We’re going to open up this episode with a video that Zachary put together back when Social Media was brand new. It’s called “Is Social Media A Fad?” Then we hope you’ll join in, as we go through the basics – Social Media 101, on today’s Straight Shot marketing podcast.

 

Wow

You like that, little blast from the past there with that Social Media Fad video?

I remember that so well. An organization/association asked me to develop a keynote to explain Social Media for businesses to present to a group of business owners, way back in the day. You’ll notice the video there is so much lower quality then what we have today.

So that was the number one question back then? Is social media a fad?

 

Yes, in a way. There was an awful lot of confusion about what it was and if businesses should engage with it. Which of course falls in line with our history and the adoption process (see our Accepting Change episode from a month ago or so) yes, so I decided to show the history to them, by collecting those clips, of where people had difficulty accepting change in different areas.

 

I particularly like the baby commercial. Yes, that one was to illustrate, specifically, how Rap music – which was mocked as a fad in the 80s – was now being used by big corporations in their marketing. The ultimate sign of acceptance. It really shows that shift, that move in acceptance, and its adoption, into use.

 

Well I thought it was cute… little CGI, Ally McBeal babies dancing around

 

Now Zachary – as a refresher - because I know we just did an entire episode on businesses accepting change and the adoption process – but as a refresher for those that might not have seen it…..

We know that our world continu

es to change…. Over and over… again and again. <KC clip>

Why is this important to deal with and to handle “correctly” Marketing is about meeting the public where they live

 

• Connecting with them in lifestyle, emotionally, needs, etc.

 

Changes in society, behaviors, technology, etc. DIRECTLY impact our efforts to do that as businesses.

 

But there is always push back – businesses fight change… corporate ships are hard to turn.

 

So we believe that knowledge is power… so let’s start there…

what is social media?

 

You deal with social media quite a bit both personally and professionally… so why don’t you throw out some things… what do you think social media is?

 

Social Media is :

• Gossip

• Word of Mouth

• Keep In Touch

• Fan Club

• Emergency

• Announcements

• News

• Look At Me

• How have they been

• What are they about

• Who do you know

• What do you recommend

 

Yes… it’s all that… all via web 2.0 sites and mobile media.

And there are TONS of them out there. And they come and go all the time.

 

Explain that, what is a web 2.0 site?

Web 2.0 refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content and participatory interaction.

 

So myspace, yelp, google reviews, reddit, flickr, medium, youtube, even Wikipedia.

Web 1.0 was from the onset of the internet through the time of the dot com boom and into the late 90s. At that time, sites were simply informative and didn’t allow for much participation from users.

 

But just like with the Doc Com Boom, once myspace was popular, there was a surge of social media web 2.0 sites that came out.

 

There were and still are several start up social media ventures and they have ups and downs just like any business…

 

But in the way of definitions… let talk about what social media is NOT.

#1 Misconception: Social media is NOT designed to be a sales platform.

If you thought it was. Re-think.

Sales will happen

but it’s not designed to be a quick fix for sales.

 

For business Social media is a group of socialized marketing tools. It’s not sales, but they are important, b/c marketing is imperative to success.

 

Again Knowledge is Power – it’s true though - people are always trying to make everything sales.

 

That’s because sales are tangible. It’s something people understand.

Another area where we see that misconception, is when we hear some people, talk about

 

Marketing:

Marketing = Business Communications do not equal Sales

Again, if you thought it was the same. It’s time to re-think.

Sales are an end result of marketing.

Marketing isn’t a replacement for sales.

Marketing simply makes sales’ job easier and more productive.

 

You go into that a lot in your book – Married To Marketing – how sales and marketing are not the same and yet how they function together

 

Yes, but let’s stay there for a moment. People don’t understand marketing or what it is. So let me ‘splain it to you.

 

Marketing is the act of proactively communicating, for the purpose of awareness, fame, sales, raising funds, or bringing celebrity. Those are the goals and the measurements of its success.

 

The Who – What – Where – Why – When and How are where the Psychology, Strategy and the Creative tools of marketing come into play.

 

Marketing is :

• First Impressions

• Web Presence

• Product Packaging

• Advertising

• Social Media

• Public Relations

• Sales Relations

• Customer Relations

• Loyalty

• Recruitment

• Signage & Décor

• Uniforms

• Displays

• Promotions

• What you say

• How you say it

• Managing Expectations

 

In the business world, marketing is everything. Ah, and everything is marketing –Regis Mckenna Such a smart man.

 

Marketing is about bringing your product or service to market/to your public.

Social Media is a marketing tool – but to the earlier point, it is not a quick fix sales tool.

We use social media to gain awareness, preference, loyalty - all those things we mentioned before.

 

So let’s talk about the understanding of Social Media outside of its

definition. Let’s discuss How the social media channels are being used,

Why they are being used, and What they can do for businesses. We’ll get into the details, but for now, let’s just understand that they each have their own purpose.

Some are for events or photos, or music, or reviews, or networking etc. So social media channels fit in to strategies based on purpose… it’s not one size fits all…

I’ll throw up a graphic that I’ve used that shows the complexity of this. But before we dive into which platforms do what, let’s talk about the basic principles behind social media…in general.

 

Ooh, I love the analogy you use about the house. Wait, I actually have that in a clip from one of your speaking engagements... Let’s play that and then we can discuss.

<PLAY CLIP>

 

I think having that basic understanding of where Social Media came from is very important for knowing how to use it properly.

 

It is... Now, things change all the time and this original purpose has shifted some over time. But it’s a safe place to start. Now-a-days Social Media marketing has become more proactive and less passive.

 

We used to have to drive people there to interact with us, and you still should, don’t neglect that, but we also have the opportunity, now, since it’s become so popular, to mine from the people that are ALREADY there, with messages to build awareness and push them to find out more information about our businesses.

 

Again, Marketing is business communications and taking your business to the marketplace.

 

The people of the marketplace, are on social media… so you should be too.

 

Let’s look at it visually:

1. This is your town or city.

2. Here is your marketplace within that geographic location.

3. This is you. Now you have to interact with your business’ public, your audience

4. With every opportunity and in every interaction

5. Some people will be close

6. Some will be out amongst your competition

7. Some are travelling

8. Others working or going to school or at home.

9. We want to intersect their lives WHERE they are.

 

A large part of being in business, more that 50% of your efforts as a business, is going to be spent in communicating your business, through seeking out these opportunities’ in a strategic manner

• Proactively influencing your target audience to choose YOU, in the marketplace. And you do that, by going to where their attention is.

• Grabbing someone’s attention is the trick.

 

But it’s not new… again, we can look at our history and the way that businesses have been communicating over the past several decades.

 

1. To start we had the town crier – who would stand in the streets, crying out to the public

2. Then we had the newspaper, and we would run ads in between the articles

3. The billboards to engage you with a business message on your commute home

4. Then came the radio – and we would run ads for SOAP during your afternoon stories.

5. Then, motion pictures – that brought in cinema advertising and product placement

6. Eventually, motion pictures were brought to the home via television – where we businesses would run commercials in the middle of your favorite programming

7. Now, everyone’s attention – is on the smart phone.

 

Again, to continue in the traditions of business – you have to follow where people’s attention is… and you should be creating content for this little device. And what’s even better – you carry it with you. The previous methods, didn’t have that. This is ALWAYS on your consumer.

 

That’s so true. Most people – it’s the last thing they check when going to bed and the first thing they check waking up.

 

It’s the versatility and convenience of having the internet in your pocket. Let’s look at it this way - The internet is the newest broadcast “frequency”. Like TV broadcast took over Radio broadcast, the internet is now.

 

Businesses used Radio and TV to get people attention, now it’s the internet. So – dig this - Facebook is the new ABC; LinkedIn is CBS; Instagram is NBC; Etc. They are even called channels.

 

Social Media is a way for anyone to put frequent content on the internet. It’s like cable access only much less expensive.

 

I want you to make the next Wayne’s World or a miniature Big Bang, or Friends, or Breaking Bad if that’s your target…

 

Ok, let’s take a break… and when we come back… let’s talk about those channels, the TOP channels of Social Media.

<sponsors>

 

Ok, welcome back… Before we get started again with our conversation, let me remind everyone that’s been here before or if you are new, first – welcome, next please, everyone, like this episode, subscribe if you haven’t already, click the little bell for notifications. It really helps us out.

 

Ok, my business – done. Now back to the conversations… Social Media 101.  So Zachary, which channels should a business use in Social Media?

 

Well that depends on who they are trying to reach and

why

 

Here are the TOP SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

 

• Each channel has there is different.

• Different user interface

• TikTok and IG Reels are short form video

• Instagram is visual focused

• Twitter is short post focused

• Pinterest is like a scrapbook

• They have different target demographics

• Business people

• Age brackets

• Genders

• Lifestyles

 

That’s why having a targeted consumer profile is so important – it tells you what channels, you should be using the heaviest as a business.

 

So let’s talk about the benefits of businesses using social media, on the whole, I feel like we are going to stay “on the whole” a lot today:

• They are all good for Search

• Good for viability as a business

• Help establish your digital presence

• Shows you are not antiquated

• Shows you care

• Good for more casual communication with customers and prospects

• Insider conversations

• Contests

• Digital integration

• Breaking news

• Soliciting help from customers

• Good for increasing brand awareness

• Gives you a place to build an audience you can talk to directly (Coke story)

• Increases Brand Loyalty

• Gives you a way to showcase your messaging

• Gives a way for your customers a way to pass on information (referrals)

• Helps to market your productions and services to a targeted audience

 

Those are all very helpful, good benefits – but beyond being helpful, why are these channels necessary for businesses?

• #1 – these platforms live on your smart phone / where everyone’s attention is

– And you want to follow in the success of other businesses and follow people’s attention

 

• Next, It’s taken over TV as the #1 marketing media

– To that end, digital Media has taken over traditional media and Content marketing has become the top-rated strategy for digital marketing

– That includes social media, podcasting, advertising, web sites, mobile apps, short code texting, blogging, reputation sites, etc.

 

• Social Media is quickly replacing other types of media.

• News

• Music

• Stories

•

Now, your website is still the central hub for your digital presence. Social Media are extensions of that hub and areas to gain awareness and preference, driving people to that hub for more detailed information and sales.

 

Ok, so let’s discuss – how to use social media.

 

Just like all of your marketing efforts, Social Media should be managed proactively and on purpose.

• Set Up To Represent Your Brand

• Updated Frequently

• Be Thought-out/Purposeful

• Be Maintained

• Be Current

 

So, here’s what I gathered out of that as the 4 steps

1. Set up on each of the platforms/planets that meet the criteria for you target audience.

2. Start “Foundational participation” which is the creation and curation of posting frequent content

3. Strategic Engagement – interacting proactively and strategically with others on the planet.

4. And then finally, Advertising – that’s using paid media to promote the brand.

So four things..

 

In addition to those, there are also Influencer Strategies. But those are going to be another episode. So we wont discuss those today.

 

Lots of great information – there are a lot of details in that overview and basic view of social media – the Social Media 101 understanding. Thank you for that… Now…. What’s your Straight Shot for the day.

 

The basic functions of social media for business are:

• Build brand awareness

• Generate Leads

• Provide Customer Services

• Drive Traffic to your website or brick and mortar location

 

Those are the basic purposes for social media, as a business.

Now you, Mr. or Mrs. business owner, need to have some goals for yourself and for your business:

 

Understand what you are trying to accomplish

• Social Media Management is not a quick tactical plan for generating sales.

 

Generally speaking, the use of Social Media Management as a communication channel for businesses is a longer-term strategy in about branding… with it you should :

• increase brand awareness

• showcase your positioning

• Always use your brand voice

• maintain relationships and interact with your clients and prospects

• Encouraging your fans and connections to help by telling others

 

There are a lot of choices, lots of channels out there. Learn

• How are they being used?

• Why are they being used?

• What can they do for you?

 

We’ll get into details soon in the series, but know each have their own purpose.

1. Always include your professional branding.

2. Know what your branding says about you.

3. Know your communications matter.

 

So – to recap:

• Marketing is business communications; more than just sales – marketing impacts everything your public sees, feels, thinks, and wonders

 

• Business communications are vital to operating your business and success

 

• Social Media is an important part of that marketing

 

• It’s going to take skill and investment to do it right, just like any other marketing strategy

 

• But Social Media is not straight sales, quick and fast (sales do happen, particularly with adverting, which is a future episode of this series)

•

As a going away present for today’s episode – I’m going to give you some of the Key Mistakes that people often make when suing advertising on social media.

You Ready?

 

Not using technology correctly

• Pixel, custom audiences, etc.

• Collecting emails

• Excluding those that already visited/purchased

 

Expectations

• 6-9 brand touch points

 

• Not building relationships

• Build in value and trust

 

Lack of branding

• Inconsistent – Brand voice or Look and feel; not professional

• Don’t know your audience well enough – no or little customer research

• Bad creative

•

The bottom line is that Social Media works. It’s not debatable anymore. You can see it – it’s in the books – it in the case studies and in our history.

 

The question hs become – how good are you at doing it?

Not just tactically, but creatively, from a psychology perspective…

 

Social Media is a marketing tool – but your entire marketing platform and brand have to be on point to make the most of it.

 

True stuff. Thanks again – and that you for tuning in, watching us today. We hope you are getting value out of this series. Remember, it’s going to be an intermittent series – not all back to back episodes – so sign up for notifications by texting the word REFORMATION to 90210 or by subscribing and smashing that bell there on YouTube.

 

If you need us, let us know – 678.825.8086 ext. 300 – Bye.

 

Category :  Straight Shot Marketing Podcast

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