Social Strategies

Rule number one of Social Media: People first, tools second.

Ten Reasons To Be Thankful For Social Media

November 23rd, 2010 Posted in social media marketing, Twitter, YouTube
Nov, 23 2010
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1. Rekindling old friendships. I’ve loved reuniting with so many good friends from high school and college. Our high school is planning a reunion in 2011 that in all likelihood would have never happened without Facebook.

2. Help on just about any topic is a mere Facebook post or Tweet away. In fact, during the earthquake in Haiti, Twitter was a lifeline in getting the word out quickly about conditions and needs there to mobilize disaster response.

3. You can publish your knowledge, thoughts, life experiences, etc., by starting a Blog. Blogger and WordPress are great platforms to use. Many wonderful writers have been born in the Blogosphere.

4. Learning new skills. YouTube is a great avenue for that. My daughter’s rookie volleyball coach this year schooled herself on the rules of the game by watching YouTube videos. Guess what? Her team won the league championship.

5. Bridging the gap with loved ones living far away has never been easier, and it’s FREE! When you see them over the holidays, you’ll feel more a part of their everyday lives, because you have been. Very cool.

6. Your favorite businesses probably have a social media presence. Isn’t it nice to stay up to date on specials and happenings without having to go to a website?

7. You’ll get breaking news faster than ever before (CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC, are all on Twitter).  Sign up to receive one or two of your local station’s tweets on your mobile device – great for traffic updates in your area!

8. Parents, you can keep up with what your teens and their friends are doing.  I know moms who have nipped a couple of risky situations in the bud. And of course there’s the nice stuff, like when your teen will actually talk to you there. Don’t think teens should have a Facebook page? Check out my blog post on that topic.

9. Games and Quizzes: Well, maybe thankful is a bit strong, but hey, they’re fun to play! So you can be thankful to add a little more fun to your life, right?

10. Relationship building. Yes, you read that right. You can develop great online friendships that develop into real life friendships and time spent in person.

I’m thankful for Social Media for so many reasons, not the least of which are the friendships and  business relationships built online that have grown  into real life ones. These are people I work with, laugh with, cry with – that I would not have met otherwise.

I’d love to get your thoughts on this topic.  Here’s wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

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From Twitter Friends to Real Life Friends

November 19th, 2010 Posted in blogging, Social Media
Nov, 19 2010
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Recently, I had the great pleasure of meeting some Twitter friends here in Charleston for a Tweetup on Blogging. Some of us have personal blogs, some blog for business, some have both, and/or manage and write them professionally.

What’s a Tweetup? It’s a casual gathering or “meet-up” coordinated through Twitter.  A great tool I used to organize this one is Twtvite. What was great about this event is several of us “met” through Twitter and have been talking to each other there for weeks or months prior to meeting in person. It was great to spend time with these talented people who have so much to offer.  Here are the high points that came from our discussion:

  • WordPress is one of the best blogging platforms to use for so many reasons: Ease of use, search ranking performance, support and feedback from the people at WordPress, and the various themes and plug- ins available make it very user friendly, functional, and easy to personalize.
  • Ideally, you should Blog at least twice a week to keep your content fresh and boost your search rankings. One of our guests last night blogs daily, and has developed a loyal following. And with good reason – she’s funny, insightful, and engaging, and you really get to know her through her writings. This leads me to insight number three:
  • Whether for business or pleasure, what you write about has to really matter to you on some level. And, there has to be a bit of you in it. Even if it’s for business – yours, or a client whose Blog you maintain. A bit of your personality and know-how should permeate each post you write to make it interesting and conversational.
  • Jotting down ideas as they come to you is a great way to have topics to blog about, so keep a running list going.  Also, try to write more than one at a time if you can (you tend to get on a roll) or devote the same time weekly in your schedule to doing so. This increases the likelihood of doing it consistently.
  • Over time, you’ll find that writing each Blog post becomes easier and less time consuming, generally speaking. It took me about half an hour to write this post – a good average. As with anything, the more you practice, the more proficient you become.
  • Check to see if there are blogging groups in your area for advice and support. Here in Charleston, Lowcountry Bloggers is a great resource.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to these terrific people whose Blogs should be on your reading list: Andra Watkins, Laura Otero, Sarah Early, Brian Rogel, and Kelly Thiel. Visit their sites, and follow them on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.

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Does Your Business Still Need A Website?

November 8th, 2010 Posted in FaceBook, marketing, social media marketing
Nov, 08 2010
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(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Feburary 2010 as Guest Blog for Palmettbug Digital. It has been modified from its original form.)

If you spend any time on Facebook, doubtless you’ve noticed all the business pages that are springing up. I bet you already “like” several. Restaurants, retail establishments, hotels and numerous others find Facebook a great way to “reach out and touch someone” – currently, over 500 million someones! Given its many functions which allow you to add pictures, events, applications, etc., have we reached a point where your business no longer needs a Website if you have a Facebook page?

I bring this up because I’ve heard both veteran and new small business owners say they think company websites aren’t as important as they once were due to Facebook, and even that they are becoming obsolete! Surprising and even more disturbing is this claim being made by a few self-titled ‘Social Media Gurus.’ My opinion? Wrong on both counts. Websites are considered a necessity, and people expect your business to have one. Period. They’re designed to be an owner-controlled presentation of vital, detailed info about your company that can have multiple sections and pages. Often included also are forms of inbound and two way communication, such as email link, blogs, file transfer protocol, and direct purchase ability. In essence, websites are the primary hub from which your company’s information should flow. They’re your online announcement of ‘Here’s who we are, what we do, and how to reach us.’

Well, you might argue, isn’t that true of Facebook business pages, too? Yes, and there are elements common to both, such as branding considerations, the imparting of key information, and two way communication. The differences between the mediums, however, lie primarily in scope, tone and use. Facebook is all about relationship building through real time exchanges between you and others about your business – an ongoing conversation. Websites are more comprehensive in nature, generally. While Web 2.0 has ushered in more two way communication on websites, most still do not lend themselves as readily to engagement the way a Facebook page does. Regards tone, your website is your business’s formal attire, while Facebook fits nicely into the ‘Business Casual’ category. In today’s business climate, each presence has its own unique value in getting your message to its intended audience. Some ways that each can complement the other include using Facebook to facilitate inbound traffic to your Website, and vice versa, through icon and text links. Also important are considerations of SEO for your website, and Google search rankings and indexing for both, making it easier for customers to find you in the first place. Additionally, many employers block social sites, meaning people can’t access your social media presence while at work. Why, then, would you want this to be your only online presence?

Finally, and most importantly, is a website’s key role in the ownership/control issue of your online business identity. If Facebook is your only presence on the web, then you don’t own your identity – Facebook does. Would you be comfortable with someone else governing your only form of identity online? Of course not.

Did I leave anything out? We’d love to hear your ideas on this topic, as well as how you use each of these mediums to market your business.

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