Social Media for SMEs

Is Social Media a Fad?

By 2010 Generation ‘y’ will out number baby boomers…

…96% of these have joined a social network.

Social Media is real time with 80% of twitter usage via a mobile device, which means people could be talking about your brand at anytime and from anywhere.

25% of search results for top 20 global brands links to user generated content, and when 74% of consumers trust user generated content, and only 14% trust advertising, what people are saying about your brand is more important than ever.

Speed of growth…

“It’s a people driven economy stupid.” - Erik Qualman, 2009

Years to reach 50 million users…

Social media for SME’s

• Affordable• Manageable• Effective• Mobile

1. Tweet regularly, but not too often.2. Tweet valuable information and insight into your area of expertise.3. Retweet (RT) other’s useful information, and add your thoughts to it.4. Only auto-tweet blogs and other content you have written, be real.5. IF someone Direct Messages (DM) you, reply. Try and be

conversational.6. Do not be afraid to ask questions, although it may take time for

people to start responding.7. Tweet at work more, and at home less.8. Try and be funny, to an extent. Keep it interesting.9. Avoid being rude or swearing, it’s social etiquette.10.Tweet “Thank You” for Follow Fridays (#FF)

The Twen Commandments…

Blogs & Customer Engagement…

There are over 200 million Blogs with 54% bloggers posting content daily

• Personable• Personal• Insightful• Interesting

More than 1.5 million pieces of content Are shared on Facebook… DAILY

• Profile• Fans• Engaging• Loyalty

Don’t talk at… ENGAGE WITH

Case Study…

Insurance is boring, so how do we engage with our audience and drive a social campaign that people actually want to be involved with?

• Run a competition called the Face of Childsure• Give away prizes based on votes• Develop a online community and engage with them.

Raise awareness

Mother & Baby ShowGoogle Content Network

Facebook Ads

Twitter Facebook Page

www.faceofchildsure.co.uk

Listen to people

A common feature of the competition was cheating, and hoards of emails and posts were sent to ask us to do something… We did.

Now people are looking for similar competitions persuading users to join Face of Childsure as it does not allow cheating. Just Google ‘face of childsure’.

The results...

• 13 Facebook user generated groups

• A total of 3,068 members• 46,371 visits in the first two months

What can you offer that people will find interesting?

Once you have an audience, keep them engaged.

Listen to them, interact with them, educate them.

Your social strategy…

Decide why you want to create a social strategy: Brand awareness? Customer retention? Developing business? To be recognised as a leader in your field? Drive traffic to your site? All of the above?

Decide which social tools you can use to achieve your strategy.

Use them, and don’t lose sight of your goals!