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An Introduction to Social
Media
By Shanta R. Nathwani, B.Com., MCP
Independent IT & Social Media Consultant

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Introduction
 Qualifications:
 Diploma in Network Administration, York College of
Info. Tech.
 Bachelor of Commerce in Info Tech Mgmt, Ryerson
University
 Independent IT and Social Media Consultant
 Clients include NPO’s, Real Estate, Software
Development, Financial and Political Sectors
 Instructor, Sheridan College in Intermediate Web Design

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What Is Social Media?
Social Media is defined as:
 Websites and applications used for social networking.1
 Web sites and other online means of communication that are
used by large groups of people to share information and to
develop social and professional contacts2
 Forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social
networking and microblogging) through which users create
online communities to share information, ideas, personal
messages, and other content (as videos)3
1 Oxford Dictionary http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/social+media
2 Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/social+media?s=t
3 Webster’s Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media

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Social Networks Explained

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Main Streams
 Facebook
 Individuals, Non-Profits and Companies
 Typically used for Business to Consumer, but can also be used for
Business to Business
 To add a friend, need both parties to accept
 Anyone can “Like” a page or group as well as subscribe to updates from
individuals
 Twitter
 Individuals, Non-Profits and Companies
 Used equally between B2C, B2B and C2C
 Limited to 140 characters. Often referred to as Microblogging
 No need to accept relationship (unless marked private). Just because
someone follows you, doesn’t mean you have to follow you back
 Uses hashtags for search and emphasis (i.e. #fail)

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Main Streams (con’t)
 YouTube
 Individuals, Non-Profits and Companies
 Used equally between B2C, B2B and C2C
 Used to demonstrate things not easily shown in documentation
 Can create channels or collection of videos
 LinkedIn
 Used for professional connections by Individuals, Non-Profits and
Companies
 Must accept relationship
 Mostly free but has some paid sections

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Other Streams
 MailChimp for email marketing/newsletters
 Eventbrite for events and registrations
 Pinterest for images
 WordPress for Blogging or as a Content Management System

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Channels
•Friends Network
•Can be fed manually
Facebook
or automatically
You Tube •Can be it’s own •Individuals or Pages
or Photo channel or placed into
Gallery posts
•Anyone connects with
anyone
Twitter •Can be fed manually
or automatically
•No hierarchy
•Professional Network
•Can be fed manually
LinkedIn
or automatically
•Individuals or groups
•Emailing list can be
updated from master
Mailchimp •Self-manages
Posting Direction Flow bouncebacks, unsubs
cribes, etc.

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Quiz Time!
Question 1: This age group has 40% of them using
Social Media actively today.
a) 12-17
b) 18-34
c) 35-54
d) 55+
Answer: Over 40% of those over the age of 55 in Canada are now
actively using Social Media1
1 http://www.webfuel.ca/canada-social-media-statistics-2011/

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Quiz Time!
Question 2: Who uses Social Media more? Men or
Women?
a) Men
b) Women
c) Equal
Answer: 37% of online Canadian women say that they visit a Social
Media site at least once a day, compared to only 24% of online
Canadian men. 1
1 http://www.webfuel.ca/canada-social-media-statistics-2011/

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Quiz Time!
Question 3: What is the fastest growing segment of Facebook
Users?
a) Girls aged 12-17
b) Men aged 18-24
c) Men aged 35-44
d) Women aged 55-64
e) None of the above
Answer: The fastest growing segment on Facebook is 55-65 Females. 1
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUeL3n7fDs

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Interesting Facts

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Interesting Facts

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Interesting Facts

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Interesting Facts

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Interesting Facts

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Case Study: VIA Rail
 VIA Railgave two bloggers (one English, one French)
tickets on the train to ride across Canada
 Thehashtags generated 1,285,221 impressions, reaching
38,401 people during the course of 4 days
 The ROI was calculated:
 Traditional media value of 1.3M impressions: $10K-20K
 Traditional production value for print, radio & TV: $5K-
$200K
 Out of pocket cost to VIA using 2 bloggers: $2,500
Source: VIA Rail #SMWTOroi presentation 2012

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Case Study: Gorilla Cheese
 Local Food Truck Company started in July, 2011
 Uses Facebook to notify customers of their locations
 Engages regularly on Twitter
 Won“Eat Streets” TV competition on the Food
Network thanks to social media
 “Wewouldn’t be the success we are without social
media.” – Sue Austin at Women’s Entrepreneurship
February, 2012
Source: http://www.thespec.com/living/food/article/669393--hamilton-s-gorilla-cheese-is-bound-for-tv-stardom

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Case Study: Hamilton Meetup
 We needed a new place to have our meetups
 Jumped onto Twitter to ask about where we could
have one using #HamOnt
 Hada community member recommend Romano’s
(@romanos1275).
 After
that we exchanged emails and let the
conversation take off from there!

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Blogging… Why Me?
 Gives people a reason to visit your website on a regular basis
 Positions you as an expert in your field
 Opens an area for discussion and conversation

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How Do I Get Started With A Blog?
 Choose a platform that works for you. My recommendation is
WordPress
 How often will vary depending on your “business”
 Community groups and non-profits – About once a month/quarter
 Businesses should post about once a week
 Check http://learn.wordpress.com for more on finding your
focus and how to run WordPress
 Cost involved:
 .com site is FREE
 .org software is also free, just pay for domain & hosting

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Email Marketing (Mass Mailing)
 Common Tools are MailChimp or Constant Contact
 Allows you to email many people at once without limitations of
ISP or Client (Like Outlook)
 Bill C-28 – Anti-Spam Law: Make sure that your campaigns
comply with this law
 Emails must have an “unsubscribe” ability
 Must maintain a record of how, where and when you obtained
permission from the recipient
 Allow recipients to decide how they wish to receive the email
(HTML, Text or Mobile)

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Some Additional Tips
 Don’t put anything on social media that you wouldn’t expect to
see on a billboard
 Don’t automatically cross post (i.e., Facebook to Twitter or vice-
versa). Once in a while is okay, but for the most part, customize
the message for the platform/channel
 You can manage your social media in about one hour per day;
about 20 minutes at breakfast, lunch and dinner

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Take Away
 The conversation is going to happen whether you are there or
not. You won’t be able to control it, but rather than ignore
it, why not manage it and be where your clients are? –
paraphrased from Scott Stratten
 It doesn’t have to be perfect, just genuine.
 Social Media doesn’t replace face-to-face, it should compliment
it.
 In addition, if I offered you a free tool to help market to potential
clients, even thousands, how likely are you to use it? That’s
what I thought.

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Questions?
And maybe some answers?
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Thank You!
Shanta R. Nathwani
Twitter: @TantienHime
Email: shanta@shanta.ca
Profile: LinkedIn.com/in/nathwani