SEO & Social Media Marketing for BBQ

1. SEO & Social Media Marketing for BBQ Richard Wachtel Grilling With Rich Media San Marcos, TX National BBQ Association 2014 Annual Conference

2. About Richard • Professional background • Worked in PR and Social Media Marketing for 8 years at a Washington D.C. Non-profit • Currently work for AARP in the on-line marketing and communications division. • BBQ and Grilling Background • Founder of a popular Grilling and BBQ Website and Blog: www.GrillingWithRich.com • Grilling with Rich partners with Kingsford Charcoal, Weber Grills, the National BBQ Association and other leading barbecue and grilling companies around the country. • Started in July of 2010 and focuses on everything about BBQ and Grilling from barbecue and grilling product reviews, recipes and more!

3. WHY ARE YOU HERE?

4. Why SEO and social media are important and relevant for BBQ businesses Types of social media networks & the uniqueness of each network Search Engine Optimization & Websites Pulling it all together Q&A What are we going to Cover?

5. Why SEO and Social Media ARE Important to everyone……And especially BBQ Businesses

6. WHY IS SEO IMPORTANT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

7. Definition & Importance of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) • The basic definition of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or also known as “organic” search results. • SEO can have a higher ROI than traditional forms of marketing like TV and print ads! • SEO is only one aspect of a marketing plan BUT SEO can bring your business quality leads and customers.

8. SEO alone isn’t going transform your business from a small shop to a Fortune 500 Company over night or maybe even in the long term but it does provide visibility, branding, traffic, a high ROI, credibility, and insight into customer behavior.

9. 1. Visibility and Branding Many users follow this pattern of behavior when they search online: type in keywords or phrases, click on some websites, refine their search terms, search again, click on some websites, further hone their search terms, search again, and so on. The overall goal is to continually appear in relevant results to your brand so you are going to create a strong brand and your customers or potential customers will trust you more.

10. 2. Business Credibility Searchers make mental notes of the rankings for the terms they enter into Google and other search engines. They may not realize it, but they do. And in the minds of consumers, your ranking is a vote of confidence — “Google says this business is relevant, so that must be the case.” Therefore you will create a strong brand and increase your visibility

11. 3. Best ROI’s in Advertising SEO and online marketing and advertising has a higher ROI because you don’t have to convince them you need your product or service; you just have to convince them you are the right business to purchase from. If done correctly, your business will be in front of highly engaged and customers that are already highly motivated to purchase your barbecue product or visit your barbecue business.

12. 4. Insights Into Your Customers With more people visiting your website you will get amazing insights into who your customers are: where they live what keywords or search terms were used to find your business the language they use the days that your users are most active what types of device's your customers use to look at your website. This is extremely valuable because it can help you make more informed decisions regarding your business and its strategies, both online and offline.

13. WHY IS Social Media Marketing Important FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

14. Definition & Importance of Social Media Marketing • The basic definition of Social Media refers to interaction among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. • If we are talking about using social media to market our barbecue products or restaurant I would define Social Media marketing as the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites. In addition, Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. • Social media marketing has become extremely important and a valuable aspect of a solid marketing plan for small to large businesses. • By implementing effective strategies Social Media will and CAN have a positive impact on your BBQ business!

15. Why is Social Marketing Important? • “…the greatest value of social media marketing is your ability to foster and engage with a community of other people… With social media you have the opportunity to interact with customers from all over the world—including those who are right down the street... If a current or prospective customer has something to say to you or about you, you now have the ability to respond immediately. In addition…brands and businesses can begin to build relationships with their customers beyond those that happen during normal transactions. These relationships are what keep customers coming back, increasing both loyalty and retention. If those customers become advocates and increase your word-of-mouth presence, you'll start seeing amazing returns.” Source: The Value of Social Media, "Beginners Guide to Social Media," MOZ.com

16. My Thoughts on Social Media Marketing • Building lasting connections with my readers, key influencers, potential partners with an emphasis on quality and longevity • Adding value to my community by creating engaging and useful focus to better build my brand and become an expert in the field • Giving my website/brand a personality and presence and having my followers feel that they are apart of the Grilling with Rich “Family.”

17. Creating a social media strategy

18. Things to do before taking the leap into a social media marketing strategy • Survey key participants and find the answers to this important question: “Why should we engage and create a social media marketing strategy.” • Figure out what resources you have and don’t have to implement your strategy. That includes man power and $$$ • Set reasonable and achievable goals, knowing that they are going to change as your community grows.

19. The POST Method: A systematic four- step approach to social strategy PPeople Asses your customers’ social activities OObjectives Decide what you want to accomplish SStrategy Plan for how relationships with customers will change TTechnology Decide which social technologies [and networks] to use Source: http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2007/12/the-post-method.html

20. The Hierarchy Of Social Community Interactions Source: Social Media Today: http://socialmediatoday.com/angela-hausman/325783/social-media-hierarchy-effects-and-roi

21. Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA Marketing BELIEFS? A: THERE IS NO WRONG ANSWER AND IT WILL VARY FROM PERSON TO PERSON

22. The SECRET SAUCE!!!

23. #1 Focus when creating a social media marketing strategy Quality v. Quantity: This isn’t a numbers game, your goal isn’t to get the most likes, shares, and comments. A successful social media marketing strategy should be about targeting and CONVERTING the right people, not the most people with your barbecue product which they will LOVE!!

24. Remember… Social media marketing is about conversations and connections!!

25. Types of Social Media Networks & the uniqueness of each network

26. Facebook Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.

27. Stats & Demographics Source: The Value of Social Media, "Beginners Guide to Social Media," MOZ.com

28. Facebook Important for Businesses? • 42% of marketers report that Facebook is critical or important to their business. • Facebook is a crowded marketplace, but you can’t afford to sit it out, because odds are fairly high that your competition is there. The key is to use Facebook marketing correctly and make sure that your efforts stand out from the crowd. • (Source: State of Inbound Marketing 2012)

29. WAYS TO INCREASE FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENT

30. Images

31. Question Posts

32. Contest Posts

33. Timing of a Facebook post

34. How do you measure success on your Facebook page?

35. Facebook Insights for Facebook Pages

40. 8 Keys to Facebook Success Set Community Expectations Provide Cohesive Branding Be up to Date Live and Authentic Participate in Dialog Enable Peer-To-Peer Interactions Foster Advocacy Solicit A Call to Action Source: The 8 Success Criteria for Facebook Page Marketing Altimeter Group July 27, 2010

41. Quality v. Quantity • While frequency is important so is quality. You should never post more than 1x per day if you can’t provide any VAULE to your followers. • Nobody likes a spammer and less quantity with higher quality is better than high quantity with lower quality. Source: http://www.meltwater.com/social-media-blog/how-often-should-you-post-on-facebook/

42. Twitter Founded in 2006, Twitter's 140-character bite-size updates have transformed the world's access to real-time information. Its simple interface allows for sharing anything from breaking news to sports, to great content, to worldwide politics.

43. Stats & Demographics Source: The Value of Social Media, "Beginners Guide to Social Media," MOZ.com

44. Stats & Demographics Source: The Value of Social Media, "Beginners Guide to Social Media," MOZ.com

45. Why is Twitter Important for Businesses? • 42% learn about products and services via Twitter. • 35% of marketers have generated a customer via Twitter and offline sales increased by 29% when using a promoted tweet. • 67% of Twitter users are far more likely to buy from the brands they follow on Twitter.

46. Photos

48. What does a PERFECT TWEET look like? • Content is KEY • Room for Retweets • Go easy on the Hashtags • Tweet with Images • Follow basic rules of grammar • Use a standard format Source: http://blog.intuit.com/marketing/10-rules-for-crafting-the-perfect-tweet/#ixzz2srict8az

49. 5 Best Practices to Humanize your Twitter Brand • Know and Understand Your Audience: Ask yourself these questions: Who are your prospects, and what are their primary concerns? • Perform Content Curation: Find unique yet RELEVENT , high quality content to share with your Twitter audience. • Practice the Virtue of Listening: You need to listen more than you talk on Twitter. Pay attention to relevant and industry related hashtags. • Join or Host a Twitter Chat: Twitter chats are a GREAT way to make new connections, increase your brand awareness. • BE YOURSELF!!: Let your personality shine through in a good way. Don’t simply copy your competitors. http://socialmediatoday.com/monica-romeri/2136081/5-twitter-best-practices-humanize-your-brand

50. Strategies and tactics for success • Branding and voice: Your success on Twitter depends on your specific goals, but there are some universally applicable strategies that can start you off on the right track. • Responsiveness: Due to the condensed format and quick pace of Twitter it's essential to respond to your community as swiftly as possible. • Measurement: The beauty of Twitter is that data is plentiful; the tricky part is setting up those measurement frameworks and dashboards so that they align as closely as possible with your business objectives and goals. Source: Moz.comBeginners Guide to Social Media: http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/twitter