Introduction to Online Business

Networking and Social

Media

Framework

• Introduce you to social media• Provide guidelines to consider• Share thoughts on best practices• Acknowledge it’s not for everyone

What is Social Media?

“Primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information

among human beings”

• Main reason people use it – to keep up to date• A driving force of the ever-shrinking wall

between advertising and editorial

Just to name a few…

• Online Communities• Social Messaging• Weblogs / Blogs• Wikis• Webcasts & Podcasts

Let’s get these out of the way…

• Isn’t this a fad for kids? – NO!– They’re just better at it then us

• My clients are older and hardly use email– Sure, but the next generation has iphones,

LinkedIn accounts, and a blog– Get ready

Top Companies Doing the Best Job

• Zappos• Comcast ("Comcast Cares")• JetBlue• Dell• Burger King

First, the Golden Rule

“You get what you give”

• What this means is…– It’s about what you can contribute– Not about what you can get

Set Realistic Goals

• Could, Might, Possibly, Maybe– increase your visibility– build your credibility– cultivate relationships

• Desired end results– More satisfied clients– More client referrals– New ‘self-selected’ clients

A Good Reason to Consider…

• Your audience is more weary of being sold bad investment advise than ever

• Because of this… there is now, more than ever synergy between social media and what you need to do win new clients

• Honest and open communication

A Great Analogy• Think… coffee shop teeming with people and no

limitation on physical space• Everyday people come to this coffee shop to do their

thing• They DON’T come to listen to sales pitches• They ARE opening to learning new things and making

new friends

“So if you came to this coffee shop everyday and left each day saying the coffee shop doesn’t get

me business, what are you really saying?”

How to Approach Social Media-• Ask, is this for me?

– Do I have something to say?– What would I be comfortable doing?

• If yes, define your goals• Learn by observing others• Pick a strategy (what)• Set your time investment (when & how much)• Put a plan in place (who & how)• Execute… enjoy…• Adjust as needed

Top 10 from S.M. Marketers• Brand thyself• Personal vs. professional• Don't be superficial• Be valuable• Follow-up • Follow-up (it’s THAT important)• Plan• Be an expert• Educate yourself• Embrace it … It’s here to stay

Best Practices

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Weblog, Podcast & other online

communities

• Fun facts– 150 million active users, expected to hit 300 million by the end of

2009– Facebook is made up of many networks – some public, some private

• Investment– Time to join and set up your profile– Time to check out groups, invite friends, keep news in your feed

• Key things to remember– Facebook is primary for personal, not business use– You can be easily ‘de-friended’

• Facebook is NOT email – do not spam, do not advertise – Set your preferences

• Determine your use, set the appropriate security levels• New Facebook can generate a lot of notice emails

How to use Facebook• Fill in your profile, include your blog or website URL• Invite your business colleagues and clients to become your

friends • Make relevant postings which will appear in your friends

newsfeeds• Join or start a group• Track our client ‘friends’ activities, comment appropriately…

be real, be approachable • Use your status or a post to promote an event you are

running or attending… or new version of your newsletters• Create the event and then invite all your contacts to join.

Post a professional photo & a “my friend, this is what I do” description

Status update used to indirectly promote upcoming event…

Ah, she did it again… Even better.

Ah, photos of the kids, grandkids… my trust level just went up 10 points!

Using links to promote things on the Lofts website – thought leadership

How to use LinkedIn• Fun fact

– All 500 of the Fortune 500 are represented in LinkedIn. In fact, 499 of them are represented by director-level and above employees.

• Investment– Time to join and set up your profile– Time to invite and accept links, check out and join groups, read and contribute to

threads

1. Increase your visibility– More connections = more people to see your profile– People like to work with people who their friends know and trust

2. Improve your connectability– Fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include past companies, education,

affiliations, and activities– Include a link to your profile as part of an email signature

3. Improve your Google Page Rank– Make your profile information available for search engines to index

4. Enhance your search engine results– Promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo!

How to use LinkedIn5. Make your first client meeting go smoother

– Find the people that you’re meeting. Knowing that you went to the same school, play hockey, or share acquaintances is a lot better than an awkward silence after, “I’m doing fine, thank you.”

6. Gauge the health of a company– A search for a company name can enable you to scrutinize the rate of turnover and whether key

people are abandoning ship. – Former employees give more candid opinions about a company’s prospects than someone who’s still

on board.7. Gauge the health of an industry

– If you’re thinking of investing or working in a sector, find people who worked for competitors—or even better, companies who failed.

8. Track startups– You can see people in your network who are initiating new startups by doing an advanced search for

a range of keywords such as “stealth” or “new startup.”9. Ask for advice – Get Questions Answered

– Broadcast your business-related questions to both your network and the greater LinkedIn network. – Request names of contractors – for business projects or even, home improvement.– Answer Questions- become a subject expert.

Become a Top Expert

How to use LinkedIn10. And if you are looking to hire, or getting hired…• Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks.

– When hiring, use the reference check tool to input a company name and the years the person worked at the company to search for references to get a view from a non-prep’ed reference.

– If you’re interviewing, check references on your potential manager or ask past employees about their experience at the company.

– Increase the relevancy of your job search.– Find people with educational and work experience like yours to see where they work.

• Important Rules for linking:– Make sure you know them and you can speak honestly about them.– There’s a good possibly you may be asked to introduce them to someone else in your

network, or even more sticky, give a reference for them.– You need to pay for the full-version, really only necessary if you are looking for a job.

Tweets, peeps, and Twitter…

• Keep track of specific company layoffs that may not be mentioned in the news.

• Find out what the person you are ‘following’ is doing.

• Set up alerts to track competitors updates.• Communicate key ideas and events through

creative posts to followers - IE Drucker pre-T3.• Less is MORE – keep it relevant & interesting.• You get what you give…

Proactive Social Networking

•Casting•Blogging•Online Communities

Benefits of a Proactive Strategy

• Leverage YOU• Consistent and Complete messaging• Timely messaging• Reference tool• Ability to track “who is listening” & “who

isn’t listening”

Consider the following in a Proactive Strategy

• Time commitment• Resist the temptation to “sell”• One size/[message] doesn’t fit all• Don’t assume this will replace your need

to communicate one-on-one

What is a Podcast

• A Podcast is a series of audio or video digital media files which are distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through Web feeds to portable media players and personal computers.

Podcast

What is a Webcast

• A webcast is a media file distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webcasting is “broadcasting” over the Internet.

• Don’t confuse a Webcast with an online conference.

Webcast

5 Steps to Producing a Pod or Webcast

• You can make them yourself, for the cost of a good microphone…

• Download Audacity at or TalkPoint or any other net casting tool.

• Get a good microphone. • Write the script (so you don’t sound improvised and

amateurish). • Record it in a noise-free environment. • Apply the noise-reduction filter in your audio editing

software and save the file.

Blog• Have a website? Add a blog.• What’s the difference?

– You website is a brochure– Your blog is a dialog with your readers

• Keep in contact with your clients• Make it easier for clients to ‘share’ you with other (think referrals)

• What do you write about?– Could replace or augment a newsletter or email blast program– What would you talk about if a client called you today?

• But I use email?– Posting a new blog entry is as easy as sending an email– Clients and other interested parties can subscribe to your feed– And you can still email the blog entry (with link), a summary of the entry with a link, or

just a link…– Big advantage… once they click through all your past entries are there to reference– Link to your blog in your email signature… give a prospect the chance to really get to

know you and the service you provide… aren’t you worth knowing?

Blog

Online Community

• Have an “ business owner” who oversees the budget and sets direction

• Have a “manager” who conducts day-to-day decision-making. Keep the information fresh.

• Have a “moderator” who sets the tone, enforces rules and helps users

• Create a set of comprehensive guidelines• Define actions that will take place when issues occur• Make the community visible to potential users• Manage “super-users” differently from other users

Online Community