Marketing in a Web 2.0 World — Using Social Media, Webinars, Blogs, and more to Boost Your Small Business on a Budget

By Peter VanRysdam

Small businesses have been fighting an uphill battle for decades when it comes to marketing. Big corporations have more resources, more brand recognition, and most importantly, more money. This has allowed them to control the conversation. Web 2.0 technologies have leveled the playing field by giving small business an equal voice. Tools like blogs, interactive Web sites, and social networks have become some of the most powerful marketing tools for many small business owners. As of late 2009, more than 55.6 million adults, about 1/3 of the population, access social networks at least once a month an 18 percent increase from 2008, according to Forrester Research. Social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, and Twitter provide marketers direct access to their customers in a way never before possible. Businesses of all sizes can reach their target audience quickly and effectively through these tools but only when used correctly. Marketing in a Web 2.0 World shows you how to take advantage of the latest technologies to market your business. The best part is that many of the tools require little or no money to implement. You will learn how the social Web, and the various social networks that make it up, has fundamentally altered how the Internet is used as a marketing tool, allowing businesses to reach out and touch their target demographics like never before. You will be able to recognize and start optimizing your site to reach those demographics, and you will understand how your customers use the social web. You will learn how to establish your Web site as your marketing hub, drawing in visitors through the best search engine optimization (SEO) practices, Webinars, and blogs. You will find that Web 2.0 and social media marketing is not a fad but a fundamental shift in how business is being done today. Dozens of individuals have been interviewed for this book, from small business owners to marketing directors at national brands, providing their expert opinions and insights in to how the Web has evolved and what it will mean for the future of business marketing and promotion. You will learn how the perspective of marketing firms in major companies across the world has changed and how a small business s message can reach a global audience. You will learn how to use videos and podcasts alongside topnotch Web copywriting to reach your target while establishing yourself as a leader in your industry. If you are a small business owner, or just someone itching to make a big impact in Web 2.0, and has lost sleep worrying about your marketing budget, Marketing in a Web 2.0 World shows you how to take advantage of the most important resources available to any businesses willing to invest their time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781601386748

Book preview

BUS043000

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Marketing / General

$24.95

VanRysdam

BUS020000

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Development / Business Development L333

BUS002000

BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Advertising & Promotion

Marketing

Small businesses have been fighting an uphill battle for decades when it comes to marketing. Big corporations have more resources, more brand recognition, and most impor-Using S

tantly, more money. Web 2.0 technologies have leveled the playing field by giving small business an equal voice. Businesses of all sizes can reach their target audience quickly and effec-ocial M

tively through these tools but only when used correctly.

edia,

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World shows you how to take advantage of the latest technologies to market your business. The best part is that many of the tools require little or no money Webinars

to implement. You will learn how the social Web, and the various social networks that make it up, has fundamental y altered how the Internet is used as

, Blogs

a marketing tool, al owing businesses to reach out in a

and touch their target demographics like never be-

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fore. You will be able to recognize and start optimizing your site to reach those demographics, and you or

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our Small Business on a Budget

and social media marketing is not a fad but a fundamental shift in how business is being done today.

2.0

If you are a smal business owner, or just someone

itching to make a big impact in Web 2.0, and has World

lost sleep worrying about your marketing budget, Marketing in a Web 2.0 World shows you how to take advantage of the most important resources available to any businesses willing to invest their time.

Using Social Media, Webinars, Blogs, and More to Boost Your Small Business on a Budget

Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-60138-317-452495

Your complete resource for small business, management, finance, online, and real estate books.

We have a book for that.™

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Marketing in a

Web 2.0 World

Using Social Media, Webinars, Blogs, and More

to Boost Your Small Business on a Budget

By Peter VanRysdam,

CMO of 352 Media Group

Foreword By Brian Goldfarb,

Director, Developer Platform Marketing

for Microsoft Corporation

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Marketing in a Web 2.0 World — Using social Media, Webinars, blogs, and More to boost YoUr sMall bUsiness on a bUdget Copyright © 2010 Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

1405 SW 6th Avenue • Ocala, Florida 34471 • Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

Web site: www.atlantic-pub.com • E-mail: [e-mail] SAN Number: 268-1250

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1405 SW 6th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34471.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data VanRysdam, Peter, 1978-Marketing in a Web 2.0 world : using social media, webinars, blogs, and more to boost your small business on a budget / by Peter VanRysdam.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-317-4 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-317-7 (alk. paper)

1. Internet marketing. 2. Communication in marketing. 3. Social media--Marketing. 4. Web 2.0. I. Title.

HF5415.1265.V356 2010

658.8’72--dc22

2010014280

All trademarks, trade names, or logos mentioned or used are the property of their respective owners and are used only to directly describe the products being provided. Every effort has been made to properly capitalize, punctuate, identify and attribute trademarks and trade names to their respective owners, including the use of ® and ™ wherever possible and practical. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. is not a partner, affiliate, or licensee with the holders of said trademarks.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

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INTERIOR; PRE PRESS & PRODUCTION DESIGN: Samantha Martin • [e-mail] Front Cover DeSiGn: Meg Buchner • [e-mail] BACk COvER DESIGN: Jackie Miller • [e-mail] APMktgWeb2.0World.indb 2

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We recently lost our beloved pet Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the

Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog that turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know that a portion of the profits of this book will be donated to The Humane Society of the United States. –Douglas & Sherri Brown

The human-animal bond is as old as our work to help companion animals and human history. We cherish our animal wildlife. You will be funding our educational, companions for their unconditional legislative, investigative and outreach projects affection and acceptance. We feel a thrill in the U.S. and across the globe.

when we glimpse wild creatures in their

natural habitat or in our own backyard.

Or perhaps you'd like to make a memorial

donation in honor of a pet, friend or

Unfortunately, the human-animal bond relative? You can through our Kindred Spirits has at times been weakened. Humans have program. And if you'd like to contribute in exploited some animal species to the point a more structured way, our Planned Giving of extinction.

Office has suggestions about estate planning,

annuities, and even gifts of stock that avoid

The Humane Society of the United States capital gains taxes.

makes a difference in the lives of animals here at home and worldwide. The HSUS Maybe you have land that you would like to is dedicated to creating a world where our preserve as a lasting habitat for wildlife. Our relationship with animals is guided by Wildlife Land Trust can help you. Perhaps compassion. We seek a truly humane society the land you want to share is a backyard—

in which animals are respected for their that's enough. Our Urban Wildlife Sanctuary intrinsic value, and where the human-animal Program will show you how to create a bond is strong.

habitat for your wild neighbors.

Want to help animals? We have plenty of So you see, it's easy to help animals. And suggestions. Adopt a pet from a local shelter, The HSUS is here to help.

join The Humane Society and be a part of

2100 L Street NW • Washington, DC 20037 • 202-452-1100

www.hsus.org

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to the staf at Atlantic Publishing Group, especial y my editor, Erin Everhart, for all of her hard work and long hours making this book a reality. Thank you to Samantha Martin, Hol y

Gibbs, Meg Buchner, and Michelle Brownstein for their graphic design and layout help, which turned my words into a piece of art. Thank you to al of the contributors who shared their stories of success, as well as lessons learned; their input helped make the case studies valuable learning

resources for small business owners. And finally, thank you to al of my coworkers at 352 Media

Group for their feedback along the way.

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DEDICATION

To my Dad, for teaching me everything I know about business.

To my Mom, who taught me honesty and ethics.

To Megan and Abby, for their support during my long nights and weekends writing.

To Geoff, for giving me a shot.

Thanks.

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6

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

13

Introduction: The Game has not Changed,

Just the Venue

17

Chapter 1: Evolving Traditional

Marketing for the Web

21

Start Slow with Web 2.0 and Social Media .............................. 21

Which Principles to Apply to Web 2.0 Marketing ................... 22

Five P’s of marketing ................................................................22

Marketing Myopia .................................................................. 31

Relationship Marketing .......................................................... 36

Chapter 2: The Difference Between

Push and Pull Marketing

47

What is Push (Outbound) Marketing? .................................... 47

One-sided conversations ............................................................48

What is Pull (Inbound) Marketing? ......................................... 51

The Only Way to Market on a Budget ..................................... 53

Do not pay for exposure: Produce it ............................................56

Comparing the Costs of the Two Approaches .......................... 58

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8

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Chapter 3: Making Your Website

Truly Interactive

61

Using Interactive Elements ...................................................... 62

Content management systems ...................................................63

Forums ....................................................................................67

Newsletters and e-mail promotions ............................................68

Polls/surveys .............................................................................73

Contact forms...........................................................................75

Low-cost Ways to Implement and Maintain These Elements ... 76

Targeted landing pages .............................................................77

Creating a compelling call to action ...........................................80

Chapter 4: Getting Search Engines

to Notice Your Site

83

Pay Per Click Versus Organic................................................... 85

Long-term savings versus initial cost ...........................................85

Determining Your Best Keywords ............................................ 86

Where and how often to use keywords ........................................89

Implementing OtherOrganic, Free Search Methods ................ 91

Metadata and how to modify it .................................................91

Fresh content ............................................................................93

Inbound Link Strategy ............................................................ 93

The Role of Website Features in Search Results ........................ 95

Dynamic, fresh text ..................................................................95

When to Expect Results .......................................................... 99

The spidering process .................................................................100

Analytics to monitor goals .........................................................103

How to stay on top ....................................................................106

Avoiding the Dreaded Google Sandbox ................................ 108

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Table of Contents

9

Chapter 5: The Benefits of a Business Blog

113

Determining the Goal of Your Business Blog ........................... 114

Build a community ...................................................................115

Search engine optimization .......................................................116

Balancing the two.....................................................................117

Setting up a Blog ..................................................................... 117

SEO benefits of your blog on your domain ..................................118

Pushing fresh content to your site ..............................................119

What to Write for Your Blog ................................................... 121

Keyword-rich titles ....................................................................123

Have a personality ....................................................................125

Links, images, and videos ..........................................................126

Frequency of posts .....................................................................127

Getting the Most Out of Your Blog ......................................... 128

Blog roll ...................................................................................128

RSS feeds .................................................................................130

Comment to build relationships .................................................130

Promote your posts on other mediums .........................................132

Chapter 6: Stop Talking, Start Listening —

Social Networks as Focus Groups

135

An Overview of Social Networks ............................................. 135

How did they start?...................................................................136

Where are they today? ..............................................................137

People Want to Interact with Other People ............................. 143

Dipping Your Toes in the Water: Listening versus Talking ....... 145

Choosing which networks to join ...............................................145

Locking in your name ...............................................................146

Creating your personal profiles ...................................................148

Wading Through the Noise ..................................................... 156

The surveillance tools ................................................................160

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Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Chapter 7: Joining — Not Controlling —

The Conversation

165

Deciding on Your Approach .................................................... 165

What is your incentive? .............................................................166

The importance of transparency and the backlash of deceit ...........172

Populating and Propagating..................................................... 176

Customizing your business’ profiles .............................................176

Leverage your existing content ...................................................177

Creating content relevant to the medium ....................................179

Promoting the Positive ............................................................ 180

Dealing with the Negative ....................................................... 182

Set a schedule ..........................................................................184

Chapter 8: Building Your Network

189

Twitter: Interact With Customers, Prospects, and Peers ........... 190

Software might not bring you the right followers .........................190

Reciprocate requests ...................................................................193

Consider the cost to follow someone ...........................................194

Reach out to existing contacts ....................................................196

Search for people talking about your industry ............................197

Follow people attending events you are attending ........................199

Locate leaders in your industry .................................................199

Keep your tweets relevant .........................................................200

Facebook: Focus on Customers and Prospects ......................... 201

Pages versus profiles, fans versus friends.......................................202

Filtering out the noise ...............................................................203

Take advantage of the events feature...........................................205

Like and comment on company info........................................206

Facebook connect and custom apps ..........................................207

Join groups and get involved .....................................................211

Advertise your page through PPC ads ........................................212

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Table of Contents

11

LinkedIn: Professional Networking at its Best ......................... 216

Join all relevant networks to be found ........................................216

Import your contacts ................................................................216

Join industry groups ..................................................................217

Get involved in Q&A ...............................................................217

The power of recommendations .................................................218

Take advantage of the apps ........................................................218

Get Everyone Involved:

Defining Roles Within Your Company .................................... 219

Chapter 9: Establish Yourself

as an Expert Online

223

The Benefits of Expert Status ................................................... 224

The Power of Video ................................................................. 225

You cannot force viral ...............................................................225

Selecting the right video tools .....................................................227

Webinars: Advertising in Disguise ........................................... 230

Before the presentation ..............................................................230

Practice makes perfect ...............................................................233

Getting the most out of your time ...............................................234

Chapter 10: PR 2.0: Moving Past

the Press Release

237

The Paradigm Shift .................................................................. 237

Press releases can still drive traffic ...............................................239

A HARO Subscription:

The Best Free Tool for Marketers Today ................................... 241

Using HARO as a publisher ......................................................243

When to reply ...........................................................................244

Other ways to connect with reporters ..........................................245

The Role of Blogs in PR 2.0 .................................................... 246

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12

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

Chapter 11: The New Metrics

for Measuring Success

249

Metrics Everyone Should Follow ............................................ 250

Basic social media metrics .........................................................252

Evaluating sentiment ................................................................254

Metrics to Follow to Get Promoted ......................................... 256

Determining what constitutes a financial impact ........................258

Establishing a starting point .....................................................259

Conclusion

263

Appendix: Resources

265

Glossary

275

Bibliography

281

Biography

283

Index

285

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FOREWORD

If u cant get ur msg across in 140 letters or less, then I probably don’t care what you say. I wish this #foreword was that short #fb

As we move into a world of community, grass-roots, socially integrated marketing that is powered by the Internet, marketers must begin to inter-nalize the challenging concepts of less is more — concise is powerful. I am a marketer. Since 2003, I have marketed to developers and designers, the very people who not only embody Web 2.0, but those who helped create it. These customers tend to be on the bleeding edge of new-age marketing.

Reaching them requires playing by new rules, and even though I work for a giant software company, these new rules dictate that I operate just like the stories you will read within the pages of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

— Using Social Media, Webinars, Blogs, and More to Boost Your Small Business on a Budget.

In my business, people say marketing is taboo. You will hear things like,

You don’t ‘market’ to a developer or designer. Marketing is blasphemy.

The truth, however, is that you do market to developers, just not in traditional ways. What is exciting for me is that the methods I have employed for years are now becoming the new staple for marketing to the broader APMktgWeb2.0World.indb 13

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14

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

set of customers; these are the exact techniques that you will learn about in this book.

Over the last seven years, I have seen massive changes in the way savvy marketers use technology. Each new advancement in technology that eventually goes mainstream leads to a subsequent change in consumer behavior that opens the doors to a variety of new ways to interact with and reach customers. These advancements impact my market first, and we have been forced to react sooner. First, it was through the need of a rich, interactive web presence. We had to build Web properties that had the right pre-sales information, and ones that acted as a hub for learning and social engagement. This meant we had to have fresh content that helped our customers be successful and engage them through blogs and forums. We built an online world where our customers could interact with each other, answer questions, receive recognition, and simultaneously deliver the marketing messages and brand power we were seeking. The ecosystem of customers became the channel for delivering our story, a channel that was more credible than any internal voice could ever be.

Second, we had to get smart about search. We saw that the majority of our customers found the location of their information from search engines.

That meant focusing tons of energy on search engine optimization, friendly URLs, link ranking, keyword content, and usability. As marketers, we focused our energy on making sure that when someone asked Google a question, our website was the answer. And that the answer was usable, attractive, and easy to navigate for a large community.

Third, we had to go social. The social graph, the complex set of connections (followers, friends, fans, etc.) that one has online, has massive potential for reach. A link that gets posted to Twitter that gets retweeted 100 times could hit 25,000 to 100,000 potential customers in seconds.

You have to integrate the social concepts directly into your Web properties APMktgWeb2.0World.indb 14

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Foreword

15

and marketing. Connect traditional marketing to digital and scale your message through the graph.

The beauty of a Web community, being smart about search, and going social is that this is cheap to do with the right dedication and a few tips and tricks. Marketing in a Web 2.0 World has everything you need to know to help propel your business (and your marketing prowess) into the Web 2.0 era and turn what may feel like toys for geeks and kids into real business results.

Brian Goldfarb (@bgoldy)

Director, Developer Marketing

Microsoft Corporation

Brian Goldfarb is the Director of Product Management for Developer Platforms

at Microsoft. Goldfarb and his team are

focused on product planning, business

strategy, and global marketing for the plat-

forms that developers and designers use for

building the next generation of applications

for Windows, the Web, and devices includ-

ing Silverlight, .NET, IIS, and more. The

platforms team also manages vertical efforts

in the media, advertising, and enterprise

space as it relates to our UX technologies

like Silverlight and WPF. Goldfarb gradu-

ated with degrees in computer science and

economics from Duke University.

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16

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

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INTRODUCTION

The Game has not Changed,

Just the Venue

If anything is certain, it is that change is certain. The world we are planning for today will not exist in this form tomorrow.

- Philip Crosby, author of Quality is Free

I do not know what a slide rule does. My father would tell me about using his as a kid every time he helped me with my math homework, but I grew up in an age where the slide rule was taught in history class, not math. In fact, we were not only allowed but actually encouraged to use calculators during exams by the time I reached high school — which might explain why math has never been my forte.

Marketing has undergone a similar transition during the first decade of the 21st century, thanks to technology advancements. Billboards have been replaced by websites, direct mail by online newsletters, and focus groups by social networking. All of the former tools still exist, but do not have quite the same impact as they once did. But they do have one thing the latter mediums do not: high costs. The cost of a billboard rental on the interstate for just one month is roughly that of creating a basic website. Printing a catalog once can cost ten times that of a good e-mailing service, and that is not even considering postage. Social networks give APMktgWeb2.0World.indb 17

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18

Marketing in a Web 2.0 World

you unfiltered access to the opinions of millions of consumers in a matter of seconds — something a focus group could never hope to accomplish.

Relationship marketing has evolved.

Advancements within the marketing community have resulted in two main benefits: unprecedented access to customers (as well as prospects) and dramatically lower costs to reach those audiences. Reaching a business-to-consumer (B2C) demographic during the second half of the 20th century meant producing high-dollar television and radio commercials and paying