This document provides an overview of principles of digital marketing and social media. It discusses establishing goals and objectives, understanding an organization's brand identity and values, and conveying those through digital media. Key topics covered include the digital marketing ecosystem, developing a digital marketing strategy, understanding a brand's positioning in the market, and optimizing social media pages. The document provides guidance on elements like creating a value proposition, developing goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), and understanding an organization's competition.

1. Social Media and Digital
Marketing Basics
Principles of Digital Marketing
SUMMER 2019

2. PRINCIPLES OF DIGITAL MARKETING
Description: In addition to offering an overview of digital marketing and social media in the digital
marketing context. This lesson reveals the power of a creating a 'why' statement and how a brand's
identity and vision can be conveyed powerfully through digital media.
You'll discover the guiding principles and fundamentals for using digital media professionally and
implementing a digital marketing program for a business or organization. You'll also identify the main
marketing benefits of social media.
Upon completion of this lesson, you'll know the elements of optimized business profiles and social
media pages and the steps to take to prime your page before you invite your first visitors and promote
your page widely. You’ll also be provided with links to tools and resources for creating professional,
visually appealing business pages.

3. PRINCIPLES
OF DIGITAL
MARKETING
AGENDA
1. Ten Guiding Principles
2. Digital Marketing Ecosystem
3. Digital Marketing Strategy
4. Understanding Your Brand
5. Page Optimization Basics
6. Visual Tools and Resources
7. Prime Your Page For Visitors

4. Principles of Digital
Marketing

5. TEN GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Principle 1: Establish GOALS and OBJECTIVES
Principle 2: ONE SIZE does NOT fit all
Principle 3: Be true to your BRAND
Principle 4: Successful Digital Marketing does NOT live in a VACUUM
Principle 5: Use good DATA to make good decisions - frequently
Principle 6: Know the opportunity COST (money AND time)
Principle 7: Know your AUDIENCES, as well as your customers
Principle 8: Start a CONVERSATION... and keep it going
Principle 9: LEAD the way (leverage expertise, look big)
Principle 10: MEASURE, know your ROI

6. DIGITAL MARKETING
ECOSYSTEM

7. MARKETING DEFINED
"Marketing is the activity,
set of institutions, and
processes for creating,
communicating,
delivering, and
exchanging offerings
that have value for
customers, clients,
partners, and society at
large."
- American Marketing
Association

8. WHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING
ANY WAY?
“Digital marketing is a broad
term that refers to various
and different promotional
techniques deployed to reach
customers via digital
technologies.” -
Technopedia.com

9. INTERNET OR
ONLINE MARKETING
Internet marketing, or online
marketing, refers to advertising and
marketing efforts that use the Web
and email to drive direct sales via
electronic commerce, in addition to
sales leads from websites or emails.
Source: Webopedia
https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/inte
rnet_marketing.html

10. ONLINE MARKETING
ECOSYSTEM
“The Online Marketing Ecosystem
is a system of interconnecting and
interacting parts – formed by
three distinct areas of content:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO),
Social Media and Target
Marketing.” - JB Media Group LLC

11. ONLINE
CATEGORIES
● Search Engine
Optimization (SEO)
● Social Media
● Target Marketing

12. ONLINE
PLATFORMS

13. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
“Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of getting
traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search
results on search engines (such as: Google).” -
searchengineland.com
Resource Folder: SEO explained [video]: https://youtu.be/hF515-0Tduk

14. TARGET MARKETING
“Target Marketing involves breaking a market into
segments and then concentrating your marketing efforts
on one or a few key segments."
Source: SBinfoCanada.About.com

15. SOCIAL MEDIA
“Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the process of gaining
website traffic or attention through social media sites.”
“Social Media are the platforms that enable the interactive web by engaging users
to participate in, comment on and create content as a means of communicating
with their social graph, other users and the public.” - Heidi Cohen, “The Actionable
Marketer,” Riverside Marketing Strategies
Resource Folder: SMM Explained [YouTube Video]: https://youtu.be/1olS7qNehds
or on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/25110304

16. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PROGRAMS
“Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts
to create content that attracts attention and encourages
readers to share about an event, product, service, brand or
company by electronic word of mouth (eWOM), via web sites,
social networks, instant messages, news feeds, etc.”

17. THREE PRIMARY BENEFITS OF SOCIAL
MEDIA MARKETING
1. Getting the attention of
mainstream media
2. Do more on a small budget with
organic marketing and highly
targetable paid options
3. Crisis management, customer
service and PR channel

18. CONVERGED
MEDIA
Social Media
Converges:
● Paid Media
● Owned Media
● Earned media

19. The Digital Marketing Trifecta
WHAT IS
PAID,
EARNED,
OWNED
MEDIA?
Source: https://www.titangrowth.com/what-is-earned-owned-paid-
media-the-difference-explained/

20. INTEGRATING PAID, EARNED, OWNED
Useful 3-step way to think about integrating paid,
owned and earned media:
1. Paid media jump starts owned media
2. Owned media sustains earned media
3. Earned media drives cost down and
effectiveness up

21. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS...
● Content Marketing
● Inbound versus Outbound Marketing
● Word-of-Mouth Marketing (WOMM)

22. CONTENT
MARKETING
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach
focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and
consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined
audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer
action.
Source: http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/

23. INBOUND
VERSUS OUTBOUND
MARKETING
Inbound marketing is an online marketing strategy
that combines the use website content (articles,
blog posts, video, charts, etc.) with SEO and social
media to bring visitors to your website and then to
convert those visitors into leads.
Outbound marketing is more straightforward. It
uses direct mail, email or the phone to reach out to
a targeted list of prospects to begin a sales
conversation. When these prospects respond or
show an interest in what you sell, they become
leads.

24. WORD-OF-MOUTH =
WORLD-OF-MOUTH
Marketers have known for years that word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) is the
most credible form of advertising. It’s a good day for a brand when satisfied
customers happily share and swap their views about products and experiences.
Social media hasn’t changed the principles of marketing – word-of-mouth
recommendations are still the king of all kings. What has changed, though, is
how far that word-of-mouth recommendation reaches.
Source: https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/marketing/social-recommendations-powerful-marketing-asset/
Resource Folder: #Socialnomics [Equalman video]: https://youtu.be/2IcpwISszbQ

25. ESSENTIAL SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN
ELEMENTS
● Strategy – Is the platform selection and content mix designed to
accomplish branding and business objectives
● Optimization – Follow social platform page optimization and tactic
recommendations for optimal effectiveness
● Plan – Include content topic plan, execution schedule, staff or
outsourced contributors, tracking codes (if applicable)
● Measurement – Identify Key Performance Indicator (KPI) metrics to
evaluate success of plan against brand and business objectives and
make adjustments as needed

26. DIGITAL MARKETING
STRATEGY

27. STRATEGY: “WHERE TO
PLAY AND HOW TO WIN”
Strategy defines where to
Focus efforts to achieve goals.
It defines a specific course of action that will take you
from where you are now to where you want to be.
Source: https://medium.com/@BrainTraffic/what-is-strategy-and-why-should-you-care-10374664e2b0

28. STRATEGY VERSUS TACTICS
Strategy = Why?
Tactics = How?
Tactics are the actual means used to gain an objective, while strategy is
the overall campaign plan, which may involve complex operational
patterns, activity, and decision-making that govern tactical execution.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactic_(method)
http://www.adweek.com/digital/whats-the-difference-between-strategy-and-tactic/

29. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY FUNNEL
Where You Start in
Social Media Strategy
Defines Where You End Up
Source:
https://socialsteve.wordpress.com/2012/09/17
/where-you-start-in-social-media-strategy-
defines-where-you-end-up/

30. SIMON SINEK:
START WITH WHY
Do you know your Why?
The purpose, cause, or belief that
inspires you to do what you do?
Understand the Gold Circle:
Resource Folder:
Video: https://youtu.be/l5Tw0PGcyN0
Website: https://www.startwithwhy.com/

31. VALUE STATEMENT
Value statement aligns with your why and reinforces what
the company expects from employees and what the
culture is like in the company.
Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230878

32. VISION VERSUS MISSION
While a MISSION statement describes what a company
wants to do NOW, a VISION statement outlines what a
company wants to be in the FUTURE.
Source: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Mission_Statement_vs_Vision_Statement

33. UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION
Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP), also known as a unique
selling proposition (USP), is a clear statement that describes the
benefit of your offer, how you solve your customer's needs and
what distinguishes you from the competition.
Source: What Is A Unique Value Proposition (UVP)? | Unbounce
unbounce.com/conversion-glossary/definition/unique-value-proposition/

34. Guy Kawasaki:
About Mantras
A mantra is three
or four words
long. Tops.
Its purpose is to help people,
including employees, truly
understand why the
organization exists.
“‘The mission of Wendy’s is to deliver superior quality
products and services for our customers and communities
through leadership, innovation, and partnerships.’ If I were the
CEO of Wendy’s, I would establish a corporate mantra of
“healthy fast food. End of story.” - Guy Kawasaki, "Art of the
Start 2.0" on the Mantra.

35. ELEVATOR PITCHES
AND EXPLAINER VIDEOS
Introduce Your Business
or Self Quickly and
Compellingly.
● Six modern elevator pitches:
https://youtu.be/XvxtC60V6kc
● Video of 1 minute pitch:
https://youtu.be/3aXIMNZJ2xQ
● Hubspot’s 17 Favorite Explainer Videos:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/explainer-videos
● Unroll.me Explainer video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL26FS5daGY
An elevator pitch (also known as an elevator speech or statement) pre-prepared clear, brief
message or “commercial” that explains what your organization does, clearly and succinctly. It’s
typically about 30 to 60 seconds, the time it takes people to ride from the top to the bottom of a
building in an elevator. The idea behind having an elevator speech is that you’re prepared to share
this information with anyone, at anytime, even in an elevator.

36. WHAT ARE GOALS?
A goal is where you want to be and objectives
are the steps taken to reach the goal.
When you plan your business’ future, you will generate a list of potential achievements
you want it to reach. These are goals. The specific steps you take to get to those
achievements are your objectives. The terms objectives and goals are often used
interchangeably, but they each have important differentiating attributes. They are used at
different stages of the business planning process, and each serves a different purpose.

37. WHAT ARE OBJECTIVES?
A specific result that a person or system aims to
achieve within a time frame and with available
resources.
In general, objectives are more specific and easier to measure than goals.
Objectives are basic tools that underlie all planning and strategic activities.
Source: What is an objective? definition and meaning - BusinessDictionary.com
www.businessdictionary.com/definition/objective.html

38. CORE OBJECTIVES
● Increase Revenue and/or
● Decrease Cost and/or
● Increase Stakeholder Satisfaction

39. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
Examples of Strategic Objectives that Support Core Objectives:
● Customer Service
● Crisis Management
● Prospects/leads/sales
● Thought leadership (build brand credibility)
● Brand reach (build brand visibility)
● Event support (build the back-channel)
● Advocacy
● HR/recruitment

40. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
A Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value
that demonstrates how effectively a company is achieving
key business objectives.
Organizations use KPIs to evaluate their success at reaching targets. Selecting the right
KPIs will depend on your industry and which part of the business you are looking to track.
Source: KPI Examples and Templates | Key Performance Indicators and ...
https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/kpi-examples

41. SET A NORTH
STAR METRIC
What is Your Guiding
Metric? Your North Star?
Focuses on the product and the core value it delivers to customers.
Sources: Video: https://blog.growthhackers.com/what-is-a-north-star-metric-b31a8512923f
Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/07/19/how-to-find-your-companys-north-star-
metric/#4bb4795130f8
Harvard Business Review on your Personal North Star as a Leader: https://hbr.org/2012/01/what-wise-leaders-always-follo

42. BRINGING IT ALL
TOGETHER
● What are the
Goals?
● What are the
KPI's?
● What are the
CTA’s?

43. Digital and Social Media Strategy Canvas
Return on Investment analysis
Investment (time and money)

44. Understanding Your Brand

45. Branding is NOT just a logo
A “brand” is, in essence, a promise to the buyer
about the kind of product or experience they are
purchasing, and how they will feel when they use it.
The word “brand” isn’t always well understood. Some people use the term
interchangeably with “company” as a kind of shorthand term.
Source: https://www.handshake.com/blog/brand-strategy-key-elements/

46. What is Your Brand Strategy?
Your BRAND STRATEGY is an essential tool to developing these
elements so that they work together in the minds of purchasers to
give them confidence when considering making a purchase.
Components that make up a brand include:
● Logos and packaging
● Brand equity (the value of perceptions and expectations about your brand)
● Brand persona or voice

47. 3 Key Brand Elements Expressed through
Social Media
1) Personality: Collectively the different facets of a brand give it a personality that’s larger than the
sum of the separate elements. As a result, brands stand out in the same way that celebrities or
sports stars do.
2) Story-Telling: Each brand, like people, has its own tale that’s intricately intertwined with the
public’s perception. Never underestimate the importance of this story because people are used to
listening to stories. (Here’s additional marketing advice related to stories.)
3) Consistency: Brands are always the same and this give customers a warm fuzzy feeling. Brands
assure customers of consistent performance and trust. Customers know what they are going to
get. While brands may have a price tag, this dependability is what shoppers are paying for.

48. Your Position:
What Makes Your Business Unique?
1. What does your product or company do? List your organization’s
specialties or niches. How do you provide your products or services?
2. What do customers want or expect from your organization? List the
benefits that customers derive from your company.
3. Consider whether there’s something special, unusual, or significant
about the way you do business.

49. What About Your Competition?
1. Who are your primary competitors?
2. What does your competition do?
3. What are your organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses relative to
your competitors? Remember that it’s critical to think from your
customers’ point of view.
Action Item: Start with each competitors websites, then find and record each of your competitors
online account URLs.

50. Your Brand Position:
The Positioning Statement
POSITIONING STATEMENT
ELEMENTS
• FOR: Who are you targeting (your audience)
• WHAT: (your product or service)
• IS A: (product/service category name)
• WHICH PROVIDES: (main benefit)
• UNLIKE: (primary competitor)
• WHICH PROVIDES: (competitor’s main benefit)
Source: https://conversations.marketing-
partners.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/01/MP_Positioning_Template.pdf

51. Consider Your Brand Name
1. What is your brand or company’s name?
2. What associations do customers have with it?
Are they positive or negative?
3. How can you improve them?
Resource Folder: TEDX Video on naming: https://youtu.be/rzbXht7MJVM

52. What is Your Brand Promise?
A strong brand promise is one that connects your purpose, your
positioning, your strategy, your people and your customer experience. It
enables you to deliver your brand in a way that connects emotionally
with your customers and differentiates your brand.
Source: www.smithcoconsultancy.com/workshops/brand-promise-definition

53. What's Your Mantra?
Consider the tagline or mantra for your brand.
Resource: Guy Kawasaki, "Art of the Start 2.0" book
Video: https://youtu.be/jT7xlFTinIw
Here are examples of corporate mantras
to inspire you:
Federal Express: “Peace of mind”
Nike: “Authentic athletic performance”
Target: “Democratize design”
Mary Kay “Enriching women’s lives”

54. Could You Explain Your Business to
Someone Before the Elevator Doors Opened?
What is your elevator
‘pitch’ or speech?
Can you give it today?
Can everyone in your
organization give it?
Length: An elevator speech is…
● absolutely not longer than 30 to 60 seconds
● or - in words - approximately 90 to 120
words
● or - in sentences - 8 to 10 sentences
Sources: https://strategypeak.com/elevator-pitch-examples/
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/elevator-pitch.htm

55. What Are Your Brand's Visual Cues?
1. What are your brand's logo/mark? How does the public perceive these?
2. What colors are connected with your brand? What images do these bring to
mind?
3. How are images used with your brand or company? Are they photographs or
other images used?
4. How is text presented? What typeface is used? Which type of words? How
does this relate to your brand?

56. What Is Your Brand's Voice?
1. What language/voice/audio/jingles are associated with your brand
and/or organization?
2. What is your brand's "voice?" Does it sound like a real person?
Does it match the rest of your brand elements?
3. Does it connect with your audience?

57. Page Optimization

58. Before Getting Started...
Prepare to Build Your Business Profile/Page(s) Completely, Interestingly, and Consistently:
❏ Fill out sheet with all pertinent facts about your business
❏ Create, size, and gather together all your brand elements into a digital folder on your
computer, laptop, tablet or online in the cloud
❏ Know "your story,” positioning statement, value proposition, and elevator speech
❏ Identify the relevant subjects and keywords for your industry to use in your copy
❏ Know the main goal(s) and objective(s) for each of your online business pages
❏ Consider the CTA “bridge” (button to dial, to message, etc) best for your business
❏ Explore all the creative types of posts and page features available for that platform
Resource: Setup Checklist by platform: http://assets.raven.im/pdfs/Social-Media-Checklist-Raven.pdf

59. Common Social Media Objectives
● Build Relationships: With customers, supporters, potential customers,
vendors, thought-leaders, bloggers or complimentary organizations
● Story-Telling: Entertain, Inspire, and Engage
● Cause Awareness: Education, Mission, How to Help, How to Change Behavior
● Engagement Hub: Hot Topics, News, Surveys/Polls, Videos, Endearing Pics
● Humanize Company: Share Culture, Good Works, Volunteer Spotlights, Board
● Grass Root Advocacy: Solicit sharing, facilitate spreading the word, reward
● Research: Supporter feedback, attitudes about the topic, new ideas for
advocacy
● Event Promotion/Extension: Promote and augment event experiences online

60. Limit and Focus on Objectives
1. PRIMARY objective for your overall digital marketing strategy. How
does your social media strategy support?
2. SECONDARY objective for your overall digital marketing strategy.
How does your social media strategy support?
3. OTHER objectives you would like to accomplish with social media
media?

61. Get Creative and Inspired...
❏ Examine successful local and big brand page examples
❏ Find all competitor pages and take note of things to emulate and things
to set yourself apart
❏ Explore how big brands apply their brand elements across their digital
media platforms uniquely – while remaining true to brand standards
❏ Consider how your pages are consistent with, yet different but
complementary of website and other online and print brand elements
Tip: Canva.com upgrade to pro account allows you to create easy brand
standard color and font templates and house your logo artwork

62. Have a Professional Image
1. Invest in creating a library of your own professional images
2. Purchase stock images (but avoid overused images)
3. Find FREE professional images (BE CAREFUL ABOUT COPYRIGHT!)
● Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/
● Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/ (sort by usage rights)
● Google Images (click on ‘tool’ and sort by size, color, usage rights):
https://images.google.com/
● Other free stock photos: https://blog.snappa.com/free-stock-photos/
4. Consider using a local professional

63. DIY Visual Tools
1. Create artwork for profiles and banners:
https://www.canva.com/
2. Create graphics and video for social media:
https://spark.adobe.com/
Other Creative Resources: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/create-
graphics-for-social-media/

64. Social Media Quickstarter:
Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guides to Each Platform
Social Media Training for Beginners
● The Social Media Quickstarter by Constant Contact
offers the step-by-step instructions you need to start
building your social media presence across all of the
top social networks.
● Click any of the links to the right to get started.
Resource Folder: Social Media Quickstarter by Constant Contact:
https://blogs.constantcontact.com/social-media-quickstarter/
● Facebook 101
● Twitter 101
● LinkedIn 101
● Pinterest 101
● Instagram 101
● Google+ 101
● YouTube 101
● Snapchat 101

65. Explore These Page Optimization Resources
● The Ultimate Social Media Setup Checklist by platform:
http://assets.raven.im/pdfs/Social-Media-Checklist-Raven.pdf
● 13 Hubspot tips: https://blog.hootsuite.com/ways-to-improve-your-social-media-profiles/
● Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/business
● Twitter: https://marketing.twitter.com/
● YouTube: https://www.shopify.com/blog/76288197-how-to-start-a-youtube-channel-for-your-
business and https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/youtube-for-business-the-ultimate-
youtube-marketing-guide/
● Snapchat: https://offers.hubspot.com/snapchat-for-business
● Instagram: https://hootsuite.com/webinars/optimizing-instagram-for-your-business

66. Once Your Page is Ready...
PRIME YOUR PAGE FOR VISITORS
1. Create a backlog of several good posts; post several over a week; and schedule
several to post over several weeks; ‘pin’ a featured post to the top
2. Ask friends, families, customers for reviews and/or endorsements
3. Have someone proofread for accuracy and test any links you are sharing
4. Explore means for growing your audience (uploading email contacts; reaching
out to your personal network and ask them to follow/like; paid audience growth
options; contests and tactics; add to email footer, website pages, and crosslink
to other social and blog, etc)
5. Create a posting schedule and calendar of events before launching