This document provides an overview of using social media for business purposes. It discusses developing a social media plan with the cycle of plan, do, measure, and act. Key social media tools are described, including social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, blogs, and video sharing sites. Guidance is given on best practices for using each tool to engage customers and build your brand. The document concludes with next steps to assess current use, get support, and start experimenting with social media.

1. Social Media for Business
101
Brian Loebig, MBA
Alliance for Performance Excellence
LoebigInk.com, TheInkBlog.net

2. Social Media Revolution?

3. Social Media Cycle of Success
1. Plan
o Do some research
o Create a written plan
1. Do
o Implement the plan
o Listen online
o Manage your reputation
1. Measure
o View and track key analytics
1. Act
o Use knowledge to adjust plan
o Be transparent/honest/personal
o Share content and contribute

4. Social Media Tools: Overview
• Social Networks
o Facebook
o Linkedin
o Twitter
• Blogs
o Wordpress
o Blogger
o Ezine
• Video Sharing
o YouTube
o Blip.tv
o InternetArchive

5. Social Media Tools: Social Networks
Facebook Business Pages
A social networking site for a local business, company, product, public figure,
cause or community where users can add fans, send messages and interact with
others on Facebook from the perspective of their business/interest page.
• Business and Personal Pages
o Admin role, visibility, interaction
• Customizable features
o Welcome pages, misc feeds, coupon offers, checkin
deals
• Highly Targeted Advertising
o PPC, PPI, total reach, frequency, social reach,
connections, clicks, CTR, CPC
• Audience Insights/Metrics
o New likes, lifetime likes, monthly active users, post views,
post feedback

6. Social Media Tools: Social Networks
Linkedin
A business-oriented social networking site for companies and industry
professionals looking to make new business contacts or keep in touch with
previous co-workers, affiliates, and clients.
• Create a profile with a photo and resume
• Connect with colleagues
• Share professional recommendations
• Find and post jobs
• Use professional forums to demonstrate expertise and find
answers.
o Profile Example (Brian L): http://linkd.in/qWiH1q
o Forum Example (ASQ): http://linkd.in/qdMUzy
o Job Posting Example (Center for Org Excel): http://linkd.in/nnHbdA

7. Social Media Tools: Social Networks
Twitter
A microblogging site that enables users to send short (140
characters or less) messages or ‘tweets’ to their followers.
• Business purposes
o quickly share information
o gather market intelligence and insights
o build relationships with people who care about your
company
o Increase SEO
o Often, there is already a conversation about your
business happening on Twitter

8. Social Media Tools: Social Networks
Do Don't
• establish a presence on the social • create pages without a plan for
networks where your colleagues using, measuring and maintaining
and customers interact them
• create a business page • censor comments unless profane
• connect your website, newsletters or spam
and print media to your social • use social networking primarily as
networks a sales channel
• encourage discussion and • post misleading information
participate regularly
• explore and experiment with
advertising opportunities

9. Social Media: Blogs
A business blog is a website with regular entries of
commentary, industry articles, or organizational news.
• Blogs serve several purposes
o Establishes organizational expertise and credibility
o Provides useful information that your customers desire
o Gives customers a reason to return
o Allows you to engage customers in dialogue
o Can promote events and services
o Increases search engine optimization which will drive
traffic to your website

10. Social Media: Blogs
Do Don't
• Post content on a regular • Use it as a place to place press
schedule (once a week releases
• Let criticism and complaints go
minimum)
unanswered
• Encourage dialogue by asking • Require users to register in order
questions to comment
• Respond to people who • delete critical comments unless
comment on posts profane or spam
• Use more than one person on
staff to blog if possible

11. Social Media: Video Sharing
Video-sharing websites such as YouTube, Blip.tv and Vimeo
on which users can upload, share, and view videos.
• Video sharing sites serve several purposes for business
o Instantly become more personable
o Retain customer attention longer
o Show instead of tell
o Develop a level of trust beyond what is possible in
written content alone
o Increases search engine optimization which will drive
traffic to your website

12. Social Media: Video Sharing
Do Don't
• Publish videos regularly • Use it as just a place to
• Made the video interesting promote or republish
• Engage with your viewers commercials
• Provide a call to action • Rely solely on Youtube
• Make videos easy to share • Shoot video like an amateur
• Script it
• Forget about your brand

13. Next Steps
• Assess your current use of Social Media
• Garner support
o Find out who on your board or staff have expertise or
proficiency in Social Media and enlist their help to
develop and implement your plan
• Enlist the help of a Social Media specialist
o Lots of competition in Social Media means you can get
talented low cost support, especially if you are non-profit
• Experiment
o Start developing and using the media
o Learn from your mistakes and celebrate your
accomplishments