Social Media 101

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Agenda

In this webinar, we will:

• Define social media

• Explain how it’s relevant to eFlorists

• Identify the major types and players

• Show how to use different social media sites

• Q&A

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What is social media?

• Social media is people using websites to share photos, ideas, you name it. The purpose is to share and create a community.

• Social media can be viewed on a computer, on a phone and on other web-enabled devices

• With the expansion of the internet, communities have sprung up around hobbies, activities, lifestyles, etc.

• Participants can be creators or viewers. You determine how you want to participate and how often.

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How is social media useful for eFlorists?

• Posting content online, whether it’s a profile or a video, can increase your exposure in the public eye, thereby attracting more customers

• An opportunity to manage your online reputation

• Does not necessarily help with SEO, but the additional mention of your shop on sites like these can help new customers find you through your networks

• Can help create a community around your brand, increasing loyalty among existing customers

• All of these can lead to increased sales and customer retention

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Is social media for you?

• Although presence on these sites is not mandatory for business, many people are jumping in

• Depending on your inclination and time, you might decide that one or more of these vehicles is appropriate for your shop

• You can sign up for any social media site and check out other profiles, see how people use it

• Think carefully before starting any social media campaigns. They must be maintained, they’re not just a one-time thing, and you’ve got to be able to provide content on a regular basis. Once you gain your audience you’ve got to keep them engaged.

• Be flexible. You can have a strategy to start with and if it doesn’t pan out, be ready to make a change.

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Blogs

• Online diaries where an author or authors expound on a particular topic or speak from a particular viewpoint

• Readers might be interested in the topic or maybe they have an affinity for the personality behind the blog

• Readers can subscribe to a blog via email or have blog updates delivered to their inboxes via an RSS feed

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Where can I start one?

• Places to build your blog for free• www.blogspot.com

• www.wordpress.com

• www.blogger.com

• Pick a graphic template you like

• Examples of blogs• http://mondaymorningflowers.blogspot.com/

• http://blog.wkf.com/

• http://www.centralsquareflorist.com/blog/

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What’s in a blog?

• With blogs, you’re committing to posting your thoughts on a regular basis. You’ll need to set up a schedule for yourself and think about what topics you’re going to cover in each post.

• Sample weekly schedule:• Week 1, introduce shop and staff

• Week 2, talk about seasonal flowers

• Week 3, upcoming holiday arrangements

• Week 4, preparing for holiday rush

• Week 5, ideas for keeping cut flowers fresh

• Week 6, year-round uses for wreaths

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Social networking sites

• These are places where people “meet” online, share photos, communicate, play games, etc.

• Members create a profile or page and update it as they wish

• Can include blogs, video files, audio, links

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How does it work?

• Businesses can set up business pages• With Facebook specifically, businesses cannot set up individual profiles.

Individuals have profiles, businesses have pages.

• Pages can have multiple administrators

• As with individual profiles, friends can post to your wall and send you messages

• Page owners can make changes and additions to the page to customize

• You can view reports about your site traffic and send messages to your friends

• Pages allow you to communicate with your friends directly, and your updates will appear in their news feed

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How do I get started?

• With Facebook or MySpace, you’ll want to add friends and post events or promotions to keep people interested. This means you have to set up events and/or promotions.

• Add a link to your Facebook page from your eFlorist site

• Invite customers on e-mail list to be friends on Facebook

• Once your friends are added, you can create events on Facebook and invite people

• In-store events are great for Facebook promotion

• Post photos after events and tag the attendees if you can

• You’ll want to update your status regularly, but not so often that people tire of you in their newsfeed

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Facebook Places

• Facebook Places is a directory, these listings are not the same as business pages

• Facebook Places is similar to Google’s Place Pages

• Claim your place page in order to merge it with a business page, if you have one

• To claim your Facebook Place Page, you have to be in your shop with a smartphone or a geolocation-enabled computer

• eFlorist shop information is being uploaded to Facebook Places automatically, but you will need to claim it

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Examples of business pages

• Pages on MySpace• http://www.myspace.com/lavandaflowers

• http://www.myspace.com/gardendelights

• Pages on Facebook• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Winnipeg-MB/Dragonfly-Flowers-on-

McPhillips/18929091597

• http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/samuels.flowers (must log in to see)

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Twitter

• Twitter• Similar to a blog, only in short form

• Like a blog, you can visit someone’s page to see their postings or subscribe to their feed

• Posts are limited to 140 characters

• Users create a profile to post tweets and follow other people

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Getting started with Twitter

• First you’ll set up a profile and check out other posts

• Pick a few users to follow, maybe no more than a dozen

• Invite customers to follow you, also using email if you’d like

• You might want to offer weekly promotions to drive in-store traffic or online sales

• If you set up something online, make sure you have it ready BEFORE telling customers!

• Samples of retailers on Twitter• http://twitter.com/HomeDepot

• http://twitter.com/zappos

• http://twitter.com/ToysRUs

• http://twitter.com/floralimpressio

• http://twitter.com/Lexisflorist

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Video content

• YouTube• Video sharing site

• Can host videos on YouTube then link to them from any other site

• Saves you server space if you don’t have to host videos yourself

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Creating your own videos and channel

• Decide if you want to create videos, and if so, how many

• You can create educational videos to show how to care for arrangements at home, or if you have a nursery, how to care for plants

• Create a set for yourself with lots of light and make sure the camera is steady

• You can tag the first and last frames of the video with your shop name and URL so that while the video loads viewers can see how to contact you

• Once your videos are finished, you can create a profile and upload them to YouTube

• Link to videos from eFlorist site, blog, Facebook page, etc.

• Examples of florist videos• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Maz8cvnFZ8&feature=channel_page

• http://www.youtube.com/user/ModernDayFloral

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Link your social media accounts to your eFlorist site

Add links to your various social media campaigns to your eFlorist homepage

No customization needed!

Visitors can link products to their social media accounts

Visitors can share products with friends via Twitter or Facebook

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Additional resources

• For each of these vehicles, brief instructions can be found on MyTeleflora.com > eFlorist Service Center

• For simple explanations about social media, CommonCraft has a great website with easy-to-follow videos

• www.commoncraft.com

• Social media for small businesses• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1uAWZJe2sc

• Search Engine Optimization tips• http://www.webmarketing123.com/social-media-for-seo.php

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Additional resources

• Managing your online reputation• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/business/smallbusiness/30reputation.

html?_r=1&emc=eta1

• Tips for Twitter• http://www.zencartoptimization.com/2009/06/30/10-twitter-tips-for-e-

commerce-retailers/

• http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/107113

• http://www.slideshare.net/pkitano/the-local-business-owners-guide-to-twitter

• http://business.twitter.com/twitter101/

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Wrap-up

• To summarize• Social media is trendy but may not be for everyone

• Each vehicle requires a certain amount of commitment of time and/or resources, so maybe try one before signing up for all

• eFlorist sites have social media functions built in

• It’s okay to experiment, and if it’s not for you, that’s okay too

• Questions?• Contact Web Services for questions about implementation at

866.983.3932 or webmaster@teleflora.com

• Send suggestions for future webinar topics to efloristuniversity@teleflora.com