social media strategy for retention and sales
DESCRIPTION
Recorded webinar on October 9, 2013. Social media has become critical for associations to keep current members engaged and to reach new potential members. While many associations are using social media as a communications outlet, very few have connected their online efforts to truly impact revenue for the organization. Curt Moss, Senior Product Marketing Manager at WebLink International, will share how your organization can create social media strategies to help exceed your membership goals. In this webinar you'll learn how to: - Set goals for how using social media will benefit your organization. - Create a plan for when and where to post. - Take action on posts by your members. - Measure your results. - Evaluate your success and analyze the data. Note: This webinar will contain all new content and have very little overlap with our LinkedIn webinar.TRANSCRIPT
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Webinar agenda
• Creating a strategy
• Specific steps
• Ideas for posting
• Examples
• Monitoring
• ROI
• Summary
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About Me
• Curt Moss, Senior Product Marketing Manager @ WebLink
• 12 years at member-based orgs – Las Vegas Chamber of
Commerce – Chapter of National Safety
Council • 7 years @ WebLink
– Faculty for W.A.C.E. – Present at association and
chamber conferences
linkedin.com/in/curtmoss
linkedin.com/company/weblink-international
#WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About WebLink
• SaaS Company (Software as a Service), Leading Software Provider to Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations
• Established in 1996, 60 Employees, based in Indianapolis, IN
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
• Based in Indianapolis, Indiana
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About WebLink
• Membership Management Software
• Website Design & Development
• Non-Dues Revenue Programs
• Partner in Your Success
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
WebLink Websites
• Responsive website design
• Automatically adjusts for any screen
• Fully integrated database & website
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About WebLink
• iPad app for mobile commerce
• Integrated credit card reader
• New member sales
• Event registrations
• Pay open invoices
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
WebLink Blog
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Our next webinar: October 31, 2:00 pm EDT
5 Mistakes That Haunt Associations When Using Their
Membership Database
weblinkinternational.com/haunt
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Do you have a social media strategy and content calendar?
We don’t use social media
9% We have a
strategy but don’t always
follow through 17%
We utilize social media but don’t have a strategy
59%
We have a strategy and a
content calendar
15%
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Do you store your members’ social media pages and profiles in your membership management software?
Unsure 26%
We don’t have that feature in
our system 49%
We have social media profile
data stored for a FEW members.
16%
We have social media profile
data stored for MOST
members. 9%
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Which social media network have you found to be most effective in connecting with members?
Facebook 49%
LinkedIn 12%
Twitter 9%
I'm not sure/other
30%
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Have you acquired a new member via your use of social media?
I’m not sure how we could
tell 50%
No 25%
Yes 25%
Strategy
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What makes up a strategy?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Goal
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Plan
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Action
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Measurement
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Evaluation & Analysis
Social Media = Communications Tool
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What is your strategy for...
• Newsletter
• Events
• Website
• Blog
• Mailers
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Relevant & Useful Information...
• Business issues
• Government advocacy efforts
• Organizational programs
• Benefits
• Events
• Educational or community topics
Use Social Media for the same things!
(and more)
Social Media is about...
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Goal
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What are your
social media
goals?
Can you answer in 15 words or fewer?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Goals
• Gain new members • Improve retention • Increase event
attendance • Exposure for members • Connect businesses • Extend reach • Expand influence • What else?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Plan
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Let’s give them something to TALK about
How often does your email marketing message get
forwarded to a subscriber’s entire address book?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Add share buttons from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Who do they believe?
• Consumers trust recommendations from friends and colleagues over advertising
• The “social graph” is becoming more important to companies’ marketing efforts
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Action
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Listen, then talk
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Respond
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Tell, Don’t Sell
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Just Be You
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Give Stuff Away
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Admit Your Mistakes
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Be Grateful
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Provide Support
Get them to tell THEIR story (through YOU)
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What can you post?
• “How I got the business” • Write blog posts for you • How issues affect them, both positive and
negative (with organizational spin) • Tag them • Mention them • Promote them • Encourage others to reply, respond, retweet
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
ASK them to post after/about...
• Joining • Events • Awards • Certifications • Ribbon cuttings • Major business issues • Community topics • Tie to your organization
whenever possible
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Ask for referrals
• “Do you know any businesses that should join our organization?”
• Track in your membership management software
• Reward them if the business joins
• Thank them via social media
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Catch them promoting you…
• Other businesses, especially members!
• Ask them to mention your organization, events and programs
• Reward them?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Yes, your members WANT to know what you’re doing for them and the
business community you serve!
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What you’re doing...
• Business issues • Government advocacy
efforts • Member programs • Discounts & affinity
programs • Events • Community & business
topics • Leading • (fun)
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Engaging your tweeps
• Reply to them
• Retweet them
• Ask questions
• Post useful information
• Include links!
• Include photos!
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Things to avoid
• Posting same things everyday
• Not following back (for local tweeps)
• Not replying (one way communications)
• Inappropriate posts
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Make your content “sharable”
• Social sharing widgets • Like button • Tweet this button • Add This • Share This • Wibiya or other social
tool bars
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Profiles
Add links in your signature
Staff page on website
Footer of email newsletters
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Examples
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Twitter tools for local organizations © WebLink International
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Twitter tools for local organizations © WebLink International
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Mix online & offline
• Send notes for items you see online
• Bring up online interactions when face to face
• Post about IRL interactions
• Share tweets and posts in print, on your website
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
“Use” your members
• Who has a big following on Facebook or Twitter?
• Find ways to engage them to talk about you
• Their fans work for businesses, too!
• Reach the next level
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Bonus Facebook Tips
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Friend-vertise
• You can target ads against just the friends of people who have "liked" your brand on Facebook
• When those people see your ad, they will see listed the names of their friends who like your brand, too.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Bonus Tip – For your members
Add members’ social media links on their listing on your website. Connect them with potential customers.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Use your AMS to store members’ profile data
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
90% of consumers would most likely recommend a
brand name to other people after interacting with the
brand on social media. Internet Advertising Bureau Study, July 2013
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Measurement
Marketing without
metrics isn’t
marketing.
It’s guessing.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Word of Mouth
• Powerful • Free
• Can’t control • Potentially scary
• What are they saying?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Can you measure it?
How likely is it that you would recommend our organization to a friend
or colleague?
Scale of 0-10
The Ultimate Question
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Why 0-10?
• 1-5 yields “3s”
• With 1-10 some people will reverse good/bad
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
How likely is it that you would recommend our organization to a friend or colleague?
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Extremely likely
Not likely at all
Promoter Passive Detractor
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Net Promoter Score
Promoters Net
Promoter Score
Detractors - =
The results may be
humbling.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
New member sales
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Member retention
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Evaluation & Analysis
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Tracking
• Custom fields in membership management system
• Lead source code • Excel or Google docs
spreadsheet • Twitter lists – members,
prospects • MUST link online action to
offline action somehow
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Monitoring EZ
• Twitter Search
• Google Alerts
• Facebook Page stats
• LinkedIn Page stats
• Social monitoring tools
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
search.twitter.com
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Google Alerts
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Management, listening & influencer tools
• Hootsuite • TweetDeck • Buffer • Radian 6/Salesforce • trackur • Klout
• Google “social media
monitoring software”
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Mention
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
ManageFlitter
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Demographics Pro
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Twazzup
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Facebook Insights
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
LinkedIn Insight & Analytics
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
LinkedIn - View Your Followers
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Website Traffic
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
ROI Simplified
• What did you want? (GOAL)
• What did you get? (RETURN)
• How much did it cost? (INVESTMENT)
• What are your social media goals?
• Do they involve $$?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Keeping Track – Old School
• Log time spent
• Budget time
• Track leads, sales, etc., in CRM software
• Divide sales (goals) by time and $$
“Tools can make this simpler, but ultimately, it’s down to you and your friend Mr. Grey Matter to distill data into insights, and insights into actionable recommendations.”
- Kat French, on Social Media Explorer
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution
• ONE web-based centralized database
• Prospects, members, non-members and all reps in same system
• Financials, events, email, committees, website, reporting
Central DB
Financial System
Website
Email Marketing
Members
Events
Prospects
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Association & Chamber Websites
• 500+ client websites • WebLink Local business
directory drives 67% increase in traffic from organic searches
• Adds value for members • Non-dues revenue • Responsive website
design
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
iPad App for Mobile Commerce
• Sell memberships • Event registrations • Integrated credit card
reader
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Our next webinar: October 31, 2:00 pm EDT
5 Mistakes That Haunt Associations When Using Their
Membership Database
weblinkinternational.com/haunt
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
3 Questions
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Webinar Recap
• We will email copy of presentation to attendees
• Link to video recording of webinar
• Please let us know if you have any questions
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
The Purple Cow
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
“Turn strangers into friends. Turn friends into customers. Turn customers into salespeople.” - Seth Godin
WebLink International 3905 W. Vincennes Road, Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268 P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929 weblinkinternational.com | weblinkblog.com
Curt Moss
Senior Product Marketing Manager [email protected]