Small Business
Social Media Training
Workshop
May 15, 2009
Steven Fisher and Shashi Bellamkonda

Welcome
Class Outline: What You Will Learn:
• 8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast and • Basics of Social
Networking Networking
• 8:30 - 9:15 Social Media 101:
The Basics • Setting up Google Alerts
• 9:15 - 9:45 Leveraging Social • Facebook Groups &
Networks and Online Pages
Communities
• LinkedIn Profiles and
• 10:15 -10:30 Break
Applications
• 10:30 - 11:00 Getting Started
on Twitter • What Twitter is and How
• 11:00 - 11:45 Blogging Setup to Use it
and Basics • Using Blogs for Business
• 11:45 - 12:00 Wrap up

I: Social Media 101: The Basics

Social Media 101: ROI of this Module
• Learn the Basics of
Social Media
• Applying Social
Media to Small
Business
Photo by: Matt Hamm

Social Media 101: Definition and Application
Social media describes the online tools that people use to share
opinions, experiences, and perspectives with each other.
A few prominent examples of social media applications are:
• Wikipedia (reference)
• Facebook (social networking)
• YouTube (video sharing)
• Digg (news sharing)
• Flickr (photo sharing)
These sites typically use technologies such as blogs, wikis,
message boards, podcasts, and wikis to allow users to engage
and interact with each other.
Photo by: Sean McColgan
5

Social Media for Small Business
Small Business can utilize social media to level the playing field
against bigger, stronger competitors.
Out of the Gate, Small Businesses can use social media to:
• Create connections and build relationships
• Improve search engine rankings which generates website traffic,
inbound links and leads
• Establish you and your team as thought leaders and innovators
• Manage your brand and reputation online
• Grow smarter and faster than your competitors
In order to achieve this, you must stay relevant and engage in
the conversation and contribute to the community.
6

Social Media 101: Who will you reach?
There are many you can reach as a business. Here are a few:
Audience Segments Key Questions
• Customers • Their goals and aspirations?
• Prospects • Their problems?
• Mainstream Media (Print and • How do they get their answers?
Broadcast)
• How can you reach them?
• Social Media (blogs, forums
and social networks) • What’s important to them?
• What words and phrases do
• Employees
they use?
• Committee Members
• What sort of images and
• Suppliers/vendors/affiliates multimedia appeals to them?
7

Social Media 101: Ways to Use Social Media
• Listening - using social media as “real time”
research and gaining insights from listening to
customers
• Talking - using conversations with customers to
promote products or services
• Energizing - building brand stewardship; and
identifying enthusiastic customers and using them to
persuade others
• Supporting - making it possible for customers to
help each other
• Embracing - turning customers into a resource for
innovation
8

Social Media Tip #1 – Optimize Your Content
to Go Everywhere
• Optimizing content is not just about making changes to a
site. You should have content that can be portable (such
as PDFs, video, podcasts).
• Submitting them to relevant sites will help your content
travel further, and ultimately drive links back to your site
• RSS – allow others to subscribe to your content
• The end goal is to achieve Omnipresence
9

Social Media Tip #2 – Create Google Alerts
to Monitor Your Brand
Google News Alerts
Allows you to keep a pulse on
your online brand with email
alerts from Google
Create alerts on keywords:
• Company Name
• Key Executives
• Priority Keywords
• Competitors
• Events
• Product/Service
10

Exercise #1: Google Alerts

II: Leveraging Social Networks and
Online Communities

Social Networks: ROI of this Module
• Explanation of social
networking
• Learn how social
networks and online
communities are
used for business
• Which Social
Networks are best for
small businesses
• Social Networking for
Business Tips

Social Networks: Explained
Social Networks leverage the concept of “Six Degrees
of Separation” and use technology to connect people.
Social Networks You Know: Online Business Social Networks:
• Chambers - Facebook
• Network Groups - MySpace (Artists and Musicians)
• Religious - Twitter
• Charities - Upcoming
• Organization - YouTube
• Industry Clubs - LinkedIn
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Flickr
14

Social Networks: Why they work
• They do all the same stuff
that normal networks can
• They are fast and
inexpensive
• They require no travel to
connect with tons of people
• They help you stay in contact
and up to date with people
• They generate leads and
referrals at a very low cost
• They enable easy creation of
groups and communities
15

Social Networks: Three Types for Business
There are SO many social networks out there so where do you
start? You should first know the three types of social networks
out there.
Identity-focused Social Networks
These social networks focus around your personal or business profile so you
can manage your identity and reputation online
Examples: LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo
Opportunity-focused Social Networks
These social networks engage the individual or business create a profile in
order to connect with each other or promote their skills to win new business
Examples: LinkTogether, SalesGravy, FastPitch
Communication-focused Social Networks
These social networks are based on their communication platforms and their
ability to engage individuals in conversations
Examples: Twitter, Xing, Reunion, YouTube, Slideshare
16

Social Networks: Facebook for Small Business
Facebook? I thought that was for kids and college students?
Nope. Businesses and professionals are the biggest growth area
• 110 Million Active Users
• Largest Social Networking
site in the world
• Largest Growing
Demographic is >28
• More women than men
• Users primarily in US,
Canada and UK
Photo by: pshab via Flickr • Ability to interact with current
and potential customers
• Highly targeted advertising
and social interaction
17

Social Networks: Facebook Buzzwords
• Friend: Connect with
someone on Facebook
• Wall message: Write,
draw or post something
on someone’s wall
• Tag: Add names to
photos or videos
• Status update: What
are you doing?
• Public timeline: List of
recent activity
• Source: Ogilvy Twitter Webinar
18

Social Networks: LinkedIn for Small Business
LinkedIn is a social network for professionals
Nope. Businesses and professionals are the biggest growth area
• 35 Million Worldwide Users
• Focused on Business Users
• Shows You which of your
own contacts can introduce
you to their connections who
know them
• Easily tap the power of
second and third degree of
“six degrees of separation”
• Eliminates cold calling
• Applications that add
dimensions to your personal
or company profile
19

Social Networks: LinkedIn Buzzwords
• Connections: Your
Linkedin contacts
(must approve)
• Applications: Fun
widgets / tools to
interact and promote
brand
• Answers: Space to
ask / answer
questions and polls
• Groups: Opt in
Communities
• Contact Settings:
Set your terms
• Source: Ogilvy Twitter Webinar
20

Social Networking Tip #1 – Your Profile is a
First Impression
• Flesh out your profile
• Be picky on who you
connect with
• Re-purpose other
content
• Upload pics and videos
to tag and send
• Don’t put anything up
there you wouldn’t be
comfortable with
• Add ALL of your Social
Media links
• Be fun and interesting
21

Social Networking Tip #2 – Be a Connector
• Connectors are the
people that introduce
you to others
• Most powerful in a
social network
• Give without
expecting to receive
anything back
• Don’t just promote
you, promote others
and they will
promote you which
is MUCH MORE
powerful
22

Social Networking Tip #3 – Go Where Your
Audience Is Already
• Most of your audience
is already online
• Almost all are in big
networks (e.g.
Facebook)
• Many are on niche
focused networks as
well
• You would never send
marketing materials
untargeted
23

Social Networking Tip #4 – Add Value
Do you have any materials like the following?:
• Company information, brochures, web site, sales sheets
 Put it here: LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook Group Page, Blog
• Photos and videos related to sales, training and products
 Put it here: YouTube, Viddler, Blip.TV, Facebook, Flickr, Blog
• Articles, news and press releases, events, newsletters
 Put it here: Blog, Newsvine, Digg, Facebook, Fast PItch
• Presentations for training, marketing, sales and service
 Put it here: Slideshare, YouTube
24

Exercise #2: Facebook Profiles
and Pages

Exercise #3: LinkedIn Profiles and
Applications

Let’s Take a Break!

III: Getting Started on Twitter

Using Twitter: ROI of this Module
• What the Heck is Twitter?
• Interesting Uses of Twitter…
so far
• Why and How Businesses
Use Twitter
• Businesses Using Twitter
• Twitter Do's and Don'ts

Using Twitter: What the Heck is Twitter?
Twitter is a microblogging platform composed Interesting Twitter Facts:
entirely of 140 character answers to 1 simple • Twitter receives over 6 million
question: “What are you doing?” or rather , UMVs, doubled from Sept 08
“What are you interested in right now?” with an average daily growth of
approximately 10% from
September to January 2009. An
average of over 50% of Twitter
traffic are repeat visitors.
• According to Time Magazine,
males make up over 60% of the
Twitter demographic.
• Usage is 40% in the United
States and of the remaining
60%, 39% of that is in Japan
• Twitter's largest age
demographic is 35-to-44-year-
olds who make up 25.9% of its
users.
Source: (This is up from a Jan 2009
Compete report)
30

Using Twitter: Effective Business Uses
• Tweet company news in short, manageable pieces – an effective strategy for
reaching multi-tasking customers with ever shortening attention spans.
• Tweet special offers or discounts for your Twitter “followers” to drive sales.
• Tweet from company and industry events to provide real time updates.
• Tweet questions or ideas about your business to get immediate feedback
from customers following you.
• Seek out customers tweeting about good and bad experiences with your
company. Thank your happy customers and try to resolve negative issues.
• Tweet about things that interest you, and have fun with it! Your customers
might appreciate getting to know you as a real person, not just a brand.
Share Your Experiences…
And Make a Sale…
31

Using Twitter: Effective Business Uses
Other Ways:
• Customer
Relations
• Crisis
Management
• Corporate
Reputation
Management
• Event Activation
• Issue Advocacy
• Product
Promotion and
Sales
• Internal
Communication
32

Using Twitter: Brand/Customer Monitoring
• Customer
Service
• Customer
Feedback
• Customer
Outreach
@netsolcares
Shashi Bellamkonda at
Network Solutions
started @netsolcares in
Sept 2008 to provide a
new customer service
channel
33

Using Twitter: Buzzwords
• Follow: To friend someone (or follow
their updates)
• Direct Message (DM): Pseudo-email
someone following you
• “At” reply: Speak to someone
directly in the public stream
(@stevenfisher)
• Re-tweet (RT): Repost content with
credit
• Block: Restrict access to updates
• # (hashtags): a kind of tag or
description – great for search
• Source: Ogilvy Twitter Webinar
34

Twitter Tip #1: Engage the Audience
You can engage people on Twitter by doing the
following things:
• SEE what other businesses are doing on Twitter
• USE Twitter search engines for keyword searches around
brands, products and topic of interest.
• FOLLOW Twitterers with similar interests to establish a brand
presence within conversation
• START a conversation
• DEDICATE time to Twitter. Having more than one employee
on Twitter will ensure an ongoing company presence.
• ASK questions and get feedback from your followers
• Source: Ogilvy Twitter Webinar
35

Twitter Tip #2: Getting Followers the Right Way
Followers are the people that click the “Follow” button
on your page
• Retweet content
• Talk directly to
people
• Link to outside
content
• Live tweet from
events
• Use hashtags
• Avoid using ALL
CAPS
36

Exercise #4: Set up Twitter

Exercise #4: Setting Up Your Own Twitter
Profile
38

Exercise #4: Setting Up Your Own Twitter
Profile
39

Exercise #4: Setting Up Your Own Twitter
Profile
40

IV: Blogging Basics

Blogging Basics: ROI of this Module
• Learn what a blog is
• What business and
corporate blogging is
• Who and why people
are doing this
• What to write about
• Tips to Great Blogging

Blogging Basics: Definitions, just in case
• A Journal, usually
updated frequently,
sometimes categorized
• Usually links to other
sites
• Can support comments
and some stateless
interaction
• Provides an XML feed,
usually RSS (Really
Simple Syndication)

Blogging Basics: Reasons to Blog
• Improve Search Engine
Optimization (SEO)
• Gain Visibility as a
Thought Leader
• Generate Real
Conversations
• Display Brand
Personality
• Perform Market
Research
• Improve Customer
Service
• Share Company
Announcements

Blogging Basics: What to Publish
Ideal Blog Topics: • Photos, Videos and Podcasts
• Commentary on mainstream • Conference notes
media articles, other blogs, news, • Business Philosophy
events and relevant trends
• Tools, resources, tips, ideas, lists
• Company News • Awards, honors, PR, new employee,
• Case Studies new vendor, new system

Blogging Basics: Blog Buzzwords
• Comment: Respond to blog post
• Link Love: Link to other blogs/sites (online
currency)
• Tagging: Adding words to describe blog
content
• Troll: Mean commenters (IGNORE THEM!)
• Blogroll: Links to favorite blogs
• Embed: Copy/paste media
46

Blogging Basics: Getting Started
Take 15 minutes a day to write a
blog post
 Find a topic
 Keep it around 400 words or less
if possible
 Write in short paragraphs. Not
more than six lines of text.
 Write and embed any content
(pictures, videos)
 Check copyrights and licensing
and give attributions
 Preview Your Post
 Publish or Schedule It

Blogging Tip #1 – Increase Linkability
1. Blogging
Remember, the key is to
2. White papers
3. Thought pieces
have content that “engages”
4. Flash demos others and makes them want
5. 2-way dialogue to link to your site.
48

Blogging Tip #2 – Reward Inbound Links
1. Who is linking to you and
what are they saying?
2. Track your inbound links
3. Allow display of trackbacks
4. Highlight people who write
about you
5. Engage in conversations on
blogs that link to you
49 May 18, 09

Blogging Tip #3 – Engage Your Readers
 Write in an authentic, human voice
 Use meaningful titles
 Publish on a regular basis. Target once a
week at minimum.
 Enable and monitor your comments
 Link to other sites
 Be Passionate
 Give credit where it’s due (pictures, text
quotes)
 Syndicate and re-use text

Blogging Tip #4 –Tag and Bookmark
 Adding quick buttons to quot;add to del.icio.us“
 Making sure pages include a list of relevant tags
 Adding tags to pages first on popular social sites
• Tags that describe the content
• Easy to bookmark and add
• to Social Media Sites
• A “tag” is just a word(s) that describe content.
51

Blogging Tip #5 – Put Policies in Place
Understand that when you or someone is talking about
your company, not only does this reflect on you but if
there are not clear guidelines, you could be at risk.
Put together some policies and guidelines like the following examples:
 Topics in which The Company is involved in litigation or could in the future:
(i.e. policy, customer disputes, etc.)
 Non-public information of any kind about The Company, including, but not
limited to, policies and strategy
 Illegal or banned substances and narcotics
 Pornography or other offensive illegal materials
 Defamatory, libelous, offensive or demeaning material
 Private/Personal matters of yourself or others
 Disparaging/threatening comments about or related to anyone
 Personal, sensitive or confidential information of any kind
Great Post on Policies and Guidelines from Raj Malik
http://blog.networksolutions.com/2009/sxsw-follow-up-corporate-social-media-
guidelines/

Exercise #5: Write and Publish a
Blog Post Using Wordpress

Wrapping Up

Final Thoughts
• Listen first
• Conversation, not
publishing or broadcasting
• Be a useful
conversationalist
• Build relationships - one at
a time
• Take a Leap of Faith and
Jump In!

Four Things You Should Definitely DO
- Create at Google Alert
- Pick a social network and sign and commit 30 minutes a
day to it – AND HAVE PATIENCE…
- Get two Twitter accounts – claim your own name and
your company name (also your company name sucks)
- Create your own blog or at the very least find three blogs
that you like and vists/subcribe to them and comment
Reach Out to Us if You Have Questions
Shashi Bellamkonda – The Social Media Swami
sbellamkonda@networksolutions.com
Twitter: shashib
Steven Fisher – Small Business Evangelist
Steve.Fisher@NetworkSolutions.com
Twitter: stevenfisher

Resources
Books:
The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott
Now is Gone by Geoff Livingston and Brian Solis
Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
The Corporate Blogging Book by Debbie Weil
Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams
Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin
Web Sites:
Google Alerts - http://www.google.com/alerts/
FaceBook – http://www.facebook.com
LinkedIn – http://www.linkedin.com
Yelp – http://www.yelp.com
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com
Wordpress – http://www.wordpress.org

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Questions?
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/calavera/65098350/

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/vernhart/1574355646/