Social Networks for Business

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/99037763@N00/3260727200/ Katie Laird // Schipul - The Web Marketing Company Social Media When working, playing and for Businesses networking collide!

What we’ll talk about •Intro to Biz Social Media •Power of Story •Online Business tools •5 things you can do today Find this presentation: www.slideshare.net/happykatie http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/14901386@N00/3173091705/

Social Media is a Conversation between actual HUMANS!

No really... Why do I actually care about the Web?

It’s all about a balanced approach

Cost-effective and far-reaching tools •Facebook = $0 •MySpace = $0 •Wordpress = $0 •Twitter = $0 •YouTube = $0 •Ning = $0

(Incredibly) Low barrier to entry

Classic Storytelling The Power of the Narrative

Once upon a time... http://ﬂickr.com/photos/e_phots/2646616379/

...we told each other our stories...

Modern Storytelling Narrating through Technology

Once upon this time... http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/jfchenier/76721307/

...we still tell each other our stories...

4 Elements of Storytelling 1. Message 4. Plot So my point is... 2. Conﬂict 3. Characters

What’s old is new: The 4 Elements of a Modern Story 1. The Message • Strategic premise • What is your real statement? • Stick to 1 or 2 messages • Different audiences mean different messages

1. The Message What are your Vision, Mission and Values? You can’t write about what you don’t know • Vision: Big picture • Mission: The nuts and bolts • Values: The behaviors that get you there

1. The Message Promote the same message EVERYWHERE • Message #1: Just Do It • Nike+ Run Faster Blog • Message #2: We innovate, we help http://nikeplus.nike.com • Nike R&D Storytelling videos www.twiike.com

1. The Message Keep it simple - try a 6 word story Ernest Hemingway’s best work? ‘For sale: Baby shoes, never worn’ http://www.ﬂickr.com/groups/sixwordstory/

What’s old is new: The 4 Elements of a Modern Story 2. The Conflict • Not always negative • What problem forces you to act? • How do you restore harmony? • Internal or external conflict? http://flickr.com/photos/slipstreamblue/2617035636/

2. The Conflict Identifying your conflict • Inner Conflict - unsure of yourself or direction • Relational Conflict - protagonist vs. antagonist • Social Conflict - you vs. the system • Situational Conflict - how you grow and survive tough times • Cosmic Conflict - you vs. an invisible force

Whole Foods ﬁghts bio-engineering and trade practices http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com

Starbucks lets patrons discover and solve conﬂict www.mystarbucksidea.com

What’s old is new: The 4 Elements of a Modern Story 3. The Characters • Who are the main players? • Multi-purpose Characters • Your readers are Characters too ** PERSONA Development **

3. The Characters Mac vs. PC - Recognizable Characters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EbCyibkNB0

3. The Characters The Apple story’s Characters (everlasting love) (out-of-the-box geeks) Benefactor Goal Beneﬁciary (in-the-box products) Support Hero Adversary

Persona Development: Who the heck is my audience?

Persona Development 1. Identify 3-7 ‘actual’ people (invisible friends) • Name them and ﬁnd a photo • Give them a backstory and bio • Talk about them in your meetings • Use them to guide your efforts

Persona Development Your Brand’s Persona #1 Ashley Age: 21 Education: College Senior Work: PT barista Income: $9/hour Family: Dating / No kids Hobbies: Blogger / Soccer Platform: PC laptop Magazines: Vanity Fair

Persona Development Your Brand’s Persona #2 Marshall Age: 30 Education: Student of Life Work: Print designer Income: $53,000/year Family: Engaged, no kids Hobbies: Flag football Platform: Macbook Pro Magazines: Wired

Persona Development Your Brand’s Persona #3 Laura Age: 42 Education: MBA Work: Retail boutique owner Income: $75,000 / year Family: Married, 2 kids Hobbies: Yoga / Photography Platform: Macbook Magazines: Real Simple

Persona Development 2. How / when will you speak to these Personas?

Persona Development 3. Weave your audience into your Story www.polleverywhere.com www.intensedebate.com www.chipin.com www.polldaddy.com

Persona Development 4. Master the art of Listening and Responding www.google.com/analytics www.feedburner.com www.icerocket.com

Such a Character Oh, the people you’ll meet...

What kind of hero are you? The Brave Hero The Everyday Hero The Wise Hero The Creator The Joker The Adventurer

What kind of hero are you? The Ruler The Caregiver The Lover The Innocent The Magician The Rebel

What’s old is new: The 4 Elements of a Modern Story 4. The Plot The difference between: ‘The King died and then the Queen died’ and ‘The King died by the sword and the Queen died of grief’ http://ﬂickr.com/photos/alimander/2832880196/

4. The Plot Plot your Plot Deal with it Almost there... Interact / Connect / Play Establish Onward and upward

4. The Plot Perception is reality - so, what Story is out there? www.lovemarks.com www.brandtags.net

4. The Plot Due diligence on your Story www,technorati.com/watchlist Powerful Social Media search engine watches for your terms and updates you www.google.com/alerts Email updates for your company name and keywords http://alerts.yahoo.com Yahoo! alerts you of any occurrences of deﬁned terms and names

Addictive and essential Google Reader: www.google.com/reader

Let’s take a break!

So let’s talk online networks (this is the part where I try to turn you into geeks)

http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/jfchenier/76721307/ (remember, it’s all about the Story - not the technology)

1. Blog Your Heart Out Use this as your Home Base

1. Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Jumping into the Blogosphere • Your online home base •Position your brand • Share brain candy • Promote others

Schipul has fun, geeks out and grows Brand http://blog.schipul.com

1. Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Blogging Do’s and Don’ts •Promote other people •Focus only on yourself •Be funny and interesting •Take undue credit •Pro-actively respond •Blog every 3 months •Tag your content •Post press releases •Make it easy to share •Blog in Corporate-speak •Link to other companies •Post duplicate content

1. Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Blogging Buzzwords •Comment - Respond to a Blog post •Link love - Linking to other Blogs / sites (online currency) •Tagging - Adding words to describe Blog content •Troll - Meanie commenter (IGNORE!) •Blogroll - Links to fave Blogs •Embed - Copy/paste media

1. Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Blog bling: Tie it all together on your Blog (Make your brand portable)

1. Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Keep your Blog design branding consistent

1. Blogs: Community Building through Social tools No Blog? Make a SMM page on your site http://www.pr-squared.com/2007/02/the_social_media_newsroom_temp.html

2. Micro-Blogging with Twitter

2. Micro-Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Twitter explained http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o

2. Micro-Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Twitter includes others in ongoing dialogue Coffee Groundz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/coffeegroundz

2. Micro-Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Twitter Do’s and Don’ts •Gab about you constantly •‘Re-Tweet’ content: -- RT @happykatie.... •TYPE IN ALL CAPS •Talk directly to people: -- @magsmac - hey!!... •Re-post w/out attribution •Link to outside content: •Follow nobody -- www.tinyurl.com •Decline to respond to @’s •Proﬁle love (pic and links) and DM’s •Live Tweet from events •Abuse your Tweet power

2. Micro-Blogs: Community Building through Social tools Twitter Buzzwords •Follow - To friend someone (or follow their updates) •Direct Message (DM) - Pseudo-email to someone that follows you •‘At’ reply - Speak directly to someone (@magsmac) •Re-tweet (RT) - Re-post content with credit •Block - Restrict access to updates •# - a kind of ‘tag’ or desc. phrase

3. Facebook www.facebook.com

3. Facebook - Professional and Personal Networking to the MAX! Facebook - Not just for college kids •Be a leader and connector •Create buzz for events / campaigns •Brand exposure with Facebook ads •Add photos and videos Main: www.facebook.com Houston Zoo on FB: www.facebook.com/pages/Houston-Zoo-Inc

3. Facebook - Professional and Personal Networking to the MAX! Your Facebook proﬁle at a glance • Flesh out your proﬁle • Be picky on who you connect with • Re-purpose other content • Add ALL of your Social Media links • Be fun and interesting

3. Facebook - Professional and Personal Networking to the MAX! Why you should care about Facebook 230 ‘yes’ 348 ‘maybe’ Bill Erickson :) www.billerickson.net 670 members

3. Facebook - Professional and Personal Networking to the MAX! Are you a ‘Group’ie?

3. Facebook - Professional and Personal Networking to the MAX! Page Power in Facebook

3. Facebook - Professional and Personal Networking to the MAX! To Page or to Group - that is the question • Groups = Not indexed in Google • Pages = Visible to Google • Groups = Messages go to inbox • Pages = Messages go to ‘updates’ • Use both! http://www.searchenginejournal.com/facebook-group-vs- facebook-fan-page-whats-better/7761/

3. Facebook: Community Building through Social tools Facebook Do’s and Don’ts •Be stiff and boring •Grow your proﬁle •Create a ‘company’ •Upload pics and videos to proﬁle (deleted!!) tag and send •Keep all personal and pro •Create and join biz and fun life facets separate Groups / Pages •Post press releases •Be picky on your friends •Spam your contacts •Cross promote your (connect but be polite) Social Media links

3. Facebook: Community Building through Social tools Facebook Buzzwords •Friend - Connect with someone on Facebook •Wall message - Write, draw or post something on someone’s wall •Tag - Add names to photos or videos •Status update - What are you doing? •Public timeline - List of recent activity

4. MySpace www.myspace.com

Social Networks: Community Building through Social tools MySpace = social networking for musicians Main: www.myspace.com Houston musician Andrew Karnavas: www.myspace.com/andrewkarnavas

Social Networks: Community Building through Social tools MySpace = another spot to tie it TOGETHER! IRC MySpace: www.myspace.com/theirc

4. MySpace: (further) Community Building through Social tools MySpace Do’s and Don’ts •Blinky crazy stuff •Keep your branding consistent (everywhere) •Spam all of MySpace (go after the relevant leaders) •Make it easy to get to your ‘real stuff’ online •Ignore Friend Requests •Incorporate photos, videos and Blog posts •Static MySpace proﬁle (auto update with fresh content) •Interact with MICRO targeted audience •Depend only MySpace :(

4. MySpace: (further) Community Building through Social tools MySpace Buzzwords •Friend - Connect with another User •Bulletins - Message to groups (w/out individual messaging) •Bots - Fake spammy MySpace users (adult/poker/etc.) •Moods - How user is currently feeling :) :x :p •Blurbs - Details on your proﬁle •HTML/CSS - how to edit your look

5. Virb www.virb.com

5. Virb - Developing a walled garden (sometimes good, sometimes bad) Want to create your OWN social network? Schipul Ning: http://schipul.ning.com Company on Ning: http://bsetc.ca/

5. Virb - Developing a walled garden (sometimes good, sometimes bad) Ning - Create your own Social Network http://babble.ning.com/ http://aspcacommunity.ning.com/

5. Virb - Developing a walled garden (sometimes good, sometimes bad) 3 steps and you’re done! 1. Name and describe 2. Add your widgets 3. Change the look 4. DONE! Add logo

5. Virb - Developing a walled garden (sometimes good, sometimes bad) Invite and promote (+ get help with that content)

6. YouTube (www.youtube.com

6. YouTube: Harnessing the power of Video YouTube - Harness the power of P2P discussion http://www.youtube.com/user/PlanYourMeetings

6. YouTube: Harnessing the power of Video Engage your Audience through video www.arttheheartofhouston.com www.haablog.com

6. YouTube: Harnessing the power of Video Buy a Flip camera (seriously) http://www.theﬂip.com/

6. YouTube: Harnessing the power of Video YouTube Do’s and Don’ts •Forget to TAG and •Connect with other describe your videos YouTube geeks •Ignore quality (although •Include transcripts ‘so-so, not great’ is ok) •Embed video on Blog / •Respond harshly to Site / Facebook negative comments •Comment + respond to •Keep your guard down other video submissions (check on that feedback) •Engage / have fun!

6. YouTube: Harnessing the power of Video YouTube Buzzwords •Video Response - Reply to a video with another video •Flag - Mark content you think is inappropriate •Rate - Add stars for how awesome content is •Embed - Code to place video on your site •Share - Links to add to other sites •Playlist - Customized video lists

6. YouTube: Harnessing the power of Video YouTube - Advertising and Learning http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleBusiness https://ads.youtube.com/index

7. Flickr (www.ﬂickr.com)

7. Flickr - Growing your business visually Doing business through photos

7. Flickr - Growing your business visually Networking via Flickr http://ﬂickr.com/groups/oih/

7. Flickr - Growing your business visually Spread the Flickr love and look cool doing it http://bighugelabs.com/ﬂickr/

7. Flickr - Growing your business visually Flickr Do’s and Don’ts •Don’t HAVE to friend •Search thru site for photos back for them to be and groups of interest connected to you •Friend as many as you like •Not necessary for all to see their most recent photos to be public photos •Don’t have to have •Comment and tag often Photoshop to edit photos (built in editor) •Join/create groups •Can’t use other pics w/ •Organize your pics well out correct license

7. Flickr - Growing your business visually Flickr Buzzwords •Pool / Set - Themed community / personal sharing photo group •Contact - How you connect (Contact / Friend / Family) •Favorite - Marking your faves for later •Tag - Descriptive terms / phrases •Comment - Adding your 2 cents •Creative Commons - photo license

8. LinkedIn www.linked.com

8. LinkedIn - Honest to goodness networking online Virtual rolodex?

8. LinkedIn - Honest to goodness networking online Have questions? Get answers (and give them)

8. LinkedIn - Honest to goodness networking online LinkedIn Do’s and Don’ts •Be needy •Connect with colleagues, friends and co-workers •Make false connections •Play with widgets •Spam a group •Ask/answer questions •Be REALLY needy •Recommend people •Embellish on your past •Post/refer jobs

8. LinkedIn - Honest to goodness networking online Linkedin Buzzwords •Connections - Your Linkedin contacts (must approve) •Applications - Fun widgets / tools to interact and promote brand •Answers - Space to ask / answer questions and polls •Groups - Opt in Communities •Contact Settings - Set your terms

8. Other great networks to know

Social Networks: Community Building through Social tools Free social event promotion sites http://upcoming.yahoo.com/ www.eventful.com www.eventbrite.com www.facebook.com

Social Networks: Community Building through Social tools Behold, Slideshare!!! www.slideshare.net/happykatie

How to get started

Step 1: Start Listening

Step 1: Start listening! What are people saying to/about you? www.technorati.com/watchlist Powerful Social Media search engine watches for your terms and updates you www.google.com/alerts Email updates for your company name and keywords http://search.twitter.com Search for what you care about on Twitter

Addictive and essential Google Reader: www.google.com/reader

Step 1: Start listening! Further online Reputation Management Google Trends search: www.google.com/trends Technorati search: www.technorati.com

Step 1: Start listening! How do you compare to your competition? www.blogpulse.com Great visuals to track you and your competition’s online activity and Buzz

Step 2: Set up your response + promotion vehicles

Step 2: Set up your response + promotion vehicles Go where your audience is ???????????? ???????????? ????????????

Step 2: Set up your response + promotion vehicles Beef up your Personal Brand • Keep it consistent EVERYWHERE • Create an Avatar • Cross promote in email footers • Promote your employee Personal Brands Happykatie!

Step 2: Set up your response + promotion vehicles Poll your company or hire a savvy intern You are a Digital Immigrant. You could use a Digital Native.

Step 3: Start spreading the news...

Step 3: Start spreading the news Keep it Consistent and Connected • Tie it all in together • Put your SM links in your email footer • Re-purpose your content • BADGES!!! www.ﬂickr.com/photos/53203629@N00/3173463874/

Step 3: Start spreading the news Stay pro-active and responsive Power to the People • Keep an eye on your Alerts and respond! • Promote other events and people • Keep it light and interesting

Step 3: Start spreading the news Play with your Community http://ﬂickr.com/groups/sxsw08/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfn9pzgtkc0

Step 5: Follow up fun time (interaction, interaction, interaction)

Step 5: Follow up fun time! (interaction, interaction, interaction) Tie it all together and keep the Buzz going • Be fast and be timely • Newsletter, Blog posts, Facebook group and event postings • Say thank you (individually - one little comment goes a looong way) • Watch the Buzz for opps to connect • Be creative!! Start the drumbeat for the Next Big Thing http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/ 53611153@N00/2602728681/

Your Homework

5 things you can do TODAY! 1. Start listening (Google Reader + Alerts) 2. Develop your Personal Brand 3. Join Facebook (www.facebook.com) 4. Find your rich media niche + work it! 5. Recruit an internal guru (or an intern)

Let’s Review... •Use those Story elements •Know thy Audience •Track the Buzz •What’s your Motivation? Find this presentation: www.slideshare.net/happykatie http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/64251830@N00/351876663/

Thanks for participating - see you online :) Katie Laird // Strategic Advisor Schipul - The Web Marketing Company www.schipul.com Email: klaird@schipul.com Personal blog: www.happkatie.com Flickr: www.ﬂickr.com/happykatie Twitter: www.twitter.com/happykatie Find my presentation today! www.slideshare.net/happykatie http://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/66125582@N00/457743309/

Social Networks for Business

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