I was prompted to write this post today, as I have had to deal with a few different business image issues, this past week. Some businesses don't realize that their image is the most important factor in gaining and retaining clients.
First off, let's define business image. Business image is the overall impression that a business produces for the world to see. This includes: logo, colour themes, graphic and web design, social media presence , customer service, business cards, uniforms, TV commercials, product packaging, company motto and ideals. Image is even portrayed in the choice of font chosen to represent an organization. It even goes so far as to be produced by the behavior of employees, owners and affiliates of the business outside of the workplace.
So as a social media marketer , I thought I would stray a little and talk a bit about more traditional marketing concepts.
One business, that I have been working with in a self-directed, social media marketing campaign, decided to start posting Facebook images and slogans dealing with poverty in third world nations! This sounds harmless enough...right? She was posting very graphic images of sick and hungry children in Africa. These images were accompanied by slogans like "See what capitalism gets you!" or "Where does your money go!".
The heart was demonstrated by the content and no one disagrees that we need to help the less fortunate, but the wrong message was being sent. It sent the opposite message that her feel-good products produced in her customers.
I advised her to start sponsoring a child through a reputable charitable organization and write about the good her charitable dollars were doing. She still got to educate her clients on third world issues, but still produce a positive image for her business!
The other issue I had concerning business image occurred at a networking event, where I was a featured business. The business in question was associated with the event, as well.
They approached me and started telling me that they hate Twitter and social media in general. She told me this, so I would "know right off the bat". She also explained that she was in charge of their company's social media campaign and hated doing it.
I tried to give her some tips and reassurances and she basically brushed me off rudely! I watched her for the rest of the night and found that she was being very abrasive with various people at the event. Someone described her as having a strong personality, but she probably shouldn't be marketing her own business.
This is a very true statement for many small businesses today. The owner has to wear a lot of hats to keep the business going. From boss to janitor to bookkeeper to marketing...it is a hard job especially when just starting out!
My concern is that this person's attitude was reflecting negatively on a great product. Maybe they were tired or had a bad week. When it comes to image, there is little room for excuses.
Another concern was with her social media campaign. If she does not know what she is doing or doesn't like doing social media, it may be reflected in her marketing. People are looking for a genuine and friendly attitude when dealing with a business. Any negative attitudes may shine through in any form of marketing.
As for my business and her...I think I will wait a week or so and offer her a couple of hours of free consultation to see if I can make her marketing shine.
In short, everything a business 'puts out there' reflects on its image. Be careful to make sure your business does everything in it's power to maintain the proper image from having great content to the right colour scheme to good public relations. It is easy to ruin a business image and very hard to rebuild it!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
LinkedIn Tips
Here is a great link, with some LinkedIn tips that you must know!
http://www.ianbrodie.com/marketing/linkedin-tips-professionals/
http://www.ianbrodie.com/marketing/linkedin-tips-professionals/
New Facebook - Like It or Lump It!
Facebook unveiled its new layout this past week...much to the dismay of many users. This backlash was demonstrated by the angry comments and protests, posted all over the social network giant's news feeds. Other creative users designed poignant, profile pics that raged against the Facebook machine. Shown below is one such witty design:
Not that all comments were negative though. Some users even defended the right of Facebook to change its layout, as it is a free site. Other users simply stated that they like the new layout and didn't understand the fuss. At the very least, the new layout seems to be quite controversial.
Some Notable Changes
Some changes of note are:
1. The addition of the News Feed 'Ticker' in the upper right-hand corner. It seems Facebook has tried to mimic social media rival, Twitter, by adding a real-time news feed stream, that displays the user's friend's activities.
2. Facebook have broken the News Feed into two categories: The Top Stories section and the Recent Stories section. There are also sub-categories listed on the left-hand side, that allow the user to break these streams down into even more categories, such as: Family, Close Friends, Schools and Regions. I believe this was done to combat the rising social site Google+, which allows users to break down "connections" into categories, such as: Friends, Acquaintances, etc.
3. Facebook has also displayed Pages and Groups down the side to make the site more easily navigable.
4. There was also an overhaul of the IM portion. It displays the user's Friends exclusively down the bottom right-hand corner. This was compared to the little bar that used to be there that was accompanied by a 'Face box' displayed on the left.
5. The email has been turned into threads. That means that every correspondence between users is displayed, in a never ending list.
6. Facebook Pages has changed, as well. They have added a Friend Activity tab that displays recent interactions between a page and its Fans.
7. Another addition is the Recommendations tab on the right, that allows Fans to write recommendations for the page. As well, there is a Recommended Pages tab that suggest pages for the admin, based on the liked pages of that page's fans.
Like It or Lump It!
Whether you a fan of the new Facebook layout or not, there is no denying that there is not much that can be done about it. User's just have to get used to the new layout. People do not like change and complain every time Facebook changes.
In my opinion there are some great changes and other changes were not needed. The blatant attempts to mimic other popular sites was very transparent. However, I do like the changes to Facebook pages section. The ability to Recommend someones business page is a very powerful social media tool. Yet I do not understand the need to change the email into threads - I still prefer the ability to search through individual emails, like the classic email allowed.
On a social media note, it was very interesting to see Facebook users try to leverage the power of social media, to change the layout back to what it was. Even if their campaign was in vain, people are starting to understand the power of social media!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Tips for Marketing Via Facebook
People want to get out and market their small business, utilizing the power of social media networks. They are instantly drawn to social media giant Facebook. With its sheer size (with over 750 million users) and a very user-friendly interface, it is an easy pick for adding a knock-out punch to any small business' social media marketing campaign. The main problem is that many businesses do not properly leverage their Facebook presence, by running their social media campaigns on Facebook poorly.
Many of these mistakes are easily avoidable or fixable! This post will briefly discuss some basic do's and don'ts of marketing using Facebook.
1. One major don't that is a common mistake amoung novice marketers, is to use a personal Facebook profile to market their business! This is in contrast to using the Facebook business page to market your business. This is wrong on a few levels.
First off ,(to be blunt) it is considered a bit tacky to use the personal profile to push a business. Facebook created specific business sites, so users can choose to like a page on their own. If you are running a properly planned campaign your numbers should grow anyways.
Secondly, your business loses the ability to track your campaign`s progress by utilizing Facebook Insights. It tracks your page's user's comments, likes or posts. This is a valuable tool when gauging how successful your social media campaign is.
And at last, you lose some of the features of having a business page, that are important to any business campaign, such as having multiple administrators, the ability to produce business badges (widgets used to market your site elsewhere), an embedded map to your business, greater control over what information target markets receive, the use of Facebook ads and quite a bit of other great features.
In short-please use a Facebook business page!
2. Even if using a proper business page, some small businesses make the mistake of pushing their business too hard on Facebook or having bad content. It makes the business come off as spam or impersonal and (more importantly) may be alienating clients or at the very (but not) least engaging them improperly.
3. Having a bad personal profile may negatively influence your business. Just because you have a separate business page-does not mean that the two are inseparable. Whatever you post on your personal page can influence what people think of you and your business.
So please don`t post pictures of yourself on vacation drunk on the beach or watch what games you play on Facebook. These create an image of you and ultimately your business. Image is everything.
4. Facebook users are more forgiving than the other social media site`s users in terms of grammar and spelling errors. However, it is important to try to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Bad spelling and glaring errors can reflect on the professionalism of your business.
5, Do not alienate anyone on Facebook. You never know who your potential client is going to be. If they do not fit your mould of what you think your client should be...you might be wrong!
There are some of the don`ts for marketing via the Facebook business page. We will move on to some do`s to make your campaign sizzle.
1. Be very personable and engaging. This is what promotes your business personality. Facebook is first and foremost a social site. Use the social aspect to make your business shine in the social sphere.
2. Do use a custom banner on your business page. You can design a custom banner that is 180 by 540 pixels wide. Make your business stand above the rest of the business` sporting the cookie-cutter, Facebook business page profile pictures.
You can put your logo, a picture, address, phone number, website and email on this banner. With proper layout, you can make it look nice and have all of your vital information on your home page...and it is different
3. Do post interesting links, videos and pictures. It gives the audience something to enjoy and creates a dialogue with them. Interesting and dynamic content engages the target market and allows them to experience your awesome business, as well as, allows for them to give valuable feedback.
4. Try to post interesting content regularly. People may be really engaging your content. Just keep it coming.
5. Engage and support other businesses on Facebook. They are customers too.
I hope this post helps out with your Facebook marketing. There will be more posts soon.
Many of these mistakes are easily avoidable or fixable! This post will briefly discuss some basic do's and don'ts of marketing using Facebook.
Facebook Marketing Don'ts
1. One major don't that is a common mistake amoung novice marketers, is to use a personal Facebook profile to market their business! This is in contrast to using the Facebook business page to market your business. This is wrong on a few levels.
First off ,(to be blunt) it is considered a bit tacky to use the personal profile to push a business. Facebook created specific business sites, so users can choose to like a page on their own. If you are running a properly planned campaign your numbers should grow anyways.
Secondly, your business loses the ability to track your campaign`s progress by utilizing Facebook Insights. It tracks your page's user's comments, likes or posts. This is a valuable tool when gauging how successful your social media campaign is.
And at last, you lose some of the features of having a business page, that are important to any business campaign, such as having multiple administrators, the ability to produce business badges (widgets used to market your site elsewhere), an embedded map to your business, greater control over what information target markets receive, the use of Facebook ads and quite a bit of other great features.
In short-please use a Facebook business page!
2. Even if using a proper business page, some small businesses make the mistake of pushing their business too hard on Facebook or having bad content. It makes the business come off as spam or impersonal and (more importantly) may be alienating clients or at the very (but not) least engaging them improperly.
3. Having a bad personal profile may negatively influence your business. Just because you have a separate business page-does not mean that the two are inseparable. Whatever you post on your personal page can influence what people think of you and your business.
So please don`t post pictures of yourself on vacation drunk on the beach or watch what games you play on Facebook. These create an image of you and ultimately your business. Image is everything.
4. Facebook users are more forgiving than the other social media site`s users in terms of grammar and spelling errors. However, it is important to try to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Bad spelling and glaring errors can reflect on the professionalism of your business.
5, Do not alienate anyone on Facebook. You never know who your potential client is going to be. If they do not fit your mould of what you think your client should be...you might be wrong!
There are some of the don`ts for marketing via the Facebook business page. We will move on to some do`s to make your campaign sizzle.
The Do`s of Facebook Marketing
1. Be very personable and engaging. This is what promotes your business personality. Facebook is first and foremost a social site. Use the social aspect to make your business shine in the social sphere.
2. Do use a custom banner on your business page. You can design a custom banner that is 180 by 540 pixels wide. Make your business stand above the rest of the business` sporting the cookie-cutter, Facebook business page profile pictures.
You can put your logo, a picture, address, phone number, website and email on this banner. With proper layout, you can make it look nice and have all of your vital information on your home page...and it is different
3. Do post interesting links, videos and pictures. It gives the audience something to enjoy and creates a dialogue with them. Interesting and dynamic content engages the target market and allows them to experience your awesome business, as well as, allows for them to give valuable feedback.
4. Try to post interesting content regularly. People may be really engaging your content. Just keep it coming.
5. Engage and support other businesses on Facebook. They are customers too.
I hope this post helps out with your Facebook marketing. There will be more posts soon.
Friday, September 9, 2011
If Content is King...then Planning is its Top Advisor
If content is considered the social media king...then 'planned strategies' must be its top advisor. Many businesses start marketing via social media without a planned strategy. This might work for a little while, but may cause undesirable effects in the long run.
A social media campaign must be perfectly planned from the onset to be effective. Considerations must be made for: what social media outlets will be utilized; to who will implement the campaign; to how the business with interact with target markets. This is where planned content comes into play.
Although social media marketing is not overt, like traditional marketing, it is still marketing. By strategically planning your SMM campaign and ultimately your content, your business can maximize the effectiveness of its social media campaign.
Reasons for Planning Content
1. You can target certain demographics. You can plan to use content that appeals to specific target demographics to draw them to your social media campaign.
2. You avoid sending out the wrong message. Recently, I was informed of a new business owner using their personal Facebook page to push their business. That doesn't seem so bad...right?
At the same time as pushing their business, their profile page was filled with notifications of the business owner playing of Texas Hold Em' Poker, all day long. They came off looking like a gambling addict and maybe lazy. These are very negative images for a business, especially a startup. This image was a result of neglecting to plan what their social media content would be and who was seeing it.
3. Planning content allows the business to have greater control over what products/services are being marketed. If a business feels a product or a service is not selling, they can utilize a SMM campaign to bolster sales.
A client of mine has business with multiple revenue streams. We sit down and plan strategic ways to covertly market these very different products. Properly laid content is the best way to push specific products that need to move.
4. Additionally, if a product or a service is not selling well, planning more content around that product may lead the business owner to find out the reason why. Client interactions are important to the developing (or changing) products to suit client's needs. By generating meaningful content, businesses can gain valuable feedback from clients that can directly affect their businesses.
Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
A social media campaign must be perfectly planned from the onset to be effective. Considerations must be made for: what social media outlets will be utilized; to who will implement the campaign; to how the business with interact with target markets. This is where planned content comes into play.
Although social media marketing is not overt, like traditional marketing, it is still marketing. By strategically planning your SMM campaign and ultimately your content, your business can maximize the effectiveness of its social media campaign.
Reasons for Planning Content
1. You can target certain demographics. You can plan to use content that appeals to specific target demographics to draw them to your social media campaign.
2. You avoid sending out the wrong message. Recently, I was informed of a new business owner using their personal Facebook page to push their business. That doesn't seem so bad...right?
At the same time as pushing their business, their profile page was filled with notifications of the business owner playing of Texas Hold Em' Poker, all day long. They came off looking like a gambling addict and maybe lazy. These are very negative images for a business, especially a startup. This image was a result of neglecting to plan what their social media content would be and who was seeing it.
3. Planning content allows the business to have greater control over what products/services are being marketed. If a business feels a product or a service is not selling, they can utilize a SMM campaign to bolster sales.
A client of mine has business with multiple revenue streams. We sit down and plan strategic ways to covertly market these very different products. Properly laid content is the best way to push specific products that need to move.
4. Additionally, if a product or a service is not selling well, planning more content around that product may lead the business owner to find out the reason why. Client interactions are important to the developing (or changing) products to suit client's needs. By generating meaningful content, businesses can gain valuable feedback from clients that can directly affect their businesses.
Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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