Zero to 100,000: Social Media Tips and Tricks for Small Businesses

I work in digital media publishing, yet I’ve struggled, like most of the business world, to understand how to make social media work for me. Sarah-Jayne and Dean tackled the challenge with an energy that has to be seen to be believed. These two are now my #1 source of information and have provided simple and effective strategies that have helped me to monetize social media.

Part I: You’re Anything but Small     1

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Big Wide Social Media Stage     3
A Shift in Worlds That Works for You     4
It All Starts with Personality     4
A Sneak Peek at What’s to Come     4
The Whole Social Media World’s a Stage     8

Chapter 2: The Changing Social Landscape of Communication      9
Now for the Science Part     10
The Zuckerberg Revolution: Communication 2.0     11
Put Away the Megaphone and Put On Your Thinking Cap     12
There’s No One Size Fits All in Social Media     12
From Scattered to Unified Customer Bases     13
The Power of Listening     14

Part II: Social Media Networking Basics     17

Chapter 3: Twitter: 140 Characters to Success     19
A Little History     20
Getting Started: Creating a Great Twitter Account     20
Customizing Your Twitter Profile     25

Chapter 4: Facebook Pages: The Public Face of Your Brand     29
A Little History     30
Show Me the Money     30
A Constant Flow of New Features     30
Why a Page and Not a Profile?     30
Creating Your Facebook Page     31
Using Discussions     36

Chapter 5: LinkedIn: Adding Your Link to the Chain of Success     37
A Little History     38
What’s It All About?     38
LinkedIn Answers and Groups     39
Getting Started on LinkedIn     39
To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade     42

Chapter 6: YouTube: Your Brand Channel     43
A Little History     44
It’s Big     44
Getting Started     45
Customizing Your Channel     47
Your First YouTube Video     52
Basic Rules for YouTube Success     53
Customizing Your Display of Videos and Playlists     54

Chapter 7: Foursquare: Putting Your Brand on the Map     55
A Little History     56
What Makes Foursquare Different?      56
Getting Started with Foursquare     56
How to Get the Best Out of Foursquare      59

Chapter 8: Blogging Your Way to Business Success     63
In Blogging We Trust     64
Using Your Head and Your Resources     65
Moving Forward     68
Sourcing and Building Great and Original Content     73

Chapter 9: The Secrets to a Successful Blog     75
Be a Font of Knowledge     76
Remember It’s a Two-way Street     76
Keep Consumer Problems in Mind     76
Keep Them Wanting More     76
Make Headlines     77
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words     77
Reinvention Is the Key to Longevity     77
How to Presell Your Blog Content     78
Value-Added Blogging Tools     81
Embedding a YouTube Video into Your Blog     88

Part III: The 10-Step Method to Building a Fast and Effective Online Presence     91

Chapter 10: Step 1: Listen First, Engage Second     93
Monologue Versus Interactive Communication     94
Learning How to Listen     95
Organizing Your Findings for Maximum Benefit     100

Chapter 11: Step 2: Understand and Build Your Social Media Voice     101
Understanding Share of Voice and Sentiment     102
Calculating and Monitoring     102
Building Awareness     104
Signs of Engagement     104
Find Your Brand Evangelists     105
Spotting and Optimizing Trends     106
Brand Versus Social Voice: Making Them One and the Same     106

Chapter 12: Step 3: It’s Who You Know—Finding and Attracting the Influencers     109
All That Glitters Isn’t Gold     110
What Makes an Influencer?     111
Key Factors to Help You Identify Influencers Important to You     112
A Valuable Audience Awaits     115
Attracting Engagement for Long-Term Social Media Success     116

Chapter 13: Step 4: Don’t Get Too Big for Your Social Media Boots!     117
Dealing with Social Media Narcissists     120

Chapter 14: Step 5: Instilling a Sense of Community     121
Content Curation     123
Your Online Focus Group     123
Discovering the Nerve Center of Your Community     124
Let It Develop Its Own Personality     125

Chapter 15: Step 6: Do You Need a Brand Makeover?     127
Why Change Is Necessary     128
Embracing Change in Social Media     129
Keeping It Fresh     129
Be the Change You Wish to See     132

Chapter 16: Step 7: Become a Social Conductor     133
So, What Is a Social Conductor, Exactly?     134
How to Conduct Your Social Media Traffic     134
The Five Elements That Make a Great Social Conductor     136
Campaigning for Votes     138
Employ an Influencer     139
How Long Will the Traffic Last?     139

Chapter 17: Step 8: Introducing Cross Platform Promotion     141
A Synergetic Way of Thinking     142
Start with Your Strategy     142
Advertise Without Advertising     143
Time-Saving CPP Tools     144
Planning a CPP Schedule for Success     145
Using CPP to Create a Response Buzz     145

Chapter 18: Step 9: Social Media Darwinism—Survival of the Fittest     147
Shifting Customer Service into Social Media     148
Offering Cross Platform Choice     149
Maintaining Online Ethics     150
Utilizing Social Media Metrics     151
Adapting and Evolving     151

Chapter 19: Step 10: Knowing You’ve Made It and Measuring Your Success     153
How to Get a High-Definition Picture of Your Success to Date     155
Track Audience Duration and Discover Their Preferences     155
And We Made It     159

Part IV: AN EXPERT IN YOUR POCKET     161

Chapter 20: Jeff Bullas     163
About Jeff Bullas     164
Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     164
Jeff ’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     168

Chapter 21: Lori McNee     169
About Lori McNee     170
Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     171
Lori’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     174

Chapter 22: Paul Steele     175
About Paul Steele     176
Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     177
Paul’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     179

Chapter 23: Jessica Northey     181
About Jessica Northey     182
Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     183
Jessica’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     186

Chapter 24: Danny Devriendt     189
About Danny Devriendt     190
Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     191
Danny’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     194

Index     195