Beyond Liking: Building Social Strategies for Startups

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Startups know social media is important, but a social media strategy is often overlooked. Max Thomas shares his thoughts on using social media to grow business in this presentation he gave to Columbia Startup Lab on October 8, 2014.

Transcript of Beyond Liking: Building Social Strategies for Startups

BEYOND  LIKING  Building  Social  Media  Strategies  That  Drive  Business  Columbia Startup Lab l Max Thomas l 10.8.14

DOWNLOAD this  presenta7on:  

bit.ly/CSLsocial  

IAN  LURIE  @PORTENTINT  

JONATHON  COLMAN  @JCOLMAN  

MONIQUE  POUGET  @MONIQUETHEGEEK  

INSPIRED  by…  

HELLO!  Official  business  

CEO  and  Founder    

@thundermax   linkd.in/maxthomas  

thunderac7ve.com/blog  

CC’91  

@ThunderMax  

WHY  am  I  here?  

1.  I  like  smart,  cool  people  2.  I  love  Columbia  and  have  met  lots  of  cool  people  via  

Columbia  3.  I  love  new  ventures  &  technology  -­‐  this  seems  like  the  place  

to  be  4.  I’m  happy  that  Columbia  has  (finally)  launched  the  Startup  

Lab  and  I’d  like  to  be  a  part  of  it  5.  I  want  to  hang  with  today  and  tomorrow’s  leaders,  creators,  

inventors,  entrepreneurs,  and  backers    6.  I  love  being  excited  7.  I  like  providing  value  

WHO  am  I?  

•  Graduated  CC  91;  Yale  SOM  97  •  Grew  up  in  Louisiana,  moved  to  NYC  to  a`end  Columbia,  

stayed  for  20  years,  moved  to  San  Diego  7  years  ago  •  Married  my  partner  of  22  years  in  2008  in  CA  •  I  love  live  theatre  and  performance,  especially  ‘modern’  •  I  love  fashion  and  style  •  Three  fave  foods:  1)  green  tea,  2)  le`uce  &  3)  dark  chocolate  •  I  am  NOT  mainstream  •  I  love  being  INSPIRED  •  Last  book  (re)read:  The  Warburgs  by  Chernow;    

Currently  re-­‐reading:  The  Alchemist  by  Paulo  Coelho  

WHAT  am  I?  

•  Founder  &  CEO  ThunderAc7ve  –  San  Diego’s  Fastest-­‐Growing  Private  Companies  (2013,  2014)  –  San  Diego’s  Best  Places  to  Work  (2014)  

•  20+  years  experience  marke7ng  experience  working  with  brands  and  companies  

•  Speaker  at  Search  Marke7ng  Expo  in  NYC,  London  &  San  Jose;  LMA  Tech  Conference  San  Francisco,  DrupalCon  San  Diego,  WordCamp  San  Diego,  na7onal  conferences  

•  Previously  co-­‐founded  dotcom  developing  interna7onal  eCommerce  solu7ons  

WHY    ARE  YOU  HERE?  

WHO    ARE  YOU?  

WHAT    ARE  YOU?  

Now  we’re  being  transparent.  

Transparency  is  how  we    can  make  connecRons  with  other  people.  

PEOPLE  CAN  BE  TRANSPARENT.  

BUSINESSES  CAN  BE  TRANSPARENT  TOO.  

SOCIAL  MEDIA  IS  ABOUT  ENGAGEMENT.  

What  do  we  (consumers)  engage  with?  We  engage  with  content.    We  engage  with  messaging.  

WHY  DO  WE  ENGAGE?  

Because  we  care.  

What  is  a  brand?  

A  brand  is  an  emo7onal  connec7on.  The  savviest  marketers  understand  that  successful  products  appeal  to  the  heart,    not  the  mind.  

–  Steve  McKee  

So,  how  to  build  that  emo7onal  connec7on?  

BE  TRANSPARENT  ABOUT:  

WHY  -­‐  you  are  doing  business  WHO  -­‐  your  company’s  core  values  WHAT  -­‐  your  company/product  does  

Without  clarity  around  the    WHY  //  WHO  //  WHAT  messaging  and  content  can  get  confused,  even  junked  up.  

Without  clarity,  you  risk  losing  the  good  stuff.  

WHY  //  WHO  //  WHAT  ma`er  

HOW  =  STRATEGY  

WHY  //  WHO  //  WHAT  

THIS  IS  NOT  STRATEGY.  What’s  missing?  >  what’s  the  goal  >  what’s  the  process  >  what  are  we  tracking  >  what  are  we  doing?!  

LET’S  BUILD  A  SOCIAL  MEDIA  STRATEGY.  

PROPERTIES  OF  A  GOOD    MARKETING  STRATEGY:  

1.  A  strategy  isn’t  a  goal.  A  strategy  helps  achieve  a  clearly  defined  goal.  It’s  not  the    goal  itself.  

2.  A  strategy  helps  determine  repeatable  tac7cs.    3.  A  strategy  links  factors  to  goals  using  metrics.    4.  A  digital  marke7ng  strategy  affects  the  

business  core.  5.  A  marke7ng  strategy  withstands  change.    6.  A  strategy  transcends  channels.    

WHAT  TO  INCLUDE  IN  YOUR    SOCIAL  STRATEGY:  

1.  Embodiment  of  your  company  /  product’s  values,  mission  and/or  vision  

2.  Defini7on  of  social  media  goals  3.  Delinea7on  of  simple,  repeatable  tac7cs  4.  Clear  tracking  between  tac7cs  and  goals  

 IT  SHOULD:    

●  Succeed  regardless  of  social  media  channel  ●  Inspire  and  guide  any  person  within  company  

VALUES    MISSION  VISION  What  do  you  stand  for?  

TARGET  AUDIENCE  ●  Define  your  target  customer  

●  Be  as  specific  as  possible  ●  Where  do  they  hang  out  online?  

 

LISTEN  Social  tools  

LISTEN  Old  fashioned  snooping  

LISTEN  Old  fashioned  snooping  

LISTEN  Old  fashioned  snooping  

h`p://www.pinterest.com/source/momotarojeans.net/    

INSERT COMPETITOR

WEBSITE HERE!

LISTEN  Old  fashioned  snooping  

INSERT COMPETITOR OR PRODUCT

HERE!

LISTEN  Old  fashioned  snooping  

INSERT PROSPECT OR COMPETITOR

HERE!

LISTEN  Old  fashioned  snooping  

INSERT COMPETITOR

WEBSITE HERE!

LISTEN  Take  a  stab  where  your  prospects  hang  

AUDIENCE   CHANNEL   AUDIENCE  B2C   Facebook  B2C   Pinterest  B2C   Instagram  B2C   Twitter   B2B  B2C   Linkedin   B2B  B2C   Yelp   B2B  B2C   Blogs   B2B  B2C   Search   B2B  

Persona  Blog  Post:  h`p://moz.com/blog/personas-­‐understanding-­‐the-­‐person-­‐behind-­‐the-­‐visit  

MINE  DATA  Develop  personas  

SOCIAL  GOALS  Chances  are  they  are    something  like:  

•  Lead  genera7on  •  Reputa7on  •  Branding  

 

GET  SPECIFIC.  

TACTICS  How  do  we  achieve  our  goals?  

 

GOAL:    Humanize  our  brand  with  daily  social  media  conversaRons.    TacRcs:    ●  Share  frequent  behind-­‐the-­‐scenes  photos  of  our  warehouse  /  office  

●  Crowdsource  new  feature  /  product  ideas  ●  Respond  to  everyone  (within  reason)  

GOAL:    An  online  conversion  like  an  online  product  sale  or  info  request.    TacRcs:    ●  Drive  visitors  to  website  with  relevant  content  and  messaging  

●  Engage  prospects  via  social  channels  ●  Sweepstakes  or  promo7ons  to  a`ract  new  prospects  

METRICS  How  do  we  measure  results?    

Please make this chart pretty Phoebe!!! <3 Monique

MEASURE  A  framework  

MEASURE  Tracking  

MEASURE  Tracking  

MEASURE  Tracking  

Q  &  A  

MAX  THOMAS  Founder  &  CEO  

@thundermax  

@ThunderMax    linkd.in/maxthomas  

thunderac7ve.com/blog  

DOWNLOAD this  presenta7on:  

bit.ly/CSLsocial