Ready to Start Social Media – But “Where”?

By on June 4, 2012 in Blog Coach, Social Media with 2 Comments

Mapping Social MediaOpinions vary. When it comes to “where” to start, 7 of 10 experts often disagree. Ask a handful of people and you’re likely to get a different answer from each one.

“Start with a blog.  It’s the only social media you truly own.”

“No, no. Start with Facebook. Everybody is already there and the barrier to entry is minimal.”

“Why not Twitter. It doesn’t take as much time and you can easily schedule your ‘tweets’.”

“For business, LinkedIn is the best combination of social networking and social platform – and it’s professional.”

“Be everywhere.”

“Pick just one place and crush it.”

The truth might be – a bit of each? Using Social Media for your business is not like cooking a cake from a box. There is no “just add water” because every business is different: different audience; different purpose; different degrees of measuring success.

I’ve always been (and probably always will be) one that thinks a blog is your first step. It’s the hub around which all your other tactics reach out from and your visitors come in. It can be a foundation for better findability.

Still, a blog does take some time to get a library of posts and readers. I used to suggest focusing on a blog for several weeks before entering into the Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn (and now Pinterest) mess mass.

So here’s a thought on the “Where” to begin:

  1. Start with a blog and one other “network”
  2. Slowly work on the blog as you organically build audience on your chosen network (a few at a time, never “buying” followers)
  3. Use the 70-20-10 guideline in posting
  4. Keep going

So which other “network” is going to work for you? Well, we come back into the “it depends” mode (and a great reason to set up a Craft and Follow session), but here are some thoughts:

  • If you’re a local business serving local customers (residents or tourists), Facebook
  • If you’re a business reaching a national or global audience and have a niche market, Twitter
  • If you’re predominantly a Business-to-Business type or serving professionals, LinkedIn
  • If your business is or can be best presented visually (arts, food, travel, pets, real estate), Pinterest

And while these thoughts might help get your started, save some room for Google (Google Plus, YouTube, Maps, Apps, Places, etc)

If you’ve determined your “why” first, it will be a lot easier knowing “where” to start.

If you need a hand (or an ear) figuring this stuff out, I’d be happy to assist.

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Your “Why” Should Come First

By on June 1, 2012 in Blog Coach, Social Media with 5 Comments

I dunno whySocial Media can be a wrestling match for many small business owners.

It seems like it should be so easy, right?  Then once you start, you wonder why you ever started. Your niece can do this Facebook and Pinterest thing with ease. And your neighbor’s son is really popular on Twitter. So why not you?

No, it’s not a generational thing. Often it can be an attitudinal thing. In most cases though, it’s an operational thing.

Your niece and neighbor are probably doing things with a different purpose (recreational?) or practice (WWW = Whatever, Whenever, Wherever) than you as a business owner can (or want to) emulate.

While the Who, What, When, Where, and How are all important – Why should almost always come first.

Without knowing “why” you won’t have conviction to continue and every opinion about social media (and everybody has a few) will knock you off whatever path you chose in the first place.

Make social media mean something to your business.

Know your “Why” first.

Photo on Flickr by hlkljgk

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Rethinking Resource Sharing

By on May 26, 2012 in Social Media with 4 Comments

Crowding ResourcesWhile recently explaining Why and How I use Twitter, an idea struck me that I haven’t been able to get rid of: How can I Be the Resource and still maintain some ownership while also having quick access to the links I share.

Then two recent posts from Seth Godin stayed at me.

Ranking for signal to noise ratio, specifically this bit:

The clickthrough rates on tweets is getting closer and closer to zero. Not because there aren’t links worth clicking on, but because there’s so much junk you don’t have the attention or time to sort it all out.

This past week, I share a few fantastic resources I had share weeks before. The clicks and favorites and likes were as numerous – and sometimes higher – than when I previously shared them. The streams and lists on Twitter have become very crowded.

What are you leaving behind and this question:

All day long you’re emailing or tweeting or liking or meeting… and every once in a while, something tangible is produced. But is there a mark of your passage?

Maybe the example of swissmiss is a model to follow. Still be a great resource, yet continue to own the space you share from.

And you can still tweet about the resource, but maybe from your own space.

Still thinkin’ ….

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The Positive and Negative Sides of Social Networking [Guest Post]

By on May 25, 2012 in Social Media with 4 Comments

by Jessica Thompson of Directly.me

Social networking has become an integral part of our lives and we cannot resist staying away from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn etc. As the social networking sites grew enormously in popularity a huge number of small and big businesses, celebrities, nonprofit organizations and government departments have got engaged into activities on these portals.  The internet storm that originated as fun now plays vital role in influencing behaviors and decisions.

According to a recent survey, American people spend more than 22% of their time in using social networking websites. Although people find these websites essential for retaining ties but there are several negative effects that social networking can have on a society. Let’s look into the both sides!

The ease and simplicity of communication and the spontaneous way of understanding technology where it helps building better relationships with people, customers and business partners also let’s many unnecessary and non productive activities to run on the platform. Some people may call it fun, but excess of fun is also hazardous. It’s great to have people in your network who share interests and hobbies, but spending too much of time on useless conversations is never a good idea.

Many of the businesses are getting benefits from social networks to connect to their clients, costing nothing but time and energy, but at the same time, there’s a huge number of spammers exploiting the resources.

Directly.me

Every good thing if it’s used excessively turns out to have negative effects and so is the case with social networking. With several negativities that social networking can bring, there’s huge benefit for individuals as well as for businesses. Staying away from social networking sites may turn you socially backward, but sticking to the social networks only may outcast you from normal and a healthy life.

Staying moderate is a simple solution to all the problems and so the use of social networks needs moderation too. No social network is bad; it totally depends on how you use it, i.e. it’s up to you, whether you use it for wasting time or generating income. Knowing and using a social network for a specific purpose can help identifying your need and the best solution for it. Facebook is great to stay connected to friends and family, LinkedIn is best for hiring talent and professional networking, Directly.me is the best way to target an audience and make sure that they listen to you and Twitter can be used to instant feedback. Find out what exactly you want to do at a social network and you won’t waste time ever!

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Write with Your Reader in Mind: Earn Their Attention

By on May 22, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 4 Comments

“Content may rule, but your online content must be the right sort of content: Customer-focused. Authentic. Compelling. Entertaining. Surprising. Valuable. Interesting. In other words, you must earn the attention of people.”

Content Rules by Ann Handley & C.C. Chapman (emphasis mine)

You know that person who never ever stops talking about themselves? Or the one who always has something nice to say – right before they tell what their agenda really is? That’s probably not you.

When you and I are engaged in a conversation, there’s plenty of give-and-take. You’re a wonderfully empathetic listener offline. You share ideas that build my ideas into better ideas. You’re humble. You’re modest. I enjoy talking with you.

But when you write a blog post … it’s as if someone else has taken over your brain.

You write about you a lot. And how this idea or that plan will help your business. Dropping names and promoting specials is great now and then (70-20-10), but as your blog coach, let me share this tip:

Write with your Reader in Mind

Read from the other side of the computer for a minute and ask yourself three questions  (as the reader, not the writer):

  1. Would I finish reading this post?
  2. Would I share this post?
  3. What would I remember about this post?

Use the quote above from Content Rules as a guideline: Customer-focused. Authentic. Compelling. Entertaining. Surprising. Valuable. Interesting.

Write with your Reader in Mind. Earn Their Attention

How to Increase Your Tweet Appeal

By on May 18, 2012 in Social Media with 3 Comments

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR TWEET APPEAL

Evan Bailyn’s Top Five Tips to Increase Twitter Followers Instantly

Internet Entrepreneur and bestselling author Evan Bailyn keeps celebrities Tweettastic, making literally hundreds of thousands of people follow his celebrity clients – from soap opera queens to rock stars – with very simple tricks he uses every day.

Drive traffic to your website, increase visibility and revenue with Evan’s top five tweet tips!

1.       Make a move – Tweets are 140 characters for a reason – provide information that is direct and to the point. Your tweet is like a headline that grabs the reader’s attention and incites them to action. Make it clear what you want your followers to do (whether it’s sharing an article, re-tweeting to their networks, or visiting a website), but above all, make it appealing.

2.       Work your strengths – Become a resource by consistently focusing on one or two subjects. People will follow you because they learn from you. So if you are a baker, talk about butter, cream and cupcakes all day long — this is why your fans will tune in and, in time, share your expertise with others.

3.       Keep the conversation going – People come to social media sites to feel like they are a part of something, not to be promoted to.  For this reason, success on Twitter is not just about how many followers you have, but also with how engaged they are with what you have to say. Like all social media, Twitter is a two-way street – you want to ask thought-provoking questions to engage discussions, but you should also connect with others by taking part in discussions yourself.

4.       Choose your moment – Know when your followers are most active, and make sure you are tweeting then. The goal is to strike a balance between lively interaction and endless flood of tweets – too few makes it hard to maintain a discussion; too many will force your followers to choose between their time and you (time usually wins).

5.       Be yourself – Unless you’re a celebrity, most people don’t care what show you’re watching or how long the line at Starbucks is. They will care about is a unique perspective. Your tweets should be meaningful and relevant, not just empty status updates. Include links to articles or blog posts to give depth to your tweet, and invite comments to keep the conversation going. Ultimately, be genuine and thoughtful. Sincerity is attractive over any medium, even in 140-character doses.

About Evan

Evan Bailyn is an internet entrepreneur, bestselling author, and child advocate. He is primarily known as a search engine optimization expert, having used his ability to rank at the top of Google to build and sell five businesses, including one of the largest children’s websites online. His first book, Outsmarting Google, debuted to rave reviews in mid-2011. Its sequel, Outsmarting Social Media, comes out in early 2012.

Evan is the founder of The Evan Bailyn Foundation, which promotes emotional awareness in children. His Facebook page, which encourages people to be true to themselves, gained over 100,000 fans in a year, making it one of the most popular non-celebrity pages on Facebook.

Currently, he offers marketing services through his companies, First Page Sage and Good Media Co. Under his tutelage, clients have established the predominant websites in their industries, become New York Times bestselling authors, and grown multimillion dollar product lines. His voice can be found on the social media pages of celebrities worldwide.

Evan has been interviewed on ABC and Fox News and featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The International Business Times, and Crain’s. He is a frequent speaker, having keynoted numerous social media conferences, including Digital Hollywood and Social Media For Nonprofits.

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Should Your Lists be Bullets or Numbered?

By on May 16, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 2 Comments

originally posted on Dialing8

Lists in Your Content are Gifts to ReadersUsing lists in your content is a great way to gift readers by providing “eye rests” and making your content easier to read and share.

Is there a difference between using bullets or numbers? Yes.

Think of a numbered list as a step-by-step order and a bulleted list as unordered. In fact, these two types of lists are called “Ordered Lists” and “Unordered Lists”.

An unordered list might include things you would pick up at the grocery store:

  • Eggs
  • Green Onions
  • Bread
  • Bell Pepper
  • Orange Juice

An ordered list might be the instructions on cooking breakfast:

  1. Dice vegetables into bowl
  2. Wisk three eggs into a different bowl
  3. Sautee vegetables over medium heat
  4. While vegetables are cooking, begin toasting bread
  5. Pour a glass of orange juice
  6. Pour egg mix into pan over vegetables
  7. Flip eggs (if omelet  style) or scramble

In the second list, if I used an unordered list, we might’ve had cold toast, burnt eggs, and a salad for breakfast. So bullets are simply a list without specifically an order. An ordered list shows a list of items in order of priority.

I don’t know about you, but now I’m hungry.

Here’s a video by Tad on how to do lists in WordPress (with a bonus tutorial on blockquotes):

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Whistle Stops – 5/13/12

By on May 13, 2012 in Whistle Stops with 0 Comments

Whistlestops_39_3 Whistle Stops are conversations, eye-openers, or tools representing the brain train discovered while traveling along the Conversphere.  From business to education, life hacks to giving back, these are the posts and links that have in some way grabbed my attention this week!

I’ve been using the new Pocket app (formerly Read it Later) to save some must-read (later) articles. These were a few I saved this week.

Stepping Up

By on May 10, 2012 in Brain Stew with 0 Comments

Maybe it’s no longer about Catching Up or Keeping Up – but about Stepping Up. Are you Up for change?

more here

Second Question: “How do you want it cooked?”

By on May 9, 2012 in Marketing, Social Media with 1 Comment

Eggs Before CookingThe server comes to our table and asks my breakfast companion what he would like.

“Two Eggs, please,” he said.

Guess the next question. If the question doesn’t get asked, what will the resulting breakfast be? Even though there’s over a dozen ways to cook eggs, we know what success will look like and taste like before we crack shells.

Shouldn’t it be similar with social media?

“I’ll have a Facebook with a side of Pinterest,” he thinks.

There’s probably over a dozen ways to use Facebook and Pinterest together. What will success look like?

—

If you’re still looking at the social media menu not quite knowing what success will look like for you, an in-depth discovery session with a follow-up reports may be just what you need. Find out more about our Craft-and-Follow strategy calls.

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