Social Media in your Business

Social Media and your Business
Zach Ferres (Bouncehost)
Blog: http://www.zachferres.com
E-Mail: zcferres@bouncehost.com
Twitter: @zcferres

The Evolution of the Internet

The Evolution of Business

The Evolution of Marketing/Sales

What REALLY is Social Media?
It is an internet-based communication channel that relies on social interaction and the liberation of content
Subset of the Web 2.0 movement
Community driven websites and internet applications
Groundswell that ischanging the way welive our lives
Much more than social networking

What ISN’T Social Media
It isn’t “Free”
It isn’t a short-term fix
It isn’t won’t fix a crappy business (catalyst)
It isn’t about the number of connections
It isn’t a replacement for SEO
It isn’t just about ROI but VOI
It isn’t an answer for poor customer service

Threat or opportunity?
Communication – changing face of human interaction
Could potentially be a threat
Could be an opportunity

Who Gives a Sh*t?
We want:
Increase efficiency
Decrease expenses
Increase revenues
More sales
Gain insights and knowledge
Increase customer satisfaction and customer interaction
Innovate
Get more relevant trafficon our website

What’s in it for Me?
Build brand awareness & advocacy
Build a network
Recruit
Reputation management
Drive relevant traffic to your site
PR
Customer service & customer experience
Strengthen customer loyalty
Beat your competitor
Personal branding

Tips on using social media for your business
Retention
Engage customers
Sell yourself not your business, leverage personal relationships and authority
Create good content
Give free stuff
Make other people feel important
Monitor and respond
Encourage employees involved but don’t limit them

The Future of The Internet
Web 3.0 / semantics web
Cloud computing
Mobility
TV/Phone/Internet
Access everywhere
Embrace or 10 years you might be in trouble

Free Applications
RingCentral.com
LinkedIn.com
Meetup.com
Skype / Google Talk
Google Voice
eLance.com
Mint.com
Office online
Google apps
Open office
Google alerts
Basecamp
Google analytics
Shoutcast
Websitegrader.com

Recommended Reading
Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies – Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
The One Minute Entrepreneur: The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business – Ken Blanchard
Mashable.com – Social Media Guide
TechCrunch.com – Web 2.0
WebWare.com – Web 2.0

Thanks for Listening!
Questions? Discussion?
Zach Ferres (Bouncehost)
Blog: http://www.zachferres.com
E-Mail: zcferres@bouncehost.com
Twitter: @zcferres