How to Attract New Customers Using Social Media
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The document provides guidance on using social media to attract new customers. It recommends identifying a single objective, such as lead generation. A case study of a garden center aiming to stay in touch with customers throughout the year is presented. Their strategy was to interact with customers online, provide seasonal tips/advice via Facebook and YouTube videos, and offer promotions for existing customers and those who "like" their Facebook page. The document advises choosing tools like blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Foursquare based on their pros and cons for different objectives.
How to Attract New Customers Using Social Media
- 1. How to Attract New Customers Using Social Media Chris Heiler
- 2. We are living in a digital world
- 3. We are living in a digital world
- 4. How “digital” impacts your business
- 5. How “digital” impacts your business
- 6. Social media has become a critical component of this digital world
- 8. • Finding your “one thing” A Three Step • Developing a strategy that adds value Process • Choosing your weapons
- 9. How to Identify Your “One Thing”
- 10. You have to have an objective
- 11. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media
- 12. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media • Increase sales via social media
- 13. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media • Increase sales via social media • Stay in touch with your customers and clients
- 14. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media • Increase sales via social media • Stay in touch with your customers and clients • Expand your “sphere of influence”
- 15. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media • Increase sales via social media • Stay in touch with your customers and clients • Expand your “sphere of influence” • Build your reputation as an expert
- 16. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media • Increase sales via social media • Stay in touch with your customers and clients • Expand your “sphere of influence” • Build your reputation as an expert • Increase brand awareness
- 17. What “one thing” do you want to achieve? • Generate leads using social media • Increase sales via social media • Stay in touch with your customers and clients • Expand your “sphere of influence” • Build your reputation as an expert • Increase brand awareness • Stay up to date with industry trends
- 18. Case Study: A Minneapolis Garden Center Objective: Stay in touch with customers throughout the year
- 19. Developing a Strategy That Adds Value
- 21. Your “Content Plan” Provide content that is relevant and interesting to people • Up-to-date information about your company • Projects you’re working on- photos, video, etc… • Community activities • Get personal (you and employees and customers) • Other People’s Content (OPC)
- 22. Your “Content Plan” Provide content that is helpful • Seasonal tips • Plant advice • “How To” information (including video) • Other People’s Content (OPC)
- 23. Your “Content Plan” Provide content that is entertaining • Bloopers- employees (and yourself!) • YouTube videos •Funny images • Funny news stories
- 24. Case Study: A Minneapolis Garden Center Objective: Stay in touch with customers throughout the year The Strategy: 1. INTERACT (!!!) with our current customers 2. Provide current customers with helpful and valuable tips, advice, and information throughout the year 3. Keep customers up to date with what’s happening
- 26. Tools & Tactics Blogging- the Pros • Great alternative to a traditional, static website •Great complement to a company website •Can increase your rankings in the search engines like Google •Can build your reputation as an expert and authority figure •Terrific way to share your current work and your thoughts/ideas
- 27. Tools & Tactics Blogging- the Cons • Can be a lot of work and time consuming to build a popular blog. • You have to be committed!
- 28. Tools & Tactics Facebook Pages- the Pros • Great complement to a company website • Good way to keep in touch with clients, peers, and other business associates •Terrific way to share your current work and your thoughts/ideas (just like blogging), only easier
- 29. Tools & Tactics Facebook Pages- the Cons • Not everyone is on Facebook • Won’t impact your search rankings as much as a blog • It’s a lot of work (just like a blog) for it to be effective
- 30. Tools & Tactics LinkedIn- the Pros • Ideal for professional networking with local professionals as well as industry peers • Good way to build a network of business associates • Can use it to find job applicants as well as to find a job
- 31. Tools & Tactics LinkedIn- the Cons • You still need to participate to reap the benefits • Not an ideal way to attract customers (unless your customers are B2B)
- 32. Tools & Tactics Twitter- the Pros • The best way to mix personal with business • Good way to draw traffic to your blog • Great way to meet new people—locally and within your industry • Terrific way to learn about new things and keep up to date
- 33. Tools & Tactics Twitter- the Cons • Not as many customers are on Twitter…yet (compared to Facebook) • Not the best way to keep in touch with customers • Can be “noisy”, if you don’t know how to manage it
- 34. Tools & Tactics YouTube & Flickr- the Pros • Best way to host your videos and images in the “cloud” • Easiest way to share your videos and images (online and offline)
- 35. Tools & Tactics YouTube & Flickr- the Cons • Not ideal for getting “social”
- 36. Tools & Tactics Foursquare- the Pros • Ideal for retail businesses • Turn one-time customers into loyal customers • Reward loyal customers • Attract new, walk-in business • Integrates with Twitter and Facebook to give your business even more exposure
- 37. Tools & Tactics Foursquare- the Cons • Not widely adopted by consumers…yet
- 38. Case Study: A Minneapolis Garden Center Objective: Stay in touch with customers throughout the year The Strategy: 1. INTERACT (!!!) with our current customers 2. Provide current customers with helpful and valuable tips, advice, and information throughout the year 3. Keep customers up to date with what’s happening
- 39. Case Study: A Minneapolis Garden Center Objective: Stay in touch with customers throughout the year The Tactics: 1. Find our customers online and interact with them 2. Create a Facebook Page – Provide timely seasonal tips and advice – Produce and share a weekly 2-3 minute “How To” video – Monthly specials/promotions for existing customers & Facebook “fans” – Keep customers up to date with what’s happening 3. List our business on Foursquare – Offer specials to reward our returning customers
- 40. Social media has become a critical component of this digital world
- 41. Where to begin…
- 42. • Find your “one thing” A Three Step • Develop a strategy that adds value Process • Choose your weapons accordingly
- 43. Connect with me… Chris.Heiler@landscapeleadership.com www.LandscapeLeadership.com Twitter.com/chris_heiler Facebook.com/cjheiler
Editor's Notes
- #2: TimeQuestions
- #3: Paid newspaper circulation is at one of its lowest points since the 1960’s.Book sales are down.DVD sales are down.In 2009, CD sales fell more than 20%.
- #4: Digital downloads now make up 40% of music sold.People are reading books on devices like the Kindle and iPad, and getting their news delivered to their devices via blogs like The Huffington Post.Consumers have embraced “Digital”
- #5: If someone is looking for a landscape contractor in Minneapolis….
- #6: Traditional networking compared to online social networking
- #7: You have a role in this (as a business owner):It’s up to you to understand how you can use SM to market and grow your business It’s up to you to take some small steps
- #8: This is the challengeWhat most companies do:Jump in no strategy play around give upWe’re going to take the opposite approach….
- #9: This is what we’re going to talk about in this presentation.A three step process to get you going in the right direction
- #11: It’s like anything in life—when you have a concrete goal or objective, the likelihood of success is much higher.It’s the same with social mediaClarifies your purpose create a strategy and plan around your objective measure your effortsSingle goal
- #12: We won’t all have the same objective.Examples:increasing newsletter signups (lawncare company)blog subscribers/readers (designer)increase foot traffic (garden center)
- #13: Examples:- Lawn care company-upsells (using a facebook page)
- #14: Someone who simply wants to stay in touch with their customers is going to have a much different social media strategy than a company who wants to generate leads and increase sales.- They are totally different objectives—and require unique strategies
- #15: Build relationships with new business associatesEx.- Landscape architect- builders, architects, landscape contractors, realtors, media, your peersNote: attention and reputation
- #16: Susan CohanThis is what I focus on as well (and #4)- building influence in our industry
- #17: Best for larger companies and corporations
- #18: Best for larger companies and corporations
- #19: What it is NOT:Generate new leads and sales meet new people to increase brand awareness
- #20: The second step, after identifying your overall objective and goal, is to develop the strategy and plan to accomplish your goal.Key point: Strategy before tactics—this is where I see a lot of companies struggle with SM
- #21: People typically get online for three reasons:They’re looking for specific information—how to make banana bread, get a map to the doctors office, find a landscape designerThey want to learn about something that interests them—politics, food, gardening, travelThey want to be entertained—video games, music, television, movies, gossip blogs, check in and communicate with friends (social networking)
- #22: With those three things in mind, we need to…Provide content that is:Relevant and interesting to people
- #23: Videos- Gen
- #24: Provide content that is entertainingEx.- Video of planting tree dressed as gumby on Halloween Heller- employees shooting video Griggs- “Only in NY” his subcontractors Me- goofy pictures
- #26: Let’s talk about tactics and toolsKey point: not all tools and tactics will work for all people You choose your tools and tactics based on your strategy. Select the tools that will help you reach your objective—ignore the rest.
- #27: Question: Who has a blog?best for: individuals who share their personal sides as well
- #28: Susan’s blog, my blog
- #29: Similar to boggingIdeal for: companies
- #30: Similar to bogging
- #31: Question: How many of you are on LinkedIn?
- #32: Not ideal for garden center, more ideal for designer
- #33: Who uses twitter?My personal favoriteIdeal for out-going individuals who want to mix business and pleasurePeople tend to love it or hate it
- #37: QUESTION: Anyone use Foursquare?
- #41: You have a role in this (as a business owner):It’s up to you to understand how you can use SM to market and grow your business It’s up to you to take some small steps
- #42: This is the challenge