Once again, Ideas in Motion Media championed a Duneland Chamber of Commerce Sunrise Seminar at Riley’s Railhouse. It was the first Sunrise Seminar of 2016 and the Chamber, recognizing that each of their members is different, decided to take advantage of our skills and start the new year with a presentation from our fearless leader, Chris Mahlmann.
“We look at what each of our members excel at and have them share their expertise with the rest of our membership,” Beth Luncsford, Duneland Chamber Marking Director said. “Chris and his team are really good at what they do and since social media is a very important resource that people use all the time now, it seemed perfect to have him talk to us about it.”
After a nice breakfast was served and everyone fueled up on coffee, Chris got to work.
“My goal for today is for everyone here to learn something, to be challenged,” Chris said. “A lot of what I’m going to talk about comes from what we have learned at Ideas in Motion Media while using digital media.”
Since 2006, newspaper print ad revenue has fallen over $28 billion. Magazine sales are declining with the largest drop of 14% in 2014. And AM/FM radio’s time-spent-listening declines about 30% between 2008 and 2013.
So where so people go to get their news? They go to their phones, computers, and tablets and jump on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Internet users have passed the three billion mark, and over half of the adults who spend time online utilize two or more social media sites. It’s been a tough transition for companies who are used to advertising on the newspaper or on the radio, but people are resilient, and business owners are doing their best to learn about any platform that will maximize exposure for their business.
“The thing about social media is that it’s not broadcast method,” Chris said. “So as you begin to step into it or get further into it, don’t think of it as a replacement for what you’re doing, think of it as an addition to what you’re doing.”
Depending on the type of business you have, different advertisement methods might work better than others. If the physical newspaper has always done wonders for you and your business, stick with it. Adding a Facebook page for your business will not hinder that, but instead present you to another audience. And on social media you are trying to talk with your customer, not at your customer. Engagement with the people who like your page or who follow you is essential to success. And though you may have a small following, you can still have a large impact.
Theoretical Example: A business has a Facebook page with 500 fans. A post is made to the page and it reaches 50 people. Of those 50, 25 like the post, which then gets posted to each of their newsfeeds. 25 might seem like a small number, but remember that each person who liked the post has their own group of friends who will see the post that they liked. This means that the post that the business made could get hundreds of views or maybe even thousands.
Chris had Dos and Don’ts that he shared with everyone.
DO: Utilize social media. You don’t need to be on 10 social networks if you’re a bank. But you should be on Linkedin and other platforms that fit your industry.
DON’T: Ignore your audience. Digital media runs fast -hours rather than days- so be sure to develop and post it regularly to your audience. Talk to your audience person-to-person.
DO: Try different media. Mix it up and use a video for one post, a photo for another, ask a question in the next. Keep things fresh for your audience.
DON’T: Be a broadcaster. There is nothing wrong with posting an ad, but don’t repeatedly shove the same thing down people’s throats. You’ll lose friends and followers that way.
DO: Be innovative. Things are always changing with digital media so be willing to try new things.
DON’T: Have the inexperienced do your online marketing. Your 16-year-old nephew may be online all the time, but that doesn’t make them the best candidate to be your social media marketing person.
DO: Re-purpose content. You see another company do something that you like that works? Steal the idea, put your own twist on it, and then post it (unless it’s copyrighted, of course).
After the presentation concluded, a really great Q&A session ensued. Many people in the room riddled Chris with questions and he happily answered them.
In case you weren’t able to make it or you want a recap of what Chris talked about here’s his presentation!