This is a great primer on social media strategies for your business. Please visit www.drivecustomers.com for more detailed information.

1. Social Media
Strategies for
Small Businesses
Thomas DiSanto
Learn what consumers, who “Like” your brand really
want, create the most engaging posts and keep them
coming back for more.
Drive Customers
www.DriveCustomers.com
(401) 400-0450

2. Contents:
Chapter 1: What Consumers Who “Like”
Your Brand Really Want
Chapter 2: How to Keep Your Fans &
Followers Coming Back for More!
Chapter 3: Strategies for Creating the Most
Engaging Facebook Posts
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

3. What Consumers Who “Like” Your Brand
Really Want
According to a survey conducted by social media marketing agency Cone Inc, free products or
services, coupons and discounts continue to be the best way to build fans and followers and keep
them engaged. Consumers who “Like” or “Follow” an online brand expect to receive
promotional incentives, but are also looking for brands to help “solve their problems” as well as
acknowledge their important feedback.
What are US Social Media Users Looking for When Engaging with Companies/Brands
Online?
It is also important to consider what Fans and Followers aren‟t looking for. When social media
users were asked why they stopped following an online brand respondents overwhelming said:
The brand sent out too many messages (spammy) and/or acted in an irresponsible manner. The
majority of respondents also complained about the content being irrelevant.
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

4. Top Reasons Why US Social Media Users Stop Following Companies/Brands Online 2010:
These findings further confirmed another recent study conducted by DDB Worldwide and
Opinionway Research of Facebook brand fans worldwide.
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

5. In the preceding study, the top reason for unsubscribing was a „lack of‟ or „losing interest‟ in the
brand, followed closely by complaints about being frequently bombarded with information and
content. Both studies suggest that having too much content, the wrong kind of content, and
communicating too frequently will surely drive consumers away.
While brands who publish too infrequently seem problematic for some fans, it is not necessarily
a mitigating factor when fans chose to unsubscribe from a page. With the same token, if efforts
are made to improve content and enhance engagement, fans and followers will surely still be
there to see it. It’s a fine line isn’t it?
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

6. How to Keep Your Fans & Followers Coming
Back for More!
ComBlu has just released their annual “State of Online Branded Communities” report. Buried
inside the report were some really great nuggets of information about what is working for brands
on the cutting edge of social media engagement.
Though the report is centered on “Branded” online communities as opposed to other social
networking venues such as Facebook and Twitter, there were some formalized „best practices‟
that can easily apply to all.
Here is a mash-up of some of the key components from that report and my own suggestions for
keeping social followers engaged.
Create a profile for a designated online social „manager‟. 50% of online branded social
communities/pages do not have an active „manager‟. There is no one to represent the face of the
brand. This is a missed opportunity to „humanize‟ your brand and/or products and services.
People are more considerate when they know they‟re communicating with a „real‟ person and not
the austere „corporate‟ image. Give your online brand manger a face!
Send Welcome message to all of your new followers! Make them feel appreciated and also
orientate them to the key benefits of your community/page/brand. This will ensure a return visit.
Only 50% of online communities/pages do this.
Less than 20% have a brand advocates program. “Micro-fame” is a one of the key drivers behind
sustained participation. Recognizing „key influencers‟ is essential as these deeply engaged
members represent the voice of the customer and possess a deep affinity for the brand. „Key
Influencers‟ will actively recruit others, accelerate engagement and are typically prolific
contributors. Recognize and reward these important brand advocates!
Fewer than 40 percent of communities have a rewards and recognition program. Why not reward
followers for their participation, whether it‟s a $5 gift card to Starbucks or new Porsche 911
GT3. This can be formalized into a points system, or it could be random. It doesn‟t even have to
be monetary. Establish a points system with cool badges. We can all be micro-famous! Think
“Foursquare”. For businesses who do not offer Foursquare incentives other than being the
“Mayor” or getting a cool badge…what real value is there in Foursquare check-ins?
About 60% of brands have integrated the Facebook “Like” button as well as a “share” button that
allows users to more easily promote your content to their friends. This helps attract new
members as well as syndicates your rich content throughout the web.
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

7. Consistency matters! Sporadic posts and updates do not encourage other members to contribute.
Make time to engage with your Fans and Followers on a regular basis. Answer all inquiries. The
“Face” of your social presence must be accessible and approachable for maximum engagement.
Put the primary focus on your members. Inevitably, the conversation must always come back to
the customer and the customer experience. People don‟t care about products and services;
ultimately, they care about themselves and their problems and concerns. Keep this in mind
before you trumpet the virtues of your newest product release.
Polling your Fans and Followers can yield greater engagement if it is relevant to your brand, or if
it just plain strikes a chord. One of the best off-topic strings I ever saw was post that asked “Did
your parent‟s make you take piano lessons and did they make you happier?” Be a conversation
starter!
Witty comments on the news of the day will always get a little attention, as long as the viewpoint
it might express will appeal to your members. Topical is fine, as long as it does not offend or
alienate anyone.
Along the same line as topical, expressing some good vibrations is a wonder to behold, and will
have members “liking” your comment almost instantly. So, say something positive! The sun is
shining, the birds are chirping, the children are singing! Try and inject a little positivity in
everything you do and say! Your warmth will attract and encourage others.
Comment on the status of others! Show your support and commitment to engaging with them. It
can be as simple as: “Hey! Thanks for posting! That was really cool!” Connect with other
HUMAN beings and show your eagerness to be a part of the conversation.
Sincere expressions of support for a worthy charitable cause will always be viewed as a positive.
Support a worthy cause, not because it makes you look good, but because it‟s the right thing to
do. Good things come back to you! (If you‟re looking for a great cause, please check out:
www.donorschoose.org)
The most influential content you have in your arsenal is the reviews and ratings from real
customers. It is perfectly acceptable for you to post excerpts and links to customer reviews, as
the vast majority of customers want to hear about the experiences of others.
Share Your Valuable Expertise: Answer questions, write content laden articles. You are the
expert and the authority! Take it to a new level by creating pod casts and “How To” videos. Be
generous with your knowledge and you will find that others are most willing to reciprocate.
Turn your employees into ROCK STARS! Your employees are the greatest asset you have! Talk
about why and how they‟re great at their jobs! Talk about what it is that they do. Post pictures of
employees, your office building, your equipment, the view from the roof of your building. Put a
face and place in your posts!
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

8. Promote your presence in social media. Include it in your advertising. Encourage others to „join
you on Facebook‟. Demonstrate and emphasize the diverse ways in which consumers can
connect with your brand.
Take it offline! Only 20% of brands do this. Throw a party for your fans & followers, invite them
to kibitz and have a good time. Make yourself accessible, have face to face conversations with
your customers, fans and followers. Personal relationships are what make a difference! This will
grow your reputation and your business in ways that you could have never anticipated! This is
truly an opportunity to create lifelong brand evangelists!
3 Very Important Key Take-Aways:
1. Demonstrate to members the ways in which they can participate;
2. Reward them when they do participate;
3. Showcase the accomplishments of high-performing members;
“Y’all come back now, ya’ hear?”
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM

9. Strategies for Creating the Most Engaging
Facebook Posts
Kudos to Buddy Media for their insightful new report based on analysis conducted among a
sample size of 200 clients who are using the Buddy Media Platform to post on Facebook. The
analysis represents data from some of the world‟s largest brands crossing many industries
including entertainment, media, retail, automotive, business & finance, fashion, sports, travel &
hospitality, food & beverage, and health-care & beauty.
Here are a few crucial findings:
Posts 80 characters or less in length have 27% higher engagement rates;
Engagement rates are 3 times higher for posts that used a „full length‟ URL;
Brands that posted outside of business hours had 20% higher engagement rates;
Engagement rates on Thursday and Friday are 18% higher than any other day of the
week;
Posts that end with a question have a 15% higher engagement rate;
Don‟t ask “why”! “Why” questions had the lowest number of „Likes‟ and „Comments‟ as they
are perceived as intrusive and challenging. The 5 interrogative keywords that drove the highest
engagement were: “Where”, “When”, “Would”, “Should”, and “How”.
Fans follow simple instructions well; asking them to „Like‟ a post is the easiest. If you want
users to take action, you must tell them. Asking fans outright to “Like”, “Post”, “Take”,
“Submit” or “Watch” something will drive the greatest level of engagement. Fans will listen and
respond.
Fans are happy to engage with “Events” and “Winning” offers. Stick with this type of „softer‟
language, as opposed to more direct language such as “contest” or “promotion”. The 5 best
performing keywords for consumer engagement were: “Event”, “Winner”, “Offer”, “New”,
and “Win”. Keywords such as „save‟, „free shipping‟ and „exclusive‟ scored the absolute lowest.
THANK YOU!
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By Thomas DiSanto
www.driveCUSTOMERS.COM