SOCIAL MEDIA:A

POWERFUL TOOLFOR

SMALL BUSINESS

Tuesday, July 30, 13

What do you think of when you first hear the words Social Media?

Does your mind start racing? What social media platform should I be on? Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, there are so many.

And there are only so many hours in the day. There has to be some time to work. Right?

SOCIAL MEDIAWhen you hear social media....Does your mind start racing?

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Are you wondering if you should focus on Pinterest or Google+ or LinkedIn? Or maybe you think you should put all your efforts on Facebook. Does all of this make your feel overwhelmed?

Wait and See.This social media might be a

fad.

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Maybe you have a wait and see attitude? This social media stuff may just be a fad.

SOCIAL MEDIA REVOLUTION

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Let’s watch this short video on the social media revolution.After the video, let me know if you think social media is a fad.Note: If video does not come up automatically, click this link http://youtu.be/QUCfFcchw1w

Small and medium businesses thatuse Social Media are

56 % more likely

to increase their revenue. (recent report by research analysts at several organization ~

PC World.com)

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Let’s briefly focus on 6 social media platforms. Do you need to be on all six platforms? Probably not. My suggestion would be to pick one and master it and then expand to another platform.

FACEBOOK

It’s a No Brainer.You gotta be on Facebook

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Let’s focus on Facebook a minute.

With over 1 billion active users, Facebook is a no brainer. You got to be there. If you have a business, you need a Facebook Page.

What would be a good reason for your business to have a Facebook Page?

What are the benefits of Facebook Likes?

Social proof. Facebook helps to create brand awareness and top of mind positioning.

Facebook makes you more “likable,” and we know that all things being equal people do business with the people they know, like, and trust.If you listen to your fans, you have a free research department. Find out what your fans like so you can offer those products and services.Over a billion active users.

Twitter

Listen and respond to what people are saying about your

brand.

Tuesday, July 30, 13

To people who use Twitter - it becomes addictive. 25% of Twitter users are active - sending several tweets every day.People tweet about everything. When I drove through the fast food window recently, and they did not give me straws for my five grandchildren that were riding with me, my first thought was to tweet about it. I didn’t because I like to keep my tweets positive, but that was my first thought. Many people do tweet about both positive and negative customer experiences. You need to know what your customers are saying about your brand.

Twitter is also great for internal communication between employees.

You know it is even being used for internal communication in the home. Parents are tweeting their teens to come home for supper or even to come down the stairs to pick up their clothes.

If you need to improve internal communication between employees, Twitter can help.

You are able to listen to and respond to what people are saying about your brand.

No - social media takes TIME.

Is Social Media Free?

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Social Media is not free. This is a myth.A Twitter account may be free, but social media marketing is not free.It takes TIME - your time is not free, is it?Social media takes a lot of time. It requires your time or someone else’s time so it is not free.

YOUTUBE

Grew by 53% Last Year

Tuesday, July 30, 13

YouTube grew by 53% last year. It is the 2nd largest search engine. Free Marketing (but not really free because it takes TIME.)

Of course, like all social media, you have to learn to use it well.

You can’t just put a video up and forget about it. You can’t neglect your channel. You have to log in and respond to comments.

PINTEREST

Pin It!

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Pinterest is much more popular with women than men.

Once upon a time, we would shop for items from catalogues that arrived in our mailbox. I remember how excited I would be growing up for the Sear’s and J.C. Penny’s Catalog to arrive in our mailbox.

I would sit down and wish and circle one thing on every page that I wanted.

Now we Pin It.

The Average Pinner has 34 boards with close to 3,000 pins.

I need to create some more boards and pin some more items!

The most popular categories are My Life, Food and Drink, Crafts, Home Decor.

GOOGLE+

Connect with People who ShareYour Interest.

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Google+ is tied to your google email. If you have a Google email it is easy to get started with google+.

I love Google+. Google + is about connecting with people who share your interest.

Everyone seems to want to compare Google+ to Facebook but they are not the same.

With Google+ you put people into circles. No one knows what circle you put them in. So you might have a circle called optimists and a circle called pessimists and no one will know which circle you put them in. You will be able to filter out what you read and who what you post based on your circles.

LINKEDIN

Over 2 Million Users World Wide

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Over 2 million users worldwideGrowing by 2 members per secondLinkedIn - professional networking - think of LinkedIn as your Rolodex on Steroids. Or as your expanded Business Card.Average income is $86,00074% of LinkedIn users have a college degreeMany groups on LinkedIn - about 2 million groupsThe average age of a LinkedIn User is 4198% of college graduates have received at least one interview for a job they applied for on LinedIn (Jessica Brown)

THINK OF IT THIS WAY

Twitter Instant updates; on the spot happenings.Facebook Friends, family, and old classmates.Google+ Ideas and interest.LinkedIn Professional networking.

Tuesday, July 30, 13

SOCIAL MEDIAThe New Word of Mouth

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Word-of-mouth marketing has received a technology makeover, and it’s called social media.

Hands down, social media is the most powerful tool than any business owner can use to engage customers and drive revenuegrowth.business.time.com

Tuesday, July 30, 13

Hands down, it’s the most powerful tool that any business owner can use to engage customers and drive revenue growth.

So If you’re looking for a place to focus your business growth efforts, try social media.

QUESTIONS???

Website/blog: http://carolhbates.comFacebook: http://facebook.com/drcarolhbatesTwitter: http://twitter.com/carolhbatesPinterest: http://pinterest.com/carolhbates

Tuesday, July 30, 13

REFERENCES

• Social Media Pays Off for Small, Midsize Businesses, Study Says (Stephanie McDonald).

•What the Plus is Google Plus (Guy Kawasaki)

• Social Media Video 2013 (Erik Qualman)

• http://business.time.com/2013/06/28/business-growth-and-social-media/#ixzz2XoaXsdAu

Tuesday, July 30, 13