Which works best… Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn?
Sarah Steel
Questions..
Coming up…
• WHICH WORKS BEST?!• Building your online community• Making most effective use of your time on
social media
• Good for B2C and retail. • Typically younger market, but older users catching
up• Excellent for visuals/imagery• Allows more detailed discussions• Some really good Groups (and some not so
good…)• Great Customer Service platform
• Harder to get traction initially, but builds stronger connections
• Typical users have around 250 Friends and Like around 80 Pages, meaning your “reach” can be vastly multiplied
• Typical users spend more time on Facebook than watching TV!
Online entertainment retailer Play.com recently announced that: • during 2011 alone, Play.com made sales worth £2m through its
Facebook page (a rise of more than 80% compared to 2010). • its Facebook fans are worth 24% more in direct sales than non-
fans.• those customers who made their first purchase as a result of a
Facebook referral spent 30% more than the average customer in their first year of using the website.
• In the last 12 months Play.com has grown its Facebook following from 75,000 to more than 350,000. They estimate that this provides a potential reach of more than 38 million friends of fans.
source: yetti.co.uk 29th Aug 2012
• Currently slightly more B2B than B2C (but shifting) • Information driven (tips, links to articles etc)• Informal and fun, scope for being creative• Very distinct “worlds” exist (peer groups, business,
celebrity)• Great for word-of-mouth referrals• Strong local networks• Very effective for pro-active marketing• Good place to build Reputation
• Twitter is quite informal, users are typically more open to conversation, easier to make an approach
• Data is searchable, so once you know your buyer persona you can find potential customers readily
• Character limit keeps updates concise• Use twitter to drive traffic to your website• Keep in touch with networking contacts informally• Great for gathering information, staying in touch with
local/industry events, news etc• Can break down “stuffy” image of some of the more
traditional service industries
• Twitter has been credited with successes from saving a small business to finding someone a new kidney. The applications seem almost limitless.
• For example, computer giant Dell have had massive success by offering special Twitter-only deals on refurbished computers. Knowing exactly what their customers problems are, and solving them very specifically has worked for them – it could work for you too!
• Works particularly well for professional services and B2B. You might be surprised who is on there (and who is not!)
• Unique in that it allows you to see who has viewed your Profile
• Internal messaging system means you can make direct contact readily
• Strong business ethic, low spam ratio• Powerful search tools allow very targeted use• LinkedIn Groups can be very effective• Excellent for forming and maintaining professional
Connections
• By joining (or creating your own) groups you can put yourself in front of exactly the sort of people you want to work with
• Enhanced business networking – search your contacts to find out who they know, then ask for an introduction or recommendation
• Showcase your individual expertise and experience, whilst also linking this to your company for mutual benefit
• Not just for finding a job! Build connections with suppliers and partners too.
• More than 10 million UK members of LinkedIn (175 million worldwide)
• More than 2 million company pages• 49% of LinkedIn users have household income
over $100k source: socialtimes.com Jan 2012
YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY
• Profile/Bio (use your elevator pitch!)• Add your PICTURE• Start with people you already know (FROGS!)• Don’t forget existing customers!• Many social networks have ways to import
your existing email contacts for a speedy start• MANAGE your contacts in lists/groups etc
YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY
• Its just like face-to-face networking:– Listen to individuals and engage with them– Find shared interests– Talk about current affairs and relevant industry news– Share useful information – Ask questions– Answer questions– Mention others and share contacts– Discuss trade shows, conferences etc– Give a little of yourself – people buy people!
YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY
• Occasionally its OK to mention:– Testimonials– Your USP– Your Knowledge Points – Special offers– But don’t overtly sell
YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY
• Be there! No activity is no good• Make your messages shareable• Share other people’s messages• Use search tools to find your target customers.
Follow, Friend, Connect and Like!• Use keywords, so people can search and find
YOU
YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY
• Join Groups and contribute to discussions• Create your own Group• Answer “Questions” on LinkedIn and Forums• Promote your online presence on your
business cards, email campaigns, adverts and printed literature
• Follow-up face-to-face networking by connecting online
YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY
• For most small to medium sized businesses, social media is not a substitute for face-to-face conversations, it’s a stepping stone towards them. Consider:– Organising a tweet-up– Arranging offline one-to-one meetings– Obtaining postal addresses as well as email addresses, and
sending out mailshots– Using the telephone– Meeting people through other networking events, then
connecting online
EFFECTIVE USE OF TIME
• Planning– Use your Buyer Persona to determine • What problems you can help them with• What your community are interested in
– Establish what sources you will use to find or generate this information
– Generate tips, commission articles, collect information, write blogs in advance
EFFECTIVE USE OF TIME
• Scheduling– Use your Buyer Persona to determine • Where and when is best to connect with them
– Use a tool such as Hootsuite to schedule about 30% of your updates across appropriate social media channels, several weeks in advance
EFFECTIVE USE OF TIME
• Managing– Wherever possible organise your contacts,
connections and information sources into lists– Use a management tool (Hootsuite, Tweetdeck,
MarketMe etc) to organise your newsfeeds into segmented streams
– Include saved searches where possible– Review (and respond as appropriate) once a day– Post your own “current” status updates
Hootsuite
EFFECTIVE USE OF TIME
Questions..
Contact me…
Tel: 07921 040622Email: [email protected]: sarahsteelsm.co.uk
twitter.com/SarahSteelSMfacebook.com/SarahSteelSocialMedialinkedin.com/in/SarahSteelSocialMedia
