social media strategy for retention and sales
DESCRIPTION
From a webinar I did with WebLink in the fall of 2013.TRANSCRIPT
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Webinar agenda
• Creating a strategy
• Specific steps
• Ideas for posting
• Examples
• Monitoring
• ROI
• Summary
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About Me
• Curt Moss, Senior Product Marketing Manager @ WebLink
• 12 years at member-based orgs – Las Vegas Chamber of
Commerce – Chapter of National Safety
Council • 7 years @ WebLink
– Faculty for W.A.C.E. – Present at association and
chamber conferences
linkedin.com/in/curtmoss
linkedin.com/company/weblink-international
#WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About WebLink
• SaaS Company (Software as a Service), Leading Software Provider to Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations
• Established in 1996, 60 Employees, based in Indianapolis, IN
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
• Based in Indianapolis, Indiana
• 94% Customer Retention Rate
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About WebLink
• Membership Management Software
• Website Design & Development
• Non-Dues Revenue Programs
• Partner in Your Success
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
WebLink Websites
• Responsive website design
• Automatically adjusts for any screen
• Fully integrated database & website
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
About WebLink
• iPad app for mobile commerce
• Integrated credit card reader
• New member sales
• Event registrations
• Pay open invoices
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
WebLink Blog
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Our next webinar: October 31, 2:00 pm EDT
5 Mistakes That Haunt Associations When Using Their
Membership Database
weblinkinternational.com/haunt
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Do you have a social media strategy and content calendar?
We don’t use social media
9% We have a
strategy but don’t always
follow through 17%
We utilize social media but don’t have a strategy
59%
We have a strategy and a
content calendar
15%
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Do you store your members’ social media pages and profiles in your membership management software?
Unsure 26%
We don’t have that feature in
our system 49%
We have social media profile
data stored for a FEW members.
16%
We have social media profile
data stored for MOST
members. 9%
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Which social media network have you found to be most effective in connecting with members?
Facebook 49%
LinkedIn 12%
Twitter 9%
I'm not sure/other
30%
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Have you acquired a new member via your use of social media?
I’m not sure how we could
tell 50%
No 25%
Yes 25%
Strategy
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What makes up a strategy?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Goal
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Plan
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Action
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Measurement
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Evaluation & Analysis
Social Media = Communications Tool
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What is your strategy for...
• Newsletter
• Events
• Website
• Blog
• Mailers
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Relevant & Useful Information...
• Business issues
• Government advocacy efforts
• Organizational programs
• Benefits
• Events
• Educational or community topics
Use Social Media for the same things!
(and more)
Social Media is about...
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Goal
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What are your
social media
goals?
Can you answer in 15 words or fewer?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Goals
• Gain new members • Improve retention • Increase event
attendance • Exposure for members • Connect businesses • Extend reach • Expand influence • What else?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Plan
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Let’s give them something to TALK about
How often does your email marketing message get
forwarded to a subscriber’s entire address book?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Add share buttons from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Who do they believe?
• Consumers trust recommendations from friends and colleagues over advertising
• The “social graph” is becoming more important to companies’ marketing efforts
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Action
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Listen, then talk
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Respond
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Tell, Don’t Sell
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Just Be You
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Give Stuff Away
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Admit Your Mistakes
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Be Grateful
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Provide Support
Get them to tell THEIR story (through YOU)
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What can you post?
• “How I got the business” • Write blog posts for you • How issues affect them, both positive and
negative (with organizational spin) • Tag them • Mention them • Promote them • Encourage others to reply, respond, retweet
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
ASK them to post after/about...
• Joining • Events • Awards • Certifications • Ribbon cuttings • Major business issues • Community topics • Tie to your organization
whenever possible
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Ask for referrals
• “Do you know any businesses that should join our organization?”
• Track in your membership management software
• Reward them if the business joins
• Thank them via social media
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Catch them promoting you…
• Other businesses, especially members!
• Ask them to mention your organization, events and programs
• Reward them?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Yes, your members WANT to know what you’re doing for them and the
business community you serve!
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
What you’re doing...
• Business issues • Government advocacy
efforts • Member programs • Discounts & affinity
programs • Events • Community & business
topics • Leading • (fun)
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Engaging your tweeps
• Reply to them
• Retweet them
• Ask questions
• Post useful information
• Include links!
• Include photos!
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Things to avoid
• Posting same things everyday
• Not following back (for local tweeps)
• Not replying (one way communications)
• Inappropriate posts
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Make your content “sharable”
• Social sharing widgets • Like button • Tweet this button • Add This • Share This • Wibiya or other social
tool bars
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Profiles
Add links in your signature
Staff page on website
Footer of email newsletters
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Examples
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Twitter tools for local organizations © WebLink International
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Twitter tools for local organizations © WebLink International
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Mix online & offline
• Send notes for items you see online
• Bring up online interactions when face to face
• Post about IRL interactions
• Share tweets and posts in print, on your website
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
“Use” your members
• Who has a big following on Facebook or Twitter?
• Find ways to engage them to talk about you
• Their fans work for businesses, too!
• Reach the next level
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Bonus Facebook Tips
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Friend-vertise
• You can target ads against just the friends of people who have "liked" your brand on Facebook
• When those people see your ad, they will see listed the names of their friends who like your brand, too.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Bonus Tip – For your members
Add members’ social media links on their listing on your website. Connect them with potential customers.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Use your AMS to store members’ profile data
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
90% of consumers would most likely recommend a
brand name to other people after interacting with the
brand on social media. Internet Advertising Bureau Study, July 2013
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Measurement
Marketing without
metrics isn’t
marketing.
It’s guessing.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Word of Mouth
• Powerful • Free
• Can’t control • Potentially scary
• What are they saying?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Can you measure it?
How likely is it that you would recommend our organization to a friend
or colleague?
Scale of 0-10
The Ultimate Question
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Why 0-10?
• 1-5 yields “3s”
• With 1-10 some people will reverse good/bad
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
How likely is it that you would recommend our organization to a friend or colleague?
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Extremely likely
Not likely at all
Promoter Passive Detractor
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Net Promoter Score
Promoters Net
Promoter Score
Detractors - =
The results may be
humbling.
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
New member sales
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Member retention
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Evaluation & Analysis
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Tracking
• Custom fields in membership management system
• Lead source code • Excel or Google docs
spreadsheet • Twitter lists – members,
prospects • MUST link online action to
offline action somehow
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Monitoring EZ
• Twitter Search
• Google Alerts
• Facebook Page stats
• LinkedIn Page stats
• Social monitoring tools
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
search.twitter.com
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Google Alerts
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Management, listening & influencer tools
• Hootsuite • TweetDeck • Buffer • Radian 6/Salesforce • trackur • Klout
• Google “social media
monitoring software”
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Mention
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
ManageFlitter
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Demographics Pro
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Twazzup
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Facebook Insights
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
LinkedIn Insight & Analytics
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
LinkedIn - View Your Followers
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Website Traffic
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
ROI Simplified
• What did you want? (GOAL)
• What did you get? (RETURN)
• How much did it cost? (INVESTMENT)
• What are your social media goals?
• Do they involve $$?
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Keeping Track – Old School
• Log time spent
• Budget time
• Track leads, sales, etc., in CRM software
• Divide sales (goals) by time and $$
“Tools can make this simpler, but ultimately, it’s down to you and your friend Mr. Grey Matter to distill data into insights, and insights into actionable recommendations.”
- Kat French, on Social Media Explorer
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
WebLink Recap: An Integrated Solution
• ONE web-based centralized database
• Prospects, members, non-members and all reps in same system
• Financials, events, email, committees, website, reporting
Central DB
Financial System
Website
Email Marketing
Members
Events
Prospects
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Association & Chamber Websites
• 500+ client websites • WebLink Local business
directory drives 67% increase in traffic from organic searches
• Adds value for members • Non-dues revenue • Responsive website
design
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
iPad App for Mobile Commerce
• Sell memberships • Event registrations • Integrated credit card
reader
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Our next webinar: October 31, 2:00 pm EDT
5 Mistakes That Haunt Associations When Using Their
Membership Database
weblinkinternational.com/haunt
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
3 Questions
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
Webinar Recap
• We will email copy of presentation to attendees
• Link to video recording of webinar
• Please let us know if you have any questions
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
The Purple Cow
Social Media Strategy to Increase Member Sales & Retention © WebLink International #WebLink
“Turn strangers into friends. Turn friends into customers. Turn customers into salespeople.” - Seth Godin
WebLink International 3905 W. Vincennes Road, Suite 210 Indianapolis, IN 46268 P 317-872-3909 | 1-877-231-4970 | F 317-872-3929 weblinkinternational.com | weblinkblog.com
Curt Moss
Senior Product Marketing Manager [email protected]