Social Media Marketing & Small Business – What You Need To Know
A presentation by Sarah Bauer Project ManagerNavigator Multimedia
What’s social media marketing all about?
•Conversations, engagement with customers (73% of online adults use social media sites).
•An integration of messages using text, video, images, etc.
•NOT traditional marketing.
Why should my business use social media?
Learn more about your target audience.
Search engines appreciate it (social accounts can help
drive traffic back to your website).
Build a community around your business.
Boost customer service and transparency.
Your customers are there.
Wait – why should I listen to you?
• I’m really smart. • No really, I am.
• Author of 200+ blog posts about online marketing, social media and web design at KelownaWebDesigns.com
• English Literature BA graduate from the University of Victoria• 3 years experience writing for the web • Cited author for the acclaimed web writing text book Letting Go
of the Words by Ginny Redish • Twice-featured author for web design publication Smashing
Magazine• Social media manager at Navigator Multimedia• Self-admitted Instagram junkie
Social media and SEO Link potential – social activity can make your
website more visible, more clickable.
Brand search – social presence gets more prospects acquainted with your brand.
Legitimacy – the more people engage with your social platforms, the more authority you gain.
Why’s it so hard to get people to Like and Follow my
profile? -Cool it! “Likes” aren’t everything.
-It’s really about engagement.
-Engagement happens on social media when you can get a dialogue going between your brand and your customers.
-Ex: Comments, shares, posts and yes, “Likes”.
This Facebook Page Rules
The Pages People Like to “Like”:
• Belong to friends and family they wish to support.
• Are representative of a lifestyle/identity they wish to present of themselves to the world.
• Offer up ridiculously brilliant content and incentives (coupons, contests) on the regular.
Content:sweet, sweet content
• Pictures, articles, blog posts, videos
• A mix of stuff you find from around the web and stuff you create yourself
• It’s gotta be relevant and interesting to your target audience – that’s what makes people want to share it with others
• In fact, it’s gotta be all about your target audience – not you.
Ugh.
•Lame
•Condescending
•Self-promoting
Yes!
Visually delicious
Compelling title
Useful, relevant
info
Directs customers
to the website
Post -> Engage
Tips for engagement:
Be consistent – create a schedule for posting (once a day during your work week, for starters)
Be relevant – post content that affects your audience
Be excited and have fun – it’s social media! It’s a space for making friends and networking. You don’t make friends by being a bragging, boastful robot
Be there – respond to comments, questions and feedback
Examples of things to post
The latest industry news High-res images of your services or products
“in action” – get customers involved with photo contests
Opinions, FAQ’s and advice that pertains to using your services or products
Video contenthow to’s, ‘backstage tours’, ‘how-it’s-made’, customer/employee spotlights
Content of related businesses local connections, complimentary services, links (ex: GWBOT profile).
Sarah’s General Warnings:
• Don’t make your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account your sole Internet address – you don’t own it.
• Don’t expect to see results right away – social media requires ongoing engagement (you get what you give).
• Social media platforms are public spaces where people can say mean things. Be prepared to moderate trolls and keep your customer service standards in check (and your skin thick).
Sarah’s Absurdly On-Point Recommendation For Social
Media Success
1. Don’t start till you have a friggin’ plan! [Social Media Strategy ]
2. What are your goals? Get people back to your website Share information about your business Connect with prospects
3. What resources do you have on hand to manage the page and make content? Do you need to hire a content writer?
4. Who will make the content? Who will find content? Who will post? What “voice” will your Page have?
Step 1: Strategy. Step 2: Content.
Work with experts to develop a strategy that works for your specific business needs
Navigator Multimedia offers Social Media Strategy packages as part of our Search Engine Optimization services
Get professionally written content to share with your followers and reuse across your website and other social media platforms
You got it – we write. We write great stuff for the web.
Thank you!
