social media for business

social media for business in a social world

Hannah Redmond

“We now generate as much information every two days as was generated from the beginning of

time to 2003.”-Eric Schmidt, Chairman, Google

Tonight

• Introduction: Social MediaWhy you should care & what you need to know

• Social Media through a business lens What you need to do & who is doing it best

• Challenges And how to overcome them

• Q&A

What is social media?

“Social media is today’s most transparent, engaging and interactive form of

communication. It combines the true grit of real time content with the beauty of authentic

peer-to-peer communication.”-Lisa Buyer, The Buyer Group

It’s about sharing more than what you

ate for lunch.

Social Media Landscape

“Mega Spaces”• Facebook • Twitter• YouTube• Foursquare• Google +

“Niche Spaces”• Q&A sites• Forums• Blogs

Social media through a business lens

• User generated content

• Decision engine

• 78% trust online reviews before buying a product*

*Nielson survey 2010

our world has changed[socialnomics VIDEO]

Why you should care

• Marketing• Customer Service• Communications/Public Relations • Market Research

Marketing

•Helps SEO

•New opportunities to place marketing messages

•Build brand loyalty

•Continue the momentum of your offline branding

Marketing

•Helps SEO

•New opportunities to place marketing messages

•Build brand loyalty

•Continue the momentum of your offline branding

Marketing

•Helps SEO

•New opportunities to place marketing messages

•Build brand loyalty

•Continue the momentum of your offline branding

Marketing

•Helps SEO

•New opportunities to place marketing messages

•Build brand loyalty

•Continue the momentum of your offline branding

• 2700% increase in Twitter followers

• 800% increase in Facebook fan page visits

• 60% increase in Facebook fans• 300% increase in traffic to brand

website• YouTube subscribers more than

doubled• Body wash sales more than

doubled

@replies included: Starbucks, Ellen, Gillette

Marketing: What to do?

1. Look at what your competitors are doing

2. Identify your influencers

3. Build an engaging brand presence with good content

4. Make people come back for more

Customer Service

• 96% of dissatisfied customers don’t complain. Of those, 63% won’t buy from you again.*

• Unparalleled customer service opportunity

* Strategic Planning Institute, 2010

Customer Service: What to do?

1. Be reactive and proactive

2. Centralize communication and don’t fear negativity

3. Only open channels you can really manage

4. Be open, transparent, authentic

Communications/PR

• More ways to communicate a message

• News, media coverage, press releases have bigger reach

• Allows for real-time monitoring & response for a crisis

• 43,600 site visits from 100+ countries

• 660,000+ Twitter characters contributed

• Fair Trade messages tweeted out to more than 12M

• Mentions in 1,000+ blogs

Communications/PR: What to do?

1. Use a consistent voice

2. Re-purpose product news content for online

3. Start conversations but also join existing ones

4. Push and pull. It’s 2-way communication.

Market Research

• Problems & opportunities in the market are now easier to find

• Non-intrusive

• Listening tools + search provide key information

Market Research: What to do?

1. Use listening tools to monitor your product/brand

2. Track what’s trending/popular in your industry to be first in a space

3. Find out what key influencers are saying

A comment on ethics

• Being transparent, open, and honest is key• Not only is unethical, but can create a PR mess

Challenges in implementation

People, Knowledge, Culture, Budget.

What industry are you in?

Key Takeaways

• Social Media is part of overall business strategy

• Learn first, execute second• Watch your competitors• Content & audience is key• Results can be measured• Be authentic & transparent

More information

Blogs:mashable.com

socialmediaexaminer.com

larrywblog.combusinessesgrow.com

heidicohen.comwomma.org

Twitter:@mashable

@scottmonty@copyblogger

@Cksays@techcrunch@heidicohen

Books:Socialnomics

The Tao of Twitter

Thank you