Social Media seminar

Social Media Pre-Conference SeminarJan 17,2010,1-4
Billiards Rm, Conrad-Caldwell House, Louisville, Ky

This seminar will concentrate on the latest uses of Internet marketing to increase exposure and customer base for participating bed and breakfast Innkeepers. In addition, by exploring the emerging world of social media, participants will come to understand the rationale behind using social media to engage and connect to an audience of potential customers. They will come to understand the importance of using the language and seeking out the social networking communities where their prospective customers are. And that this is where their outbound marketing messages should be. Participants will learn strategies for increasing their website presence, for deciding when and how to use social media platforms and tools, and for managing their time.

This seminar will be presented by Jason Falls, social media consultant. Jason is a nationally recognized expert on public relations, social media and online communications with 12 years of management experience and proven ability in public relations, social media, marketing, corporate communications, branding and advertising. His vision is for high-return media opportunities and communications strategies that strengthen organizational marketing positions and enhance growth. Jason is a father, husband and thinker, mostly on social media, public relations and communications for clients of his consultancy and readers of his popular industry website and blog, He resides in Louisville, is co-founder and president of Social Media Club of Louisville, and has recently established his own consultancy: Social Media Explorer.

Growing Your Business With Social Media Marketing
Seminar presented by Jason Falls of Social Media Explorer

Agenda
Solidifying Your Home Base: Put your website to work
Understanding Social Media philosophy
Listening & participating in Social Media & social networks
Making email marketing work smarter

Buoying your business through blogger outreach

Learning the tools and managing your time

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Using twitter for your business

Twitter is a social media site. The idea behind social media is to develop relationships with others, so that trust is built. Using a social media approach to marketing steers away from "in your face" advertising and relies upon revealing your business, as you would to a friend, by interacting and exchanging ideas and information.

There is a protocol on Twitter and you can learn a lot by joining, laying back and watching, and then gradually starting conversations. You can pick out who you wish to "follow" so that you can learn more about the person and his/her business. There are plenty of links, videos, and podcasts to visit (posted by members) which will give you even more info.

Read others posts and blogs to see how they interact with other members. Watch how they present their ideas and events and build interest in their particular businesses. This is really a slow process. It does not happen overnight, but it can have a big payoff.

This social media craze is all new to me. I have a business and I have to do my own marketing, but I am not an expert. My expertize is as a writer and an innkeeper (one-woman operation). It’s a small operation, so I can’t afford to pay for marketing. I rely on research, reading, and the internet for ideas.

I joined Twitter, a popular social media site, a couple of months ago when I began building my blogs. I frequently multi-task and, since I was also interested in learning about social media, I figured I would do/learn everything at the same time. I love learning new stuff!

I have asked many questions on Twitter, to which I never got an answer. Occasionally someone will respond. However, where I feel I get the most value out of it is by reading other chats and comments by other members, some of whom are experts in marketing and social media and other related fields. I’ve gone to the links they suggest, to their blogs and to their sites. I think focusing on utilizing the tremendous amount of info that is put out on Twitter and not on whether or not one get’s a response reaps the most benefits. Check out the following videos about twitter:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6961929

Eight No-Fail Steps for E-Commerce Marketing

By Jamila White, “The E-Commerce Diva” (Guest blogger)

I know how to get a blank stare from just about any e-commerce web site owner. All I have to do is ask them about their web site marketing plan! When I ask them about their web site marketing plan, I get that look. First the eyebrows go up. Then the eyes glaze over for a minute. And then the stammering begins.

“Uh, well, you know – I have my URL on my business card.”

“I, ah, I’m going to start an e-mail newsletter.”

Some of them may even mention something about “search engines.”But practically no one has a plan! And you know how the old saying goes: “Failure to plan is a plan to fail.”

Most small business owners I talk to are frustrated. They think their web site is a big waste of money. An “online business card.” A “marketing expense” that doesn’t return any of its investment.

And no wonder:

You’ve spent thousands on a pretty web design. You shell out dough each and every month for web site hosting. You may even be paying a webmaster to update the web site regularly. And month after month, year after year, the sales barely trickle in.

Marketing your web site is frustrating. It’s confusing! So we end up doing what all of us do when we’re frustrated and confused: deal with it “later.” And later never comes.

Know what? It’s not your fault! No one ever taught you how to market on the Internet, this new medium. (They sure didn’t cover that in my marketing class when I was in school.) And there’s all that hype on the Internet – so called web marketing gurus who’ve made millions online. But guess what? The only thing they’ve ever sold is reports and e-books on – what else – “how to market on the Internet.” They’ve never packed and shipped a box or ran down the street after the UPS guy.

But what if there was a formula you could follow, a step-by-step guide to creating an online sales machine?

After 10 years of marketing and selling on the web, I’ve boiled it down to a winning eight-step formula. This formula works for any web business, for any product from amber gemstone jewelry to zebra-print home accessories. In a nutshell, the eight no-fail steps of this formula are:

1. Define Your Goals: With no clearly defined purpose, your web site can’t succeed. Be specific with each goal, adding both an amount and a timeframe.
2. Take a Snapshot: How’s your web site performing now? Know your traffic stats and your “three magic numbers.”
3. Define Your Market: Who are you talking to? Be specific about who your products are for, and where these customers exist.
4. Get Them There: Build targeted web traffic by getting your target audience’s attention and creating an ongoing dialog.
5. Turn Site Visitors into Customers: Once you’ve gotten them to your web site, make sure you seal the deal before they leave. Know what they’re looking for, and what information they need to make a purchasing decision. Give it to them, then ask for the sale.
6. Increase Their Spending: Would you like some fries with that hamburger? Since they’ve got their wallet open, ask for the add-on or upsell.
7. Get Them Back: It’s cheaper to get an old customer to buy again than it is to recruit a new one. Make the experience memorable, and make the next one convenient.
8. Get Their Friends: A happy customer can be your best sales tool. Empower them to spread the word about your products and web site.

When you work each of these steps, your e-commerce marketing can’t fail.

© Copyright Jamila White. All rights reserved.

About the Author:

Jamila White, “The E-Commerce Diva™”, helps small business owners develop their web marketing strategy to attract new customers and sell more products during her six-week “Supersize Your Web Sales”™ Tele-Bootcamp. Learn more at http://www.ecommercediva.com/supersize

NOTE: You are welcome to forward or “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end and the copyright notice) with live web links, and you send a copy of your reprint to articles@ecommercediva.com.

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