This document provides guidance on leveraging Facebook and Twitter for small businesses. It begins by citing statistics that show the widespread use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter. It then discusses how social media provides new pathways for marketers to reach customers through timeless, searchable, interactive, and conversational content. The document outlines basic rules for using Twitter and Facebook, such as tweet length limits and the difference between personal profiles and business pages. It provides objectives and tactics for growing followers and engagement on both platforms, such as following others and consistently posting multimedia content. Finally, it discusses maintaining active sites, promoting your pages, and advertising options on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Leveraging Facebook & Twitter
for Your Small Business
Jonathan Arehart, President & CEO,
Cavendo
Erin DeWaters, VP, Communications,
Fairfax Chamber

2. The Business Case

3. What the Statistics Say…
• 67% of Internet users are using social
networks
• 59% are on Facebook
• 16% use Twitter
– Highly educated; opinion leaders; urban
Source: Pew Internet Project

4. What It Means for Marketers….
• New pathways to customers
• Timeless/searchable
• More interactive/dynamic/real time
• More linked and social
• Conversational model

5. Rules of the Road

6. Twitter
– Tweet = 140 characters or less
– @= people, businesses, non-profits, products, etc.
– #= discussion topics. The list of top trending topics is available
from the home screen in the left column
– RT = Retweet. This is a way to share something that someone
else has posted
– MT = modified tweet. You have retweeted what someone else
has posted, but made changes.
– Reply = reply. You can reply directly to a specific tweet posted by
someone else. The conversation becomes viewable.
– Direct messages: You can send direct messages via Twitter. You
can use this if asked a question you feel more comfortable
answering privately.
– Twitter automatically shortens hyperlinks now, but if you ever
need to do it manually, use www.tinyurl.com.

7. Facebook
– There is not a limit to the length of content
– There IS a big difference between your profile and the ECW Fan
page
• Profile = personal
• Fan page = primarily business/event-related
• For your particular business, however, the lines are a little more
blurred
– Evaluate whether your Twitter will go to your profile or your fan
page
• Recommendation: send it to the fan page
– Multimedia is king on Facebook.
• Use the camera on your phone and post the photos.
• Facebook is also a great place to post audio/video

8. Growing Your Pages

9. Twitter
Objective 1: Increase number of followers
– Tactic: Golden Rule: do unto others as they would do unto you. Follow others to be
followed
– Tactic: Add content consistently. Tag others’ handles (@) and contribute to conversations
(#)
Objective 2: Tweet with existing & potential clients
– Tactic: Every time you get a business card, check Twitter and hit follow
– Tactic: Follow & communicate with your current clients (something as simple as wishing
them luck on a presentation or meeting they’ve posted about is an interaction you
didn’t have before)
Objective 3: Capitalize on your affiliations and activities
– Tactic: Follow and communicate with groups you belong to. If they re-tweet you, you
have reached more people and likely gained followers
– Tactic: Follow and communicate about/with news and industry outlets you read
regularly.
– Tactic: If you do a TV interview, post about it! If you make a presentation, post about it!
Volunteering? Post about it!

10. Facebook
Objective 1: Increase number of friends
– Tactic: Upload contact list to Facebook
– Tactic: “Friend” current clients and contacts regularly (and accept their requests)
Objective 2: Increase number of fans pages
– Tactic: Feed Twitter feed to this page for consistent content updates
– Tactic: Link from your website and marketing emails to this page rather than your profile
Objective 3: Utilize Facebook as a place for multimedia content
– Tactic: Upload photos
– Tactic: Upload audio segments
– Tactic: Upload video

11. Content & Upkeep

12. • Don’t let your sites go dormant
• Respond to questions/feedback/interactions
• Promote your sites!
– Website
– Email signature
– Marketing products

13. Advertising Options

14. • Facebook
– Geographic targeting
– Industry targeting
– Demographic targeting
– “Likes” = communication
channels
• Twitter
– New analytics
– New sophistication

15. Thank you!
Jonathan Arehart, President & CEO, Cavendo
jarehart@cavendo.com
Erin DeWaters, VP, Communications, Fairfax Chamber
edewaters@fairfaxchamber.org