Social Networking & Your Business Tech Pulse 2009 Dave Meyer President, BizzyWeb LLC

The Social Media Landscape

4 reasons to use social media Your competition is doing it Know your customers better than they do Your customers are using it Be where they spend their time Listen to what they say Your critics are doing it Respond quickly and appropriately Be transparent and honest Your vendors and partners are using it Personalized customer service (@comcastcares) Boost Search Engine results More buzz=more links, more links=higher rank

Your competition is doing it

Know your customers better than they do

Your customers are using it

Be where they spend their time

Listen to what they say

Your critics are doing it

Respond quickly and appropriately

Be transparent and honest

Your vendors and partners are using it

Personalized customer service (@comcastcares)

Boost Search Engine results

More buzz=more links, more links=higher rank

First, some best practices Get signed up! 5 minutes, tops Fill out your profile Be thorough, but keep it “business casual” Be yourself, but represent your brand Treat it like “real world” networking Listen first Add value Less sell sell sell, more help help help Make some friends Use the tools provided Check out handy resources Have fun!

Get signed up!

5 minutes, tops

Fill out your profile

Be thorough, but keep it “business casual”

Be yourself, but represent your brand

Treat it like “real world” networking

Listen first

Add value

Less sell sell sell, more help help help

Make some friends

Use the tools provided

Check out handy resources

Have fun!

LinkedIn 40 million users Free to join Great for Connecting Job Hunting Branding ProTips: Use “vanity URL” Complete your profile Use keywords liberally Keep your info updated Use Advanced Search Participate in groups

40 million users

Free to join

Great for

Connecting

Job Hunting

Branding

ProTips:

Use “vanity URL”

Complete your profile

Use keywords liberally

Keep your info updated

Use Advanced Search

Participate in groups

Facebook 200 million active users Average user has 120 friends Fastest growing group: 35+ 29% of users earn $100K/yr+ ProTips: Use groups Set up your “vanity URL” (facebook.com/dave.meyer) Create a company page Publicize events, promotions, etc.

200 million active users

Average user has 120 friends

Fastest growing group: 35+

29% of users earn $100K/yr+

ProTips:

Use groups

Set up your “vanity URL” (facebook.com/dave.meyer)

Create a company page

Publicize events, promotions, etc.

Twitter 3 million active accounts 50% of users follow more than 10 people 1 billion+ tweets 140 char. or less ProTips: search.twitter.com Follow early and often Use tools: Tweetdeck, Twellow, etc. Join the conversation: RT, @ and D often

3 million active accounts

50% of users follow more than 10 people

1 billion+ tweets

140 char. or less

ProTips:

search.twitter.com

Follow early and often

Use tools: Tweetdeck, Twellow, etc.

Join the conversation: RT, @ and D often

Twitter tools: the Twitterverse

Blogs 77% of active Internet users read blogs 133 million blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002 In business: A tool to communicate quickly and easily Share marketing, knowledge or brand information Proactive information sharing

77% of active Internet users read blogs

133 million blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002

In business:

A tool to communicate quickly and easily

Share marketing, knowledge or brand information

Proactive information sharing

How to get started Listen, explore what others are doing Social media = “the greatest research tool ever created” The most honest, unfiltered and immediate feedback you’ll ever get – and from a massive audience Always search, listen, and know your audience first Form a strategy Think about measurement, but focus on outcomes What do you want to accomplish? Be yourself Create a mix of content: 1/3 about you, 1/3 sharing ideas & articles, 1/3 conversation with others Commit to a schedule Do it!

Listen, explore what others are doing

Social media = “the greatest research tool ever created”

The most honest, unfiltered and immediate feedback you’ll ever get – and from a massive audience

Always search, listen, and know your audience first

Form a strategy

Think about measurement, but focus on outcomes

What do you want to accomplish?

Be yourself

Create a mix of content: 1/3 about you, 1/3 sharing ideas & articles, 1/3 conversation with others

Commit to a schedule

Do it!

How to Measure Twitter : Instant-feedback and brand management. Know who’s talking about you Google Alerts : Quick, easy alerts on your brand, competitors and you Technorati : Find the key experts that have something to say in your field or industry RSS : Keep track of your best sources

Twitter : Instant-feedback and brand management. Know who’s talking about you

Google Alerts : Quick, easy alerts on your brand, competitors and you

Technorati : Find the key experts that have something to say in your field or industry

RSS : Keep track of your best sources

Great, but how do you CONTROL it? Set up a sensible policy Train users on effective use Brand champions, blog spokespeople, social media mavens Don’t be afraid to tell your story Don’t silence critics, resolve issues “Corporate spin” doesn’t work 4 steps to handle negative feedback: 1) reply quickly, 2) be respectful, 3) be thankful, 4) invite more feedback - Jay Sheperd, “Gruntled Employees” blog

Set up a sensible policy

Train users on effective use

Brand champions, blog spokespeople, social media mavens

Don’t be afraid to tell your story

Don’t silence critics, resolve issues

“Corporate spin” doesn’t work

4 steps to handle negative feedback: 1) reply quickly, 2) be respectful, 3) be thankful, 4) invite more feedback

- Jay Sheperd, “Gruntled Employees” blog

How fast is Social Media? http://www.momcentralconsulting.com

Effective B2B strategies Different tactics: Less marketing, more brand Build a reputation Solve problems Thought leadership Competitive intelligence Find hot topics, trends, and what customers are saying Cut through “marketing speak” Interactions speak louder than press releases Tap into customer evangelism – give delighted customers a platform

Different tactics: Less marketing, more brand

Build a reputation

Solve problems

Thought leadership

Competitive intelligence

Find hot topics, trends, and what customers are saying

Cut through “marketing speak”

Interactions speak louder than press releases

Tap into customer evangelism – give delighted customers a platform

The “Commandments” http://maccabeegroup/node

http://maccabeegroup/node

A final word: Stick to your plan, and know when to say when!

Stick to your plan, and know when to say when!

Thank you! Email: [email_address] Phone: 763-432-0043 Web: bizzyweb.com twitter: http://twitter.com/dave1meyer http://www.facebook.com/david.meyer http://www.linkedin.com/in/dave1meyer http://www.bizzyweb.com/communications/social-media/

Email: [email_address]

Phone: 763-432-0043

Web: bizzyweb.com

twitter:

http://twitter.com/dave1meyer

http://www.facebook.com/david.meyer

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dave1meyer

http://www.bizzyweb.com/communications/social-media/