Grow Your Business Through Social Media
For SCORE Austin
2014 Content Marketing Workshop Series
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.2
About Tommy Landry
President, Return On Now
Specialty: Internet Marketing
SEO, SEM, Content, Social, Websites, Online Advertising, Web Analytics, Metrics
20+ Years Marketing
15 Years SEO
11 Years SEM
Lifetime of Content & Social
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.3
Where to Find Me
TwitterMe: @tommy_landry
Business: @ReturnOnNow
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tommylandry/
Google+: Return On Now
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://ReturnOnNow.com
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.4
What Is Social Media?
Social Media is any platform or technology that allows real people to interact, exchange ideas, have conversations, or otherwise be “social” in a virtual environment.
Image Source: Brian Solis on Flickr Under Creative
Commons Attribution License
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.5
Types of Social Media
Social Networking (Facebook)
Social Bookmarking (StumbleUpon)
Blogging
Micro Blogging (Twitter)
Media Sharing (YouTube, SlideShare)
Image Sharing (Pinterest, Instagram)
Gamification / Social Gaming
Content Curation Sites (Scoop.it)
Any Online Community
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.6
Why Social Media for Marketing?
• 92% of Marketers Say Social Media Is Important for Business
• Increases Awareness Among Target Communities / Audiences
• Builds Expertise Before Clients Are Ready to Buy
• Drives Demand, and in Turn, Leads
• Helps Increase Overall Website Traffic and Revenue Over Time
Serves a CRITICAL Role In Content Promotion
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.7
The Roles of Social Media
Build a Network of Fans and Followers
Stimulate Word of Mouth
Provide a Vehicle to Promote Content Marketing Efforts / Assets
Amplify Messages to a Wider Audience
Build Awareness and Brand Preference
Drive Engagement In Your Community or Segment
Image Source: Wikipedia.org Under Creative Commons Attribution License
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.8
Refresher: The Customer Lifecycle
Awareness Familiarity Consideration Purchase
Awareness Response Evaluation Commitment
Psychological Model
“Buyer’s Journey” in web circles
Simple version:
Dated version:
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.9
Customer Lifecycle: No Longer Linear
SOURCE: http://blogs.forrester.com/lori_wizdo/12-10-04-
buyer_behavior_helps_b2b_marketers_guide_the_buyers_
journey
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.10
Demand Gen vs. Lead Gen
Demand GenAwareness
Familiarity
Consideration
Purchase
Lead Gen
Social Media primarily plays
in the Demand Gen areas.
It sets up interest for Lead
Gen to be successful once
a need for your product or
service is clear.
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.11
How to Know Where To Be
What Content Or Conversation Will You Be Starting?
Where To Find Your Target Audience?
Where Is Your Focal Topic Relevant?
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Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.12
Social + Content = Inseparable
Social Requires Content to Truly Succeed
Content Provides Social With Something To Promote
The Conversation Is Not Just About Talking…
• Creating New Ideas!
• Stimulating Conversation
• Driving Knowledge
Image Source: TopRankBlog on Flickr Under
Creative Commons Attribution License
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.13
Setting Goals for Social Campaigns
By Content Item (Whitepaper, Blog Post)
By Tactic (Tweet, Share, Pin)
By Program
By Topic
By Source (Twitter, LinkedIn, reddit – separate free vs. Paid placements)
By Audience
By Leads
By Revenue
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.14
How to Set a Social Marketing Strategy
Start with SMART GoalsSpecific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
Time-Bound
Objectives → Strategies → Tactics
Image Source: Wikimedia.org Under
Creative Commons Attribution License
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.15
How Deep is too Deep?
Spend 80% of Time On Strategy and Direction
Get It Right Up Front Before Execution Starts
Do Not Micromanage: Trust Tactical Managers to Deliver
Schedule Regular Check-ins
Know When To Say When Based On Results
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.16
Social Media Rollout Tips
Establish Social Media Presence (claim accounts)
Understand Your Business In and Out; Have a Purpose
Understand Why Your Audience Shares / Engages
Listen More Than You Talk (especially at first)
Provide Value – No Chest Beating!
Content Is the Key to Success – Build Into Your Plan
Test, Iterate, Evolve, and Test Again
Remember: It’s All About People
Hat Tip to Referral Candy (source of expert research cited above)
Tips For Leading Platforms
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.17
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.18
Tips by Platform: Twitter
Mix Up Content Shared
Post 10 Others’ Content For One of Your Own
Good for Getting Foot in Door
Very Short Attention Spans
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.19
Tips by Platform: Facebook
Pictures and Videos Perform Best
Much Better for B2C than B2B
Reach Is Dwindling – Intentional
Don’t Overinvest Too Fast
Careful With Fake Like’s – Especially On Paid Clicks
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.20
Tips by Platform: Google+
More Useful for Author Markup Than Social
Everyone Should Be On It for SEO Purposes
Find Good Communities
Get Familiar With Advanced Features
Be Smart About Time Spent on G+
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.21
Tips by Platform: Pinterest
Always Include Images on Blog Posts / Web Pages
Pin Every One of Them
Build Assortment of Related Boards and Curate
Like Other Boards, Give Back
Especially Useful for Visual Products, eCommerce, Designers, and Bloggers
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.22
Tips by Platform: LinkedIn
Best B2B Social Platform Available
Keep The Conversation Professional and On Point
Claim Your Company Page
Participate in Groups – Key Feature
Optimize Your Personal Profile – People Will Look
Post Periodic Status Updates For Targets
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.23
Tips by Platform: Social Bookmarking
Select a Manageable Number And Focus On Them
Ignore Fads – Use Established Sites
Participate In The Community
Bookmark All Content You Create
Let’s Look At The Top PlatformsTime Permitting…
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Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.24
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Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.25
A Note On Paid Placement
Can Boost Likes / Followers Quickly
Can Also Blow Money Quickly
Test Small, Adjust, Then Expand
Patience is a Virtue
Expect this to Take Time – no shortcuts to true engagement
Caveat - Can Drive Quick Exposure For Premium Content Assets
Image Source: Business2Community Under Creative Commons Attribution License
Pulling It All Together
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Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.26
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Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.27
Productivity: Prioritizing Your Time
Pick Your Battles: Avoid Social Media Overload
Make Intelligent Tradeoffs
You Don’t Have to Be Everywhere All The Time
Build Into Overall Priorities From the Start
Only Dedicate What It Deserves – Adjust As You Learn More
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.28
When To Back Off of Social
Audience Ignores You
You Start Getting Unfollowed / Defriended
You Start to Get Stressed Out
You Lose the Motivation To Keep Doing It
Metrics Tell You To Go Another Direction
Image Source: Wikimedia Under Creative
Commons Attribution License
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.29
Adapting to Results / Feedback
Use Social Results to Inform Content Decisions
Use Content Decisions to Better Manage Social
Use Both To Drive Social SEO Strategies
Remember: Nothing Is Set In Stone; Adaptation is Expected
Image Source: Wikipedia Under Creative
Commons Attribution License
12/5/2014Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.30
Thank you!
Questions?
Connect with me:
Tommy P. Landry, President
Return On Now
http://ReturnOnNow.com
Twitter: @tommy_landry