because it requires time, but not money, and if you stick with it, the results can be
incredible. While it can take months for you to establish business via social media, a tidal
wave of business will be potentially just a click away once it is established.
Social media’s primary purpose is to interact with others and build relationships. The
number one rule about social media is to not constantly be soliciting your business. As a
guerrilla marketer, that may sound ridiculous, but it is the rule to follow if you want to be
successful. Social media is primarily “social” so it is important that you keep it that way. It
is always a good idea to let people know about your business, but don’t make the mistake of
pitching it constantly. People don’t engage in social media to feel pressured into buying
your product. The new online business model is to become an authority in your product or
niche. By posting helpful articles, videos and pertinent information on your social media
sites, you will position yourself as an expert and you will actually be helping others. When
people feel helped, they will want to follow you and they will want to get to know what you
do and hire you when a need comes up for them.
As of the writing of this book (March 2012), here are the top 15 social media networking
sites:
If you are new to social media, we suggest you start by googling these sites to see which
ones you feel most comfortable with. We will be giving a little more in depth commentary
about the first four sites, as well as some instruction on how to set up Facebook and other
goodies through video.
Guerrilla marketers are always on top of the latest marketing trends. The thing about social
media is that it is not a trend; it is now part of life. Our culture has made a major shift in the
last decade. Handheld devices are the new computer. Social media has made our world so
much bigger and our friendship realms have expanded into millions.
Social media is an extremely powerful marketing tool if used correctly. All it takes is one
click to broadcast positive or negative insights. We live in a viral world, one that can be fun
and one that can be confusing and overwhelming. We will give you the basic uses for some
of the top social networks, as well as some guerrilla ninja secrets to get your product or
service known by millions.
Facebook:
There are now 900 million users on Facebook. According to eMarketer’s statistics, 73% of
the baby boomers had a Facebook profile in 2009, 76% of Generation X’s had a profile, and
even 90% of the seniors also had a profile. Interestingly enough, only 13% of the baby
boomers used Twitter and LinkedIn, but this number is increasing and very relevant. We
will show you how to get started with this amazing marketing tool in a simplified way,
since Facebook is constatnly changing their look and policies.
Setting up your personal profile and business pages:
The first thing you want to do is to set up your account on Facebook. That is easy
enough because Facebook walks you through it step-by-step. We suggest setting up
your personal profile first, and then adding your business pages by clicking on the
“Create a Page” link at the bottom of the Facebook website. That way, you can
manage both from one user.
For your personal profile, upload some nice photos of yourself, your interests and
family, as this will be for personal use. There are two tabs on the upper right side of
your Facebook page. Your name will appear and then another tab that says ‘Home’.
When you click on your name, a timeline screen with your photos will appear on the
upper bar and some of your recent posts will appear. On the far right side of the
screen will be a vertical bar showing people who are currently on Facebook and
another vertical bar below that to show your friends. You are allowed to have no
more than 5,000 friends on your main profile page.
The next thing you want to do is to start making “pages.” A “page, ” as Facebook
calls it, could be used for your business, a club or organization, or a favorite place.
Most people put use them for their business (It is against Facebooks trems and
conditions to create a business profile out of the personal profile feature. They
require you to set up all business profiles through the “page” feature). One of the
reasons to make a page is so you can drive traffic to it. You want to ‘Like’ other pages
and have them ‘Like’ you back to gain more exposure. Your pages can gather
unlimited likes. Some people/businesses have 10,000 or more likes. Some of the
superstars have millions of likes, such as Disney, which has 28 million. Every time you “like” a page, that like goes to all of the people you are friends with. Every time
you make a comment, that comment goes viral, meaning the comment gets seen by
all of their friends. This is the power of compounding. It can reach thousands, if not
millions, of people in a very short time.
Setting up your business page:
1. Click on the “Home” tab in the upper right corner, and then go all the way to the
bottom of your profile page to “Create a Page.”
2. You will then see a screen with six boxes of categories. If you have a product or
service business, click “Business.” If you want to promote yourself as a public figure,
click “Artist, Band or Public Profile.” A category box will then drop down, for you to
further clarify your business type. Enter the name for your category.
3. Look at the Facebook terms and conditions and then click the box to agree.
4. A box then pops up to ask you if you want to use the Like button. Click yes. Than a
box pops up to see if you want to invite your friends. The description from Facebook
tells you what you may want to do to invite your friends.
5. Now it is time to write your first post to say “Hello” or welcome people to your page.
For example, you could write something like: “Welcome to my page. I will be
providing you with lots of guerrilla information and support for marketing your
product or service.” It is always a good thing to say hello and welcome your
audience. Give them an idea of what you will be posting in the future.
6. You will notice that Facebook automatically creates a timeline theme for your page.
That is their prerogative.
7. If you toggle up to the top, you will see your “Admin Panel.” Notifications, New Likes,
Messages and Insights are there. Go to the “Insights” to invite your friends. When
you do that Facebook automatically loads your main profile of friends. Click on the
people you want to invite to your page.
8. Go to your main profile page, click “Home” and start liking other people to drive
traffic to your new page. Like other people’s pages and interact with them. It is good
to do this 3 times a day if possible (5 min. each time) to build up your likes
(potential customers) for your business. Post articles, YouTube videos or blog posts
that inform and helps people with your main subject. For example, as a main subject
of guerrilla marketing, I will be posting daily marketing tips. Remember -the most
important thing in any social media system is: To Add Value.
9. As you go through the process, you will be asked to choose a unique URL you’re
your Facebook page. It is best to choose one that has your keywords in it or your
business name.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn started in 2002 in the living room of co-founder Reid Hoffman as a place for
business professionals to exchange resumes, post jobs and hire employees. The site was
officially launched in May, 2003 and received 4,500 members the first month. As of
December 2011, the site is signing up approximately 2 new members per second. The
company is now publicly held with a diversified business model and offers hiring solutions,
marketing solutions and premium subscriptions.
Why does this matter to the guerrilla marketer and their baby boomer audience? Because
the average user makes $109,000 annually, and there are 70 million users. Also, LinkedIn is
very user friendly and is the best social media type place to start connecting to others.
Boomers can be wary of social networking because it just seems too overwhelming, but
they know how to put together a resume, and that is the first start with LinkedIn. This huge
social media site walks you through posting your information in a step-by-step manner.
As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge fan of Facebook advertising. LinkedIn also allows you to
place highly targeted ads. That is key since you are already in a pool of people who make a
decent living and have higher standards than most just by being in the LinkenIn
community. So start creating ads on LinkedIn.
Another great way to market yourself or your company is to start a group or a forum. Take
a look at your business niche, study your competition and then using that information, start
your own LinkedIn group. The reason to start a group is to get interaction with people in
your group. Do not blatantly pitch your business; just have it in the background as part of
your information. The more you interact with your group, the more they will be open to
buying your product or service down the road. In this group, you can get some great ideas
for your business by asking questions and getting some opinions on aspects of your
business or the niche itself.
Twitter:
The main reason twitter was started was to connect to people quickly and efficiently.
Twitter was founded in March 2006 by three guys from Odeo Inc. in San Francisco who
were trying to revitalize the dying company and find a way to send short text on their cell
phones. Because of this, no long messages are allowed here – how refreshing. Only 140
characters max, that’s it. Short quotes, links, videos, etc. are the main diet for Twitter.
Individuals can broadcast their own information and thus start their own “newspaper” or
“newscast” instantaneously.
The guerrilla marketer can use twitter as a quick broadcast or special announcement for an
upcoming event pertaining to their product. The same rules apply when using Twitter as
with other social media. Here is a quick start guide for using Twitter:
1. Share some personal information, such as your leisure interests or something about
your goals.
2. Get to know other people. Ask them about their interests. Shoot them a quick video
that you may have seen relating to their tweets.
3. Start conversations. The real power of Twitter is communicating to your “Tribe.” In
Twitter language, your followers are considered your tribe. Give kudos to the
person who made a great comment by putting the @ in front of their name before
you tweet back to them. That is a direct comment back to that person letting them
and the Twitter world know you liked their tweet.
4. When you put an RT in front of a person’s name and re-tweet their tweet you have
then introduced that person to your tribe. The re-tweet is the social workhorse of
Twitter.
5. Share links on a consistent basis. People will enjoy getting your links if they have
value. Your tribe will really notice you then.
6. Share uplifting quotes.
7. Now you are ready to start marketing. Share your business every 5 to 7 tweets.
Don’t leave social media out of your guerrilla marketing campaign. Not only will you be left
behind, but you would be missing out on a free, lucrative form of marketing that allows you
to reach millions in minutes. Don’t get discouraged by the start up time needed to establish
yourself in the social media world. Just know that once you do, you’ll be happy you stuck
with it.
