This document discusses using social media to promote Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). It recommends developing a social media strategy with clear goals and choosing platforms where customers are present. The strategy should focus on community building through engaging content like blogs, videos and discussions. Regular posting of helpful content can attract an online following and drive traffic to the SBDC website for services. Social media is a long-term marketing approach that reduces costs while improving outreach if done through strategic engagement over push advertising.

1. Using Social Media To Build
Your SBDC
Leverage It Or Get Left Behind

2. Who is @MichaelBowers?
District Center Manager for Ohio SBDC at
Columbus State since 2002
SBDC State Star for Ohio in 2007
Won the SBA Innovation and Service
Center of the Year for Ohio and SBA
Region Five in 2007
Won the State of Ohio SBDC Innovation
Award 2011
Striving to accelerate the growth of
entrepreneurship and small business
innovation. #RunNerds Marathoner.
What's worth doing is worth doing for 26.2!

3. Where is the SBDC at Columbus State

4. What Are We Doing Today?
Discuss the strategic development of a social media strategy.
Discuss the various social media platforms and how to best
leverage these to reach your goals.
Discuss how to increase outreach to current and prospective
clients /customers and build awareness in the community.
Discuss how to reduce marketing costs
How to manage time to best implement a social media strategy

5. Ground Rules
No Stupid Questions
(Although I will talk & Tweet about
you afterwards)
I love you all it just may not seem
like it (Tough Love)

6. Is this what you look like Right Now?

7. Why Did We Start With Social?

8. Why Participate In
Social Media?

9. Why Participate?
Marketing is changing
The need to spend money on push
advertising is diminishing
“Word Of Mouth” is a click away

10. Why Participate?
Your customers are on-line NOW!
You must be there too if you are going to
reach and sell your customers.
If you are not there you can bet your
competition is

11. What Social Media Can Do For You
Improved community outreach.
Marketing cost savings.
Improved client / customer flow.
Improved impact
Better Results!!!

12. Anyone Can Do Social Media!
I am not a technical person. I know
less about programming and
computers than anyone.
I just know how to push buttons and I
have a pretty cool phone.

13. Social Media Done Right…

14. Social Media Done Right…
Social Media is Strategic

15. Words of Wisdom…
“In preparing for battle I have
always found that plans are
useless, but planning is
indispensable.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

16. Using Social Media!
Social Media is not the TOOLS
Social Media is the strategy and
the story behind the tools

17. Social Media Done Right…
Lead
Don’t Push

18. Social Media Done Right…
Through “Engagement” You
will create “Fans” that will
follow you and buy from
you

19. Social Media Done Right…
Earn Attention
Build Trust
Turn into Desired Results

20. Building Activity ~ Prospecting

21. Social Media Is Simple…
Just Moving People Around the Internet

22. So, Are You Ready?

23. Three Steps in SM Development
Goals ~ What do you want to
achieve?
Platforms ~ Where are your
customers? This will determine
where you should be.
Promotion~ How are you going
to promote and engage?

24. Do You Remember Community?
Social Media is about
Building a “community” of
people interested in what
you do.

25. If You Build It Will They Come
Strong Value
Strong Story
Strong Engagement

26. Your Website
Where The Magic
Happens

27. Your Website Is Critical
This is where the magic
happens and by magic I
mean SEO and
CONVERSION.

28. www.SBDCColumbus.com

29. Our Members

30. Our Events

31. OhioGrowthSummit.com

32. Your Website Is Critical
This is where the magic
happens and by magic I
mean SEO and
CONVERSION.

33. www.SBDCColumbus.com

34. Our Members

35. Our Events

36. OhioGrowthSummit.com

37. OhioGrowthSummit.com

38. OhioGrowthSummit.com

39. The Story…
Content Marketing

40. Content Marketing
Content Marketing means creating and sharing
valuable free content to attract and convert prospects
into customers, and customers into repeat buyers.
The type of content you share is closely related to what
you sell; in other words, you’re educating people so that
they know, like, and trust you enough to do business
with you.
via www.copyblogger.com

41. Content Marketing
You have to create content ~ Get in the habit
of writing
Embrace Brevity ~ Not everything is a 5,000
word manifesto. Remember your content will
probably be read on a 3 inch screen
Keep it simple ~ This isn’t English class. Write
to your audience.

42. Content Marketing
Where do you get ideas to write about?
What are your customers or prospects
asking you? There is a blog post.

43. Content Marketing
Most important
Be Helpful

44. Your Blog
Tell Stories About Why
People Should Come
to Your SBDC

45. Your Blog
Thought Leadership
Your Expertise
Your Value

46. Your Blog
Content Drives Traffic.

47. Ideas2Deals.com

48. Embed Video For Content

49. Write Content ~ Answer Questions

50. Share Content ~ Links

51. Social Media Tools
You Don’t Buy
Drills You Buy
Holes

52. Social Media Tools
Focus on the outcome,
the desired result, not
the tool

53. E-Mail Marketing

54. E-Mail Marketing
With Social you can’t really know
if people saw your message.
With email at least you know it
went to their email box and you
can track opens.

55. E-Mail Marketing

56. E-Mail Marketing
Email marketing only works if
you have a quality list to send to.
Build a consistent deliver pattern
and provide value

57. FaceBook
Engagement
Visual
Easy

58. My Personal Facebook Page

59. facebook.com/SBDC.Columbus

60. facebook.com/ohiogrowthsummit

61. facebook.com/ohiogrowthsummit

62. facebook.com/ohiogrowthsummit

63. facebook.com/ohiogrowthsummit

64. FaceBook Tips
Be sure to direct people to
your page and ask for the
“Like”
Facebook.com/SBDC.Columbus

65. FaceBook Tips
You can schedule your
updates, pictures and videos
but be sure to interact and
respond.
Engagement!

66. Twitter
140 Characters
“Lead” people to where you
would like to go.

67. Twitter.com/MichaelBowers

68. twitter.com/OHGrowthSummit

69. twitter.com/Ohio_SBDC

70. LinkedIn
Great for business to
business activity.
Big in job seeking and full of
people considering
entrepreneurship

71. LinkedIn Profile

72. Linkedin Groups

73. YouTube
People like Visual
Great way to draw attention
Google owns it…Google
Likes It!

74. www.youtube.com/ohiosbdc

75. www.youtube.com/ohiosbdc

76. www.youtube.com/ohiosbdc

77. www.youtube.com/ohiosbdc

78. You Tube Interviews

79. YouTube Interviews

80. YouTube Interviews

81. Pinterest

82. Goggle +

83. Goggle+

84. Goggle+ Hangouts

85. Podcasting

86. Podcasting

87. Webinars

88. Instagram
Visual Social Sharing

89. SM Management
You can manage your sites
from a single tool.
You don’t have to go to each
site and it doesn’t take that
long.

90. Hootsuite.com

91. Hootsuite.com

92. Buffer.com

93. Be Sure You Are Listening

94. Listen With Twitter Search

95. Listen With Google Alerts

96. Listen With A Reader ~ RSS

97. Listen With Hootsuite

98. Final Thoughts (Almost Done)

99. Final Thoughts
Be Strategic. What do you Want
to accomplish?
Always Think Community
Engage, Engage, Engage

100. Final Thoughts
Be Heavy on Content
Don’t Push, Lead

101. Final Thoughts
Be Patient.
Social is a long term strategy that
will build long term client/customers
Create Small Successes.

102. Final Thoughts
Create Value

103. Where Am I?
E-mail mbowers3@cscc.edu
Ohio SBDC http://www.sbdccolumbus.com/
Blog http://www.ideas2deals.com/
Twitter @MichaelBowers and @Ohio_SBDC
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/michael.bowers
https://www.facebook.com/SBDC.Columbus
https://www.facebook.com/Ideas2Deals
Google + http://gplus.to/MichaelBowers
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/michaelbowers/
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/mbowers030

104. If You Choose to Participate…
Do or Do Not…
There Is No Try!

105. The Ohio SBDC at Columbus State
p. 614-287-5294
www.SBDCColumbus.com