Social Media and Small Business. Part 33 1/3 (In the tradition of Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult)

This is the third Social Media and Small Business installment in our special Blue Bike mini-series. Side Note: Every time I hear "mini-series," all I can think of are cheesy made for t.v. movies that I was forced to watch as a kid. Last time we covered Facebook and Twitter. Today we are going to discuss LinkedIn and Myspace. Get excited!

Alright, let's get the ball rolling with LinkedIn. When it comes to Social Media and all of the benefits it offers, friendship is one of the default thoughts that come to mind. LinkedIn isn't so much the place to foster and cultivate friendships, it is purely a business networking social media forum. All of the small business owners out there who are new to social Media are surely saying to themselves, "That sounds like a pretty good option for me!" And guess what, it is! In some ways. LinkedIn offers valuable resources for small businesses, but it lacks an essential component necessary for creating brand loyalty with your clients because it doesn't allow for any personality or human authenticity to shine through. Your clients want to see the authentic and unique aspects with which they can create a bond. Am I saying not to use LinkedIn? Hell no, just don't focus all of your social media efforts on it.  

Myspace, on the other hand, is on the opposite end of the spectrum from LinkedIn. Myspace largely acts in the same way as facebook does when it comes to Social Media Networking, however the difference lies primarily with the user a.k.a. your audience. Myspace is often utilized as a resource for its users in finding and listening to new music and music industry promotion. The Myspace audience, at least concerning its most active users, has a much, (very much) younger feel than the rest of the SM outlets we have discussed. Am I saying not to use Myspace? Yes, that is to say unless you are a band or 14 year old girl. 

In my next post I am going to address the specific benefits SM provides SB. Hold on tight folks, I know you're on the edge of your seat!

The Second Waco Social Media Breakfast.

I've decided to take a brief blog intermission from my SM and SB series (that stands for Social Media and Small Business, for those of you who have not read my previous posts) to recap the second Waco Social Media Breakfast. The breakfast was at Rudy's again (I wonder if Lolita's could handle our next SMB?) and our early morning hunger was quelled by the breakfast tacos with a little B-B-Q flair. If you remember my recap of the last Waco SMB, I spent a lot of time writing about the weather. In order not to stray too far from precedence I feel like I need to talk about the weather situation at least a little. I'm not sure if the combination of my Jeep CJ5, Social Media and breakfast in the wee hours of the morning creates some kind of cosmic reaction in the universe that results in less than pleasant weather. The morning of the first SMB there came a flood from the heavens, this time around we had sub-freezing temperatures and rain. So, what is the lesson I learned? I need to get a top for my jeep, then it won't matter what the damn weather is like! 

Okay, now we can actually begin discussing Waco's 2nd SMB . . . This month we had the pleasant experience of two guest speakers who use Social Media in higher education. Autumn Outlaw the New Student Orientation Coordinator for Texas State Technical College was our first presenter, followed by CJ Jackson Director, Communications and Marketing for Baylor's Hankamer School of Business followed. Sarah-Jane Sanders and others gave some guest tidbits concerning TSTC's use of SM. Autumn did a great job of illustrating the ways Social Media helps TSTC connect with their students and keep the student body informed about campus happenings. CJ Jackson discussed a case study about Using Twitter to Strengthen and Promote Research and presented the first statistics that I have seen concerning the ROI and SM, especially concerning Twitter.

All in all, this month's Social Media Breakfast was really informative and helpful to learn about the different ways in which Social Media is beneficial for a variety of people. 

All of you Waco folks should keep your ear to the ground about having a Tweet-up at a local pub, which I would really enjoy for the very fact that it isn't at 7:30 in the AM. 

Social Media and Small Business. Part 2 (Or, as the French say, Part Deux)

This is the second installment in a series on how social media networking and small business can begin a beautiful and mutually beneficial relationship. I should apologize for the lack of activity on the Blue Bike blog, but now that the holidays are over I will hopefully be able to blog a little more consistently. Enough excuses, here we go!

Now that we have an idea of what social media is, we can begin to identify the different SM outlets that are currently utilized. For this discussion I'm going to limit myself to just Facebook and Twitter. These particular outlets have very different manifestations under the umbrella category we call "Social Media."

We can start with Facebook, which is a wildly popular Social Media outlet especially amongst twenty-somethings. In fact, users aging 35-54 only make up about 3.5% of all facebook users. People use Facebook primarily to connect with friends. Whether they are finding new friends on the internet, staying in touch with people from their past, or connecting with the people currently in their life, the common denominator is networking with those we consider to be friends. Lately there has been a growing trend on facebook for users to network, promote and market their businesses. Scott Scheper does an amazing job of articulating the differences between facebook and twitter in his post, The Misunderstood Uses of Twitter and Facebook: Are you a Friend, Follower or a Fool? in which he say's that Facebook's main purpose is focused on "furthering and cultivating relationships with already established friends." The small business person can utilize Facebook for more than simply connecting with already established friends. Facebook offers you the ability to connect your pre-established friends with your business. It is not, however, the place for bombarding your friends with a myriad of sales pitches, specials and business updates. That's annoying. These are your friends, not necessarily your customers. The most beneficial way for your company to use Facebook is informing those people who would probably have no real reason for visiting your company's website. Why? Because these are your friends, they are the people who will recommend your company to others when the opportunity presents itself. The more information your friends have, the better they can refer your company. 

Twitter is one social media networking venue that is somewhat unique, in that the user is asked, "What are you doing?" But the user is limited to 140 characters within which to say what they are doing, which has been so aptly coined as micro-blogging. The use of Twitter has spread like wildfire within the business community over the last year or so. The reader might ask; "What makes Twitter so popular with businesses?" There are numerous benefits for businesses that use Twitter, so many in fact that there are countless blog posts about the very topic. The difference lies in the nature and use of Twitter. The primary drive behind Twitter is networking. You are able to increase your brand's awareness and network across the country (shoot, worldwide even) with people you have never met before. As Scott Scheper says in a post entitled, The Misunderstood Uses of Twitter and Facebook: Are you a Friend, Follower or a Fool? "Simply put, Twitter doesn’t position itself as a valuable use of time unless you’re a workin’ (wo)man. Twitter is a refreshing approach to social networking that benefits freelancers, designers, writers and people in the work-force."

Hopefully you now have a better understanding about a couple of the Social Media outlets available to you. As we continue our discussion about Social Media and Small Businesses we will address the particular benefits that come with the use of Social Media Networking. Stay tuned folks.

Small Business and Social Media. Part 1

This is the first part, out of a yet-to-be defined number, in a series of posts on introducing small business to social networking and how it can be beneficial for business growth. Stay tuned and it will hopefully be useful and on the verge of entertaining.

Social Media has become somewhat of a buzzword lately, or "buzzphrase," if I may, but has yet to fully infiltrate the ranks of the small business folk's vernacular in a truly substantial way. In an even less notable way, social media  has been found void in the marketing and advertising expenditures for a multitude of small businesses. With a quasi-shaky economy and the proverbial tightening of belts around the waists of marketing budgets, it's a totally logical step that "marketing professionals," (yes, I do realize that I, myself, fall into the category "marketing professionals," which I apologetically admit is laden with a young-gun, snooty and condescending undertone) are beginning to rethink the largely outdated models of yesteryear. So, the fact that social media has become a phrase that is buzzin' around  many of the communities in the business world, and perking many folk's ears, doesn't mean social media is brand-spankin' new. It just so happens that social media has been in place for a good while. But those who have continued to utilize the defunct marketing model have recently paid more attention as they look for a relatively free marketing option because of those tightened budgets. As a side note Beth Harte and Geoff Livingston co-authored a good, and funny, post about new social media "experts," called Top 25 Ways to Tell if Your Social Media Expert is a Carpetbagger

But what does this mean for the small business owner? Well, before I begin to address the benefit of Social Media Networking for small businesses, I want to define Social Media Networking as "communication online." Pretty simple, huh? Well, sort of . . . For so many small businesses in the U.S. today the only online presence utilized is a mediocre, static-website and little-to-no user interactivity. I understand this dilemma, websites that are more creative in nature and more exciting to visit can get very expensive, which is not easy to fit into the budget for a small business owner. Social media networking/marketing offers small businesses a stepping stone towards overcoming the small business web-dilemma. 

In the days and weeks to come I will be introducing a variety of social media networking outlets for small businesses, demonstrate the multitude of ways social media can be beneficial to your business and brand, and a primer discussion on how to effectively participate in the social media networking community.

Get excited to shift gears!

Waco Social Media Breakfast

I woke up bright and early this morning, well actually it was more like dark, stormy and early, but nonetheless I was up and at 'em because I was going to the fine Bar-B-Q establishment called Rudy's (I know, it's not local, but it wasn't my decision) for the first ever Waco Social Media Breakfast. Around 7:15 AM I was getting in my 1972 Jeep CJ5, which only has a bikini top (a.k.a. no sides or doors to protect the driver (me) from the elements (this morning). As soon as I was pulling out of my drive way, in the Cameron Park Residential area, the rain began to fall. It wasn't too bad at first, after all I had my handy-dandy Arc'teryx waterproof mountaineering jacket enclosing me in its bombproof construction, which is totally capable of withstanding the harshest attacks Momma Nature throws my way. Three minutes later there were gale force crosswinds bringing down epic amounts of water (I couldn't help thinking that my Jeep was the modern day Ark for the modern day Noah, sans the boatload of animals) of which I was unable to personally dodge. By the time I arrived at Rudy's I was soaked to the bone from the waist down, however, my jacket held true and did not falter. 

Okay, enough about my journey for now, I need to get to the heart of this post, which is the first Waco Social Media Breakfast. The turn out was a little smaller than expected, of which I am sure the weather had some kind of contribution, but the small crowd was good, bright, eager to learn and kind. The Waco SMB was hosted by Jay Ehret and our special guest was Bryan Person, the founder of the very first ever Social Media Breakfast. We discussed what the heck social networking media is, and what it is used for. The most laymen definition Bryan recited was, "Communicating online." The purpose behind Social Media Marketing for your company is to get the message out to potential customers, it enables you to tell your story in your own words and on your terms without the communicative filter of the media. Social media serves to show all of the personality you have, both as a company and a person, but must demonstrate authenticity in your message, because the consumer can smell a salesman from a mile away. You will draw people to you and your company through genuine connections, even though they are via the web, and the potential customer will see that you are a competent and confident expert within your profession. It's worth the time folks and it's time.

-Shift Gears

"Branding? But I don't even live on a ranch in west Texas."

What the heck is "Branding?" Branding is what conveys your company's image to the rest of the world. Your "brand" is what the consumer knows about you. That's what Blue Bike lives for, we love having the opportunity to take the conceptual perception, and metaphorical parameters, of you (whatever "you" means, whether it is a company, nonprofit, organization, etc.), and create the culture and story behind your brand. Blue Bike's brand strategy is, as well yours should be, moving forward in the creation of a brand story, the creation of a culture around your brand. There are a lot of factors that play into the creation of your unique brand story, like who you are, what you do, where you are going and who you are trying to reach. Your branding assets are also made manifest in a variety of different ways, like a website specifically designed for you and your brand, built with the with custom applications, or print design for ads and annual reports, all the way down to the logo and unique aspects of your products and services, which are branded specifically for you.

Why is developing a unique and creative brand strategy important? It's not important . . . it's imperative. There is a massive sea of blasé companies out there and the consumer has to see something that sets you apart from every other Joe Blow company. You have to be unique and conveyed in a way that shows authenticity. Talk to us . . . it's time to shift gears.

Having a Web Presence

It shouldn't be shocking to inform you, the reader, that we are currently living in a highly digital age. It should be shocking for you, the reader, and your business to not have a web presence. The way humans communicate has changed so dramatically over the past 20 years that it has entirely altered the ways of commerce. For example, in 1989 (almost 20 years ago) when Saved By the Bell stormed into the living rooms of America to quickly steal the hearts of our youth (I mean, honestly, who can blame them when there are characters like . . . Zack, Kelly Kapowski, Lisa Turtle, Screech, A.C. Slater and Jessie Spano) we thought Zack Morris' twenty pound "cell phone" was cool. It wasn't. Now we have the iPhone, the soon-to-be released Google G1 phone, the Blackberry (a.k.a. crackberry) and an assortment of other little gadgets that keep us in constant contact with the rest of the world. We can buy a new pair of shoes on our coffee breaks for God's sake. 

So my question to you is this; why the hell don't you have a website? 

And now it's time for a shameless plug: Blue Bike Marketing designs and develops custom websites!