Spring 2015 Business. Title: Social Media Marketing for Small Business Catalog Number: BUSN

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1 Spring 2015 Business Title: Social Media Marketing for Small Business Catalog Number: BUSN Credit Hours: 3 Instructor: Michelle Neujahr Course Meets: Tuesday Thursday Time: 3:00-4:15pm Location: Hague Hall Term: Spring 2015 Office Hours: Tues./Thur. 12:30 to 3:00 or by appt. Instructor Office: 114 Hague Hague mneujahr@smccme.edu Phone: office Course Description This course will explore the foundations and principles of social media marketing and its role in branding and growing a small business. The basic concepts of social media and small business marketing will be discussed. Social networking, bookmarking, blogging, marketing, video/photo sharing, location-based sites, guerilla marketing and more will be explored during the course. Course homework and projects will focus on using social media tactics to market a real-life small business. A social media marketing plan will be developed in theoretical exercises and practical plans for students intending to enter or grow a small business. Method of Learning Instructor lectures, in-class discussions, selected readings and student presentations. Course Objectives After successfully completing the course, the student will be able to: Analyze the appropriate social media tactics to apply to any small business Apply social media techniques to successfully market a small business Assess the return on investment for social media marketing activities Create a social media marketing plan for a small business Communicate marketing objectives using social media Demonstrate a basic understanding of social media activities Develop an understanding of how to build an online presence Execute a social media strategic plan for a small business Required Materials Safko, Lon. (2012). The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools & Strategies for Business Success. Third Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc: Hoboken, New Jersey. ISBN:

2 Grading 20% Social Media Marketing Plan 20% Oral Presentation 20% Attendance/Participation 40% Homework Assignments (8) Course Grade: = A = A = B = B = B = C = C = C = D = D = D = F Course Requirements Students must complete the following as minimal requirements: Regular attendance and class participation Complete all homework assignments on time and be ready to discuss in class Prepare and present an oral presentation Successfully complete a social media marketing plan Late Homework/Papers: Late papers will not be accepted and will receive a zero. Homework is to be turned in at the start of class the day it is due. If you are not going to be in class you can homework to mneujahr@smccme.edu prior to the start of class on the day it is due. Neatness Counts: All written assignments are to be typed neatly and prepared using MS Word. Classroom Behavior: Please do not engage in personal discussions during class lectures. Cell phones and computers must be turned off when entering the classroom. Participation: Each student is expected to come to class prepared to discuss the topic for the day and to contribute positively to the discussion and other class activity. Participation will be graded based on the quality of participation, ideas, insights, and learned outcome demonstrations, not just the quantity. End-of-Course Evaluation: Students complete evaluations for each course attended at SMCC. Evaluations are submitted online and can be accessed through the student portal site. Students can access the course evaluation report beginning one week before the end of classes. The deadline for submission of evaluations occurs Monday at 5 PM following the last day of the class. You will receive an to your student account when course evaluations are available. ADA Syllabus Statement: Southern Maine Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and employer. For more information, please call If you have a disabling condition and wish to request accommodations in order to have reasonable access to the programs and services offered by SMCC, you must register with the Disability Services Coordinator, Sandra Lynham, who can be reached at Further information about services for students with disabilities and the accommodation 2

3 process is available upon request at this number. Course policies about online testing are modified to suit each individual s accommodations. SMCC Pay-for-Print Policy Per Page Costs: Each semester students receive a $20 printing credit. The balance resets at the end of the semester and any remaining credits are removed. The cost varies depending upon page size and whether printing is done in black and white or color. There is a $0.10 per page fee for standard 8.5" by 11" black and white documents. The reverse sides of duplex (double-sided) documents are free. There is a $.50 per page fee for standard 8.5" by 11" color documents. There is a $.20 per page fee for 8.5" by 14" (legal) or 11" by 17" (tabloid) black and white documents. There is a $1.00 per page fee for 8.5" by 14" (legal) or 11" by 17" (tabloid) color documents. Duplex charges (printing on both sides of a page) work in the following fashion: One page is $0.10, two pages are $0.10, three pages are $0.20, and four pages are $0.20, etc. The flipsides are free, but another sheet of paper is $0.10. Please be aware that a document with any color at all (when printed to a color printer) will by default be printed in color. You are responsible for setting the print job to print black and white if you do not need color. For directions, please go to the IT Help tab in My SMCC. How does it work? The College s pay-for-print system monitors printing on all printers (including those in general access labs, library printers, the Academic Achievement Center, Noisy Lounge and technology labs). Students can check the number of pages they have printed by using the Printing Balance tool available on SMCC computers (located in the lower right corner of the screen, near the clock). Departments with work study students who need to print documents for the department should contact the Help Desk at to have a special account set up. Refunds: Print jobs are eligible for a refund in the event of mechanical or electronic error on the part of the printer, print server, or software used to submit the job. Jobs are not eligible for a refund in cases where the job was not set up correctly, was submitted multiple times, or the student is not satisfied with the result. To request a refund, please bring the offending print to the IT Department in the basement of the Ross Technology Center. Refunds will be granted in the form of a credit to the student s account. Why is SMCC charging for printing? The pay-for-print system is an effort to control escalating printing costs. Charging for printing helps offset the increasing cost of supplies and encourages students to conserve resources. To find ways to reduce your printing charges, please go to the IT Help tab on My SMCC. If you have questions about the pay-for-printing policy or your printing charges, please contact the Help Desk at or send an to helpdesk@smccme.edu. Be sure to log OUT of the system when you ve finished your printing, to prevent unauthorized access to your account. Add-Drop Policy: Students who drop a course during the one-week add/drop period in the fall and spring semesters and the first three days of summer sessions receive a 100% refund of the tuition and associated fees for that course. Please note any course that meets for less than 3

4 the traditional semester length, i.e., 15 weeks, has a pro-rated add/drop period. There is no refund for non-attendance. Withdrawal Policy: A student may withdraw from a course only during the semester in which s/he is registered for that course. The withdrawal period is the second through twelfth week of the fall and spring semesters and the second through ninth week of twelve-week summer courses. This period is pro-rated for shorter-length courses. To withdraw from a course, a student must complete and submit the appropriate course withdrawal form, available at the Enrollment Service Center (no phone calls, please). The designation W will appear on the transcript after a student has officially withdrawn. A course withdrawal is an uncompleted course and may adversely affect financial aid eligibility. Failure to attend or ceasing to attend class does not constitute withdrawal from the course. There is no refund associated with a withdrawal. Plagiarism Statement: Adherence to ethical academic standards is obligatory. Cheating is a serious offense, whether it consists of taking credit for work done by another person or doing work for which another person will receive credit. Taking and using the ideas or writings of another person without clearly and fully crediting the source is plagiarism and violates the academic code as well as the Student Code of Conduct. If it is suspected that a student in any course in which s/he is enrolled has knowingly committed such a violation, the faculty member should refer the matter to the College s Disciplinary Officer and appropriate action will be taken under the Student Code of Conduct. Sanctions may include suspension from the course and a failing grade in the course. Students have the right to appeal these actions to the Disciplinary Committee under the terms outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. WARNING - Attendance Policy Attendance will be taken daily. Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students. By direction of the VP and Dean of Academics Affairs, the following policies concerning attendance will be followed to the letter: If a student has not attended the first two classes, the student will be reported as a noshow WN and dropped from the class. If a student misses three or more consecutive absences from regular class meetings with no communication between student and instructor the student will receive a grade of AF (Administrative Failure). If a student misses more than 6 class meetings during the semester they will be receive a grade of AF (Administrative Failure). If a student is not able to attend, it is the responsibility of the student to talk with the instructor about the absence and missed course work. The student is responsible to make arrangements with a classmate to get lectures notes and/or collect course handouts, etc. NOTE: Being absent from any class does not relieve you of the responsibility of answering questions on examinations or tests. Routine absenteeism will be noted and will result in a severe overall final course grade reduction. Tardiness and Leaving Class Early Tardiness and leaving class early will be subject to daily point deduction and will impact your final course grade. 4

5 GRADING CRITERIA An A Assignment Submitted the date the assignment is due Clear argument, logical and coherent throughout Good use of evidence Variety of sentence structure Original thought Grammatically clean A B Assignment Submitted the date the assignment is due Paper has an argument, leaps in logic Fair use of evidence, though at times evidence is missing or used ineffectively Digressions No major grammar errors, some glimmers of thought A C Assignment Submitted the date the assignment is due No clear argument and no clear development of ideas Large, sentence level errors Repeated leaps in logic repetitive Poor use of evidence, takes refuge in clichéd ideas A D Assignment Submitted the date due the assignment is due or later A modicum of effort; weak, value, unclear, So flawed by poor grammar and logic that it is incompetent Otherwise exhibits a bad attitude, e.g., expresses racist or sexist views An F Assignment Submitted on the date the assignment is due or later Minimal effort, extremely weak, vague, unclear, lacks evidence of thought Flawed grammar and logic, e.g., misinterprets the assignment or contains half as many pages as assigned. 5

6 Course Assignments and Activities Outline Date Topic Assignments January 13 Class Overview Chapter 1 January 15 What is Social Media? HW 1 DUE, Chapter 2 & 23 January 20 Social Networking Chapter 3 & 24 January 22 Guest Speaker January 27 Publishing Chapter 4 & 5 January 29 SWOT Presentations HW 2 DUE February 3 & Web Pages Chapter 6, 7 & 8 February 5 Forums, Blogs & Wiki s HW 3 DUE, Chapter 9 & 25 February 10 Photo Sharing Chapter 10 & 26 February 12 Podcasting & Audio February 17 Present Podcasts HW #4 DUE, Chapter 12,13 & 27 February 19 Guest Speaker February 24 Vlogs & Video Chapter 14 & 28 February 26 Microblogging HW #5 DUE, Chapter 15 & 29 March 3 Livecasting Chapter 16 & 30 March 5 Virtual Worlds March 9-13 SPRING BREAK March 17 Guest Speaker Chapter 17 & 31 March 19 Gaming HW #6 DUE, Chapter 18, 32, 33 & 34 March 24 RSS Chapter 38 & 39 March 26 Analyze HW #7 DUE, Chapter 40 & 41 March 31 Guest Speaker April 2 Strategy & Resources Chapter 42 April 7 Implement & Measure HW #8 DUE April 9 Guest Speaker Chapter 19, 20 & 35 April 14 SEO Chapter 21 & 36 April 16 Mobile & Interpersonal Chapter 21 & 36 April 21 Guest Speaker April 23 Guest Speaker April 28 FINAL PRESENTATIONS SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN DUE April 30 FINAL PRESENTATIONS May 5 FINAL PRESENTATIONS May 7 FINAL PRESENTATIONS 6

7 Homework Assignments ***All homework assignments are worth 50 points Homework #1 Company Introduction Choose a company that you will work on for the entire semester. Write a short paper introducing the company. [Should be 3-5 pages] Include the following: What does the company do? Where are they located? How long have they been in business? Who are they key players? Who will be involved with the social media strategy? How are they unique? What do they offer that sets them apart from their competitors? What is their mission? What is their long-term vision? How do they earn revenue? Where are their sales currently coming from? What is their target market? Homework #2 Company Interview Using SWOT Analysis Complete a SWOT analysis for the company you have chosen. Interview someone at the company to find out this information needed for the SWOT. Be prepared to share in class. Homework #3 Listening Identify the things your company will need to listen to and the things they will need to listen for. Use the different social media tools to listen to what is being said online. Write a 4-5 page paper on what you found out about your industry, your company and its target market. Take the time to do the research. Include the following: Industry How are they represented on social media? Who are the key contributors? Competitors What are they using social media for? What seems to be working for them with social media? What could they improve on? Identify where you may fit. Are their themes with content? What conversations seem to get the most interest? What value are they brining to their followers? Is their following large, small, involved or silent? Target Market What are they saying? Who are they following? What are they most interested in? Based on what you are hearing, decide how you can contribute and add this into your recommendations. Homework #4 Blogs Set up a Blog and add three unique posts that could be used for your company. link to mneujahr@smccme.edu or post it on the Facebook page. 7

8 Homework #5 Initial Recommendations Based on what you have learned in class, in the book and from research about your company to date, how do you think your company could use social media to better market their business? Write a detailed initial recommendation. Include specific goals and objectives, identify the tools they should use and a vision for the future of their campaigns. Why are you going to use social media or grow your presence? Be specific. The more specific you are the easier it will be to monitor your progress and ROI. Increase sales, build brand presences, increase awareness, increase traffic top website, inform or strengthen relationships? What types of content will you publish? What key conversations do you want to have with your followers? How will you connect with and how will you engage with them? What connections do you need to make with other individuals and organizations to help expand your online presence? What tools and platforms will you use? What are your specific goals? Use SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant, and Timely Be specific with numbers For example: We want to increase our web traffic to 10,000 hits per month How will you know its working? ROI: return on investment Monitoring Homework #6 Publishing Calendar Create a publishing calendar for your company for the next year. Include as much detail as possible. Homework #7 Podcast Create a 3-5 minute podcast for your company. Homework #8 Create Your Own Assignment Ideas for this homework assignment must be submitted to the instructor seven days prior to when the assignment is due. 8

9 Social Media Marketing Plan Assignment Your social media marketing plan is due on April 28th. Late papers will not be accepted. This assignment is worth 200 points and must include the items described below. The breakdown of points is outlined below. Description of the company 25 points SWOT analysis highlights 25 points Recommendations 50 points Goals and objectives 25 points Identification of tools and platforms 25 points Publishing calendar 25 points Measurement and implementation suggestions 25 points Social Media Marketing Final Presentation Dates for final presentations: April 28 & 30, May 5 & 7. [You MUST be present at EVERY session to receive full credit] The final presentation is worth 200 points. Presentation to include: Full overview of your social media marketing plan. Your presentaion should be a marketing presentation. Your goal is to make us understand what your business does, what they are currently doing for marketing, what you learned from listening to the industry, your marketing recommendations and how you will measure success. Sell us on your recommendations get the class excited and interested in what you want to accomplish with the company. Use the grading criteria below to make sure you include all parts of this assignment. Be creative. Make your presentation visually engaging. Be between 4 and 6 minutes. Your presentation must be a minimum of 4 minutes to receive full credit. Grading Criteria for Final Presentation: Content 100 points Overview of company. SWOT analysis. Company s current marketing strategies. Learning from listening exercise. Detailed social media plan recommendations for what company should do and why they should do it. Goals. Presentation Creative, professionalism, well planned, interesting, 4-6 minutes Technology Effective use, engaging, 50 points 50 points 9