Ebook Social Media For Small Business

An Introduction to Social Media
for Small Business
A Blue Beetle Books Publication

Copyright 2012 Blue Beetle Books
for Small Business
Published as an eBook original by

Blue Beetle Books.
No part of this eBook may be reproduced in

any manner whatsoever without the written
permission of Blue Beetle Books.
Blue Beetle Books

204-900 Wollaston St., Victoria, BC V9A 5B2
Tel: 250-704-6686
E: info@bluebeetlebooks.com
www.bluebeetlebooks.com
for Small Business
Table of Contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................4
Developing Your Social Media Strategy...............................................................................6
10 Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Starting Out...........................................10
Grow Your Business With LinkedIn.....................................................................................12
Facebook Marketing.............................................................................................................14
Twitter for Business..............................................................................................................17
How to Use Google+ for Business......................................................................................19
Community Management.....................................................................................................21
9 Ways to Build Your Social Media Network......................................................................24
Reputation Management and Social Media.......................................................................26
Location Based Strategies...................................................................................................28
Time Management: Social Media Management Tools......................................................30
Prince Albert and District Community 3 www.pacf.ca

Futures Development Corporation
Introduction
Just a few years ago I was telling new entrepreneurs attending a
small business course I was delivering, that it was vital to have a
website. I remember saying that the general public was beginning
to expect that a proper business should have an online presence;
that a business wasnt a real business if it didnt have at least a
basic website. Many shook their heads and said that they really
didnt need a website, that it was too expensive, and anyway their
target audience wouldnt search for them online.
Today, that same public is more knowledgeable than we could ever

have dreamed back in those halcyon days; now not only are our customers aware of our competition,
they can buy online without even leaving their homes. Local shopping means a UPS delivery guy at the
door, delivering what we ordered just a few days ago online.
My students back then talked about word-of-mouth marketing. If they provided a good product or
service at a fair price, and offered great customer service, then the hope was that people would
recommend them to their neighbours across the street, or at church. If someone wasnt happy then it
was unfortunate, but at least it was contained to the local area, and hey people have short memories.
Fast-forward less than a decade and few businesses dont have a website, and those same customers
are now searching out reviews online for everything from restaurants, hotels, cars, televisions and
1,001 other items. Theyre searching out what people have said about your company - but do you
know what theyre saying? Today there is nowhere to hide. It doesnt matter if you dont have a
website, people can still talk about you for good or for bad. The problem is that if you dont have a web
presence, you wont know it and you cant handle the fall out.
Just recently I was on a business trip; I stayed in a small town for a week and ate at restaurants, drank
coffee, good and bad, at coffee shops, visited a few museums and stayed in a hotel. When I returned
home, I went to my TripAdvisor account and wrote seven reviews. Some were good, some were
average and a few were scathing. It doesnt matter where your business is, and it doesnt matter how
big or small it is, your customers have the ability to talk about you behind your back.
The question is, do you want to hear what they are saying? Do you want to be able to defend yourself
if they slag you publicly? Do you want to carry out some damage control, by offering to deal with
their complaint? Do you want to build a positive online reputation BEFORE they start complaining
so that their negativity is outweighed one-hundred to one by those with positive experiences? If the

answer is yes, and I truly hope for the sake of your business it is, then this book will provide you with
a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the world of Tweets, LinkedIn, Facebook and many
other social media sites that will enable you to communicate directly with your customers, wherever
they are in the world.
Social media is not just about dealing with what people say about you online though, its about
communicating with your customers and future customers, its about building a community, being
part of other communities; its about educating people, listening to them, and letting them know all
about you, your company, the people that work for you, your products, your services, your business
philosophy, your integrity and your organizational culture.
There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child - perhaps today it takes a social media
community to grow a business.
In the pages that follow, you will learn: how to develop a social media strategy; how to become your
own community manager; avoid the rookie mistakes people make when starting out in social media;
understand how Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and more can help grow your business; how to
build your social media network; manage you reputation; save time through social media; and a little
about the new kid on the block, location-based social media.
Id like to thank the several social media writers who have contributed material to this publication, and
in particular social media guru, Chris Burdge of bWEST Interactive who wrote the chapters, Developing
Your Social Media Strategy and Grow Your Business With LinkedIn. Id also like to thank him for all the
guidance he gave me in compiling, and editing, this small business guide to the world of social media.
Mike Wicks
(Publisher: Blue Beetle Books Inc.)

Developing Your Social Media Strategy
This opening chapter Nestl Purina. Chris also wrote chapter three: Grow
was written by Chris Your Business with LinkedIn.
Burdge, a social media
guru who runs bWEST Developing Your Social Media Strategy
Interactive. bWEST is a The surest way to fail at social media marketing
marketing services firm is to rush into it without a plan or strategy.
that helps companies Unfortunately we see it happen all too often. Maybe
create genuine and youve done it yourself; set up a Twitter account
lasting relationships with or Facebook page without really knowing why,
their target audience what youre going to do with it or how to measure
and customers using whether its successful or not.
Social Media, Email and
emerging online media. The best place to start is to understand what
Chris first got involved with online marketing in social media is, and what it isnt. Social media is
1993, just prior to the launch of Netscape the not like traditional marketing or advertising. Social
worlds first web browser. Since that time Chris has media is the integration of technology, with social
been leveraging Internet based communications interaction and the sharing of words, images, video
to build brands and move products for Fortune and audio. In a word its conversations made
1,000 companies such as BMW Japan, HP, Kia and richer and more convenient.

Then listen to your customers, prospects,
competitors and others in your category. What are
they talking about and with whom? There are a
number of tools available to automate the process
of gathering and analyzing conversations, from
Conversations the high-end and very expensive; Radian6 and
Social media Lithium to the basic and free; SocialMention and
conversations GoogleAlerts.
are consumer-driven,
transparent, inclusive and often Because social media is about conversations, you
very engaging and sincere. They are not controlled, can look at messaging on a much deeper level.
exclusive, formal or one-sided. The same cant be What attitudes define your company and brand?
said about traditional advertising. What social networks are the most activity related
to your business? What kinds of people do most
The challenge, and a key reason for having a of the posting? What other organizations are these
strategy, is that there are so many conversations, people connected to?
so many channels to have them on, and not
enough time to effectively participate in all of them. The answers to these questions will help you
determine which networks to focus your energy on,
Developing a strategy will enable you to think who you should engage, which values you should
through questions like: promote and attitudes you should change.
Why are we doing this? Define Your Audience

A great way to ensure you hit your target, and focus
What do we want to achieve?
communications on the right people is to create
Who are we talking to? personas. These are short descriptions of fictional
What are the best channels to use? individuals that represent your target. Theyre not
real people, but rather they are archetypes that
Which conversations should we join, or start represent real people. They will help you identify the
ourselves? potential character traits, personalities, habits and
attitudes of your customers
Listening
Like all conversations the key to social media is Create rich personas that are representative of your
listening. Start by listening to yourself. What have audience by listening both online (as discussed
you been saying to customers and prospects in above) and offline by conducting one-on-one
your current marketing channels? interviews with key stakeholders and finding out:
Who are you talking to? Which networks they use and how much time
What channels are you using (website, email, they spend there
newsletters, phone)? If they initiate conversations, or comment on
What is the tone of the message? them
Do those channels reflect your companys If they would be comfortable engaging with your
mission? company online
What does your messaging say about your Map Your Assets
brand? A common myth about social media is that its
free, or at least very cheap. While it may be free to

set-up a Twitter or Facebook account, it requires your relationship with existing customers and
time, and usually lots of it, to effectively manage prospects.
how those accounts are used. How many people,
4. Loyalty/Brand Enthusiasm: increase retention
and how much time, are you able to devote to your
and/or improve customer service.
social media plan? What technical experience do
they need? What tools do they need? What content 5. HR: attract and retain quality employees. Define
do you already have or create on a regular basis Your Message
that can be used? For example you may produce a
How do you define your company in a single,
monthly newsletter in print form that could be used
simple phrase. Starbucks mission is to inspire and
to create four or five blog posts.
nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and
one neighbourhood at a time.
Whats your message? Ensure your social media

team is intimately familiar with that message and
have all of your social media content reflect it.
Doing so will help you and your staff stay focussed
with a cohesive unifying theme.
Sales Cycle
Segments of your customers and prospects have
different relationships with the brand. Some have
never heard of you. Others are raving fans. Which
are you trying to reach with social media? What
your target audience already knows about you, will
dictate what you can credibly have a conversation
about in social media.
1. Awareness. They may have heard of you,

vaguely.
2. Interest. Theyve heard of you and may have
visited the website, but are not customers.
3. Action. Theyve made a single purchase.
Define Your Goals 4. Advocacy. They are fans of the brand. Frequent
At this point youre ready to set your goals. The purchasers, they tell their friends.
best goals are quantifiable, so everyone is clear on
what you want your social media plan to achieve. Choose Your Channels
It is also important to identify what metrics you are There are thousands of channels to choose from.
going to track, and how youre going to measure Which ones are the best fit with your brand,
them. Potential goals include: customers, resources, and goals? Do you need
to create regular blog posts to demonstrate
1. Sales: using social media to create first-time your expertise? Perhaps your target audience is
customers, or introduce them to the brand. women who might be found on Pinterest, which
is a pinboard-styled social photo sharing website
2. Leads: incoming calls, contact from submission allowing users to create and manage theme-based
forms, email subscribers. image collections (see www.pinterest.com). Maybe
3. Marketing: You may simply want to improve youre a professional with lots of contacts on

LinkedIn. Do you have the resources to monitor Test, Track and Tweak
and update more than one platform? Once youre up and running for a while youll
start to gain an understanding of what works,
Prioritize your channels, start slow, and get what resonates with customers, how and when
comfortable even if it means starting with just they prefer to engage. Its a process. One of the
one platform. Spend time getting accustomed advantages of digital media is your ability to track
to posting content, answering questions and and measure results in near real-time. This enables
comments, and the overall level of engagement you to test various tactics, offers, headlines, calls-
required. Once youre comfortable, add another to-action or messages, and tweak them based on
platform and slowly build your network. fairly immediate results.
Join the Conversation With a solid, well thought out strategy in place,
Start tweeting, pinning, posting and liking. There youre on the right track to successfully leveraging
are no hard and fast rules, but there are some best social media to grow your business.
practices you should follow:
www.bwest.ca
Mind your etiquette. Each of the various social
networks has its own unique nuances. For
example #hashtags are popular on Twitter and
can be used on Google+, but mean nothing to
Facebook or LinkedIn users.
Be transparent. Let people know who they are
talking to. Use a name and where appropriate
a picture. People like to talk to people, not
brands, icons or logos.
Keep it conversational. Lose the corporate
speak. Write like youre talking to a friend or a
customer in the store. Ask questions and look
for feedback.
Stick to your knitting. Talk about what you
know and whats relevant to your brand and
company. Dont get pulled into conversations
about politics, religion or other potentially
controversial issues.
Admit mistakes they happen. Be the first to
admit when you make a mistake and do your
best to make it right. Its better than being called
out on Twitter and having thousands of people
retweet something before you see it and react.

10 Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Starting Out
Incorporating social media into your business of your social media campaign, how often you
operation is important, so that your business is not will interact with customers this way, and how
left out in the cold while everyone else is tweeting you will measure the success of your campaign.
away, updating their Facebook pages and having
2. Going overboard. Once you start learning about
a grand time. If you dont have a presence in that
all the options, you may want to grab them all
world, get one. Sure, todays customers can find your
and go, but slow down. Just like other facets
website and might email or call, but many regard
of business, its better to do one or two things
Facebook as a part of their everyday life. However,
well, rather a whole bunch of things poorly. If
as you take the plunge, beware of pitfalls along the
your customers are heavily into Facebook, start
way. Here are 10 common mistakes to avoid.
there. If you offer job-related services, such as
career placement or resume building, consider
1. Not planning. Dont just rush in make some
starting with LinkedIn. If you can spin off some
noise and assume it will all be good. You
educational material related to your business,
need to have a specific social media plan
such as how-to videos on whatever it is you
and incorporate it into your larger business
sell, look into YouTube. Pick one or two outlets
strategies. Dust off your business plan and
and develop your use of them as professionally
figure out how social media can fit into your
as you would develop any other part of your
overall goals, tasks and benchmarks. Then
business. After you have a successful campaign,
study how social media works, how it can help
consider gradually adding other outlets.
businesses, which media are available, and
which are most popular with your particular 3. Not keeping it up. Using social media can
clientele. Consider surveying your customers to be fun, but its also work. One of the biggest
see how many use which outlets. Write down changes social media has brought is the
which media you will use, who will be in charge immediacy of interaction. Its a far cry from

sending out a monthly printed newsletter. Your and gradual, but can pay off in a big way a few
customers will expect regular updates on your years, or months down the road.
Facebook page. They will expect a same-day
8. Getting defensive. One of the biggest
response, perhaps even same-hour response,
challenges with social media is the fact that
to a message they send you. Too many
when a customer complains about something
businesses create a Facebook page, create a
online, any of your other customers might hear
flurry of excited activity in the first month, have
about it too. More importantly, your customers
fewer postings the second, only a handful the
can witness how you respond. So take a breath,
third, and then try to find someone else in the
remember the mantra that the customer is always
office to deal with it the fourth. If you are going
right and respond quickly, carefully and tactfully.
to use social media, commit to it being a part of
Even if you feel the complaint is unfounded, offer
your daily routine, just like answering the phone.
a replacement, free service or some other way
4. Assuming its all about the sale. People dont to make amends and move on. Think of it as an
want to be hit over the head with sales pitches opportunity to show your company is a good
when they see your postings or Tweets. Think member of the community, one on whom others
of them like a customer in a brick-and-mortar can count to make things right.
store who likes a pleasant greeting at the door,
9. Being too casual. Find the fine line between
but doesnt want to be followed around the
neighbourliness and professionalism. Spelling,
store by your salesman encouraging them to
grammar and facts should be impeccable.
buy something.
Develop an online personality thats friendly, but
5. Not mingling with the neighbors. Theres a not too personal. And remember that when you
reason the first word in social media is social. post or Tweet, or shoot a video, it can be copied
Its all about community building. So join the and forwarded to many, many other people
discussion, keep up to date with what your before you have a chance to fix it.
contacts are talking about and make your
10. Not measuring results. When you use
business an in-touch and caring member of the
traditional media, you can measure how effective
community.
an advertising campaign is with techniques
6. Missing the value of content. Customers such as having customers present a coupon
are more likely to stay in touch with you if you coded to a particular advertising order. If the
offer them something of value. Generate a blog weekly newspaper coupon brings in 100 people
filled with advice related to your business. Do a week and the daily brings in 40, you know
you sell fishing gear? Blog about techniques, which one to continue. Its important to do the
fishing holes and tournaments. Do you offer same assessment with social media. Take the
website design services? Blog about how to time to track your number of Facebook friends,
take payments over the Internet, how to write Twitter followers, blog subscribers and website
an e-newsletter, or how to pick a font for your commenters. There are several tools available on
home page. One of the most popular social the Internet to help, such as TweetStats, Google
media vehicles today is the video. Shoot Analytics, Twitalyzer and more.
short videos of yourself giving quick tips on
A little reading, a little visiting other companys
something related to your business. Post the
social media activities and perhaps attending
videos on your website, or on YouTube.
a social media camp (these are cropping up in
7. Expecting immediate payback. Building most towns and cities) or local seminar, will go a
a network of customers with social media, long way to taking some of the mystery out this
like building any relationship, takes time. The new marketing genre. It might also remove the
more time someone follows you, the stronger trepidation you may feel about taking the plunge
the bond and the more likely that person will and putting your company out there for all to see
introduce you to others. The results will be slow and talk about.

Grow Your Business With LinkedIn
Professionals and small businesses ignore the about you. The more detailed and up-to-date
power of social networking at their peril. Sites like your profile is, the better the chance you will be
LinkedIn have become critical in building a network found and contacted.
and connecting with customers, generating
Complete your profile as carefully
leads and screening new
as you can and provide detailed
employees.
information on your skills,
experience and any awards you
As social networks go, LinkedIn
may have received. Be sure
which launched in May 2003,
to add a photo (a head shot is
is the social media site of
best) to your profile. Make sure
choice for professionals and is
your photo is professional in
the worlds largest professional
nature and representative of
network with over 120 million
your industry. Remember this
registered members. Of the big
could be the first impression
three social networks; LinkedIn,
you make on a prospective
Facebook and Twitter LinkedIn is
customer.
the oldest and the only business-
oriented social network. Tip: Users with complete and up-to-date
profiles are 40 times more likely to generate leads
LinkedIn gives you the tools to control your through LinkedIn.
professional identity online. Have you Googled your
business lately? If you have a completed LinkedIn 2. Basic Information and Summary. Dont forget
profile, chances are it will appear in the top 10 the headline appears at the top of the page
search results. This allows you to control the first when someone views your profile and shows
impression people get when searching for you up in Google searches its your first chance
online, an important aspect of the sales process. to make a good impression. The Summary
section of your profile is where you can highlight
LinkedIn helps professionals connect with your skills, services and accomplishments. Grab
customers, partners and business prospects, and the readers attention and get them thinking by
is the one social network you can continually use to letting your creativity and passion come through.
enhance profile and generate leads. The best way to
3. Contact Settings. Your contact settings let
do that is to make sure you are using the full power
your connections (customers and prospects)
of LinkedIn to maximize your marketing potential.
know what types of opportunities you are open
to. Options include: consulting offers, new
Here are ten ways to grow your network, build your
ventures, business deals, expertise requests
brand and find new prospects on LinkedIn:
and reference requests.
1. Complete your profile. Your profile is how 4. Website and Twitter Links. The Links
you get found on LinkedIn and the first thing section of your profile is a good way to provide
prospective customers, or clients, may read even more information to potential customers

and your contacts. If you have a blog, Twitter ways to get recommendations is to give them.
account, or a website, include those links in the Take the time to write recommendations for
Links section of your profile. Be sure to name select clients and they will often reciprocate.
the websites accordingly (e.g. Company Name Be careful not to give and receive too many
Blog) rather than using the default company recommendations at the same time.
website. This small detail will help you stand out
9. LinkedIn Groups. LinkedIn groups can be
from the majority of LinkedIn users.
especially beneficial if you are a professional
5. LinkedIn Applications. LinkedIn Applications (lawyer, engineer, realtor, architect, etc). They
are an excellent way to stand out from the allow you to:
crowd and share even more information in your Discover the most popular discussions in your
profile. The blog application enables you to professional groups.
feed your blog directly to your profile, so other
LinkedIn users can see the most recent posts. Play an active part in the top discussions and
demonstrate your expertise by strategically
Other useful applications include embedding liking and commenting.
your Slideshare presentations and Twitter feed.
There are a variety of applications to choose Follow the most influential people in your groups
from, so think carefully about which apps make by checking the Top Influencers board or clicking
the most sense for you and dont overdo it. their profile image to see all their group activity.
6. Your Public Profile and URL. Dont forget to Quickly browse previews of the comments in a
make your profile public thats how the world discussion to scan for opportunities to engage
can find it. You can customize which portions with prospects in your category.
of your profile are displayed to the public. You Tip: Hosting a LinkedIn Group is a great way to
can also customize your URL togive you a link build a community, connect with potential new
thats easy to share and shows up well clients and drive traffic to your website or blog.
in searches. LinkedIn Groups can also be a great source of new
7. Grow Your Network. The more connections you subscribers for your email list.
have, the more opportunities you open yourself
up to, be careful not to connect with people 10. Answers. LinkedIn Answers is one of the
you dont know. Connect with colleagues from best places on the Internet to get answers
current and previous employers, clients and to business questions and share knowledge.
people youve done business with, people you You can ask and answer questions on specific
subject matter or scan existing questions for
went to school with, or have had some sort of
answers to everything from where do you go
business or academic affiliation.
to find the best [structural engineer] to what is
Tip: Use the email contacts importer tool to import the best time of year to sell my home.
your address book directly from web-based
Tip: By answering questions and demonstrating
email clients such as Yahoo!, or Gmail, or use the
your expertise on LinkedIn, you earn recognition
desktop email tool to import contacts from email
that helps you build your company brand and
applications such as Outlook and Apple Mail.
credibility. The more points of expertise you gain,
the higher you appear onthe lists of experts.
8. Give and Get Recommendations. Prospective
clients and customers view LinkedIn
Remember, LinkedIn is a tool. Your investment in
recommendations as references or testimonials.
understanding how to best use it will determine the
Having strong recommendations can be a big
value you get out of it.
advantage if you are shortlisted for a project,
or contacted by a prospect. One of the best www.bwest.ca

Facebook Marketing
By now everyone has heard of Facebook. The the risk. One wrong move, one offensive post or
social media platform that initially started as misstep can cost your business its reputation and
networking between college students (and in fact consumer base. There are rules that should be
required a college domain email to register) has followed. A business page on Facebook shouldnt
spread to all corners of the globe. With one single be treated like a personal page, but it still needs
platform reaching millions upon millions of people, to have a personal connection. After all, if people
its no surprise that its become an excellent didnt care about the personal, social touch a
platform for business marketing as well. Facebook page offers, theyd bookmark your
company site or blog and read that instead.
What is Facebook Marketing?
Facebook marketing is simple in concept, but quite Why use Facebook for Marketing?
difficult in execution. The idea is to use the social Facebook marketing opens up broad new avenues
connections presented to you by the platform for your business, no matter what it is. Whether
to reach out to customers and promote your youre selling a product or service, your potential
company. Thats harder than it sounds. While at one customers are almost guaranteed to be on
time it might have been easy to purchase ads on Facebook. Through the power of social networking
the sidebar and let it do its thing, the atmosphere you can encourage your customers to recommend
has changed. Nowadays, Facebook marketing you to their friends, and help broaden your network
means creating a business page, keeping in touch and influence. Done right, a Facebook page for
with your current customers and clients, connecting your business can drastically increase revenues,
with other related businesses and opening up to productivity and success.
new customers. All of this while navigating the
social minefield that is unbridled social access. Of course, all this means navigating the sometimes
turbulent waters of social trends, avoiding faux
Facebook is an excellent tool for marketing pas posts, and generally using the tool properly.
because of how direct the connection between Its a lot to take in, when one mistake can have
business and customer is. However, therein lies long-lasting consequences. Thankfully, Facebook

marketing responds to many of the same tactics Reward your fans. Whether its as simple as a
used in other forms of marketing. special landing page, or as valuable as prize
offerings, giving your customers a reason to like
Tips for Facebook Marketing your page and support your site is invaluable. Many
Expand your network. You can create a Facebook people will do nothing without incentive, so give
page and let it sit, but that wont do you much good. them that incentive.
Its better to reach out to people and network with
them. Actively seek out new potential customers Encourage community interaction. Ask questions,
and clients. Ask for likes and support. Your fans are and invite your customers to share their answers.
your lifeline, so always seek out ways to entice more Give prizes or dont, the important part is that
of them to become Facebook friends. youre asking. Just dont stray too far. Keep your
posts at least somewhat related to your brand,
Dont forget about media. Your wall is an excellent product or service.
place to post short bits of text and links, but its
better to use Facebooks own system for pictures Celebrate when you reach certain milestones.
and video rather than posting them on your own Again, you can offer rewards if they help, but at
wall. Dont forget to fill out all the extra info tabs least acknowledge your fans when you reach a
either! Your profile needs to be fleshed out with thousand, or ten thousand of them. Make them feel
keyword-rich but non-spammy information, both appreciated and they will in turn appreciate you.
for search indexing and for an atmosphere of effort Even if its just a message thanking them for their
and competence. support, its better than nothing.

Dont just rack up your fans, put them to use. Once marketing is a powerful tool when used correctly.
you have your audience you need to do something As long as you avoid the common pitfalls, it can be
with them. Encourage them to purchase products an amazing asset. Just put the time into it and reap
or services. Invite them to events you host. The the rewards.
applications are endless, once you have your fans
gathered together. Whats New in Facebook?
In March 2012, Facebook overhauled its pages,
Common Mistakes in Facebook these are the pages that feature information about
Marketing your company, or organization. The new look allows
The first major mistake you need to avoid is what you to add a unique cover photograph to brand
professionals call broadcasting. Broadcasting is your page. This is, in effect, a banner image that
when your posts tend to be more advertisement lies behind your profile photograph. Although it
than social connection. The benefit of Facebook cannot be used as an advertisement, it can be used
is the direct connection to your customers. Its an to give a look and feel to your page that plays to
opportunity to interact with them. If all you ever do your branding.
is post impersonal advertisements and links to your
products/blog/site/whatever, youre wasting the The new look follows a timeline, which runs from
benefit of the platform. top to bottom of your page. This works especially
well on the Ford car page as you can click on 1908
Secondly, you need to take your time. As with and be taken directly to photographs of the first
any project, effective use of time can make or Model T Ford (www.facebook.com/ford).
break your success. Facebook is not a platform
where you can throw up a short post once a week When there is a post you want to highlight, for
and forget about it. Again, its all about the social instance when someone is saying something
interaction. If you dont spend the time interacting wonderful about your company, you can now star
with your customers, youll find your page losing it, making it expand across the page. This will draw
support. No one likes to feel ignored. attention to it.
Violating Facebooks terms of service is also a You can also pin new posts to the top of your
quick way to get your page shut down, and your page each week. This will allow you to highlight
customer base ruined. important things you
Facebook has rules want your friends to
about tagging people, take note of.
running contests, and
even the type of page Milestones allow you to
you use to network. point people to major
Make sure you use a events in the history
business page rather of your company and
than a personal page, dont tag people without highlight them in a similar way to starring them.
their permission, and keep an eye on the terms
of service. The new Facebook pages offer a great way to
connect with your customers, and potential
Put Facebook to Work for You customers, check them out at
With all of that in mind, its much easier to use www.facebook.com/about/pages.
Facebook to bolster your success. Facebook

Twitter for Business
Are you looking for ways to expand your business only on the most important points when
reach? Have you heard of the social network disseminating information.
Twitter, but youre a little intimidated by all of the
hype surrounding it? If so, youre definitely not Twitter users have the option to follow other users
alone. Twitter has taken on a life of its own in recent on Twitter. When you follow someone, you can
years and spawned the everyday use of terms read all of that users messages, or Tweets, that
such as Tweet in normal conversation. While it they publicly share. Following someone does not
might seem like a challenge to get started using give you the ability to send direct messages to that
Twitter for your business, in reality its pretty user- person, however. Users must follow you in order
friendly and easy to learn. If youd like to find a to receive direct messages. These are messages
way to communicate with your customers, build which are out of view of the public.
relationships and grow brand awareness, Twitter is
well worth considering. Twitter allows anyone to share their thoughts with
many other people, at any given time. You can also
What is Twitter and How Does it Work? read the messages that other users have posted.
Twitter is a social network similar to Facebook Some people never post any Tweets and instead
and Google+. While Twitter shares some common prefer to just read the messages of the accounts
features with other social networking sites, it is that they follow.
unlike the other networks in many ways. Twitter
users can post short statements with a maximum Terms
of 140 characters. This makes it a form of If you plan on using Twitter for your business, you
micro-blogging that allows users to focus may run across terms that you dont understand.

For example, you know that a Tweet is a message Twitter also makes it possible to issue sponsored
that is sent out publicly by a Twitter account, but Tweets. With this approach, you pay a certain
what about a Retweet? This is when a user amount of money to have your Tweet featured on
copies a Tweet from another user and then sends Twitter. This makes your Tweet appear at the top
it out to all of their followers. Messages can of timelines for searches that are related to your
sometimes spread rapidly throughout the network subject. This has the potential to get your message
by multiple users retweeting them. out to a large number of customers at once.
The timeline is the list of Tweets that have been On Twitter, you may also notice that it shows you
generated by the people you follow. When you log which topics are trending on the network. When
in to your Twitter account, you will see the timeline a topic is trending, it means that large numbers of
complete with messages from all of the people people are talking about it on Twitter. If you can
that you follow. get a lot of people talking about your new product
or service, it could eventually turn into a trend.
Developing Relationships This can then lead to many users Tweeting and re-
When it comes to using Twitter for business tweeting information about your company - when
purposes, one of the best things that it can this happens the numbers can get extremely high.
do is help you develop relationships with your
customers. Once you set up an official Twitter Getting Started
account for your business, your customers will If youve decided that you want to give Twitter a
hopefully start following it. When they do, those try for your business, getting started is easy. Go to
customers will be able to read the tweets that you Twitter.com and then click on the sign-up form on
post. This gives you the chance to communicate the main page. Youll have to fill in your name, your
with your customers and start developing email address and a password and then click Sign
relationships with them. If you post tweets that up for Twitter.
have valuable, or interesting, information your
followers will start to value your tweets. They can At that point, youll be prompted to choose some
also ask you questions publicly, or make comments people to follow. This helps you get started in the
about your products and services. This gives you network and gives you an idea of how the system
a chance to answer common questions from your works. After choosing a few people to follow, you
customers, and develop some goodwill. will also be asked some basic information for your
profile. In this part of the process, you can include
Promotion information about the name of your business,
When using Twitter for business your location and your business website. On your
purposes, you can also use profile, you can also include a picture so that your
it to promote your products followers will be able to see who theyre dealing
and services. There are many with. Some users also choose a background image
different ways you can do this: for their profile as well.
for example, you could Tweet
information about a sale, or Using the Service
a coupon code to encourage Once youre signed up, you are ready to start
your customers to make a direct using Twitter to build your business. Make it
purchase from your website. a priority to respond to as many customers
as possible and answer their questions in a
Some businesses use Twitter to timely manner. Do your best to contribute to the
give customers a sneak peek at new community with quality information, and do not
products. For example, you could send out simply send out spam to promote your sales or
advance images of a new product (for your offers. If you are willing to do your part, Twitter can
followers only) - sneak peeks like be a powerful tool in promoting your business and
this can generate an online buzz. building your brand image.

How to Use Google+ for Business
to create pages that accurately reflected their

branding and marketing messages. Business
owners can customize their pages to draw in, and
keep, visitors and to lead them to websites, blogs,
and other resources to learn more about their
companys products.
Several simple strategies can help you get the

most out of Google+ for your business. Using this
social media website correctly can give you an
edge over your competition, and help propel your
business to success.
Its no secret that establishing
Post Interesting Information About Your
an online presence can help
Business or Industry
a business attract customers,
One effective way to engage Google+ visitors is
generate sales, and achieve
to post interesting information that provides value
profitability. Consumers increasingly look to online
for your visitors. Some online marketers make
resources to develop opinions about businesses and
the mistake of only posting promotional content
make purchasing decisions.
designed solely to sell products. Although an
occasional promotional post is fine, readers will
Simply launching a company website is no longer
quickly lose interest if you use Google+ solely as
enough to build an online presence though. The
an advertising medium.
level of competition in almost every niche can make
reaching your potential customers difficult. For this
Provide visitors with background information
reason, many businesses have begun using social
about your company, and dont be afraid to
media tools, including Google+, to find and engage
highlight key employees to add a personal touch
targeted buyers.
to your Google+ page. You can also post industry
information, including links to resources that will be
Google+ is a social media site that offers individuals
of interest to your readers.
and business owners the opportunity to engage
with others in a variety of ways. As with other social
Provide Readers with News Stories
media sites, such as Facebook, users can post
Offering news to your Google+ readers can be an
status updates that subscribers, and friends of
effective way to retain their attention and keep your
subscribers, can immediately read. However, there
company in front of targeted prospects. Scour online
are many more tools on Google+ that you can take
and offline resources to find breaking news that is
advantage of.
relevant to your audience. If you are among the first
to post news stories, you can position yourself as an
In 2011, Google expanded the Google+ platform
authority in your industry. This makes visitors more
to include dedicated pages for businesses. This
likely to trust you and want to buy from you.
expansion gave business owners greater flexibility

Engage Visitors with Polls and Surveys custom circles for different types of visitors
Your Google+ page should not be all about your to customize your interactions with them. For
business. Posting polls and surveys on your page example, you can put people who have expressed
will encourage visitors to actively participate in interest in a particular service or product into a
discussions. This helps your visitors feel that you custom circle. If you want to post promotional
care about them as individuals, rather than simply content that would be of interest to those visitors,
as prospects. but might not interest another segment of your
subscriber base, you can make your post available
Posting polls and surveys also gives you another only to members of that circle.
advantage over your competition. It gives you
the opportunity to learn more about what your Promote Content on Other Sites
visitors need and want. This allows you to tailor Although Google+ can be a powerful tool for
your products, services, and marketing messages business owners, it is not a standalone promotional
to your potential customers needs and desires. vehicle. You can use Google+ along with your
It also allows you to find out about problems your company website, blog, and other sites to build
visitors experience, so you can develop innovative visibility for your business. Integrate the +1 button
solutions to solve their problems. into content on these sites, so that visitors can
share links to your content on their Google+ pages.
Engage Visitors with Live Video Chat
One feature that sets Google+ apart from other Social Analytics: The Future of
social media websites is live video chat. With this Google+ for Business
feature, you can chat in real time with up to 10 Google+ is planning to launch a social analytics
visitors at once. This helps increase the personal tool to help online business owners measure the
aspect of your business, because visitors can put impact of their social media efforts. This tool will
a face to your company, instead of seeing your allow you to see how +1s and shares affect
business as just another faceless entity. user participation on your Google+ page, as well
as on your other blogs and websites.
The spontaneous nature of Google+ live video chat
encourages visitors to discuss how they feel about Through the social analytics tool, you will also
your products and services. It also allows them to have access to anonymous demographic
discuss what they would like to see from you in the information about people who have shared or
future, and make suggestions about how you can +1ed your content. This can help you determine
improve your offerings. You can use this information which posts have the greatest impact on certain
to adjust aspects of your business to make it even demographic segments. It can also help you
more valuable to existing and potential clients. understand the buying habits of people of
particular education levels, ages, and socio-
You can also use live video chat to offer exclusive economic groups.
deals. For example, during a chat, you can tell other
participants about a special promotional code they Building a business online requires a multifaceted
can use to save money when ordering a product strategy. Traditional methods, such as search
online. You can also use promotional codes to offer engine optimization and banner advertising, can
bonus products for participants who order your still be powerful in the online business world.
products or services within a certain timeframe. When you add Google+ to your strategies,
however, you have the opportunity to build your
Segment Your Visitors into Circles business more quickly and efficiently than if
Another unique feature of Google+ is the ability you were using traditional online strategies by
to segment visitors into circles. You can create themselves.

Community Management
Social media continues to consume larger chunks of ensuring that these accounts are still live and
of small business marketing dollars as companies actively engaging with other community members.
realize its growing potential. Managing communities Inactive profile pages are of little or no advantage
on social media is vital in maintaining a healthy to small businesses, so you must keep providing
promotional campaign and in achieving high return content to keep people interested.
on investment (ROI).
Tasks of a community manager
In order to achieve success in the social networking The daily routine of a community manager
world, you must do more than simply set up profile will involve checking all the companys social
pages on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ networking pages and blogs. Many managers
and YouTube. An effective marketing campaign compile all comments from their various accounts
involves continual interaction with your online using email notifications, which filter into special
communities and in larger companies this is the folders. In this way, they can easily scan all
responsibility of a community manager. In smaller community interaction in one place.
companies, a member of the marketing team
might take this responsibility, or even the owner While it may not always be possible to respond
themselves may decide that this role is important to all comments and postings by community
enough for them to handle it. This chapter will members, a good community manager will interact
take a look at the responsibilities of a community regularly if not daily by providing at least some
manager, whomever that might be in your company. select responses. Your friends, fans and other
community members will appreciate a responsive
Community management involves maintaining the account much more than an impersonal page that
networks, or communities, on all your social media simply posts articles and other content.
accounts. The manager has the main responsibility

Common daily tasks of the community particular mentions of their company or product
manager include: names, or the sharing of specific content.
Another way to gauge opinion is to conduct
Searching for interesting and relevant content to a survey on your social media accounts.
post on the companys social networking pages. Facebook, for example, provides an application
They may have news feeds or email news for surveys that allows you to conduct free
alerts focused on keywords that pertain to their polling of your online community.
business. Posting fresh content keeps other
Check email and personal messages Social
community members coming back to the profile
media sites also allow other community
for useful and engaging information. Once you
members to contact you privately through email
develop a reputation for posting quality content
or personal messaging. A good community
on a regular basis, people will come to depend
manager will try to respond to all these
on you as a news source.
messages in a timely fashion.
Sharing content Another way to update your
profile pages is to share other community
members content. This is also a way of
interacting and building relationships with those
in your network. On Twitter, for example, you
can retweet the updates of other followers. On
Facebook, you can like, or directly share, your
friends or fans postings.
Check and update blogs Maintaining a blog

is a good way of keeping your clients informed
of news about your company, or industry. An
interactive blog will allow users to comment,
and it is a good idea to reply to these comments
frequently. You must also continuously update
the blog with new postings to keep the attention
of your audience.
Customer service on social media Many small Tools for community management
businesses use social platforms like Twitter as A great variety of tools, many of them offered free
customer support sites. They allow community of charge, are available to help social community
members to ask questions related to their managers do their job. These software applications
products and services. Businesses can save may work over the web, or they may require
significant money with this approach, but they installation on your computer or mobile device.
must check their account frequently for this
setup to work effectively. Depending on the Some tools allow you to monitor for example, all
amount of traffic, you may have to check the your social media accounts from a single mobile
social media platform multiple times each day to application. In this way, you can check your sites
keep customers satisfied. easily even when traveling away from your desktop.
Using social media as a monitoring tool One
There are also applications that allow you to
great aspect of social media is that it allows
post content, or to update your blog from mobile
small businesses to ascertain what the public
devices. Some of these apps come from the social
thinks about them and their products and
media platform itself, while others are from third
services. A community manager can use various
party software developers.
tools that scour the social web looking for

A good place to search for such software is at Analyzing performance will provide community
comparison websites like CNET (www.cnet.com). managers with the information they need to make
However, on Facebook you can easily find apps adjustments in their social media campaigns. For
right on the site itself. For mobile devices, you example, what types of content are community
can search the App Store for iOS devices and at members viewing and sharing?
the Android Market for devices using the Android
operating system. Such knowledge allows you to post the
articles, and other content that will keep people
Analytics coming back for more. As you build relationships
Another community manager job is to check with your community members, you engender
tracking statistics that measure the effectiveness of trust in your company, and you will have
the companys social campaign, and the areas that opportunities to provide links to your website
might need further work. and to post information about your products
and services.
Websites like Klout (www.klout.com) allow managers
to measure the companys influence on specific The community manager, though, never tries to
social networking sites. If you have a fan page on sell directly over social media. Instead they use the
Facebook, you can use the Facebook analytics app platforms as a tool to foster relationships.
to check traffic and other useful page stats.

9 Ways to Build Your Social Media Network
In this world of Like and Share, social media Find Friends

networking is more important than ever for small Community and social-networking sites, including
business owners. Consumers these days respond Facebook and LinkedIn, build communities
less to traditional marketing, such as television of friends, business contacts and like-minded
or print ads, and more on the opinions and individuals. Apart from your personal account - as
recommendations of those on media-sharing and the use of a personal page for business purposes
social-networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, is not allowed by Facebook policy - create a
and Twitter. As a small business owner, you must business page. There are also several applications
now evolve with social media trends to remain and resources within Facebook, such as Branch
competitive in the marketplace. Here are nine Out, that you can utilize to promote your brand and
strategies you can employ to build and widen a make contacts. Also, look for and join communities
social network to promote your business. specific to your industry, both online and in your
local area.
Blog and Micro-blog
Widen your network through creating a blog, and Link Together and Link Out
micro-blogging, on Twitter. Both of these strategies Once you have created a blog and added accounts
can promote web visibility with real-time updates on social-networking sites, its time to make
about you and your business to followers. Blogger. those outlets work for you by linking together
com provides free web-hosting with user-friendly all the accounts in your network and creating
page design and application interfaces. Creating a external links to other blogs, online directories and
blog page can be accomplished quickly, with little communities. Links are crucial to network building
to no html-code knowledge required, and can serve because they not only ease navigation through
as the hub of your social network in a way that a various parts of your network, but also help crawler,
business or eCommerce sites cannot. or spider-driven, search engines find and index

your site. Share your blog posts, YouTube videos Customer Service
and pictures on your Facebook wall, while posting Whether face-to-face, over the phone, or on the
updated announcements, such as upcoming internet, quality customer service helps promote
promotional events, on Twitter. You can then post your brand and build a positive reputation. Enable
and archive YouTube videos on your blog and add comment boxes on your blog, allowing your
links to a business or eCommerce site. followers to ask questions or make suggestions.
Unless its vulgar, or uses bad language, dont
Be Social delete or ignore comments and try to answer
Remember that one of the words in social questions as soon as possible. Even negative
networking is social; and no one will shake your comments, if addressed promptly and in a
hand if you never extend it. Create a link list on consolatory manner, can improve your reputation.
your blog of other sites or blogs that you like to Dissatisfied customers do not click Like and Share,
read, making sure to click the Like and Share making them dead ends on your network.
buttons on their sites to recommend their content
to others in your network. Not only does this foster Visual Content
fellowship among your peers, but also creates links Whether you are a retailer, craftsman, or own a
back to your network. Your blog will then be visible pest control business posting visual content, such
to every site or blog on your link list, giving them as pictures, videos and slideshows on YouTube,
the opportunity to read your blog and hopefully your blog and other social-networking sites can
recommend your content to others in their network showcase the products and services you provide,
in return. while proving to your customers that you can fulfill
their needs. If you are a craft, or tradesman such
Keyword Usage as a painter or landscaper, you can use videos or
When building and expanding your network, it is slideshows to show the progression of a job from
important that the written content on your blog start to finish, rather than simple before and after
and business site makes use of keyword phrasing. photos. If you are a retailer, these tools are great for
Spiders and web crawlers scan text on your site, introducing new merchandise or new features to
determine what its about and rank its relevance your store.
in comparison to commonly searched keyword
phrases. Using keywords within your text boosts Keep Content and Links Current
the ranking and pushes your site closer to the top It is crucial when building your network that you
of search engine results. That being said, avoid keep it running smoothly with up-to-date content.
cramming or forcing keywords into text just to Web viewers and consumers have low-attention
gain a higher ranking. Your text is a conversation spans and short memories, and maintaining a flow
between you and your customers and keyword- of new information will keep them interested. Also,
stuffing can read like ad copy and turn off readers. it is just as important to maintain links, even to old
content. Sending consumers to dead links, such
Quality Content as sites that have been shut down, or moved to
No amount of linking or keyword phrasing will another location, is frustrating to readers and can
boost poor content. Misspelled and grammatically turn them away from your site. Take a few minutes
incorrect text will miss the mark with readers and once or twice a month to test your own links.
halt your progress up the search engine ladder.
Not to mention the fact that spelling and grammar By consistently employing these strategies, you can
errors are very easy to avoid with spell checking, attract new customers to your small business, build
and posting these errors will look like laziness. your brand and keep your company on the cutting-
Provide readers with well-written text that is edge of todays social-driven marketplace.
informative and friendly, breaking up blocks of text
into short, easy-to-read paragraphs.

Reputation Management and Social Media
As you incorporate social media into your business 1. Develop a social media reputation plan.
operations, tread carefully. It is true that you need Traditionally, anyone starting a business is
to have a presence in the social media world, and advised to spend plenty of time and resources
launching a social media campaign will open doors on an overall business plan to cover things such
to further growth. However, there are also risks as finances, human resources, legal issues,
involved, and they are much different from the traditional marketing/advertising strategies and
risks you face with traditional media. For one thing, the like. Now, that traditional business plan
the viral nature of social media can take a small should include both a social media plan (how
incident and quickly blow it out of proportion with the company will use social media) and a social
countless other users. For another, the democratic media reputation plan. The latter should cover
nature of social media means anybody with an who is in charge of managing the companys
Internet hookup, or a smartphone, or other Web- reputation on social media, who will represent
enabled mobile device, can publish whatever he the company by posting and engaging with
wants whenever he wants. And what you and the community, how the company will promote
your employees post should be closely monitored a good reputation, how it will monitor its
reputation and what it will do to respond to
too, since it could be grabbed and sent around
crises that could threaten its reputation.
the Worldwide Web in the blink of an eye, or more
importantly, before youve had a chance to fix it 2. Designate a social media manager (or
or delete it. Therefore, its important to educate community manager). Whoever is chosen
yourself about the impact social media could have needs training and a policy manual for this
on your businesses reputation, and plan how to specialized form of media. See the earlier
keep that impact positive and follow it. Here are chapter on Community Management for more
seven tips to get you started.

information. Alternatively, consider contracting and follows the rules. If a rumor is started about
with an outside firm to handle your social him, people may, at least at first, give him the
media needs. There are many small companies benefit of the doubt. This also holds true with
that solely offer social media management businesses. Build your companys positive
and reputation protection services, making brand in social media outlets and this will help
their expertise valuable. With time, an outside in a crisis. A positive image is built over time by
firm could train your staff to take over this delivering consistently responsible customer
responsibility. service. It is built by apologizing and making
things right when necessary. Then, if your
3. Designate a crisis team. Just like any public
brand is ever under attack in the social media,
relations gone bad, if your companys name is
customers whove had a positive experience
suddenly sullied in the social media world you
with you might give you the benefit of the doubt
need to respond quickly and thoughtfully. You
and even say so publicly. If you have an overall
can only do that if you have a plan for how to
positive image, you also have a little more
respond, and you designate trained people,
leeway when dealing with a crisis.
who can drop what they are doing, to handle
the crisis. These team members will need 6. Respond immediately. Communication is
training on how social media works, what the lighting fast with social media. If a customer
companys plans and policies are, what specific posts a complaint on your Facebook page,
steps should be followed in a crisis, and how or your social media manager lets you know
to turn the crisis around. Because social media a complaint is making the rounds of blogs, or
operates in real time, its crucial that this team other channels, respond immediately through
responds immediately, within the hour, to these various media outlets. If the complaint
prevent a small problem from becoming a huge balloons into a crisis, activate your crisis
one tweeted to thousands of people. management team. Post a response on your
company website. Consider making a video
4. Constantly monitor your companys reputation.
explaining the situation, apologizing if necessary
This is one of the most important jobs of your
and describing how youve taken care of it.
social media manager and it can seem an
Admitting youve made a mistake goes a long
unwieldy one. Not only should he be monitoring
way; fighting back or hiding a mistake does the
comments posted on your companys website,
opposite. Transparency is crucial because it
Facebook and other pages, but he needs to be
doesnt take much for someone to dig out the
alerted when your companys reputation is in
facts and blast them all over the Internet.
the crosshairs anywhere. Fortunately, there are
tools to help. For example, Google Alerts can let 7. Take legal action if needed. In extreme cases,
you know when your companys name or brand such as someone maliciously continuing to
is mentioned by bloggers or traditional media badmouth or lie about your company, its
websites. Set up an alert by entering keywords important to seek the advice of a lawyer.
(such as your business name) and have an email Sometimes a simple legal letter telling the
sent to you whenever Google finds those words. offending party to cease and desist will be
MonitorThis lets you know when keywords show enough. But, be prepared to take further action
up on any of 22 search engines. Hootsuite does if necessary.
the same for content on Twitter, Facebook and
Follow these steps and youll create a positive
elsewhere. There are many other tools available
reputation for your business on social media
on the Internet.
outlets. You will also empower your company
5. Build the positive. Think of an individual whos to swiftly turn around any potential crisis, so it
well-liked in his local community. Hes an continues its good standing in the social media
upstanding citizen, pays his taxes, volunteers community.

Location Based Strategies
Location based marketing strategies are a relatively money saving offers at the businesses and venues
new concept in the mobile marketing arena. they frequently visit. The most frequent visitor to a
Applications such as Foursquare and Facebook locale, with regards to number of days (with only
Places lend themselves to promoting brick and one check-in allowed per day in a 60 day period) is
mortar businesses and supporting location-based named the mayor of that business or venue.
mobile marketing campaigns. Getting started
with location-based strategies is not complicated. Users may check in via text message, or an
Simply become familiar with the location-based application downloaded to their smartphone. The
tool, set up an account and create a campaign. smartphone application utilizes GPS technology
to pinpoint the users location. In June, 2011,
What is Foursquare? Foursquare boasted approximately 10 million users.
Foursquare is a social networking platform for
mobile devices. Users check in at certain venues Foursquare check-ins may be integrated with the
or businesses. When a user checks in at a local users Facebook or Twitter account, and the social
business or network, their location is published networking site is updated whenever they check in
to let their friends know where they are and what using their Foursquare account.
they are doing. By checking in at local businesses
and venues, users earn points and prize badges. How Businesses Market with Foursquare
With enough visits to a local venue or business, Foursquare is built upon the concept of geo-
users may earn coupons to use for specials, and location. Businesses may utilize Foursquare as a

location-based marketing strategy to capitalize on A web-enabled smartphone with access to
this geo-location technique. The use of Foursquare Facebook Mobile is required to use Facebook
by businesses is very straightforward. First, the Places. Not all platforms support Facebook Mobile.
business finds their location on the Foursquare For example, Blackberries and Android-based
map. Next, the business claims the location. phones are currently working to develop Facebook
After claiming the location, the business may post Mobile apps.
specials and incentives for users and their friends
to physically check in at the business. When PlacePunch
users and their friends check in, they receive points PlacePunch is a newer version of a geo-location
on the Foursquare application, as well as any social network, hoping to soon become the main
special prize that is advertised by the company. competitor for Foursquare and to siphon off some
of the accolades that the Foursquare application
Businesses may offer users specials upon their first, has received. In addition, the developers of
or nth check-in. For example, some businesses PlacePunch hope users will switch from the
offer a tee shirt or other incentive when users check Foursquare application to PlacePunch because
in for the first time at their location. Other businesses PlacePunch supports Foursquare accounts and
offer specials for a users 10th or 20th check-in. Facebook Places accounts, and integrates with
Many businesses offer specials to the mayor of the other social networks, such as Twitter. PlacePunch
location. For example, one Whole Foods market expands the idea of specials and badges,
offers free coffee anytime to the mayor of their popularized by Foursquare, with more elaborate
location. Other business offer the mayor of their features to create and offer such specials and
locations gift cards, freebies and coupons. reward visitor loyalty to businesses. PlacePunch
also supports easy configuration of user contests,
Foursquare Analytic Tools a feature that is not included in Foursquare. One of
One of the best features of Foursquare for the unique features of PlacePunch is the ability to
businesses is the ability to track users via the run scavenger hunts for users.
Foursquare analytical tools. Businesses may track
the most frequent visitors, as well as the most PlacePunch also intends to market this service
recent visitors. Business may also track the time to businesses by making use of their product
of day that the most visitors check in and the total easier for businesses. PlacePunch states on their
number of visitors. site that, because of the integrated nature of this
platform, business may launch their location-based
Foursquare is a unique and useful tool for strategies in minutes instead of days.
businesses to use a location-based strategy to
drive customers to their locations. Configuring Geo-location marketing strategies are relatively
Foursquare for your business, as well as easy to create once you understand how these new
downloading the application, is free. Check and social networking applications work and how to
see how other businesses are using Foursquare to use them to market your product or business. Even
promote their products and services, and then try though online businesses may not benefit from
Foursquare as a location-based marketing strategy the geo-location features of such social networks,
for your brick and mortar business. these companies may still utilize the networking
features of such applications. Because users often
Facebook Places integrate their Foursquare accounts with Facebook
Facebook Places operates in much the same way and Twitter, online businesses may still offer
as Foursquare. Users locations are displayed to specials, using the social network, that may be
their friends in a Facebook feed, as well as their shared with friends and followers by users of geo-
Facebook Places page. Users also check in at brick location applications.
and mortar locations to earn points and specials.

Time Management: Social Media Management Tools
You have become an entrepreneur, and you have Linkedin. If your business revolves around research,
decided to utilize the multitude of social media utilize news sites, blogs, and podcasts. If your
resources on the Internet. There is the excitement business focuses on sales and marketing, it is
of being your own boss, the passion for promoting all about getting your product and brand to your
the product you believe in and having your dreams customer base. This can be accomplished through
of success at your fingertips. One of the keys for blogging, videos, and social networking
an entrepreneurs success is time management.
Mastering this skill by developing a communication Simplify, Automate, Consolidate (SAC)
strategy is important when utilizing social media SAC, are the three social media management tool
to promote your business. You should have traits required for success when using social media
established your business plan by now, which as a time management tool.
includes a vision and mission statement as well
as your marketing and financial plans. The steps, Your social media partnership will require you
discussed below, will assist you with managing to simplify your business practices through
your greatest commodity - your time. organization. This in turn, offers more time.
Incorporating user-friendly systems into your
When partnering with social media, you are building business will allow your business to run smoother.
a community. Your first step in time management is Using automation technology will streamline
to identify what type of social media will increase your business and increase your avenues of
your business success. communication with your customers as well as
your team members. Once you start partnering
All businesses can grow when actively networking. So, with several social media networks, it will be
by building a community, you attract an audience that time to consolidate. When you use social media
becomes a link to your market. Popular community management tools for time management you are
networking sites include Twitter, Facebook, and using communication to your advantage.

Strategy to Simplify as a dashboard that helps to coordinate all your
Establishing an organizational strategy that relates social media accounts. Having a central location for
to your social media environment will assist you in your social media networks will ensure that you do
staying on track for completing your daily goals. not miss that pertinent message, customer request,
Working in an environment that is cluttered with or business opportunity. Since part of your time
personal emails, videos, and blogging causes our management is coordination of communication,
mind to become distracted with interruptions. having a social media manager will allow you to
Remember to live in the moment, with your view on post product updates and customer reviews.
the big picture. This state of staying in the moment
will help to reduce your stress level, stay organized, Consistency by Consolidating
and complete tasks in a quality manner. Once you have developed multiple social media
accounts, consistency in coordinating tasks with
Start by designating certain time periods for business those accounts, in a timesaving fashion, can become
related communications. This business scheduling a full time job. However, by consolidating your
system will increase your productivity and clear communications, the outcome is a higher quality
the unnecessary. Use after business hours for non- product. Utilizing social media management tools like
business related activities on social networking sites, TweetDeck, HootSuite, FriendFeed, Ping.fm, RSS, or
tweeting, and creating videos or blogging. TubeMogul will allow you to multi-task by coordinating
the social media interface with the management of
Prioritize your communication with social media multiple accounts. This will ensure consistency by
tools like HootSuite and TweetDeck as well updating several social media sites all at once.
as Radian6 and mobile device apps such as
UberSocial. These will enhance your scheduling Finish by Analyzing and Tracking
system, and allow you to determine not only Now that you have identified your community,
who receives your communications, but also the established your communication board, and
dates and times you want your communications partnered with a social media manager, your
to be delivered. Initiate email filters to receive social media activities can remain at a high
communications from key contacts, as well as professional standard when you utilize analyzing
alerts regarding pertinent content. and tracking tools. Consider BufferApp, Raven
Tools, WhenToTweet, and Tweriod to help you track
Maintenance of Automation when your communities are actively online. Also
As a business owner, you should have already comparisons in your industry are a key analytical
solidified your commitment to your plan by putting tool. The management site, Wilfire, will help gauge
both your short and long-term goals in writing. The your success within your industrys community.
division of these goals into short and long-term And HowSociable will offer you a way to track the
categories will allow prioritizing of your social media visibility of your brand.
activities. With focused priorities you can maximize
your productivity by considering a company like And finally, do not be afraid to accept that
Spredfast as an organizing tool, which can be used something may not be working. Analyzing your
for identifying tasks as well as assigning tasks to business progress is a vital part of maintaining your
your team members. success. Customer, community, and networking
feedback is an important identifying tool that is also
Automation technology will offer you mass resource offered through social media sites like Seesmic,
opportunities, and managing all of these resources Lithium, and Google.
will consume yours and your teams valuable time.
However, managing your social media networks Identifying and implementing change will help you
can be as easy as selecting one social media to achieve the three traits: Simplify, Automate,
manager, such as HootSuite. This will assist you Consolidate - (SAC), which will ensure the success
with establishing a central message board, known of your social media business partnership.

Prince Albert & District Community Futures is a full service business
centre providing small business loans from $5,000 up to $150,000 to help
individuals start up a business or expand an existing business. We also
provide small business counselling services and workshops for new and
existing business owners. Apply on line at www.pacf.ca or drop by our
office across from SIAST to discuss your financing needs.
For more information contact:

PA & District Community Futures
#1-1499-10th Avenue East
Prince Albert, SK S6V 7S6
Phone: (306) 763-8125
Fax: (306) 763-8127
Email: info@pacf.ca
Website: www.pacf.ca
Small Business Success
A Blue Beetle Books Publication
Provided by
For more information contact:

PA & District Community Futures
#1-1499-10th Avenue East
Prince Albert, SK S6V 7S6
Phone: (306) 763-8125
Fax: (306) 763-8127
Email: info@pacf.ca
Website: www.pacf.ca

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An Introduction to Social Media

for Small Business

A Blue Beetle Books Publication

Published as an eBook original by

No part of this eBook may be reproduced in

Blue Beetle Books

Developing Your Social Media Strategy...............................................................................6

10 Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Starting Out...........................................10

Grow Your Business With LinkedIn.....................................................................................12

Twitter for Business..............................................................................................................17

How to Use Google+ for Business......................................................................................19

9 Ways to Build Your Social Media Network......................................................................24

Reputation Management and Social Media.......................................................................26

Location Based Strategies...................................................................................................28

Time Management: Social Media Management Tools......................................................30

Prince Albert and District Community 3 www.pacf.ca

Today, that same public is more knowledgeable than we could ever

Prince Albert and District Community 4 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 5 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 6 www.pacf.ca

Why are we doing this? Define Your Audience

Prince Albert and District Community 7 www.pacf.ca

Whats your message? Ensure your social media

1. Awareness. They may have heard of you,

Prince Albert and District Community 8 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 9 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 10 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 11 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 12 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 13 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 14 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 15 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 16 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 17 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 18 www.pacf.ca

to create pages that accurately reflected their

Several simple strategies can help you get the

Prince Albert and District Community 19 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 20 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 21 www.pacf.ca

Check and update blogs Maintaining a blog

Prince Albert and District Community 22 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 23 www.pacf.ca

In this world of Like and Share, social media Find Friends

Prince Albert and District Community 24 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 25 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 26 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 27 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 28 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 29 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 30 www.pacf.ca

Prince Albert and District Community 31 www.pacf.ca

centre providing small business loans from $5,000 up to $150,000 to help

individuals start up a business or expand an existing business. We also

existing business owners. Apply on line at www.pacf.ca or drop by our

office across from SIAST to discuss your financing needs.

For more information contact:

For more information contact:

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