Leveraging Social Media for RVA Biz

• • • Monica Horsley Trevor Dickerson

• @byinviteonlyrva @TrevorDickerson

INTRODUCTIONS

Social Media Timeline: Trevor

• Started with Twitter in March 2008

• Attended spontaneous tweetups

• Met wide variety of people from all backgrounds/industries

• Used Facebook personally since high school; for business starting in 2008

• Grew recognition of Downtown Short Pump through Twitter

Social Media Timeline: Monica

• • • Started tweeting in April 2009

• • • Got connected to keep up with competition

• • • Wanted to build relationships with current/future customers

• • • Low-cost way to get name out

• • • Used Facebook personally for several years

• • • Learned of need for Fan Page

Getting Started with Twitter

Twitter: Step by Step

• • Pick perfect Twitter handle related to your business

• • Consider attaching RVA to associate locally

• • Interact as if you were in a physical group

• • Form relationships naturally and your presence will grow organically

Twitter: Step by Step

• Stay consistent in amount of daily tweets

• Be yourself and keep it authentic

• Be true to your brand - you are the face of your company!

• Pimp your wares, but dont be annoying about it

• Be more conversational than self-promoting

• Show rather than tell

Getting Started with Facebook

Facebook: Step by Step

• Set up both a personal profile and business Fan Page

• Same rules apply: be consistent and authentic

• Give customers a visual of whats going on at your business

• • Attach photos

• • Share posts from vendors & success stories from customers

Facebook: Step by Step

• Actively participate in vendor and local business Fan Pages

• • Make comments

• • Add them to favorite pages on your Fan Page

• Keep page frequently updated

• Use pictures to communicate

Getting Started with Blogging

Blogging: Step by Step

• A blog is an extension of yourself personally; an extension of your business professionally

• Use blog to showcase events, products and experiences in your business

• Use as an outlet to connect with your customers

• Brand yourself as an expert in your niche

• Build customer loyalty through interesting posts

Bringing it all Together: Cross-Platform Integration

Cross-Platform Integration

• Social media is an extension of your website & brand

• Set up auto-publishing between Blog, Facebook & Twitter to save time & promote simplicity

• Cross-polinate between platforms to grow your voice and your bottom line

Cost vs. Impact Analysis

Cost vs. Impact Analysis

• Low investment and high return

• • No overhead

• • Little time investment

• Big rewards if implemented correctly

• • Special incentives for followers/fans can be highly successful

Cost vs. Impact Analysis

• Important to continue traditional ad campaigns, but make sure youre maximizing profits with each strategy

• Consider low-cost, pay-per-click ads on Facebook

• • Can target to age, gender, location and more

Success Stories

Questions?

Thanks!