Understanding the Social Media marketing mindset:

A guide for Natural Health and Wellness businesses

by Justice Marshallwww.SocialNature.ca

http://twitter.com/SocialNature

You are welcome to share this document freely in it’s original form. Please don’t edit, modify or reprint content.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

What business breakthrough are you working toward?

• Are you a NHP supplier launching a product line?• A health food retailer working to build customer loyalty?• A natural health publisher looking for advertisers? • A wellness service provider building a practice?

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

What Social Media approach willhelp you meet your business goals?

Starting with the right MINDSET - a way of thinking about Social Media - will save you time and money and help you reach the people that matter most to your business.

This mindset rests onfour distinct principles:

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

[first principle] Be Generous.

Generosity builds trust and reciprocity.

Differentiate your brand by being generous to the people who matter most to your business. Consider sharing your knowledge, time, networks or other resources - perhaps even your humour, compassion and humanity.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

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[second principle] Be Informative.

Position yourself (your brand) as a trusted expert by providing information that your ideal customers care about.

Don’t use Social Media to pitch - instead create branded content (blog posts, ebooks, e-newsletters, webinars) that informs, inspires and ATTRACTS.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

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[third principle] Be Valuable.

Know what your community values most, and deliver it at every turn. Being Generous and Informative is only useful if it is perceived as valuable.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

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[fourth principle] Be Engaging.

Giving away valuable information isn’t enough on its own.

Engage your audience. Participate in online conversations. Comment on influential blogs and forums. Respond to tweets and to comments on your company Facebook page.

Create opportunities for your customers and prospects to enter into meaningful dialogue with you.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

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Generous+

Informative+

Valuable+

Engaging=

The GIVE Principles

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

The GIVE Principles

• Synergistic (They work best together)

• Effective (They build a platform of trust, reciprocity, expert status and perceived value)

• Simple (No fancy tricks)

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

Not a replacement for Social Media strategy.

The Principles are Universal. (Everyone can use them.)

Your strategy is unique.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

Remember...

• Social Media spaces are built for interaction and for sharing remarkable ideas, products and experiences.

• Advertising and blatant marketing feel awkward and will mostly get you ignored.

• Traditional media networks don’t control these spaces.

• You can’t buy influence or credibility here... You have to earn it.

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca

About the author

Justice Marshall helps Natural Health businesses develop, implement and manage web marketing strategies. He works as Social Media manager for national brands and is a consultant for the industry.

Keep up with Justice’s blog at http://www.socialnature.ca/blog. Connect on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SocialNature

Justice Marshall www.SocialNature.ca