Welcome to our April Program & Luncheon! Topic: “Social Media from a VCU Student’s Perspective” Speaker: Trevor Dickerson
Have questions about this presentation? Visit our website to contact us: http://iabcrichmond.org
Social Media for Business from a VCU Student's Perspective
Trevor Dickerson Owner, RVA MediaWorks, LLC
Background & Bio 22 year old VCU student Editor & Publisher of Downtown Short Pump Owner of RVA MediaWorks, LLC
Downtown Short Pump Bought DowntownShortPump.com in 2004 for $8 as a freshman in high school
Began compiling information on area, forming directory Started posting news blurbs, then longer form articles
Grew from 100 to 35,000 page views per month About to re-launch as a complete community portal
Downtown Short Pump
RVA MediaWorks Incorporated in November 2008 Branched out of Downtown Short Pump following requests to build websites similar to it First website built was for Richmond BizSense Started doing graphic design, printing, light video production & aerial photography around Short Pump Provided social media management services several well-known West End businesses for some time
RVA MediaWorks
Elkin Sports Performance
Girls Can Club
Richmond BizSense
Daily Grind Short Pump
Camelot Entertainment
Tobacco Avenue
What Is Social Media? Utilizing & applying various forms of media to: Share information Learn from others Meet new people
Gain, retain & reward customers Solve problems
How Can My Business Benefit? Advertise specials Create customer loyalty programs Generate buzz Respond to negative comments
Provide product support Stay on customers’ minds
Choosing Your Strategy What type of business are you running?
What are the ultimate goals of your campaign? How much time and money can you devote? What are others in my industry doing successfully? How can I best engage with my customers?
The Good News Social media accounts are: Free Easy to set up and maintain Require less time than most think to run Provide maximum return with minimum investment when utilized efficiently and effectively
Things to be Mindful of... Portray your brand professionally Be consistent with posting intervals & with your voice Respond quickly to problems for maximum value
Turn negatives into positives by solving problems
Social Media By The Numbers Number of Users (in millions)
Facebook Game Plan Set up a Fan Page (business profile)
Ask fans to “Like” you Add Like/Recommend links to your website content Add a Fan Box on your homepage sidebar Post photos, videos and regular updates to Fans
Twitter Game Plan Follow local people who have an expansive reach Post links to information you find interesting Reply to users (format: @UserName Tweet goes here) Retweet tweets you find to be beneficial to followers (format: RT @UserName Original tweet goes here) Use and follow hashtags (examples: #RVA, #SMCRVA) Respond quickly: tweets have shorter “shelf life” than Facebook posts
Foursquare Gameplan Set up your business if you have a storefront Also useful for traveling businesses, food carts, etc. Set up free business account and manage specials Reward loyal customers for “checking in” to your venue Offer the “mayor” something extra special
Cross Promotion Link your Facebook posts to Twitter (not vice-versa!)
Link your website to social media and vice-versa Encourage visits to your social media platforms with Facebook/Twitter/Foursquare-only deals & specials
Add Facebook & Twitter like/recommend/tweet buttons
A Good Next Step... Attend Social Media Club of Richmond (SMCRVA) Meet monthly and host a variety of topics & panels Meet like-minded, social media-oriented businessmen and women Keep abreast of the ever-changing social media world
Meet new people and those you know from online
Questions or Comments? Facebook: Business: RVAMediaWorks Personal: TrevorDickerson
Twitter:
Business: @RVAMediaWorks Personal: @TrevorDickerson
[email protected]
