Small Business Challenges & Their Impact on Social Media! Learn: A Social Media Plan that Works Determine Goals Determine Channels Build Your Audience Develop a Content Strategy Execute & Evaluate the Plan

1. Market Like a Superstar!
Rachel Strella
Strella Social Media
www.strellasocialmedia.com

2. Today, we’ll discuss…
 Small Business Challenges &
their Impact on Social Media
 A Social Media Plan that Works
 Determine Goals
 Determine Channels
 Build Your Audience
 Develop a Content Strategy
 Execute & Evaluate the Plan

3. Small Business Challenges

4. Small Business Challenges

5. Small Business Challenges
→ Wrong Mindset
→ Lack of Strategy/Goals
→ Lack of Consistency
→ Poor Content
→ Poor Customer Service

6. Small Business Challenges
→ Ignoring the Audience
→ Deleting Negative
Feedback
→ “Silo” Efforts
→ Managing Too Many Media
→ Complacency

7. A Social Media Plan That Works

8. A Plan That Works
Determine Goals

9. A Plan That Works: Goals
Sample Goals
Increase website traffic
Build customer loyalty
Establish credibility/authority
Build your audience/following
Increase Search Engine
Optimization (SEO)

10. A Plan That Works: Goals
Sample Goals
Drive foot traffic to a location
Increase visibility
Awareness of a product/service
Reach a specific new audience
Increase customer engagement

11. A Plan That Works: Goals
Goal Checklist
Select 2-3 goals for 90-day plan
Keep goals in alignment with
your brand and long-term plan
Select goals that are
measurable in some way

12. A Plan That Works
Determine Channels

13. A Plan That Works: Channels
“Big 3” Channels: Facebook
Audience is consumer-based
Largest age segment is 21-24
Great for sharing
Integrates well with 3rd party
apps
Oversaturated channel

14. A Plan That Works: Channels
“Big 3” Channels: LinkedIn
Audience is business-based
Largest age segment is 35-44
Three powerful gems: groups,
advanced search, and answers
Relationships a MUST

15. A Plan That Works: Channels
“Big 3” Channels: Twitter
140-character limit
Largest age segment is 30-49
Channel is wide-open
Strong customer-service outlet
Language can be confusing
(hashtags, re-tweets, etc)

16. A Plan That Works: Channels
Supplemental Channels: YouTube
Powerful – top search site along
with Google
Largest age segment is 18-34
Great for small business
branding and SEO
Hard to leverage if camera shy

17. A Plan That Works: Channels
Supplemental Channels: Google+
Interface similar to Facebook
Largest age segment is 25-34
Higher usage among men (69%)
than women (31%)
Great for SEO
Audience: engineers, web
developers, students, marketers

18. A Plan That Works: Channels
Supplemental Channels: Pinterest
Photo sharing site; pinboards
Largest age segment is 25-54
Higher usage among women
(79%) than men (21%)
Best for product-based brands
Attraction: fashion, food, décor,
bridal, fitness, animals, kids, travel

19. A Plan That Works: Channels
Supporting Channels: Blogs
 Online source of information
from a 1st person POV
Great for driving traffic to a
website, gaining credibility,
community building and SEO
Best if you own the content
(self-hosted site vs. free site)

20. A Plan That Works: Channels
Supporting Channels: Enews
 Electronic communication sent
via email to a list of subscribers
Generate TOMA
Great for those who have
email, but not social media
Do not spam or add contacts to
a list without permission

21. A Plan That Works: Channels
Channel Checklist
Determine target audience and
where they are on social media
Select 2-3 media that match
your goals and target audience
Play to your strengths
Find ways to maximize efforts

22. A Plan That Works
Build Your Audience

23. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience: Use Social Media Tools
 Import email contacts to fan
page
Use Twitter’s “Discover Tab”
Do not import lists into
LinkedIn; make authentic
connections

24. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience: Cross Reference
 LinkedIn Profile: List Twitter
and Facebook
Leverage your popular channels
to draw audience to other
channels
Use integration tools (Pinterest)
Cross reference when relevant

25. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience: Build During Use
 Join LinkedIn Groups; make
personal connections
Use hashtags and mentions in
tweets
 Beware of offers that
‘guarantee’ immediate fans or
followers

26. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience: Marketing Integration
 List social media channels on
direct mail, newspaper ads,
newsletter or business cards
Add social sites to website and
email signature
Using Facebook? Claim unique
URL (facebook.com/username)

27. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience: Connect Offline Efforts
 Leverage networking, office or
store space, and events as
opportunities to promote sites
Use “social media cards,” QR
codes, signs, and products
Give them a reason to connect
with you online

28. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience: Think Outside the Box
 Use contests, a call for “re-
tweets” or other methods to
generate interest
Be mindful of what others are
doing to build fans
If you run a contest on
Facebook, use a 3rd party app

29. A Plan That Works: Audience
Audience Checklist
If you’re just starting out, this
should be a primary goal
If you’re already established,
continue to think of ways to build
Revisit audience-building
regularly and brainstorm

30. A Plan That Works
Develop a Content Strategy

31. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Themes
 Consider how to create
engaging content
What value can I provide?
What’s interesting about my
business?
Where are growth opportunities?
How can I educate my audience?

32. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Theme Examples
 Accountant: Tax tips during the
month of March
Retailers: Christmas - December
Salon: Prom preparation tips in
the spring
Business Coach: Job interview
tips around college graduation

33. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Theme Calendar
 Match goals and themes
Develop a “theme of the
month” to help create a
consistent message that
resonates with audience (themes
also simplify your content
planning)

34. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Theme Calendar Example
 Industry: Physical Therapy
Short-Term Goals:
#1: Build brand awareness
#2: Educate community on
proactively seeking physical
therapy, rather than post injury

35. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Theme Calendar
Example
 Month #1: Debunking physical
therapy myths
 Month #2:How physical therapy
is a better than a gym workout
 Month #3: Common injuries
prevented with physical therapy

36. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Integrate!
PT: Blog, Twitter and YouTube
Embed video link in blog posts
Share blog posts on Twitter
Integrate with offline
marketing efforts (print/direct
mail)
Integrate with online media
(enews/online ads)

37. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Editorial Calendar
Assign the themes by month
Under each month, list the
social media channels and break
down how frequently you plan to
post on each channel (an ‘outline’
of content)

38. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Develop Content
Fill-in the outline
A few content guidelines:
Shorter and punchier is better
Knowledge is power
Engage the audience
Be authentic
Reveal ‘human side’ of business

39. A Plan That Works: Content
Content: Develop Content
Use pictures when relevant
Consider timeliness
Highlight industry events/news
Be authentic
Use sales pitches sparingly
Proofread content
Work smart

40. A Plan That Works: Content
Content Checklist
Determine themes
Develop theme calendar
Consider how to integrate
Develop an editorial calendar
Write content with zest!

41. A Plan That Works
Execute & Evaluate the Plan

42. A Plan That Works: Execute
Content: Execute the Plan
Assign responsibilities
Monitor channels
Engage/respond
Put a plan in place for handling
negative feedback

43. A Plan That Works: Evaluate
Content: Evaluate the Plan
What worked?
What didn’t work?
What should you shift?
Are there new channels to
embrace?
What should the next 90 days
look like?

44. A Plan That Works: Execute
Execution & Evaluation Checklist
Assign work – including content
development, branding
monitoring/engagement, and
handling negative feedback
Evaluate plan
Make necessary changes and
determine plan for next 90 days

45. A Plan That Works
Need More Direction?

46. A Plan for Your Small Business
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small business owners!
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47. Questions

48. Connections and Resources
Website and Blog:
StrellaSocialMedia.com
Facebook:
Facebook.com/StrellaSocialMedia
Twitter:
Twitter.com/RachelStrella
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn.com/in/RachelStrella