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Michael StelznerSocial Media Examiner

@mike_stelzner • #cmworld

Putting Social to Work: How to Rapidly Grow Your Fans, Your Prestige & Your Business

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What you’ll learn...

• Why marketing must change

• How to eliminate reliance on marketing channels

• Step-by-step strategy for massive growth

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The road less traveled

• There is no easy path• Success is hard work

– But you already know that!• Social media is complicated

– So many options– How does it all work?– Where do I focus?

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Marketing in the 1990s

• Yellow pages (for local businesses)

• Magazine ads• Radio spots• Newspapers • Direct mail• Public relations

– Really means press relations

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Marketing in the 2000s

• Web banner ads

• Google pay-per-click

• Email newsletters

• White papers

• Press on major websites

• Direct press releases

• Google news

• Experimenting with blogs

• Internet radio

• YouTube

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Today

• Print newspapers, yellow pages and magazines mostly dead

• Public/press relations gone (along with press releases)

• Internet music replaces radio• Email replaces direct mail• Web-based video replaces much of

TV• Social networks become source of

news and greatly reduce search engines

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How do you find customers today?

• Two ways:– 1. You pay someone who has access to them

• This is always how marketing worked• VERY costly• Always reliant on others

– 2. You build your own audience• You become the publisher• Less costly, but still an investment• You become independent

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Content drives social media

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Examples of publishers

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More examples

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Why become a publisher?

• Lower marketing costs– Don’t pay big $ to others– Invest small amount in

creating great content• More traffic

– Each piece of content is a pull• Independence

– No longer reliant on outsiders to bring you traffic

• Rapidly build your business• Can sell ad space

1 week traffic on Social Media Examiner

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4-step strategy to growth

• Become a publisher

– Create valuable content

• Integrate social media

– Make it easy to share

• Build a community using existing social networks

– Bring people together using popular networks

• Build your own community

– Own your turf

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Becoming a publisher: First steps

• Determine who you want to reach

• Ask them what they want to know

– Use data to put editorial schedule together

– Make free report, drives traffic

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Give your audience what they want

• Produce content your audience finds valuable– How to– Reviews– Tips

• Recruit experts to help with your content– Craft posts– Conduct interviews

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Why work with outside experts?

• They have extensive knowledge– Something your readers seek

• They’ll often promote their content– Brings you new readers

• Enhances credibility – Can create a movement

(coopitition)• Attracts other experts

– Power to peers!• Can lead to alliances

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How to recruit experts

• Step into their shoes – Determine what they want– Make it easy to say yes

• Typical desires:– Exposure to right audience– Promotion of new book/project– Recognition– Money

• Don’t ask for anything in return (nor expect it)– Gift mentality

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What makes for great content

• Highly relevant

– Know your readers

• Educational

– Tell them how

• Easy to digest

– Conversational

– Short paragraphs

– Visuals

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What makes for great content

• Visually appealing

– Eye is path to mind

• Conversation inviting

– Ask for thoughts

• Lacks sales angle

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Creating an editorial guide

• Write up a guide for writers:– Original– Audience profile– Article length– Tips on writing

• Use short sentences• Bold key text

– Internal linking– Pictures and video

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Types of content

• How to articles– Share details– Show people

• Expert interviews– On camera, via Skype or

over phone– Ask questions your

audience is interested in

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Types of content

• Reviews– Books, products or

services– Be honest

• Case studies– Share success

stories of others– Format: Challenge,

solution, results

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Types of content

• News stories– Can be tricky if you

chase news– Do weekly wrap-ups

• Can eliminate need for your readers to look elsewhere

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Integrating social

• Make it easy for people to share your content

• Few things to think about:

– Most people never log out of social sites

– If you make an action effortless, more people will take it

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Twitter integration

• Tweet button

– Typically highest social #s

– Good for social proof

– Built into iOS 5

– Place at top and bottom

– Include suggested follow

• Follow button

– Grays out if following

• https://twitter.com/about/resources/buttons

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Facebook integration

• Facebook Like box– Major source of fan growth– Faces = powerful social proof

• Facebook Like/Send button– Send allows targeted sharing

• New verbs coming– Love, watched, own

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Facebook open graph protocol

• Tell Facebook how you want content displayed– Control image, title, link,

description– LinkedIn also uses it

• Useful links– http://ogp.me/– http://

developers.facebook.com/tools/lint/

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Google+

• Add badge to your page– Google connects your content for

search benefits– https://developers.google.com/+/

plugins/badge/config • +1 button

– Very similar to Facebook– Embed at bottom due to small

network size– http://www.google.com/

webmasters/+1/button/

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LinkedIn

• Many people connect Twitter & LinkedIn

• Most popular shared items show up on LinkedIn Today– Large source of traffic

for SME• https://

developer.linkedin.com/plugins/share-button

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Share page

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Community building

• Once you have faithful fans with common interest, bring them together– Surprised how fast it

happened• Facebook is easiest

platform– People spend time there– You gain insights on

activity and fans

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Our Facebook strategy

• Hired a community manager

– Answer all questions

• Break news on wall

– Keep folks informed

• Post third-party article daily

• Post our daily article

• Regularly ask questions

• Fan of the week

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Building your own community

• Networking Clubs

– Facebook limits what you can do with fans

– Hired developer

– Upgraded servers

• Gives fans a reason to come back

• Creates more content on your site!

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Networking Clubs

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Enable discussion

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Summary

• To become independent, become a publisher– Reduces marketing expenses– Generates more traffic– Allows you to build a business

• Enable social sharing• Build a community

– Start with free networks– Build your own as you grow

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Questions?

To learn more:• SocialMediaExaminer.com

– Facebook.com/smexaminer– Twitter: @mike_stelzner

• Suggested reading– Launch: How to Quickly

Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition