Top 7 Social Media New Year's Resolutions For 2012

I am writing this with only 72 hours left in 2011. This past year has felt like it only started. We are about to make those personal New Year's Resolutions like exercising more, stop smoking, etc. I wish you the best with yours.

However, have you thought about what you should change in terms of your business? What about changes for your Social Media strategies? The first resolution should  perhaps be to actually HAVE a Social Media strategy (and written policies). 

One thing that was revealed to me during this past year was that businesses of all sizes are now understanding why they can't ignore Social Media- Finally! Like it or not, the train has left the station my friends. Now that companies are open to using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms, there is a bit of reality check which must occur. In my opinion, the following list represents the top Social Media Resolutions which you should consider for your business in 2012.  Once you read the following list- tell me what else you would add.

1. Stop thinking that using Social Media will make your phone ring the next day: I think we would hope that this was true, but it is not. If your company is struggling now or is looking to a few posts to stir up some leads, your expectations are not reasonable.  Social Media can help expose your services and products, but a wave of orders it will not bring right away.With the correct strategy however, sales can increase by using Social Media. Social Media is another way to gain exposure for your brand, and this exposure may give you sales which you would have never closed without it.
2. Stop telling yourself that your customers aren't on Facebook or the other Social Media platforms.: Even if this is true (and you would have to be selling to people who enjoy living in the 1980's) , your FUTURE customers are there. If you see your company closing down in the near future- then yes- continue to ignore Social Media. However, if you want to have a thriving business in 5-10 years, you can not think that your customers are not using Social Media. They are using Social Media to communicate as much as we have used the phone and email in the past.
3. Stop believing that Social Media is free: Yes- to USE Social Media as a consumer- that is true. However, to use it as a business, you must invest via personnel, consultant(s) , advertising , branding and in other areas to make it a true success.
4. Stop trying to track the initial ROI (return on investment) for Social Media: It is becoming easier to track the ROI of your Social Media thanks to some new software. However, my question to you is what is the ROI of your phone or fax machine (if you still use one!)? Social Media is a communication tool.. I know the CFO's out there want to see a return. They will have to wait- and it will come. But I ask you this: what sales will be lost if  Social Media is ignored by you? 
5. Stop saying "I don't want to participate in Social Media because people may say something negative about us" :Yes- this can happen. However,if someone is upset with your company ,  it is going to happen anyway- so why not be part of the solution via Social Media.  If you want to read a case study about why you CAN'T sit on the sidelines- read about Domino's or Kohl's. They sat idle while Social Media posts were flying about them. However, the poster-child of how to use Social Media for customer service is Comcast. They began taking negative tweets in as customer service "calls" and have created a brilliant system to handle issue which are being posted about their company. This has also helped the customer service call centers as well. Many studies have found that people will post POSITIVE experience with your company much more than negative.
6. Stop thinking that the Interns can do it: Yes- they can, sort of. Are you willing to hand over your PR, branding and marketing to them as well? Social Media is closely intertwined with all three of those. Many businesses think that Social Media is for the young, so they are the best to execute it. In a way, I agree. However, the planning and creation of a strategy should be left to the professionals. Let the Interns post pre-approved content.. and please don't let them reply to comments without prior authorization. The "right" Intern can take a big load off of you in terms of posting and research, but that is where I would stop. However, asking for their opinion about your current strategies can be very insightful.
7. Don't kid yourself by thinking that you can do this yourself:  I can do my own taxes and probably cut my own hair too, but I think we all know it is best to hire a professional for those tasks. Social Media is no different. Social Media professionals live and breathe this stuff. They are up on the ever-changing techniques. They know the best strategies based on past experiences. If you do anything in 2012 for your Social Media- it should be to get advise from a professional.

Of course there are more 2012 Social Media Resolutions that I can list, but I am interested in hearing from you. What would you add to the list?

What A U2 Concert Can Teach You About Social Media

Anyone whom has spent time with me knows that I am a huge U2 fan. Not one of those recent fans.. I mean from their early days. So when they came to the U.S. for their recent 360 tour, it was no question that I was going to their concert. To be honest, I saw three of their concerts during this tour.

If you have every been to a U2 concert, you will attest to what this post is about. It is hard to explain. The anticipation of hearing the band play is one thing, but once the band takes the stage, something in the air changes. The stadium full of 70k+ people becomes a smaller place where we all feel like friends.

How does this relate to Social Media you may ask? It hit me recently while I was creating a Social Media strategy for a client. Social Media's goal is to have your information (posts) shared- thus increasing your audience and community. This information could be a photo, a video, a news article and much more. However, to whom do you share this information?

This is where the concert experience comes in. A big part of the U2 concert magic is that all 70k+ people are there for two reasons- to hear their music and to experience the energy together. Not only do they want the band's "message" but they want to experience this with other fans as well as expose new fans to it. When the hits are played, we all sing the songs together.

U2 knows this. They know their audience and what they want. They always deliver exactly what the fans expect and that is why they keep coming back to the concerts. They just don't want to hear the music. They want to experience this with others.

For Social Media to work well, you must know your audience just as well as U2 does. Not only do you need to understand their wants, but you must create an atmosphere in which they want to share your message while creating a community online which promotes your brand.

Your Facebook Page's audience has signed up to hear your message. They have shown up to your concert. If your "songs" are worthy and what they expect, they will want to share them with their friends and others. They are following your page, blog, tweets, etc. for one reason- to get your message. They want to be part of your audience. The final goal is to then get this audience engaged with both your company as well as each other - to sing your "hits" together. They will be so engaged, that they will "sing your songs" to others- thus spreading your posts for you while creating a community for your brand.

To summarize, having an audience that not only WANTS your message but then wants to experience and share this message together with like-minded others is the key to having your "concert" be as lucrative as the latest U2 tour was for the band. However, for any of this to last as long as U2 has you must first know and understand your audience and deliver everytime.

Why You Should Use Video In Your Online Marketing

We all know that Google is the #1 place where people go to find information online. However, did you know that YouTube is in second place? Posting video has many positive results- and that is why you should have video somewhere in your marketing plan.

Here are a few recent statistics concerning YouTube:

• Exceeds 2 BILLION views EACH day : This is double the prime-time audience of ABC, NBC and CBS combined
• 24 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every MINUTE
• Average person spends 15 minutes each day on YouTube
• There are 46.2 YEARS of video watch everyday on Facebook

Source: http://www.onlinemarketing-trends.com/2011/03/latest-state-of-online-video-in-us-top.html

You get the point.. YouTube is a busy place.

So what does this mean for your business? My observation is that people are lazy. If you send them an e-newsletter or an article in text form, they may or may not read it. However, if you send them a 1-3 minute video with the same information contained in the message- they will watch it.

The other issue to consider is that Smart Phones are computers to many people. They check their emails and conduct business regularly on their phones. Studies have shown that when someone receives a video message on their phone- they will watch it. However, if they open an e-newsletter on their phone, they will most likely not take the time nor effort to read your message while on the go.

But- I know your hesitation... You don't want to look or sound goofy then have it seen online. Well- you do not need to post anything that you are not happy with. Also, people are not looking for a polished Hollywood production from you. They want to see you- as you- giving them some great information. The more "human" you are to them, the better- and that includes not being perfect.

Now that you have pulled the trigger- what do you do with the video(s)? The first thing is to create a YouTube Channel (free and easy to create). This is the place (or URL) where all of your videos will be found. You can also create playlists - like in your iPod- where videos are organized. Also- you can share videos from other sources here as well. You do not have to create ALL of your content yourself.

I am supplying you with a link below to a fantastic post which gives you 29 tips about using video online. Funny that they didn't give these tips via video- but still you should take the time to read and take notes.
The biggest tip I believe given is just to do it.. now.

I only ask one thing from you.. when you finally make your first video- post the link in the comments of this post so we can all check it out!

Click the link below for more tips...

Click Here For Tips On Using Video

Using Social Media To Engage

Simply New Digital by Global Results: Using Social Media To Engage: "I have always been known as someone whom can strike up a conversation with anyone. I enjoy meeting and engaging with new people. It's just h..."

Using Social Media To Engage

I have always been known as someone whom can strike up a conversation with anyone. I enjoy meeting and engaging with new people. It's just how I was born. Now - starting a conversation with a complete stranger may be frightening- or down right impossible- for you. But don't worry - Social Media is here to help.

Social Media was created for.. wait for it.. to be social! You may be asking why I am bring this up- of course everyone knows this. Well- many of my management clients did not understand this until I explained it to them. They saw it as a "free" way to advertise. This is the wrong answer in so many ways. Let me briefly explain.

Let me use one example- LinkedIn - and then you can translate this to your other Social Media accounts. Many times I see my connections talking about what they are doing, what they have just done, their services or products. Now- once in awhile this is fine. I have developed my own formula for promoting services, etc. for my management clients and it works great. However, to really engage your connections as well as those 2nd degree connections and group members, you should be talking about other things than yourself or company.

This is how you do it. You must go find interesting articles, posts, pictures, video- you get the idea- and share these with your fellow LinkedIn connections and group members by posting them within LinkedIn Groups. When you share this information- pose it as a question to them. Use the headline section while you are creating the discussion within the groups as the teaser.

For instance- I just posted a discussion and the headline was "Would You Make Your Own Wedding Cake?" This was not a discussion about baking- but about why businesses need to outsource certain work and I posted an article that I found about this. Then I asked them to review what I just posted and comment with their opinion. THIS is how you engage. People LOVE to share their opinion.

Your topic does not always have to do with your industry, although I suggest to stick to industry topics if they have a relevance or are interesting to others. One of my more effective posts had nothing to do with what I do for a career. Instead- I was soliciting donations of tickets to various local attractions to give to my daughter's classmate's family who had just lost their mother to cancer. Boy- did people give and really loved that I was doing that. I made some very meaningful connections from the people whom posted follow up comments within the LinkedIn discussions, which broadened my network that much more. Asking what motivates them, what great marketing idea have they seen, etc. also works to engage people.

Lastly, don't forget to follow up and thank everyone for their comments. They took a few minutes out of their day for you.. and you can do the same for them. Use this time to review the profiles of those whom had commented to see if they may be someone who you would want to meet. You can then send a thank you note to them via LinkedIn mail and ask to connect.

Social Media was created to share content and create community. You are not taking advantage of this powerful platform if you are hiding in the shadows. Come on out- pose some questions and have fun making some new connections- and possibly clients!

Mobile Messaging- 5 Ways To Use It For Your Business

How many times in the past year have you heard, or maybe even said, " I'll text you" ? What happened to " I'll call you" ? Technology, or more importantly how we use technology, is evolving so quickly. If you have teenagers, I'm sure one of their threats of punishment is to take their phone away. The threat isn't that then they can't call their friends- it's that now they can't text their friends.

So, what does all of this mean for business? How can businesses optimize our new habit? I have been talking about this topic for over a year now and I have a few ideas to share with you concerning this topic.

The open rates for text messaging are impressive. It has been studied that a text message is opened 90%+ of the time. Also, this is an organic way of increasing your marketing database. You will not only be caputuring people's mobile numbers, but also other information as well if you desire. To be clear- this is not spam. These people are opting-in for your messages by texting a certain code in order to receive your marketing offers.

The marketing possibilities of using text messaging for your business are vast, but here are 5 ideas to get you started:

1. Coupons / Offers: This is the most common way to use mobile messaging for businesses. An example would be if you text " xyz (you fill in the blank)" to 000000 (just for example purposes), you will receive a free entre on Tuesdays when another is bought, or perhaps you will receive a free appetizer from 9pm-11pm or 50% off your purchase. You get the idea I'm sure. The key is to use the offer to drive people through your doors or to your website during typically slow periods of the week.

2. E-Cards: This can be a fun was to stay in touch with your past clients or customers. If you are a business which asks for birthday or anniversary dates (or maybe you should start), you can send people an e-card wishing them a happy birthday or anniversary along with a special offer - maybe make it time specific. You can also send out general e-cards with special offers for holidays or for any reason. Everyone likes to get a card- no matter the reason.

3. Appointment / Reservation Reminders: I wonder how much time and productivity is lost in a doctor's office, dentist's office or salons making those calls (which we normally screen anyway) to remind us of our appointment? Text messaging can be a great way to remind people of the date and time of the appointment as well as your  phone number and cancellation policies. This can also be translated to a business which takes reservations as well, such as restaurants.

4. Video Messaging: Let's face it- people are a bit lazy at times. If you can send them a video with your message or offer, they may actually take notice since they could just sit and watch it. This method is one which very few businesses use but I believe is one of the more effective ones. You can also use video to send out quick tips, news of your business or even reminders. You get the idea- using video makes it easier for people to get your message- plus they normally watch the whole thing through. One note- make it a quick one!

5. Polls / Voting: This is a fun and interactive way to use mobile messaging for your marketing. The public is  used to texting to vote thanks to shows such as American Idol. You can do the same thing for your business. You can create many reasons for people to vote. I would suggest to add a prize to this. For instance- if they vote (give date / timelines), then they will be eligible for a drawing for "xyz- you fill in the blank". You can also have your Facebook Page giving updates to the voting totals, etc for fun.

So- are you seeing the possibilities yet? Like I said in the beginning, the marketing ideas are vast for mobile marketing. The return for you or your business is that you will be growing your marketing contact database, getting people through your doors or to your website when they normally wouldn't be and you will be seen as a "fun and hip" business.

I hope you are inspired to think out-of-the-box and try something new. This is a new service which we are now offering, and our clients are thrilled at the possibilities.

Good luck and remember- " You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky

Social Media Is Like Your Phone Or Your Email- Sales Are A Bonus

First- Happy New Year! I wish you all a wonderful 2011.

I saw 2010 as the year that businesses and professionals finally realized that Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Text Messaging, Blogging, etc) is not a fad and is a new way to reach potential clients or customers as well as stay in front of their current clients. I applaud those whom have come to the realization.

However, one issue that I still observe is that new participants are looking for quick fixes to their bottom line through the use of Social Media. If you are having financial issues with your business now, Social Media (in general) will not fix these financial problems overnight. Instead, you have to view Social Media like your business phone or your email.

Why your phone or email? Well- before Social Media became a popular way to stay in front of your current and potential clients, what would you use? Two things that I am sure you used (and still do) were your phone and email. They were, and still are, effective tools for you to remind your client base and database that you are still here and remind them what you do for a living. Social Media's role can be a modern version of this strategy.

Now, I am the first to say that Social Media is not your business billboard. You must be seen as a resource for relevant news and advice. Yes, sometimes that means you will talk about your services or products, but only once in awhile. What  those whom have chosen to receive your messages through Social Media are wanting is to be educated as well as perhaps given the chance to save  money on your products / services for following you. They do not want to be "sold to" all the time.

This brings me back to the title of this post. If you are looking for your Social Media posts to convert to sales overnight, I suggest not to participate or to change your expectations. Now, that is not saying that your can't sell your products or services through Social Media. There are many case studies demonstrating how this can happen. However, if you view Social Media as a tool, such as your phone or email, then sales will be an added bonus.

My suggestion is to use Social Media for what is its true function: interacting with present or future customers. It is much more effective than many other ways of executing this. Then if sales come, you can celebrate. The worse thing that will happen is that your "followers" will get to "see" the people behind your company's name and you may learn what they are wanting from you and your company.

What are your thoughts about this?? Don't be shy... I'm interested in your views- go ahead and comment.
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