digitalsherpa's marketing ama (ask me anything!) hosted by justin fishaw & sarah mincher

Online Marketing AMA:Presented by DigitalSherpa

Justin Fishaw | Marketing Director

Sarah Mincher | Content Manager

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Today’s Agenda:

Present & answer the most common marketing challenges voiced by our audience of SMB owners & marketers

Topics will include: Social media marketing, content marketing & blogging, local search marketing, and website design & branding.

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Today’s Format:

Each topic will be addressed with most common basic & advanced question.

Each answer will include a breakdown of the question & topic, plus an answer that includes best practices & real life examples.

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But first…introductions:

Justin Fishaw | Marketing Director

Manage & and execute the inbound lead generation program that fuels the growth of DigitalSherpa.

More interesting facts include:•Born and raised in the Metro Detroit area•Own and operate an apparel company, SMPLFD, for 10+ years•Have a Boston Terrier named Uncle Jesse•When I’m not working, you can find me exploring the streets of Atlanta with my pup & beautiful wife, Serena

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Sarah Mincher I Content Marketing Manager

Responsible for DigitalSherpa’s Content & Social Media Marketing Strategy.

Some super fun facts about me:

•Raised in Seattle, and yes I am a coffee snob. •Has a horse named John Lennon and spend my free time competing in show jumping.•2x winner of Creative Loafings “Best Twitter of Atlanta” award.

DigitalSherpa exists to:Social Media Marketing

Question #1:

How do I start & implement social media (marketing) for my business?

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What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing refers to use of social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social networks to connect with customers & prospects; to build a community.

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Start with the basics.

Website + Strategy + Content +Social Media Networks __________________________Foundation for social media Marketing success.

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Social Media Marketing Best practices

• Post content 1-2x per day • Answer & respond to all comments,

questions & messages• Keep your posts short & succinct• Include questions & other CTA copy to

encourage engagement• Use analytics & insights to determine

future strategies

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Question #2:

How do I increase my business’s Facebook presence?

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How can I reach all of my ‘fans’ without having to pay to promote?

The common Facebook challenge:

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You can’t.

But you can increase reach with a few strategic moves.

Increase your Facebook Presence:

1. Understand your audience2. Entertain & educate them accordingly

•Shaq Rule (yes, that Shaq): 80/15/5•Copy + formatting = engagement increase•Stay up-to-date w/ best practices•Pay to play

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Increase your Facebook Presence:

1. Understand your audience2. Entertain & educate them accordingly

•Shaq Rule: 80/15/5•Copy + formatting = engagement increase•Stay up-to-date w/ best practices•Pay to play

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Boost your 5 percent – make it count.

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$175 spend = $1381 in sales

Content Marketing & Blogging

Question #3 & #4:

What the heck is content marketing exactly? And what goes into a successful content marketing plan?

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What is Content Marketing?

Content Marketing is the thoughtful creation of content designed for a specific audience to inspire a particular outcome.

It is often mapped to the information needs of a target audience segment during the customer journey from Awareness, to Purchase to Advocacy.

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Real Life SMB Example:

Local Pool Company:•Prospective buyers (research phase)

• Types of pools, pros & cons of each, local events, etc.

•Buyers• Best local pool companies, pool pricing,

types of pool financing, Guide to buying the right pool (ebook),etc.

•Customers• Pool maintenance, DIY tips, latest trends,

etc.

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Content Marketing examples:

•blog posts•social media posts•press releases•articles,•webinars •videos, •infographics•local business listings•and much more!

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Harsh reality: creating content is hard! Getting real results is even harder.

What are the key ingredients in a successful content marketing strategy?

Content Marketing is the thoughtful creation of content designed for a specific audience to inspire a particular outcome. It is often mapped to the information needs of a target audience segment during the customer journey from Awareness, to Purchase to Advocacy.

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The Key Ingredients:

• Creating customer & buyer personas• Map your customer journey• Content for each persona along every step

of the journey• Editorial calendars & content planning

management (Excel / Trello)• Content distribution (Social Media &

Outbrain / Taboola & Stumbleupon / Digg / Reddit)

• Measurement & analytics software (Google Analytics, FB Insights, etc.)

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Small Business Success Stories:

• Lauren Luke• GORUCK.com• BirchBox• Dollar Shave Club• DigitalSherpa

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Local Search

Marketing

Question #5:

How do I get my business listed in all of the online business directories?

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What are online business directories?

Websites that properly categorize businesses in a searchable directory that enhances your website’s visibility and creates relevant inbound links back to you website.

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Getting your business listed:

Two options:

1.Business directory submission service• Localeze / listmybizlocally.com

2.Manual DIY approach• Google & Bing Places for Business• Yahoo! Local Listing / Yelp / Merchant Circle • YP.com / YellowBook / White Pages /

Superpages / Citysearch / Facebook Page

Question #6:

How do I use social media to reach local customers & businesses?

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Local Social Basics

Start targeting your local audience by joining and being active in local Linkedin, Yelp and Facebook groups.

You can also target specific local Facebook users using the promoted post option.

Social Media can be Local Media

Sites like Facebook and Twitter have built-in features that allow you to search and target locally.

There are also many affordable third-party platforms like Hootsuite or SproutSocial that make this very easy.

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Website Design & Branding

Question #7:

How often should I update my website?

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Do you have‘Build it and Forget it’

syndrome?

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Question #8:

What 10 things should every website have?

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10 Core Components of an Optimized Website

• Branding that matches your products or services• Responsive design• Up-to-date design & fonts• Excellent copy• Blog & other content • CTA’s & Forms to capture leads• Social Media Integration• Logical Navigation• Crucial business information• Personalization

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THANK YOU! Questions?

All registrants will receive an email with a link to the recorded webinar & the slides.

If we don’t get to your question today, feel free to Tweet us your questions & comments @digitalsherpas.

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