On Thursday 5 April, 2012, I was invited by the New Zealand Centre for Social Innovation (NZCSI) as a Social Media - Expert Witness to present to the Class of 2012 at Social Entrepreneurs School (SES) at Ko Awatea Centre, Auckland. I had the honour of giving an introductory 90 minute session on Social Media in Business - Best Practice for Entrepreneurs. I titled it Social Media for SOLO-preneurs i.e. entrepreneurs (usually 1-2 person teams) armed with heaps of passion and a business plan to go with it. I created this presentation mainly in the hope it inspires small businesses and professionals to get started, have a play and explore the vast possibilities (or switch up a marketing gear and take it up a notch or two) with social media. Q - Who is a Social Entrepreneur? A - "Social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for communities and society, developing ideas and new approaches, creating and implementing solutions to social problems that change society for the better."

1. Social Media for SOLOpreneurs
Introduction to Social Media in Business - Best Practice for Entrepreneurs
Social Entrepreneurs School
New Zealand Centre for Social Innovation

2. Welcome to the World of Social Business
•Amar Trivedi
 Marketing Consultant / Business Solutions Provider
 Social Media Strategist, Trainer, Manager, Speaker
 Content Specialist - Copywriter, Journalist, Blogger
 Evangelist - Social Business, Digital Innovation
 Project Manager / Event Organiser
 Business Networker / Relationship Builder
 Creative Ninja / Online Communications Black Belt 

3. What is Social Media?
• The opportunity for people to connect with
one another like never before over the Web
• Simply put, it’s 2-way online interaction
• Some people call it the social web = Web 2.0 (Static Web  Dynamic Web)

4. It’s not Social Media, it’s Digital Rain!
– FaceBook
– Twitter Feed
– LinkedIn Profile
– YouTube Channel
– Google+ Profile
– Blog / Website
– Pinterest Profile
– Storify
– ScoopIt!
– Paper.li
– Shopify
– Spotify
– Path, Pair, Instagram, Flickr, DailyHub, Etsy, Tumblr… it’s pouring!

5. FOCUS - First of all, you need a SM plan.
What’s your SM objective?
What are you after?
Focus on the juice extract,
not the buttons & add-ons.

6. Usage – Best Practice #7
Tone of Brand Voice - Business v/s Personal

7. Usage – Best Practice #6
Time Management.
Stress Control. No Fear. No Pressure.

8. Usage – Best Practice #5
Social Media needs to be managed orchestrated & choreographed

9. Usage – Best Practice #4
Share. Share. Share. There is no secret sauce!

10. Usage – Best Practice #3
LISTEN UP.
Be your own Chief Listening Officer.

11. Usage – Best Practice #2
INTEGRATE to maximize reach + optimize impact.
Create your own Social Media mix.

12. CONFIDENCE - The No.1 Best Practice
• DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES.
• You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!

13. Pros & Cons: Risk-Benefit Analysis
• Openness v/s Privacy
• Publicity v/s Authenticity
• Sharing v/s Exclusivity (IP)
• Social v/s Sensitivity/ Security (Kids)
• Transparency v/s Negativity
• Your way on this highway = It’s your business. What you say, goes!
• But… observe the road rules. Common sense comes first.

14. What do viral videos have to do with Social Media?
E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Examples of social media teams who got it right.
• Evian

15. SUDDENLY, EVERYTHING IS SOCIAL
Media
Business Shopping
SOCIAL
TV Gaming
Dining Commerce

16. The best part is…
•THERE’S NO SUCH
THING AS A SOCIAL
MEDIA EXPERT…
• SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING
• STILL VERY EARLY DAYS. EVERYONE IS LEARNING. Digital Natives v/s Newbies.
• IT IS JUST TOO VAST & TOO UNIVERSAL FOR ANYONE TO CLAIM EXPERTISE
• A GOOD WAY TO BE UP THERE… IS TO CONSTANTLY BE “IN BETA MODE”

17. What does Social Media mean to you?
• It’s a channel
• It’s a funnel
• It’s a pipeline
• It’s a link
• It’s a bridge
• It’s a juggling act
• An easier, faster, cheaper, new way!

18. Different Feeds for Different Folks
• Social Media means diff things to diff people
• Figure out what works best for you. Stick to it.
• Don’t fall for the hype. Too much BS out there! (Best time of day to
tweet, Klout score etc.) Instead, figure out a way to filter the clutter

19. For Individuals
• Social is not something you do.
It is something you are.
• It is your source of information.
• Create your own funnel. It’s a DIY game.
• It’s a personal branding platform.
• “Get” the psychology of social media.
• Keep Questioning. Curiosity is a virtue.
• Explore. Experiment. Be Entrepreneurial.

20. For Business
• Businesses and business-minded individuals are always
looking for opportunities to grow
• Used right, social media is a “massive” opportunity!
• Get into the right headspace – collectively
– A employer/ employee branding tool
– Your own media channel
– Your own CRM pipeline
• Integrate Social Media into your business model

21. It’s a ‘C’ out there
• Collaboration
• Conversation
• Community
• Context
• Connection
• Creativity
• Content –
Video, Blogs, photos, updates or even a comment. Any outstanding examples of SM?

22. Let’s dive in deeper…
Read the full article : The 7 Verticals of Social Media (Line-of-Business Expertise)

23. Examples of each…
YouTube, FaceBook, Blogs
This has to be done the good
old fashioned way = Thinking!
Radian6, Alterian, G~ Analytics
Hootsuite, Dashboards
10% Principles. 90% - Hands-
on, DIY learning. I Teach Me.
Hubspot, Vitrue, Altimeter,
MarketingProfs, WeAreSocial
LinkedIn, FireBrand, Jobvite

24. It’s not all about Technology
• Mobile Technology is the future - Have a play with apps.
• Age of SoLoMo: Social + Location (Local Commerce) + Mobile and SoMoClo: Cloud
• It’s not about Devices (PC, Mobile, Laptop, Tablets) it’s about
their usage and application
• Acc. to Pete Cashmore of Mashable: Future of Social Networking: Ambient + Visual + Mobile
• More than tech convergence, it’s about relevance.
• Ask not what latest Technology you have, ask what you can
do with Technology you already have! - My version of a popular JFK-ism

25. What do viral videos have to do with Social Media?
E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Examples of social media teams who got it right.
• Nike Football
• Kia
• Kony 2012

26. Pitching Projects using Social Media
• Social Media - is your Marketing Channel
• Social Media Plan / Policy
• Have a carefully thought out Content Strategy
• Use LinkedIn for Business
– Form your own Group/ Follow industry groups
– Use Company Pages, Use Follow Company button
• Use FaceBook Brandline

27. Basic STEPS : pre-Pitching Projects
1. Activate your own social media channels
2. Build your community - Invite people to join, engage with them
3. Market/ promote your channels
4. Start putting out relevant business content
5. Create a manageable SM plan for yourself
• Identify your reading / sharing resources
• Set frequency of sharing, make some “thinking time”
6. Is your content Shareable, Social, Searchable
7. WIIF your community, why should they engage

28. Now it’s all about Social Business
• Enterprise-wide Application of SM for Business Improvement
• Widespread use of social media tools
• Open Integration incl. channels & customers
• A Social Business is an engaged, transparent and nimble business that embraces a spirit of
collaboration and community throughout the organization - both internally and externally.
• A Social Business is not B2B or B2C, it’s P2P = People to People (Source: IBM, Smarter Planet)
• It’s a BIG CHANGE – at 2 levels:
• Corporate
• Cultural
• And this calls for a…

29. SM Tools are free. But results cost!
• It’s Hard Work.
• Effort to create quality content
• Effort to generate meaningful engagement
• Takes Time - HAVE PATIENCE. Lots of it.
• Organisation / Maintenance / Monitoring
• Curation – what’s hot & what’s not
• CRM Customer Relationship Management and OCM Online Community Management

30. What’s the ROI
• 3M = Measurement, Monitoring & Metrics
Tools
• Google Analytics
• Radian6
• Lithium
• Alterian
• Social Flow/ Social Mention
• TwentyFeet
Integrated Social Business Solutions (ERP/ CRM)
• Salesforce
• Hubspot
• Apart from community growth in numbers
(Friends, Likes, Followers, Connections, Hits, Page Views, Uniques, Comments)
• Response - Respect - Faith - Trust - Influence 
that’s the ROI

31. What makes the difference
• Quality of Content
• Quantity = Reach
• Creativity & Innovation
• Talent & Skills of people
• Interest Value
• Design & Presentation
• FUN & Humour (Case Studies: VW & Old Spice)

32. Useful Tips – Rules & Protocols
• There’s some key nos. you should remember:
• 140 characters on Twitter (but lesser if cross-posting)
• Hashtags #tags (egs. #FIFA #WorldCup, #wc2014, #RWC, #SXSW)
• Permissions to cross-post
• YouTube Videos (ideal length 30-60-90-120 secs)
• No. of Tweets per day? 3-4 a day.
• How often should you blog? Mail newsletters?
• Take lots of pictures. Share them.
• Comment. Express yourself. Be honest. Be polite.

33. What do viral videos have to do with Social Media?
E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Examples of social media teams who got it right.
• Charlie bit my finger
(This one’s a rare, non-commercial viral video. No team. No seeding. Purely organic growth.)
• Air NZ Inflight Video
• LTNZ’s Ghost Chips

34. Customer 2.0 is hyper-connected
1. Today’s customers – they will find you.
Google you up. And down!
2. They just want you to enable them to get best value.
3. Inbound Marketing – don’t go out to them. Give them a
reason to come to you i.e. Content.
4. Old world: Build it, market it, and they will come.
New world: Build a funnel, be ready, go beyond.

35. This is the age of Super-Specialization
• LinkedIn Specialists – Preferred tool for business, Great for
networking, Groups, Company Pages, Profile button, Plugins
• FaceBook Specialists – Brandline/ Timeline
• Twitter, Google+, Pinning Specialists
• YouTube / Online Video Specialists
• From graphs and maps to embeds and apps
• Photo Studios in India are making a fast buck from clicking
profile pics or DPs as called there – everyone’s cashing in!

36. Online Business Model
• If you can crack this, you’re done!
• Observe business models that work online. And Learn.
(eg: Google, Apple, iTunes music store, appstore)
• When an online model works, it makes news.
* Zynga bought OMGPOP (Draw Something)
* Facebook bought Instagram
* LinkedIn bought CardMunch, Rapportive, ConnectedHQ
• When an online model works, it gets emulated.
Groupon  GrabOne/ Grabaseat, Netflix  Fatso, eBay  TradeMe
• Quick Exercise: Break up into 4 Groups. Come up with 3 working Online Business Models.

37. Business Strategy
• Build Business Model. Refine it. Market it.
• Then, it’s back to online marketing basics:
– Identify Target Market
– Give them a reason to engage
– Intent to Purchase
– Customer Conversion
– Revenue Generation
– Relationship Management
– BUILD YOUR OWN COMMUNITY

38. KEY TAKEAWAY
for Social Media in Business
Social Media
=
Marketing
(Leads/ Branding / Visibility/ Content)
=
ROI

39. Social Media is about Adding Value
• Value could mean:
Save me Time, Save me Money, Save me Effort
Thrill me, Entertain Me, Excite me, Educate Me
Make me Rich, Make me Happy, Make me Laugh, Make me Look Good
WHEN YOU FILL A PERCEIVED GAP IN THE CONSUMER’S MIND = VALUE

40. CASE
STUDIES

41. • Volkswagen’s Fun Theory: Good, Clean, Smart, Fun with Purpose!

42. • Old Spice - Brand Revival Campaign – I’m on a horse!

43. Reading Resources
• LinkedIn Today • Hubspot
• Marketing Sherpa • Marketing Profs
• Social Media Examiner • Social Media Today
• eMarketer • Mashable
• Engadget • HBR
• TechCrunch • Entrepreneur Mag
• GigaOm • Inc
• NYT Technology • Fast Company
• WSJ Social • BusinessInsider
• Silicon Alley Insider (SAI) • VentureBeat
• Forbes • SearchEngineLand
• The Economist • SearchEngineWatch
• The Next Web • Gizmodo
• ReadWriteWeb • Watch Videos on TED.com

44. Books/ Authors to Read
• The Social Media Bible
• Business Model Generation
• Groundswell
• Engage!
• New Rules of Mktg/ PR - David Meerman Scott
• The Start-Up of You - Reid Hoffman + Ben Caznocha
• Chris Brogan/ Seth Godin/ Neal Schaffer/ Lee Odden/ Gary Vaynerchuk
• Free White Papers/ eBooks from MarketingProfs/ SM Examiner/ Hubspot

45. Q&A Time
The day we stop learning…
is the day we stop growing.
• The best ways to pitch your project:
– Start a conversation  Develop a relationship.
– Make a connection. Network. Get social with it!
– Attend Events. Be out there. Face-to-face beats Facebook/ FaceTime
– Take it offline. Have a coffee. Follow-up. Say Thank You.
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE. ENJOY THE LONG WEEKEND!
That’s it from me folks… Questions?

46. Let’s Connect
Amar Trivedi
trivediamar@hotmail.com
+64 22 106 2076

47. Presentation Media - Links
• To read blog post/ see photos, click here
• To share/ download presentation, click here
• To view all videos on YouTube, click here

48. Social Entrepreneurs School
Thursday, April 5, 2012
New Zealand Centre for Social Innovation, Ko Awatea Centre, Middlemore, Auckland
Photos