Child Nutrition Programs Fall Conference 2014 Lita Amos Social Media Marketing & Expanding Your Child Nutrition Program

Definitions Social Media Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking Social Networking The use of dedicated websites and applications to interact with other users, or to find people with similar interests

First Things First Determine your district’s policy on social media use Communications Office Develop a goal or “marketing strategy” What do you want to accomplish? How do you want to represent yourself? Who do you want to network with? Parents? Teachers? Students? Community Members?

Where do I start?

Social Media Sites Meet your audience where they are

~ 1.2 billion users Business to consumer marketing Every “Like” counts Target your followers and their friends Most widely used for paid advertising Paid advertising is lowest cost

Business to consumer marketing Dynamic—very customizable Most popular among Fortune 500 companies ~ 241 million users Following topics is easy (#hashtag) Character limit of 140 (pro and con) Fast paced stream, posts can be overlooked Can be overwhelming

Seen as “more professional” Career opportunities and company info Business-to-business marketing Ability to deliver advertising to people with certain qualifications or titles B2B advertising is very efficient

One of the top tools for finding news and ideas Useful for sharing lengthy posts Time consuming Target audience must actually read your blog— networking may be less effective

Visual social network Virtual “pin board” “Pin it” button can be added to your school website, blogs, etc. You can view and repin for inspiration

Social media management tool Schedule automatic updates Customized analytics (scheduled reports) Sometimes does not post picture thumbnail Posting from a 3 rd party app may affect the likeliness that your post will appear in followers’ newsfeed

Tips for Getting the Most out of Social Networks

Social Media Marketing Laws Listening Focus Quality Patience Compounding Influence Value Acknowledgment Accessibility Reciprocity

The Law of Listening More listening and less talking Join in discussions with your target audience about what is important to them THEN  Create content and spark conversations of value

The Law of Focus Set a goal or marketing strategy Decide how and which sites to utilize to reach your goal Build a strong brand by focusing on your goal Focus on what you CAN do Don’t sync your personal phone to your business profile(s)

The Law of Quality Quality trumps quantity Focus your attention on sharing quality content What you post is more important than how often you post Proof read your posts! Mistakes make you seem less creditable

The Law of Patience Expect and welcome negative feedback You cannot change anyone’s opinion You can show them what you are doing—and they make up their own mind It may take awhile for you to get the hang of using social media for marketing

The Law of Compounding Every “like,” “share,” “comment,” “retweet,” etc. expands the audience of that post More views may = more followers Posting content that engages your followers is key

The Law of Influence Find and follow those that influence your market Ex: USDA Interact with them and their followers Share Comment Like Retweet Getting on the radar of their followers could help build your audience

The Law of Value Only post topics of value to your audience Sharing pictures and videos can add value Ask yourself: What information is valuable to your followers? Why do they follow you?

The Law of Acknowledgment Building relationships with followers is very important Always acknowledge people that reach out to you Does not apply to inappropriate comments Acknowledge and thank those that share your information

The Law of Reciprocity Network with and share information from others As it relates to your business, community, program, etc. Example: DO share information posted on your school’s website DON’T share information about cars, TVs, unrelated services, etc.

Posting and Sharing “You are what you share.” ― C.W. Leadbeater, We Think: The Power Of Mass Creativity “We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it?” ― Erik Qualman

Recipe for Perfect Social Media Posts Visual Appeal Humor Originality Timing Crisis Plan Platform Knowledge

Let’s Talk Business Keep all posts, shares, and comments related to your Marketing Strategy: “Does this help us show parents the healthy and tasty meals we serve to the children?” If NO, its better to keep it off your business page Posting personal opinions or controversial material will likely alienate your audience. Alabama Fan: “Why is this flower shop posting about Auburn football?”

Don’t Oversell It DO Tell people about your program Show more than tell Be creative when sharing Interact with your audience DON’T Exaggerate Be too self-serving Ignore your audience

#schoollunchrocks

Social Media Trolls Social media success will likely attract Trolls Tips for Handling Trolls: Remain professional Know when to respond Know when to let it go Know when to delete comments Consider disabling comments Consider blocking the person

Check out these Resources The Social Media Advertising Beginner’s Guide for Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn media-advertising-beginners-guide-twitter-facebook-linkedin media-advertising-beginners-guide-twitter-facebook-linkedin Top 12 Signs You’re Dealing with Trolls top-12-signs-you-re-dealing-with-trolls top-12-signs-you-re-dealing-with-trolls 20 Social Media Tips to Rule in social-media-tips-to-rule-in-2014/ social-media-tips-to-rule-in-2014/ Social Jeanie Tips

Questions