Online Social Media Mistakes for Small Business

There are soooo many different online social media sites out there, it gets very confusing doesn’t it?

Over time I’ve made it a point to read a bunch of different tips and pieces of advice about using these tools for small business.

 

Here’s what I’ve found are some pretty common sense suggestions to consider if you plan to use these tools for business.
 
1. Selling to Everyone, Immediately, is a Big Mistake:
Yes you can do marketing in social media, but you need to create the relationships before you try and call on them. This is the same principle offline, correct? But sometimes we forget.

2. Don’t Use the same strategy on every site:
Twitter is not WordPress. Facebook is not MySpace. Linkedin is not Naymz. And they’re all different from Foursquare. Every social networking site is different, what works well on one site may not work the same on another.
 
3. Complete your Profile:
Once you decide which online social media site(s) you’re going to engage in, you need to commit and really become part of that network. Completely filling out your profile helps you attract like-minded members and shows people that you’re there to stay. 
 
But the most important thing to consider for online social media is….

Have a plan, and if you don’t know, don’t go!

 

Not all of your customers are using these tools. Some might be but they’re not “All” using them. Don’t go into the online social media world until, as part of your marketing plan, until you’ve figured out how you’re go to use it to increase your business, AND you have determined a way to measure the results of your efforts. You’ll be wasting your time otherwise.
 
http://www.kcwebspecialists.com/online-social-media-plan-for-small-business.html 

People who Tweet at Luncheon Events are Rude!!

Folks, please don’t get me wrong. This post is not a negative about the application Twitter. It’s about some rude people using it.

I recently attended a large Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon. Each month at these events they have guest speakers. Our guest speaker this month was from a consulting/news firm that specializes in social online media and he was going to present about online media.

So here’s our guest speaker sitting at the front table with the Mayor, the president of the Chamber, the three of us that are sponsoring this month’s luncheon and the Chairman of the Chamber.

Here’s where the rudeness starts. While our President is up at the podium talking to the audience and thanking everyone for attending, and the mayor gets up and talks about the Christmas tree fund, and while the sponsors are up talking about their company’s. Our great guest speaker has his phone in front of him, he’s looking away from the speakers and he’s tweeting and responding to people who are tweeting him. I can guarantee you he had no idea about anything that was said, nor did he present an attitude of caring about what was being said. He was focused on his social online media world.

Excuse me, can you say, “Please give the speaker your undivided attention?”

Then he is introduced and he stands up and tells everyone in the audience that over 50 people in the last three minutes have tweeted him back and they said to tell the people in the audience hello.

Who cares!!!! Can you tell me what was said in the room for the last three minutes?

Of course don’t get me started about the fact that he then stood up and tried to convey to the entire audience (Oh how I hate this line), but he stood up there and said “ALL your customers are using social online media, so you’d need to be using it too.”

Now first of all, ALL my customers (or at least 75% of them) have little to know time for online social media.

Stop trying to scare everyone into thinking they’re missing out on something!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grrrrrr, let me just stick with the topic of this post. That it’s extremely rude to be tweeting and texting and responding to your phone while someone is at the podium speaking to the audience. RUDE, RUDE, RUDE!!!! 

When using online social media, please consider this. If you are at a luncheon, and the president of the group isup there talking, would you stand in the center of the same room and have a separate meeting with 50 people in a little group and ignore the main speaker? The answer is no! So, why would you do that online?

Does anyone else besides me think his actions were rude?

Chris Nastav, KC Web Specialists, LLC, www.kcwebspecialists.com
Experts in how business gets done on the Internet

Share Your PR Success Stories

For over the last year, myself, and the other contributors here, have been dulling out our advice and expertise to help small businesses be more successful; to grow. Now I am interested in hearing from you!

As a PR professional I love to hear people’s success stories in achieving positive media, and more importantly about what resources helped you garner press.

I invite you to leave a comment of your success. No strings attached. Just an opportunity for you to further generate awareness about your business.

I can’t wait to hear your stories!

Jennifer Fortney
Cascade Communications
Follow on Twitter @SmallBizPRXpert

The Best FREE Resources for Getting PR

In the past, as a PR professional there were a multitude of great resources we used to help generate news stories for our clients.  Back then many were pay services that came by fax or even mail!  Can you imagine how far ahead journalists had to plan to get a query posted on that one!

Well those days are mostly gone, thanks to the Internet and many service, while still pay are offering part of their service for free (promotionally) and others are just FREE.

Now my cohorts would ask me why I’m giving these away, but the reality is that if you really wanted to find them online, you will and I would rather have you visit Small Business Daily and save yourself some serious time.

Help a Reporter Out – sign up to receive this free email distribution three times daily with the latest queries from journalists looking for sources.  Be ware.  Participation has rules so best to read them before you get booted from the list.

Pitch Rate – also an email distribution that’s focus is on industry experts

Reporter’s Source – free email distribution with leads but you don’t have the chance to pitch the reporter yourself.  Actually, you send in your pitch, it’s evaluated by the publishers and they pitch it for you.  If the journalist is interested they put you in touch.

My Story Source – just launched.  Free email distribution to media that allows you to pitch your news in the email and journalists contact you at their convenience. Also a good place to build community with other small businesses and nonprofits.

The Publicity Hound – a great place to get tips on improving your ability to generate positive PR for your organization.

Toilet Paper Entrepreneur – another great resource for entrepreneurs of every shape and size.  A wealth of knowledge and information.  Read the blog daily!

Jennifer Fortney
Cascade Communciations

Follow me on Twitter @SmallBizPRXpert