Why Social Media? Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Blogs by the Numbers

Wondering what the latest social stats are? You’ll appreciate this compelling Slideshare 13 Killer Social Media Statistics from 2013 …and to show just how dramatic the growth is, check out the 2011 presentation created by former colleague (and super smart social media enthusiast) Diane Rayfield.


Hope that helps!

Richard

@richardbouchez

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PROMOTE YOUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK!>>>
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Free Seminar on How Social Media Can Help Your Business!

Once again, the City Treasurer’s Office and Constant Contact are teaming up to recognize your small business’ efforts and success with online marketing in the Third Annual Email Marketing & Social Media Contest.

Four free educational seminars will be offered to help you learn how Email Marketing & Social Media Marketing can help your business.

Register for the next event  on Tuesday, January 29th at the Chicago Cultural Center.  See the details below. HAPPY 2013.

Agenda*:

8:15 am – 8:45 am – Registration

8:45 am – Noon – Presentations:

* Agenda is subject to Change & Additions

Social Media Marketing Made Simple

This is not Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn 101. Instead, this session will cover some of the strategies and best practices to get the most out of your social media activities including time management and measuring the return of your activities. We will talk about what social media marketing really is, how to incorporate it into your business life without losing productivity and look at how other businesses are using these low-cost tools to gain visibility, develop relationships and drive sales and response.
We will discuss the various social media outlets that are available, how they interact together and ways to leverage their inherent strengths and to evaluate them for best use for your business or organization

Steve Robinson – Constant Contact – Social Media Marketing Made Simple

Social Media for Sales Success

We’ll address strategies and tactics for the small business owner, sales and marketing professional looking to tap into the full potential of social networks to create new profitable connections and generate leads. You will learn how to find your targets, how to build relationships through compelling content and dialogue and how to convert these new relationships into vetted leads. We will look at tools, tips, hacks, best practices and checklists that will help you build a process and a routine to do the most with your precious social media time.

mana

Small Business Online Marketing Contest logo

Got an email newsletter or social media campaign that you’re proud of-whether recent, or soon to launch-to promote your business? Send it in for consideration! It could mean great rewards for your business. Any small business can enter their email or social campaign.*
*You don’t have to use Constant Contact to enter
You could win your share of
$7,000 in cash prizes
$10,000 in free Constant Contact accounts
And more
What: Chicago City Treasurer’s Online Marketing Contest Educational Event Series -Social Media Marketing Made Simple -Social Media for Sales SuccessWhen: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 from 8am to 12pm

 
Where: 
Chicago Cultural Center
78 East Washington
Garland room
Chicago, IL 60602

Tweeting about the Online Marketing Contest? Use hashtag #CTCTchi

Good luck!

Richard

**InovediaMarketing.com is proud to be an ambassador for the City of Chicago Small Business Expo. Follow @inovedia on Twitter for updates and information! Please add us to your RSS reader here. >>click here for a tutorial on using RSS.

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PROMOTE YOUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK!>>>
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How to Pitch Social Media: A New Client Presentation Outline for Digital Marketers

Compelled to answer this question on LinkedIn, I thought it would probably be pretty helpful to other too, so if you’re in marketing and you’re pitching social to new clients or up the ladder internally, I hope this outline helps!

Question:

What Social Media points would you cover in “45” minutes delivery to an audience of Business men?

Answer:

  1. Why Social Media (keep this short)
    • Demonstrate the dramatic growth of social channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
    • Demonstrate the growing adoption of social media by companies large & small (Coke, Bank of America, etc.)
  2. Why NOT Social MediaFree Tools Slide from Hubspot's presentation
    • You may have heard that social marketing is cheap or free. I have bad news. While the accounts and many of the tools are cheap or free, marketing via social will cost you time and it may cost you money!
    • Introduce “Myths/Realities of social media” – organic growth is actually pretty hard in social (Facebook wants you to pay so likes don’t come easy, Twitter growth comes through engagement, Social accounts actually come with an obligation to pay attention to them, etc.)
  3. Finding Success in Social Media
    • Forget about “social media” … it’s not about being social, it’s about generating leads, managing customer relations, providing customer service, generating buzz or a slew of other strategies. It’s the strategy that’s important, not the social channel – “social” is a tool not a strategy.
    • Introduce Targeting Ideal Customers
    • Introduce Content Development
  4. Case Study
    • Provide a simple case study. Consider customer service or channel growth strategies because these tend to show direct correlations between actions and understandable metrics. Examples: Company A uses LinkedIn to reach out to prospects and sees an increase in leads and conversions. Company B solves customer service issues in their channels and customers post testimonial’s thanking them.
    • If you don’t have case studies of your own, you might find a partner who can bring this experience or look to Hubspot or other Inbound Marketing folks for published case studies, usually posted to their blog or in a White Paper.
  5. Questions (the most important part):
    • Give ample question time. Try to wrap it up in 30 minutes, if you only have 45 minutes or an hour. This way the audience is sure to get what they came for and, probably more importantly, it’ll allow you to demonstrate your expertise and give you the opportunity to offer individual follow up conversations.
    • Wrap up questions 5 minutes before your out time to give your closing statement!
  6. Final Thoughts
    • -You don’t need a Social Strategy, you need a digital strategy!
    • -Jump in, but listen before you start chatting up the channels. Walk, crawl, run.
    • -Get help! A Social Strategist can get help walk you through the process, saving saving you time and headache by identifying results driven opportunities for your business online, optimizing your social sites, training you on the tools that will integrate social use into your (or your staff’s) day and help you set measurable benchmark’s so you’ll know if you’re on the right track.
    • -Social can help you generate leads, connect you with customers & help you grow your business.

    Walk, Crawl, Run - Content Curation
    Photo credit http://www.BethKanter.org

Let us know if you found this useful, I’d love to get your feedback, suggestions and tips on presenting social. Given a presentation you love or found one you want to share? Leave a link!

If you’re just sitting down to write one – good luck!

Richard

@richardbouchez

You may also be interested in these InovediaMarketing.com articles:

PROMOTE YOUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK!>>>
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Chicago FREE Social Media for Business Workshop: Twitter, Facebook, Blog

City of Chicago Treasurer's Office

Feb. 16th: FINAL FREE “Social Media for Business” Workshop on Feb. 16th

 

Feb. 28th: DEADLINE TO ENTER ON-LINE MARKETING CONTEST

 

Stephanie D. Neely

Treasurer
City of Chicago
In This Issue

Quick Links


Join Our Mailing List
Capacity Crowds Flock FREE “Social Media Secrets for Small Business Owners” Worshops
ONLY ONE DATE REMAINS- 2/16
Secrets of E-Mail Marketing and Social Media for Small Business Owners. HURRY – REGISTRATION FILLS FAST!
REGISTRATON FOR 2-16 (FIRST 300)
contestlogo
“Social Media and E-Mail Marketing Contest” for Chicago Business Owners

Entry deadline is Feb. 28th

 

We hope you enter our contest to find the best business use of social media and e-mail marketing in Chicago! Over $10,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded. Click Here for complete details.

*Information from:

Office of the City Treasurer

Stephanie Neely Treasurer Contact: Public Affairs

(312) 744-8122

**InovediaMarketing.com is proud to be 2009 & 2010 ambassador for the City of Chicago Small Business Expo. Follow @inovedia on Twitter for updates and information and daily Social Media Marketing tips for business!

Please add us to your RSS reader here. >>click here for a tutorial on using RSS.

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You may also be interested in these InovediaMarketing.com articles:

Richard A. Bouchez | Social Media Specialist | New Media Production Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.

DAILY SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TIPS FOLLOW @INOVEDIA ON TWITTER!

 

PROMOTE YOUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK!>>>

Social Profile Card > "We're @" on front &  Twitter, Facebook & Linkedin on back!

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add your Twitter name!

Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.

Inject Your Video Blog Posts with Share-ability, Bookmark-ocity & SEO-itude!

If you’re shooting & posting web videos on your site you’re probably thinking life is pretty good out there on the cutting edge! You might be right but, chances are, you’re also missing out on a ton of Web Best Practices you can only get with text on that page!

Videos and Text
Your catchy title just isnt enough!

No script for your video? No problem! Use a traditional Outline format with bold headlines and brief descriptions. Outlines are easy to skim and a well developed outline can add an air of credibility to almost any post!

Here are 5 ways to get the Google juice your video content deserves and make your Videos or Video Blog Posts even better!

  1. Bolded (or html) headers: if they’re keyword focused you will improve your SEO dramatically!
  2. Bullet Points: Open up your content to those who are not able to immediately watch a video. They might be at work, on a mobile device or whatever, but if you show them there’s good content in that video, chances are, they’ll bookmark it, share it or come back to watch!
  3. Pull out Quotes & Key Phrases: Because I’ve been disappointed by so many videos with big promises and no payoff, it’s rare if I stop to watch a video. Show me you have an expert making a good point or two and I’ll click play!
  4. Highlight Controversy: If you’re out to get comments or go viral, “controversial” is where it’s at! Pull out the most heated arguments, bold them and throw them right up under your video!
  5. Add Brief Descriptions: Make your content more attractive, not just to search engines but to folks looking for something to quote. Include short, punchy, “retweet” friendly sentences to encourage sharing! Keep them under 130 characters, with spaces, so shortened URLs may be included.

Bonus Video Blog Tip: DON’T include “video” in your title unless it’s a post about video. DO include “video” in your category & tags! Why not in your title? Folks who are not in a position to watch a video won’t click it. They’ll assume there’s no content other than the video and in most cases they’ll be right – but since you’ve added key points in text to yours, they won’t be left empty handed!

Thanks for stopping by!
@richardbouchez

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Richard A. Bouchez | Social Media Specialist | New Media Production Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.

Full disclosure:  Among other clients, Richard is a Social Media Specialist for EZWebplayer.com Find EZWebPlayer at Facebook.Ezwebplayer.comand get tips on creating great videos everyday at www.Twitter.com/EZWebplayer

*Originally posted on the EZWebPlayer.com blog

Photography credits
Flickr photo By toodlepip

The Chicago Small Business Tweet Up! 5/26

Small Business Week In Chicago

City Treasurer Stephanie D. Neely invites you to her Tweet Up for Small Business Week in Chicago.

When:
Wednesday, May 26th at 5:30pm Where:
ING Direct Cafe
21 E. Chestnut St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Workshop:
5:30 – 6:00pm – One of the great secrets to social media marketing
A 60 second video that will change your business.
6:00pm – 6:30pm -Operating lean and efficiently. All you need to change your personal and business finances are “The Plan and $1.”  

Social media is the wave of the future towards helping expand and grow your business.

Get started today by attending this FREE event.

expo logo
Join us at our FREE 9th annual Small Business Expo on Friday, July 16, 2010 at UIC Forum (Halsted & Roosevelt) from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 

Over 30 workshops, network with other small business owners.

Are you looking to exhibit or sponsor event?

*Information from:

Office of the City Treasurer

Stephanie Neely Treasurer Contact: Public Affairs

(312) 744-8122

**InovediaMarketing.com is proud to be 2009 & 2010 ambassador for the City of Chicago Small Business Expo. Follow @inovedia on Twitter for updates and information and daily Social Media Marketing tips for business!

Please add us to your RSS reader here. >>click here for a tutorial on using RSS.

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PROMOTE YOUR TWITTER & FACEBOOK!>>>

add your Twitter name!

5 Traffic Driving Twitter Tactics for Mother’s Day (or any holiday)

moms r tweeple 2 twitter teeSo what’s next on your Social Media calendar?

What?!? NO CALENDAR???

Perhaps this will help inspire you to create one! Mother’s Day is around the corner and I’ve run across some very creative tie-ins from Twitter contests to blog posts! Now, it may be too late (or not) for you to jump on the Mom’s Day bandwagon, but I thought I’d share in hopes of seeing some creative promotions for June which, by the way, is National Safety Month, Adopt a Cat month, National Iced Tea month, Turkey Lovers Month and a bunch of other holidays!

1. Clever Tie-in Content

Robandme_normal
PattyInNYC: RT @greencelebrity: Mothers Day 2010: Top 10 iPhone apps for new moms say “Happy Mother’s Dayhttp://w.sns.ly/ToH42

2. “Old school” Give-away

Cahwy1022_normal
32 minutes ago from

blog Mother's Day contest3. “Retweet to Win” contest

Heels_normal
simplydab: RT @valituttijewels FLOWER FOR MOTHERS DAY http://bit.ly/bX2ftk (expand) “Absolutely gorgeous and unique!”RT to win a gemstone.winner @ 1K followers

4. “Urgency” Updates

Logo_-_green_gif_normal
sandpointcc: Mothers Day 90% Sold Out. Act quickly if you still plan on attending. 525-5766
about 3 hours ago from
5. Partner With a Charity: Extend your social reach!
Wesche_icon_normal
WescheJewelers: Jewelry sale to benefit Feed the Hungry Bends Community Center will host Mothers Day Jewelry Sale Saturday Program… @ http://is.gd/bHuOS (expand)

Of course these easily carry over to Facebook and other social networks as well! Please share if you have, or have seen, any great social media strategies that are “calendar” or promotion based in the comments and feel free to comment on these too!

digg this   story

Good luck!

@richardbouchez

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Social Profile Card > "We're @" on front & Twitter, Facebook & Linkedin on back!

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Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.

ATTENTION SMALL BUSINESS! Google just told you to get on Facebook!

GOOGLE + FACEBOOK = SMB EDGE!

Google announced on its Twitter account that public status updates from Facebook are now showing up on Google searches via the company’s new real-time search feature, first announced in Dec. (Updates that aren’t tagged for public consumption will not show up.) The algorithm now pulls in real-time blog postings, tweets and MySpace updates.
~from Cynopsis.com

Remember, Google is heavily taking location into account! Combine that with this announcement and you’ve just dramatically elevated your online presence if you’re posting on Facebook AND you’ll increase your visibility exponentially if your Facebook friends share your stuff! *Just remember to tag your biz related updates as “Public.”

Good luck,

@richardbouchez

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Profile / Note Card! AnalogTwtr yelbkinfo by twitterfunny>>>>

—————

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Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.

Time on Facebook and Twitter soars! Blogs lead the pack and FB is king!

Global consumers spent more than five and half hours on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in Dec. 2009, an 82% increase from the same time last year according to Nielsen. Social networks and blogs led mediums in terms of ave. time spent in Dec., followed by online games and instant messaging. With 206.9 million unique visitors, Facebook was the No. 1 global social networking destination in Dec. 2009 and 67% of global social media users visited the site during the month. Time spent on Facebook has also been on the rise, with global users spending nearly six hours per month on the site. While the U.S. had the largest number of social media users, Australia actually led in terms of ave. time spent on social media sites.

Average Time Spent per Person on Social Media Sites – December 2009
Country       Unique Audience (000)   Time per Person (hh:mm:ss)
United States        142,052      6:09:13
Japan                     46,558       2:50:21
Brazil                     31,345       4:33:10
United Kingdom      29,129      6:07:54
Germany                28,057       4:11:45
France                    26,786       4:04:39
Spain                     19,456       5:30:55
Italy                       18,256       6:00:07
Australia                  9,895        6:52:28
Switzerland              2,451        3:54:34
Source: The Nielsen Co.

Article from Cynopsis.com (subscribe at http://www.Cynopsis.com)

Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.

WTF is Twitter?

…and why would (I) my business use it?WTF is Twitter? dark men classic t shirt

The same reasons that make Twitter so popular are those that make describing twitter problematic.

While that might not makes sense at first glance, once you realize that  Twitter has no real product direction or single “primary use” you may begin to realize just how difficult it is to describe (and figure out) Twitter’s relevance as a businesses tool.

Here’s a parallel challenge:

  • Come up with one blanket statement that clearly describes what our existing land line phone systom does.

Why is that a challenge? Well, in your description you will have had to include all uses of consumer land line phones such as fax transmission, internet connections, VOIP phone line connections, 911 ermergency services, automated home alarm warning services, etc. So, that being said, please consider the technology of Twitter just as complex.

That’s all great, but WTF is Twitter?

The direct answer: Twitter is whatever you can make of it.

That’s probably disappointing, but its absolutely the reason people say things like “I’m still figuring Twitter out” or “trying to get used to Twitter” or “I don’t get it.” The unfortunate fact is, once you create your account you are stuck trying figure out what to do with little to no direction and that takes time most people don’t have. Fortunately there are a lot of folks, like myself, willing to spend way too much time writing stuff like this and trying to help out:-)

10 things you can do with Twitter (for free):

  1. Connect with fans using Twitter by offering relevant information.
  2. Provide updates on your product for active Twitter users (millions & growing).
  3. Improve your website by posting updated information to your site via Twitter (RSS) fed widget.
  4. Offer scheduled information to anyone interested. May included daily, weekly or random information to customers which could include specials, coupons,
  5. Follow experts in many industries for fresh information as it happens.
  6. Post last minute deals, specials, emergency information, etc. to customers or other interested parties (because users choose to follow you we can assume they are “interested”).
  7. Update any RSS capable reader or product connected to the internet.
  8. Get found in real-time keyword searches. *Google, Bing and other search engines are adding Twitter search results to their own first page results and further integration is ongoing.
  9. Have your “tweet” reposted in the streams of organizations followed by tens, hundreds, thousands or even millions of passionate people.
  10. Publicly comment on anything.

So why use Twitter?Social Profile Business Card tfl 2.0 vertblank bak profilecard

First and foremost, because the simple act of posting information on Twitter significantly increases the chances of being found in search engines and because using Twitter as one of your marketing channels makes for a great introduction to using Twitter.

What did I miss? Got more ways to use Twitter? Do you disagree? Please add your thoughts and ideas in the comments.

If you like this explanation, please link to it in your blog posts > Twitter

Good luck,

@richardbouchez

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Richard Bouchez is a certified Inbound Marketing professional specializing in Social Media Marketing & New Media content development. Richard’s web, audio & video work has been honored with Emmy, Promax & CBA awards.