Special Edition SXSW Social Media for Small Business Video Episode
March 20, 2012
Branding and Marketing Trends: Get More Strategic and Thoughtful
How do you use social media and integrative media in your marketing? In this special episode recorded live at SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, we look at branding and marketing trends, location-based data in apps, how to get more strategic and thoughtful, geo-barriers and geo-fences and the user experience as vital.
Joe Pulizzi, Content Marketing Strategist for The Content Marketing Institute joins Hosts Cat Matson and Suzi Dafnis.
Listen to other episodes free in our iTunes store.
This episode was recorded live during the 2012 SXSW (South by South West) Interactive Festival in Austin Texas. This annual event attracts thousands (over 24,000) technology, new media and business enthusiasts. 2012 saw record attendance and some big name speakers. Speakers include authors, engineers, scientists, business leaders and great minds from all walks of life. It’s an event we believe ever business person ought to put on their calendar for a super dose of education, inspiration and networking.
The 2012 schedule which included presentations by:
BIG NAMES – Al Gore, the founders of Napster, Pinterest, Foursquare, Twitter, the heads of Living Social, Google Plus and so many that I can’t recall right now.
AUTHORS – C.C. Chapman and Ann Handley (Content Rules) , David Meerman Scott (The New Rules of Marketing and PR), Guy Kawasaki (10+ books including new book What The Plus, Tim Ferris (4-hour Work Week), Gary Vaynerchuk (Crush It and The Thank You Economy). The Day Stage (where authors speak about their new books was one of my favourite places to hang out).
TV PERSONALITIES – Anthony Bourdain (No Reservations), Tom Collichio (Top Chef) both talking about social TV, late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon,plus INVENTORS, THINKERS, BRILLIANT MINDS. Here, is a link to the schedule. Over 2,600 speakers – and so much to see.
I hope you’ll consider joining me this year. Watch out for blog posts about highlights from Cat Matson and Alycia Edgar here on herBusiness.
Suzi
P.S. This article from a local Austin publication tells you a little more.
Reach Out for More Social Media Traffic
March 8, 2012
By Suzi Dafnis, Australian Businesswomen’s Network
So, you’ve got your website, blog, Facebook account, Twitter account, etc. Now, where’s your audience? You can’t just sit back and wait for people to stumble upon your online platforms. You have to reach out for more social media traffic.
Where is your online audience?
Wherever they are, that’s where you should reach out.
Here are three places you can seek out your audience.
1. Visit online forums related to your industry.
Participate in the conversations to establish your expertise, build your profile and drive traffic to your website. Forums can be traditional forums or groups (LinkedIn) and groups or pages (Facebook and Google+).
2. Visit blogs with content that matches your expertise and offer to contribute some content as a guest blogger.
Be sure to include a link back to your blog or website as part of your exchange for being a guest! And, be generous with what you offer. Give them your A-Grade content, not duplicate content of ‘leftovers’. The better the content, the better the referrals back to your site will be.
3. Visit ratings and reviews sites related to your business.
You might also want to visit coupon and “Freebie” sites too. If you can offer a free promotional item, list it on the freebie sites. If you don’t have the budget to order promo items, you could create your own digital item, such as an eBook.
Along the same lines, contests and giveaways can draw huge crowds. A photographer named Catherine White recently ran a Facebook competition where she asked people to post their favourite holiday photos for a chance to win a prize. So, she had all these people posting photos on Facebook, and it had a viral effect.
Plus, people who posted their photos had all their friends voting on the photo so they could win the prize. She built an entire community around one simple competition. Now, whenever I think of a photographer, I think of Catherine. One note with competitions – be sure to work in with the guidelines that the different platforms outline. Facebook has been known to shut down pages that violate their terms and conditions for contests.
4. Social Advertising
And, advertising through Facebook Ads, Google AdWords and LinkedIn Ads can drive traffic to you online platforms very well. You’ll usually need a ‘carrot’ by way of a giveaway to make this work.
NOTE: Regardless how much traffic you send to your social platforms, the key is to give people a reason to come and stay and come again. And, that comes down to being relevant and useful and providing content that your readers want and that fits well with your chosen authority focus.
Got other ideas on driving social traffic? I’d love to hear from you.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY SUZI DAFNIS
- Is it time to update your business website?
- Is this Social Media Myth Hindering your Business Results?
- Does your website make you look out dated? 5 tell-tale signs.
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Suzi Dafnis – Australian Businesswomen’s NetworkSuzi Dafnis is the Australian Businesswomen’s Network’s Community Director and Chairperson of the Advisory Board. Suzi has been involved with the network since 1995. In 1998, she took over the network from its founder and has since managed and grown the network. She remains its media spokesperson and a champion of women in business. She is also the editor of the ABN’s newsletters, author of the herBusiness blog and presents the In Her Shoes video series and herBusiness podcast.
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A Copywriter’s Secret To Finding Your Brand Voice
March 5, 2012
By Belinda Weaver, Copywrite Matters
One of the things I ask clients to describe during our copywriting brief is the personality of their brand and the tone needed for the copywriting piece. Your brand personality gives people something to relate to. It also helps to govern what you say, how you say it and where you say it.
Why Should You Bother Defining a Brand Personality?
Your brand is a living entity and you need to think of it as such. When you take the time to assign personality traits to your brand, you create a profile that lets you cross check your communications to make sure they are unified, consistent and “on brand”.
Turn Your Business Into Someone Real
The tone of your marketing and business communication is your brand personality in action. Your brand personality might be just like you, but it might not. To find the voice of your business, you need to start by asking yourself: if your business were a person, what would it be like?
A very simple exercise is to assign three human values that represent how you want your business to be seen.
Copywrite Matters is knowledgeable, creative, and edgy. I use these values to guide how I write about my business and how I communicate with my customers and peers.
It’s also worth digging a bit deeper and thinking about:
- What’s really important to your brand?
- Who does your brand aspire to be and what impresses it?
- Which blogs does your brand like to read and why?
- What kind of car, food and hobbies would your brand like?
The more you can flesh out about your brand personality profile, the easier it will be to speak in a consistent tone of voice.
Find The Voice of Your Business
The next step is to translate those personality traits into a real voice, the voice of your business. You need to consider vocabulary, grammar and style. Another useful exercise is to decide where your brand personality might sit between these extremes.
Formal___________Chatty
Detached_________Warm
Professional_______Wacky
Serious___________Humorous
Relaxed___________Lively
Just like you, your brand might have different voices for different audiences, but they should always be guided by those high level brand values. Consider how the tone might change in different circumstances, such as the first time you communicate with a customer versus how you talk to the most active members of your social media communities.
Differentiate Your Voice
You might find that when you first do these exercises, you’re selecting broad-brush values that don’t really differentiate your business. Professional. Reliable. Cost-effective. This is especially the case for B2B brands.
You can differentiate your business through the integrity of your brand’s voice, so it’s important that you are committed to the values you assign.
Do you think of your business as having a personality? Have you taken the extra step of profiling it? Let me know what you think!
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY BELINDA WEAVER
- 7 Proven Tips to Help You Win the Email Marketing War
- 7 Ways To Optimise Your Online Copywriting in 7 Minutes
- Masterclass: More Effective Website Copywriting
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Belinda Weaver – Copywrite MattersBelinda is a professional marketing copywriter who confidently walks the line between writing effective copy and creating an engaging brand personality. You don’t have to choose between them! The words you use really do make a difference and offline or online, you will get more clicks, calls and sales with the right words. It’s that simple. Belinda also empowers business owners to write great copy and the Copywrite Matters Facebook & Twitter pages have FREE weekly tips on copywriting and marketing. She loves to chat about SEO, websites, good business and all things marketing. Say hi and join the conversation!
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The Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid on Your First Website Date
March 1, 2012
By Bianca Board, Web123
Do you always find yourself on bad dates? Do you think you interact appropriately with your customers? Yes, both these things do relate, in some way!
I want to explain how you can avoid some mishaps around your customers that directly relates to dating. Yes, we are solving more than your website problems!
Mistake 1
Asking for too many fields on your first encounter is like asking about your ex-boyfriend in the first 10 minutes of your date! Don’t get form greedy with Opt-ins.
Have you ever gone on a date that felt more like an interview? Was your date peppering you with questions right from the start? It’s intimidating, isn’t it? It makes you feel attacked and it causes you to close up. Consider this with your website opt-ins. Don’t make the mistake of asking your customers and leads too many questions in order for them to sign up or to download something from your website.
Try making your opt-in forms ask as minimal information as possible – this actually encourages the viewer to opt-in. If you have a newsletter sign-up form, consider only asking for their Email Address – after all, that’s all you need to send them an email. If they are downloading an eBook, then you might consider asking for some more details such as phone, address and company. Ask only what you think is really necessary; try not to overdo it as you may just scare that date off!
Mistake 2
Proposing marriage before the first date.
Do you hate the feeling of someone pressuring something on you or expecting something from you? It’s the feeling you get when you’re on a date and there is no chemistry and all your date wants to do is kiss you! If that were me, I’d run a mile immediately!
If you hate this feeling, then why do it to your customers? If you plaster your website with “BUY BUY BUY” everywhere, it’s basically that date leaning in and constantly trying to kiss you while you swerve side-to-side to dodge it!
A pushy sales site might win over one or two dates, but good old-fashioned business courtship is what will score the hearts of the masses. Your visitors may not be ready to buy yet, so let them opt-in other ways, such as a newsletter or an eBook. They’ll buy when they’re ready to, so stop pushing for that kiss!
Mistake 3
Having no Calls to Action is like never asking them out.
You know that guy that told you he was going to call you for a date, but never did? That’s what you are doing to your website visitors if you have no Calls to Actions! You are promising them a romantic night out, but leaving them hanging, wondering what’s next. Be the one to take initiative and organise the date. Let visitors to your website know all the important details of what to expect.
If you aren’t telling visitors to your website where to go or what to do, they will either leave the page or browse aimlessly around your site – neither of these you want! Don’t leave them sitting by the phone wishing you’d call. Ensure your site has clear Calls to Action telling your dates what they should be doing when they visit you!
Mistake 4
It’s not all about you.
Are you that person who loves to talk about yourself? Do you brag about all your achievements and how much your friends love you and how amazing your business is…. etc., etc., etc. You know the type.
Stop being “that guy” and start focusing on the other person. Visitors to your website want to know you are interested in them, not just yourself! Try to understand their problems, help them identify solutions to those problems, understand what they want out of life and what their achievements are. Now, apply this to your website content!
Confused? It’s easy! Stop going on about you and your business on your website, and focus on your target audience. Translate in your content what problems you are solving and how the customer would benefit from it. If your content isn’t converting, it’s not them – it’s you.
Mistake 5
Failing to call after your first kiss.
You’re at the door to your house and you just had an amazing date and the most amazing first kiss, then part ways. But, now what? Who’s meant to call who? Do you actually want to see them again? How do you know they’ll want to see you? Handling the follow-up after the first date can be nerve racking, but take a deep breath and you can move smoothly.
When someone signs up for your newsletter or downloads and eBook from you, it’s the first kiss of business. What do you do? You could jump the shark and bombard the person with constant pestering messages about buying or re-buying, but this is like your date constantly messaging you and becoming attached way too soon!
Before you panic and text your date 100 smiley face messages begging for a next date within the hour, let’s work out a plan. It’s all about nurturing your relationship with this person! Listen to what they’re saying about their needs, and use this information to educate them about the industry.
Provide them with free tools or eBooks (they will greatly appreciate this – it’s like a virtual box of chocolates). If you understand their needs and wants, but they didn’t buy just yet, have your sales person call them out of courtesy and see if you can help them anyway. If you really like this person, you’ll go out of your way to make sure they think well of you. Once you understand their needs and wants, you can treat them in a way that will effectively keep them in your sales pipeline and nicely push them along the buying cycle.
Remember, if you have customers coming to you, don’t push them away! They clearly want something from you, so understand what they want and provide! You will find that if you implement these little steps, you will have a much better long-term relationship with your leads and customers.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY BIANCA BOARD
- How to Create 101 Content Ideas in 60 minutes or less
- 11 Ways to Improve Your Search Engine Rank with Social Media
- Taking Action in 2012: 12 Pointers for Marketing Your Website More Effectively
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Bianca Board – Web123Bianca Board is a self-confessed perfectionist, but that’s a good thing, because as Web123′s chief designer and web strategist, she’s expert at helping small business achieve something that makes money and looks incredible without the designer price tag. With a creative streak that extends to sales, organic gardening, painting, decorating and generally making the world a more beautiful place, Bianca’s the person who will make sure that, along with functioning just as it should, your company’s website will look nothing short of amazing.
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Credible Marketing?
February 15, 2012
By Cheryl Hayman, Hayman Strategy
Sit and watch TV these days and be inundated by commercials for the big retailers… and once again they’ve got an equally similar, and equally non-differentiated positioning, and the big question is, “is this credible”?
“Woolworths – the fresh food people”
“There’s no freshness like Coles”
Confused? Surprised? Bored? Uninspired?
I watched these ads on TV yesterday and wondered, ‘do 2 competitors, operating in what is best described basically as a duopoly add to, or dilute the “fresh” message when they’re both yelling it from the rafters?’
Does the fact that Woolies were “the fresh food people” for years under Roger Corbett’s reign, and then left that message behind until now, add to, or dilute their message the 2nd time around???
And what of their constant hammering on about low, low prices, and ‘down down, deeper and down’? Did they finally discover that price reductions, while good for wallets, did nothing for the brand? No surprise there!
There is no equity driving strong and sustainable brands evolving from severe price reductions. It is also THE most easily imitable strategy known to the marketplace. The other lesson is that if you both do it, then it’s no longer anything other than the entry cost for a given market.
So ponder the significance of price for yourselves and your business.
Of course, it is critical that you have a price that reflects your offering, which is sustainable for consumers in your market, but it should also represent the value that you bring to the end user of your product or service.
Avoid the retailer’s dilemma of ending up in a downward spiral where price is just an expected place and recognise, as they have, that you need something else that is the true benefit of a consumer buying your goods.
The ‘watch out’ is that you don’t want to be a brand with the same strategy and proposition as your main competitor.
In my opinion, Coles and Woolworths have no credibility for fresh now.
They both say it, yet they both have reputations for importing, freezing and thawing products, and no matter how much they try and tell us that is not the case, their credibility is shot.
Their issue is that they both say it in the same way. Neither has found an interesting or inspiring way to deliver the message that would add to their point of difference and make consumers reconsider their choice. Has either retailer managed to sway you from their competitor to them based on their current fruit and veggie fresh messages? That they come from the Australian land-wow, that’s new!? I doubt it.
Be aware of what your competitors are doing, but please focus on what consumers want, and understand the dynamics of your users and their needs. Don’t be like these guys who are maniacally focused on what each other is doing, and little else.
In the end, it comes back to 4 age-old marketing requirements…be clear, be differentiated, be interesting and be real!
MORE GREAT POSTS BY CHERYL HAYMAN
- Blog Comments and Why You Should Do Them
- Why isn’t my blog getting any comments?
- Approaching Your Boss – a Mentoring Perspective
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Cheryl Hayman - Hayman StrategyCheryl Hayman owns and manages a strategic marketing and business consultancy, Hayman Strategy, providing a broad range of business and marketing solutions to corporations. Prior to establishing her own business, Cheryl had over 20 years experience as a senior marketing executive in multi-national organisations spanning Australia, NZ and the UK. Cheryl undertakes a number of non-executive Board roles and sits on several Advisory Boards including the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Cheryl is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, holding a CPM. Cheryl personally undertakes continuous professional development within her various business roles, as well as attending external courses.
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7 Proven Tips to Help You Win the Email Marketing War
February 6, 2012
By Belinda Weaver, Copywrite Matters
When you send out email marketing, you are sending your troops into war. The first battle is with the spam filter and if your email survives, you start fighting with every other email in the recipient’s inbox: newsletter subscriptions, blog RSS feeds, emails from friends and colleagues and lots (and lots) of promotional material.
What does an email marketing victory look like?
You’re winning the war if your email gets opened. You’ve won the battle if your email gets a response.
Here are some tips that will help you win the email marketing war:
1. Write a subject line that gets your readers attention.
You could have the most amazing offer ever, but if your email isn’t opened, it’s worthless. Spark curiosity or simply explain what your email contains, but keep it under 10 words and make it stand out in a long list of emails.
2. Personalise your email.
Fill out the From field in your settings so your reader will recognise you as a credible source and personalise the greeting. “Hi Sarah” is so much nicer than “Dear sir/madam,” isn’t it?
3. Try sending your emails at different times.
The line between “work time” and “personal time” is heavily blurred so try sending your emails on the weekend, early in the morning and in the evening. Compare the results and see when your audience is most responsive.
4. Use lots of links.
When you scatter links through your email, your reader doesn’t have to work hard to follow the thread. It can be a number game, but the more accessible you make your content, the higher your click-through rates will be.
5. Include a strong call to action.
After getting your email through the SPAM filter, opened and read, you must direct your reader to some kind of action. Do you want them to reply? Tell them. Or visit your blog? Tell them. Just implying an action isn’t enough – be bold and really spell it out.
6. Optimise your email marketing for mobile devices and tablets.
As most of us access emails and webpages when we’re on the move, it’s worth making sure your email marketing is easy to read on a smaller screen.
7. Include an unsubscribe link.
This is a legal requirement, but it’s good practise to make the unsubscribe process as easy as possible. Why not collect some valuable information on the way out and ask them why they are leaving?
Most importantly, remember to measure, analyse and improve. A very respectable open rate is between 20%-40%, but this will be influenced by your industry, when you send the email, your subject line, etc. Try varying the elements of your email marketing, including your opener, how many links you use and your call to actions to see if they impact your results.
Is email marketing an effective tool in your marketing arsenal? Are there are tips you can add to the list?
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY BELINDA WEAVER
- 7 Ways To Optimise Your Online Copywriting in 7 Minutes
- Masterclass: More Effective Website Copywriting
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Belinda Weaver – Copywrite MattersBelinda is a professional marketing copywriter who confidently walks the line between writing effective copy and creating an engaging brand personality. You don’t have to choose between them! The words you use really do make a difference and offline or online, you will get more clicks, calls and sales with the right words. It’s that simple. Belinda also empowers business owners to write great copy and the Copywrite Matters Facebook & Twitter pages have FREE weekly tips on copywriting and marketing. She loves to chat about SEO, websites, good business and all things marketing. Say hi and join the conversation!
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Go Viral – Publicity using Video
February 3, 2012
By Kerry McDuling, McDuling PR
As many, if not more, searches are conducted on YouTube than on the most popular search engine, Google. YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos. The launch and rise in popularity of YouTube has created so many additional opportunities for publicity and building profile, that are open to virtually everybody with a recording device.
Create a unique YouTube video for branding exposure
The options are endless and anybody with half a creative bone in their body can post something really unique that will give exposure to their message, company, brand or product. In fact, some videos that are really different, creative, interesting or humorous have gone viral; in other words, people have willingly shared them with friends, family and colleagues because they found the video interesting or entertaining.
When coming up with ideas on what can be created, options are literally only limited by your imagination and what sort of video/editing equipment and experience you have. The technology nowadays is not only inexpensive, but relatively simple to use.
Here is an example that a book publisher, Bright Light Multimedia, used to promote an anthology of love stories and poems in the lead-up to Valentines Day.
They uploaded two videos, each with a similar theme, but will a completely different take on the idea. The concepts are simple, but effective.
Top tips for creating a successful YouTube blog post:
Use these ideas to capture attention, build your profile and maybe even get people talking!
- Keep videos short and sweet and make sure you grab the attention of the viewer in the first ten seconds. People’s attention span online is vastly reduced than offline, so you need to grab them immediately.
- Include an element of entertainment, humour or interest. Remember that just because you think your idea is fabulous, others won’t necessarily, so get a second, third and fourth opinion.
- Steer clear of making it look and feel too much like an advertisement. That is generally not what will get the attention of YouTube viewers.
- However, that said, be sure to direct viewers back to you so they can buy from you. Your website at the end of the video clip is a good idea.
In future blog posts, I will share ideas on creating a brand and expert profile via regular YouTube videos.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY KERRY MCDULING
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Kerry McDuling – McDuling PRKerry McDuling is a publicist and Director of her own public relations and publicity consultancy McDuling PR and exposure speciality business, Stratosphere Me – building brands and developing profitable business opportunities for companies, authors, speakers and entrepreneurs.
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Have you checked-in lately? An introduction to location-based marketing for business
February 2, 2012
In March 2011, I heard one of the founders of location-based application, foursquare, speak at the South By South West Interactive festival in Austin, Texas. Up until that time, I’d not used location apps except for the occasional checkin through Facebook places.
Since then, however, I’ve been playing with foursquare to understand its application and how it can be used as a marketing tool for business.
Location-based applications work because they are available on mobile devices. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I can share with the world what I’m enjoying. And, if what I’m enjoying is a product or service that your business provides, then that’s good news for you.
The key part of using location-based applications is to CHECK IN.
By saying “I am here” at this location (restaurant, bar, show, place of interest, live event, playground) and (if I want to) posting comments and photos, I share what I like and dislike about this experience so that friends can take that information on board to make a better decision in the future.
And as the system gets to know what I like better, it’ll provide me recommendations — ’facilitate serendipity’ as co-founder Dennis Crowley explains in this video:
A newbies special – a great way to reward new clients
I had my first experience of foursquare as a business tool a few months back when I went to visit a local hair salon. When I checked-in (the application invites me to register my visit in order to accumulate points and to share with my social networks great places I’m visiting), a message popped up – a Newbies Special.
It offered me a free hand massage while I was waiting to have my hair done. I was chuffed. Who doesn’t like a freebie?
A few weeks later, I was traveling to Melbourne and while in the hotel bar grabbing a pre-dinner drink, checked in on my iPhone. Up popped a special from the restaurant. Free glass of wine with my meal. I was planning on having dinner there, so this extra little bonus was the source of a promotional message from me out to my friends to share my good fortune.
Both these instances are examples of how thousands of small businesses are harnessing the power of location-based applications like foursquare to connect with clients and to reward customer loyalty.
Who doesn’t want to be mayor?
Foursquare is acquiring over one million new users per month. Millions of people in every city, in every country, are checking in and playing the game of foursquare – vying to be mayor of their favourite establishment.
The built-in gaming technology (you win points for multiple visits, you get crowned the mayor if you’re a regular – and many establishments reward mayors with extra love, attention, discounts) keeps fans using the application because loyalty and use is rewarded and because the built-in rewards system of acquiring points and beating your friends to a high score work.
(Quick aside: I’m the Mayor at my gym. Now, that’s not because I go there more often than anyone else who trains there, but I religiously check in to maintain my mayorship. When I’ve been ousted and de-crowned! — which foursquare takes joy in letting me know the minute it happens — I’m quick to get back on my game to redeem my position. Sounds silly, but for the business, it’s a good testament. And, because each time I check in I have foursquare post to my social networks, those that I’m connected to on those networks get to see that I like going to this gym – and that’s a powerful endorsement when your customers are posting your name all over the social-media-sphere.)
Recommendations and referrals from people you trust
Dennis Crowley - Co-founder of foursquare
The ability to know what someone whom I trust thought of a place is a shortcut for me. Should I spend time going to that show or visiting that exhibition? My friends recommendations matter and I can know them by seeing what they said when they ‘checked in’.
It’s very clever.
Location-based marketing and your business
Facebook, despite having it’s Places application recently bought foursquare’s major competitor – so you can bet they know the power of location and are looking to make bigger waves in this aspect of social media and social sharing.
Still relatively new to businesses in Australia, foursquare is a powerful tool that should be explored as part of an integrated marketing campaign.
But what is foursquare and why has it become the hottest customer magnet ever conceived?
Here’s what bestselling author, David Meerman-Scott has to say:
“The power to reach buyers at the exact time and the exact place they’re looking for what you offer has massive implications for all kinds of businesses worldwide. Carmine Gallo expertly shows you how to tap into the foursquare revolution, and he does it with a practical approach you can put to work in your business right now. There’s an epic swarm and it’s time for you to check in!”
—DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT, bestselling author of Real-Time Marketing & PR
Join the Australian Businesswomen’s Network on 8 February for a closer look at foursquare
International bestselling author Carmine Gallo not only has had unprecedented first-hand access to foursquare’s founders, he also has interviewed dozens of business owners and marketers who have revolutionised their businesses through The Power of foursquare.
He joins us on 8 February as our guest on BOOKED for Lunch, a free lunchtime webinar during which we’ll interview Carmine and ask him about his new book The Power of foursquare.
You can read more about this free upcoming webinar here.
Conquering the Facebook Frontier for Small Business
February 1, 2012
By Nerida Gill, Admin Bandit
If social networking is the new frontier of small business, then Facebook must surely be the wagon that gets us there. However, showing up and staking a claim isn’t enough; you’ve got to work that claim to unearth any riches.
I’ve been optimising my own Admin Bandit fan page over the last few months and here’s what I’m learning.
Use applications to make your page different
“Customisation” is the Facebook buzz word right now. What it means is that you can modify the look and functionality of your fan page… and you don’t need to be an IT geek to do it. All you need is one of the many templates available online (the basic ones are free, while the more advanced attract a monthly fee) — setting it up is like painting by numbers.
For example, I used Lujure to create my “welcome” tab, which is the first thing non-fans see when they go to my page. I’ve added a banner, photograph, Twitter feed, testimonials and a link to a 55-day free trial of my accounting software.
A friend who runs a small saddlery on Facebook used Pagemodo to create her “welcome” tab. Compare the two to see just how flexible customisation applications are; the same basic technology has created two “welcome” tabs that are chalk and cheese.
Of course, you don’t need to stick to a single application. Horse Feathers Saddlery used Payvment to create a Facebook store, complete with an inventory function and a check-out linked to Paypal.
Just as exciting is how easy customisation applications are to find. The best ways are to check out the fan pages of other businesses in your industry, especially your competitors or do a Google search.
How to attract fans
Ah, this is where the rubber hits the road for fan pages… getting people to “like” you.
Let me say upfront that attracting fans is not a popularity contest — all fans, whether they purchase or not, have the potential to share quality content and boost your social proof; that is, your credibility and influence.
Start with the marketing basics:
- Add your Facebook address to your stationery, including your email signature, blog and website
- Regularly link to your fan page in electronic communications, especially blog posts and e-newsletters
- Give people reasons to “like” you. Make the benefits clear, such as special offers, free resources or sneak previews
- Ask. It sounds too good to be true, but “plugs” and requests through your personal Facebook page really work!
Apart from buying fans (yes, believe it or not, you can!), a competition or giveaway is the best way to get a sudden influx of fans, up to a couple of hundred at a time, especially the more elusive kind that you don’t personally know. However, Facebook has specific guidelines on hosting anything that comes under the “promotion” banner, so make sure you’re familiar with what you can and can’t do, and toe the line because I know people who have been unwittingly caught and temporarily suspended!
Viral marketing requires more work and doesn’t bring the same instant fix, but it does offer a sustained trickle for steady, long-term growth of fans genuinely interested in your business, not just the lure of a freebie.
In case you don’t know, viral marketing is about increasing awareness of your brand using pre-existing social networks. In the case of Facebook, it means regularly and actively participating in other fan pages, where you’ll meet and attract like-minded people. The really cool part is that every time you leave a comment or tag another user in a comment, you appear in at least one person’s news feeds, which puts you in view of that person’s entire network. Now, that offers possibilities!
So, which fan pages do you head to? The easy answer is to start with those related to your industry and expertise. For example, my business is part of the non-profit, accounting and IT industries, so you’ll see a stack of community, non-profit, philanthropy, IT and small business groups and peak bodies in my list of “likes”.
How to engage your fans
Getting conversations started is probably the biggest Facebook struggle for any small business. And it seems no expert or study has a fool-proof solution… yet.
Until anyone knows for sure, here are some ideas to try:
- Be human: share the bad with good, post photos of your office, life and day
- Don’t over-think your posts; say whatever pops into your head (within reason!)
- Ask for opinions and experiences, but make your questions quick and easy to answer
- Appeal to the emotions… people often respond to humour or injustice
- Thank people for simply being your fans
- Mix business and fun: I posted a photo of my dog at Christmas and my team at a convention with a spy theme
- Post regularly, BUT….
- Post quality over quantity: useful links, information, advice, famous quotes
- Tag people when you post about them or respond to comments
- Host Facebook events, such as sales, workshops, Q and A sessions
- Finally, look at super popular fan pages… what do they do?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY NERIDA GILL
- Energise Your Business with Easy New Year’s Resolutions
- Ho Ho Ho, A’ Christmas Networking We Go
- Entrepreneurial Qualities: Lessons from the Life of Steve Jobs
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Nerida Gill - Admin BanditNerida Gill is the creator of Admin Bandit, a web-based accounting package designed specifically to make keeping the books easy for volunteer treasurers in community groups. After winning numerous business awards, Admin Bandit is in a growth phase after recently attracting external investment.
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If your business came to life as a person, what would your customers think?
January 27, 2012
By Vivienne Kane, Minuteman Press Prahran
When you think Virgin, you think Richard Branson. McDonalds – Ronald McDonald. Victoria Bitter – a tradie in a singlet and stubbies.
Have you ever thought what your business would be if it came to life in human form?
What are the values and impressions you’d like to project?
Would you be a cool Gen Y with a couple of tasteful tatts and slightly out there dress sense? Or possibly a well groomed corporate type in a pinstripe suit? Or maybe a grey haired lady with a nana trolley? Would you be old or young, conservative or cutting edge, middle income or poor, an innovator or a follower?
If your business is an expression of who you are, and you think that’s important, it’s a very worthwhile exercise to think about this.
Is your brand personality someone your customers would buy from?
It’s particularly pertinent when you’re growing from a one woman band to an enterprise with multiple staff, some or all of whom have contact with your customers.
Imagine if your “business personality” is a smartly dressed forty something with a quirky sense of humour , but your front-line staff are all Gen Y’s with little training and no spark or interest in conversation. Perhaps your customers might be a bit confused.
Don’t assume everyone will understand your approach by osmosis. It needs to be explained as well as modelled. Role plays are a great tool. Of course, you don’t want the “business personality” to be a straight jacket – but your core values, approach to solving problems and conversational tone should all be clear, consistent and reflected by everyone in the business.
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY VIVIENNE KANE
- Do you make these 5 Online Customer Service Mistakes?
- Why You Should Guarantee Your Service – and Brag About It
- Are you making champagne promises – and delivering beer?
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Vivienne Kane – Minuteman Press PrahranAs the owner and operations manager of Minuteman Press Prahran, a franchise print supplier, Vivienne works with small business customers every day. She runs the business, and their online specialty division CalendarPrint, with her husband Nicholas and their talented staff. With a customer base which often has little experience in buying print, Minuteman Prahran’s point of difference is making the process as painless as possible. Vivienne is a strong advocate of clear and reliable communication as a key tool in winning and keeping customers. She started her professional life as a Speech Pathologist, and enjoyed a variety of roles in administration and community groups before establishing Minuteman Press in 2000. She has three Gen-Y adult children, is an almost an empty nester, loves travel and is a member of two book clubs.
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