Tips Tactics & Best Practices for developing a Social Media Marketing Plan. We are at at interesting point in time, we are privileged to see the convergence of "The WEB World & The Social World" May these pages help you understand the best uses for both. I am available for questions please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance in any way.

1. Tips, Tactics, & Best Practices

2.  What is Social Media  Time to Plan
 Taking the First Bite  Starting Point
 How Did We Get Here  12 Months or Bust
 Perspective  90 Day Rule
 The Sociology of Social Media  Ask, Ask, Ask
 Social Media’s Big 3  Stop- Look- Listen
 Identifying Social Media Platforms  Cross Promote
 Social Channel Facts  Social Media Goal Setting
 Google Places  Plan of Action
 Publishing Guidelines

3. Food for thought regarding Social Media
 How does Social Media and its elements fit
into your Marketing Plan?
 Do you have a plan for Social Media, or are you
just Facebooking and Tweeting as you go?

5. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Social media are media for social interaction, using
highly accessible and scalable communication
techniques. Social media is the use of web-based
and mobile technologies to turn communication into
interactive dialogue.
 Richism - ”Social Media is Virtual Word of Mouth”
It is sill the best & most powerful form of advertising.

6.  Any form of electronic communication that
starts, maintains and perpetuates a
conversation, with one or multiple individuals
& interactions.
Social Media is “VIRTUAL WORD of MOUTH”.

7. Social Media Marketing is like eating an Elephant.
How do you eat an Elephant?
One bite at a time!

8. Bite off only what you can effectively
manage. As time goes on and you
become proficient, add new bites.
Most people & companies have a
Facebook page, it might be time to
look at taking that next bite.

9. Great Ad Concepts -copied by- Bad Advertisers
Have caused customers to change how they
search for and how they receive information.
George Louis is “Mr. Big Idea.” George is one
of the advertising industry MEGA leaders. He
launched the “I Want My MTV!” campaign in
the early 1980’s. He also launched the little
known TOMMY HILFIGER clothing line, which
soared to the top seemingly overnight.

10. In Advertising & Marketing, there are a few
Big Idea’s or great concepts. These
concepts tend to set the industry standard.
Soon the market becomes flooded with
copycat ideas. More often than not the
copycat promotion lacks the substance
and the passion of the original Big Idea.
Thus they fall short of expectation,
take up space & just make noise.

11.  We Create ads, buy placement, insert &
hope for results?.... When that fails!
 We buy BIGGER ads, RAISE our Voice, &
make the Phone Number Bigger!
We are throwing our products at the
consumer with the tact of a Carnival Barker!
People have Tuned Us Out!

12. Do not let history repeat itself! As you move in
to the world of Social Media, don’t make the
same mistakes as we did in advertising.
SOCIAL MEDIA is
People Connecting with People
Your company can & should have a personality.
Be transparent, let your fans, friends & followers
know who you are, and what you believe in.

13.  To be successful in the emerging world of
Websites & Social Media … You must make your
fans, friends & followers FEEL SOMETHING.
Invite them to follow you & when they do, be
sure include them in conversations & thank
them.
 Websites and social media can be very cold and
devoid of emotion … As human beings we have
a hunger for socialization we have a need to be
involved and accepted as part of a group.

14. In order to find customers online you MUST learn
to THINK like an online customer.
Shift your thought process, for a moment become
a stranger to your product.
Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has
never been to your area, never seen your hotel,
never experienced your attraction or product.
NOW YOU CAN BEGIN TO LEAD THEM
WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO GO!

15. Communication methods have changed
drastically, therefore our sociology and
behavior patterns have also been changed
drastically.
John Antonios, marketing consultant has
created a WONDERFUL graphic depiction of
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and how they
relate to Social Media.
http://johnantonios.com/2010/02/06/the-social-media-
hierarchy-of-needs/

17. The Internet = Entertainment! It is 24-7/365
 It’s gone Mobile, which makes decision making
and information gathering instantaneous.

18. Think of Social Media & Websites as Hounds & Hunters.
 Social Media sites are the Hounds.
 Your Website is the Hunter.
 The Hounds purpose is to drive
traffic/business to the Hunter.
 The Hunter, then in turn takes
care of business.

19. 1. Content- Topic what you are saying.
2. Conversation- Engaging the guest, what you
are speaking about usually becomes a running
dialogue that can last minutes to months.
3. Credibility- Ranking, Comments & Social
Bookmarks- Who is endorsing you & what they
are saying about you and your product.

20.  Content is the information or text that is on
your website, blog, and or your social
conversations, it is…
“The Topic or… What you are Saying”
 It can and should include
images, pictures, graphs…
anything that is relevant
and can help catch the
eye of a potential client.

21.  Content is one of the many factors that the
search engines use when assigning a value to or
the ranking of your website.
 Content/Keyword strategy is a must, it should be
well thought out & planned.
 (TIP) Build it in your Social Media Marketing plan!

22. The Organic Search - Google looks at many
factors when page rank and search relevance
are concerned:
 Page Title
 Meta Data
 Content & Keywords
 Photos with Alt tags
 Search Engine Friendly URL’s

24. A conversation is a two or more sided
exchange of information.
In most cases it is a running conversation
between a company and several guests
or followers simultaneously.

26. In my opinion the next GREAT metric to
influence web rankings is the credibility
factor. Search engines are beginning to pay
very close attention to Social Media Sharing.
o Shared Social Links
o Social Bookmarks
o Comments & Rankings

27. This is Google’s latest solution to the Social
Media question. Google is a search engine that
organizes and ranks web content.
Google realizes the web is changing, “Virtual
Word of Mouth” sharing of information in social
circles is growing at an inconceivable rate.
To stay on top of the
information game,
Google has to have a
piece of the social action.

28.  Blog- = Self Publishing
 Facebook- = Online Branding
 Twitter- = Short Quick Publications
 YouTube- = Control Product Depiction
 Linked In- = Global Ideas/Corp. Research
 TRIPADVISOR- = Reputation Management

29.  Blog- is a self-publish platform which allows
relevant content and information regarding
your business to be digitally uploaded or
broadcast on the web.
(Tactic)–Great place to insert
a link to another website
or package partner.

30. Blogging is a KEY element in any Social Media
Strategy, it can be used to
1. Add relevant Keyword-Rich content to a site.
2. Link relevant information from site to site.
3. It is Content, it is Conversation & with the
proper social widgets, adds Credibility to
your overall web presence.

31. Facebook- (Best Practice)
Use it for online branding; Facebook’s strength lies
in it’s ability to convey passion & elicit emotion.
Leverage your contacts friends list. “Share the
Love” well-planned commentary can excite
peripheral clientele as never before.
 Make your Fan’s Friends - Your NEW Fans
Be who you are, be transparent… people fall in love
with people, not companies & soulless creatures.

32. o Receives More Traffic than Google Each Day.
o 500 Million Active Users, 50% Logging in Each
Day
o 700 Billion Minutes of Time Per Month
o 69% of Users are a Fan of One or More
Business Pages
o 46 Years of YouTube Video are Watched Each
Day
o Women are Likely to Visit Multiple Times per
Day

33. o 280 Million Registered Users
o 460,000 New Accounts Created per Day
o 1 Billion Tweets per Week
o 182% Increase in Twitter Mobile Users in One Year
o 75% of Twitter Traffic Comes from Other
Collaborating Social Networks
o Twitter’s Search Engine Receives 600 Million Search
Queries per Day
o 400 Tweets per Minute Contain a YouTube Link

34. o490 Million Unique Users Worldwide per Month
with 92 Billion Page Views.
oRegular Visitors Spend 15-25 minutes per day.
oAuto Tweets result in approximately 6 new
sessions.
oVideo Consumption Across Social Networks
Equals 46.2 Years per day.

35. o 50 Million Monthly Visitors across 18 Travel Brands
o Hosts 6 Million Candid Photos
o Properties with More Than 20 Photos Get 150% More
Engagement
o Vast Majority of Traveler Comments are Positive
o 65% of People Surveyed State a Management
Response would Sway Travel Decisions

36. http://blog.miraiespana.com/tripadvisor-business-listing-analysis/

37. If a social media platform is not bringing in
business but still carries weight and has value,
(Tactic) - utilize it as a tool.
Remember- 65% of People Surveyed Stated
“A management response would sway travel decisions”
In the overall scheme, TripAdvisor provides
businesses with a great venue to show off their
public relations & customer service skills.

38. Bad online comments are like my golf game, I
have a tendency to slice. IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!
I had better come up with a way to cope with it.
(Best Practice) Come up with a simple solution
where you can encourage “Happy Guests” to
comment on their experience. Fight Fire with Fire!

39. WHY?
1. Free Local Platform from Google to help
local search results.
2. Easy to use page display with map &
location.
3. Allows for customer reviews and
management responses.
4. Google Places is Google’s answer to Trip
Advisor and Yelp.

43. For the purposes of Tourism Marketing, I suggest
the use of these 4 tools to publish and broadcast your
information.
1. Blog- Ties to your website / Home to your content.
2. Facebook- Leverage fans relationships.
3. Twitter/In- Broadcast message in short form.
4. YouTube – Visual representation for the guest.

44. Build a blog, make it the solid foundation of
your information/ content creation.
(Best Practice) Host your Blog on the same
server as your website.
Just because it’s Social
doesn't mean that
there are no SEO
benefits.

45. I believe in a 12 month planning cycle,
September is a great time to lay out your plan
of action.
 It is deep enough into your season that you
have solid statistical data to use as a
reflection. It is also close to the end of the
year, if there is a need to adjust plan for an
emergency campaign it can be accomplished.
 If you are not comfortable planning 12
months out, I suggest at least a 6 month
planning cycle.

46. Are designed to feature relevant/targeted
information, delivered with strategic timing.
 (TIP) Acquire event calendar from your city or
chamber of commerce, publish engaging info.
 (TIP) Feature your destination, write unique
relevant content that will position your
destination and your facility as a “MUST Do!”
Guests are HUNGRY for information they want
you to be their Online Concierge.

47. Your online efforts/plan should be
ready 90 days out.
Broadcast information with enough
advance notice that you give your
clients, followers & fans enough
time to plan and be able to forward
information to their friends.

48.  Whether you are posting a daily chat, planned
post, or scheduled E-newsletter ALWAYS make it
easy for your fans, friends & followers to Share
your information.
 (Tactic) Meet with your Website administrator,
have them create a “Share or Add this” account.
Use these widgets on all website pages, blog
pages & E-newsletters.
 Both Share & Add this widgets have analytic reports.
Be sure to sign up for these reports.

49. ◦ Ask to be “Followed”.
◦ Ask them to “Like” video or post.
◦ Ask them to “SHARE” information
with their friends.
◦ Ask for their “Thoughts & Opinions”
◦ STOP - LOOK - LISTEN

50. Stop -Yelling at your Customers!
Social Media is
not about the
“Hard Sale”
If your standard post is “Buy Now”
I guarantee most people have tuned you out!

51. Look -Find out what is important to the
guest by read their reviews & comments.
(Best Practice) Learn from the client. The
more you study them as a group, the
more likely you are to find that they
share common points of interest.

52. Listen - To your co-workers, many of them
have their finger on the pulse of the consumer.
 If you are a hotel– go see the concierge or front
desk staff, find out what guests are asking for?
 If you are an attraction – go spend some time
with admissions staff. They hear the good, the
bad, and the ugly from the guests.

53. • Cross promote all Videos on
Blog- by linking videos from
YouTube Channel to Blog.
• Each time you produce a new
video, send a message to
fans & followers on Twitter,
Linked-In & Facebook.

54. Not any more, Animoto.com is a tremendous
resource for creating cost effective presentations.
Turn digital stills into great video.
Once you produce your video, upload it directly to
your YouTube Channel

55.  http://www.youtube.com/user/therichestweb
?feature=mhee#p/u/4/SOfKQR4iKI4
 http://www.youtube.com/user/therichestweb
?feature=mhee#p/u/0/5tIk1VRNlZw

56. Richism” Analytics are your Social/Web P&L Statement”
Be sure that your company is using some kind
of analytics program on both its web site and its
blog. I.e. Google Analytics, Webstats, Urchin.
Get used to measuring traffic, know what
information generates the greatest traffic.
(Feed the visitor more of what they like,
keep engaging the visitors.)

57. 2011 Actual Facebook -Likes Insert Present # of Likes
2012 Goal Facebook -Likes Insert Goal #
2011 Actual YouTube Views Insert Present # of Videos viewed
2012 Goal YouTube Views Insert Goal #
2011 Actual Tweets & Followers Insert Present # of T & F
2012 Goal Tweets & Followers Insert Goal #
2011 Actual Blog Followers Insert Present # of Blog Followers
2012 Goal Blog Followers Insert Goal #
2011 Actual E-News Subscribers Insert Present # of Subscribers
2012 Goal E-News Subscribers Insert Goal #

58. Action Start Date Responsible End Date
 Acquire local event calendar from City or 9-01-11 DOM- Writer 9-06-11
Chamber of Commerce.
 Look in house at events or special occasions that 9-01-11 DOM - Writer 9- 06-11
your property is involved in.
 Interview Front line workers to verify guest’s 9-7-11 DOM –GM- 9-15-11
wants and needs, incorporate into 12 month blog Frontline- writer
posting plan.
 Create 12 month blog posting outline 9-17-11 DOM - writer 9-24-11
 Decide how many times a month you will post.
Again only bite off what you can manage..1x -2x-
4x ???
 By topic decide where you are going to distribute,
Facebook, Twitter …
 What video will you produce if any and when will
it drop

59.  When writing always remember to address the
Who, What, Where, When & Why of the topic.
 Keyword research, find 5 great terms that help
promote your property and event.
 Create a twelve-month plan around special
events or a series of “How-to” posts.
 Publish upcoming events 90 days out in blog
posts and in e-newsletters.
 Send E-mail to subscription list, this is where you
can push the “Hard Sale” include Share Button.

60.  Blog
 Company Facebook Page
 Company Twitter Page
 Company YouTube Channel
 Google Places Account
 Add this or Share Widgets
 Social Bookmark Widgets
 Develop 12 month Blog Post-Plan of Action
 Analytics-Web/Social P&L Statement
 Cross Promote
 Commitment

61. • Social media is a Commitment If you decide to
utilize social media as part of your online
marketing, realize that you can not start and stop
this activity. You must:
• Post on a regular basis
• Reply to all guests
• Keep it Professional & Personable (Don’t whine online)
• Keep it Pertinent (Answer their questions & comments)
• Keep it Passionate (Always write with a smile)
• Keep Business site & Personal sites SEPARATE at all times

62. rich@therichestweb.com
(865) 242-1700
Download this presentation at
http://therichestweb.com/downloads/