Social Media MATTERS for Business Tosha Daugherty

Transcription

1 Social Media MATTERS for Business Tosha

2 Visit Morgan County Commercial Globally, tourism spending = $7.6 Trillion Nationally, tourism spending = $1.4 Trillion In Indiana, tourism spending = $10.7 Billion In Morgan County, tourism spending = $23 Million (6 th fastest-growing of all Indiana counties in 2014!) Why is that important? 434 jobs & $9.3 Million in wages/labor income $5 Million in federal, state & local tax revenues 71 cents of every dollar spent STAYS in Morgan County s economy Without it, each of the 25,765 households in Morgan County would have to pay an additional $115 per year in taxes. TOURISM IS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT!

3 What is Social Media? Social Media (SoMe) is used to refer to a variety of platforms used for communication, engagement and networking for both personal and professional audiences. Social Media is NOT just another broadcast medium. When you use social media you connect with people, communicate with them and hopefully have meaningful engagement with some of them. Social media is more than a new method of communication, however, social media is a communication culture; a lifestyle. People who use social media will check their FB or Twitter account before they take their morning shower. They Instagram moments from their daily lives. They may blog about their experiences. It s about connecting with other people. It s about building a relationship and telling your story.

4 Why Social Media Matters for Business Social Media allows us to connect directly with customers on informal, friendly platforms geared toward emotional connections and relationships (a.k.a. networking). People get to know YOU. They start to think of your business as a person. You become their friend - a trusted source of information rather than a business or company that wants their money.

5 Social Media Participation Guidelines 1. Be Transparent. 2. Be Honest. 3. Be Respectful. 4. Use Common Courtesy. 5. Stick To Your Area Of Expertise. 6. Practice Appropriate and Polite Disagreement. (Take Complaints Off-Line.) 7. Write About Others BUT be sure to have the facts straight, be diplomatic, get appropriate permissions. 8. Avoid Legal Matters and Crisis Situations. (Follow the Rules.) 9. Be Smart. Protect yourself and your employer. Google NEVER Forgets. 10. If you forget 1-9, this is the most important thing USE COMMON SENSE!

6 Best Practices Across All Platforms Complete the profile for your business page or account! ALWAYS claim your place! (Google, FB, TripAdvisor, Yelp ) Be HUMAN Listen to what others are saying Interact whenever possible personalize respond to individuals to agree, disagree, answer a question, leave a comment Share quality content - create your own, or share from others Use visuals whenever possible Be random don t schedule everything Do repurpose content across platforms, but DON T connect platforms Always consider possible consequences of posting about controversial topics before you post Interact (and cross promote) with other local businesses

7 So, What is a Hashtag, Anyway? You re familiar with this well-known symbol: # You may know it as the number sign or the pound sign Social media users know it as a hashtag They started on Twitter, and hashtags can now be used on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook as well but WHY? Hashtags are a way to search quickly for information or follow a situation as it develops every big news story or event has a hashtag (and if it doesn t, someone will create one fast!) Hashtags can be used to have a conversation (or tweetchat), to follow current events, to collect user-generated content about your brand, or #justforfun How to create one: start with #, NO spaces, search it first to see if others are using it already, try to keep it short Avoid Hashtag pollution don t use too many

8 You Can t be Everywhere So Don t Try! There are hundreds of social platforms out there Find out which platform is best for YOUR needs Who are you trying to reach? Different platforms are better for different demographics or interests Get good at one platform before you add in others (IF you decide you want to add others) MOST of the time: If you can only do one, go with Facebook (71% of online adults) Twitter is usually 2 nd choice (under age 50 & college educated) If you take great photos, try Instagram (53% of adults age 18-29) Pinterest is great for DIY info, recipes, parenting (42% of online women) Got great videos? Get a YouTube channel to host them so you can share on other platforms.

9 What About Blogs? You own your content Drive traffic to your website Blogs are a great way to reach like minded individuals and create content to share on your other social profiles The power of a blog is links not only the links you share on social media, but also others sharing your posts A personal blog is a great way to become a thought leader in your industry It s okay to share both professional and personal thoughts - just be aware that both professional and personal contacts will be looking at your content Don t start a blog if you can t post regularly

10 YouTube YouTube is the #2 search engine in the world, processing more than 3 billion searches each month If you do video, it needs to be on YouTube (even if you prefer vimeo) or they might not be found Video rankings seem to be based on these four factors: # of views video title video description ratings YouTube videos are easily embedded in other media Create a playlist of YOUR videos and create playlists of other users videos based on topics Even if you don t create a channel, use YouTube to search for content you can share on other platforms, like Facebook or Twitter

11 Pinterest Audience is HIGHLY female and geographically Midwestern Virtual pinboards allow you to organize your content Highlight shared interests Collaborate with friends, or even competitors, with shared boards Use hashtags to categorize or find content (yes, those again) Take advantage of secret boards to build collaborations or to flesh out a board topic before you post, so it doesn t look empty This is where you can really play around as a business don t be afraid to create unique, fun, only-slightly-related boards

12 Instagram It s all about the images on Instagram (and 10 second videos) Use hashtags to find people in your area or to find people with shared interests this is where hashtags really shine. Also use them to tag others for potential cross promotion or to be featured on another account If you share IG photos to other platforms, people you re already connected with can easily find and follow you For business, IG is perfect for creating content you can share on other platforms, including your own website User generated photos can be regrammed just ask for permission and be sure to give proper credit Graphics can be shared as well, but don t overdo it IG users want to see photos, not logos

13 Twitter for Networking & Business It s okay to lurk at least at first Many Twitter users are primarily listeners they don t post much Thought leaders in most industries are usually active, so seek them out Retweeting is good don t be afraid to add your own thoughts, too Twittter Chats are huge networking opportunities there s one for everything. Search industry keywords or hashtags to find them. A third-party site like Tweetchat.com makes it easier to keep track of a live chat Images are popular on Twitter as well visuals draw people in Use a link shortener like bit.ly to save spaces you only have 140! Identify yourself if you re on Twitter personally and as your brand, let people know so they can follow both

14 Facebook Yes, FB is Still King FB is still the largest social network around, with nearly 180 Million users in That s 71% of online users and 58% of the entire adult population (and it IS still growing ) Don t be afraid to connect with professional contacts on your personal FB account. DO make sure you review your old photos and content first! Use the privacy settings available YOU can decide which of your posts are public, which are available to all your friends and which are only available to certain friends Seek out Facebook groups that have to do with your industry or interests these function much like Linked In groups, but are sometimes more active, depending on your industry - Ask around FB does support hashtags now, so don t be afraid to use them sparingly Create a group for more private interactions:

15 Facebook Pages Create a page; NOT a profile PLEASE! Have a consistent voice for your brand Interactive content works best share photos, blogs, articles, but also ask questions. The goal is conversation! Don t be afraid of using paid promotions on FB you can get big results for very little cash. Be sure to target your audience Switch out your cover image from time to time to stay current Tag other pages when appropriate to increase your reach Show some personality let your fans see that there are real people behind your brand Organic reach is NOT dead but it does depend on sharing consistent, high quality content Space your posts out with 2-3 hours between posts

16 Facebook Pages Create a Call-to-Action for your page ALWAYS respond to messages Download Pages Manager to your phone Use Ads Manager for paid promos it gives you more options than the boost button You CAN schedule posts, just don t forget to watch your notifications and respond to interactions Use your Insights! There is a wealth of information here to help you make better business decisions Who are your fans (gender, age, etc.)? What day and time are your fans on Facebook? How many people are within 200 meters of your business RIGHT NOW? Which posts work? Which ones don t? Learn from that Use Pages to Watch to keep an eye on others in your industry

17 Questions? Tosha