Social Media has got a lot of 'buzz' in recent years due to how quickly it appears to have become mainstream.

Years taken to reach 50m users.... Radio 38yrsTV 13yrsInternet 4yrsiPod 3yrsBut Facebook added 100musers in only 9mths....

Over 50% of the worlds population is under 30years old.96% of them have joined a Social Network.

The fastest growing segment on Facebook.Is 55-65 year old Females

People care more about how their social graph ranks products and services Than how Google ranks them.

Business 2 Business use Social Media more than Business 2 ConsumerNot much more though....86% vs 82%.

The tops applications for the use of Social Media for B2B users areThought leadership (59.8%), lead generation (48.9%), customer feedback (45.7%) and advertising on sites (34.7%)

If Facebook were a country....Its would be the worlds 3rd largest (ahead of the US)

78% of consumers trust peer recommendationsOnly 14% trust advertisements

Social Media isn't a fad...

Its THE way that we now communicate with our friend, client, prospect, grandmother, collegue, investor, mechanic, doctor, teacher, dietician, grocer, vicar, hairdresser, bank....

Four Shifts that Social Media represents....

1. We have Moved online... -24 of the top 25 newspaper titles are experiencing record decline-78% of Business Owners no longer buy a newspaper-The News finds us via Social Media – products, services and brands follow

2. Information online is being searched for in different ways...

-YouTube is now the worlds second largest search engine-We listen to Podcasts subscribe to RSS feeds, etc.-Facebook has overtaken Google in the US as the most popular website

3. Open Communication – sharing...users expect to read comments, Reviews, ratings, etc.

-14% of UK consumers believe what a brand tells them-78% of UK Consumers believe what fellow consumers tell them-25% of the search results for the worlds top 20 brands are links to user generated content- wikipedia has over 13,000,000 articles

4. Users only subscribe to info that interests them, thats all...

-Opted in Email Newsletter-Become a 'fan' on Facebook – valuable 'opt in'-Age barriers are breaking down as Social Media becomes a cultural shift (a 523% increase in over 55yr olds on Facebook in 2009)

Social Media also enables brands to market using a medium and style that consumers now expect and desire.

Traditional advertising is designed to interrupt your day (push marketing)...●Email Blasts●Telesales●Printed Ads●Direct mail●TV●Radio

But the average UK consumer is exposed to 3000 images per day, its getting harder for marketeers to grab consumers attention using these traditional marketing mediums.

Couple that with the fact that technology is making it harder to get the attention of consumers through traditional media...

Spam Filters stop eshots being delivered, Caller ID stops call centres getting through, and with Digital TV we often fast forward through the adverts now....

Interruption (Push)Still affective but getting more difficult

●Telemarketing●Direct mail●Email Blasts●Printed Adds●TV/Radio Ads

Permission (Pull)Let people find you when researching the market – 'Pull' them in (opt in).

●SEO/SEM●Blogging●Social Media●RSS●Free trials/Tools●Viral Videos

Social Media goes mobile....If 2010 was the 'year of Social Media' then 2011 is the year that Social goes Mobile....

●80% of Twitter updates are from Mobile●16m UK users access Facebook via their mobile●200,000,000 iPhone Application downloads so far●149% growth in 2009 of mobile internet use – 65% was the iPhone

Consumer experiences can be shared on mass as they happen- complaints and praises can be instant.

Return on Investment in Social Media...?

Gary Vaynerchuk grew his family business from $4 to $50m using Social Media

-$15,000 spent on Direct mail delivered him 200 new customers-$7,5000 spent on Billboards delivered him 300 new customers- But a fraction of that spent on Twitter delivered him 1,800 new customers

Burger Kings 'Whopper Sacrifice' Facebook Application reached a huge audience and delivered an unprecidented ROI...

-cost an estimated $50,000-Return on Investment an estimated $400,000 inpress/media value-32 million Free Media Impressions

37% of 'Generation Y' were aware of the new Ford Fiesta via Social Media prior to its launch

“You can't just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other.”James Farley, CMO Ford

Sold $3,000,000 worth of computers on Twitter

Invested $15k in Social Media and drove up website traffic by 300% and sales up by 20%

Increased sales by 29% In July 2010 solely by using Facebook.

Why Focus More on Social Media? The eight core objectives that webuild into an overall Social Media Strategy....

1. Engagement with Customers.Your customers are now 'hanging out' on Social Networking sites and that is where they want to be talked to and have conversations – with the brands that they like as well as friends.

As a brand you can talk to and engage with your customers, who in turn are your best advocates and with your stimulation will generate effective 'word of mouth', as long as your Social Media structure is considered and managed.

NOTE:'hang out' where your customers are now spending most of their time and are most receptive to being engaged with. 24 of the worlds top 25 newspaper titles are experiencing record decline as the news now finds us via Social Media (and now brands, products, and businesses).

2.Drive Sales.Although the attitude on Social Media is more inline with PR and 'hanging out' with your customers, your online customer community wants to know what else they can get out of their relationship with you. Drive sales both within Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube, as well as to external 'places', ie, web traffic or foot flow.

NOTE:Old Spice Body Wash increased sales by 107% in one month using Social Media and Domino's Pizza generated a 29% increase in sales by using Facebook in July 2010.

3. Find New Customers.SM4B unique Social Media software enables us step beyond natural organic growth of a Facebook page (or Twitter profile) into proactively finding and inviting users that fit your 'target profile' or are members of competitor group pages, and so on.

We can guarantee anything up to 10,000 'fans' per month. We cannot force users to join your page but will consistently find and invite users, guaranteeing to surpass our minimum agreed figures.

NOTE:Facebook users are now getting much more protective about their 'wall' on Facebook, hence, they are increasingly more selective about the brands that they become 'fans' of on Facebook. They will only join and engage with brands and businesses that they genuinely want to know more about and receive messages from onto their personal Facebook space.

4. Build Brand Visibility and Loyalty.Social Media is extremely time consuming but SM4B eat and sleep it. By being consistently active we are always there and active with your growing online customer community, ensuring its inviting, engaging, and fun.

Through developing a Social Media strategy plan we ensure that a brand message is pushed into all areas of the web, in the right way, engaging with users and harnessing peer to peer recommendations and consumer advocates.

NOTE:By combining the viral nature of Social Media with our targeting software and Social Marketing expertise we can ensure that your brand is exactly where your customers are now 'hanging out'. The are talking about you anyway, you just need to be present, and involved.

5. Research.Although a little down the list for many clients who at first want to focus on the unique marketing and sales opportunities of Social Media, the valuable research pool that Social Media (especially Facebook) delivers is unique.

An immediate feedback group who are engaged and more than willing to share, comment, and get deeper involved with the brand. The knock on to the customer relationship is a more entrenched feeling of value and importance to the brand.

NOTE:Ask customers what they want. In the past it was too restrictive to get the attention of so many target customers who were engaged and interested enough to provide an opinion – a harnessed customer community cares about the brand and its direction.

6. Customer Service.Social Media is not just about sales and marketing, it is a broadcast tool that delivers any message to the place where your customers now spend their time and are active. Brands can communicate messages instantly to your customers – from announcements, product changes, opening times, anything that your customers need to know.

Customer support queries can be aired by clients on a Facebook page for example and not necessarily answered by the brand - maybe your customers can answer questions (or complaints) for you in a more direct manor than you can as the brand.

NOTE:Many of our clients report a reduction in call centre traffic through effective Social Media structure with customers posting queries or messaging via Social Media – if invited.

7. Influence Behaviour and Promotion.Users in your marketplace are going to talk about your market, the products within it, and your brand. Whether their conversation is good or bad you need to be involved in it. Either just to observe or to get involved and influence what is being said about you.

A brand needs to allow your online community talk to each other and generate online 'word of mouth' (the marketing Holy Grail). The New Look brand needs to monitor and ensure the conversation is correct and 'dip in and out' of the conversation as appropriate.

NOTE:80% of Twitter updates are now from mobile with 76% of UK users using Facebook from their mobile – a bad customer experience can be imprinted on the internet (and read by the each engines) within seconds.

14% of UK consumers believe what a brand tells them, 78% believe what their fellow consumers tell them. Your customers can be your best advocate and advertisement (online 'word of mouth') but it needs to be consistently monitored.

8. Search Engine Optimisation.Structured Social Media has a huge impact upon Search Engine Optimisation.

All activity posted on any of your Social Networking Platforms by SM4B is tag linked to create powerful contextual link building from trusted and reputable websites.

Since February 2010 Facebook now reads Facebook pages and Twitter 'tweets' just as it would a traditional website. In itself this enables a Social Media active brand to create a far reaching web presence that can create 'Page Dominance' across the leading search engines.

NOTE:Couple the above with 80% of Twitter updates now being from mobile means that consumers now update from anywhere, instantly. What does this do for bad customer experiences? Tweet they can 'tweet' their dissatisfaction instantly and this is stamped on the internet for Search Engine recognition. Its is important for a brand to influence control and influence wherever possible across all avenues of Social.

Why Outsource Social Media...???

Valuable ExpertiseWe live, sleep, and eat Social Media.A fast moving industry where if you are active you need to be forward thinking constantly evolving daily. Social Media transforms marketing activity into real time.

Social Media is Time ConsumingYou have to be always there in Social Media.Your customers and potential customers can now engage with brands (in two way dialogue) 24/7 and you need to be involved.

Unique Target Marketing SoftwareWith our bespoke technology we can find potential 'target profile' customers, introduce them to your brand, and then market directly to them.

key SM4BSocial Media services....

Social Media and Social Networking is already a huge and complicated arena where mistakes can easily happen and they can be very costly.

A lot of time can be easily be wasted with no ROI. It shouldn't be like that and Social Media done right should be straight forward and emensively rewarding – both in terms of ROI and opertaional improvement.

SM4B can provide Social Media consultancy and support at all levels, designing nd managing an overal corporate strategy as well as bespoke training for key-personel.

1. Social Media Strategy and Training

2. Additional Branding and FeaturesOn Facebook, we can add additional design featuresto maximise the branding opportunities on page. Unlike a traditional web presence Facebook brandingcan change continually, maximising the 'shop window'and functionality of the page.

We have our own unique Facebook page app, canintegrate video, flash design, and much more.

3. Activity Management.We manage all daily posts and interaction with users, ie, answering questions, etc, working closely with key staff.

Daily posts are a variety of text, video, images, url links, and so on, designed to engage and generate interaction as well as tag linked for inclusion in relevant Search Engine Searches.

Its important that brands on Social Media are constantly active, engaging, and entertaining in Social Media and that customers questions are answered, with all activity being responded to quickly and correctly.

NOTE:The average time spent on Facebook is now 3.5 hrs daily, with users checking their Facebook page an average of 5 times each day. 28.3m UK users are now active Facebook users with 80% of Twitter updates now being from mobile...

4. 24/7 Monitoring.As a Facebook audience grows ('fans') then the level of customer-to-customer and customer-to-brand increases, ie, 'posts' from customers and comments against brand 'posts'.

This activity needs constant (time consuming) monitoring to ensure that not only are all user interaction/questions, etc, responded to, but also that any profanity or brand damaging content is removed or alerted and responded to- the development and management of a Social Media Marketing Policy.

NOTE:Your Social online community will talk to each other about you but this needs consistent monitoring and brand interjection and involvement when required.

5. Unique Target Marketing.A Facebook page will naturally attract 'fans' fromthose users already aware of the brand (existingcustomers) who may search for the brand of(more commonly) follow a link from a brandwebsite, etc.

However, SM4B software allows us tofind and introduce to a brand potential customersthat fit your 'target profile'. This transforms thevalue of the fanbase into not only existingcustomers but also new customers that anew relationship is formed with.

NOTE:We cannot force users to join a Facebookpage, we can only invite them, they must decideto join the page themselves – an extremelypowerful 'opt in'. We can however guaranteeminimum numbers of 'fans' who will joinmonthly (upto 5k monthly). No othermarketing medium can deliver suchtargeting with such a powerful opt inand engagement.

6. Bespoke ApplicationsTaking integration to another level we can design and build bespoke Facebook applications that can lever the tremendous viral and targeting power of Facebook and Twitter in particular.

7. Viral VideoVideo is a huge part of Social Media. Not long video epics, but short, snappy 'viral' video that is designed purely for Social Media, to be shared online and to maximise viral reach.

SM4B....A team of 6 who live, breath, and sleep Social Media. Including ex-Google staff with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in targeted online marketing.

Based in Sheffield, UK, with customers spread throughout the UK, Europe, and beyond, covering a wide range of B2B and B2C markets and industries.

SM4B was formed in 2008 from combining two successful online marketing and new media companies into one brand that has so far seen massive growth in a fast changing marketplace.

We manage the presences and have been involved in pioneering Social Media campaigns for some of the worlds leading brands and remain at the very forefront of results-orientated Social Media Marketing.

Social Media is a brand investment, driven by a need for brands to now be 'hanging out' with their customers in the place that they are now 'hanging out'. A very different proposition to more 'traditional' media that can be more precisely measured, ie, PPC advertising, SEO, etc.