Social Media is the hottest topic in marketing circles right now and many small businesses (around the world, not just in New Zealand) are feeling pressured to get involved with social outlets such as Facebook or Twitter. Small wonder — research analysts eMarketer are reporting that social media has reached the tipping point, with more than half of all U.S. internet users now frequenting social spaces in a typical month.
Where the U.S. goes, can New Zealand be far behind? Actually, we may well be ahead of them. 82% of New Zealand internet users have been to Facebook — and more than 1.75 million Kiwis now have an account on the site [Source: Nielsen NZ Social Media Report July 2010].
And it’s becoming habitual — half of us visit the Facebook site at least once a day, to catch up on what our friends are doing (and to tell them where we’ve been and what we’ve done).
So Kiwis can now be found in large numbers hanging out on social networks. Should small businesses be there too?
Absolutely. Social media adoption by small US businesses has doubled from 12 percent to 24 percent in the past year alone, according to an early 2010 report from the Small Business Success Index (SBSI). Indeed, one in five of 500 small American businesses surveyed in December 2009 say they have tapped into social media in some way or another.
Social Media Marketing is a very cost effective way for many small businesses to reach out to customers.
In fact, small can deliver big advantages in Social Media, especially if the business owner is (or is seen to be) the principal contributor to Twitter and Facebook and other social media outlets:
- You can be much faster to react than large organisations, who often have to go through processes and red tape before being allowed to speak on a given topic
- Your fans and followers will love being able to hear from, and converse with, the owner
- You can speak with authority, and make commitments on behalf of your business
- You can make your business appear than it really is (on the internet, no-one knows you’re a poodle, not a great dane)
- If you make useful comments and deliver good sound bites, you can get noticed (and picked up by the media) in a way that just wouldn’t happen offline
- Social Media can deliver huge benefits for search engine ranking, if your constituents link to your words and spread them to their own followers
- Just by listening to your customers (and your competitors), you can learn a whole lot that can help your business
- You can encourage your fans and followers to review and recommend your products or services
- And of course you can practise Social Media on a tiny budget (if you’re prepared to put in the time instead of dollars)
They’re Already Talking (sometimes about you)
Social network users are often talking about brands online. Whether it’s good news or bad news, if it’s hot it spreads in milliseconds across the social networks.
An unfortunate example? On September 26 2009 Kraft launched the glorious new Vegemite iSnack 2.0 in the quarter-time adbreak of the AFL Grand Final. Before the adbreak was even over, tweets of death were resounding across Australia and thence across the world:
NO! Vegemite cream cheese product CANNOT POSSIBLY be called “Vegemite iSnack 2.0″. Bad joke or most epic FAIL in FMCG branding history” – tweeted by downesy
I said “do you speaka my language?” She just smiled and gave me an iSnack 2.0 sandwich. #vegefail – tweeted by jmappellekim
On the rather more positive side, a recent Nielsen/Facebook joint study showed significant uplift in Advertising Recall, Awareness and Purchase Intent amongst those brands “liked” in Social Media.
Nervous yet? Worried about your brand? Or just eager to take advantage of the added value if fans ‘love you’ socially?
It’s time to upskill yourself on social media — it’s too late to be an early adopter, but now would be a good time to start getting yourself socially adept. Check out our seven-week ecourse, specially adapted for small businesses from our popular Social Media Marketing eCourse:
Course SME1: Social Media Marketing for Small & Medium Enterprises
This is a seven-week eCourse providing a comprehensive introduction to Social Media Marketing for SMEs, from the Basics to detailed instructions on how to build and run a Social Media programme.
This eCourse is conducted on a web-based e-learning software platform, enabling course participants to proceed at their own pace, accessing materials online. This particular eCourse provides content in a variety of multimedia forms, including videos, slideshows, flash-based presentations and PDF files. No special software is required to participate.
Course lessons are released weekly, for participants to access in accordance with their own timetables. Interaction with the course tutor is enabled through the platform software tools (with telephone backup if required).
Feedback from previous Social Media Marketing eCourse Participants
- “this was the best professional development course I have done in many years” - Mark R, senior Agency Exec responsible for social media
- “thought the information within was outstanding” - Ed P, General Manager
- “What I loved was that I started with a fairly rudimentary understanding of social media but have learned a lot – including where to find more information as I need it.” – Fiona W, Marketing Manager
- “I found it relevant, informative, topical, insightful and a bloody good read. It’s never evangelical, too techy, patronising, assumes that you know too much or too little about digital and has a warm sense of humour in the communication throughout which helped faciliate the learning process for me.” — Adrienne B, new media senior executive
- “Thanks for pointing me in the direction of this course! It’s been extremely enlightening” — Shayne P, design agency director
- “Rapt with what I have seen of the course” — Julia R, fashion editor
- “I’m really enjoying the course – learning a lot – and I know the two friends I persuaded to join us are also loving it.” — Lavinia C, designer
- “Am thoroughly enjoying the content!” – Kara B, magazine co-ordinator
- “I completed the first lesson today and found it really interesting and love the interaction already! I am so looking forward to the second lesson already … ” — Annette B, public relations director
- “I was already engaging with social media and have been doing so for about 6 years or so. Remembering the days when all of my friends were on Bebo and MySpace and seeing how this has now shifted so dramatically. But, did I know how to use social media in a marketing and business sense? No, I simply did not. This course was a great way to show me how to do that.” — Sheryl K, online marketer
COURSE CREATION AND TUTORING
This course has been created and is tutored by Michael Carney.
WHO SHOULD TAKE THE COURSE
Any small business owner or operator who, while he or she may have a fair knowledge of what social media options are out there, doesn’t know how to use them effectively (and has a perfectly reasonable fear of doing the wrong thing in a very public arena).
WHAT YOU SHOULD LEARN AS A RESULT OF THE COURSE:
- The principles of effective marketing in social media
- Which social networks are strongest in New Zealand, who uses them and how to sign up
- What social media can do for your small or medium-sized business
- How to build a social media programme (you’ll start constructing your own during the course)
- The best tools and techniques for monitoring social networks
- How to really understand and engage with the consumer
- How to create relevant, informative, killer content for your social media programme
- How to define and measure meaningful numbers to determine the success (or otherwise) of your social media activities
- Answering those questions that (if you’re not prepared) could kill your business
- How to watch for, and adapt to, the Next Big Thing in Social Media (whatever that is)
COURSE CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION:
WHY SOCIAL MEDIA SILENCE IS DEADLY
In which we put Social Media in context in the modern world; discuss the reality that the medium is a runaway success (regardless of whether marketers choose to participate or not); deal with marketers’ biggest fears about the medium; and discuss the key principles of effective marketing in social media.
LESSON ONE: THE BASICS
I’VE JUST ARRIVED FROM OUTER SPACE. TELL ME ABOUT THESE “SOCIAL NETWORKS”.
For those a little fuzzy on the basics: we introduce the concept of social networks; talk about the main players; give special recognition to Facebook and review its New Zealand numbers and offerings; look at what else is out there (including the newest, Google Buzz); show you how to check out and claim your digital identity at key online sites and services; and (if you’re not already there) invite you to sign yourself up to the primary social sites.
LESSON TWO: SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU
I’M AFRAID OF INTRUDING IN SOCIAL MEDIA –ALL THOSE CONSUMERS WILL TRASH MY BRAND
Social Media and Small Businesses: are we there yet? We review the importance of social media for organisations of any size; ask the eight key questions of vital importance to businesses wanting to join this social media party; consider how to choose which social media to support (sorry, you can’t do it all, at least not on Kiwi-sized budgets and resources); look at what sort of social media personality you should adopt to flourish in the new environment; and look at the benefits, the pitfalls and the barriers when it comes to social media marketing. Applying those last attributes to your own business will be your assignment from Lesson Two.
LESSON THREE: BUILDING THE PLAN
ENOUGH TALK ALREADY, LET’S START BUILDING SOMETHING
So far, we’ve examined the principles of social media. Now it’s time to put those into practice and start building your own social media programme. This topic will occupy us for most of the lesson, as we cover the six key elements of a strategy framework. Your homework will involve turning that framework into a provisional plan.
LESSON FOUR: MONITORING
DON’T SAY A THING. JUST LISTEN FIRST (EVEN FOR JUST 10 MINUTES A DAY), THEN THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE HEARING. MAYBE THEN YOU CAN TALK.
We know you want to get your teeth into Social Media fast, but you need to start by just listening. And yes, you can do it for just ten minutes a day (if you’re very focussed). In this lesson, we show you where and how to listen (and where to find the mostly-free tools to do so); what to listen for; who to listen to (identifying opinion leaders); and we talk about how things can go wrong and how to react to problems when they arise. Your homework will involve listening, listening, listening.
LESSON FIVE: ENGAGEMENT
WILL CONSUMERS REALLY ENGAGE WITH ME AND MY BRAND, OR WILL THEY JUST BE POLITE? (IF THEY THINK YOU’RE ANNOYING OR INTRUSIVE, DON’T WORRY, THEY’LL TELL YOU)
Like most marketing, social media starts with a clear understanding of consumers: who they are (by whatever metrics available) and what they need and want. Social media marketing works the same way, but even more so. In this lesson we dig ever more deeply into understanding the audience; at this point you’ll be adjusting the plan you assembled a couple of lessons ago, to take account of your new knowledge.
LESSON SIX: CREATING KILLER CONTENT
TELL ME STUFF THAT’S REALLY INTERESTING – AND STOP SELLING AT ME, THIS ISN’T A USED CAR LOT
None of what we’ve covered so far is of any use if your contribution to the online conversation is merely self-serving and sales-oriented. In this lesson we cover the sort of content that is essential in social media, and how you can build it into relevant, informative, compelling content. Your homework will require you to create such content for your business.
LESSON SEVEN: METRICS AND ROI:
OVERCOMING THOSE QUESTIONS THAT KILL BUSINESSES
Social Media in its early stages avoided those awkward issues about Return on Investment and whether it really delivered value for the time and money involved. Now times are tougher, the budgets are tighter and accountants and business owners are asking the hard questions. In this lessons we look at the metrics that are nice to have but more importantly at the ones that matter. We also identify strategies you can follow to develop useful, meaningful measures that satisfy your bank balance. You can guess what your homework is.
CONCLUSION:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE, AND WHO’S DRIVING?
Social Media (it seemed) arrived faster than a speeding bullet. What’s next for the medium, how do you tell, and what can you do to prepare? We look at the trends and offer some advice.
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TIMING
This seven-week course begins on Monday July 4 2011.
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INVESTMENT
This seven-part eCourse is available for $397 +GST. However we offer a special Early Bird rate of just $297 +GST if you book and pay before 5pm on Monday 27 June.
Bookings are confirmed on receipt of payment, which can be by cheque, bank deposit or credit card. We can raise an invoice in advance if you need it.
If you’d like to pay by credit card, here’s the link to sign up (via secure provider PayMate) CLICK HERE.
If you would prefer to pay by cheque or bank deposit, please send an email to bookings@socialmedia.org.nz with your contact details.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
You’ll receive our emailed confirmation of your booking. Then on Monday 4 July we’ll follow up with details of your Login and Password, along with an Enrolment Key for the Social Media Marketing eCourse.
If you have any questions, or would like more information, please email us at info@socialmedia.org.nz