Woefully late, I know but between traveling, school with kids and the hacked website, that’s just the way it is. Better late than never, don’t you think? These notes are from @RealLifeSarah‘s session at Type-A-Mom (Now Type-A-Parent) Blog Conference.
Social Media 101 by Sarah Pinnix
Learn about marketing! Meatball Sundae and UNMarketing are good resources. You have to understand the principles of good marketing.
Establish yourself as an expert – find out what you are doing that is newsworthy and relevant in your community. Get in the news – use press releases or establish reporter contacts in your local community.
Become the “big fish” in your little pond instead of aiming for a saturated national market.
Start promoting your local businessess on your social media outlets. Then tell them you’re doing it! Don’t be afraid to contact someone and say, “I wanted to let you know I mentioned you in my Facebook status message recently.
Offer to help someone for free. Get your feet wet with a business owner friend or an establishment you frequent regularly. Track everything you can to build a portfolio for future businesses.
Start a local blog!
Workshop dates and topics –
Free seminar first to get them in the door. See about sponsors for the local workshop. Teach philosophies of social media, share case studies (Mashable), etc. Teach about blogs and social media and quick updates and usability – dynamic and updateable content. Power of the RSS feed and permission-based marketing. (Illustration of the ball and expectation and not expecting)
Facebook 101 – Stay on top of new rules and regulations. If you are interacting you’ll be seen in the facebook statuses. Must interact. Must get your updates seen to be effective.
Twitter 101 – Informational – give the info and send them on their way.
She spaces the sessions out by a month to give time to implement.
Integrating social media into existing web presence – the Transformational stage.
Individual class = $75, 3 session pass is $60 each or 5 for $55 each.
Private Consulting for Businesses – A Few Tips
- Listen First
- Find out their specific marketing goals
- Craft a step by step plan to help them achieve that goal
- Suggest ways they can go beyond their stated goals
- Do research beforehand, and write a written report with your recommendations**
- Set rates based on your area’s market
- Be the Devil’s Advocate
**I want to add a note here. I have personally taken to charging for in-depth analysis reports, especially those that require anything more an hour of my time to put together. I’ve had two situations where I did not charge, hoping for a payback later and in both cases all my action steps were implemented (poorly) by someone else.
By charging my hourly rate I am able to turn over the report feeling fairly compensated, while establishing a base-line of credibility with the business I’m working with. If they choose to hire me later, that’s great (and has statistically happened MORE often when I charge for the reports). But if they don’t choose to hire me later, I can be free from any lingering resentment.
Photo by @Mooshinindy
THANK YOU for posting this! With Iowa love, JULIA
It’ s pretty gratifying to me to see someone else using some of the very same approaches I teach here in my small town to local businesses. I implemented what I call the “hook, line and sinker approach” that of promoting businesses on social media then telling them about it. Works a lot better than waltzing into a business cold and trying to sell them internet marketing. You ever heard of the thousand yard stare? And I have gotten to know the publisher of our small town newspaper quite well, instructing him in the art of social media, in exchange he gives me free advertising in the paper, so in effect leveraging what I know for goods and services. I have been able to do this with landscapers, florists, art galleries, antique malls and a few others. I have established myself as a local “authority” on business blogging and I am enjoying teaching it to motivated entrepeneurs. I love the idea of the blog or social media dinner.
Hi Ang,
We’ll be at TypeA this year launching a new iPhone app called Marble Jar. Its designed to help parents break big goals down into small steps that kids enjoy practicing. We’d love to connect with you at the conference this year and get your thoughts. Our founder Anna Palmer will be there doing demos and giving out free downloads.
thanks!