Social Media Is a Waste of Time (Unless...)

Social Media MarketingIs a Waste

of Time

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagen

Unless…


@augieray | stonet.co/1t2TSSD

This presentation is (in part) a response to an article by Augie Ray.


People trust brand social media posts

70% less than they do information

on brand websites

stonet.co/1vhM0URAugie cited several gloomy stats about the efficacy of social media marketing for business.


Facebook & Twitter account forless than 0.2% of customer acquisitions

stonet.co/1A7gBFL

Augie cited several gloomy stats about the efficacy of social media marketing for business.


On Black Friday 2013a mere 1% of

online sales from social media

stonet.co/1sYokhP

Augie cited several gloomy stats about the efficacy of social media marketing for business.


Can you spot the flaw?

But these stats contain a fatal flaw.

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenThey measure only direct results – straight from a social post to a conversion.

That’s like expecting a tricycle to go to the moon.


Three Social Media MarketingKnots Nots

Let’s look at three things social media marketing does NOT do.


InstantTrust

Social media posts do NOT build instant trust.


InstantAcquisiti

onSocial media posts do NOT lead to instant customer acquisition.


InstantSales

Social media posts do NOT (typically) lead to instant sales.

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenSocial media marketing is not instant coffee.

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenSocial media marketing is more like slow roasting whole beans.

Takes longer, but can lead to very satisfying results.


…that brands get wrongabout social media

marketing

Brands often start social media marketing at the wrong end…

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenLets look in on the annual marketing planning meeting at INSIPID.


So….what marketing trend should we pursue next?


Billboards are hot!


Billboards!Billboards!Billboards!


You’ve sold me! But which billboards should we be on?


Facebillboard has the most users…


Twitboard is good for posting links…


LinkedBoard if we’re B2B…


Great. Now. Who wants to write up WHY we should be on

each of those billboards?

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenDoing social media marketing just because it’s “what you’re supposed to do”

is putting the cart before the horse.


Mother, where do customers come from?

Before you can convert customers, you have to find them. Few buying decisions are made on the spur of the moment.


Oh, get leads? Just get leads? Why don't I strap on my lead helmet and squeeze down into a lead cannon and fire off into lead land, where leads grow on little leadies?!

Probably not…

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenTo get converted customers on one end, you’ve got to be planting seeds on the other.

That’s what social media marketing does best.

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenSo if social media marketing doesn’t start with “doing social media,”

where does it start?

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenYou have to start with your BRAND.


1.Brand Values

First, you need to know the core values of your brand.


1.Brand Values2.Brand UVP

Your brand values help you define your UVP, your Unique Value Proposition.Your UVP is why people should be your customers, and not your competitor’s.


1.Brand Values2.Brand UVP3.Brand Story

Next define your brand’s story. Your brand’s story is how you communicate your brandvia your content and social media in ways that resonate both intellectually and emotionally.


Brand

So understanding your brand leads everything else.


Content

The next step before doing social is developing content that comes out of your brand values,UVP, and brand story. This is the “meat” for your social campaigns.

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenYour content is the foundation of your social campaigns.

There has to be some “there” there for people to see.


BrandContent

So content, led by your brand values, is now in its proper place.


NOW get social!

NOW we are ready to do social marketing!


BrandContent

Social

Brand values with related content help pull the social wagon inways that will be meaningful and connect the right prospects with your brand.


What SocialDOES Give

So what DOES social media marketing do for your brand?


Branding

Social media helps establish the right associations around your brand.

Photo by ROSS HONG KONG - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/27302727@N03 Created with Haiku Deck

Reach

Social media can vastly increase your reach. Strong ties are the people who already know you well & share you often.

Photo by JeepersMedia - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/39160147@N03 Created with Haiku Deck

Weak ties are people who maybe follow you but don’t know you well (yet).But don’t ignore them! They are your connections to new audiences.


SEO

Social media reach can lead to the kinds of things that affect search engine rankings.For example, after some viral SM campaigns our organic traffic went up and stayed up.


SEO

But not in the way you think…See stonet.co/SocialSEOStudies

That doesn’t mean social directly affects SEO, but it can create opportunities forthings that do, such as people wanting to link to your site content.


Free Labor

And social media can build fans and brand evangelists who work for your brand for free!


The 2 Thingsto Remember

In summary, remember these two things:


BrandContent

Social

Effective social media flows from brand to content to social.

State of Search 2014 @marktraphagenSocial media is seed planting for your other marketing to harvest as converted customers.

• www.stonetemple.com• Sr. Dir. Online Marketing• 110,000 G+ Followers• +MarkTraphagen• @MarkTraphagen

Get this deck atstonet.co/SMMWaste

THANKS!

Social Media Is a Waste of Time (Unless...)

Marketing

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