Jumpstart Your
Social Media Buzz
Wendy Dahl – Dahl Wedding Company
Allison Howell – The Innovations Company
Prepared for ISES-Orange County, CA
June 11, 2009

Why use Social Media?
• An easy way to establish
relationships with others
• You stay on top of industry trends
• Sets you apart as an expert if you are
focused
• Builds a “fan” base

Go for the Top 4!
• Twitter
• Blogs
• Linked-In
• Facebook

Twitter
• Free social messaging utility for staying
connected in real-time.
• Answer the simple question of, “What are you
doing?”
• 140 characters or less
• Least restrictive interface of the top 4 Social
Media Networks

Top 5 Reasons to use Twitter
• Drive traffic to your
website and blog
• Networking
• Conduct Research
• Generate immediate
buzz/ Creates a fan
base
• Shared information

Setting up Twitter
• Visit www.Twitter.com and register for an
account.
• Update your profile and settings to link to
your blog or website (THIS IS KEY)
• Set up your cell phone to be able to Tweet
when away from the computer

Twitter Tools
• Hootsuite or • TopTweet: Shows
TweetLater: Schedule Twitter’s top profiles. Find
future tweets key influencers
• HelloTxt or Splitweet: • Tweetmeme: Shows
One click updates all social important topics and who is
networking sites discusssing them
• LinkBunch: Allows you to • TweetDeck or Twhirl:
put several links into one Allows you to work with
tweet both Twitter & Facebook
• TweetBeep: Twitter alerts • Twittai: Cell phone
• TwitsLikeMe: Find people application to Tweet from
with the same common your phone
interest as you

Blogs
• Free online journal where you can write
about anything
• Typical blogs contain text, photos, videos and
links to other blogs
• Content is written by the blog author, a guest
poster or “borrowed” from another blog
• Comments can be made to blog posts and
blogs can be followed

Top 5 Reasons to Blog
• To establish yourself
as an expert
• To build your brand
• To reach people all
over the world
• Archival Marketing
• To stay active or
knowledgeable in a
field or topic

Setting up a Blog
• Decide which blog service you want to use
(Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad)
• Update your profile and add widgets
• Link it to your website and other social
media sites
• Post frequently and regularly
• Comment frequently

Blog Tools
• Technorati: Search • Delicious: Social Media
engine and popularity Bookmarking Service
index for blogs • Podcast: Digital audio
• Feedburner/RSS or video files that are on
Feed: Web feeds allow demand.
people to follow your blog • BloggerLinkUp: Write
• Bloglines: Allows you to or request guest bloggers
keep up with your for your blog
favorite blogs or • Wordpress Twitter
newsfeeds Plugin: Tweets are
• Digg: A place to discover posted in your blog
and share information on
the net

LinkedIn
• Social network for professionals
• Uses resume and past business experience to tell
others who you are
• Allows you to link to people you already know and
find contacts you want to get to know
• Allows recommendations, blog feed and activity
updates to round out your profile

Top 5 Reasons to use LinkedIn
• Demonstrate your experience
in the industry to prospective
leads and connections
• Build your brand through
demonstrating how connected
you are in the industry
• Expand your network beyond
the local market
• Build credibility by getting
recommendations
• Educate yourself about people
and companies you want to do
business with

Setting up LinkedIn
• Join at LinkedIn.com
• Update your profile, picture, past
positions, and add widgets
• Import your contacts and send invitations
• Join Groups and Associations to make
more contacts
• Give and receive recommendations

LinkedIn Tools
• Job Posting: Post a job position, find a job
• Questions & Answers: Ask a question of your network and
groups
• Groups: Participate in online discussions, ask questions,
recommend people.
• Applications: Create a feed from your blog, track twitter
buzz, share your reading list, take a poll, show where you are
traveling, and share slideshows
• Upgraded Account: Allows direct messaging, increased
profile searches, and search alerts
• Outlook and Browser Toolbars: Allow you to search for
and connect with contacts from within other applications
• Ping.fm: Allows you to update all of your social networking
sites at once.

Facebook
• Social utility that connects people
• Largest networking site
• Several different levels of privacy
• Writing prompt, “Jane Doe is….”

Top 5 Reasons to use Facebook
• Meet your peers.
• Find business
contacts. Build
relationships.
• Raise visibility.
• Develop your
personal brand.
• Target your niche.

Setting up Facebook
• Join at Facebook.com
• Update your profile, picture, past
positions, and add applications
• Import your contacts and send invitations
• Join Groups and Associations to make
more contacts

Facebook Tools
• Over 54,000 applications you can add to your
profile
• Make a Fan Page/ become a fan
• Friends Organizer
• Datebooks
• Mobile Facebook
• AsSeenOn: Shows people where they can find
you in Social Media on your Facebook profile

Be a Pro at Web 2.0
• Be first - Find a gap and fill it
• Staying power - Stick with your blog
• Show off your best stuff – Frontload
• Community counts – Content + community =
success
• Test and research – Keep up with the web
• Privacy – Don’t reveal too much personal
information
• Stay positive – Foster Goodwill
Source: ProBlogger

Questions?
Thank you from Wendy and Allison