AWC March 2017

1. LISA DU BOIS LOW
 Marketing, Digital & Emerging Media Communications Executive (25 Years)
 Fulltime Professor (Third Year)
 Industries:
 High Tech Manufacturing
 Inorganic Chemicals
 Licensed Apparel
 Higher Education
 Small Business Owner
 Education
 BA Marketing, Finance Minor
 MBA

2. PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE IN PUBLIC RELATIONS
 Teach Graduate and Undergraduate Digital and PR Strategy Courses
 PT Marketing/Branding for the College
 Faculty Advisor of the Outpost Social Media Lab

3.  State of the Art technology
 One of the first in Higher Education
 Student run
 Gives graduates a competitive edge
 Need help? We <3
community partners!
 Email me at lisa.low@ttu.edu
THE OUTPOST SOCIAL MEDIA LAB

4.  AKA Getting found on the internet
 Digital
 Social
 Back-to-basics approach to creating and maintaining an online reputation
management strategy for brands AND individuals.
BUILDING A BASIC DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

5.  According to BIA/Kelsey Group, 97% of online consumers research products and
services ONLINE before buying.
 Every single business, every single artist, NPO, club, etc. needs some kind of basic
website.
 Google listings are crowdsourced. Example Mc-Merket.
 You need a single, credible source of basic information.
 Infinite choices of website hosting and creation; CMS (if you can create a Word
document, you can create a web page!
 Wix
 Weebly
 GoDaddy
 Squarespace
 Wordpress
FOUNDATION OF DIGITAL STRATEGY

6.  All major search engines in the Western world get
their information from Google and Bing.
 Google’s process of assigning weight and value to
individual factors when evaluating website and
social media content is called an algorithm.
 It changes FREQUENTLY. In fact experts specialize in just
this facet of digital strategy.
 Once you establish your SEO strategy, you need to
frequently check and update your keywords.
 Algorithms aren’t just for Google:
 Pandora & Spotify
 Amazon
 Target Coupons
THE GOOGLE DANCE

7.  Indexing is just a scary word for how Google
and Bing are keeping track of websites.
 Search engines “crawl” websites
periodically, take snapshots and index them.
 This is important because you need to know
how entries are being stored in connection
with your brand.
 Publishing new content is the primary
trigger for a new index (or you can request
one with Google Fetch.)
 This is also called “cache.”
 Dangerous because this is how outdated or
inaccurate information stays on the web for
awhile (and now you know!).
 Combat negative information with new
information.
INDEXING

8.  Words typed into a “search query” are
called keywords.
 WHAT people are searching for with
regards to your business or service.
 BTW what about typograpical errorz?
 Your job as a digital strategist is to figure
out so you get found online!
KEYWORDS?!?!

9.  An DMA is a methodical “outside in” look
at your digital and social media assets.
 Google and Bing your brand.
 Record what you find.
 Audits should be conducted:
 At least once per year (tie it to your goal and
strategy setting activities).
 Before & after new campaigns.
 Internally, you don’t need to pay an agency
(in fact, an intern can effectively handle this
task).
 As frequently as once per month.
CHECK YOURSELF! STEP 1: DIGITAL MEDIA AUDIT

10.  Delete unused accounts (or take them offline) or
make a concerted effort to have them deleted. You
remember … that Instagram account your intern
started last year? Yup.
 You would not leave a mess in your brick and
mortar store. Don’t leave a mess on the internet.
 Would you put up a new storefront for a special
event? Don’t do it on social. Hint: Facebook Events
are HOT right now.
 Old and outdated information negatively impacts
your SEO rank.
STEP 2: CLEAN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA HOUSE

11.  Official Channels & Accounts
 Review branding. Is each accurately representing
the brand?
 Does each channel have accurate contact
information?
 Is someone responsible for monitoring in-platform
messaging?
 When was the last time something was posted?
 How’s your cross-channel promotion?
 Consider your commitment to social media, blogs
and online calendars. It’s ok to let it go ... these
accounts are a reflection of your brand. Minimize
this threat to your online reputation.
STEP 3: TIME FOR A REFRESH

12.  The best digital strategists understand that
they must connect with their consumers are
on the channels THEY prefer.
 If you can’t, then be honest.
 Explain in your profile and in one or two posts
how to connect with you.
BE HONEST

13.  Assemble some free and easy-to-use tools that will help you put your best foot
forward (and increase your digital footprint).
 Google Analytics
 Social Media In-Platform Analytics
 Hootsuite (freemium)
 Use this platform to manage all accounts, you’ll never lose access to an account again!
 Google Trends
 Klout
MOVING FORWARD

14.  Google Analytics: Free and most widely used (google.com/analytics)
 Signup for a free demo account.
 Audience: This shows many things about the people coming to your site,
including where they're located geographically, how often they visit your site and
what devices and browsers they use to get there.
 Acquisition: Here you'll find how people got to your site. You can track which
sites link to your page or keywords people search to find you.
 Behavior: This tab gives you insight into specific pages on your site. It can help
answer questions about how people enter and exit your pages, as well as which
ones are most popular.
INSIDE OUT: GOOGLE ANALYTICS

15.  Do:
 Listen and engage on social media.
 Publish basic content.
 Measure and analyze results.
 Be social! Show the human side of your brand/personality.
 Be honest and transparent.
 Know the rules of each platform.
 Don’t:
 Put a # on it (if you’re not going to listen and respond).
 Delete or ignore negative comments.
 Don’t ignore positive comments!
 Link accounts (Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest) for automatic posts. Instagram is exception.
 Try to be someone you’re not. Always align your digital/social strategy with your core
mission/vision/values.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY BASICS

16.  Content isn’t hard y’all!
 If you’d put it on a sign, in a brochure, news release, email, newsletter … repurpose
it online!
 If you don’t have an editorial calendar, make one.
 Remember, publishing new content is the single most effective way to impact
search rankings.
 Identify key words and use them throughout the content (titles, body text, image
names, etc.).
 Use free tools like Canva, Snappa, Piktochart, QUIZZR to create high-quality
multimedia content on a budget).
 Live video streaming is highly effective on Twitter and Facebook … show behind -the-
scenes and teaser content (or just show people you’re human!)
THE “C” WORD

17.  Social/Digital was never free, but now these
channels are mainstream and should be
treated as such.
 Consider spending for high-quality content
and paid placement.
 For example, Facebook is very inexpensive and
targeted.
 Don’t leave it up to interns (without direction
and supervision).
 Outsourcing digital and social media content
is a smart investment.
CONSIDER SPENDING

18.  Come see us at The Outpost!
 Connect with me:
 lisa.low@ttu.edu
 @ldlow (Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, snapchat, Slideshare)
WANT TO LEARN MORE?