raising the profile of your business online

www.marketingpicture.co.uk

Raising the profile of your business online

All you need to know about social networking…


• Did you tweet today?

• Have you updated your blog?

• What’s on your wall?

• Do you run a wiki?

• Did you podcast your blog?

Should you - or is it yesterday’s news?


• Facebook• MySpace• Bebo• YouTube• Friends Reunited• Flickr• Slideshare

•Twitter•LinkedIn•Ecademy•Wikipedia•Technorati


• A Social Network is an online community, usually with a common interest or goal.

• All of them provide a method for visitors to interact, share information and connect with each other.

All of these are Social Networking websites.


Social Networking Tools

• Popular mediums for social networking include blogs, podcasts, message boards, wikis, forums

• There are several forms of updating social media, which include text, audio (podcast), video and pictures.


Social Networking Features• User generated content• Discussion boards where customers can

interact with your business• Joining the conversation/debate• Tools for customers to upload photos and

reviews• Posting business news• Linking to your website• They’re usually FREE


• Facebook (discussion, connections)

• MySpace (music, connections)

• Bebo (writers, young people, connections)

• YouTube (videos, reviews)

• Friends Reunited (connections)

• Flickr (pictures)• Slideshare

(presentations, reviews)

•Twitter (micro-blogging)

•LinkedIn (business connections)

•Ecademy (business connections)

•Wikipedia (wiki, collaborating)

•Technorati (blogs, reviews)


The New Internet

• Social Networks have changed the way we use the Internet

• From viewing static web pages/websites…. to joining in and becoming part of “the conversation”

• Web 2.0


Why should we use them in business?

• Connect with your customers every day• Build a community around your product/service• Put a human face on your business• Engage with your audience by using rich media content

such as video• SEO – links back to your website• New and quicker way of networking• Join in or get left behind…• They’re usually FREE


Social Networking Websites for Business


Originally started for college students, now open to all

over 13 with business pages becoming popular. FREE

to join and participate in.


Microblogging, “What are you doing now?” in 140

characters. Open to all over 13. FREE.


Business network for professionals. You can now set up

business profiles as well as personal profiles. Works on

connections. FREE to join.


Video sharing social network. Increasingly used by

businesses to promote brands and products. FREE.


Online Encyclopedia – a collaboration of people all contributing to the website to share information. FREE.


Aren’t these for young people?

• Facebook has more than 175 million users(Its fastest growing demographic is people over 30)

• LinkedIn more than 30 million members • Twitter more than 7 million users (1.8 million in the

UK)• YouTube and Google Video more than 3 billion

visitors per month in the UK• Wikipedia more than 9 million visitors per month


Tips• Think about what’s interesting for your

customer, not you• Once you’ve started, don’t stop! They must

be kept up to date• Blogs preferably weekly - daily is best• Twitter – daily• Facebook, LinkedIn at least monthly,

preferably weekly minimum• YouTube, Flickr – as and when


Who else is doing it?


Branding on YouTube


Viral Branding on YouTube


Pros• Building relationships with customers• Reaching new audiences• Interactive• Direct marketing opportunity• Links• Can be viral• Low cost


Cons

• Very open!• Getting the message right is still important • Time required to manage these along with

other marketing activity• Must still be relevant to your business


Advertising on Social Networks

• Not FREE!

• But very targeted

• Usually added to social networking sites at some point

• Worth considering

• Pay per click or per number of impressions models


Blogging

• Online journals

• Treated as important by Google

• Fresh content

• Informal style


Aren’t blogs about people? • Used to be

• Now used by businesses

• Positioning as experts

• Really add value to your clients - free information, tips, hints, surveys etc.

• Gather followers – pass opinion

• Must be relevant!


RSS

•What does it mean?

•Adding an RSS feed to your website

•Constant reminders to subscribers

•Linking back to your website to see news in more detail

•News immediately sent to interested parties


Social Networking in Plain English…


Finally…

• Can you afford not to use some of these tools?

• Low cost means low or no barrier

• Web 3.0 – are you ready?


Karen McNulty

• www.marketingpicture.co.uk• Email : [email protected]• Tel: 01778 338184

There’s never been a better time to make sure that every penny you spend on marketing works for you.