Social Media Marketing: Strategies for Engaging in Facebook, Twitter & Other Social Media

355 Pages·2010·4.298 MB·English

by  Evans, Liana

Social Media
Strategies for Engaging in Facebook, Twitter & Other Social Media
Marketing
Liana “Li” Evans
800 East 96th Street,
Indianapolis,Indiana 46240 USA
Social Media Marketing
Associate Publisher
©2010 by Que Publishing
Greg Wiegand
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ISBN-13:978-0-7897-4284-1 Kristy Hart
ISBN-10:0-7897-4284-5
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Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Lori Lyons
Evans,Liana.
Social media marketing :Strategies for engaging in facebook, Copy Editor
twitter & other social media / Liana Evans. Krista Hansing
p.cm.
Includes index. Indexer
ISBN 978-0-7897-4284-1 Erika Millen
1. Internet marketing.2. Social media.3. Online social networks.
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III
CONTENTS AT A GLANCE
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Part I: The Basics of Social Media
1 It’s Not Easy,Quick,or Cheap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
2 Understanding Social Media Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
3 Goals Need to Be Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
4 It’s ROC (Return on Conversation) not ROI
(Return on Investment) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
5 Know Who Your Audience Is and What They are Doing . . . . . . . . .41
Part II: It’s About Conversation
6 The Conversation Happens With or Without You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
7 Bring in Legal Early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
8 Don’t Be Afraid ofthe Negative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
9 Understanding Each Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
10 Come Bearing Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
11 Bloggers Have No Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
12 Every Business Is Different . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99
13 Don’t Fall in Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
14 Don’t Be Afraid to Throw Out What Isn’t Working . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
15 Be Open to Trying New Things (but Don’t Fall Off
the Bleeding Edge) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Part III: Social Media from the Inside Out
16 Everyone in Your Company Has a Stake in Your
Social Media Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
17 Plan Social Media Policies for Company Employees . . . . . . . . . . . .135
18 Personal Ethics Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
19 Define Who Owns the Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149
20 A Great Customer Service Program Is a Natural Extension
into Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
21 Interns Make Coffee,Not Social Media Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
22 Branding and Messaging Need to Be Consistent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
23 Be Transparent:Trust and Readership Must Be Earned . . . . . . . .179
24 Audiences Trust Icons and Avatars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Part IV: It’s Not About You
25 Give Up Control and Drop the Ego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
26 You Need to Be All “Ears” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
27 Your Customers Know Your Products Better Than You . . . . . . . . .211
28 It’s All About the Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
29 Your Content Must Have Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225
30 Sharing with Others Is Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231
IV Social Media Marketing
31 For It to Work,You Need to Be Social . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
32 Ask the Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
33 You Get What You Give . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .253
Part V: How Social Media Fits into the Online Marketing Picture
34 People Do Not Want To Be Marketed To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261
35 The Difference Between Buzz Monitoring
and Audience Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
36 Complementing Both Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
37 Links and Search Engine Results Are Byproducts
ofSocial Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .279
38 Align Offline Marketing Strategies with Social
Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285
39 Create a Social Media-Friendly “Pressroom”and
Promote Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291
40 YouTube Is the Second-Largest Search Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297
41 Social Search Is All About the Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
42 It’s Not Just a Web Browser Anymore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
43 New Signals to Search Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315
44 Choosing a Social Media Consultant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321
45 Putting It All Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333
About the Author
Liana “Li”Evans has been active full-time in the
search marketing arena since 1999,becoming
well versed in all avenues ofsocial media and
search marketing.Li runs the Search Marketing
Gurus blog and is the Director ofSocial Media
for Serengeti Communications,a Washington,
DC-based Online Marketing Consulting firm.Li
has led the SEO strategy for an Internet Retailer
500 company,and was the SEO and Social
Media architect for a Fortune 500’s multi-million
page entertainment Web site.As a database
designer and programmer since 1992,Liana has
developed technical expertise in dealing with
large-scale retail sites and their dynamic natures.
She holds degrees in both Public Relations and
Information Technology,which lend well to
working with client strategies in Social Media and Search Marketing.She speaks
and trains Social Media and SEO at Search Engine Strategies and other industry
conferences.
You can reach Li at www.lianaevans.com and on Twitter at@storyspinner.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my father David G.Evans who,although gone from this
world,has still had significant impact on my life every day;and to my mother Dolores
E.Evans,who amazes me every day by her willingness to accept and try anything new
(even Facebook and Twitter).Without my dad’s encouragement,his willingness to
share what he learned,his silent prodding,and without my mother’s love ofsharing,
networking,and relating stories and both their love and support,I would not be where
I am today.Thank you Dad,you’re always in my heart,and thank you Mom,without
you I wouldn’t be who I am.
Acknowledgments
First,I need to thank my editor Rick Kughen and my tech editor Amanda
Watlington for all their help,encouragement,refinement ofmy thoughts,and gen-
erally for just putting up with me getting the knowledge I wanted to relate to all of
you,on paper.It has been a long journey,and I’ve learned so much from the two of
them—they are a godsend to any author.
VI Social Media Marketing
I would also like to extend my sincerest thank you for all the encouragement,
cheering on,advice,pointing to examples,and loving support from so many people
who have helped me in my career.It’s so hard to name all the people who’ve gotten
me here along the way,but there are some I need to thank specifically because
without them,this book would not have been possible.
My boss,mentor,and friend,Nan Dawkins—for your constant beliefand support of
me,the guidance you provide,and your ever source ofwisdom that never ceased to
amaze me.Thank you.
My friend,mentor,and general overall marketing guru,Mike Grehan—without
your constant sharing ofknowledge and brain trust,I really would be lost.You are a
treasure to this industry,a fountain ofwisdom that everyone in social media and
search marketing should seek out.Thank you for being my friend and guiding me
along the way.
My friend and colleague,Beth Harte—from Plurk to working together,wow what a
journey! Thank you,Beth,for always being my sounding board and my voice of
reason—you are one ofthe best friends a person could ask for!
To Debra Mastaler,Becky Ryan,and Simon Heseltine—my constant cheerleaders,
source ofencouragement,and go-to people for advice on search and social media.
Without you three,I’d be so lost.Thank you for helping me find the right paths.
To Rebecca Lieb—thank you,my wonderful friend,for believing enough in me to
recommend me writing this book.Your constant encouragement has helped me
tremendously!
The team at Search Engine Strategies:Marilyn Crafts,Jackie Ortez,Stewart Quealy,
Matthew McGowan,Dan Hoskins,and Fred Rumsey—thank you for always includ-
ing me in SES and always encouraging me to be the best that I can be.Ifthere ever
was a family I wanted to have by just picking my friends,you all would be in it (yes
Fred,even you).
To the team at Serengeti Communications:Stacy Moren,John Lynch,Nathan
Linnell,and Kevin Olsen—Thank you for putting up with the craziness that is me.
It’s a privilege and an honor to get to work with each ofyou,I learn from all ofyou
every day.
To Danny Sullivan—Thank you for giving me the opportunity so many years ago to
step out from being just another SEO and letting me be able to share my knowledge
on the stage at SES.To this day I thank you for that opportunity,and I am forever
grateful and appreciative ofthe opportunity you granted me.
To my friends Lauren,Jason,and Karen—Thank you guys for putting up with my
crazy schedules,my ranting about this industry when you have no idea what it’s
about,and for just being there to support me.You all have kept me sane!
Acknowledgments VII
Last,but not least,to my sister,Dani Scozzari,my brother-in-law Chris,my nephew
Anthony,and my niece Sara for always being there.It’s been a rough ride these last
few years,but your constant love and unquestioning and unwavering support mean
the world to me.
Oh yes—I can’t forget Captain Jack and Luke…who kept me company throughout
most ofthe chapters ofthis book.I couldn’t have done it without my silent
co-authors.
VIII
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Introduction
I believe that social media is changing the way that com-
panies need to interact with both their audiences and cus-
tomers by listening and directly engaging with them. I’m
Liana “Li” Evans, and I am the author of Social Media
Marketing: Strategies for Engaging in Facebook, Twitter, &
Other Social Media.
I’ve written this book to give any marketer, novice, or
expert a deeper look into the realm of social media mar-
keting. So much has been touted, preached, and hoisted
up on a pedestal as things marketers or companies should
be doing, it’s hard to believe what’s true and what isn’t.
This book can be your guide from beginning to end in
understanding what’s hype and what’s not. From making
the case of whether or not you should be actively engag-
ing in social media, to putting the pieces together to plan
a successful social media marketing strategy, I hope you
will put this book to good use.