Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

As I prep for a packed house at Friday’s Boulder Chamber-sponsored Social Media 2010:  the Business Edition (seats are still available; I’ll be speaking on “Building A Solid Social Media Strategy”), I’ve been thinking about the power behind social tools.  So often, social networking is dismissed as a frivolity, something that’s just for kids.  In fact, this INC. Magazine article claims that up to 81 percent of small business owners have never applied social tools.

Contrast that news with this mind-boggling story:  last week in Australia, 60,000 trolls RSVPed for a private party a woman named Kate accidentally made public on Facebook.  The ensuing rigamarole (and the endless memes it spouted — we’re talking t-shirts, copycat parties, even pornographic sendups of the fête) has much to teach us about social media.  Namely:  It’s here.  It’s relevant.  And it can move people in a way that traditional tools just can’t.

Am I saying that every business owner should rush out and get the new shiny, even if they have no idea how it works?  No way.  But the sheer numbers and instantaneous quality of social tools should be enough to pique your interest, perk up your ears, and get you thinking.  Whether social media spurs you to clean up your message (complex, hard-to-understand messaging has no place in any kind of brand expression) or enter into actual conversation instead of keeping your head in the sand as to what your customers and clientele have to say, the time to ignore social media has passed.

Like it or not, we live in a landscape where Twitter users can make or break a film the day it comes out (or even before).  Priceless brand impressions and recommendations are just a log-on to Facebook away.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  given social tools, users rove in packs, get vocal and passionate, and can create tidal waves of interest or ignorance.  That, my friends, is power.  So…what are you going to do to harness (or ride) the wave?  – Erin

You’ve heard about the 90/10 rule, right (or the 80/20 rule or the 96/4 rule or one of its many incarnations)?  In Jack Humphrey’s excellent blog post on Twitter networking, he lays out the 90/10 rule so:

90% of what you share on Twitter should be made up of personal insights and thoughts along with a heavy dose of helpful links, while 10% should be made up of messages that more directly benefit you.

By keeping your “buy from/benefit/look at me” Tweets to 10% or less of your total content, you don’t lower your skeeze factor…you create a great opportunity to use your social networks to promote others.  and isn’t community what it’s all about?  Here are 10 easy ways to share the social media love:

Join the conversation:  Social media is no fun when it’s one-sided.  So get active and start conversing with your community!  Just engaging in conversation is a great way to attract attention to the worthy causes and businesses of others.

Retweet:  RTs are a great way to point your network to people you know and love.  So find relevant tweets, and pass them on!

Attribute:  Nobody likes to pass on an insight or link, only to be disregarded when it comes to attribution.  So take the time to link to the blog, Facebook page, or Twitter handle of the person or company you’re citing.

Interview:  Ask your favorite colleagues and connections for a quick interview on your blog, website, or newsletter…and remember to include their contact information.

Guest spot:  Better yet, invite contacts you love to guest blog, sharing their insights and expertise in their own words.  They just might ask you to return the favor (and at the very least will drive traffic and goodwill your way).

Follow Friday:  The #ff tag is de rigueur on Twitter these days, and for good reason:  you can generate tons of goodwill by taking just a few seconds to identify follow-worthy friends to your Twitter tribe.

Recommend:  Take a few moments to give a concise, eloquent LinkedIn recommendation or Yelp review to colleagues and service providers who have impressed you.

Star and save:  Like someone’s blog post?  Take a second and star it on Google Reader or save to your de.licio.us account.  Your recommendation will doubtless drive a bit of traffic their way.

Share plans:  Do you plan to attend a colleague’s new networking meeting or seminar?  Publicize your plans to attend and share links where applicable.  There’s nothing like showing up to an event your friends and connections have helped make successful.

Follow through:  It can be tempting to treat backscratching and cross-promotion as a short-term gig.  But remember…consistency is the enemy of mediocrity.  Follow through on your commitments and consistently promote others.  You’ll get a great feeling in addition to those elusive brownie points.

It’s been a day since Facebook overhauled its privacy policy, and if you’re anything like me, your news feed is inundated with complaints, confusion, and furor.  I’ve read a lot of misinformation as to what Facebook is up to and what those concerned about their Facebook privacy should do, so here’s a quick aggregation of what I’ve read and learned over the last few days:

What Facebook did: On December 9, Facebook began rolling out a privacy overhaul.  The evidence:  A recent letter from Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO…and the banner that will appear on top of your page announcing the new privacy settings once the rollout reaches you.

What Facebook really did: Facebook’s new privacy settings are the social networking juggernaut’s entry into the world of public sharing.  The evidence?  More of your information is defaulted to be shared with “Everyone.”

What “Everyone” means now: NEWS ALERT – “Everyone” in Facebook now includes Google and the rest of the world.  I repeat:  “Everyone” really does equal “everyone.”  If information is tagged for “everyone,” that means that Joe Blow and his mom can read it…even if it’s a status update, photo post, or comment that used to be hidden under your Facebook veil.

Two other important privacy changes: Facebook has eliminated your option to allow applications to access or not access your personal information.  Using an application now defaults to allowing access.  In addition, Facebook does not give you any way to control access to pages you’ve become a fan of.  Hence, if you are a private fan of a pro-choice organization but present a pro-life face to the world, or would die if your mom found out you’re a rabid fan of naked Frisbee, expect that information to be loud and clear from now on.  Moral:  Friend, fan, and use applications wisely!

What you can do: If you object to any information being shared or indexed on Google, go ahead and set all of your privacy settings to “friends” or “friends of friends,” whichever level you’re comfortable with  (You can find these controls at Settings/Privacy Settings/Profile Information).  Don’t forget that Facebook’s new settings also affect your photos.  Also, you may want to uncheck the little check box reading “Public Search Results” under Settings/Privacy Settings/Search.

The silver lining (sort of): Along with these freaky, Big Brother-esque changes, Facebook has launched one long-sought-after tool:  the ability to determine what level of access you want to give to any individual piece of content.  Now, if you are planning a suprise party for a friend and want venue suggestions from other friends, you can block the birthday boy from seeing your post while allowing others access.  To make use of this feature, hit the little “lock” icon at the bottom of your status update box and choose accordingly.  Note:  this feature does not appear to be rolled out in its entirety yet, but stay tuned over the next days.

Still confused about Facebook’s new privacy settings?  Find good rundowns and rants at Mashable and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.  Happy (safe) socializing!

Image courtesy of ardenswayoflife

I frequent many Yahoo! groups and bulletin boards frequented by writers and small business owners.  Lately, among the laments about the demise of newspapers and the perils of a shaky economy, I’ve been hearing an interesting war cry:  “Social media is a huge waste of time!!! It will distract you!!! Don’t listen to its siren song…it will destroy your marketing, your career…everything you’ve worked so hard to establish!”

I personally think that you can’t afford not to participate in some form of social media, especially in a world that’s ever more populated by Net-savvy, time-crunched people.  However, it’s a tool like anything else in your marketing arsenal…only worthwhile if you use it wisely.  Here are three ways to know when to rein in your social media use in favor of more traditional marketing means:

You are unable to manage your time.  Some people are able to resist the call of a blinking Tweetdeck and a buzzing iPhone.  Others, sadly, are not.  If you’re unable to manage the amount of time you spend using social media, consider limiting it to a certain amount of time per day (timed, with a timer) and pledging to spend an equal amount of time on the marketing messages you used before you converted to Twitter or Facebook.  Yes, this may involve picking up (gasp!) the phone.

You are undercutting your existing marketing.  If your many profiles are not customized and integrated in with your existing brand, you’re wasting your time.  Sure, you may be able to better interface with long-lost-childhood-friend X, but you’re spinning your wheels in terms of your marketing.  Don’t have time to brand your social media or give thought into how it might integrate with your existing marketing strategy?  Then don’t do it.

You are uninterested or undercommitted to the marketing you did before adopting SM.  Yes, social media is slick, instantaneous, pretty, and even inexpensive.  But if your social media activities have replaced the marketing you did before you logged on, be honest with yourself.  Have they really yielded the return on investment they should?  Have you abandoned sucky marketing in favor of micro-efforts that won’t ever pay off? If the answer is yes, it’s time to reassess.  Social media should be part of a marketing plan…not the entire plan.

Simply put, social media without strategy might just be a waste of time.  Interested in figuring out how to use it to your advantage without losing your mind?  We’re giving a seminar in Denver on April 20 that will help you with jus that.  Click here for more information on Social Media for Mere Mortals.

Photo courtesy of bogenfreund