wisconsin association of health underwriters.ppt

Sales 2.0 RED SHOES PR, INC.

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Today’s agenda   Social Media Overview

 What is thought leadership?

 Why social media?

  Social media and sales

  Social media etiquette

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Social media defined   Internet-based tools used for sharing and

discussing information among people

 Activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio

  Information depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities

- Wikipedia

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Shift of power The power to define and control a brand

is shifting from corporations and institutions to individuals and communities

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Social media is a conversation Social media is a conversation

online

  Look who’s talking:   your colleagues   your prospects   your employees   your critics   your fans   your competition....   anyone who has Internet

access and an opinion.

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Social media is a channel The conversation on Social

Media is not: o  controlled o  organized o  “on message”

The conversation is: o  organic o  complex o  speaks in a human voice

Social media is not a strategy or a tactic – it’s simply a channel

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Why you should care about social media o 87% trust a friend’s recommendation over a critic’s

review - Marketing Sherpa

o 3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over advertising for purchasing decisions - Jupiter Research

o 1 word-of-mouth conversation has impact of 200 TV ads - BuzzAgent

* Slide courtesy of Digital Influence Group

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More on why you should care   Even if your company is not using social media

the conversation is taking place anyway

  Your company should be a part of the on-going dialogue

  People expect more than just a Web site … they are seeking companies who are engaged, who show personality

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Social media o  Social Networking

o  News & Bookmarking

o  Blogs

o  Microblogging

o  Video Sharing

o  Photo Sharing

o  Wikis

o  Virtual Reality

o  Related: o  Podcasts

o  Real Simple Syndication (RSS) o  Social Media Press Release

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More than just a trend Social media sites are the fastest-growing

category on the Web, doubling traffic over the last year.

o  73% of active online users have read a blog o  45% have started their own blog o  39% subscribe to an RSS feed o  57% have joined a social network o  55% have uploaded photos o  83% have watched video clips

Universal McCann’s Comparative Study on Social Media Trends, April 2008. 17,000 respondents from 29 countries

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Getting started in social media … with a purpose  Create brand awareness (online) by becoming

an active contributor

  The more active you are online, the easier it is for people to find you via Google

  You know your business, provide thought leadership content—address pain points!

  How does your prospect find you online?

 Drive people to your website so you can engage and generate sales

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How do people make purchasing decisions today? Information gathering through …

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Your website is the hub!  The influence of professional services

websites on purchasing decisions has increased significantly over the past four years. According to the survey, 74% of buyers report the provider’s website holds at least “some influence” over their ultimate decision to buy services from the provider.

  Raintoday.com survey

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What is thought leadership?  According to commentators such as Elise Bauer,

a distinguishing characteristic of a thought leader is "the recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates

  Source: wikipedia

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Thought leadership example … Humana   http://www.youtube.com/

user/staysmartstayhea1thy

  A treasure trove of helpful content that explains health insurance

  And along the way, the content drives brand awareness, positioning … online and offline

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Think of your website as the online front door of your business   What are you going to do to

get them there?

  Drive traffic through social media

  Compelling content

  In-person networking

  Sales calls

  Use backside analytics

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Your prospects begin looking …   They think of who they

remember… brand recall

  Google search

  Who shows up online?

  Review website … content helpful?

  Does it address a prospect’s pain points?

  Is the tone of voice welcoming like a person or cold like a wall?

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Social Media is a powerful sales tool   Most likely your company

already has content

  Take that content, personalize it

  Get it online

  Use it in a blog

  Give it a voice

  Seed it with key words

  Tip: Today’s consumers respond to timely and relevant content

  For example, how are you explaining health care reform to your clients?

  Are you educating? Or, are you staying quiet? Sending a newsletter?

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Identifying leads online through Linkedin

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  Look and listen

 Actively participate in Linkedin through groups, discussions, message boards, status boards (you get what you share)

  Search employers/people, your target list

 Make connections directly or ask someone to provide you with an opening

  Look at who’s looking at you!

Research your prospects before, during and after   Before you make that sales

call

  Do your research

  Is your contact on Linkedin?

  Is their business on Facebook

  Are they on Twitter?

  Get to know your prospect

  Monitor their conversations (listening!)

  Tip: Use Linkedin’s search function to find companies and company contacts

  Tip 2: Look at people in your network to see who they are connected to … they can make introductions for you!

  Tip 3: Go to the right hand corner of your linkedin profile and seek who has been checking you out.

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Facebook … a sales tool?   Information gathering for your

sales lead funnel

  Become a part of their community

  Look for opportunities to engage in conversations

  Listen to the conversations

  In Appleton alone there are more than 500 businesses with Facebook “fan (now “like”) pages!!!

  Tip: Search by key terms on Facebook ie., by location

  Fastest growing demographic on FB? Women and ages 35 and older

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Is Twitter really relevant to sales?   Yes! Get smarter!

  Use it as another research tool

  Listen to what people are saying about your industry … pain points

  Search key words

  Ie., health insurance, your company name, trending topics

  Tip: Use a third party application for Twitter to monitor key words

  Twilerts

  Hootsuite

  Pluggio

  Tip 2: Twitter content is now searched by Google

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Getting started with marketing’s help •  Take it slow: Find where your

audience is participating and indentify the influencers

•  Read industry blogs (including comments)

•  Listen before participating

•  Try a variety of social media tools

•  Be yourself, make some friends and share

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Social media etiquette o  Avoid puffery

(people will ignore it)

o  Avoid evasion and lying (people won’t ignore it)

o  Always disclose who you are and where you work

o  Admit your mistakes right away

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Sharing = thought leadership o  Don’t be afraid to share:

businesses, like people, need to share information to get the value out of social media

o  Make your content easy to share

o  Incorporate tools that promote sharing: o  RSS is a way for content publishers

to make blog entries, news headlines, events, podcasts and other content available to subscribers

o  an effective way to distribute your content and lead users back to your Web site

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Be personal o  Don't shout. Don't broadcast.

Don’t brag

o  Speak like yourself – not a corporate marketing shill or press secretary

o  Personify your personal brand – give people something they can relate to

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Content is king o  Think like a contributor, not a marketer

o Consider what is relevant to your audience before contributing

o Don’t promote your product on every post

o Win friends by promoting other people’s content if it interests you

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Accept criticism o Don’t try to delete or

remove criticism (it will just make it worse)

o Listen to your detractors

o Admit your shortcomings

o Work openly towards an explanation and legitimate solution

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Pop quiz   How do people gather

information today?

  What’s one monitoring tool you can use?

  What is thought leadership?

  Who is completely overwhelmed?

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