5. Benefits of Social Media
• It’s FREE!
• Builds deeper relationships
• Increases brand awareness
• Broadens your network
• Helps SEO
• Increases website traffic
• Generates leads and sales
• Can help reach journalists/media
• Empowers fans to be viral ambassadors for
your brand
Source: Social Media for Tourism Pros
6. Is Social Media Right for You?
• Is social media …
• Providing value to your organization and your
members/customers?
• Bringing benefit via brand awareness,
membership, loyalty, sales, etc.?
• Helping to grow membership base?
• Justifying the investment?
Source: pammarketingnut.com
7. First steps
• Find your audience
• Know what’s being said
• Extend a virtual hand
• Get your community to be virtual ambassadors
• Have fun, in a professional manner of speaking
Source: DCI
9. First, Some Questions
1. Can you describe your business/organization?
2. What are your goals?
a. Generate sales
b. Brand enthusiasm
c. Loyalty
3. What is your relationship with your audience?
a. Awareness
b. Interest
c. Action
d. Advocacy
Source: Jay Baer
(http://convinceandconvert.com)
10. More Questions
4. How does your audience use social media?
5. Who will be your community managers?
6. What social media platforms will you use?
(Hint: Where is your audience?)
7. How will you be human (what is your
“voice”)?
8. How will you know when/if you’re
successful?
Source: Jay Baer
(http://convinceandconvert.com)
11. Do You Need a Social Media Policy?
• Maybe. Just keep these basics in mind:
– Be polite
– Be honest
– Be open
– Be inclusive
– Be forthright
– Be legal
– Be helpful
– Don’t try to control the conversation
– Accept, respond, and be gracious to negative
feedback
Source: The Potluck Guide To Social Media Strategy
12. Social Media Don’ts
• Don’t be something you’re • Be authentic
not
• Don’t experiment with the • Try new things with
company logo personal accounts first
• Don’t think you have to be • Start slow and be selective
on every social media
channel
• Use images whenever
• Don’t tell, show possible
• Don’t feed Facebook to • Know your audience and
Twitter (or vice versa) post accordingly
20. Facebook
Offers
• Affordable and great
for brand awareness
• Spent $3.70 and
drove over $200 in
business
• 102 offers claimed/5
redeemed
• Redemption rate on
this offer was low
• Ask your community
to share!
Source: Doe’s Eat Place
28. Facebook
I Spy Aggieland
Success!
• Facebook fans learned
about the community and
loved winning prizes
• Fans and businesses are still
asking the CVB to continue
the contest
• Businesses enjoy the free
promotion
• Facebook likes increased by
1000
• Project cost $0!
Source: Bryan-College Station CVB
32. Using Twitter for Business
Twitter for marketing Twitter for lead generation
• Drive people to your • Tweet offers
website • Use link shorteners
• Monitor your brand (or (like bit.ly or goo.gl)
a competitor’s brand) • Use landing pages
• Promote events – Complete a form >>
• Respond to customers’ become a lead >>
concerns about your convert to a customer
company or its
services
35. Twitter
Use Hashtags
Photo: Sean Munson
Source: Bastrop Economic Development
36. Twitter
Use Hashtags
The Portland “Twisitor Center” - #inpdx
• Make visitors and locals spokespeople
• Crowd-source visitor information
• Involve locals and their expertise
Source: Travel Portland
37. Where are the
Twitter
best running
trails #inpdx? Use Hashtags
Photo: SamT
Source: Travel Portland
38. Twitter
Use Hashtags
Give love > get love back
Source: Travel Portland
40. Content Is King
Visual Content Is Ruler of the World
• Videos shared 12x more
than links and text posts
combined
• Photos are liked 2x more
than text updates
• Instagram is the 2nd most
popular app (globally)
behind Facebook
• Pinterest generates more
referral traffic than
Google+, LinkedIn, and
YouTube combined
Sources: HubSpot; Marketing Land
63. Follow Me
@pagetx
@ColoradoRiverTr
Sarah Page
Senior Economic Development Specialist Facebook.com/ColoradoRiverTrail
LCRA
sarah.page@lcra.org
512-578-3513
64. Follow Me
@alysiacook
linkedin.com/alysiacookPCED
Alysia Cook
Senior Economic Development Specialist
LCRA
alysia.cook@lcra.org
512-578-3382
65. Questions?
Thank You!
Program provided on behalf of
Pedernales Electric Cooperative.