“I work in digital media publishing, yet I’ve struggled, like most of the business world, to understand how to make social media work for me. Sarah-Jayne and Dean tackled the challenge with an energy that has to be seen to be believed. These two are now my #1 source of information and have provided simple and effective strategies that have helped me to monetize social media.” —Vince Holton, Publisher, Incisor.TV   “A fantastic, timely, and enjoyable book with serious appeal. Great work from beginning to end. I can’t recommend it enough.” —2morrowKnight, Huffington Post   “Zero to 100,000: Social Media Tips and Tricks for Small Businesses makes it so easy to understand the way to successfully take your business into the ‘real world’ of social media! It both entertained and educated me. I would recommend this book to my friends, business associates, and to educational institutions. Brilliantly done!” —Debra Cincioni, @MomsofAmerica on Twitter   “From building a bigger presence for yourself or your business, this book gets you in on the ground floor, lays the foundation, and helps you get a jump start on becoming a social media success. And the advice is real, not just from Sarah-Jayne and Dean, who are awesome, but from several other success stories they explain in the book. In a word, this book is useful.” —Jason Falls, CEO of Social Media Explorer and author of No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing   “Leveraging social media is vital for businesses of all sizes, but it is a quirky and nuanced world where getting it wrong can have disastrous consequences. @GrattonGirl is one of the people I see in the social space who really understands the art of communicating with her audience. If you want to know how to connect with the crowd effectively through social media, I can think of no one better to hold your hand on that journey than Sarah-Jayne and Dean Gratton.” —Kate Russell, Technology Reporter, BBC Website and App Reviewer   YOUR COMPLETE PLAN FOR FINDING 100,000 NEW FRIENDS, SUPPORTERS, AND CUSTOMERS!   Close your eyes. Now, envision 100,000 people who are passionate about you, your business, and your brand! We’re talking about people who buy your stuff, and then tell their friends how incredibly great you are—without being paid to do it. People who follow your every move, look to you for guidance, and can’t wait to hear what you’re up to next.   Your 100,000 people. Your two football stadiums full of cheering fans. They’re out there, looking for you. Here’s your easy, low-cost social media plan for finding them…connecting with them…giving them what they want—so they can make you stunningly, incredibly successful!   10 STEPS TO YOUR 100,000 (with all the details, examples, and expert advice you’ll ever need) 1. Listen first, engage second 2. Craft your most authentic voice 3. Find and attract influencers 4. Don’t be a narcissist (you know what we mean) 5. Build community that lasts 6. Freshen up your brand 7. Become an electrifying “social conductor” 8. Promote across platforms 9. Be the fittest, be the survivor 10. Measure your (ever-growing) success

Table of Contents:
About the Authors     xvii Acknowledgements     xix Before You Begin     xx What You Will Find In This Book     xxii   Part I: You’re Anything but Small     1   Chapter 1: Welcome to the Big Wide Social Media Stage     3 A Shift in Worlds That Works for You     4 It All Starts with Personality     4 A Sneak Peek at What’s to Come     4 The Whole Social Media World’s a Stage     8   Chapter 2: The Changing Social Landscape of Communication      9 Now for the Science Part     10 The Zuckerberg Revolution: Communication 2.0     11 Put Away the Megaphone and Put On Your Thinking Cap     12 There’s No One Size Fits All in Social Media     12 From Scattered to Unified Customer Bases     13 The Power of Listening     14   Part II: Social Media Networking Basics     17   Chapter 3: Twitter: 140 Characters to Success     19 A Little History     20 Getting Started: Creating a Great Twitter Account     20 Customizing Your Twitter Profile     25   Chapter 4: Facebook Pages: The Public Face of Your Brand     29 A Little History     30 Show Me the Money     30 A Constant Flow of New Features     30 Why a Page and Not a Profile?     30 Creating Your Facebook Page     31 Using Discussions     36   Chapter 5: LinkedIn: Adding Your Link to the Chain of Success     37 A Little History     38 What’s It All About?     38 LinkedIn Answers and Groups     39 Getting Started on LinkedIn     39 To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade     42   Chapter 6: YouTube: Your Brand Channel     43 A Little History     44 It’s Big     44 Getting Started     45 Customizing Your Channel     47 Your First YouTube Video     52 Basic Rules for YouTube Success     53 Customizing Your Display of Videos and Playlists     54   Chapter 7: Foursquare: Putting Your Brand on the Map     55 A Little History     56 What Makes Foursquare Different?      56 Getting Started with Foursquare     56 How to Get the Best Out of Foursquare      59   Chapter 8: Blogging Your Way to Business Success     63 In Blogging We Trust     64 Using Your Head and Your Resources     65 Moving Forward     68 Sourcing and Building Great and Original Content     73   Chapter 9: The Secrets to a Successful Blog     75 Be a Font of Knowledge     76 Remember It’s a Two-way Street     76 Keep Consumer Problems in Mind     76 Keep Them Wanting More     76 Make Headlines     77 A Picture Paints a Thousand Words     77 Reinvention Is the Key to Longevity     77 How to Presell Your Blog Content     78 Value-Added Blogging Tools     81 Embedding a YouTube Video into Your Blog     88   Part III: The 10-Step Method to Building a Fast and Effective Online Presence     91   Chapter 10: Step 1: Listen First, Engage Second     93 Monologue Versus Interactive Communication     94 Learning How to Listen     95 Organizing Your Findings for Maximum Benefit     100   Chapter 11: Step 2: Understand and Build Your Social Media Voice     101 Understanding Share of Voice and Sentiment     102 Calculating and Monitoring     102 Building Awareness     104 Signs of Engagement     104 Find Your Brand Evangelists     105 Spotting and Optimizing Trends     106 Brand Versus Social Voice: Making Them One and the Same     106   Chapter 12: Step 3: It’s Who You Know—Finding and Attracting the Influencers     109 All That Glitters Isn’t Gold     110 What Makes an Influencer?     111 Key Factors to Help You Identify Influencers Important to You     112 A Valuable Audience Awaits     115 Attracting Engagement for Long-Term Social Media Success     116   Chapter 13: Step 4: Don’t Get Too Big for Your Social Media Boots!     117 Dealing with Social Media Narcissists     120   Chapter 14: Step 5: Instilling a Sense of Community     121 Content Curation     123 Your Online Focus Group     123 Discovering the Nerve Center of Your Community     124 Let It Develop Its Own Personality     125   Chapter 15: Step 6: Do You Need a Brand Makeover?     127 Why Change Is Necessary     128 Embracing Change in Social Media     129 Keeping It Fresh     129 Be the Change You Wish to See     132   Chapter 16: Step 7: Become a Social Conductor     133 So, What Is a Social Conductor, Exactly?     134 How to Conduct Your Social Media Traffic     134 The Five Elements That Make a Great Social Conductor     136 Campaigning for Votes     138 Employ an Influencer     139 How Long Will the Traffic Last?     139   Chapter 17: Step 8: Introducing Cross Platform Promotion     141 A Synergetic Way of Thinking     142 Start with Your Strategy     142 Advertise Without Advertising     143 Time-Saving CPP Tools     144 Planning a CPP Schedule for Success     145 Using CPP to Create a Response Buzz     145   Chapter 18: Step 9: Social Media Darwinism—Survival of the Fittest     147 Shifting Customer Service into Social Media     148 Offering Cross Platform Choice     149 Maintaining Online Ethics     150 Utilizing Social Media Metrics     151 Adapting and Evolving     151   Chapter 19: Step 10: Knowing You’ve Made It and Measuring Your Success     153 How to Get a High-Definition Picture of Your Success to Date     155 Track Audience Duration and Discover Their Preferences     155 And We Made It     159   Part IV: AN EXPERT IN YOUR POCKET     161   Chapter 20: Jeff Bullas     163 About Jeff Bullas     164 Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     164 Jeff ’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     168   Chapter 21: Lori McNee     169 About Lori McNee     170 Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     171 Lori’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     174   Chapter 22: Paul Steele     175 About Paul Steele     176 Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     177 Paul’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     179   Chapter 23: Jessica Northey     181 About Jessica Northey     182 Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     183 Jessica’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     186   Chapter 24: Danny Devriendt     189 About Danny Devriendt     190 Expert Answers to Key Social Media Questions     191 Danny’s Top Tips for Social Media Success     194   Index     195