This document provides an outline for creating a social media marketing plan for sustainable brands. It begins by stating that social media is one piece of an overall marketing strategy and does not replace fundamental marketing practices. It then discusses questions around understanding your target audience and unique value proposition. The document outlines key local search statistics and location-based tools like Google Places and Yelp. It concludes by proposing a 5 step strategic social media marketing action plan of envisioning goals, planning, taking action, tracking results, and adapting the plan based on what is measured.

1. Launching Your
Social Media
Marketing Plan
For Sustainable Brands
By Brenda Horton
Twitter: @BrendaHorton -- Facebook: facebook.com/BrendaTelloHorton
Fan Page: facebook.com/HwareFB -- blog: www.hware.com/blog -- email: info@hware.com

2. Outline
 Has social media changed the
fundamentals of marketing?
 What does peak oil and
climate change have to do with
location-based marketing?
 A 5 Step Social Media
Marketing Action Plan.

3. Social media is a
technology tool.

4. It is not the answer to all
your sales & marketing
challenges.
image by John Trainor on flickr

5. In other words, it’s one piece
of your overall sales and
marketing strategy.

6. Social media is not going to
save your sustainable
business from a poorly
designed marketing plan or
lack of one.

7. How do you use the tools of
online marketing like social
media to effectively and
successfully support your
business goals?

8. How does social media fit
into your sustainable
business model?

9. We are living in revolutionary
times where there is a radical shift
happening in many areas of
humanity.

10. Social media is...
revolutionizing
our business
relationships and
it is changing the
way we connect
and
communicate
with one another.

11. The business tools have
changed.

12. However, the fundamentals
of solid sales and
marketing practices have
not.

13. You still need to know who
your target audience is.

14. Is your sustainable brand a
B2B or B2C or both?

15. Is your business a “place
independent” (virtual)
sustainable brand?

16. Or a local-based
sustainable organization?

17. …or both?

18. How does your marketing
support your
triple bottom line?

19. Does your sustainable
business offer services
or products or both?

20. How do you incentivize
your vendors, suppliers,
employees, and
customers to help
spread your
sustainable brand and
refer business your way?

21. People still buy from brands
they know, like and trust.

22. We still need to ask questions
like, “How does my product or
service solve my customers’
problems?”

23. How do we articulate that
through social media?

25. For eco-conscious
customers, it’s usually
value-based versus price or
convenience.

26. What’s your unique
proposition value?

27. What makes you stand out
amongst all the other natural
skin care lines…

28. …or hemp clothing lines?

29. These are just a few
fundamental sales and
marketing questions we still
need to be asking.

30. Lastly, as thought leaders
and influencers in building
the green economy….

31. …how are you using online
tools to change the world
through your sustainable
business?

32. How are you using social
media to spread your
message of doing good
while doing business?

33. It starts with a clear
understanding of the online
sales funnel.

34. delicious
Your Website
is your online
Real Estate
StumbleUpon
Email Marketing
MadMimi.com
AWeber.com
ConstantContact.com
RSS Subscribers
FeedBurner.com
FeedBlitz

35. What call to
action do you
want your
customer to
take?

36. For example
 Do you want them to sign up for your e-
newsletter?
 Do you want them to RSVP to an event?
 Do you want them to buy your online
product?
 Do you want them to download your e-
book?

37. Where’s your target
audience hanging out
online and how are you
connecting with them?

38. How are you engaging them
on an online conversation?

39. www.bestgreenblogs.co
m
What blogs are they actively
participating on?

40. www.businessdegreeonline.net/green-
blogs
Are you contributing to the conversation?

41. 636 LinkedIn Groups in
category “green business.”
Are you providing value?

42. We now build relationships
online… Meetup

43. ….before we meet each other
offline.

44. Festivals and Conferences

45. Networking Events

46. How does the sales funnel
work for a local green
business?

47. With peak oil and
climate change, many
eco-entrepreneurs are
interested in starting
local sustainable
businesses.

48. Here are few statistics on
local search.

49. 73% of online activity is
related to local content.

50. 80% of budgets are spent
within 50 miles of the
home.

51. 80% of searchers research
online before purchasing in a
10-20 mile radius.

52. Almost every local
search includes
mapped results.

53. 74% of internet users
perform local
searches.

54. 82% of local searches
follow up offline via an in-
store visit, phone call, or
purchase.

55. 35% of all searches are
local.

56. 90% of online commercial
searches results in offline
brick and mortar purchases.

57. What location-based online
tools are you using to
connect and engage your
target audience throughout
the sales funnel?

58. Google Places
www.google.com/local/add/businesscent
er

59. By claiming your business on
Google Places
It tells the search engines
that they have the most
accurate and up-to-date
information about your
business location.

60. Google Places
It gives YOU, the business
owner an opportunity to
optimize your business listing
for targeted keyword sets and
geographic areas.

61. Google Places
Claiming your place page is
important, but adding
relevant content to it is
what will help with rankings.

62. Yelp is not just for
restaurants anymore.

63. Over 38 million people
visited Yelp in August
2010 to make spending
decisions.

64. Yelp
 Communicate with your customers
privately or publicly.
 Track how many people view biz page.
 Add photos and detailed biz description.
 Announce special offerings.
 Post up-to-date information and
specialties.

65. How are you
incentivizing your
customers to do
business with you?

66. Check-Ins
Facebook
Places/Deals

67. e-coupons

68. Foursquare

70. A 5 Step high-level
Strategic Social
Media Marketing
Action Plan.

71. 1. Envision – Create a vision of results
that you want to achieve
2. Plan – High level goals and create a
plan
3. Act – Take action on the plan
4. Track – Measure your results
5. Adapt – Adjust plan, actions, or vision
if necessary based on results.

72. 1. Envision
It starts with the end in mind.
 What outcome do I want to
achieve?
 What’s my vision?
 What values will guide
you?
 What do I want to
accomplish?

73. 2. Plan
 Identity the goals you want to achieve.
 Determine who will lead goal by when.
 Make your goals SMART - Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant, Time Bound.
 Select and prioritize which social media platforms
you will use and how you will use them.
 Determine how you will measure success and by
when: KPI - Key Performance Indicators.
 Above all make sure your brand is consistent on
every platform.

74. 3. ACT
Create action plans for each goal
and take action.
‣ Sign up for key social media platforms
using your brand.
‣ Call to action for your target audience.
‣ Do status updates about them on all
your social media platforms
‣ Drive traffic to your site
‣ Capture leads and convert to end goal.

75. 4. Track
 Track progress on Actions
Plans and Goals
 Update Results for your
Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs)
 Review Progress and
Results
 Using Metrics
 Using Analytics
 Have Accountability

76. 5. Adapt
 Review
 Revisit
 Rethink
 Revise
 Repeat

77. The ultimate measure
for sustainable
brands is the
successful execution
of the triple bottom
line business model.

78. Social Media
Resources
 Facebook and local deals -
mashable.com/2010/11/03/facebook-deals-
platform/
 www.hubspot.com
 www.copyblogger.com
 sethgodin.typepad.com

79. For more FREE
business tips and
strategies sign up for
Hware’s Blog at
www.hware.com/blog

80. To get this presentation
and links to
social media resources
go to
www.hware.com/?p=4540

81. Thank You!
This Concludes
Social Media
Marketing
Plan For Sustainable
Brands.

82. Flickr Photos attributions
Thank you to:
Slide 3 geishaboy500
Slide 4 John Trainor
Slide 5 Mykl Roventine
Slide 6 Music2Work2
Slide 8 WoodleyWonderWorks
Slide 10 Alisharusher
Slide 11 Webtreats
Slide 1 Vacacion
Slide 15 Office Now
Slide 16 SarahG
Slide 20 Kevindooley
Slide 23 Aturkus
Slide 26 Rachelvoorhees
Slide 27 Jim Linwood
Slide 29 BurningKarma
Slide 29 sunshinecity
Slide 33 Testsumo
Slide 37 Javier.reyesgomez