2. In Concert, The 4 C’s Create The Cornerstones
Of Social Media Marketing
Content Connections
Context Community
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Seminar Objectives
• Introduce The Components Of Social
Media Marketing
• Inform You On The Power Of Social
Media Marketing And What It Can Do
For Your Business
• Educate You On How You Can Create A
Community Of Brand Loyalists Who Will
Be Evangelists For Your Brand
• Discuss Initial Steps On How To Get
Started In Social Media Marketing
• Review Case Studies Of Small
Businesses That Capitalized On Social
Networks To Drive Incremental Sales
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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3. Social Media Social Networking Web 2.0
What Are You Talking About???
• Social Media, Social Networking, And
Web 2.0 Are All Pretty Much The Same
Thing - The Key Concept Is They All Are
Driven By User-generated Content
• Any Time The Content Of A Web Site Is
Created By A Person And Not A
Program, It’s Considered User-
generated
• This Can Include Blogs, Online
Communities, E-zines And Articles,
Networking Organizations (Including
Your Profile), Podcasts And Internet
Radio, Videos And Internet TV
Channels, And Bookmarking Sites
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Why Do People Participate in Social Networking
Websites?
Ego Is The Largest Driver Of Participation.
People Contribute To Increase Their Social,
Intellectual, And Cultural Capital
Top Reasons For Contributing Are:
1. Keep In Touch With Family And Friends (75%)
[Part Of This Is Keeping Up With The Joneses
Who Already Have One - “My Friend Uses It,
So I'll Get One Too”]
2. Being "Nosey" – (62%)
• 37% Of Participants Visit Daily,
3. Express My Opinions And Views (55%) 41 % At Least Once Per Week
4. Meet People With Similar Interests (49%) • Avg. user spends more than 1
hr per day using SM
5. Specific Reason: A Wedding, Graduation, Etc
(13%) • 70% Of social Networking Occurs
In The Evening
6. It's A Good Way To Date (7%)
Source: Microsoft
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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4. Social Websites Can Be Categorized Into Four
Basic Groups
Sample Social Media And Networking Sites
Social Content Social Insert Networking
Logos
Networking Sharing Bookmarking Communities
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
How Can I Capitalize On The Social Networking
Phenomenon To Help My Business?
• Help To Increase Search Engine
Optimization Relevance
• Get Brand Name Out There
• Expand Contact Base And Business
Referral Network
• Permit Knowledge Sharing In Businesses’
Areas Of Expertise
• Act As A Customer Relationship Tool For
Retail Services And Products
• Increase Retailer’s Ability To Advertise
Directly To Its Target Audience
• Facilitate An Inexpensive Method To
Create A Global Presence
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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5. Each Step Of Your Social Media Marketing
Development Will Requires More Sophistication
Stage IV: Social
Level of Sophistication Required
Networking
Stage III: Content Sharing
Stage II: Social Search
Stage I: Blogging
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Blogging:
Blogging Beginners Social Media Marketing For
Small Businesses
A Blog Is Communication Software That Permits Anyone
Who Can Type To Post Content To A Web Site Or Blog
Home Page
• The Content Is Displayed Like A Journal
• Content Can Be Anything The Author Chooses To Write Or
Post, As It Is Referred To In Blogging Terms
Blog Software Also Allows:
• Readers Of Blog Pages To Make Comments And Add
Their Own Content
• Readers Of The Blog To Subscribe To The Content So
They Are Automatically Notified When Content Is Added
• Search Engines To Receive Notice Whenever Content Is
Added
Blogging Allows You To More Easily Accomplish Many Of The Marketing
Objectives Today’s Small Businesses Must Address
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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6. The Best Ways To Start Blogging; Start Slow
Monitor A Group Of Relevant Blogs
• Use A Blog Search Engine And RSS Reader To Locate And Subscribe To A
Dozen Or So Relevant Blogs
• Evaluate Blogs On Your Industry, Competitors, Experts, Etc. To Learn How
People Blog, What They Write About, And How They Engage Their Readers
Comment On A Group Of Relevant Blogs
• Visit Some Of Your Chosen Blogs, Add Relevant Comments, And Engage In
The Conversation Going On Inside These Blogs - This Is An Important Part
Of Online Networking And May Help Get Your Blog Noticed Down The Road
Create Your Own Blog And Start Posting Content
• Only After You’ve Engaged In Steps 1 And 2 For A Reasonable Time Period
Do I Advise Entering The Deep End Of The Blogging Pool
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Case Study: Lincoln Sign - Creating A Unique
Customer Experience Through Blogging
Company Makes And Installs All Manner Of Custom
Signs (Traditional Business)
• Strategy: Blog To “Sell The Story” Of Getting The
Sign Made
• Blog About Making Sign Throughout The Entire
Process
• Enables Company To Interact With Customers In
A New Way.
• “We Are Not Using Our Blog To Sell Signs, We
Are Using Our Blog To Sell The EXPERIENCE
Of Getting A Sign”
Does Your Business Have A “Compelling Story” To Blog About?
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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7. Social Search Consumers Sharing Information
Search:
Among Themselves About Your Business
A Social Search Engine Is One That Lists Small Businesses And
Allows People To Rate And Review Them
• Members And Visitors Rate Their Experience With A Business And
Post That Information For Others To View
• Buying Decisions Are Made Every Day Through Research On The
Web.- Prospects Are Turning To Social Search Sites To Find
Sources.
• Small Businesses Appearing On Social Sites Get Noticed
• No Cost Medium - Good Way to Invest And to Start Building Your
Online Reputation
Some Of The More Popular Social/Local Directories Include:
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
How To Start Participating In Social Search
• Encourage Satisfied Customers to Post Online
Reviews
• Send Offline Customers Online and Teach Them How
To Talk about Your Business Positively
• Offer Coupons To Say Thank You and Get Noticed
• Use Online Reviews And Testimonials Offline
• Using Social Search To Manage Your Online
Reputation
Note: Some Businesses Fear The Impact Of A Negative
Review- But You Can’t Make Every Customer Happy
Most Of The Social Directories Have Processes In Place
To Fight Spam And Competitive Revenge-type Reviews,
But Nothing Works Like A Good Offense. Make Sure You
Are Building Reviews From Happy Clients
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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8. Content Sharing: Get Your Message Out
Content Sharing Simply Means The
Exchange Of Knowledge Between
Individuals And/Or Institutions
• Content Has Increasingly Transformed From
Text Dominant To More Video/Image
Oriented As Internet Bandwidth Has
Become More Robust
• The Popularity Of Peer-to-peer (P2P)
Content Sharing Sites Has Created
Personalities And Businesses In An
Accelerated Fashion
• Content Sharing Played A Critical Role In
The Recent Federal Election As Barack
Obama Mobilized Many Voters Through The
Use Of The Internet
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Content Sharing Fundamentals
• Content Sharing Allows You To Use Preferred Content To Put
On Your Own Pages - Photos, Diaries, And Music. You Decide
What Is Important And Should Be Shown (To Be Demonstrate
Or Sell Your Products And/Or Services
• Content Sharing Can Be Used As Small Business Marketing
Tool By Using Videos Already Produced By Manufacturers Or
Retailers (Great To Use On You Tube)
• Showing Customer Success Stories And Profiling Your Staff,
Products And Offices, Are Great Ways To Help Prospects And
Customers Connect And Build Trust.
• Advanced Users Of Content Sharing Sites Can Provide Up To
Date Product Information And Education And Can Upload
News And Information When It Happens (In Real Time)
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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9. Case Study: Martell Builders Shares Content and
Maximizes Profit
Martell Builders Ontario, Canada
•Youtube Channel Is Peppered With Trade
Show Booth Interviews Done With Many
Different Personalities And Experts On Home
Building, Decorating And Design. Youtube
Videos Are Positioned As Website Content
•Facebook Page Gives A More In-depth
Version Of What’s Happening With The
Company, Including A Recent Wall Post ROI Results:
Indicating A Website Refresh Is Coming And Martell’s success with social
The Content/Blog Will Kick Into A Higher Gear media has resulted in 80% of
Soon. homes being sold directly to
•Twitter Stream Is All About Updating The consumers w/o Real Estate
Customers And Followers As To What Is Agent involvement. Saved
Going On With Current Projects, Company company over $500,000 in
Efforts, Land Purchases And More.
commissions
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Social Networking: It’s Not Just For Kids
Social Networks Allow People To Join, Friend
Members, Or Invite Others To Join And Then
Share And Exchange Information
Social Network Facts:
• Today there are 350 million Facebook users.
Over 50 percent of them are out of college - the
fastest growing segment of users on Facebook
are those people who are over age 35
• Each Unique Facebook User has an Average of
121 Connections
• Linked In users have an Average Salary of
nearly $89,000
• Twitter Users average 31 years old
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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10. Social Networking Basics
• Create Accounts To Reserve Your Name—you Never Know
When You Might Hit It Big.
• Fill Out Your Profiles As Completely As Possible. Use Signatures
And Remember To Link To Your Site Or Blog.
• When You Ask To Be Connected Or "Friended," Take The Time
To Personalize The Message.
• This Is Especially Important If You’re Approaching Someone
You Don’t Yet Know Personally.
• If You Wouldn’t Say It To Someone’s Face, Don’t Say It Online.
Be Respectful, Not Confrontational—be Real, And Don’t Hide
Behind Anonymity. You’re Not Just You, You’re Representing
Your Business, Your Brand, And Your Products.
• Be Relevant, On Topic, And A Part Of The Community—don’t Be
Spammy
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Social Media 101. How To Get Started
• Blog About Your New Creations Or The Process Of Creating
Your Product (On Your Own Blog Or On One That Is Already
Established)
• Share Video Or Product Images On You Tube Or On
Photo Sharing Sites Like Flikr And Target Groups That
Share Similar Interests To The Products You Are Sharing
• Use Twitter To Let People Know About New Products,
Giveaways, Partnerships Or Sponsorships, Product
Placement, Discounts Or Coupons
• Facebook Away. Set up A Facebook Fan Page For Yourself
And For Your Business. Start Building a Place that is
Entertaining, Informative and Engaging for Your Fans
• Offer Yourself Up To Be Interviewed On Blogs And Podcasts
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
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11. Embrace The 4 C’s Of Social Media Marketing,
Take Action, And Watch Your Business Thrive!
• Leveraging Technology To
Facilitate And Enhance Social
Interaction, Creates A Great
Deal Of Value
• Use These New Tools Properly
And They’ll Prove To Be
Invaluable In Your Effort To
Strengthen Existing Customer
Relationships And Capture The
Hearts And Minds Of New
Consumers
• Tread Carefully, This Savvy
Audience Can Be Turned Off If
Approached In The Wrong Way
Creative Business Consulting Group www.cbc-group.net
Follow Creative Business Consulting Group
We’d love to follow your progress as you engage and participate in the world of
social media. Send us invites and we’ll join your networks right away!
Follow us if you want to, we’re always talking retail in one of these
places!
Twitter: @RetailHelper
Facebook: Lynn Switanowski-Barrett
CBCG Blog: http://cbcgretailreport.blogspot.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/lynnswitanowski
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