Social Media For Small Businesses

Social Media For Small Businesses Katie Cerney Director, Social Media & Content Deluxe Corporation

© Deluxe Enterprise Operations, LLC. Proprietary and Confidential.

About me — Elizabeth Anderson • Prior to Deluxe: Director of Integrated Marketing & Social Media at DeBerry Group in Austin, TX. • More than 10 years developing social media strategies for businesses large and small. • Manages the Small Business Revolution community. • Worked with brands across retail, consumer packaged goods, non-profit, and pharmaceutical segments including:


About me — Katie Cerney • Prior to Deluxe: Over 15 years leading digital and social media marketing across various brands, industries and business types • B2B, Retail, Healthcare, FinServe, Manufacturing

• Lead both corporate social media programs, local/field programs and individual small business & nonprofit consulting • Passionate about leveraging new technologies to help achieve business objectives


Agenda • Top social media myths • How and where to build a social presence • Content strategy

• Tips to amplify with paid social


Social Media Myths

Top social media myths • Myth: It’s FREE! • Fact: • It’s not free, but it’s inexpensive compared to traditional advertising • It can be a time-intensive effort • It works best when you use a mix of organic content with paid targeting


Top social media myths • Myth: There is a magic formula • Fact: • How often, when, and what to post are NOT uniform across all brands and industries • Finding the right frequency and messaging mix for your goals takes trial and error

• It’s constantly evolving with tech and audience changes


Top social media myths • Myth: It’s only for young audiences • Fact: • Age 50 and up is the fastest growing audience of social media users • More people are looking to social media channels as a source of information than ever before


How and where to build a social presence

Choosing the best social channels for your business • Consider how your target customer uses social media • What makes sense in your industry? • Facebook is critical/table stakes • LinkedIn may be more appropriate for B2B audiences or service-based businesses • Visual platforms, such as Instagram and Pinterest, are great for retail

• Don’t try to be everywhere, narrow your focus


Content strategy

What makes great Social Media Content?

Authentic

Connected Informative

Video

Visual Inspiring

Helpful

Timely

Relatable

Relevant Entertaining

Unique

Offers / Discounts Clear

Concise

Engaging © Deluxe Enterprise Operations, LLC. Proprietary and Confidential.

Valuable

What makes great Social Media Content?

Authentic

Connected Informative

Relatable

Video

Relevant

Visual Inspiring

Focus on finding the connections

Unique You & Your Company

Concise

Engaging © Deluxe Enterprise Operations, LLC. Proprietary and Confidential.

Helpful

Timely

Entertaining

Offers / Discounts

Your Customers & Community

Clear

Valuable

Social Media Case Study: Annabella’s Italian Restaurant Restaurant-goers expect…

Anabella’s is…. • Italian restaurant in Bristol Borough • Made-from-scratch menu items • Family-owned & run • Blend of regular, local clientele and visitors for theatre nights


• See before selecting/eating • Specials, deals & events Focus on finding the connections

You & Your Company

• Why are they unique Your Customers & Community

• Peek behind-the-scenes

Social Media As Customer Experience

5 Second Rule • High quality images • Accurate local listing information • Address • Hours • Page category • Verify your page if possible • Recent activity • Publishing & engaging with customers


Categorize your content Create themes and content types to help with planning

Content Category Examples for Annabella’s Italian Restaurant: • • • • • • • •


Featured menu items Seasonal offers Staff profiles “How the sausage is made” Wine pairing suggestions Regional history Community Involvement Holidays

Encourage sharing, and showcase your customers


Be a champion for your community


Paid Social

Paid social content • Paid social is increasingly necessary – organic reach is down. • Maximize the impact of your content – reach more customers • Tie investment to your objectives – consider if this will move the needle • Experiment – start small and build on what’s working best


A guide to advertising on Facebook ebook Download ebook for free: https://www.deluxe.com/sbrevents
