1. 30 Minutes to Social Media Mastery: Getting Started Presented by: Jean Ann Van Krevelen, President White Willow Media www.whitewillowmedia.com Sponsored by Proven Winners and GrowerTalks/Green Profit

2. Your Hosts Jean Ann Van Krevelen Ellen Wells

3. A Special Thanks to Our Sponsor:

4. Getting Started The keys to success: Identify your expertise Express your personality Identify your niche

5. Getting Started Know where your audience “lives” Provide consistent, quality content Engage on a regular basis

6. The Triad Blogs, Facebook and Twitter work together to create a more comprehensive picture of who you are By understanding how each platform works, you reduce wasted time and increase effectiveness Not everything you post must be wholly new content

7. But Why a Blog? Many businesses make the mistake of using Facebook as their primary site for “fresh” content. Here’s why that’s a no-no:

8. But Why a Blog? Facebook co-owns all posted content. They can decide to delete your account for a violation of their policies…all content will be lost If you have thousands of contacts on FB and they are not connected to you in any other way, those contacts could be irretrievably lost

9. There is no customer service on Twitter or Facebook. If something goes wrong, the chances of you getting support are about zero. However, if you are using a blogging platform and there is a problem, you stand a reasonable chance of getting assistance.

10. Effective Blog Posts Let’s consider our blog as home base. It has multiple benefits, including: Current, relevant information that encourages customers to see you as a resource

11. Search Engine Optimization: Google likes fresh content Full of relevant keywords

12. Effective Blog Posts There are a few key components of an effective blog post: Posts should be between 250-350 words Always include a photo to illustrate/add interest

13. Effective Blog Posts Use keywords in the title that describe the topic of the post Use tags and categories that repeat keywords Try using videos as posts

14. Effective Blog Posts Tips for Writing Great Copy: Blog copy is short and relevant The tone is casual and conversational

15. Effective Blog Posts Avoid ego-centric prose Quality still matters: check grammar and spelling Show your personality…this is not a scientific journal entry

16. Writer’s Block? Here are some tips on what readers find interesting: Trends: What’s new and exciting? What’s happening in other parts of the world?

17. Writer’s Block? Old Standbys: There are some topics that are always of interest. And while a subject like “compost” may seem old to you, there will always be new gardeners who want to learn about it.

18. Writer’s Block? New Perspectives: The basic variables about gardening may not change, but your perspective is unique.

19. Writer’s Block? Mixed Media: Gardening is a visual art. Share photos and video…bring your words to life

20. Writer’s Block? New Materials: Just received a shipment of annuals? Bringing in plants from distant lands? Write about it!

21. Share What You’ve Written! Now that you have a post written, it’s time to alert the masses. Here are some ways to do that: Share a link on Twitter Post a portion of it on your Facebook page with a link back to the entire post

22. Share What You’ve Written Send out a link in an email blast Connect with other garden bloggers and cross-promote Include a portion of the content in your next e-newsletter with a link back to the entire post

23. The FTC and You If you have a blog (or other website) and participate in any type of product review or financially beneficial relationship with another company, disclosure is legally mandated.

24. The FTC and You The Federal Trade Commission has issued a set of guidelines that require bloggers and other social media users to disclose any relationships with these products or companies.

25. The FTC and You “If you have received any products, samples, benefits, or other incentives from a company whose products or services you discuss in your blog, you must disclose that. Similarly, if you are an employee of, or have any other connection to, a company whose products or services you discuss in your blog, you must disclose that, as well."

26. Facebook Profiles and Pages Businesses can’t have a personal profile on Facebook. However, they can have a business page. This page gives them an opportunity to interact with the 600+ million members of the network Creating profiles with the name of a business instead of the name of an individual is a violation of Facebook’s Terms of Use. Facebook can delete these profiles without warning.

27. Facebook “Likes” This past year, Facebook also introduced the “like” button. This button, or bit of code, can be added to any website, or to certain pages and posts on a website, allowing FB members to vote for the sites/content they like. When consumers “like” a website it is reflected in their update stream.

28. Facebook “Likes” There are two primary information streams on profiles in Facebook. Top News: This stream is the default setting for information. Facebook has a secret formula for deciding which of your friends you most want to see Most Recent: This stream contains all of the postings (content and actions) from the people you follow

29. Facebook “Likes” In order for information to move into the “Top News” feed, users have to comment or like content on a consistent basis If you have a business page, you want consistent compelling content to encourage your information to show in the Top News stream

30. Facebook Connect Facebook also has a feature called “Facebook Connect” that can be added to a website. Connect logs people in to sites across the net and gives users an opportunity to identify people in their network that also like a particular site. Connect actions also show in the users information stream.

31. Posting on Facebook Pages Facebook Do’s: Post interesting updates with photos/videos/links to enrich the experience Watch your page stream and respond to ongoing conversations. If you have trouble keeping up, use a service like http://www.hyperalerts.no/ to set up automatic notifications when posts and comments are left

32. Posting on Facebook Pages Tag photos and comment on others’ photos Share specials/deals sparingly

33. Posting on Facebook Pages Give followers the inside story on new plants/products Share industry trends Give regionally specific gardening advice

34. Posting on Facebook Pages Facebook Don’ts: Don’t spam your personal profile followers with hundreds of requests to “like” your page Have a heavy hand when contacting members of your page.

35. Posting on Facebook Pages Post your marketing content on someone else’s page or profile without permission Set up a Facebook profile for your business. Use a Facebook business page instead

36. Twitter: It’s Not for Everyone Not all businesses need to use Twitter. Do you have the time necessary to: Write regular blog posts? Manage a Facebook Business Page?

37. Twitter: It’s Not for Everyone Manage traditional marketing efforts? Keep your business running?

38. Twitter: It’s Not for Everyone Twitter is a massive information spout with millions of users. And with millions of users, come thousands of spammers, multi-level marketers and search engine optimizers. In order to distinguish yourself as a worthwhile contributor, your updates must be helpful, interesting, and regular.

39. Posting on Twitter Twitter Do’s: Be yourself, show your personality Send short, witty, engaging tweets

40. Posting on Twitter Proactively search for people with similar interests Post regularly (3-5 times a day), consistency is key

41. Posting on Twitter Comment on other conversations Engage followers in discussions Share information about specials sparingly

42. Posting on Twitter Offer web-only specials, host contests Use as a play by play update feed for special events

43. Posting on Twitter Twitter Don’ts: Don’t spam your followers with push marketing messages Don’t use automated services to find massive amounts of followers

44. Posting on Twitter Don’t send an automated “thank you” for following Represent yourself as someone other than you are Share stuff that no one really cares about (dryer lint, toothpaste caps, etc)

45. Posting on Twitter Over share, this is not your personal life Click on suspicious links, they could be viruses

46. Make Your Content Work Harder Not all content that you produce has to be newly created. The truth is that so much information is being produced and shared, it is impossible for any one person to see everything you post. If you start each week with a blog post, you can use the content to generate several updates on different sites.

47. Recycle Your Content Recycle: Don’t be afraid to use content again. If you wrote an article two years ago (or even 6 months ago) chances are high that most of the people following you haven’t read it. Repost it as a “best of” and give people an opportunity to discover your previous work.

48. Recycle Your Content In addition to saving you from volumes of work, you increase the likelihood that the people in your networks will see your content in the massive information flood.

49. Recycle Your Content This also works really well for guest posts. People/companies who have high profile blogs are always looking for content. Offer them yours for a byline and a link back to your blog. Also consider using a syndication service like Demand Media. Or gather a collection of your posts and create an ebook, or a book, or a newsletter…

50. Recycle Your Content Over time, your consistency and repetition will lead to greater brand visibility and deeper relationships with your consumers.

51. Repurpose Your Content Repurpose: Blog posts and articles are great resources for creating all kinds of content. Let’s take an average blog post that has 3-4 paragraphs, a couple of links to other sites and an accompanying photo or video. Here’s what you can do with it:

52. Repurpose Your Content choose a powerful sentence and use it to update your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts take a salient point from the post and create a mini version for your Facebook Fan Page/Group

53. Repurpose Your Content upload the photo to Flickr and share in one of the topical photo groups upload the video to YouTube and Facebook share the links on multiple platforms

54. Create a Network of Support While it is important to build followers online, it is equally important to create a small network of 5-10 friends who will promote your material to their networks. This is essential in making sure your content goes viral.

55. How It All Works Together Day 1: Write a blog post (keep it simple!) Distribute it to Facebook/Twitter via blog platform or updating software

56. How It All Works Together Day 1: Notify your top 5 friends and ask them to share the link (use email, FB, Skype) Be sure to ask if your friends need support If you are having a contest/giveaway, start promoting now. Mention every day until the end of the contest.

57. Day 2 Use bits and pieces of that post to fashion 2-3 shorter updates. Include illustrative photos/video/audio in some of the updates. Use scheduling software. Post to your Facebook Page and Twitter

58. Day 2 Link back to the original article in your updates Scan Twitter and Facebook page for opportunities to comment and respond to any questions

59. Day 3: Post 2-3 helpful bits of information on Twitter and Facebook. Use scheduling software. Easily accomplished by scanning your blog reader or using your own knowledge (Google Reader) Use accompanying videos/photos (your own or Flickr, YouTube)

60. Day 3: Spend 10 minutes following people on Twitter (use Who to Follow or Lists) If you are having a sale or weekend special, mention it from now until the end of the weekend (Use scheduling software)

61. Day 4 Post 2-3 bits of relevant content (helpful facts, photos, videos, etc). Use scheduling software. Answer any questions, encourage followers to submit their stories/photos

62. Day 4 Engage in/comment on conversations on Twitter and Facebook Use the “share this” feature and the “invite friends” feature on Facebook to build followers

63. Day 5: Announce contest winners Evaluate Google Alerts, see who is sharing your information on Twitter and Facebook, follow and interact with them Check Facebook Insights for information on engagement

64. Acknowledge special customers/social media supporters Plan for next week and pre-post for the weekend

65. For More Information: Join us for 30 Minutes to Social Media Mastery, II Overview of Tools Used for Social Media Campaigns February 22, sign up at www.ballpublishing.com/webinars Check out www.whitewillowmedia.com for social media marketing consulting services Also, visit www.gardenshortspublishing.comto see our new service: high quality blog content, ready to import, for IGCs and other industry businesses

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