6 Effective Ways to Use Social Media for Business - how to get more out of social media

1. 6 Effective Ways To Use
Social Media for Business
BNSW – Exeter
By Chris Wood

2. • Online Marketing &
Social Media Specialist
• Provides training to businesses on how to use
social media & other online marketing activities
• Showing how to engage & promote online to
customer base
Intro to Chris Wood
@qChrisWood

3. Intro – Seminar Goals
To show how Social Media can be used
as an effective Marketing &
Engagement tool for your business
To Answer Your Queries
Current use? Tw / FB / Ld – Experiences – working / not working / not sure

4. Local Success Story - #Exeter #Indiexmas
• 28 independent Exeter based retailers
collaborating
• Each using their Twitter account to
promote #Exeter #Indiexmas
• Followers of these profiles picked up
on this and it spread virally online
• Benefits:
• Free local press exposure
• New customers
• Buzz about independent shops
• FSB & City Council involvement
• New Exeter Trails 2013!!

5. • Launching 4th July – Independents Day! (7pm Phoenix)
• Using Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest to promote
independent local businesses on Exeter Trails:
• Food Glorious Food
• Café Culture
• Arts & Crafts
• Vintage & Boutiques
• Activities & Hobbies
• Using #Tags in particular to build following to themes and
to locally go viral online
@ExeterTrails - #ExeterTrails / Facebook – search Exeter trails
#ExeterTrails

6. Examples of Big Brands using Social Media

7. • Facebook – 34m UK members – 50% of population
• Twitter – approx. 10m UK members
• LinkedIn – over 5m UK members
• Blogging – a great way to build trust & draw in
customer base (Content Marketing)
Intro to Social Media Platforms

8. • 52 million people online
• 74% go online monthly
• The majority of UK adults in all age groups use internet,
less so over 75 or more
• Search Engines 3rd & Social Media 2nd biggest category
after Entertainment websites
Stats via Internet World Stats, eMarketer, Hitwise,
Why Market Online?

9. Digital Marketing Costs Less
Infographics by Votier Digital

10. 1. Strategy & Action Plan
2. Mix Up Content
3. Building Following & Online Relationships
4. Complement other marketing activities
5. Inhouse vs Outsourcing
6. Tracking Impact
So …. How to Make Social Media Work for You?

11. • Social Media will fail without purpose
• Not Quick Win – Free To Do But Takes Effort
• Key to Success – Strategy & Action Plan
• Matching to Business Objectives
– Increase Website Traffic
– Raise Online Presence
– Further Build Relationships with Existing Clients, Prospects, Suppliers
– Gain (or re-gain) Google Presence (Google highly values social media traffic)
– Increase Internet Leads / Online Sales
• Implement for medium to long benefit
Strategy & Action Plan

12. Many Ways To Use Social Media

13. • Requires good mix of content
• Informative Messages / Website Sub-pages /
Articles / Blogs / Photos / Videos etc
• Apply inbound marketing techniques to draw
your customer base(s) in
• Internet enables people to research easily before
buying – be part of their research process!
• Know your Keywords – will help you be found
Mix Up Content

14. What to Say?
Be informative (& interesting) rather than trying to
hard sell:
– The products or services you offer (Special Promotions)
– The sort of tasks you are working on
– Latest news / Articles of Interest / Top Tips / Key Features
– Bookings, availability, i.e. info useful to customer base
– Types of events hosting or attending
– Training received
Promote Others

15. Mentioning Sub-Pages & Keywords
By driving traffic to sub
pages and using
keywords you’re helping
Google to improve your
online presence
Google is looking for
social signals
i.e. hits from social media platforms
to your website

16. #Tags
Reach Out To Wider Audience Online
Now work on
Facebook

17. Know Your Audiences & What Platforms They’re Using
• Identify and follow customers, suppliers, business partners,
prospects etc
o Could you upsell or cross-sell to existing customers?
(via a soft touch approach)
o Acts as a Customer Service channel – handling queries
• Social media not just about marketing, it’s your online resource
tool for business
o How Else Could Social Media Benefit Your Business?
o Research / keeping up to date / new suppliers / business partners
/ recruitment / getting help …..
Building Following & Online Relationships

18. • Twitter – identify key industry/local profiles to follow
• Follow who is following them and or who they’re following
• Twellow – find profiles by location
• Use of #tags will help naturally pick up new followers
• Use of informative messages, blogs, articles, photos, videos – will
lead to retweets and new followers
• Facebook – Ad Campaign to build likes
• Only shows to set criteria
• Helps build reach within Facebook (once 100 likes – Boost Posts)
• Mention in offline marketing – flyers, leaflets, ads etc
Gaining Followers
• LinkedIn
– suggests contacts
to you

19. What other activities could social media complement?
• Networking - LinkedIn / Twitter #BNSW
• Tradeshows/Conferences – connect online with
people met offline (& vice versa)
• Email Marketing – syncs with social media
• Traditional Marketing – mention on social media
– gain retention (Big Brands do this with TV ads)
Complement other marketing activities

20. Inhouse – undertaking it yourself
Inhouse vs Outsourcing
Pros
• You Know Your Business Best
• What’s going on day to
day
• Industry Knowledge
• Can Potentially Respond
Better/Faster
vs Cons
• Time
• Requires Some Technical Know
How
• Although perhaps less
technical than you think, more
about content & engaging
online

21. Outsourcing – managed by social media experts
Inhouse vs Outsourcing
Pros
• Freeing up your time to do what
you do best
• You know it’s being handled
• Better than not at all
• They have Technical Know How to
make it work
Cons
• Cost
• Lack of Industry Knowledge to your
business
• Lack of communicaton between 2 of
you
• Processes can be put in place to
minimise this
vs

22. Time Issue
• Hootsuite – saves times
– Post to many platforms
– Schedule Messages
– Keyword Searches
– Lists
• Smartphones / Tablet Devices
– Use Social Media on the go – particularly for Tweeting

23. Tracking Impact – Google Analytics
• Social Referral visits often correlate to Overall
Visits – triggers impact on Google & Direct visits

24. Gain Competitive Advantage – only 20% of ecommerce
businesses using Analytics correctly – likely to be same for non-ecommerce!
Tracking Website Visitor Traffic in Analytics

25. Track Keywords in Analytics
• Hidden Impact – at first glance hits from social
media may look lower than expected
• Track Keywords
– Brand Name for Business/Organisation
+
– Industry keywords (with location)
• Over Mid - Long Term Potential Increase
– People will over time get to know the business
– Search in Google & or save website in favourites (Direct Hits)

26. • Difficult to Quantify – like most other
marketing activities
• Are ways to try like virtual call numbers
• Best To Identify & Track Key Performance
Indicators to your business objectives
ROI

27. • Socialnomics believe:
• They research impact of social media in business
• Case studies on website:
http://www.socialnomics.net/
• Want to Know More?
Read their book available on Amazon
ROI

28. 1. Strategy & Action Plan – key to success
2. Mix Up Content – be informative & interesting
3. Engage Following & Build Online Relationships
4. Complement other marketing activities – networking,
email marketing, flyers, leaflets, ads etc
5. Inhouse vs Outsourcing – weigh up pros & cons
6. Tracking Impact – is it working over medium to long
term basis – check stats for indirect impact
To Summarise

29. Q&A
Q&A

30. We Can Help with Implementation
• Onsite Social Media Training
– How to Make Twitter, Facebook & or LinkedIn Work For
Your Business & Industry
– Options to upgrade to Strategy Package – we write your
strategy and action plan to implement social media
• Outsource Activities
– We Manage Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Activities on your
behalf
20% Discount book by end of July – contact for quote

31. Follow Us On:
@qChrisWood
@qSocialMedia
www.facebook.com/qsocialmedia
www.linkedin.com/company/q-social-
media
www.youtube.com/user/qsocialmedia