The Three Pillars of Effective Social Media

Sarah Steel

PEOPLE

PLANNING

PERSONALITY

Effective Social Media

What social media is…

PEOPLE• See your product or service through your buyer’s

eyes• What circumstances drive their decision process• What is their background• What are their daily activities• What are their problems• What are the current solutions to their problems

• “That’s ME! This organisation understands me and my problems and will therefore have products that fit my needs” = MORE CUSTOMERS!

PEOPLE

• Buyer Persona(s)• Fictional representations of your ideal customers. • Based on real data, along with educated speculation• Created through research, surveys, and interviews of your

target audience. • Include both existing customers (both “good” and “bad”)

and prospects. • Paint a picture of who your ideal customer is, what they

value, and how your solution fits into their daily lives.

PEOPLE

• Once you know your customer, it becomes much easier to find and connect with them online. Use the following:• Targeted search terms and hashtags• Facebook Ads• Targeted giveaways e.g. downloadable report• Online groups and forums

PEOPLE

• For example…• An online travel search site discovered that Mac

users were 40% more likely to book a 4- or 5-star hotel than their Windows counterparts. So including Apple-related news, and even sharing info about other “premium” products, in their updates will attract more of those types of customers, resulting in more profits for them!

PEOPLE

• Workshop: Outline Buyer Persona

PEOPLE

• Where do you need to be?• Where are your customers?• Where are your competitors?

• Consider:• Platforms: Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn,

blogs etc• Keywords: Know what people are looking for in Google

searches and ensure social media addresses these terms.• Groups: Join or create groups that contain or attract your

ideal clients. Think outside the box!• Fan/Follower acquisition methods

PLANNING

• You will find more customers of the type that you want if you are fishing in the right ponds

• You will be servicing their needs better if you meet your customers where they are

PLANNING

• What information can you share?• Expert tips• Relevant events• Photos and images• Unexpected uses for your product• Complementary products/services from others• Blog posts• Information and news articles• …as well as company/product news, offers,

testimonials etc

PLANNING

• Planning the majority of your updates will save you time and anxiety

• It will also make sure that you continue to deliver material that is of interest to your Buyer Persona

PLANNING

• What do you want to achieve? Be specific!• Increase sales/order book/turnover/profit?• Increased company and/or brand profile?• Gain and share information?• Reduce telephone support expenditure?• Become a “business hub”?• Collaborations with others in your industry• More lunchtime bookings/weekday appointments etc• Celebrity endorsement• Double traffic to website• Increase email mailing list by 25%• Endorsements on industry review sites such as TripAdvisor• More Amazon reviews for your book

PLANNING

• By planning your social media goals upfront you can – Accurately measure progress towards goals– Demonstrate and celebrate success– Improve aspects that are working less well

PLANNING

• Write down 3 things that your company would like to achieve through social media

PLANNING

• Be your brand• Your social media activity should embody the values of

your company

PERSONALITY

• Having a clear business personality/brand will help you to attract MORE of the kind of customers you want to work with

• Those customers are more likely to share your updates with their like-minded connections – you might even go viral!

PERSONALITY

• The key to social media is in the name – its social! • Their Favourite Subject: People love to talk about

themselves• Engage:

• Mention or Tag people or businesses to get their attention• Respond promptly to mentions, comments, tags and direct

messages• Ask questions that you know your audience will be

interested in answering• Seek out relevant conversations• Ask for feedback on new product/service ideas and concepts

PERSONALITY

• Encouraging engagement will build a stronger bond with you/your company

• Regular informal contact will mean that your business is front-of-mind when the need arises

PERSONALITY

• For example… a food producer or restaurant won’t go far wrong sharing images of their dish of the day, as their potential customers are likely to enjoy being tempted with food and will often feel compelled to comment simply on how good it looks. To improve engagement even further, ask specific questions such as• What would you like to drink with that?• What’s for dessert then?!• Who would you most like to share this dish with?

PERSONALITY

• Choose adjectives that describe your brand personality

PERSONALITY

Got all that..?

• Now you understand that effective social media is dependent on• PEOPLE• PLANNING• PERSONALITY

• Without these elements, your social media success is likely to be reliant on• The personality of a single person within your organisation• The perseverance of your potential customers• The loyalty of your existing customers• Serendipity!

Imagine if…

• …you could get actionable social media tips and guidance direct to your email in-box to help you start planning and implementing what you’ve learned today

• …you were a member of a LinkedIn social media support group solely for your peers in the local area, so there’s always someone to answer your social media questions

• …you were in with the chance of winning a 2-hour social media consultation for your company

• …there was no catch!

Get started now!

Not sure if you’re ready to commit to all these things for FREE?• you can always sign up for the email tips on my

website when you feel ready • you can request to join the LinkedIn social media

support group yourself• BUT you only get the chance to win the 2-hr

consultancy session when you register TODAY…

Ready, Steady…

Contact me…

Tel: 07921 040622Email: sarah@sarahsteelsm.co.ukWeb: sarahsteelsm.co.uk

twitter.com/SarahSteelSMfacebook.com/SarahSteelSocialMedialinkedin.com/in/SarahSteelSocialMedia