“We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media marketing, the question is how well we do it.”

~ Eric Qualman

What is social media marketing and why is it important for your business?

Social media marketing centers on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks.

This form of marketing is driven by word-of-mouth, meaning it results in earned media rather than paid media.

Social media marketing is more personal, generates faster results, and reaches a larger audience than many

conventional forms of advertising.

Social media marketing is interactive and provides an environment that allows brands to easily

build relationships with their customers.

The time to brand your business on social media is NOW!

CREATION OF A BRAND

There are over 1.1 Billion Facebook users making it the largest social media platform.

How many people do you know on Facebook?The average Facebook user has about 130 friends and each of those friends has an average of 130 friends and so on and so on. Therefore, the ability to connect increases exponentially with each new ‘Like’ a business or organization receives.

Facebook is all about GOOD content and conversation.

You must provide an atmosphere that promotes on-going conversation by delivering relevant and interesting content and responding to inbound posts and inquiries. You are building relationships that will nurture your business success.

There are on average 50 million Tweets per day.

Twitter is a great way to communicate during an event or happening by using #hashtags so that interested parties can stay in a particular conversation.

There are on average 50 million Tweets per day.

Discussion occurs around what is happening in a given moment allowing users to be very topical.

If you watch reality TV or Sports, you will see this method used quite extensively by celebrities, athletes and fans alike.

LinkedIn is Used Primarily for Business 2 Business.LinkedIn personal profiles provide an arena to showcase your expertise as well as a place where others can endorse you for your skills. This is a great way to increase your credibility and connect with others in your field.

LinkedIn Business pages are a great way to get your company in front of other high-level business professionals.

Pinterest hit 10 million U.S. monthly unique visitors faster than any independent site in history!

Pinterest is a Virtual Bulletin BoardUsers pin a variety of content that includes fashion,

food, celebrity, products, services, crafts, inspirational quotes, beneficial information on

countless industries and professions and the list goes on and on.

Pinterest is a Virtual Display Window

Pinterest referrals spend 70% more money than visitors referred from non-social channels.

Endless Possibilities

There are an endless number of social media sites that can be utilized to help build your brand and market your business. Many sites are targeted to specific industries such as retail, food and beverage, entertainment, etc.

The trick is to choose the right sites for your business and use them consistently.

Email is Alive and Well

Contrary to popular belief, email is not dead and can be a fantastic way to enhance and reinforce your social media marketing efforts.

Text Marketing for Mobile Flexibility

Text Marketing is another effective way to reinforce and enhance your social media marketing efforts.

Do you know anyone who does not have a smart phone?

Get your message to your target audience wherever they happen to be and provide them with great incentives like coupons and discounts to promote immediate action.

Text Marketing for Mobile Flexibility

What Kind of Investment Will I Have to Make?Social Media Marketing is one of the least expensive ways to grow your brand in terms of financial investment. However, a substantial time investment is required to effectively market with social media.

The How-To Guide for Social Media Marketing

Unfortunately, there is NO how-to guide for social media marketing.

You can search the internet for tips and instructions and you will see that there are literally thousands of so-called experts who will happily

sell you their fool-proof program to handle all your social media marketing needs. You can also find numerous free white papers and

e-books that claim to have all the answers you need.

Do You Have Time For That?

What’s the Secret of Social Media Marketing?Effective social media marketing takes time and planning. It takes an intimate and on-going knowledge of the most popular social media sites and the rapidly changing ways in which each site can be used.

Social Media Marketing Myths

Creating a page and never looking at it again is not marketing. There is no set amount of time you should spend daily, there are no magical times of the day to post, you cannot buy ‘Likes’, you should not use an app that will do all your posts to all your sites from one place, your nephew is likely not qualified to build your brand, and the list goes on.

Know and Understand Your Target Audience

• Are you limited to a geographical area?• Gender or age group specific?• What are they interested in?• Can you offer specials or updates on services you offer? • Is there a charity or networking event you are planning?• What relevant information or useful tips can you can share?

Know and Understand Your Product/Service

• Do you offer something that is appropriate for repeat customers?• Is your service or product more of a once in a while item?• Seasonal or specialty item?• Price range and ability to be price flexible?• Limited supply?

Social media is about communication between your brand and your clients and prospects. It’s about word-of-mouth and sharing. It’s about building relationships and creating a loyal community.

You’re Not Making a Commercial

Use Powerful Motivators

• Use appropriate and powerful visuals• Establish your expertise• Provide relevant and useful information• Always deliver what you promise• Use SEO to increase your searchablity • Have fun with your content• Use the 80-10-10 rule

• 80 relevant/useful info• 10 relevant entertainment• 10 selling

Incentivize • Make comments, ask questions, respond to questions on

particular topics that interest you.• Understand, listen, empathize with your fans and prospects. • Make your interests known to others. • Share content, mediate, and forward content. • Show an interest in relationships with others.• Entice your audience by engaging them in activities, games,

contests and more. • Be creative and fun. • Give links to your site or blog and watch your internet traffic

increase.

Engage Your Target Audience

Your online personality should mirror the way you interact in person. In other words, be genuine.

Data Analysis

Listen and Respond

In today’s fast paced world it’s more important than ever to respond to a client’s needs ASAP! It’s an online world full of text messages and emails. Many people today don’t make phone calls. Instead they prefer to message or email so they can read at their own convenience. Don’t miss a message or you could end up missing clients.

Your clients become a 24/7 customer help center.It’s the weekend. Your office is closed and no one is managing your social media site. A potential customer has a question and posts it on your wall. Fortunately you have a loyal and active fan base. Imagine a community that helps each other out 24/7!

Social Media Works Because it’s Personal!

iLike Media GroupMuskegon’s local social media marketing strategists.

• Content Management Services• Branding• Business Cards• Brochures• Flyers• Online Media• Marketing Strategies• And so much more . . .