digital tools for launching new ventures

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Digital Tools for New Venture LaunchesDigital Strategy

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Intro to KellyKelly Cutler is the CEO of Kona Company a Digital Strategy firm.

Beginning her career in 1997 with companies including AOL and Classified Ventures, Kelly’s achievements include helping clients including Rush University Medical Center, Hub International and NorthShore develop their digital marketing strategy.

Kelly is an adjunct professor at DePaul University and serves on the board of EO Chicago, recently as the first ever woman President.

Also zip lining!

Connect with Kelly :

linkedin.com/in/kellycutler

@kfcutler

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Kona Company

Kona Company is a digital strategy firm, delivering integrated solutions.

Our team will work to define your business goals, align those with the proper platforms & execute engaging campaigns and platforms.

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Our Clients

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My Profiles

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OverviewDigital New Venture Launch Digital Channels Digital Strategy Roadmap Search Content Social Overview More on Social Think Outside the Fishbowl Measurement Free Tools Social Media Wins

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Channels

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Digital StrategyJust because you built it, doesn’t mean they will come

Develop a Digital Plan ("Roadmap") Define your Purpose and Audience Goals: Sales, leads, downloads – be specific

Primary Goal Secondary Goal

Timing, Tone, and Tools Research: develop personas and where they spend time online Budget: consider ads, organic posts don’t cut it Tracking and Measurement Transparency

Implement the “rule of thirds” for posted organic content1/3 promotes your business, 1/3 shares inspiring content, 1/3 is personal

interactions and customer serviceTest different channels, creative, messaging and audience targeting

Track, Measure, Optimize

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RoadmapGetting Started: Checklist

Determine business goals driving social media marketing and prioritize. These should be clearly defined and measurable actions associated with goals

Resources available to commit to social media – both human and financial

Content: volume and qualitySocial channels that our target audience usesWebsite: ready for engagement with users and

tracking is enabledSocial will integrate with entire business process

and all marketing efforts

Business Goal

Measurable Action

Sales Ecommerce revenue

Leads Forms filled out

Email list Enewsletter sign ups

Engagement Fans & Followers

Recruiting Candidate tracking

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Search

SEO Keyword research Natural and/or paid linking strategy Mobile friendly Site speed User friendly & content rich

SEM Keyword research Use targeting options and settings Advanced features like site links, ad

extensions and event tracking Start with Google, look to add Bing Track conversions not clicks

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Content is KingTips to write better content

Create a shared editorial calendar (free templates on Hubspot)

Find your voice – have fun Play off current events / headlines /

industry news – be timely Leverage one piece of content in many

ways: podcast, slideshare, blog post, eBook etc.

Use stats, checklists, tips, survey results Integrate keywords and SEO best practices

(Wordpress has free plugins Comment on other blogs Share articles and syndicate content on

sites like Reddit, Medium, Tmblr, StumbleUpon

eBooks deliver high value, can be gated Never “keyword stuff” Increased links -> increased authority

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Social OverviewGolden Rules of Social Marketing1. Don’t take yourself too seriously2. Inbound won’t cut it3. Good content / Strong offers4. Call to Action5. Add Value6. Social is a 2-way street7. Peer-to-peer sharing

*Content Marketing Institute

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Day in the LifePosts:Twitter 1-2 per hour 4 retweetsFacebook 3-5 posts per dayGoogle+ 3-5 posts per dayLinkedIn 1-2 posts per dayPinterest 4-5 pins per week

Monitor: Daily/Weekly mentions Respond to comments, issues,

questions

Promote: Promote content,

events, products Use images, posts,

stats, questions, infographics

Blog: Create blog posts Insert images Format properly Post

Measure: Utilize free tools such

as GA, Facebook Insights

Explore additional tools as needed

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What to say on social

Pixlr Editor13

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Think Outside the FishBowl

Free Tools

Canva

Pixlr EditorPixlr Editor

Visual posts get higher engagement Tell a story without text Images more likely to be shared

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Keep Thinking… Quickly made, visual, and includes a call to action. Most isn’t content that’s meant to be put up in a gallery, but rather the flashy visual that’s meant to attract people to a post, and then travel down the feed. Think: snackable, shareable posts

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MeasurementWhat to track?

Traffic sources – where are people coming from? Goals – define and track who is converting

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Free ToolsThe Basics:

Twitter, Google+ and Facebook Search Google Analytics Google Alerts Google Search Console (GWT)

Publishing Platforms: Hootsuite Tweetdeck Buffer App

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Social Media WinsThe Gap uses Vine to show the evolution of jeans over the past 40 years

Sharpie’s Instagram account features fan-submitted “Doodles” created using the companies pens and markers

Pinterest was the leading social referrer for Container Store even before creating a profile. It has organized boards to reach different audiences. They use email to draw people to the boards.

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Thank you!

Kelly Cutler, CEO & Founderkelly@konacompany.com