Responsible Relationships and You: What you need to know about Facebook Etiquette. Watch and learn.
What to do if you’re “just not into social media”
September 30, 2010 By 5 Comments
Editor’s Note: I’m glad that I’m into social media. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met today’s guest blogger Antonia Harler, known as @antwizzel on Twitter. This topic is particularly relevant to me … a friend was asking me this very question last week. My comments follow. And here’s Antonia … take it away, antwizzel!
Let’s face it. Not everyone is born a natural communicator and not everyone is passionate about social media.
So if social media is not a fad (doesn’t seem to be) and it’s something businesses need to pay attention to, what do you do if you’re “just not into social media”?
Your social media effort is going to be successful only if you are truly devoted to it. Which is a bit circular. How can you devote yourself to something you don’t like and aren’t convinced is going to help you?
Generally when I’m asked, “What do I do if I’m not passionate about something?” my answer is “Don’t do it.” Life is too short to waste your time on something you aren’t passionate about.
But we are talking about business – and business isn’t always hearts and roses. Sometimes we need to do things we aren’t passionate about in order to succeed.
This post isn’t about the “why” but much more about the “how.” This post isn’t about strategy or what you need to do for it to work. It’s about how you are going to find your inner social media buddy.
Start with a self assessment.
How social are you in your private life? Parties all the time? Every once in a while? Or do you simply enjoy being by yourself and not face people? Trust me, you’ll find all types on the social web. There are the social media fanatics, the semi-regular users and the ones that sign up because they feel they have to and never use their account.
The social web isn’t the complete opposite of real life. It’s important for you to understand that the social web is an online reflection of your real life.
Try to find the fun in it.
Are you tweeting for your business and think it needs to be entirely about your business endeavors in order to succeed? Stop that train of thought right there. It is not. In fact, it’s the complete opposite.
Do you read a lot on the Internet? Almost every site now has a Tweet or Facebook Share button. Joe has them here on this post. Like my article? It’s one click … share it! If you find it interesting, chances are others will too. That in turn will be the start of great relationships with your fellow Tweeters and Facebookers, which might get you new clients.
The majority of content shared on the social web is interesting or fun. We all need a good laugh from time to time.
Interact. Be social.
I’m well aware that we aren’t all programmed that way. And no one says you need to be present for hours every day of the week. You don’t.
Find a schedule that’s right for you and stick to it. If you tweet twice a day but they are awesome tweets, tweet twice a day. If you blog once a week but its mind-blowing content, blog once a week.
The most important thing is that you have fun with it and that you stay consistent. Consistency is key. People will get used to what you are doing on the social web. Don’t let them down. It can backfire faster than you can tweet.
But what if, for the life of you, you still aren’t enjoying social media?
Visit Antonia on Twitter @antwizzel
That’s one question that’s easy to answer. Don’t do it.
Find someone in your business who is as passionate as you are about your company and products but also enjoys social media and is convinced that it’s an outlet that will help your cause. There’s nothing worse than someone doing something they absolutely hate. It’s a recipe for disaster. You’ll be miserable and your business won’t be represented well.
If you don’t have the luxury of employing someone that is going to do it for you, you need to ask yourself the question if social media is a must for you. It’s not for everyone.
If there are other ways you can promote your business and kick ass at them it’s probably better for you to choose that path. Kicking some serious butt is what you want and need to do. It doesn’t matter how you do it as long as you do it.
Antonia Harler (@antwizzel on Twitter) wrote her thesis on Twitter for Relationship Marketing. She tells me Austrians (where she’s from) don’t use social media as much as people in the states so she built her work up from scratch (and keeps crazy hours to be online while her American counterparts are). She’s looking for social media marketing opportunities in the UK and, in the meanwhile, encourages you to engage her on a consulting basis. Visit her blog www.socialglitz.com and join her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/socialglitz.
Photo credit: Sugarock99
Best of Web: 5 Top Reads for Bloggers
September 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Ever belong to a book club? No, me neither. But here we can virtually read the same content and discuss it.
That’s what “Best of Web” is all about: A compilation of content worth reading and discussing. If one or more of these articles prove helpful for you, c’mon back and leave a comment. You can click here to subscribe for more posts like this one.
1. In Five Ways to Comply with the New FTC Guidelines for Bloggers, Michael Hyatt shares some boilerplate copy you can use when you have a financial interest in your subject matter.
2. In Blog Eat Blog, Tia Peterson provides simple strategies to successfully blog in a crowded niche. (Requires free subscription for download.)
3. In Keyword Research for Bloggers, Copyblogger assembles a five-part lesson for keyword research and optimization. Click if you have time; it’s not a light read.
4. On Jason Fladlein‘s blog, you can click on any of the products (lists on the right navigation) and learn how to make an expert “squeeze page,” also known as a sales letter. His style might seem huckster-ish to you but it works … he makes A LOT of money online.
5. Chris Pirillo celebrates his 8,000th blog post with 50 YouTube (and Online Video) Tips and Tricks. He invested a lot of time compiling it because he wanted to prepare something really special for readers.
So there you are. 5 posts to read, then come back here and leave a comment so we can discuss.
Can you answer these Facebook questions?
September 24, 2010 By 11 Comments
Usually I write posts that give YOU advice. Today I’m the one who needs help.
Perhaps this post, as an open letter, to readers will generate comments, conversation, and help others who have similar questions to mine.
Background
I’ll talk about myself in the third person to keep the questions clear.
Joe Hage, the Director of Marketing Communications for Cardiac Science, set up a Cardiac Science page on Facebook and is presently the only Administrator. Cardiac Science now has 650+ fans.
Questions
1. Joe Hage uploaded a photo gallery. It features Cardiac Science at the Boy Scouts’ Jamboree. Joe Hage was able to tag only people with whom Joe Hage is friends. Joe was not able to figure out how to tag the Boy Scouts of America, a page Joe Hage personally likes (since Cardiac Science can’t “like” anyone, right?).
Is there a way for Cardiac Science (or Joe Hage) to tag the Boy Scouts photographs in the Cardiac Science gallery?
2. Cardiac Science has a Sept 9 event called “Protect Your Employees.” As admin, Joe wants to send an invitation to all FB fans who like the Cardiac Science page. Joe Hage is not friends with 98 percent of them. Is there a way for Cardiac Science to invite them to the event?
3. Every time Joe Hage is on the Cardiac Science page and leaves a comment, it shows up as Cardiac Science leaving a comment. This is usually what Joe wants to do, but every once in a while, he would like to leave a comment as Joe Hage. Is this possible?
4. If Joe were to set up the page all over again, would there have been a “proper way” to do it so the three questions above would have “solved themselves”? Is there something Joe can do now to “de-couple” Joe Hage from Cardiac Science. Perhaps there is a way for Joe to sign in as Joe Hage OR sign in as Cardiac Science? If this were the case, maybe “Cardiac Science” could invite fans who like the page to an event and could tag “likers” in photos?
5. Is there a way that Cardiac Science can leave a comment on someone else’s page? When I try, it shows up as a Joe Hage comment.
Your turn
Thanks in advance to you Facebook experts for the help. Link to your sites so readers can learn more about you.
Joe
HTML code to open an email window with subject + body copy
September 16, 2010 By 10 Comments
Click on this link to see what the code below can do for you. Add it to your posts when you want email responses. Enjoy this little find.
<a href=”mailto:joe%40joehageonline%2ecom?subject=Thanks for the HTML code&body=Dearest Joe Hage post reader, %0A%0AJust hit SEND to let me know you stopped by and found this useful.%0A%0AAdd a personal note below if you like.%0A%0AThanks!%0A%0AJoe Hage”> this link </a>
Of course, just change the words “this link” to whatever you want the hyperlink to say. “This link” could also be an image.
Book Review: Shannon Evans’ “Making Tweets Work for your Business” [sponsored]
September 12, 2010 By 4 Comments
You probably know I’m a big Shannon Evans fan. Her guest post, Local Search Secrets Exposed (also the name of her book) is one of our most commented-upon. (If you haven’t read it, bookmark it for later.)
So when I got an advanced copy of “The Definitive Twitter Guide: Making Tweets Work for your Business,” I was all over it. [Note: I was given a free book for this review.] It was an easy and informative read. The early chapters are geared more toward newbies but I picked up a few pointers I didn’t know. Chapters 10 to 14 gave me lots of ideas.
Yea or Nay?
Shannon Evans
Yea. This book can help businesses who consider themselves “Twitter savvy,” and is a must-read for Twitter newbies looking to expand their social media footprint.
Without giving away ALL her helpful tips, I’m compelled to share a few that spoke to me. And I include helpful tips and questions for your and Shannon’s perspectives.
Best comment in the book
Perhaps the biggest argument for implementing Twitter is it is permission-based marketing to begin with, you are attracting and not chasing clients.
I’d go further: Replace the words “for implementing Twitter” with “for pursuing social media for your business.” These followers *want* to connect with you, they are reaching out, starting the conversation. It should be relatively easy for you to continue it!
Shannon kindly features one of my experiences in Chapter 12. Talk about a lay up!
How'd you like an interaction like this for your business?
Shannon quotes me, “The marketing of defibrillators and ECG medical devices may not be a high profile group on Twitter. The lesson is regardless of your business focus, there will be people who are ‘into it.’ They will follow you if you are active and you engage with them.”
Worth repeating
- On defining social media: “Social media is about empowerment at the individual level. Participants can read or not read, follow or “unfollow,” join or leave. It is all about individual choice. Social media is the way people naturally share ideas, content, thoughts, and relationships online.
- “What’s In It For Me?”: No one really cares about your company name or your brand/logo, they care about what you or your brand does for them!
- On fear: Many companies avoid having any presence on social media sites because they fear that they will lose control of their message. They fail to realize they already HAVE lost control … people are talking about their brand whether or not they choose to listen and participate.
- On integrating online and offline marketing: Every box of cookies that Barbara Reininger, owner of www.MyKidsCookies.com, ships includes a business card that says “Follow me on Twitter.” Barb sends out tweets every few days about what‟s baking, specials, community activities on Bainbridge Island, and fun things about cookies.
- On tin-eared broadcasting: Don’t be like @HiltonAnaheim was. Answer your customers. Interact. Don’t broadcast. Twitter isn’t for that.
Warren tried ...
... but got no response.
- On market insight: Twitter is a good place to post links to survey results and ultimately, guide followers to useful, pertinent information related to your goods, products, services, or niche.
- On press releases: Tweet your press release. You may reach an audience you’d otherwise miss.
- On landing pages: Important! If you tweet a special or promotion, Don’t link to your Homepage! Link to immediately relevant content.
Helpful Tips
- Don’t forget the power of a Twitter search (just like a Google one, but one on Twitter). You can interact with people talking right now about your brand or category.
-
Click to buy Shannon's book
Good one! I didn’t know this … Finding everyone in Seattle who has “marketing” in their bio: Go to Google advanced search; intext:”bio*marketing” intext:”location*Seattle”, then scroll to the bottom of the page and for the section “search within a site or domain”, add Twitter.com. (List-building tips on page 130.)
- Read pages 47-49 about keyword selection; 50-55 about Twitter backgrounds; 96 about directories to join.
- Excellent advice: If you are a dentist in Bellevue, WA why not snag the Twitter name “Bellevue Dentist.” Your profile will have your real name and URL, as well as a brief description that you provide, so there is nothing potentially stopping you from using the power of local search in your Twitter moniker.
- All of Chapter 10, “Manage and Measure with Third-Party Tools.”
And a few questions for you and Shannon
- Shannon, in Chapter 11, you say, “You can direct message them (DM) with specialized local messages to encourage more local Twitter account owners to follow you.” How can you do that? I thought you can only DM your followers. If so, how can you DM someone to follow you?
- I found this quote interesting, “Marketing Success is no longer measured by how far your reach is, but by how deep your network is … how deep is yours?” Shannon, maybe you’ll expound on this in the comments?
- Interesting perspective from @IASocialMedia‘s Mike O’Neil: “LinkedIn is a place for project updates and not status updates!” Not sure I agree completely. I think it’s ok to add a little color about yourself/interests. What do you think, readers?
- This next one is a point of discussion, company by company: “Social media has made it possible to put a face on a brand. No one wants to talk to a faceless entity. They want to talk to a real person and Twitter fortunately lets you put a name and a ‘voice’ to you and your brand.” In my experience, not every company is comfortable having a few prominent faces/spokespersons. What happens, after all, if that person leaves the organization? Your thoughts, readers?
Thanks for stopping by. If you found this review helpful or interesting, “Tweet,” “Like,” or join my growing readership.
