Social Media Marketing 101 for Ecommerce Sellers Sandi Garcia January 21, 2014 http://www.meetup.com/eBay-Sellers Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 1 What We Will Cover • Social Media Marketing: Defined & Concepts • Primary Social Media Marketing Channels • SMM: Content Marketing • How to Get Started • Measuring Results Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 2 Social Media Marketing: Defined & Concept Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 3 What is Social Media Marketing? Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 4 Amazing… • 73% of on-line adults now use social networking sites • 42% of on-line adults use multiple social networking platforms Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet Project August Tracking Survey, Aug. 7 – Sept. 16, 2013 Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 5 What is Social Media Marketing? • 2-Way conversation with your followers • Building a relationship based on trust • Using new technologies to reach anyone, anywhere, anytime • Visibility off-marketplace • Maintained engagement with customers after the first sale • Recommended Read: The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business As Usual Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 6 What is Social Media Marketing? There are 189 million mobile-only Facebook users. Source: Fastcompany.com Instagram is a purely mobile social media channel. 75% of Pinterest usage is on a mobile device. Source: AllThingsD, wsj.com, November 2013. Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 7 What Is not SMM? Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 8 What can you expect from SMM? • Build a following • Build a brand (trust/reputation) • SEO/OAO • Search Engine Optimization • Online Audience Optimization • Increased sales over time Social Media Marketing will not surge sales overnight. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 9 Who Should Use SMM? • Established sellers who have a stable company and want to take it to the next level • Newer sellers who have identified their “brand” & are committed to building that brand over time • Not (yet) if you are “testing the Ecomm water” Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 10 Most Popular SMM Channels (in the U.S.) Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 11 Facebook • #2 most visited website globally & in U.S. Source: Alexa.com, Accessed 1/21/2014 • 1 in 5 pages viewed on the internet are on Facebook Source: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuck • Facebook has 1.9 billion active users; 874 million mobile users Source: Facebook.com (10/30/2013) • Now used by 45% of all adults age 65+ Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet Project August Tracking Survey, Aug. 7 – Sept. 16, 2013 • Only 3-5% of your posts appear in your followers feeds Source: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World by Gary Vaynerchuck Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 12 “MomBook” Source: iStrategyLabs.com Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved Twitter • Public posts are limited to 140 characters • #hashtags were born here & are a critical in-Twitter communication tool • Used by 31% of all internet users age 18-29 Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet Project August Tracking Survey, Aug. 7 – Sept. 16, 2013 • New! Some photos and videos (Vine) are now supported in the feed • 100% of your posts show in followers feeds Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 14 Google+ • Google+ is different, it’s a layer of social media that integrates with all things Google (SEO gold) • There are now over 1 billion Google+ enabled accounts • It has reached 359 million monthly active users, and is growing at 33% per annum • The 45 - 54 year old bracket increased its usage on Google+ by 56% since 2012 • #hashtags work and are important for trending All stats this slide- Source: www.jeffbullas.com Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 15 Pinterest • Highly visual! Fashion, Home Décor, Recipes = most popular • Used like a search engine, people come here to explore • 33% of on-line women and 8% of on-line men; more affluent Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet Project August Tracking Survey, Aug. 7 – Sept. 16, 2013 • Longevity: 50 percent of site visits happen after 3.5 months of first Pinning (eBay Seller Take-away: Use GTC) Source: piquora.com Pinterest ROI Study 11/22/2013 • Promoted Pins are coming soon for marketers • #hashtags work Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 16 Instagram • Mobile, mobile, mobile!!! Now available for my Windows Phone, YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!! • More popular among people who live in urban areas • 37% of adults on the internet, age 18-29, use Instagram Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet Project August Tracking Survey, Aug. 7 – Sept. 16, 2013 • #hashtags are important to the search experience • You cannot link to web pages in comments, only in profile • Rollout is in-progress for a paid advertising option Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 17 YouTube • YouTube reaches more US adults (18-34) than any cable network. Source: Fastcompany.com • YouTube is the second larges search Engine, after Google, and for many Millennials it is #1 • YouTube videos can be shared on Facebook and Pinterest, and will play inside their windows • YouTube has reached 1 Billion monthly users Source: YouTube Blog, March 2013 • As a Google product, YouTube is SEO gold Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 18 Experiment • At 8:00 a.m. (PT) on the morning of 1/21/13, I created original social media marketing content to share results later in the day • The copy I wrote changes based on the channel I posted it to (native voice for the channel), and the image sent to Instagram is different than the others • The objective on Facebook & Pinterest was to drive traffic to an in-store eBay search for coffee mugs Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 19 FB & Pinterest – Link Destination Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 20 Objectives: Instagram & Twitter • Engagement • Build brand awareness • Increase cross-channel connection with followers (I sent to Instagram first, then push the Instagram link to Twitter) Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 21 Sample Post: Facebook Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 22 Sample Post: Pinterest Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 23 Sample Post: Instagram Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 24 Sample Post: Twitter Note: Even without the image displaying, the copy (text) works by itself. Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 25 SMM: Content Marketing Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 26 What Resources Do I Need? • Time? – 2 hours/week minimum for 1 post/day (To do it right) • Money? – At first, nothing – After you’ve built a small audience, you will need an advertising budget to grow your reach further (Early on, $50/month should suffice) Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 27 Fundamentals of SMM 1. Understanding the nuances of your platform 2. Using a distinct voice 3. Driving your business goals Source: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World , p. 102, Gary Vaynerchuck, 2013 Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 28 Why Will they Follow? “The people you want to reach will pay attention to your content if it enhances their lives in ways they value” John Levine, Professor & Director Media Management Center, Northwestern University Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 29 Great Themes for Great Content • Makes an emotional connection • Original and in a natural voice • Reflects your audience’s interests • Offers ‘infotainment’ or inspiration • Native to the SMM channel Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 30 #1 Rule: Ask Yourself “Would I engage with this if I saw it in my feed?” If the answer is no, don’t post it. Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 31 Bringing it All Together Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 32 Coffee Post Went up 8 a.m. PT Data is as-of 4:00 p.m. on the same day. All numbers are given as a percentage of the number of followers. Facebook Pinterest Instagram Twitter Clicks 1% 0% n/a 0% Shares 0% 0% n/a 0% Likes 2% 0% 20% 0% Overall Engagement 3% 0% 20% 0% % of audience that saw the post 17% N/A N/A N/A Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 33 Results • The ad was a hit on Facebook and Instagram • The ad fell flat on Pinterest and Twitter • ABT – Always Be Testing, different approaches will work on different channels Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 34 SMM: Getting Started Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 35 Open Your Business Accounts • Facebook, Google+, & YouTube: You need a personal account first, then you create a business “page” or channel • Twitter, Pinterest, & Instagram Go straight to creating a business account Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 36 Build-out your Business Accounts • Use strong keywords in your descriptions, fill-in all description fields • Use high-quality images as your cover/header images and avatar (profile picture) • Whenever possible, cross-link your social presence on each social media channel Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 37 Start to Find Followers • Be social!!! • Explicitly ask family & friends in private messages, this helps build a base • Follow other pages/people which may interest your audience & begin to selectively share their content Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 38 Case Study: NYC Fitness, Family & Finds Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 39 NYC Fitness, Family & Finds https://www.facebook.com/nycfitnessfamilyandfinds • • • • Very focused on her hometown: New York City Original content, her own pics of The City Excellent balance of non-selling & selling Authentic & genuine voice, native to FB Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 40 Measuring Results Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 41 eBay Traffic Reports • Included with your eBay Store subscription • It will tell you how much traffic is on your item pages, and where your traffic is coming from • It will not tell you what referring sites your sales are coming from (this data is not available anywhere for eBay sellers) Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 42 Klout.com • Gives you a social media score based on 1,000+ factors • It’s a great way to take the pulse of your social effectiveness, but be careful not to assign too much value to that score • You can have a personal and/or business account • Bing.com search engine factors verified Klout scores into search Source: SearchEngineLand.com 10/11/2013 Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 43 Klout.com Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 44 3rd Party Tools SocialBeacon.com Froo! Social Hootsuite.com Analytics X X Create posts X X eBay X X Etsy X Amazon X Facebook X X X Twitter X X X Google+ Pinterest X X X Paid app required Instagram Free app required YouTube Free app required Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 45 Thank You! • Sandi Garcia, a.k.a. Social Sandi Social media marketing coach and eBay Education Specialist • Blog: – www.socialsandi.com • Facebook: – https://www.facebook.com/SocialSandi – https://www.facebook.com/OfficeThreads • Twitter: – https://twitter.com/socialsandi – https://twitter.com/officethreads • Instagram: – http://instagram.com/socialsandi • Pinterest: – http://www.pinterest.com/OfficeThreads/ • Free Facebook Group: – www.facebook.com/groups/MarketplaceMarketing/ Copyright 2014 Sandi Garcia, All Rights Reserved 46