Content for the Social Space : A Small Business Primer January 16, 2009 by David Burn Editor, AdPulp

DotWhatever.com • Many small businesses have spent many thousands of dollars on static, brochureware sites • But a brand needs more than a place to hang its hat to make it online • Think of the Internet as a salon. Your company’s site must be that inviting.

• Many small businesses have spent many thousands of dollars on static, brochureware sites

• But a brand needs more than a place to hang its hat to make it online

• Think of the Internet as a salon. Your company’s site must be that inviting.

Do It Yourself • Everyone’s focusing on the “Social” in Social Media, but there’s another story to tell • Blogger, Twitter, Ning, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, etc. are all free and easy-to-use platforms for weaving multimedia narratives about topics of interests to a brand’s best customers • In other words, social media sites provide unbelievable opportunities for you to create and share brand-building content

• Everyone’s focusing on the “Social” in Social Media, but there’s another story to tell

• Blogger, Twitter, Ning, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, etc. are all free and easy-to-use platforms for weaving multimedia narratives about topics of interests to a brand’s best customers

• In other words, social media sites provide unbelievable opportunities for you to create and share brand-building content

Stories Stick • Our brains are wired to remember stories • The majority of human history is oral history • Stories can help the brand connect with customers on a deeper level than even the best ads

• Our brains are wired to remember stories

• The majority of human history is oral history

• Stories can help the brand connect with customers on a deeper level than even the best ads

You’re Already DIYing • You may not be a writer, a geek, or even in marketing or PR, but you already tell people stories about your workplace and the product or service you sell—it’s what we do as humans!

• You may not be a writer, a geek, or even in marketing or PR, but you already tell people stories about your workplace and the product or service you sell—it’s what we do as humans!

WOM 2.0 • A strategic content plan developed for the social space can help you harness some of the naturally occurring steam around your brand and use it to propel your communications engine forward

• A strategic content plan developed for the social space can help you harness some of the naturally occurring steam around your brand and use it to propel your communications engine forward

Shift Happens • Content is the lens to see social media through, because social media depends totally on your ability to produce and share compelling content • It’s about producing content that’s worth sharing on the world’s greatest people-powered network, where customers can connect and interact with it and with you

• Content is the lens to see social media through, because social media depends totally on your ability to produce and share compelling content

• It’s about producing content that’s worth sharing on the world’s greatest people-powered network, where customers can connect and interact with it and with you

Conversation Is Key • The Web made marketing conversational and there’s no turning back now • If you want to be a conversation leader—and we want our brands to be that—you have to add content • Conversational Marketing + Original and Consumer-Generated Content in the Social Space = Success

• The Web made marketing conversational and there’s no turning back now

• If you want to be a conversation leader—and we want our brands to be that—you have to add content

• Conversational Marketing + Original and Consumer-Generated Content in the Social Space = Success

Blogger • You can set up a Blogger site in minutes, just visit http://blogger.com and start producing and sharing content to support your firm’s overall objectives, or better yet drill down to the programming level and create a blog for each sub-brand or major initiative • Google loves freshly blogged content, so the more on topic content you create the better positioned your firm will be in search engines

• You can set up a Blogger site in minutes, just visit http://blogger.com and start producing and sharing content to support your firm’s overall objectives, or better yet drill down to the programming level and create a blog for each sub-brand or major initiative

• Google loves freshly blogged content, so the more on topic content you create the better positioned your firm will be in search engines

Twitter • Twitter is a place to share very short updates with a group of “followers” that wants to be kept in the loop on various projects, new product offerings or events to attend • Twitter is also mobile, and it scales. • Twitter can be a powerful PR tool for the brand

• Twitter is a place to share very short updates with a group of “followers” that wants to be kept in the loop on various projects, new product offerings or events to attend

• Twitter is also mobile, and it scales.

• Twitter can be a powerful PR tool for the brand

MyFaceSpace • Social networks like MySpace and Facebook are places where you can run highly targeted ads, set up a fan page or better yet, create a widget that performs a valuable function of some sort • There are big numbers of people here, spending lots of time—it’s important to be on their page, literally

• Social networks like MySpace and Facebook are places where you can run highly targeted ads, set up a fan page or better yet, create a widget that performs a valuable function of some sort

• There are big numbers of people here, spending lots of time—it’s important to be on their page, literally

Flickr & YouTube • A picture is worth a thousand words • Tell your brand’s story in still and moving pictures • Flickr and YouTube are great for lifestyle brands, but also for companies that need to visually show how their product or service works

• A picture is worth a thousand words

• Tell your brand’s story in still and moving pictures

• Flickr and YouTube are great for lifestyle brands, but also for companies that need to visually show how their product or service works

Ning • Ning helps you build a social network around any interest • With the push of a few buttons, you can launch a robust site with member pages, blogs, a forum, photo galleries, video galleries, events pages and so on

• Ning helps you build a social network around any interest

• With the push of a few buttons, you can launch a robust site with member pages, blogs, a forum, photo galleries, video galleries, events pages and so on

Social Bookmarking • Tumblr is a great place to build a visual scrapbook • Delicious is a text-based bookmarking service • Both services are similar to blogging, but with an emphasis on others’ content, not your own • Use of these sites helps your fans and followers read and see what you read and see

• Tumblr is a great place to build a visual scrapbook

• Delicious is a text-based bookmarking service

• Both services are similar to blogging, but with an emphasis on others’ content, not your own

• Use of these sites helps your fans and followers read and see what you read and see

What Content Can Do Create more revenue by driving participants to retail, to online merchandise or to an upcoming brand-sponsored event Generate increased awareness and word of mouth for the brand offline, and on Earn more press mentions

Create more revenue by driving participants to retail, to online merchandise or to an upcoming brand-sponsored event

Generate increased awareness and word of mouth for the brand offline, and on

Earn more press mentions

It’s Worth Your Time Telling the brand’s story in these networked environments will help deepen relationships with customers, advocates, the press and with people inside your company You can encourage advocates and attract prospects!

Telling the brand’s story in these networked environments will help deepen relationships with customers, advocates, the press and with people inside your company

You can encourage advocates and attract prospects!

Implementation When it works best, Social Media isn’t a departmental function, it’s an attitude about openess and sharing that’s embraced throughout the firm

When it works best, Social Media isn’t a departmental function, it’s an attitude about openess and sharing that’s embraced throughout the firm

Content Is King She who has the best content wins!

She who has the best content wins!

[MORE HERE] I’d love to hear more about your particular communications challenges and then work with you to provide deeper thinking and a plan of action

I’d love to hear more about your particular communications challenges and then work with you to provide deeper thinking and a plan of action

For further consultation… Contact me at [email_address] or call 503-970-3862

Contact me at [email_address] or call 503-970-3862