How Social Media and Content Marketing Can Help Grow Your Business

Grow Your Business
Through Social Media
For SCORE Austin
2014 Content Marketing Workshop Series

12/5/2014
Copyright 2009-2014, Austin Return On Now Internet
Marketing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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About Tommy Landry
President, Return On Now
Specialty: Internet Marketing
SEO, SEM, Content, Social, Websites, Online Advertising, Web
Analytics, Metrics
20+ Years Marketing
15 Years SEO
11 Years SEM
Lifetime of Content & Social

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Where to Find Me
Twitter
Me: @tommy_landry
Business: @ReturnOnNow
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tommylandry/
Google+: Return On Now
Email: tommy@returnonnow.com
Website: http://ReturnOnNow.com

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What Is Social Media?
Social Media is any platform or
technology that allows real
people to interact, exchange
ideas, have conversations, or
otherwise be “social” in a virtual
environment.
Image Source: Brian Solis on Flickr Under Creative
Commons Attribution License

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Types of Social Media
Social Networking (Facebook)
Social Bookmarking (StumbleUpon)
Blogging
Micro Blogging (Twitter)
Media Sharing (YouTube, SlideShare)
Image Sharing (Pinterest, Instagram)
Gamification / Social Gaming
Content Curation Sites (Scoop.it)
Any Online Community

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Why Social Media for Marketing?
• 92% of Marketers Say Social Media Is Important for Business
• Increases Awareness Among Target Communities / Audiences
• Builds Expertise Before Clients Are Ready to Buy
• Drives Demand, and in Turn, Leads
• Helps Increase Overall Website Traffic and Revenue Over Time
Serves a CRITICAL Role In Content Promotion

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The Roles of Social Media
Build a Network of Fans and Followers
Stimulate Word of Mouth
Provide a Vehicle to Promote Content
Marketing Efforts / Assets
Amplify Messages to a Wider Audience
Build Awareness and Brand
Preference
Drive Engagement In Your Community
or Segment
Image Source: Wikipedia.org Under Creative Commons Attribution License

Psychological Model
“Buyer’s Journey” in web circles
Simple version:
Dated version:
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Refresher: The Customer Lifecycle
Awareness Familiarity Consideration Purchase
Awareness Response Evaluation Commitment

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Customer Lifecycle: No Longer Linear
SOURCE: http://blogs.forrester.com/lori_wizdo/12-10-04-
buyer_behavior_helps_b2b_marketers_guide_the_buyers_
journey

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Demand Gen vs. Lead Gen
Demand Gen
Awareness
Familiarity
Consideration
Purchase
Lead Gen
Social Media primarily plays
in the Demand Gen areas.
It sets up interest for Lead
Gen to be successful once
a need for your product or
service is clear.

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How to Know Where To Be
What Content Or Conversation Will You Be Starting?
Where To Find Your Target Audience?
Where Is Your Focal Topic Relevant?

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Social + Content = Inseparable
Social Requires Content to
Truly Succeed
Content Provides Social With
Something To Promote
The Conversation Is Not Just
About Talking…
• Creating New Ideas!
• Stimulating Conversation
• Driving Knowledge
Image Source: TopRankBlog on Flickr Under
Creative Commons Attribution License

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Setting Goals for Social Campaigns
By Content Item (Whitepaper, Blog Post)
By Tactic (Tweet, Share, Pin)
By Program
By Topic
By Source (Twitter, LinkedIn, reddit – separate free vs. Paid placements)
By Audience
By Leads
By Revenue

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How to Set a Social Marketing Strategy
Start with SMART Goals
Specific
Measurable
Actionable
Realistic
Time-Bound
Objectives → Strategies → Tactics
Image Source: Wikimedia.org Under
Creative Commons Attribution License

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How Deep is too Deep?
Spend 80% of Time On Strategy and Direction
Get It Right Up Front Before Execution Starts
Do Not Micromanage: Trust Tactical Managers to Deliver
Schedule Regular Check-ins
Know When To Say When Based On Results

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Social Media Rollout Tips
Establish Social Media Presence (claim accounts)
Understand Your Business In and Out; Have a Purpose
Understand Why Your Audience Shares / Engages
Listen More Than You Talk (especially at first)
Provide Value – No Chest Beating!
Content Is the Key to Success – Build Into Your Plan
Test, Iterate, Evolve, and Test Again
Remember: It’s All About People
Hat Tip to Referral Candy (source of expert research cited above)

Tips For Leading Platforms
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Tips by Platform: Twitter
Mix Up Content Shared
Post 10 Others’ Content For One of Your Own
Good for Getting Foot in Door
Very Short Attention Spans

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Tips by Platform: Facebook
Pictures and Videos Perform Best
Much Better for B2C than B2B
Reach Is Dwindling – Intentional
Don’t Overinvest Too Fast
Careful With Fake Like’s – Especially On Paid
Clicks

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Tips by Platform: Google+
More Useful for Author Markup Than Social
Everyone Should Be On It for SEO Purposes
Find Good Communities
Get Familiar With Advanced Features
Be Smart About Time Spent on G+

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Tips by Platform: Pinterest
Always Include Images on Blog Posts / Web Pages
Pin Every One of Them
Build Assortment of Related Boards and Curate
Like Other Boards, Give Back
Especially Useful for Visual Products, eCommerce,
Designers, and Bloggers

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Tips by Platform: LinkedIn
Best B2B Social Platform Available
Keep The Conversation Professional and On Point
Claim Your Company Page
Participate in Groups – Key Feature
Optimize Your Personal Profile – People Will Look
Post Periodic Status Updates For Targets

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Tips by Platform: Social Bookmarking
Select a Manageable Number And Focus On Them
Ignore Fads – Use Established Sites
Participate In The Community
Bookmark All Content You Create

Let’s Look At The Top
Platforms
Time Permitting…
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A Note On Paid Placement
Can Boost Likes / Followers Quickly
Can Also Blow Money Quickly
Test Small, Adjust, Then Expand
Patience is a Virtue
Expect this to Take Time – no
shortcuts to true engagement
Caveat - Can Drive Quick Exposure
For Premium Content Assets
Image Source: Business2Community Under Creative Commons Attribution License

Pulling It All Together
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Productivity: Prioritizing Your Time
Pick Your Battles: Avoid Social Media Overload
Make Intelligent Tradeoffs
You Don’t Have to Be Everywhere All The Time
Build Into Overall Priorities From the Start
Only Dedicate What It Deserves – Adjust As You Learn More

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When To Back Off of Social
Audience Ignores You
You Start Getting Unfollowed /
Defriended
You Start to Get Stressed Out
You Lose the Motivation To Keep
Doing It
Metrics Tell You To Go Another
Direction
Image Source: Wikimedia Under Creative

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Adapting to Results / Feedback
Use Social Results to Inform Content Decisions
Use Content Decisions to Better Manage Social
Use Both To Drive Social SEO Strategies
Remember: Nothing Is Set In Stone; Adaptation is Expected
Image Source: Wikipedia Under Creative

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Thank you!
Questions?
Connect with me:
Tommy P. Landry, President
Return On Now
http://ReturnOnNow.com
tommy@returnonnow.com
Twitter: @tommy_landry

How Social Media and Content Marketing Can Help Grow Your Business

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