Facebook, Networking, New Media, Professional Service, Restaurant & Food Service, Retail, Small Business, Small Business Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, Video and YouTube, Wholesale Products

A Case for Social Media in Small Business (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

No Comments 16 March 2010

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?

The most important thing to remember is that social media is still a media. Which means it is still a marketing TOOL – not an end to itself. However, in contrast to both traditional media and new media tools, such as web sites and e-mail, social media is used differently. By name and nature, it is SOCIAL which dictates a relationship. At the very least, this demands a TWO-SIDED conversation/interaction format.

More specifically, social media differs from traditional media in that anyone can create, comment and add to social media. Social media can take the form of text, audio, video, images and communities. Traditional media doesn’t let you PROVE how many visitors or engaged customers you really have (Yes, I know all about Neilson ratings and circulation numbers – How many of you really believe all of that?). Social media shows you REAL numbers for your audience – or at least a more “real” number than any other media that’s ever existed for small business marketing purposes. Social media also allows you to track and know information about your audience – not just know that they’re there.

WHO USES SOCIAL MEDIA & NEW MEDIA?

  1. Practically everyone uses Google and other search engines regularly, and the searches frequently return blog posts, YouTube videos or other social media content high in the search ranks. So even people who say they don’t use social media are actually consuming social media content without knowing it.
  2. 63% of consumers turn to the Internet FIRST to find a local business. (Yet a whopping 80% of business owners reported spending LESS THAN 10% of their marketing budget on web-based marketing.) – Source USA Today Snapshots, March 5, 2009 – cited Neilson Online/Web Visible survey of small business owners.
  3. When people who are NOT social media users ask their non-social media networks for advice (usually via e-mail or phone call), the answers come back include URLs to blog posts and other social media content.
  4. There are more than now 400 million active users of Facebook (up 150 million from one year ago). More use Facebook than any other existing media (including television). The fastest growing demographic are those 35 and older. More than 2/3 of the users are outside of college age. By nature of the beast, those users are also at least semi-educated, literate and computer literate – making them far more likely than average radio or television listeners to have a decent income.
  5. YouTube statistics – Recently, I got to inform a client that 74% of his target audience visited YouTube at least once every two weeks and often multiple times a day. They were shocked. They where even more surprised when I told them that a significant number of those visitors used YouTube on a daily basis to research products and services, view product demonstrations, and find information for work purposes. But, when I told them that visitors to YouTube actually based their buying decisions on what they saw on YouTube, well, they were shocked and couldn’t wait to hear more.
  6. On October 9, 2009, the third anniversary of the acquisition by Google, Chad Hurley announced in a blog posting that YouTube was serving “well over a billion views a day” worldwide. comScore had previously reported that the number was actually over 10 billion per month. In September 2009, and the average video viewer watched more than 10 hours of video during that month. That’s pretty significant.

Those are just a few reasons why social media is critical to your business. This doesn’t tell you how or when or how often to use social media. (Strategically is a good start – it’s not a waste of time play tool anymore! And it’s getting crowded, so you have to stand out in the crowd by doing it smartly.) But hopefully, if you’re a business owner or community leader trying to convince yourself or your fellow locally owned, independent small business owner friends and colleagues to network with you, promote your business and your community using social media tools, this will give you some ammunition to open some eyes during that conversation.

Facebook, New Media, Professional Service, Restaurant & Food Service, Retail, Social Media, Twitter, Video and YouTube, Wholesale Products

How Not to Use Social Media

No Comments 16 March 2010

Here are a few quick tips and reminders about how NOT to use social media (that is Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, YouTube and the like) when promoting your locally owned, independent small business. If you want to upset customers in your store – ignore them. The same goes for the web. Your customers REALLY don’t see a huge difference in the reality of the web and the brick and mortar… maybe you still do, but I promise – they don’t. So, use the web to leverage your time and your customer relationships. And by all means – don’t turn your back on anyone at the party. It’s not nice…

Here are some specific tips. Let me know what you think and add your own in the comments section!

Do NOT Use Social Media as…

  • An outlet for traditional media – For example, don’t post the graphic from your recent direct mail campaign blindly and expect that people will care.
  • An online billboard – Don’t constantly announce and scream promotions and push an offer or even a subtle marketing message towards your fans/followers exclusively. This is not a billboard for you to spit out information and no one to talk back to you.
  • A 100% free tool – While New Media TOOLS are often free to use, the time, strategy development, and even some elements of advanced use cost money. The point is that $100 goes a long way on New Media—web sites are cheaper and more social; strategy development is more straightforward; and the results are all but immediate. For FAR less investment, you can gain impressive and quick returns.
  • A magic wand – It’s not a “build it and they will come” sort of media any more than a web site is. You must promote your social media presence elsewhere and engage in its use strategically or your use of the tools will fail. It’s more about HOW you use it – just being “on” social media doesn’t mean you will improve your results.
  • A place to ignore other humans – Rude is no more popular or socially acceptable online than off. It’s still rude to ignore someone standing in the same room with you or to slam a door in someone’s face. The same applies on social media. Whether you know them or not, kindness and respect for other humans is always in good taste.
  • A platform to be distasteful – Don’t post or allow employees to post anything negative towards other humans or anything that is distasteful. If your grandmother would have so much as given you a sideways glance, don’t post it. Big personalities are welcome – as long as they’re clean personalities.

America’s Main Street Marketing Experts, Bank/Financial Marketing, Facebook, Smart Strategy, Social Media, Success in this Economy, Twitter

Is Your Bank Scared of Social Media? #fail

No Comments 21 July 2009

Doing some research on a new project, I noticed a trend. Some of the places that spend MILLIONS on TV, Radio and Print are totally off radar when it comes to social media. Oh, their names are out there, but it’s a one way conversation, from the angry customer. You see, happy customers don’t go home and blog two pages about how much they loved it when they bank got their deposit amount right. Or when the bank made a banking error in their favor. But you get on the bad side of a customer, you’ll hear about it in social media.

So why are they scared to be on Social Media? Facebook doesn’t seem that scary to me. Twitter doesn’t seem too daunting for a bank with a small marketing budget, but for a bank with millions in the game, they aren’t anywhere to be found. I think I know why. It’s the customer retention number, and it’s about to catch up with them.

“It’s too risky,” they say. “We can’t control it. How can we control it? It’s too much of an unknown.” I’m here to tell you – you’ve already lost control. And the unknown happens because of the “head in the sand” syndrome from which you suffer. (Hint: there’s a little thing called “social media monitoring” – every business should be doing it!)

Last year, I began banking with a large regional bank. Their marketing was everywhere, and their branches were too. Their branding and web site was fantastic (imagine, that, I liked the branding and web site?) I loved my small town bank with the friendly faces, but my travel and other limitations made us part ways. Boy, do I miss them.

So, I tried this large regional bank, and the first two weeks were great. (No, I’m not going to name them and harass them, that’s not what this post is about – we’re about solutions, not tearing folks down.) The girl who opened my account gave me her direct number, and things were fab. Then I realized that that dress she was wearing that day wasn’t just a little loose, it was maternity. (No offense, but maternity leave caused a lapse in our relationship – I get it, but I was still devastated.) I went from being happy and having a banker, to being a number.  I tried to find other branches, with good people with whom I could connect and trust, but it didn’t happen.

Finally, I started shutting down accounts. It was too much trouble to deal with the little things that they could have fixed in 30 seconds (but didn’t) mounted up. I was ready to leave. I went to complain to the manager about another “fee” that I was charged, basically an error in their system. I got told “there’s nothing I can do about it.” Well of course I wanted to go up the ladder and find someone who could help, but when that wasn’t an option, I walked out frustrated. And since then I’ve told everyone about my horrible experience banking with them. I’ve had literally almost everyone agree with me, and yep, I’ve cost that bank a LOT of money.

It’s funny that banks especially will spend so much on an ad campaign to get new customers, when making a couple customers a day happy could actually create more of a buzz, than a grocery bag, that’s “green.” You made me mad, I told everyone on facebook that I hated your service (850 people), and I tweeted about you (400 people) and I got retweeted (1500 more people), plus I’m writing a blog that will be here forever.  Don’t you think a little, “let me take care of that for your sir” would have gone a long way. Yep.

So why aren’t the big boys all using Social Media to communicate with customers and provide customer service? Could it be that they know there are LOTS of people angry with them. That giving those folks a clean shot at communicating directly with the brand is not gonna look pretty for the PR department?

But what if… what if? What if they opened a dialogue and fixed a few customers’ problems…and engaged…were real by admitting that they’d made a mistake or two. Maybe they could LISTEN and learn about what customers want and understand why certain policies were hurting them terribly in the customer retention department. Maybe they would learn how they could actually GROW the bottom line from another angle instead of “gotcha” fees.

Hrmmm, well I know some banks (and other entrenched industry mammoths) aren’t gonna go for that, but I suggest that you watch your small local banks. I have a feeling some of them are going to engage social media with a passion as a means to engage customers and gain a competitive edge over their competition on both profit margins and the customer retention game.

What say you? How can social media change the face of the banking industry?

Attitude and Success, Facebook, Restaurant Marketing, Smart Strategy, Social Media, Twitter

Social Media: Both Sprint & Marathon

No Comments 21 July 2009

Social Media: A Sprint AND a Marathon

For the past couple of weeks Andy and I have been rolling out an exciting local social media strategy and engagement campaign for a local restaurant management group here in the Jackson, Miss. metro area. It has been a BLAST to work locally and to work with such a passionate client who is ALL in – and totally get it. It’s a rare treat to get to play in our own backyard, so to speak, and tonight the treat was all ours.

After a day out of town to work on-site helping a brick and mortar boutique launch their new e-commerce project, Andy and I opted to take our middle daughter out to dinner at our clients’ cafe (one of three restaurants in the group). For this particular restaurant, we are six days into the launch of a Facebook Page presence with a goal to increase guests IN the restaurant during this immediate push. We were looking for immediate results – so the past week has been a sprint to get that initial boost. Our fan base topped well over 1,000 today (celebration all around) with interactions between ownership, staff and guests along with rave reviews from guests exploding all over the Page wall almost continuously. But that’s obviously not our endgame. Our endgame has everything to do with measuring a bottom-line increase, right?

So, tonight we walked in, and the typically slow dinner hour (this is definitely a place primarily known for breakfast and lunch) was bustling. By bustling,  I mean that most tables were filled at 5:45 pm. By the time we settled in and walked up to the counter, two registers were three deep in customers. A few minutes later, the tables were full, the order counter was filled with happily networking guests, the restaurant was filling orders quickly, busing tables efficiently, and serving up the most beautiful fruit salad that has ever landed on my table anywhere (Did I mention there was yellow watermelon in my salad?).

As I watched, the enthusiastic shift manager skillfully navigated and managed his staff through a much busier than expected Tuesday night crowd. He led by example by filling needs where they happened: working the cash register, order window, kitchen AND not missing an opportunity to sell (out of) day-old and “after 6″ discounted pastries, take-out and much more. When we left (they needed our table, or we would have watched until the end), all tables in the main restaurant area were full, there were people ordering and the food looked amazing. The manager texted us later to let us know that tonight was a “major improvement” over the previous week. (Yes, that’s text messaging, and yes, we text with our clients all the time. It’s part of our accessibility motto – we also Facebook chat and Tweet). P.S. It was a RAINY/STORMY evening this week!

So, the sprint was a winner… The initial boost appears to have happened… And for us, it was definitely a runner’s high.

But here’s my point.

Sure, we won the sprint. But we’re also staring straight into the miles and miles of marathon that lie ahead. You see, launching social media right means launching with a sprinter’s attitude. Go big or go home. Cross promote off-line, draw a crowd, grab attention – all the while, be thinking LONG TERM. If you don’t continue to deliver that promise long-term, keep it relevant, keep it valuable and most of all, keep it REAL, then over the long-haul, social media will kill you. (Why? Because you will have done the worst thing: you will have disappointed your customers because they thought you were going to do something – that you didn’t.)

Everyone says this: It’s NOT about numbers REALLY. It’s about long-term relationships. And that is all oh so true. But when you get together a group of folks who CARE about your business through a Twitter following or a Facebook Fan Page or some other method, you’ve gotten together a group of folks with whom you can engage, educate, cross-promote, convert – over and over and over again… They can talk, tell their friends, recommend you, participate with you and help you build your community. They will be more loyal, and your retention rates will go through the roof.

IF YOU STAY IN TOUCH.

What good are a bunch of followers and fans if you don’t talk to them? Carry on conversations (those work two ways), say thank you, reward them, engage them… Ask their opinions, give them exclusive updates and behind the scenes information. You certainly can’t do all of that in a week (the sprint) and expect it to last for the lifetime of a customer. Every week is a new week, and a new opportunity to be a better friend, a more valuable resource, a greater source of comfort, a more relevant alternative, the go-to guy, a more important connection, a more impressive experience…the first and last thing they think about in your category.

When you examine your social media strategy – and really, any marketing strategy – do you launch with a big, fast sprint that sets the stage for a win at the marathon?

What say you? What have you done to make the sprint successful? To maintain the discipline of the marathon?

Authenticity, Facebook, Marketing, Press & Accolades, Smart Strategy, Social Media, Twitter

How Sarah got Smart…

No Comments 05 July 2009

Watching Twitter earlier this week, you couldn’t help but notice that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was making a big announcement. (Note: I’m not going to get in to politics on this blog, you can ask me about that later, but it’s not polite dinnertime conversation. We are talking strategy only…)63K people following.

She’s stepping down as Governor of her state, and she basically told us she has big plans. So what does that do? Well it creates a buzz. Remember another guy that did this. He said he was going to make a big announcement, but he was going to send it out via Twitter. Yeah, I think it was a Vice-Presidential running mate selection, oh, and the guy using Social Media (and using it well) won. You do remember Barak Obama’s use of Twitter right?

So, I checked tight-lipped Sarah Palin’s Twitter stats since her announcement that she’s stepping down. Well turns out she’s gotten quite a bump in followers. Seems she’s started Tweeting a few times a day, and used her Facebook Fan page to give out a little more info, that took the press 18 hours to figure out where it came from. Interestingly enough, her stats indicate an almost 20% jump in followers since she made her statement on Friday, July 3rd.

By creating a place where people feel like they are going to get the most up-to-the-minute information, Sarah Palin is setting her self up to be the gate keeper of her own press info, and she’s been Tweeting out bits of informationPalin's Stats By TwitterCounter.comn that the press can’t seem to keep up with. It’s great strategy, and we’ll be watching to see what she does.

So, what can we learn from all this. Well it’s something that came up in tonight’s #BlogChat with @MackCollier. Make folks feel like you are a real person, and have a little inside scoop. They said it increases the WOM (That’s guru-speak for Word-Of-Mouth) marketing buzz.

What can you do with this? Well, what do customers want to know about your business? Special deals they can only get using Social Media, insider scoop on your business plans, and ventures. It’s a great way to get the buzz out there, and have more people that are following your brand, and business. Be personable, and work it!

Read the Mashable Story: Sarah Palin Shuns Press: Talks to Twitter, Facebook Instead

America’s Main Street Marketing Experts, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter

The Church and the World Wide Web of Social Media

No Comments 25 June 2009

Texting in Church...is it okay?

Texting in Church...is it okay?

Editorial disclaimer: This is probably not the last post I will write on this topic, so if it interests you, stay tuned. I do want to insert the disclaimer here that I am by no means endorsing the idea constant connectivity is a good thing. It’s not. Hopefully some pastors and others will weigh in on this issue. I invite good discussion as we look for ways for our churches to use social media appropriately.

In case you hadn’t heard, Andy and I are born-and-raised Presbyterian turned Baptist (thanks to one Dr. Greg Belser and a church we now call home named Morrison Heights).

As such, we been watching the #SBC2009 (that’s the Southern Baptist Convention being held in Louisville, Kentucky) this week via Twitter and related video, audio, blog posts and transcripts. I’m excited about their focus on the Great Commission – spreading the Gospel, bringing others to Christ as a singular mission. All the rest will follow as it should (not necessarily as it has been) – in my opinion – not the other way around.

As such, I was thinking about the functions of the Church (not just Baptist ones) and our discussions of web sites and social media, etc. I asked myself… do these tools help us spread the Gospel?

It has often been said in marketing circles (at least during my career of ten years), that good marketers in today’s marketplace were really “evangelists” for a brand or product or experience. And as such, marketers have gotten very good at “spreading the ‘gospel’” of whatever they’re selling. One of the best and most influential books I’ve read in my career was Church of the Customer by the McConnel/Huba team which makes obvious analogies to the church and “spreading the gospel” and “customer evangelism.” It’s always seemed ironic to me that God, throughout the Bible, spells out good evangelism techniques quite clearly. And we (good marketers) apply them very well in the secular world of business marketing.

All the while, it seems like the church has been behind the curve in applying these same techniques to spreading the REAL Gospel.

For the first time tonight (Wednesday night), I sat in church and texted – not the entire time, mind you – but I exchanged 2-3 messages with Andy who was still away at a meeting. In the past, I have always gotten upset with Andy when he’s texting Eric in the sound booth or Dr. Greg or whomever while sitting in church. But tonight, I took a different perspective. It dawned on me while sitting there that it would be okay to text a friend far away that is struggling with life and share something encouraging that I just heard or learned. And it might just be okay to update my Facebook status from the pew and share scripture and let the world experience the inside of a church through my eyes – an experience they might not otherwise have. Or to encourage someone that wasn’t there or couldn’t be there, so they remained engaged and feeling a continuous part of their church community even in their absence. OR maybe I could even Tweet the pastor questions as I think of them during the sermon that he could clarify on a blog later in the week. I personally do a lot of public speaking, and I love the idea that folks could text me questions during speeches and seminars that I could answer at the end. There are a million possibilities – and I’m sure I’m not the first one to go down this road in my mind. But my mind is certainly full of possible opportunities at this point, and  it certainly seems like it’s time for churches on a broader scale to step up to the plate and apply our own medicine – and use these new tools to our advantage and quit being so frightful that the tools are of Satan – they aren’t. But the tools certainly can and will be used to do harm – because that’s what happens when a lot of people use anything. Social media is no different. But, oh wait, there’s another opportunity for the church to step in and turn the tide in our favor instead of leaving a void for evil to fill.

What do you think? What might this look like in your church community? What options have you used successfully in your church or ministry with success (or failure)?

E-mail Signup

*  Your Email Address:
Become a fan on Facebook Follow us on Twitter LinkedIn ResultsRev YouTube Channel Results Revolution RSS Feed
Next Week

March 16, 2010 at Noon CST


GUEST

Grace Bateman, Peru Paper Company

Topic

E-commerce, Samples as Marketing, Social Good as a Marketing Tactic

Need Marketing Help?

HALO Business Advisors provides expert marketing advice, ideas, and strategy to locally owned & operated small businesses and restaurants. Get your marketing questions answered. Schedule your consultation today.

Can’t Update Your Web Site?

Time is money. Today’s business owner needs to be able to update their business web site quickly and easily. Convert your existing web site to a more bottom-line and marketing friendly solution. Contact Fox Web Co. today to learn more.

Shop Main Street Directory

Support Local. Browse our growing network of locally owned & operated independent small businesses. Search for the type of business and location to find to support a local business and the local economy – wherever you are! Search now.

© 2010 Results Revolution. Site by Fox Web Co.