWill it sell more oreos? “Hard to tell. [But] It definitely makes the brand seem like a more clever, more interesting, sharp brand. So in terms of brand equity this is as effective, if not more effective, than just showing another Super Bowl ad.” - BergerRef: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/02/oreo-twitter-super-bowl/

Website landing page – the hub of all your major content… where you ultimately want your audience to come back to for current and accurate information on what you have to offer, how they can get in contact with you a clear call to action (buy, download, connect with us, etc)Connect with us is in a prominent and clear place with all links to social media sites.Blogging … make sure you have sharing options to make it easy for your audience to spread the word to others.

Steps of major content creation & sharing Create an awesome website – mobile friendly, SEO friendly, blogging platform, etc.Create Content - blogs, podcasts, video, presentations (slideshare) floorplan / customer case study (design), photos (events, customer projects) ,etc.Post it on your website – make sure it is optimized, all links working, shared across various platforms.Put on Social Media PlatformsShare it via email to VIP customers– social links there, it is optimized for mobile & links to further content (read more)ALWAYS have the website to be the target of your marketing – where the bulk & archives of all information is kept, Call to Actions, …a resource library. – measure, measure, measure

Why is Why important? Because you want to measure your success! Measure against your SMART Goals & Objectiveshttp://www.toprankblog.com/2014/01/online-marketing-news-011014/Top three digital marketing priorities for 2014 are:· Driving increased conversion rates (47%)· Increasing and improving brand awareness (46%)· Collecting, measuring, and using behavior (29%)Top three metrics used to track success:· Conversion Rates (67%)· Engagement Rates (opens, clicks) (64%)· Return on Investment (61%)Insights on Digital Marketing spend:· 98% of marketers plan to increase or maintain their spend for 2014· Four key areas where marketers plan to increase spending in 2014:· Data & analytics (61% plan to increase)· Marketing automation (60% plan to increase)· Email marketing (58% plan to increase)· Social media marketing (57% plan to increase

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aileron/2013/04/01/10-social-media-time-management-tips-for-small-business/ 4/01/2013 @ 12:00AM |17,549 viewsFollow CommentsSocial media is one of those things that small business owners know they need to do, but they are not quite sure how to find the time to do it. Here are the top ten tips for effective social media management: 1. Have a plan. Find out where your customers and prospects are having conversations and where your business can add value. Google alertscan be used effectively for this purpose.2. Don’t worry about perfection. Start by listening and learning from others. Humility is something that is always exhibited on social media. Don’t afraid to be a newbie!3. Focus on one tool at a time. It is much better to be effective using one social media tool than to use five of them poorly. Choose the tool based on where most of your customers and prospects are.4. Show up consistently. If you can only spend one hour a week, be there consistently for that period of time. This is a much better strategy than spending 3 hours one day and then 15 minutes the next week.5. Use your own voice online. This should reflect you and your company brand. All consumers now value the human voice.6. Set a time limit. Every marketing activity needs to have a time limit. It is easy to get distracted especially with social media and begin to drift. Get on and get off the social media tool according to your plan.7. Turn off notifications. These are time interrupters and will decrease your overall productivity when you are not working on social media.8. Schedule new content posts. Optimally, this would be on a weekly basis to start.9. Review analytics. Every marketing activity needs to have a result. This is no different. Check out this free tool, Google analytics.10. Set an expected return on your investment. What does your business hope to gain from social media over what period of time?What tools or strategies do you use to save time with social media?http://www.lauradunkley.com/2013/03/22/how-to-create-a-social-media-policy-for-your-company

Social Media Business Strategy

Laura Dunkley

Social Media Business Strategy