client marketing strategy

FAULKINGHAM MERCHANT SERVICES SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING STRATEGY

Kelly Giles | September 20, 2012

GOALS Our goal is twofold. 1) Get more business for Faulkingham Merchant Services (FMS)! Specifically, we want to use the web to increase inbound leads to FMS in the DR and association markets, as well as find prospects with an existing need. 2) Provide additional channels for relationship maintenance with existing clients. Currently, Mike goes directly after prospects via cold calling. We want to create a system where prospects can find, learn about and contact FMS online. A Google search of “Mike Faulkingham” or “Faulkingham Merchant Services” returns the following. We want to fill those results with relevant, lead-generating content. Lastly, we want to use Mike’s personality to position him as a trusted “friend in the industry.”

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Although there are numerous competitors in the merchant services space, there is relatively low social media competition. Litle & Co. is the biggest social media player, with a significant Twitter following and active blog. It is important to note that no competitor has a strong video presence, and only Litle & Co. has a strong blog.

Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Blog Video Cambridge Commerce

Card Not Present 500+ (personal,

president) 1,699 followers

Datapak Services

Corporation 277 fans 57 (group) 29 followers

Litle & Co. 124 fans 611 followers (company page) 1,776 followers Yes, active Yes, semi-

active (Vimeo)

PacNet Services 61 fans 484 followers

TransFirst 184 fans 1,339 followers (company page) 340 followers Yes, but not

integrated

Affinipay 126 followers

Merchant Services, Inc.

246 fans 500+ (personal,

CEO) 1,890 followers

(CEO) Yes, but not

industry relevant

PowerPay Elavon

STRATEGY General Web Strategy Social media are part of a hub-and-spoke model1, with each medium (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) being a spoke. The hub is the organization’s website and blog. The goal of social media marketing and engagement is to attract the right audience back to your website where they can be converted to sales. That means the organization’s website must be sales-ready in terms of design, copy, and analytics. The website must also alert visitors to FMS’s social presence. Social media widens the top part of the marketing funnel, but an organization’s website generates opportunities and clients. Our Approach: Objectives Meet Opportunity FMS has several objectives in each market: 1) create content that attracts new clients; 2) position Mike as a friendly expert; 3) improve relationships with existing customers and prospects; 4) find clients while they’re searching for a solution. Competitive advantages combined with new technology can help achieve each of those objectives.

• Personality-infused video content — Any form of quality content can attract potential customers, but video has several special advantages. First, competitive analysis reveals it is an untapped space in the merchant services industry. Second, video conveys far more personality than written content. Third, research shows that it can be easier to search engine optimize video than written content2. Mike is able to use his dynamic personality, establish himself as a friendly expert, attract new clients, and literally stay in front of existing customers, even when he can’t be there in person.

• Multiple touch points — The end goal is to get a prospect to our website or on the phone, but we can use various touch

points to get their attention and stay top of mind. Individuals may discover our brand on these networks. Equally important, these networks give prospects that aren’t yet ready to sign a way to stay in touch and follow the company. When they are ready to buy, FMS will be the first company that comes to mind. FMS will integrate these touch points into day-to-day activities (connecting with prospects each week) and even offline marketing (using Twitter hashtags at conferences and events). Plus, each touch point offers a way to stay connected to current clients without picking up the phone.

• Data monitoring — The web gives us completely new access to customer conversations. Twenty years ago, the discussion

over which merchant service to choose happened at chambers of commerce or around the office. Today, it’s just as likely to take place in a LinkedIn group or on Twitter. The most exciting part is that we have tools to monitor many of these conversations, so FMS can listen and reply when the moment is right.

1 Most Companies Organize in Hub and Spoke for Social Business. http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2010/11/09/research-most-companies-organize-in-hub-and-spoke-formation/e 2 Use Video SEO to Jump to the top of Google Search Results. http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/10/video-seo-top-google-search/ Photo credit: http://www.social4business.com/social-media-training-programs/social-media-magnet-strategy-sessions

THE HOW: CHANNELS While there are many networks and tools, only a few are relevant for us, and each of them has their own application(s) within the strategy. Because FMS wants to speak directly to both association and DR consumers via separate websites, each brand will have its own presence on channels that have company (versus individually) branded pages; those channels are highlighted in green.

Create content & get found Maintain relationships Listen and respond

Blog Write a weekly blog post; look for opportunities to guest blog and cross-promote content

Create Google alert for keywords

Video Record and post videos twice monthly

LinkedIn Optimize your personal profile with keywords and apps

Connect with clients and prospects on a regular basis; join relevant groups; update status regularly

Search LinkedIn Answers weekly and monitor group emails for opportunities to comment and answer questions

Twitter Create optimized Twitter profile; participate in relevant chats

Follow clients and prospects on a regular basis; tweet and use hashtags at conferences; tweet daily

Create ongoing Twitter alert for keywords

Facebook Revamp FMS’s existing Facebook page

Like clients’ and prospects’ business pages; post daily

Quora Search for and answer relevant questions

SlideShare Post presentations and marketing materials

Newsletter Send bi-weekly newsletter to clients and prospects

HARO Respond to relevant media inquiries to establish thought leadership

THE WHO: OUR AUDIENCES Each community has their own personality, hangout spots, and influencers. Our goal is to find where our audiences spend their time, the people they listen to, and how to engage them.

Direct Response Associations

Blogs Very few blogs for this market • http://drtvmedia.blogspot.com/

• http://membershipmarketing.blogspot.com/ • http://blog.memberclicks.com/ • http://jeffhurtblog.com/ • http://affiniscapeblog.com/

LinkedIn Groups

• Direct Response Mercenaries • Electronic Retailing & Direct Response • Pay-Per-Call Advertising • Direct Marketing Questions & Answers • Direct Response Forum • DRTV – As Seen on TV • DRTV Professionals • TV Infomercial Networks • As Sold on TV • Also other niche groups, like Pet Product

Marketing

• ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership • Certified Association Executives (CAEs) • Member ROI for Associations and Societies • Association Resource • Member Engagement – For Online Community &

Membership Professionals

Twitter Chats • #drtv, used somewhat • conference hashtags

• #assnchat, every Tuesday at 2pm ET • #asae – used anytime • conference hashtags

Influencers

http://www.responsemagazine.com/. No discernable non-traditional influencers, though maybe opportunities to cross-promote with marketing companies.

Jamie Notter, @jamienotter Deirdre Reid, @deirdrereid Jeff Hurt, @jeffhurt Jeffrey Cufaude, @jcufaude

People Commenting and

Searching

Search Twitter, LinkedIn Answers and Quora for terms like, “high risk merchant account,” “DR merchant services,” “infomercial credit card processing” and various combinations

Search Twitter, LinkedIn Answers and Quora for terms like, “merchant services for associations,” “credit card processing for associations” and similar

SAMPLE EDITORIAL CALENDAR An editorial calendar will help you plan. Some people find it helpful to give each month a theme, whereas others like more openness.

OCTOBER 2012 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 • Video post to

both sites • Share post on

Tw, LI, FB

2 • Share one

helpful article on LI, FB + Tw

• Check #assnchat at 2pm

3 • Share one

helpful article on LI, FB +Tw

4 • Share one

helpful article on LI , FB + Tw

• Send newsletter

5 • Share one


• Check LI Answers and Quora

6 • Prep the next

week • Connect with

new contacts

7 8 • Thought

leadership post to both sites

• Share post

9 • Share one



10 • Share one


• Email influencer about guest posting

11 • Share one


12 • Share one



13 • Prep the next


new contacts

14 15 • FAQ video for

both sites • Share post

16 • Share one



17 • Share one


18 • Share one


• Send newsletter

19 • Share one





new contacts

21 22 • Industry trend

post for both sites

• Share post

23 • Share one



24 • Share one


• Email influencer about guest posting

25 • Share one


26 • Share one





new contacts

28 29 • Minute Lesson

video for both sites

• Share post

30 • Share one



31 • Share one


DAILY • Look at Google,

LI groups, HARO and Twitter alerts; respond where helpful

AS NEEDED • Upload new

material to SlideShare

• Monitor conference and event hashtags

EVALUATION AND METRICS As with all marketing plans, but especially with social media, evaluation and adaptation is critical. We need to see where we are getting the most return on our investment, as well as consider if there are emerging technologies that we need to incorporate into our plan. Well-defined metrics, like the ones below, will help us evaluate our strategies. It is important to note that the most important metrics — those directly tying social media to lead generation — require Google Analytics on the website.

1. Number of information requests sent via the website 2. Social media sites as contributors to overall site traffic 3. Volume of activity (likes, followers, views) across channels 4. Website conversion funnel ratios — visitors :: information requests ::

sales

NEXT STEPS… Thank you for letting me put together this plan! But it’s only that — a plan. Now we need to implement. Here’s how we get started:

1. Let’s meet and discuss this document, make any changes, and discuss how we want to move forward. 2. Develop content ideas (topics) and discuss video logistics. 3. If necessary, have Kelly, Rocco and Mike on a call to discuss website requirements

a. If it makes sense, Kelly can also draft website requirements. 4. Investigate and purchase newsletter tool. 5. Create the necessary profiles for both websites (Twitter, Facebook, SlideShare, YouTube). 6. Create and optimize Mike’s personal profiles (LinkedIn, Quora). 7. Create and sign up for monitoring services (Google Alerts, HARO, Twitter alerts).

client marketing strategy

Documents