Social Media for Small Business

In June 2012, I ran a 4 hour intensive workshop for local small business owners at Cowerks in Asbury Park, NJ.  A hands-on, interactive learning experience, attendees came away knowing how:

• To create brand identities on major social media websites including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, YouTube, and Pinterest
• To use social media to send traffic to a brand’s blog or website
• To leverage accounts on each social media site in order to interact with other members and convert them to customers
• Niche social media websites may be more useful for individuals and companies than the major platforms
• The impact social media has on customer service
• Individuals of different backgrounds view social media, and how to tailor social media campaigns to specific demographics
• Privacy and transparency impact the use of social media

This half day workshop gave attendees all the tools they need to create and execute a social media strategy for their business or brand. The syllabus included:

Blogs

1. Elements of a well written blog post
2. How to incorporate underlying goals into content
3. How to engage readers and convert them to customers
4. How to generate traffic to a blog using social media

Social Commerce

1. Understand how purchasing decisions are affected by social media
2. How to conduct sales through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

Privacy and Transparency

1. Learn how much information potential customers are willing to provide
2. How to gather information regarding potential customers
3. Appropriate ways to market to customers who have provided contact information beyond the traditional email blast

New Media Marketing

1. How to turn customers into advertising channels

Location-based Social Media

1. Understand how to use a site like FourSquare to attract and retain customers through examples presented in successful LBSM campaigns

Social Media Plan

1. Understand that a company’s social media plan determines what channels to use, what people to engage, and what conversations to join
2. Understand that the process begins by examining what platforms are in use or could be used, what conversations already exist, what’s important to stakeholders, and what resources are available to create the plan.
3. Understand that, ultimately, the social media plan is the playbook for a brand as it launches it’s marketing campaign over the next 6 to 12 months via social media and must provide as much detail as possible to those individuals responsible for following through with the elements of the plan