The document outlines a webinar series focusing on social media strategies for small businesses, featuring expert panelists who share insights on using platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Key topics include choosing the right social media platform, connecting with customers, measuring social media effectiveness, and best practices to avoid common pitfalls. Additionally, it highlights the importance of effective engagement and transparency in building an online presence.

2. Social Media Today’s Hands-On Training Series presents:
Small Business Focus:
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Now
Google+
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3. How to Participate
• Submit your questions in the GotoWebinar
presentation window
• Follow along and share your thoughts on Twitter at
#SMTlive

4. About the Panel
Lauren Simondsis Managing Editor of Small BusinessComputing.com and Ecommerce-
guide.com, helping small business owners and managers understand technology, so they can make
better buying decisions, save money and increase productivity.
Cindy Meltzer is the Community Manager at Isis Parenting, responsible for digital marketing
strategy, including creating educational blog and video content as well as managing and monitoring
social channels for the Isis brand. She also blogs at The Social Craft.
Pamela O'Hara is president of BatchBlue Software, which she co-founded in 2006, and is a founder of
SBBuzz, a live Twitter chat that amassed nearly 20,000 followers in its freshman year and which invites
small businesses to share their tech know-how.
Chuck Hester is a LinkedIn power connector with more than 11,000 direct connections, and a sought-after
expert on the subject of using LinkedIn for media relations, personal and professional branding, and how to
use social media to build business contacts.
James A. Martin runs an online marketing and editorial consulting business, with clients ranging from self-
employed entrepreneurs to large corporations such as Cisco and Adobe Systems. He helps businesses of all
sizes with SEO, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and blogging.
#SMTlive

5. What Social Media Can Do For Your
Business
• “Join the conversation” (it’s happening whether you’re
there or not)
• Connect directly with customers, influencers, potential
investors
• Learn about co-marketing opportunities and events
relevant to your biz
• Increase brand awareness and “buzz” about your
product(s), as well as monitoring your brand and what
people are saying about you
• Provide customer service
Cindy Meltzer
#SMTlive

6. Choosing the Right Platform
• Know your target customer
• Do some research– how much time do they spend
online? where do they go?
• Consider hardware. Are they using mobile? Tablets?
Cindy Meltzer
#SMTlive

7. Avoiding Social Media Risks
• Don’t open a channel if you don’t plan to maintain
it. It’s better to be truly present on one channel than
barely there on three.
• Marketing messages are more well received in the
context of community, conversation and the sharing
of information. Social media is not your marketing
megaphone.
Cindy Meltzer
#SMTlive

8. Connecting with Customers
• Be friendly and personable in tone
• Diversify your content to keep people interested
• Respond as quickly as you can
• Know that your customers will treat social media as
a customer service portal, so treat it as such
Cindy Meltzer
#SMTlive

9. Measuring Your Efforts
• Set goals—what is it you are trying to accomplish?
• Look beyond number of fans and followers
• Google Analytics is your friend– it will track how
much traffic is coming to your site from social
platforms, and how often they convert
• Other free measurement/analytics tools:
Hootsuite, Facebook Insights, bit.ly, Klout
Cindy Meltzer
#SMTlive

10. • Think strategically
• Where should you be?
• Who will monitor it?
• How often should you post?
• What content goes where?
• What should you be measuring?
• Act naturally
• Keep up the conversation
• Provide support everywhere
• Engage & promote your followers
• Less is more
Pamela O’Hara
#SMTlive

11. What we do
• Promotions • New hires
• Contests • Pictures of everything
• Customer Support • Product demos
• Announcements • Surveys
• Case studies • Advertising
• Company news
Where we do it
• Facebook http://facebook.com/batchbookCRM
• Twitter http://twitter.com/batchbook
• LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/batchblue-software
• Blog http/blog.batchblue.com
• Flickr http://flickr.com/batchbluesoftware
• YouTube http://youtube.com/batchblue
• Google+ coming soon
Pamela O’Hara
#SMTlive

12. Batchbook Social CRM
http://batchbook.com
http://blog.batchblue.com
Twitter @batchbook
Facebook.com/batchbookCRM
LinkedIn.com/batchblue-software
Flickr.com/batchbluesoftware
Pamela O’Hara
#SMTlive

13. Chuck Hester, APR
– Managing Partner, The Affinity Alliance, Inc.
– Chief Connections Officer, Chuck Hester Enterprises
– Public relations counsel to companies worldwide
– Creator/Organizer of LinkedIn Corporate Bootcamps
– LinkedIn Power User with more than 11,000 first level
connections
– 30 years experience in marketing and public relations
– Author, “Linking in to Pay It Forward: Changing the
Value Proposition in Social Media
Chuck Hester
#SMTlive

14. LinkedIn
• 110 + million active users
• Founded in 2003, one the oldest social networks
• More than ONE MILLION user groups and forums
• NOT just for job seekers and recruiters – home to
sales, customer service, marketing and C-level
executives
Chuck Hester
#SMTlive

15. LinkedIn and Your Professional Brand
• Be Transparent
• Treat your connections like they are physically in
front of you
• If you’re open, the opportunities will come
• Be consistent in your contacts
• Don’t number munch
• Be part of the community
Chuck Hester
#SMTlive

16. The System: How to be a Power Connector in 15
minutes a Day!
• Connect with the Connectors
• Connect with one, ask for five
• Post your profile on key groups
• ALWAYS personalize your invitations
• Ask a contact if they are linked
• Answer invitations in a timely, but reasonable
manner
Chuck Hester
#SMTlive

17. Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Using Social
Media for Marketing
• Social Media is about community – not marketing.
Don’t sell, have a conversation.
• Don’t be something you’re not. Social media is about
transparency
• listen, don’t BROADCAST
• Avoid flooding the social media networks with your
messages
• Once a relationship is established don’t abuse it for
your marketing/pr purposes
Chuck Hester
#SMTlive

18. Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Using Social
Media for Marketing
• Live by the tool, die by the tool
• At the end of the day, you need to measure results –
keep that in mind when using social media
• Personalize your company by having real people, not
logos be part of the dialogue
• ALWAYS remember it’s a dialogue
• Set aside a specific amount of time for social
media, otherwise you will get lost!
Chuck Hester
#SMTlive

19. • SEO helps potential customers find you
• Social media helps existing customers &
friends connect to you
• SEO can help your social media efforts
• Social media can help your SEO
James A. Martin
@ james_a_martin
#SMTlive

20. • SEO – the right keywords, the best links
• How to use SEO in your social media efforts
– Use primary keyword phrase in social profiles
– Use trending keywords in social media updates
– Go for retweets and shares
• How to use social media to help with your SEO
– Online reputation management
– Control as many Google search results as possible
• Blogging is good for SEO
• YouTube is good for SEO
• One tool, multiple postings
James A. Martin
@ james_a_martin
#SMTlive

21. Thanks for Joining Us
• This webinar will be available on-demand at
www.SocialMediaToday.com. Stop by to learn
more and share your comments.
• Connect with our panelists on Social Media
Today using the search function:

22. Join us November 1st for…
• A conversation with Brian Solis