Social media means a lot of things to a lot of people. In fact, the whole social landscape can seem a little intimidating. Expand your knowledge with this complementary social media eBook from Republic Media.

1. THE
SOCIAL
LANDSCAPE
HAVE A
LOVE/HATE
RELATIONSHIP
WITH SOCIAL
MEDIA?
FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

2. 3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
WHAT IS ALL THE HYPE?
THE 800 LB. GORILLA
VIDEO RULES
GOOGLE YES, SERIOUSLY
BLAH BLAH BLOGS
I GOT A REP TO PROTECT
TWEET TWEET
LET’S CONNECT
STICK A PIN IN IT
#NOFILTER
WRAPPIN’ UP
3
7
10
15
12
22
18
25
28
31
34
CHAPTERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

3. WHAT IS
ALL THE
HYPE
CHAPTER ONE

4. DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE
Local businesses actually only need
4 social media channels.
Social media means a lot of things to a lot
of people.
Depending on whom you ask, social media
is Facebook and Groupon and Snapchat
and Skype and Blogger, among many, many
other networks and sites. Most social media
graphics include a potpourri of logos. How
many times and how many ways have you
seen this? (»1)
But for local businesses, looking at a garden
of social icons doesn’t provide any direction.
And so we’re left with more questions
than answers. Do I really need a Meerkat
account? What is Meerkat, anyway? What
about Flickr? Maybe a Spotify playlist that
Not necessarily. Having too many social
channels can have an adverse effect. Simply
checking a boxes until you have the most
social media accounts is not a strategy.
Rather than spread resources too thin,
local businesses need to focus on a core
set of critical platforms that have the most
potential to drive business.
But what exactly is this core set? Is there
a universal social media toolbox for local
businesses?
Before getting into what goes into this
toolbox, it’s critical to understand the role
social media platforms play within a larger
communications strategy. Sure, all social
media is, well, social—meaning it is a forum
for dialogue and direct engagement with
consumers. But that’s not all social media
is—it’s an integral component of a larger
digital presence strategy. Social channels
and tactics feed directly (and indirectly)
into search engines, which improve organic
search rankings. Among local businesses
that have used social media for a year
or longer, 54% report that social media
websites, where consumers are guided
down a conversion path.
PAGE // 4CHAPTER ONE // WHAT IS ALL THE HYPE
THE RIGHT
AMOUNT OF
SOCIAL
INTRO
» 1 THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE // 2015
Social media covers a wide range of activities
and platforms – but all are connected by peer-to-
peer engagements and user-generated content.
IMAGE CREDIT: FRED CAVAZZA
OK,
BETWEEN
4 & 9-ISH.

5. PAGE // 5CHAPTER ONE // WHAT IS ALL THE HYPE
WHERE TO
BEGIN
SOCIAL MEDIA
First and foremost, are
you (really) ready to tackle
social media as part of a
largerintegratedmarketing
and communications plan?
Don’t be afraid to say no. In fact,
among local businesses that do
not use social media regularly,
the single most-cited reason was
uncertainty around how to use
it effectively. Social media can
be overwhelming; it is a game
changer that continues to expand
and evolve every day. Once you
feel you’ve mastered it, inevitably
an algorithm will change, or a new
feature will be unveiled, or a new
platform will emerge, disrupting
everything all over again.
However dynamic it may be, when
done effectively, social media (as
an umbrella term) can both attract
and convert potential customers
and increase a customer’s lifetime
value. How? For current customers,
social media fosters engagement,
keeping your business top-of-
mind and relevant. It brings your
brand to life in an authentic and
meaningful way. And, when you
use social to push content, you
can build a deeper rapport with
your most loyal and valuable
customers. For new customers,
review sites and an active social
point for conversion.
In an April 2015 Capital One Spark
Business survey conducted by
Harris Poll, 26% of local business
respondents point to social media
as the marketing tactic from
which they have seen the most
ROI. If you’re unsure about how
to leverage social media and
activate it effectively for your
business, we can help. More on
that later—or you can skip ahead
to the last page (but you’ll be
missing out on a riveting tour of
social media for local businesses).

6. Getting back to the idea of a universal
social media toolbox for local businesses:
this mythological beast exists. There is a
fundamental set of social platforms that
every local business should activate with
dedicated strategies. That doesn’t mean
this should happen all at once—rather,
these platforms need to be activated in
a progressive manner where each one
builds on the last, either directly or in a
complementary fashion. (»2)
You have to start with one before you can
get to eight, and (again) be careful not to
tackle all of them at once unless you have
the time, money, and resources allocated
to build them. Remember, more isn’t nec-
essarily better.
Each platform in social media plays a partic-
ular role: community, content, or reputation
management (or a combination of the three).
It’s important to cover all three because
they are what social media is all about.
When these three purposes are executed
properly, the result is a harmonious effort
that expands a business’ digital presence,
enriches a customer’s experience, and
delivers against business objectives.
COMMUNITY
CONTENT
REPUTATION M.
» 2 HERE’S THE ROADMAP
Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest & Instagram are optional. Not all platforms are right for you and your
companies marketing plan. The others (Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Blog & Yelp) are essential!
PAGE // 6CHAPTER ONE // WHAT IS ALL THE HYPE
TRIFECTA
SAY HELLO TO THE

7. THE
800 LB.
GORILLA
CHAPTER TWO

8. PAGE // 8CHAPTER TWO // THE 800 LB. GORILLA
THE
800 LB.
GORILLA:
FACEBOOK
For better or worse, everyone is on Facebook.
And by everyone, we mean 71% of adult
internet users and 58% of entire adult
population in the U.S.3
This channel offers a
tremendous opportunity to reach current and
prospective consumers, but the congestion
and clutter creates a challenging environment
to navigate and breakthrough.
In fact, 96% of all local businesses have a
Facebook account, and 98.99% of them
aren’t using it properly. Yes, we made that
up. But it’s largely true.
In the broad scheme of social media strategy,
what exactly is Facebook’s role? It falls
Building a community means letting your
ways to connect that are topical, engaging,
trending, relevant and—when appropriate—
humorous. It does not mean losing control
of your brand and throwing voice out the
window for the sake of relevancy. If you’re
96%OF ALL LOCAL
BUSINESSES HAVE
FACEBOOK
in the catering business, posting pictures
of your sweet dog Suzie might not be the
best idea; it’s off-brand and could make
people think that you allow Suzie into the
kitchen while you’re whipping up your latest
catering order. No, and no.
Facebook is a place where you connect,
engage, and dialogue with your most
passionate and loyal consumers. In true
community fashion, your consumers come
to share their pictures, write reviews, ask
questions, and air grievances. And you need
to be prepared for all of it, regardless of your
business. While Facebook wasn’t (originally)
built as a customer service application, the
ability to connect directly to a brand has
made the channel an avenue for compliments
and (often disproportionately) complaints.
Ignoring these comments—both the good
and the bad—can have a damaging brand
effect.
58%OF ENITIRE ADULT
POPULATION
USE FACEBOOK

9. Facebook recently revealed Pages Messaging
functionality to streamline customer service
interaction, which is a big improvement for
interacting with customers. As an extra incentive,
those brands that are particularly responsive
(meaning they respond to at least 90% of
messages and have a median response time
a Very Responsive to Messages badge from
Facebook.4
Subsequent badges will likely be
developed, but no others have been revealed.
In addition to the ability to direct message
customers from your business page, Facebook
Pages is launching additional updates that
for restaurants. This works to enhance digital
storefront capabilities, which 45 million small
businesses are using worldwide.5
Building content for a vibrant Facebook presence
is WORK. Best practices suggest posting a
minimum of three times a week (but not more
than ten times a week).6
Content should be
varied: images, pictures, text, video, and links.
Posts should be concise and interesting. And
while not an easy feat, creating content is only
one part of the equation.
need a spark. And you probably need a little
accelerant, too, to get it really going. Promoted
posts, sidebar ads, offers, and events powered
by advertising deliver the potential to reach
a broader (though targeted) audience. Ads
on Facebook are also the best way to get in
ACEBOOK
front of your consumers. In a January 2015
update to the newsfeed algorithm, Facebook
deprioritized organic / non-paid business
content in an effort to drive more revenue
improve Facebook users’ experience.7
Facebook has a big role in your social media
mix. As such, it should have a dedicated strategy
with optimized content and—yes, it’s true—
it is pointless to start investing in advertising.
variety of (awesome) content.

10. VIDEO
RULES
CHAPTER THREE

11. PAGE // 11CHAPTER THREE // VIDEO RULES
“If content is
king, then video
is the 530.4-carat
crown jewel”
YOUTUBE
CONTENT
engaging? While focus-groups-of-one are
often terrible for validating a position, this
may be the exception. Think about what you
like to do on social media: it is very likely
you said watching cat videos. Yes, exactly! A
UC San Diego report estimates Americans
consume 11 hours of digital video a month,
which translates into more than 660 videos
(if they’re a minute or less).
If content is king, then video is the 530.4-carat
crown jewel (do take note this is the second
pillar in effective social media marketing:
content). If you’re not utilizing digital
video, you’re missing out on a tremendous
opportunity to bring your brand to life in a
medium that has no parallel.
Don’t be intimidated! Digital video is actually
quite cost-effective in social channels,
there is a much higher tolerance for lower
production value. Smartphones offer decent
quality, and there are plenty of free video
editing products available that will get the
job done. The possibilities are endless for
what you might want to showcase. Going
back to your (hypothetical) catering business,
how about showing how you select the
freshest produce for your daily special
(offering a bit of education for diners and
highlighting product quality)?
There are many video platforms, all with
their own niche, but YouTube remains the
dominant player and a critical component
in your social media mix. Every day more
than one billion users on YouTube consume
hundreds of millions of hours of video,
generating billions of views. No, you won’t
get all of those eyeballs, or even a tenth
of them. But, without question, NONE of
them will see your content if it isn’t there.
Furthering the case for YouTube is its ranking
as the second largest search engine, behind
Google, and it’s consistently ranked among
the top three most visited websites. As if
that were not enough to warrant a YouTube
page, YouTube’s popularity and reach is
augmented by its inclusion in Google’s
web and video search—so a properly
tagged video can enhance and improve
your organic search rankings.10
2ND
YOUTUBE IS
THE 2ND LARGEST
SEARCH ENGINE
There is quite a bit of strategy involved in
optimizing a YouTube channel, but you need
not go through those efforts just yet. As
crazy as that sounds, until you’ve mastered
the core set of social media channels, trying
to build out a YouTube following isn’t a
worthwhile endeavor. Rather, for now at
least, focus on using YouTube simply as
fuel for your other channels (e.g. Facebook).
if you really want to get after it.

12. GOOGLEYES, SERIOUSLY
CHAPTER FOUR

13. PAGE // 13CHAPTER FOUR // GOOGLE YES SERIOUSLY
GOOGLE IS
SOCIAL
In order to have a YouTube account, you
will need to create a Google account
for your business (if you don’t have one
already). Your Google account universally
provides access to the entire Google
product suite, which includes more than
50 products.11
(Did you know Google was
that big? And—without cheating—how
many can you name?) Included in this suite
is Google+, the perpetual underdog of
the social universe. Size and penetration
may never be its strengths, but Google+
First and foremost: the biggest advantage is
Google+’s relationship with Google search.
(Hint: they’re part of the same company).
There is a natural feed of Google+ “+1”
activity into search, which can improve
your organic search rankings.12
You’ve
probably noticed a trend here: both
YouTube and Google+ can help with your
Google search organic rankings. Search
is another unruly animal, and everything
you can do to tame it is worthwhile.
GOOGLE
MY BUSINESS
WHY?
Be found on google maps,
keep business listings current
& respond to reviews
GOOGLE+
Improve organic search
listings (help customers
& OF COURSE
YOUTUBE
The more active you are on Google+,
the more Google gets an understanding
of who you are and what you’re about.
Link out to your other social channels
(cross-pollinate—this cannot be stressed
enough!) and link to important pages on
your site. Your content is indexed, so be
sure to keep critical keywords top-of-
mind and prevalent (but don’t keyword
stuff—Google is smart enough to sniff
that stuff out).
PLAN TO
POST A MINIMUM
OF 3 TIMES
A WEEK
COMMUNITY & REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
1
2
3

14. There is a third ingredient that rounds out the Google
social pie for local businesses: Google My Business.
Google My Business (formerly known as Google Places)
is how you claim your listing, update your phone
number and website, add hours, and verify your drop-
pin in Google Maps (if you have a physical storefront
can select your service area and keep your business
address hidden. The Google My Business dashboard
is also where you can (and absolutely should!) begin
responding to reviews.
Given they are both inherently attached to your
master Google account, there isn’t a need for one to
precede the other. That said, prioritizing your Google
My Business account makes the most sense given
the popularity of Google search. Once this is done,
you can begin pushing content to Google+. In terms
of what to post to, think of the platform as being
very similar to Facebook: you’ll want to share status
updates, push back to your blog, post pictures and
images, showcase video, and curate relevant links.
Plan on posting a minimum of three times a week,
but not more than ten times a week, just as you do
on Facebook.6
GOOGLE MY
BUSINESS
GOOGLE IS SOCIAL
PAGE // 14CHAPTER FOUR // GOOGLE YES SERIOUSLY

15. BLAH BLAH
BLOGS
CHAPTER FIVE

16. Now that the basics are covered, we can start to dig
into the next level of content marketing as it relates
to social. You need a blog. It sounds just as archaic as
saying you need a website (which you do, but that’s
for another day), but the fact is you really do need a
blog. And your blog needs to be responsive, meaning
it will adjust to smaller screens such as tablets and
smartphones.
What roles do blogs play in social? Aren’t they outdated?
Blogs are where you can build more robust content
beyond the character limitations (real or imagined)
of traditional social channels. It is a place for telling
the full story—if you have a consumer who wants to
know more about your business, this is the place to
give them what they want. Similar to video, blogs
are where you can showcase expertise, share news,
delve deeper into new product / service features,
celebrate achievements, spotlight employees, and
give your interested consumers more.
Blogs, of course, are great content for sharing and
teasing on social. You can—and you absolutely
media channels. By linking back to your site, you have
the opportunity to move consumers further down the
conversion funnel. And more time on your site registers
with search engines and facilitates optimization. (It
always seems to come back to search, doesn’t it?)
MOBILE—
OPTIMIZED
BLOGS
CONTENT
PAGE // 16CHAPTER FIVE // BLAH BLAH BLOGS

17. The best place for hosting a blog is
on your own site domain. It cannot be
overstated: having more content on your
site will help with search engine indexing,
and the more robust that content is the
better search engines will understand
what your business is all about. If your
site doesn’t have this functionality, you
can consider using a platform such as
Blogger or Tumbler. Though not ideal,
using a third-party tool is better than
having nothing at all. And you can always
port the content over later.
At minimum, you should plan on posting
at least once a week. But really, the more
you can post, the better. Research has
shown that businesses with 16 or more
blog posts per month got almost 350%
four or less monthly posts.13
While blogs are timely and should be
updated regularly, building a library of
allows you to dig back into the archives to
share posts that are related or relevant,
posts from other channels. Compounding
from previous month(s) that continues to
for driving as much as six times the site
visits as a normal post. Certainly not all
blog posts will turn into compounding
ones, but the impact of the ones that
BE PASSIONATE.
BE ENTERTAINING.
BE SMART.
BE MEANINGFUL.
BE YOU.
PAGE // 17CHAPTER FIVE // BLAH BLAH BLOGS
BLOGS

18. I GOT A
REP TO
PROTECT
CHAPTER SIX

19. PAGE // 16CHAPTER SIX // I GOT A REP TO PROTECT
You’ve got Facebook, YouTube, Google+ / Google My
Business, so it’s time to start tweeting, right? Not just yet.
Before building out additional social channels, it’s critical
to ensure complete reputation management coverage.
To start, imagine this: when someone you don’t know (or
even someone you do know) tells you how great they are,
the amazing talents they have, and their lack of faults,
what is your reaction? Likely a scoff, probably a smirk, and
braggart, a narcissist, and possibly a liar. BUT if someone
else tells you those things about the very same person,
you might consider that there is some truth to their words.
Businesses, especially local ones, are no different. Naturally,
a business is going to paint a portrait of itself as a smart
And consumers are savvy to this messaging, so they
tune out the marketing or take it with a grain of salt. But
when someone else says those things, whoa, suddenly
there is credibility and value that can only come from a
third party, even if it is from a stranger or anonymous.
Welcome to the world of reputation management: the
Consumers love reviews. In a survey of U.S. Internet Users,
only 11% said they don’t take notice of online customer
reviews. That leaves 89% reading reviews, with 68%
claiming positive customer reviews make them trust a
local business more.
OVERALL
RATINGS
60%
QUANTITY OF
REVIEWS
44%
38%
33%
26%
SENTIMENT OF
REVIEWS
AGE OF
REVIEWS
DID THE
BUSINESS
RESPOND
PAGE // 19CHAPTER SIX // I GOT A REP TO PROTECT
THE VALUE OF
REVIEWS
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
WHAT ARE THEY PAYING
ATTENTION TO WHEN
JUDGING A LOCAL
BUSINESS BASED
ON REVIEWS?

20. Furthermore, just like other social platforms, review
sites factor heavily into organic search. An update to
Google’s algorithm released in July 2014 gave more
prominence to these types of sites, and, in many
instances, Yelp listings now rank above business
websites.
Beyond aligning to consumer behavior and improving
natural search, active reputation management has
been correlated directly to revenue. In 2013, the
Boston Consulting Group found that small businesses
with a free business owner’s account saw an average
of $8,000 in annual revenue from Yelp. And those
who actively shaped their digital presence through
advertising on Yelp saw an annual average lift in
revenue of more than $23,000.
While reputation management includes much more
than review sites, within the social-sphere there are
three sites that are critical, leading the pack in terms
of review density and user engagement: Facebook,
Google My Business, and Yelp.
Facebook? Check!
Google My Business? Check, check!
Next is Yelp—and it’s an important one. In July 2015,
Yelp pulled in more than 45 million unique visitors,
which is a 12.1% increase over the previous month
and a 46.1% over July 2014. It’s safe to say, Yelp isn’t
going anywhere.
KEEPING UP
WITH YOUR
CUSTOMER
REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
Actively managing review sites, such as Google My
Business and Yelp, means more than just correcting
your name and address and updating a few images—
it means embracing the feedback you receive and
being responsive.
What if you have a collection of negative reviews?
Can’t they be deleted? No, because that would
compromise the integrity of these sites and damage
their credibility. While not ideal, don’t worry too
much about the negative reviews—only about 1 in 10
consumers (12%) said a negative review would deter
them from returning to a business.7
What you can do is own it? Admit error, take ownership,
resolve the issue, and make it good—this is how to
turn a negative review into a positive representation
of your business’ customer service strengths. Don’t
be defensive, don’t offer excuses, and don’t be
judgmental. Treat your online reviews just as you
would a customer talking to you face-to-face.
PAGE // 20CHAPTER SIX // I GOT A REP TO PROTECT

21. Don’t just focus on the negative,
either. Foster ways to increase the
positive. Blatantly requesting reviews
is frowned upon, but it’s not entirely
out of bounds. Encourage your best
customers to share their experiences
on Yelp and the other review sites
you manage (but don’t offer them
an incentive or reward—that is out
of bounds). Satisfied customers
are willing to help, but too few are
being invited to do so. Train your
team to remind customers of your
social presence, including review
sites. Include links on your website
and, if possible, create some in-store
merchandizing to remind consumers
to share their experiences.
Beyond Yelp, there are other sites
that make sense to ensure you have
the proper listing and possibly inspire
respondes, depending on your trade
and business segment. (»3)
BE
POSITIVE
PAGE // 21CHAPTER SIX // I GOT A REP TO PROTECT
» 3 BUSINESS SEGMENTS VS. SITES
BUSINESS
SEGMENTS SITES
EVERYONE
SERVICE-BASED
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
FOOD/ENTERTAINMENT
REAL ESTATE
AUTOMOTIVE
HEALTHCARE
YAHOO! LOCAL / BING LOCAL / YELP
ANGIE’S LIST
TRIP ADVISOR
TRIP ADVISOR
ZILLOW / TRULIA / REALTOR
CARS.COM / EDMUNDS
HEALTHGRADES / VITALS

22. TWEET
TWEET
CHAPTER SEVEN

23. You don’t need Twitter. It’s true.
What? Heresy! How can anyone afford to pass on
one of the most popular social platforms? Well,
unless your business deals with time-sensitive
news or deals, Twitter may not be right for you.
If you do have a high volume of worthwhile content,
then Twitter is a great platform to activate. Not
sure what that means? Consider this: best practices
suggest you should plan on posting a minimum of
of how often you can post.2
The Twitterverse
moves insanely fast, and topics trend and fade
in the blink of an eye. Given the truncated real
estate, there isn’t much time or a need to linger.
If you are unable to build a dedicated strategy for
utilizing the fast-paced nature of Twitter, then it’s
better to stay off the channel. Otherwise, you’re
investing resources (time is money, and money is,
well, money) into something that will not deliver
against business and brand objectives.
Still not convinced? Take a look at the successful
brands and businesses on Twitter and count the
number of tweets posted daily. Start with @Target,
@MichelinTyres, and @NatGeo for inspiration.
Sure, these are big brands with teams of people
dedicated to managing their social channels. That
is partly the point—if you’re unable to invest in
the resources to make the most of Twitter, then
tacking it on to current workloads isn’t a worthwhile
endeavor.
PAGE // 23CHAPTER SEVEN // TWEET TWEET
COMMUNITY
500mil.
TWEETS ARE SENT
EVERY DAY!
NEED
TWITTER?

24. PAGE // 24CHAPTER SEVEN // TWEET TWEET
“You will also need
a robust content
calendar to map
out several topics
to tweet about
every. single. day. ”
For comparison, go back on Twitter and search for
posting, very few followers, and repurposed content.
This is a drain on resources more than anything and
is not worth even minimal effort.
If you simply must use Twitter, or you think there is
the potential for a competitive advantage, think about
exclusively through the platform. You will also need
a robust content calendar to map out several topics
to tweet about every. single. day. You can expect to
ride trending topics for a few, but it isn’t enough to
ride someone else’s wave. You will need plenty to talk
value to draw in (and retain) consumers.

25. LET’S
CONNECT
CHAPTER EIGHT

26. LinkedIn is often overlooked with local
businesses, largely because of its limited
nature—but surprisingly LinkedIn ranked
third among social networks used to
follow local businesses, behind Facebook
and Twitter.19
needs: recruitment and B2B marketing. If
you have turnover (or you’re growing and
need to attract new talent), building a
presence on LinkedIn can make you stand
out to desirable recruits. LinkedIn gives
you a platform for showcasing culture,
your business is to work for (at least, that’s
the takeaway). An added bonus is the
ability to post jobs and have an integrated
application—potential employees can point
and click their way into your consideration
set effortlessly.
LINKEDIN
COMMUNITY
GET LINKEDIN!
LETS CONNECT!

27. IS THE PLACE
LINKEDIN
For B2B businesses, LinkedIn is THE place to
connect with other businesses and celebrate
your products and services in an appropriate
environment. LinkedIn skews older in the social
media landscape, with people ages 30 – 64 being
more likely to use the platform, a result of the
professional nature of the site.3
The comparative
maturity of its users (19 – 29 on other platforms)
means that you’re more likely to reach decision
In terms of the mechanics, content on LinkedIn
is similar (in form) to what you would post on
Facebook—blog post links, pictures, videos, links
to external content—what differentiates LinkedIn
from Facebook is the content subject matter you
publish (again, think of how you would talk to
someone you are recruiting vs. your consumer)
unless your business is B2B in nature. In terms
of frequency, there is still a need to keep the
content fresh with posting an average of two to
that are relevant (but keep it limited to about
20% or less of your content plan).2
“LinkedIn skews
older in the social
media landscape,
with people ages
30 – 64 being
more likely to use
the platform”
PAGE // 27CHAPTER EIGHT // LET’S CONNECT

28. STICK A
PIN IN IT
CHAPTER NINE

29. THE DRAW?
The ability to create collections—or
boards—of content around a theme.
it with images akin to women’s interest
magazines and sharing widely. The
core demographic on Pinterest has not
changed much. She is female (80%) and
likely between 25 and 54 years old. Her
interests are food and baking, home,
fashion. Pinterest serves both as her
inspiration and aspiration.
Does this mean your business must be
a restaurant, retailer, salon, or gym to
use Pinterest? Absolutely not! But it
INTEREST
does serves as a good guiding light for
what content resonates on the platform.
There are plenty of successful brands
upon their core set of products and
services and lean into a larger lifestyle
positioning. Real estate agents can
certainly showcase their home listings
and open houses, but they also have
permission to curate content around home
staging, design trends, improving curb
appeal, hot paint colors, and life hacks
to improve Feng Shui. What about a car
dealership? Natural extensions might
include road trips, the best take-out in
town, and car accessories.
COMMUNITY & CONTENT
PAGE // 29CHAPTER NINE // STICK A PIN IN IT
Pinterest took the social scene by storm when it launched, hitting 11.7 million unique
monthly U.S. visitors in less than two years and crossing the ten million mark faster
than any other standalone site in history.20

30. Unlike other platforms, where marketing messages
can be perceived as interruptions, Pinterest users
are actively engaging with brands and products by
pinning or re-pinning branded content. They are
primed for marketing interaction, and Pinterest
is a top referral for many business sites (second
only to Facebook). Pinterest also offers a buyable
pins that include a “Buy It” button, which allows
pinners to purchase immediately from the platform.
Because Pinterest users aren’t daily users (only 27%
log in daily, according to a Pew Research Center’s
April 2015 survey), content updates need not be
as frequent. However—you knew it wouldn’t
be that easy—there should be a considerable
amount of content built across multiple boards
even before launching. Pinterest users can follow
boards individually as well as brand / business
PINNED IT
PAGE // 30CHAPTER NINE // STICK A PIN IN IT
HOME FEED
POPULAR
EVERYTHING
GIFTS
VIDEOS
ANIMALS & PETS
ARCHITECTURE
ART
CARS &
MOTORCYCLES
CELEBRITIES
DESIGN
DIY & CRAFTS
EDUCATION
FILM, MUSIC &
BOOKS
FOOD & DRINK
GARDENING
GEEK
HAIR & BEAUTY
HEALTH & FITNESS
HISTORY
HOLIDAYS & EVENTS
HOME DECOR
HUMOR
ILLUSTRATIONS
POSTERS
KDIS & PARENTING
MEN’S FASHION
OUTDOORS
PHOTOGRAPHY
PRODUCTS
QUOTES
SCIENCE & NATURE
SPORTS
TATTOOS
TECHNOLOGY
TRAVEL
WEDDINGS
WOMEN’S
FASHION
pages, which means there are multiple ways in
which your content can get in front of their eyes.
There is an inherent longevity of content, which is
refreshingly different than other social sites—but
this can be a curse, especially if you are linking
to products and / or services that are no longer
available. While content may not be needed daily,
there has to be meticulous pruning to ensure
content is current and (if leveraging ecommerce)
still available for purchase.
If your business is driven by services or B2B in
nature, let’s be honest, Pinterest might not be a
is big, its size alone doesn’t warrant the effort.
Remember, the less you do better, the more return

31. #NOFILTER
CHAPTER TEN

32. If you target Millennials (ages 18 – 34) who
tune out traditional marketing messages
and vehicles, engage them on their home
turf: Instagram. As of last year, 53% of
Millennials were on Instagram.3
Instagram
can be confusing for local businesses
because it is a mobile-native social site.
A mobile-what? Mobile-native, meaning
it was built for smartphones. So if you
logon to Instagram from a computer,
you can view content but you cannot
post anything.
INSTAGRAMTo be successful on Instagram is to embrace
the platform for what it is: a single stream
of images (or 15 second videos) that may
(or may not) have been enhanced using
by a caption and hashtags. Images are
not clickable (so you can’t post a link to
buy directly—at least not yet), but you
can direct consumers to click on a link
in your bio. A best practice is to have a
dedicated blog or destination that doesn’t
change, where your Instagram images
can click back to, rather than changing
it every time you post. Consumers can
comment and like your post—but sharing
is a bit trickier and requires using a third
party app (such as Regram).
COMMUNITY & CONTENT

33. Why is Instagram such a hit? Unlike
Facebook, the stream of content is pure—it
Advertisements are limited and entirely in
stream, which makes them a part of the
experience (versus an intrusive sidebar or
wrap around). Instagram has announced
additional advertising features, such as
direct-response ad units, that will launch
by the end of 2015 and include enhanced
measurement and targeting features,
such as custom target audiences.
LATER
GRAM
CHAPTER TEN // #NOFILTER
Why would a local business want to
activate Instagram? Images and video are
powerful ways to communicate products
and services and to build a brand. Similar
to Pinterest, Instagram is a platform
for expanding on your core brand and
incorporating lifestyle. The uncongested
and clean interface creates an opportunity
for organic content to be seen—unlike
on Facebook where it is shuffled to
the bottom of the pile. The downside
referrals back to your site—but that will
come with time. The ability to include
shop now and other call-to-actions is
available for ads, but that functionality
does not exist in the platform otherwise.
Finally, if it hasn’t been said enough for
every other site, Instagram needs its own
content plan. Best practice is to post
daily—at minimum—given the propensity
of Instagram users to engage with the
site every day (59% do).14
PAGE // 33

34. WRAPPIN’
UP
CHAPTER ELEVEN

35. DOING
SOCIAL
RIGHT
EXAMPLE
PAGE // 35CHAPTER ELEVEN // WRAPPIN’ UP
1 FACEBOOK
You tease that you’ll have a limited-
runs out! You post your video of the
production the day before. On the 19th,
you wish everyone a happy National
Ice Cream Day and offer a free second
scoop to anyone who likes or shares
your post.
2 YOUTUBE
You create a farm-to-table video
capturing the sourcing and production
“REMEMBER THE
SECRET IS TO DO
LESS, BETTER.”
Whether you’re just starting out on social or rethinking your presence,
discipline and dedication are critical to you success. If your plan is to create
a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, a Google+ page, a Twitter feed, a
Each channel has nuances that make them unique—and treating them the
same is like using a hammer for jobs that require pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches,
and saws. Sure, you can probably get the job done—but it’s going to be
messy and of poor quality. You will likely do more damage than if you hadn’t
done anything at all. Consider your most loyal and engaged consumers: if
they connect with you across multiple platforms, you have an opportunity to
build on your message rather than repeat it. Over and over and over again.
The key to diversifying content effectively (rather than simply repurposing)
across social platforms is to think of them building upon one another in a
complementary manner.
Remember the secret is to do less, better. Start small—focus on mastering
on as you can. By starting with Facebook, you build a base from which you
can cross-promote your other channels—you can add free apps to integrate
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube as tabs on your Facebook page
(all the more reason to have different content across those channels!).
By the end of the day, you will have published quite a bit of content—but
the variety of media and topics build to bring the entire story to life. Your
most loyal customers, who connect with you across multiple channels, are
moved to engage with you and come into the storefront for the celebration.
Having a hard time wrapping your
head around how to do this? Here is
an example to illustrate better:
You’re the proprietor of a gourmet
small batch ice cream shop, and
National Ice Cream Day (July
19th) has arrived. Here’s how
you’re activating it across your
social channels.
» NEXT PAGE

36. WRAPPIN’
UP
Building an editorial calendar for every day of the year across the entire core
set of social platforms is a lot of work. Look at the example and think through
how many hours it would take to do this level of engagement every day. (It’s
easy to see how there are full-time social media managers now, isn’t it?) If you
cannot dedicate the resources, pare down your presence and do less better.
THERE IS GOOD NEWS! YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE THE EXPERT
We get social. We have teams of social media marketers, and we provide
services that can help you think through what is the best social media mix.
can uncover insights for your industry and customers to help you make an
informed decision.
Once aligned, we know how to dial in to listen to, engage with, and reach
customers by building a steady stream of marketing and lifestyle content
encourages engagement over time.
If you are curious about our social media management services,
contact us to talk more.
3 GOOGLE+
You wish everyone a happy National
Ice Cream Day and link back to your
blog post.
4 BLOG
You write a longer-form post on the
history of ice cream, the growing pop-
ularity of artisanal ice creams and how
you came to love it all.
5 YELP
you’ll be open two hours later tonight
for late-night cravings and the chance
6 TWITTER
You tease the “holiday” in the morn-
ing, in the afternoon you declare an
sale from 3p-5p, promoted exclusively
through Twitter. And after dinner you
remind folks it’s not too late to get your
7 LINKEDIN
You share a post thanking your vendors
and suppliers for their high-quality,
exceptional customer service—you
couldn’t be celebrating National Ice
Cream Day without them!
8 PINTEREST
You update your menu board with
(and remove it as soon as it runs out).
9 INSTAGRAM
You post a 15 second video of ice
cream being scooped and invite your
customers to come celebrate National
Ice Cream Day with you.

37. THE SOCIAL
LANDSCAPE
SOURCES
1 “Reasons that US Small-Business Owners
Do Not Use Social Media Regularly for Business
Purposes, April 2015” Capital One Spark Business
12 Aug 2015
2 “Marketing Tactics from Which US Small-
Business Owners Have Seen the Most ROI, April
2015” Capital One Spark Business 12 Aug 2015
3 Duggan, Maeve; Nicole B. Ellison, Cliff
Lampe, Amanda Lenhart and Mary Madden.
“Social Media Update 2014: Demographics of
Key Social Networking Platforms” Pew Research
Center 9 Jan 2015
4 “Pages Messaging: New Ways for People
and Businesses to Connect” Facebook for
Business Facebook 5 Aug 2015
5 Greenberg, Julia. “Facebook’s Way Past
Friends—It Wants to Be Your Whole World”
Business Wired 8 Sept 2015
6 Collier, Azure. “[Infographic] What and
How Often Should You Post on Social Media?”
Constant Contact 2 Aug 2014
7 “An Update to News Feed: What it Means
for Businesses” Facebook for Business Facebook
14 Nov 2014
8 Zverina, Jan. “U.S. Media Consumption
to Rise to 15.5 Hours a Day—Per Peron—by
2015” UC San Diego News Center 6 Nov 2013
9 “Statistics” YouTube 9 Sept 2015
10 Edward, Tony. “YouTube Ranking Factors:
Getting Ranked in the Second Largest Search
Engine” Search Engine Land 24 Jul 2015
11 “About Google: Products” Google 9
Oct 2015
12
for Business” Yahoo! Small Business 10 Sept 2015
13 Kolowich, Lindsay. “How Often Should
Companies Blog? [New Benchmark Data]”
Hubspot 9 Apr 2015
14
of Blogging for Business and Marketing” Hubspot
30 Sept 2015
15 “Local Consumer Review Survey 2015”
BrightLocal 20 Aug 2015
16 Lindteigen, Rachel. “Google Maps,
Yelp & Local SEO in 2015” Search Engine Land
19 Dec 2014
17 DiGrande, Sebastian, David Knox, Kate
Manfred and John Rose. “Unlocking the Digital-
Marketing Potential of Small Businesses” bcg.
perspectives Boston Consulting Group 19 Mar 2013
18 “Yelp.com July 2015 Unique Visitors”
Compete.com 9 Sept 2015
19 “Yodle Insights: What Consumers Want
from Local Businesses” Yodle Jun 2015
20 Constine, Josh. “Pinterest Hits 10 Million
U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone
Site Ever—comScore” TechCrunch 7 Feb
21 Duggan, Maeve. “Mobile Messaging
and Social Media 2015” Pew Research Center
19 Aug 2015
22 2 Williamson, Debra Aho. “Pinterest for
Marketers: What You Need to Know” eMarketer
24 Feb 2015
23 “The Next Steps for Ads on Instagram:
New Formats, Increased Relevance, Broader
Availability” Instagram 2 Jun 2015
PAGE // 37CHAPTER ELEVEN // WRAPPIN’ UP

38. Let us help
shape your world
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