Using Social Media in Your Marketing Plan

• “We can't open this up to our employees, it will pull them away from work."

• "What about legal implications? The FDA regulates all our communications. An employee can distribute un-reviewed content to the world and we could liable."

• "We lose control of our brand."

Sound Familiar?

• Quick, that's a corporate executive talking about what? • Blogging? • Twitter? • Facebook? • LinkedIn?

Sound Familiar?

Wrong.

Sound Familiar?

• The year is 1997 and that's a conversation about email.

A Trip Through Time

• We won’t have time to check email because we spent a lot of time faxing, reading & writing memos and on the phone. Email reduced our dependencies on these communication channels.

• Today with the flood of email we all receive, no one has time to Tweet. Done right, Twitter and other social networks reduce the amount of email you send, just as email reduced the number of memos we all typed.

Other Parallels

• Email is purely a social application and a way to distribute get-rich-quick-scams and pornography.

• The same thing is said about social media every day. We've all become pretty good at sifting through the garbage and using email as a key part of our work environment.

Other ParallelsOther Parallels

• Email is a fad and a disruptive element that new college grads want.

• Just like email, Twitter, LinkedIn Groups, Facebook and other social networks have fundamental benefits over other forms of communication.

Other ParallelsOther Parallels

What is a Social Network?

• An online meeting place for consumers and influencers • to create, • share and • interact with • content.

What is a Social Network?

• YouTube• Facebook• MySpace• LinkedIn• Amazon• Technorati• Flickr

• CitySearch • Wikihow• Wikipedia• Craigs List• Newsvine• Yahoo! Answers• Digg

Why Social Networks Matter

• 47% of all respondents said they would go to a social networking site to download coupons or search for gift ideas if those services were available;

• 45% said they would visit a social networking site to find out about upcoming sales in stores or discounts on products;

• 22% said they would read or write a product review on a blog.

--BrandWeek

Facebook• www.facebook.com• About• Facebook is a social media tool that connects people with friends and

others who work, study and live around them. • Why• Facebook is made up of many networks, each based around a

company, region, or school. Join the networks that reflect your real-life communities to learn more about the people who work, live, or study around you.

Facebook and Chamber Goals• Listen! Your competitors, vendors, customers and prospects are

talking about you, right now.• Build a presence• Enhance search engine ranking• Communicate (but not to sell!)• Start connecting with friends, classmates, neighbors, clients,

relatives…

Facebook – Action Items• All Chamber employees should have a personal page. (In

addition, the Chamber should have a Business Page.)• Signing up is free with valid email address.• Make page personal, but keep business feel.• Connect and network• Link to deep pages or special widgets on Chamber

website.

Twitter• www.twitter.com• About• Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world

sending updates about moments in their lives in 140 characters or less.

• Why• You can connect with your customers, follow your competitors and

find out what others are saying about you. Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool to promote full posts.

How Can I Use Twitter?• To listen! Consumers and the media are talking about you in real time,

openly and honestly• To learn about the competition• To communicate (but not to sell)• Build your profile and start connecting

Action Items for Twitter• Go to www.twitter.com• Pick a username (something relevant to you), create a short bio,

choose your location, add a link to the Chamber website• Choose who to follow such as your target audience, competition and

customers• www.twellow.com- twitter directory (6,278 small business owners

registered)• Use others you know (Chamber employees) to find followers

• Add links and keywords to your profile• www.columbus.org• www.liveworkplaycolumbus.com• www.columbus.org/member-center• http://www.columbus.org/about-columbus/connect-with-young-professiona

ls.php

LinkedIn Action Items• If you do NOT have a profile, you need to sign up and create one.• LinkedIn is free to join. With a basic account:

• Build a professional network of unlimited size• Find and reconnect with colleagues and classmates• Request and provide recommendations• Request up to 5 Introductions at a time• Search for and view profiles of other LinkedIn users

• If you do have a profile, you need to optimize it.• Optimize keywords• Optimize Links• Review WM LinkedIn Guide

• Once Columbus Chamber group created on LinkedIn, join and invite all employees & friends to join

YouTube• www.youtube.com• About• YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to

watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience.

• YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.

• Why• Video is one of the fastest growing social media tools• YouTube shows over 100 million videos each day• In the US, 13.5 billion videos are watched online each month• In October 2008, 77% of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed

online videos.

Videos

• Create more videos and promote the videos on YouTube Channel• http://www.youtube.com/columbuschamber• Working on more ways to get more exposure with new

and existing videos• Ideas for testimonials, etc.• Link to these from other social networks (Twitter,

LinkedIn, Facebook)

Set Clear Goals

• There are three kinds of people in the world: those who can count, and those who can’t

Set Clear Goals

• Can’t measure “more buzz”• Define measurable metrics – 16 media placements, 40

relevant links, increase sales 12%• Take baseline metrics before campaign starts

• SEO metrics, social media metrics• Break metrics down into quantifiable goals

• Mentions in blogs, social networks, links to the site…• You can quantify metrics

Determine the Hook

• Set goals before determining the “hook”• Questionnaire to determine need – what gets the participants

excited?• Examples: free sample, white paper, video, online

calculator/application, stunt

Determine Distribution Plan

• Earn your way into distribution• Avoid using the word “free”• Look for specialized networks or “celebrity” bloggers that don’t

often get pitched• Rate the value of each participant and determine the pitch

Determine Distribution Plan

• Think in terms of most efficient coverage• Examples: pitch a blogger, obtain a following on

MySpace/Facebook, use tagging sites, Tweet to your target, make new connections on LinkedIn and build a presence on targeted social networks

• Great Content + Great Distribution=Great Word of Mouth

Case Study: Shizuka New York

• Located in midtown Manhattan• Cosmetology & skin care with “Eastern holistic knowledge”• Featured in international media, including Marie Claire, Shape,

Vogue, and Harpers Bazaar

Shizuka New York

• Following Word of Mouth program:• Mention on Jay Leno• Mention on CNN• Home page of CNN.com• E! “The Soup”• The Hollywood Reporter• Featured on the Today Show

We Set Clear Goals

• Branding and awareness• Increased site traffic• New clients

Used that Compelling Hook

• Highlighting “Bird Poop Facials”

Determined the Best Distribution Plan

• SEO Press Release• Blogger Outreach• Video• Social Networks

SEO Press Release

Blogger Outreach

• Identify bloggers in key categories:• Already talking• Skin care• Pop culture• News of the weird

Blogger Outreach

• Read the blog!• Clearly identify who you are• Tailor your message• Provide only relevant content• Ask yourself again before you hit “send”

Video

• Spoof interview produced• Uploaded to YouTube• Embedded in press release• Sent to bloggers

Video

• The YouTube Geisha Facial video – 20,000+ views

Web Results

Ice Rocket Web results were at 3,960 at the beginning of May and are now up to 20,700

Summary

• Create a great hook, you can’t fake it• Funny• Useful• Outrageous• Taboo

• Find the right mix of complementary channels• Measure results

Get Social Today

• Attendance and enthusiasm are half the game• Dedicate time to making this work• Bring wine• Seek first to understand, then to be understood• The conversation is going on right now, the only decision is if

you will be involved

Questions & Comments

Bill Balderazbbalderaz@webbedmarketing.com

www.webbedmarketing.comTwitter: @bbalderaz