Social Media 201
Posts Tagged ‘Credibility’
Social Media – Crafting the Perfect Social Marketing Plan
Bill Rice asked:
Anyone involved in social media understands that it is a fast, emotional, morphing organism. Hundreds of sites and “social” variations are emerging daily. How do you consume, understand, and actually leverage this apparent anarchy. Let me shed a little light…
Start with an Objective
The key to any confusing problem is to frame the ultimate objective. What am I trying to achieve?
Do not, during this exercise, consider any of the features or functions of any of the social media sites available. Only consider what you want to achieve. Do you want:
These are fundamental questions and answers that will shape your social media strategy.
Inventory Your Skills
Play to your strengths. Inventory your skills and enter the media space using your power tools.
If you are a good technical or analytical writer this may mean “heady” blog trimmed with white papers and ebooks. If you are a more conversational writer, full of character and stories, maybe Twitter fits you well. Are you a video or audio personality–maybe YouTube or podcasting serves you best.
There are lots of formats and more emerging each day. The key is finding a format that fits your personality and strengths. Profitable conversations can happen in a lot of ways. Start with the most natural.
Survey and Listen
Once you chose a good format, or two start by listening. Find out what others are doing. Listen in on competitors. Watch the current masters.
Listening always helps you tune your approach to the market. It also allows you to enter first as a consumer before you are a producer–another great edge.
Determine your unique or improved angle on the social media you are going to participate in. Be ready to do a lot of testing and adjusting. Most likely your first plan will fail.
Build a Foundation
No one trust an outsider. In social media this is just as true. Users are always circumspect of new followers of connections–”what do they want from me?” As a part of your listening step make sure you are building a foundation. Follow, promote, and converse with friends first and then people like you or your target market.
The Cluetrain Manifesto first captured the paradigm of social marketing–they characterized markets as conversations. Conversations are polite, respectful, give and take interactions.
No sales, at first. Build value first.
Beer Brewing 101
Anyone involved in social media understands that it is a fast, emotional, morphing organism. Hundreds of sites and “social” variations are emerging daily. How do you consume, understand, and actually leverage this apparent anarchy. Let me shed a little light…
Start with an Objective
The key to any confusing problem is to frame the ultimate objective. What am I trying to achieve?
Do not, during this exercise, consider any of the features or functions of any of the social media sites available. Only consider what you want to achieve. Do you want:
These are fundamental questions and answers that will shape your social media strategy.
Inventory Your Skills
Play to your strengths. Inventory your skills and enter the media space using your power tools.
If you are a good technical or analytical writer this may mean “heady” blog trimmed with white papers and ebooks. If you are a more conversational writer, full of character and stories, maybe Twitter fits you well. Are you a video or audio personality–maybe YouTube or podcasting serves you best.
There are lots of formats and more emerging each day. The key is finding a format that fits your personality and strengths. Profitable conversations can happen in a lot of ways. Start with the most natural.
Survey and Listen
Once you chose a good format, or two start by listening. Find out what others are doing. Listen in on competitors. Watch the current masters.
Listening always helps you tune your approach to the market. It also allows you to enter first as a consumer before you are a producer–another great edge.
Determine your unique or improved angle on the social media you are going to participate in. Be ready to do a lot of testing and adjusting. Most likely your first plan will fail.
Build a Foundation
No one trust an outsider. In social media this is just as true. Users are always circumspect of new followers of connections–”what do they want from me?” As a part of your listening step make sure you are building a foundation. Follow, promote, and converse with friends first and then people like you or your target market.
The Cluetrain Manifesto first captured the paradigm of social marketing–they characterized markets as conversations. Conversations are polite, respectful, give and take interactions.
No sales, at first. Build value first.
Beer Brewing 101
Social Media Marketing Success – The 5 Questions to Ask Before You Begin Your Marketing Plan
Lauren McMullen asked:
Social Media is any online platform where people can connect with each other and have conversations and then develop relationships. Social Media Networks can be used to help you build your credibility online, increase your visibility online, gain expert status online & then to increase your revenues by more sales of your products and services!
If your goal is to develop a relationship with people in your target market so they learn to know like and trust you and will ultimately feel comfortable doing business with you, there are 5 very important questions to ask yourself. The answers to these questions will help you develop a plan that is perfectly suited to your situation.
Question #1 Who is your target market? You cannot be all things to all people and if you try to market to everyone chances are you will end up reaching no one. It is very important to narrow your focus and figure out specifically who your target market is.
Question #2 Where are they online? Once you know who your target market is then you need to figure out where they hang out online so you can have a presence there as well. For example young people and musicians are on My Space, college kids are on Facebook, Boomers are on Twitter and Facebook, and professional people are on LinkedIn.
Question #3 What keeps them awake at night? Once you know who your target market is and where they hang out the next step is to find out what products and services they will be willing to pay money for. Social Media shines at answering this question! All you have to do is ask.
Question #4 What is in it for them? Everyone is a member of the WIIIFM Club. What is the benefits you offer to those in your target market? What do you bring to the table that no one else brings? Some people call this your unique selling proposition (USP). Figure it out and memorize it so it rolls off your tongue when someone asks.
Example: I specializes in helping entrepreneurs and small business owners learn how to leverage the power of Social Media to quickly and effectively establish credibility in their target market, increase their visibility online and develop relationships which will ultimately lead to more sales of your products or services.
Question #5 How will they find you? This is probable the most important question and also the one most people fail to ask. What are the words that your prospects use when using a search engine such as Google. These are known as your keywords and it is critical that you do the proper research and know the words that your target market uses in the search engines so you can optimize your sites for them. If they are on your sites then Google will direct your prospects right to you.
social media marketing
Social Media is any online platform where people can connect with each other and have conversations and then develop relationships. Social Media Networks can be used to help you build your credibility online, increase your visibility online, gain expert status online & then to increase your revenues by more sales of your products and services!
If your goal is to develop a relationship with people in your target market so they learn to know like and trust you and will ultimately feel comfortable doing business with you, there are 5 very important questions to ask yourself. The answers to these questions will help you develop a plan that is perfectly suited to your situation.
Question #1 Who is your target market? You cannot be all things to all people and if you try to market to everyone chances are you will end up reaching no one. It is very important to narrow your focus and figure out specifically who your target market is.
Question #2 Where are they online? Once you know who your target market is then you need to figure out where they hang out online so you can have a presence there as well. For example young people and musicians are on My Space, college kids are on Facebook, Boomers are on Twitter and Facebook, and professional people are on LinkedIn.
Question #3 What keeps them awake at night? Once you know who your target market is and where they hang out the next step is to find out what products and services they will be willing to pay money for. Social Media shines at answering this question! All you have to do is ask.
Question #4 What is in it for them? Everyone is a member of the WIIIFM Club. What is the benefits you offer to those in your target market? What do you bring to the table that no one else brings? Some people call this your unique selling proposition (USP). Figure it out and memorize it so it rolls off your tongue when someone asks.
Example: I specializes in helping entrepreneurs and small business owners learn how to leverage the power of Social Media to quickly and effectively establish credibility in their target market, increase their visibility online and develop relationships which will ultimately lead to more sales of your products or services.
Question #5 How will they find you? This is probable the most important question and also the one most people fail to ask. What are the words that your prospects use when using a search engine such as Google. These are known as your keywords and it is critical that you do the proper research and know the words that your target market uses in the search engines so you can optimize your sites for them. If they are on your sites then Google will direct your prospects right to you.
social media marketing
Okay, so for my class I am running a “fake” business; how much should I pay my employees per year?
Loving Love asked:
This “fake” business is a web site/company that provides money-saving tips, simple but yummy recipes, and extra grocery store “perks”, among many other things specifically for college students on a budget. We have to come up with “how much our business will cost,” but I have no clue how to figure all that out. I have to figure out how much I want to make/profit, PLUS how much I pay each member of my staff, and figure out the cost/pay of the following:
- Chefs
- Cooking students
- Money saving experts
- Personnel with multimedia, writing, podcast, online publishing, blogging, marketing and social media interactivity experience
- Domain
- Web developer
- Marketing agent
- Computers
- Software
- Lawyers
- Editors/writers (Internships, freelance writers)
- Advertisers
- Cameras
- Office space for credibility of business (cost depends on location)
Does anyone know how much each of these things would typically cost to have/employ, or some site where I can find such information?