Using Social Networking sites
to develop business
9 September 2009
The Banquet Suite, Keele Hall

What is Social Networking?
Kevin Holdridge

"too many twits might make a tw*t"
“YouTube if you want to"

Some examples of social media

From online brochures to social platforms
 Social networking sites
 Blogging
 Microblogging
 Photo, video and audio sharing
 Bookmarks
 Knowledge sharing and collaboration – wikis, forums,
intranets, extranets

“Social Networking”
Tends to be used to cover 3 distinct areas
Social news sites User-generated Social network
and blogs content sites sites
Allow users to add Allow users to
Supply news items their own content create an area
and allow people to sites where where they can
to vote on them, other people can connect with
rate them and view it. friends, emails,
share them chat and share
information
Inspired by “Social Media in 30 Seconds” by Wes Funk

Social Networking – 3 overlapping areas
Social News Sites User-Generated Social Network
Content Sites Sites
Inspired by “Social Media in 30 Seconds” by Wes Funk

Why Social Networks Matter
 Facebook has 250 million members, with more than 300,000 businesses
 LinkedIn has more than 365,000 company profiles. More than 12 million
small-business professionals are members of LinkedIn.
 Years to Reach 50 millions Users: Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet
(4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9
months … iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
 9 in 10 consumers trust their peers more than marketers, according to a
recent survey of 25,000 by Nielsen.
 25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to
user-generated content.
 34% of bloggers post opinions about products & brands
Sources: USA Today, socialnomics.net

Source: USA Today, Aug 09
How did Ford introduce the Fiesta to Americans? A
massive ad blitz on TV? In-house promotions at
dealers nationwide?
Nope ... Ford tapped 100 top bloggers and gave them
a Fiesta for six months. The catch: Once a month,
they're required to upload a video on YouTube about
the car, and they're encouraged to talk — no holds
barred — about the Fiesta on their blogs, Facebook
and Twitter.

How can social media help you?
 To listen! Your competitors, vendors, customers and
prospects are talking about you, right now.
 To build a presence and identity
 To enhance search engine ranking
 To communicate and engage (but not to sell!)
 To provide better and customer service at lower cost

Things to do
 Listen to what is being said and act on it
 Start a conversation
• Invite feedback, start a debate then respond to what is being
said calmly and professionally
 Be human
• E.g. Google’s face for SEO is Matt Cutts who regularly makes
videocasts and podcasts answering questions
 Write about what you know
 Find a niche

Things you should not do
 Create a large “corporate” identity
 Create an advert instead of a personality
 Lose sight of who is following you i.e. watch what
you say!
 Respond to anger, irritation or bad-mouthing
defensively or in kind
 Act unprofessionally
 Talk AT your base of followers
 Sell to your base of followers

What happens in Vegas ...
Stays on FaceBook

1
Use the opportunity to talk to your customers, learn
about their problems and use their feedback to
improve future products / services / events

2
Use social networking to show off your expertise.
The most valuable and knowledgeable members
of your staff are often hidden behind closed
doors – use this as an opportunity to “get them
out there”.

3
Connect
Make connections in the business community, in
the consumer community, in your local
community - get your name known!

4
Give something for free to get some followers –
advice, information, product....then keep them
hooked by offering them a community of people
interested in what you are doing and get them
talking to each other!

5
Generate some new content about your
company... by people outside your marketing
department.

If you achieve nothing else with your foray
into Social Networking – you will have built
some high value links to your website from
social news sites!

5 steps to success ...
1. Take ownership
2. Determine your goals
3. Focus on the customer experience
4. Understand the social technology landscape
5. Build the business case
Source: Best Practices: Five Strategies For Customer Service Social Media Excellence
www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,48001,00.html#heading3

7 things you could do before Christmas
1. Develop a social media plan
2. Create a blog
3. Build a customer self-service area
4. Set up personal and company accounts on Linked In
5. Set up accounts on Facebook & MySpace
6. Set up a Twitter account
7. Start monitoring social media and use web
analytics

Kevin Holdridge
Managing Director, Kent House
kevin.holdridge@kenthouse.com

Linda Jones

Marketing through social media

People buy off people!
This is never truer than on the web!

About me:
 Director of Passionate Media
 Editor of www.havealovelytime.com
 Journalist, author, PR, mum
 www.twitter.com/LindaSJones

So what?
 Invited to Disney this year as top mum blogger
 Launched TwitterTitters for Comic Relief
 Gained work, enhanced reputation and forged
great contacts through social media
 Developed new skills

How?
Some basic dos of how to get the most
out of social media:
Personality Brevity
Authenticity Consideration

Some basic don’ts:
 No spamming
 No spamming
 No spamming

“Relational Marketing”
 Build and enhance relationships with
customers/potential customers
 Build a community

“Relational Marketing”
 Be yourself
 Be interesting
 Engage
 Listen
 Don’t just be a broadcaster

Consider others:
 Link to them
 Listen to them
 Praise them
 It’s not ‘me, me, me’

Times are a changin’
And changing fast
 Potential employers, clients or funders will
check out your online presence
 Make sure you get it right

First steps:
 Who are you? Get your profile right
 Respect others
 Find your own way
 Strike a balance

Next steps:
 Dive in!
 Promote expertise

Share and share alike:
 Breaking news
 Guides / tutorials
 Interesting stories
 Pictures
 Videos
 Statistics

The best social media relationships are:
 Based on trust
 Not forced
 Long-term
 Likely to bring phenomenal brilliant results
Just like real ones!

Linda Jones
Managing Director, Passionate Media
linda@passionatemedia.co.uk

“You’ve Got A Friend”
Keele University and Social Networking
Hannah Hiles
Media and Communications Officer
September 2009

Getting to know you
• Hear what current students are saying about Keele and be
involved in those conversations
• Engage directly and informally with prospective students
• Present a friendly and approachable image of Keele
• Strengthen connections between the University and its
stakeholders
• Be at the forefront of emerging technology

The Social Networking Landscape and Keele
• hugely popular social networking site – more than 175million active users worldwide
• add friends
• post photos, videos, notes, share news
• spreads “virally”
• First official Keele group created January 2007
• answer the question “What are you doing now?” in 140 characters or less
• follow people and gain followers
• reply and send direct messages
• search for what people are talking about
• lots of information!
• Keele Twitter feed began July 2008

The Social Media Landscape and Keele
• professional networking site
• search for current and former colleagues
• make professional connections and seek recommendations
• join groups
• Keele alumni group created July 2008
• video-sharing website
• anyone can upload their videos
• Keele channel created March 2009

Growth in membership
February to September 2009
4000
3500
3000
2500
Members/Fans
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Feb-09 Mar-09 Apr-09 May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09
Forever: Keele (Facebook) Keele University (Facebook) Keele alumni (LinkedIn) Keele University (Twitter)

Why is social networking important for Keele?
• Times have changed, and expectations with
them
• Our students use these sites whether we are
there or not
• We can learn a lot from what is being said

Let’s be friends
• Social media is the ideal opportunity to present
Keele in a positive way
• Can demonstrate one of Keele’s real world
strengths – that we are a friendly, open and lively
community
• Our students are our best advocates
• Word of mouth

Using Facebook with prospective students
• Group members can ask current students and
staff questions directly and learn from responses
to others’ queries
• Informal communication channel
• Prospective students get to know each other and
make friends before they arrive
• Photographs / videos / useful links / events
• We learn what they are most interested in and
concerned about

What they say to each other about Keele
“Went to Keele yesterday and although I’ve been before and liked it I now
cannot wait for September!!!”
“Wow, I went today, and unless any of my other Unis offer some kind of
jetpack loan scheme, I'm there. Much better Visit Day than Leeds.”
“Keele life rocks! Seriously, to anyone applying here... you won't regret it!”
“I visited Keele hoping it would be rubbish so I could cross it off of my
choices. Inevitably, I looked for every reason why I shouldn't choose
Keele as one of my choices. Now, a week and a day later it's my firm
choice. Oh how the tables have turned.”

What they said about the Keele 2008 group
“It made me feel like the University knows what people want and
understands the target audience”
“To see that you are already interested in prospective students is a
bonus – if you are treated well before you arrive it’s always a
plus point”
“It’s made me feel the students are important to the staff”
“If I do end up going to Keele, the Keele 2008 group will have had a
lot to do with it”.

Twittering On
• Automatic news updates from RSS feed
• Creating a responsive community using an
authentic voice – Keele cares!

A recruitment opportunity?
• Searches set up for mentions of Keele
• One young man posted that he was going to
choose between Keele, Manchester and
Staffordshire
• Followed him and exchanged a few messages
• A few days later…. Keele was his firm choice!

A PR opportunity?
• An eye on the competition
• A profile-raising exercise
• Enhanced name and brand recognition
• The media are taking note

A new opportunity......
• Facebook took time to become as
established as it is
• Twitter is entering that phase now
• No set rules / blank canvas

Advantages of using Twitter
“Keeping students in touch on entertainment, sports and
academic results... up with the 24 hour society....”
“It personalises the university, which is nice.”
“I suppose it gives the uni "presence" - it helps convey a
contemporary image.”
“A voice, a personal touch, another forum that says "I/We listen",
a chance to show you're keeping up to date with trends.”
“Twitter is a great way to reach students with zero cost.”

Tweet-up
Working together Professional
across the university networking
Building
community
What song means
Giving support Keele to you?
Finding old and
new friends

The future.....
• Social media will become an increasingly
important source of information
• Organisations need to find ways to measure
effectiveness
• Keep going and keep innovating

A few useful links
• Keele University Facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/KeeleUniversity
• Keele University 2009 Facebook group -
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=1772795
9813
• Keele University on Twitter -
http://twitter.com/KeeleUniversity

Hannah Hiles
Media and Communications Offices, Keele University
h.e.hiles@kfm.keele.ac.uk
01782 733857