Social Networking& Your BusinessTech Pulse 2009Dave MeyerPresident, BizzyWeb LLC

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The Social Media Landscape

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4 reasons to use social media

• Your competition is doing it– Know your customers better than they do

• Your customers are using it– Be where they spend their time– Listen to what they say

• Your critics are doing it– Respond quickly and appropriately– Be transparent and honest

• Your vendors and partners are using it– Personalized customer service (@comcastcares)

• Boost Search Engine results– More buzz=more links, more links=higher rank

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First, some best practices

• Get signed up!– 5 minutes, tops

• Fill out your profile– Be thorough, but keep it “business casual”– Be yourself, but represent your brand

• Treat it like “real world” networking– Listen first– Add value– Less sell sell sell, more help help help

• Make some friends– Use the tools provided– Check out handy resources

• Have fun!

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LinkedIn

• 40 million users• Free to join• Great for

– Connecting– Job Hunting– Branding

• ProTips: – Use “vanity URL”– Complete your profile– Use keywords liberally– Keep your info updated– Use Advanced Search– Participate in groups

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Facebook

• 200 million active users

• Average user has 120 friends

• Fastest growinggroup: 35+

• 29% of usersearn $100K/yr+

• ProTips:– Use groups– Set up your “vanity URL” (facebook.com/dave.meyer)– Create a company page– Publicize events, promotions, etc.

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Twitter

• 3 million active accounts

• 50% of users follow more than 10 people

• 1 billion+ tweets • 140 char. or less• ProTips:

– search.twitter.com– Follow early

and often– Use tools: Tweetdeck, Twellow, etc.– Join the conversation: RT, @ and D often

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Twitter tools: the Twitterverse

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Blogs

• 77% of active Internet users read blogs

• 133 million blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002

• In business:– A tool to communicate quickly

and easily– Share marketing, knowledge or

brand information– Proactive information sharing

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How to get started

• Listen, explore what others are doing– Social media = “the greatest research tool ever created”– The most honest, unfiltered and immediate feedback you’ll ever

get – and from a massive audience– Always search, listen, and know your audience first

• Form a strategy – Think about measurement, but focus on outcomes – What do you want to accomplish?– Be yourself– Create a mix of content: 1/3 about

you, 1/3 sharing ideas & articles, 1/3 conversation with others

• Commit to a schedule• Do it!

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How to Measure

• Twitter: Instant-feedback and brandmanagement. Know who’s talking about you

• Google Alerts: Quick, easy alerts onyour brand, competitors and you

• Technorati: Find the key experts that have something to say in your field or industry

• RSS: Keep track of your best sources

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Great, but how do you CONTROL it?

• Set up a sensible policy

• Train users on effective use– Brand champions, blog spokespeople, social media mavens

• Don’t be afraid to tell your story– Don’t silence critics, resolve issues– “Corporate spin” doesn’t work– 4 steps to handle negative feedback:

1) reply quickly, 2) be respectful, 3) be thankful, 4) invite more feedback

- Jay Sheperd, “Gruntled Employees” blog

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How fast is Social Media?

http://www.momcentralconsulting.com

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Effective B2B strategies

• Different tactics: Less marketing, more brand – Build a reputation– Solve problems– Thought leadership

• Competitive intelligence– Find hot topics, trends,

and what customers are saying

• Cut through “marketing speak”– Interactions speak louder than press releases– Tap into customer evangelism – give delighted

customers a platform

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The “Commandments”

• http://maccabeegroup/node

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A final word:

• Stick to your plan, and know when to say when!

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Thank you!

Email: dave.meyer@bizzyweb.comPhone: 763-432-0043Web: bizzyweb.com

twitter: http://twitter.com/dave1meyer

http://www.facebook.com/david.meyer

http://www.linkedin.com/in/dave1meyer

http://www.bizzyweb.com/communications/social-media/