Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters.ppt

1 Sales 2.0 RED SHOES PR, INC.

2 Today’s agenda   Social Media Overview   What is thought leadership?   Why social media?   Social media and sales   Social media etiquette

3 Social media defined   Internet-based tools used for sharing and discussing information among people   Activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio   Information depends on the varied perspectives and “building” of shared meaning among communities - Wikipedia

4 Shift of power The power to define and control a brand is shifting from corporations and institutions to individuals and communities

5 Social media is a conversation Social media is a conversation online   Look who’s talking:   your colleagues   your prospects   your employees   your critics   your fans   your competition....   anyone who has Internet access and an opinion.

6 Social media is a channel The conversation on Social Media is not: o  controlled o  organized o  “on message” The conversation is: o  organic o  complex o  speaks in a human voice Social media is not a strategy or a tactic – it’s simply a channel

7 Why you should care about social media o  87% trust a friend’s recommendation over a critic’s review - Marketing Sherpa o  3 times more likely to trust peer opinions over advertising for purchasing decisions - Jupiter Research o  1 word-of-mouth conversation has impact of 200 TV ads - BuzzAgent * Slide courtesy of Digital Influence Group

8 More on why you should care   Even if your company is not using social media the conversation is taking place anyway   Your company should be a part of the on-going dialogue   People expect more than just a Web site … they are seeking companies who are engaged, who show personality

9 Social media o  Social Networking o  News & Bookmarking o  Blogs o  Microblogging o  Video Sharing o  Photo Sharing o  Wikis o  Virtual Reality o  Related: o  Podcasts o  Real Simple Syndication (RSS) o  Social Media Press Release

10 More than just a trend Social media sites are the fastest-growing category on the Web, doubling traffic over the last year. o  73% of active online users have read a blog o  45% have started their own blog o  39% subscribe to an RSS feed o  57% have joined a social network o  55% have uploaded photos o  83% have watched video clips Universal McCann’s Comparative Study on Social Media Trends, April 2008. 17,000 respondents from 29 countries

11 Getting started in social media … with a purpose   Create brand awareness (online) by becoming an active contributor   The more active you are online, the easier it is for people to find you via Google   You know your business, provide thought leadership content—address pain points!   How does your prospect find you online?   Drive people to your website so you can engage and generate sales

12 How do people make purchasing decisions today? Information gathering through …

13 Your website is the hub!  The influence of professional services websites on purchasing decisions has increased significantly over the past four years. According to the survey, 74% of buyers report the provider’s website holds at least “some influence” over their ultimate decision to buy services from the provider.   Raintoday.com survey

14 What is thought leadership?   According to commentators such as Elise Bauer, a distinguishing characteristic of a thought leader is "the recognition from the outside world that the company deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates   Source: wikipedia

15 Thought leadership example … Humana   http://www.youtube.com/ user/staysmartstayhea1thy   A treasure trove of helpful content that explains health insurance   And along the way, the content drives brand awareness, positioning … online and offline

Think of your website as the 16 online front door of your business   What are you going to do to get them there?   Drive traffic through social media   Compelling content   In-person networking   Sales calls   Use backside analytics

17 Your prospects begin looking …   They think of who they remember… brand recall   Google search   Who shows up online?   Review website … content helpful?   Does it address a prospect’s pain points?   Is the tone of voice welcoming like a person or cold like a wall?

18 Social Media is a powerful sales tool   Most likely your company   Tip: Today’s consumers already has content respond to timely and relevant content   Take that content, personalize it   For example, how are you explaining health care   Get it online reform to your clients?   Use it in a blog   Are you educating? Or, are you staying quiet? Sending   Give it a voice a newsletter?   Seed it with key words

19 Identifying leads online through Linkedin   Look and listen   Actively participate in Linkedin through groups, discussions, message boards, status boards (you get what you share)   Search employers/people, your target list   Make connections directly or ask someone to provide you with an opening   Look at who’s looking at you!

20 Research your prospects before, during and after   Before you make that sales   Tip: Use Linkedin’s search call function to find companies and company contacts   Do your research   Tip 2: Look at people in your   Is your contact on Linkedin? network to see who they are connected to … they can   Is their business on Facebook make introductions for you!   Are they on Twitter?   Tip 3: Go to the right hand corner of your linkedin profile   Get to know your prospect and seek who has been checking you out.   Monitor their conversations (listening!)

21 Facebook … a sales tool?   Information gathering for your sales lead funnel   In Appleton alone there are   Become a part of their community more than   Look for opportunities to engage in conversations 500 businesses with Facebook “fan (now “like”) pages!!!   Listen to the conversations   Tip: Search by key terms on Facebook ie., by location   Fastest growing demographic on FB? Women and ages 35 and older

22 Is Twitter really relevant to sales?   Yes! Get smarter!   Tip: Use a third party application for Twitter to   Use it as another research monitor key words tool   Twilerts   Listen to what people are saying about your industry   Hootsuite … pain points   Pluggio   Search key words   Tip 2: Twitter content is now   Ie., health insurance, your searched by Google company name, trending topics

23 Getting started with marketing’s help •  Take it slow: Find where your audience is participating and indentify the influencers •  Read industry blogs (including comments) •  Listen before participating •  Try a variety of social media tools •  Be yourself, make some friends and share

24 Social media etiquette o  Avoid puffery (people will ignore it) o  Avoid evasion and lying (people won’t ignore it) o  Always disclose who you are and where you work o  Admit your mistakes right away

25 Sharing = thought leadership o  Don’t be afraid to share: businesses, like people, need to share information to get the value out of social media o  Make your content easy to share o  Incorporate tools that promote sharing: o  RSS is a way for content publishers to make blog entries, news headlines, events, podcasts and other content available to subscribers o  an effective way to distribute your content and lead users back to your Web site

26 Be personal o  Don't shout. Don't broadcast. Don’t brag o  Speak like yourself – not a corporate marketing shill or press secretary o  Personify your personal brand – give people something they can relate to

27 Content is king o  Think like a contributor, not a marketer o  Consider what is relevant to your audience before contributing o  Don’t promote your product on every post o  Win friends by promoting other people’s content if it interests you

28 Accept criticism o  Don’t try to delete or remove criticism (it will just make it worse) o  Listen to your detractors o  Admit your shortcomings o  Work openly towards an explanation and legitimate solution

29 Pop quiz   How do people gather   Who is completely information today? overwhelmed?   What’s one monitoring tool you can use?   What is thought leadership?

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Wisconsin Association of Health Underwriters.ppt

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