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Social Media is a Layer Cake

September 11, 2013 by Debra Zimmer ·

If you’ve been following me for a while you would know that I spent quite a bit of time researching social media and publishing a report on how to gain more prestige and become a leader using social media. What you might not know is that the 5B’s of Social Media that I teach can be implemented in layers, like a chocolate cake.

Take for example the first layer. The first layer has been cut in five slices, but you need all these little pieces just to establish your foundation. In the first layer of your social media campaign, you need to establish your Brand by putting up your website, blog and social media pages & profiles. Next you will want to reach out to the people you already have a relationship with to ask them to connect with you. This is the baseline of building your network (Befriend). Then you will need to have a basic communication plan in place to stay front of mind and enhance these relationships (Broadcast). And, you will need to allocate time to interact and engage (Buzz) with your connections. Finally, you will want to encourage them to take action and do business with you (Buy).

This is the most basic form of The 5B’s of Social Media Success.

Recently we’ve had the opportunity to do this for our client, a chocolate company. What we saw is that you can’t skip any of the 5B’s when you get started. All components of the plan are needed or the foundation of the layer cake crumbles. You can’t add more layers till you get the bottom layer laid solid.

If you need help putting together that foundation for your company’s social media, contact us. We’d be happy to help. Stay tuned to learn more about the next layers of the cake.

Filed Under: social media · Tagged: 5 B's of Social Media, 5 B's of Social Media Success, social media, social media agency, social media content, social media marketing, social media marketing consultant, social media marketing strategies, social media strategies, social media strategy, social media tips

Introducing ‘The 5 B’s of Social Media Success’

September 10, 2013 by Debra Zimmer ·

The 5B’s of Social Media Success is a strategic framework that enables you to increase your prestige and presence, and grow your business and your influence. The 5B’s of Social Media Success are Brand, Befriend, Broadcast, Buzz and Buy.

You might call these ‘The 5 Social Media Success Secrets’. I call them “success principles” because these are the underlying principles you will want to apply to each of your social media platforms to achieve success with your marketing tactics. If you’ve heard of the 5 P’s of Marketing that are taught in every marketing course in the country, well, these 5B’s of social media success are modeled after those in that they are intended to create a marketing framework for you to use in designing, planning and evaluating all your social media activities so you can successfully achieve your business objectives.

‘Brand’ prepares you to attract your ideal client with your SM presence (do this wrong and the rest of your effort is futile). Brand is about identifying your main messages or themes for your brand that appeal to your customer and position your offering uniquely while achieving your goals.

‘Befriend’ is about getting friends and followers who are in your target audience and growing your network. You should have a Networking Strategy and know what networks are most effective for your business and why.

‘Broadcast‘ is about How to Build Know, Like, & Trust using content. It’s about using content to position yourself as an expert in your field. A successful Content marketing strategy also that you act like a lighthouse, and know how much and how often to post. You will also want to know how to find and create great content and to leverage that content.

‘Buzz’ is about how to have conversations and engage others using social media. There are certain techniques that increase engagement and others discourage it. You should also have appropriate expectations of engagement based on the size and stage of development of your social media community.

‘Buy’ is about getting others to act, create a call to action and measure results. This is key to evaluating the success of your social media investment.

Incorporating The 5 B’s of Social Media Success is critical to deriving maximum output from your social media marketing. If you would like to learn more about The 5 B’s of Social Media framework, download our free research report.

If you are in need of assistance designing your social media strategy or maintaining your social media presence, contact us.

Filed Under: social media · Tagged: 5 B's of Social Media, 5 B's of Social Media Success, social media, social media agency, social media consultant, social media consulting, social media content, social media marketing, social media marketing consultant, social media marketing strategies, social media marketing training, social media strategies, social media strategy

How to Increase Recommendations 27%

June 10, 2013 by Debra Zimmer ·

Have you ever tried growing your own business? It can be a difficult and daunting task. Fortunately, there are strategies that can help you attract more customers. One way is to use social media to grow your prestige and influence.

It’s easy to post statuses and updates on social media, but how can you make sure you are reaching your target audience? If properly used social media can be a powerful and influential medium to reach a larger audience.

A simple five-step system can help you, the CEO, President or Owner, to use social media to your marketing advantage. This system shows how you can reach your target audience in an effective way. The System is entitled The 5 B’s of Social Media Success. Research has shown that executives and businesses that use The 5 B’s of Social Media Success can see 27% of followers to be more likely to recommend, and 18% more likely to buy their services than a company not using this business model. Wouldn’t we all like to see such an increase in leads?

Social media is also an effective way to increase your perceived thought leadership. Research has shown that social media builds trust, transparency, and the perception of being a transformational leader. Your transparency gives customers clarity on what your business does and what value you add for them, thereby increasing their likelihood to buy.

It doesn’t pay to wait. If you don’t build your social media presence your competition will. Your competition will now have an advantage over you. It will then become increasingly more difficult for you to position yourself and your company as the expert in your field. New business opportunities, such as sales and strategic partnerships, can easily be made through social media.

To learn how to increase your online prestige and presence to increase sales and attract your tribe, download a copy of the research report “The 5 B’s of Social Media Success” here. When you download the free report, you will see how the research that shows how to achieve your objectives and grow your business using social media.

Filed Under: Marketing, PR - Public Relations & Press, social media, Social Networking ·

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