{"id":2712,"date":"2012-11-19T09:38:51","date_gmt":"2012-11-19T16:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.teachjim.com\/?p=2712"},"modified":"2012-11-19T09:38:51","modified_gmt":"2012-11-19T16:38:51","slug":"getting-social-media-to-work-in-your-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.teachjim.com\/index.php\/2012\/11\/19\/getting-social-media-to-work-in-your-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Social Media to Work in Your Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Putting Social Media to Work in Your Business” With Tim Haran Senior Manager of Social Media at USANA Health Sciences<\/h1>\n

Enjoy this episode of The Teach Jim Show (http:\/\/theteachjimshow.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n

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Tim helped launch USANA\u2019s social media department in 2008 and now manages the award-winning What\u2019s Up, USANA? blog, as well as the company\u2019s Facebook pages &Twitter streams\u00a0\u2014 which include more than 100,000 fans & followers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Haran<\/span>\"Tim<\/a><\/p>\n

USANA social media has either won or been named a finalist for nearly 20 awards. Tim was named PR News Blogger of the Year & Digital Communicator of the Year in 2010.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are my notes. \u00a0Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Activity<\/h1>\n

The heart of how to use social media in business building is ongoing consistent activity. Look at what USANA is doing to keep their message fresh and congruent with the needs of their audience.<\/p>\n

Good Content for Audiences<\/h2>\n

Guiding principles drive much of what USANA is doing to grow their business. Notice the key underlying principle is what is good for my target audience. USANA has several key audiences and must balance thir messages with the needs of customers, associates and share holders.\u00a0 Their focus on lifestyle and personalizing their brand has helped to make their social media precense amplify their brand.<\/p>\n

Personalizing their Brand<\/h2>\n

Real people and real interactions makes for authentic communications and a very believable story. The USANA story is all about people and their socail media interaciton make connections to real life experiences.<\/p>\n

Frequency<\/h2>\n

Consisent actions make the momentum of any social media effort work.\u00a0 USANA grew into the level of activity they now maintain. Initially it was once a week. This is a pretty good idea for all of us using social media. Consistant efforts make it doable. As social media really does become a part of your business you can ramp up the frequency of posts and interacitons.<\/p>\n

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  1. Daily Blog Post<\/li>\n
  2. Several Facebook update<\/li>\n
  3. Regular Twitter Interactions<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Fervancy<\/h2>\n

    The underlying principles driving USANA’s online activities determine how intently they share their products and services with their audience. \u00a0Always being driven by the value they add to the lives of their audience dictates a lot of the content they share online. Lifestyle and real needs of their audience determine the tone and flavor of the content they provide and the interactions that follow.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Responsive<\/li>\n
    2. Value contribution<\/li>\n
    3. Livestyle and personality<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Blog<\/h2>\n

      The What’s Up USANA blog is the cornerstone of their social media strategy. Many of their online interactions grow out of content on their blog. They now make at least one post a day. Each post prompts Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other status updates. Reactions to the topic and discussions engaging their audience grow from these posts.<\/p>\n

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      1. Consistant<\/li>\n
      2. Series<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Coordination<\/h2>\n

        The entire social media effort at USANA is a coordinated effort. There is the compliance department and the marketing department that provide guidance and direction to the day to day interactions. A publishing calender connects the efforts of different authors and the topics and series they will be delivering. Marketing events also feeds into the communication mix. Because all efforts are coordinated and guided by sound principles the whole thing works. Hats off to Tim Haran and the USANA team.<\/p>\n