What Is Social Media and Why Do I Need To Care?

The concept of “social media” is not new. It is, in fact, the oldest form of communication. Since the beginning of time people have chosen to be a part of different communities: religious communities, neighborhood organizations, groups that revolve around charities, hobbies, your kids schools... Why? Because we all want to find people who are like us. It validates us as people and makes us feel good about who we are to know that other people find what We believe in and enjoy doing - valuable. Social Media is the ability to network with these communities online , so you are no longer limited to who you can find to engage with in your own neighborhood or town. You can talk to and interact with people who are in your various “communities” all around the world. What is Social Media?

The concept of “social media” is not new. It is, in fact, the oldest form of

communication.

Since the beginning of time people have chosen to be a part of different communities:

religious communities, neighborhood organizations, groups that revolve around

charities, hobbies, your kids schools...

Why? Because we all want to find people who are like us. It validates us as people and

makes us feel good about who we are to know that other people find what We believe in

and enjoy doing - valuable.

Social Media is the ability to network with these communities online , so you are no

longer limited to who you can find to engage with in your own neighborhood or town.

You can talk to and interact with people who are in your various “communities” all

around the world.

Social Media Marketing (SMM) combines the goals of internet marketing with social media sites such as Facebook, twitter, Digg, Flickr, MySpace, Wikipedia, personal blogs, LinkedIn, YouTube and others. It allows you to align with and market to these online communities by becoming a member and joining in on the conversation. SMM goals are different for every organization; however most will involve some form of viral marketing to build idea or brand awareness, increase visibility, or sell a product. With direct mail or an e-blast, you are targeting a region or demographic group with your marketing message and hoping a small percentage reads it and responds. The benefit to SMM is that you are talking to people who WANT to hear what you have to say and will go out and not only ACT on the message but also champion your company to drive traffic to your site or business. What is Social Media Marketing?

Social Media Marketing (SMM) combines the goals of internet marketing with social

media sites such as Facebook, twitter, Digg, Flickr, MySpace, Wikipedia, personal blogs,

LinkedIn, YouTube and others. It allows you to align with and market to these online

communities by becoming a member and joining in on the conversation.

SMM goals are different for every organization; however most will involve some form of

viral marketing to build idea or brand awareness, increase visibility, or sell a product.

With direct mail or an e-blast, you are targeting a region or demographic group with your

marketing message and hoping a small percentage reads it and responds. The benefit

to SMM is that you are talking to people who WANT to hear what

you have to say and will go out and not only ACT on the message but also champion

your company to drive traffic to your site or business.

How Do I Know Which Sites Are Right For My Company?

“ LinkedIn is the formal letter; Facebook is like e-mail; Twitter is an instant message.” Every Social Media site is different and has a unique language and its own etiquette rules. It’s important to understand their differences so you can appropriately engage your customers and potential customers in a manner that will be well received. Not every site is right for every company. If you are an Accounting firm – you do not need to be on MySpace, but LinkedIn is a no-brainer! Who is your target audience? We help you figure out where they are living and target them through those sites with an appropriate message.

“ LinkedIn is the formal letter;

Facebook is like e-mail;

Twitter is an instant message.”

Every Social Media site is different and has a unique language and its own etiquette rules.

It’s important to understand their differences so you can appropriately engage your

customers and potential customers in a manner that will be well received.

Not every site is right for every company. If you are an Accounting firm – you do not need

to be on MySpace, but LinkedIn is a no-brainer! Who is your target audience? We help you

figure out where they are living and target them through those sites with an appropriate

message.

Facebook is the most visible and recognized brand in the Social networking space, where "friend" is a verb. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Of the 250 million people currently using Facebook, half of them are using it daily. Facebook’s 35-54 year old demographic segment not only continues to grow the fastest. Average user has 120 friends on the site There are more than 30 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices For a business, Facebook gives you the option to create a Fan Page or a Group. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Facebook is the most visible and recognized brand in the

Social networking space, where "friend" is a verb.

Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school,

and region to connect and interact with other people. People

can also add friends and send them messages, and update

their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves.

Of the 250 million people currently using Facebook, half of them are using it daily.

Facebook’s 35-54 year old demographic segment not only continues to grow the fastest.

Average user has 120 friends on the site

There are more than 30 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices

For a business, Facebook gives you the option to create

a Fan Page or a Group.

Facebook Fan Pages were created to give businesses their own profile on Facebook. They should be used to create brand identity. With a Fan Page, those interested and following your brand can become “fans”, and when they do so, all their friends will see this. You can store photos, videos, information about your company on your Page – just like your Personal Profile page. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Facebook Fan Pages were created to give businesses their own

profile on Facebook. They should be used to create brand identity.

With a Fan Page, those interested and following your brand can

become “fans”, and when they do so, all their friends will see this.

You can store photos, videos, information about your company on

your Page – just like your Personal Profile page.

Facebook Group Pages were created to give businesses a way to create a private (or non-private) Sub-Group or to focus on a Topic or division in their company. With a Group Page, those interested and following your topic can join your “Group”, and when they do so, all their friends will see this. You can store photos, videos, information about your company on your Group Page – just like your Personal Profile or Fan Page. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Facebook Group Pages were created to give businesses a way to

create a private (or non-private) Sub-Group or to focus on a Topic or

division in their company.

With a Group Page, those interested and following your topic can join

your “Group”, and when they do so, all their friends will see this. You

can store photos, videos, information about your company on your

Group Page – just like your Personal Profile or Fan Page.

twitter allows you to post updates (called tweets) using up to 140 characters. When you follow other people on t witter , you see their tweets. When they follow you, they see your tweets. twitter is probably the loosest of all networks. People connect freely with more people there because they enjoy the exchange of ideas, links and quick personal interaction that it allows. The New York Times calls twitter "one of the fastest growing phenomena on the Internet." At least 14 million people in the United States are using the service and new members are signing up at a clip of 10,000 per day. About 6 million of these users use it on a regular basis – this equates to roughly 4% of people using the internet daily. Notes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

twitter allows you to post updates (called tweets)

using up to 140 characters. When you follow other

people on t witter , you see their tweets. When they

follow you, they see your tweets.

twitter is probably the loosest of all networks. People

connect freely with more people there because they

enjoy the exchange of ideas, links and quick personal

interaction that it allows.

The New York Times calls twitter "one of the fastest

growing phenomena on the Internet." At least

14 million people in the United States are using the

service and new members are signing up at a clip of

10,000 per day. About 6 million of these users use it

on a regular basis – this equates to roughly 4% of

people using the internet daily.

Did you know that: YouTube is the second largest search-engine in the world? YouTube is owned by Google? 83% of people say they have watched a video on this site? YouTube allows users to upload video content (up to 10 minutes in length) for free. YouTube is likely to serve over 75 billion video streams to around 375 million unique visitors during this year. Company’s (and individuals) can create custom channels and unique template designs to make your channel maintain your corporate look and feel. Notes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you know that:

YouTube is the second largest search-engine in the world?

YouTube is owned by Google?

83% of people say they have watched a video on this site?

YouTube allows users to upload video content (up to 10 minutes in length) for free. YouTube is likely to serve over 75 billion video streams to around 375 million unique visitors during this year.

Company’s (and individuals) can create custom channels and unique template designs to make your channel maintain your corporate look and feel.

LinkedIn is a professional social network, a real-time virtual collection of business cards. As you can imagine, requirements for LinkedIn are a bit more stringent. If you'd like to connect with someone on LinkedIn , you should have met or at least have had some meaningful interaction. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The “average” LinkedIn subscriber is a 41 year old male, with a median household income of $109,703. And while statistics might be skewed, it does tell you a few important things. People who sign up are using LinkedIn for business and networking purposes. It’s is a perfect place for small businesses to connect with other professionals. There are over 30 million professionals on LinkedIn , and they represent over 130 industries. Nowhere else do you have this kind of chance to work your way up or over the ladder of success. You can ask for an introduction, form a partnership, or find out about an employment opportunity – all while increasing your online presence. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The “average” LinkedIn subscriber is a 41 year old male, with a

median household income of $109,703. And while statistics might be

skewed, it does tell you a few important things.

People who sign up are using LinkedIn for business and networking

purposes. It’s is a perfect place for small businesses to connect with

other professionals.

There are over 30 million professionals on LinkedIn , and they

represent over 130 industries. Nowhere else do you have this kind of

chance to work your way up or over the ladder of success. You can

ask for an introduction, form a partnership, or find out about an

employment opportunity – all while increasing your online presence.

Company Blogs Over 9 million blogs are currently in existence. Like a journal or a diary, a blog allows you to keep clients or customers up to date on news about your business and impress potential clients or customers with your industry knowledge. A blog can be most useful on a local level as a supplement to other sales efforts. Blogs can be easily updated on a weekly, daily or even hourly basis. And because the content is constantly changing, blogs often end up ahead of static Web sites when doing an Internet search for a particular topic. Notes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Over 9 million blogs are currently in existence. Like a journal or a

diary, a blog allows you to keep clients or customers up to date on

news about your business and impress potential clients or customers

with your industry knowledge. A blog can be most useful on a local

level as a supplement to other sales efforts.

Blogs can be easily updated on a weekly, daily or even hourly basis.

And because the content is constantly changing, blogs often end up

ahead of static Web sites when doing an Internet search for a

particular topic.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Online Management : By utilizing these social media sites, your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will rise organically (over time) in the rankings. 85% of people searching will not go past Page 1 of any search. If they don’t see what they want, they will redefine their keywords. Our goal is to get – and keep – you on the first search page for any search engine. We assist in your online management by “claiming” your business listings on as many available search engine sites as we can. This allows you to upload photos, expand upon the description of your business, Add hours, payment methods, and other useful information that consumers would be looking for about your company. We also work to include keywords, backlinks and hashtags to any possible site posting or photo upload to increase your SEO. Notes: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Online Management : By utilizing these social media sites, your

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will rise organically (over time) in

the rankings.

85% of people searching will not go past Page 1 of any search. If they

don’t see what they want, they will redefine their keywords. Our goal

is to get – and keep – you on the first search page for any search

engine.

We assist in your online management by “claiming” your business

listings on as many available search engine sites as we can. This

allows you to upload photos, expand upon the description of your

business, Add hours, payment methods, and other useful information

that consumers would be looking for about your company.

We also work to include keywords, backlinks and hashtags to any

possible site posting or photo upload to increase your SEO.

Why Should I Use Social Media Sites? Monitor your brand in real-time Listen/Analyze online conversations or mentions in real-time Respond promptly to questions, concerns or comments Conduct primary research in real-time Engage in two-way conversations with your constituents Understand the importance of building relationships with all constituents (media, bloggers, employees, investors, fans, friends, followers, detractors, etc.) Increase your Search Engine Optimization rankings organically over time Identify & engage with influencers and brand evangelists Integrate new technologies into PR plans Share industry information, not just key messages Build communities Engage evangelists to help create word of mouth Understand that engaging in PR 2.0 will help at time of crisis Stay up-to-date on trends Educate your management, co-workers, clients and prospects constantly

Monitor your brand in real-time

Listen/Analyze online conversations or mentions in real-time

Respond promptly to questions, concerns or comments

Conduct primary research in real-time

Engage in two-way conversations with your constituents

Understand the importance of building relationships with all constituents (media, bloggers, employees, investors, fans, friends, followers, detractors, etc.)

Increase your Search Engine Optimization rankings organically over time

Identify & engage with influencers and brand evangelists

Integrate new technologies into PR plans

Share industry information, not just key messages

Build communities

Engage evangelists to help create word of mouth

Understand that engaging in PR 2.0 will help at time of crisis

Stay up-to-date on trends

Educate your management, co-workers, clients and prospects constantly

How Can Gangway Advertising Help Me With My SMM? Could you do this yourself? Yes . And we encourage you to jump in and start experiencing these sites and new ways to network. You’ve probably already been participating in some of these sites and just not thought much about the business applications. That’s where we come in… Talking/tweeting/posting is the easy part. What Gangway Advertising can do is develop a marketing strategy and utilize these mediums to engage your fans and followers so they feel like we are talking TO them and not shouting marketing messages AT them. BIG difference. Gangway Advertising will establish profiles or pages for your business on the relevant sites. We will tweet or post on your behalf with relevant information geared to increase your fans and followers and generate foot traffic to your door. We will grow your following and fan base with QUALIFIED consumers – not empty numbers. We search for geographically desirable consumers who are talking about your industry or products and invite them to follow you for offers, news and specials. By growing your base of followers and fans, you grow your ability to communicate and generate interest!

Could you do this yourself? Yes . And we encourage you to jump in and start experiencing these sites and

new ways to network. You’ve probably already been participating in some of these sites and just not thought

much about the business applications.

That’s where we come in…

Talking/tweeting/posting is the easy part. What Gangway Advertising can do is develop a marketing strategy

and utilize these mediums to engage your fans and followers so they feel like we are talking TO them and not

shouting marketing messages AT them. BIG difference.

Gangway Advertising will establish profiles or pages for your business on the relevant sites. We will tweet or

post on your behalf with relevant information geared to increase your fans and followers and generate foot

traffic to your door.

We will grow your following and fan base with QUALIFIED consumers – not empty numbers. We search for

geographically desirable consumers who are talking about your industry or products and invite them to follow

you for offers, news and specials. By growing your base of followers and fans, you grow your ability to

communicate and generate interest!

We provide service to your followers. Don’t have a customer service department? Well, you will now! By conducting daily searches, Gangway Advertising can find out who’s talking about you , and let you know the good, bad and the ugly. This provides you with a Customer Service vehicle you haven’t had before to address issues in a timely manner or thank loyal customers to keep them saying good things about you and coming back for more. If we determine that a company blog fits into a strategy for you, Gangway Advertising can draft new content for you or find articles from credible media sources for you to repost and add your opinion about the topic. The bottom line is that we can be your eyes and ears online to help you manage and utilize the online conversations occurring about you to your benefit. People are talking about you. Your products and services. Your competition. You need to be a part of the conversation? We are NOT suggesting that SMM should replace any of your traditional media plans like print, TV, Radio or Outdoor advertising. SMM is a new spoke in the wheel that allows you to enhance your branding capabilities and gives you another level of interaction with your customers. Let us show you how to make this work for you…

We provide service to your followers. Don’t have a customer service department? Well, you will now! By

conducting daily searches, Gangway Advertising can find out who’s talking about you , and let you know the

good, bad and the ugly. This provides you with a Customer Service vehicle you haven’t had before to address

issues in a timely manner or thank loyal customers to keep them saying good things about you and coming

back for more.

If we determine that a company blog fits into a strategy for you, Gangway Advertising can draft new content for

you or find articles from credible media sources for you to repost and add your opinion about the topic.

The bottom line is that we can be your eyes and ears online to help you manage and utilize the online

conversations occurring about you to your benefit. People are talking about you. Your products and services.

Your competition. You need to be a part of the conversation?