sm biz getting started social media handbook

The Conversation is NOW.Is your business present?

Handbook for Small Business and Social Media.

Presented at Frontier Communications on March 24, 2011by Kay-Tee Franke

Want to play Social Media Trivia on your phone?

Text LOCAL to 30364.

Who’s Driving Today’s Conversation?

Why Should My Business Be in the Conversation?

How do I Get My Business in the Conversation?

What’s it Going to Cost and is There ROI?

When Will This be a Necessity?

Engaging Results Communications 608.837.5270 www.engagingresultscomm.com www.DaneTxt.com Sun Prairie, WI 2011

What are Some Basic Steps I Can Implement?


Traditional communication tools to convey one’s message.

Impressions vs. Depth of Engagement

• Measuring standards used to involve # of impressions or % of market reached.

• Now?– Marketers are still reaching for the market, but placing

a higher value on “depth of engagement”.


Answer this for your business:

What has been more effective for my business?

A. 1,000 people seeing my logo

B. 100 people interacting with my product

Interactive communication that is created and shared by many.

Social Media


Communicate with Intent 5 theories to say and forget:• Social Media is only meant to foster fun conversations, not ever to sell.

• This is a balancing act, but here are two questions to ask yourself on a weekly basis to stay on track.

1. Are users interacting with the content to build their conversations?

2. Will my fans/followers remember my USP? (remember that media doesn’t produce the sale, it is a tool to help you make the sale)

• My business is ______________________ so everyone will talk about it.• This would imply that your business is always on the very top of its customer minds and appropriate for every

conversation. Word of mouth can be powerful if the referral is made.

• Are your fans engaged enough that they’ll mention you (eyewear retailer) when their friend mentions shopping for glasses?

• “Social Media will get the word out there” even if we don’t have fans/followers yet.• Social media is permission based. If you provide a reason for fans to follow and let them know that reason exists, then

they may invite you to be in their conversation. Then it becomes a marketing tool.

• Where are my customers? When and how are they open to communication? (traditional, social, mobile, etc)

• Social Media can be a last minute thought.• This is a commonly practiced mistake. Even though, some involvement is reactive by nature, the “driver” can still set the

tone and lead towards goals.

• Question to ask yourself when planning a week’s messages: What questions/info would guide them toward finding the ___________________________ (event, sale, sample, referral, time commitment, etc)

• If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.• Not true, not true. Because many of the social media tools are permission based, marketers must rely on their current

communication methods to convert the conversation before the current tool is obsolete.


True Cost of Social Media

Social Media or Marketing Strategist (salary or billable hour)Community or Promotions ManagerIncentives for participation (prizes, discounts, content, etc)Dashboards or company to manage mediaMobile application or mini-site for easy user access (over 70% of social browsing is mobile)Promotional space in advertising, in-store, product labels to mention the social tools to potential fans/usersRisk of market position loss (especially if managed by the non-experienced)


• What are 5 separate elements of the business?

• Which will be the focus and for how long?

• What is the story behind its importance?

• How can I tell the story while leading from behind?

• Where are my customers?• Who is going to manage my

new media and who is going to be accountable?

• What resources are we willing to devote to this?

• What do we want to accomplish?

• How will we measure?• When will we move to Plan

B or C?

Social Media costs may not all appear as hard, fixed costs on a bottom line, but they do exist and should be evaluated

when planning.

Planning Questions

Directory Submission SitesGet Listed! Google, Yahoo, Bing...

It is not always enough to have a website, a social media plan and internet marketing strategies, if people cannot find you and your business easily. A simple way to get noticed is to submit you or your company to directories such as Google, Yahoo and Bing and let them do some work for you. These directories allow a simple method of creating links to your website and social media accounts. Here is a list of a few directory submission sites:

1.GetListed.org: Here you can list with Google Maps, Yahoo Local and more in one step! 2.Google Places: Google Places allows you to "claim" your business online and ensure that when people search on Google Maps and Google they can find you and your correct business listing. You can promote offers, post photos and more! 3.Bing Local: Just as with Yahoo and Google, Bing also offers localized listings and the opportunity to verify your business information.

Directory Submission websites and listing services allow you to "claim" your business and ensure customers can find YOU! Allow yourself to reach your customers and attract new ones. Start small, and continue to take baby steps along the way to grow, engage, and reach your target market throughout 2011!

1,2,3 of Claiming Your Business

Directory Submissions Sites instruction provided by: Jodi Fisher Impact Virtual Services 608.279.3949 [email protected]


Online Social Media ActionsFacebook….Start fan page (need personal profile first), get more than 25 fans (suggest to friends), secure a

unique domain (facebook.com/DaneExclusiveDeals)

LinkedIn……Create a company profile, connect it to your personal profile, post a status update

Twitter……Create an account, select people/businesses to follow, tweet about being a newcomer


Going MobileMobile Website or App…..Check your website from a mobile device. How does it look? Even though many smart phones are now able to show the site as it would on a computer, it doesn’t mean that they can navigate it.

Is your contact info on the home page? How about your address?

Text Message Marketing…..The average adult now sends 4x as many text messages than phone calls! Are you speaking their language? Speak with Engaging Results Communications to determine a plan that’s right for your customers’ needs.

Video….Your mobile device can help you capture video and pictures to post to your other social media in real time. Speak with your carrier for details. Be sure to tag potential fans/followers when posting online to encourage it to go viral.

sm biz getting started social media handbook

Documents