I had a wonderful opportunity to do a marketing strategy session with a client the other day, and in preparation I sent her a set of questions to get her creative ideas flowing.
One of the questions is "who do you NOT want to market to in 2011?" She loved the question, and answering it helped to reinforce what she doesn't want to do more of going forward.
Sometimes we really need to take a step back and analyze our current business flow. It's easy to get so busy that we don't stop to look around and look at our business with fresh eyes.
by Jane N-B on May 19th, 2011
by Jane N-B on December 27th, 2010
LinkedIn is the premier social media site on the web for professionals. For those people who don't use Twitter, or find Facebook useless for business...LinkedIn can make them feel right at home. It has a resume-like structure for its user profiles, the ability to share status updates, applications to share expertise, and groups that attract people from all sorts of professions, disciplines, alumni associations and interests. You can network from withing LinkedIn, connecting to colleagues, clients, friends, etc. Up to this point, however, LinkedIn's functions have all been internal to the service itself - including Groups.
"Groups" are great. They let you reach out and connect with others, ask and answer questions, share links, post photos and videos, etc. I moderate a couple and love the ability to connect with colleagues.
Earlier this month, LinkedIn took the intriguing step of giving groups the ability to become "open." Everything that's posted to an open group will now appear on the web, be found in search engines, and able to be shared via other social networking sites. You can post to an open Group, without being a member of that group.
This move has intriguing possibilities. It makes LinkedIn more of an "expertise portal." If people can see your insightful answers through a Google search, it can build your brand and credibility (and of course, the opposite is true as well!). On the other hand, it may act to inhibit the free exchange of ideas as well. I think since Facebook made all of your postings public on your friend's walls, that the quantity of interactions has greatly decreased. We'll see what happens with LinkedIn.
by Jane N-B on December 1st, 2010
0OK, trick question. If I drive up to a fast food establishment and order a hamburger and a Diet Coke...and after driving to the parking lot discover I have a cheeseburger in my sack...who should apologize for the error?
A. Me, because I stopped for fast food?
B. The 15-year old behind the counter who took the order on his headset and looked at me strangely after I walked inside to the counter?
C. The 55-year old who takes my wrapped burger and replaces it with a new (un-cheesed) version?
D. Or the same 55 year old who needs to be reminded to put it in a new sack for protection from the cold?
E. All of the above?
A. Me, because I stopped for fast food?
B. The 15-year old behind the counter who took the order on his headset and looked at me strangely after I walked inside to the counter?
C. The 55-year old who takes my wrapped burger and replaces it with a new (un-cheesed) version?
D. Or the same 55 year old who needs to be reminded to put it in a new sack for protection from the cold?
E. All of the above?
Posted on November 17th, 2010
So before you start to feel like the social media bus has left the station and you're still sitting on the curb...take a deep breath. Social media is just another set of tools, another way of communicating with customers, employees and friends.
You don't have to have a thousand profiles, lots of little colorful icons all over your web site, or interact with 100 strangers a day in order to use social media tools effectively.
One of the beautiful things about social media, is that you get to pick and choose the web sites or tools that best serve your business. It's all about the customer, right? You should choose the social media sites that help you connect and communicate effectively with them...not every person on the planet.
Take your time, do some research. While the big sites are by now household names (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), the truth is there are thousands of sites out there where people gather to have conversations with each other. The essential questions - where are your customers, and how do you talk with them?
If your customers aren't very busy in cyberspace (yet), then perhaps you can take some time to research your best options.
In any event, don't feel bad if you haven't started...or if you need a restart. Take it a step at a time, and dip your toes in. You don't have to take a 'polar plunge'* to make a successful start in social media.
*******************************
* A 'polar plunge' is a popular event here in Minnesota. Often performed as a fundraising activity, people jump through a hole cut into the ice to the icy waters below...in January (or December, or February). In a bathing suit. To have fun. We're a wild and crazy bunch, aren't we?
You don't have to have a thousand profiles, lots of little colorful icons all over your web site, or interact with 100 strangers a day in order to use social media tools effectively.
One of the beautiful things about social media, is that you get to pick and choose the web sites or tools that best serve your business. It's all about the customer, right? You should choose the social media sites that help you connect and communicate effectively with them...not every person on the planet.
Take your time, do some research. While the big sites are by now household names (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), the truth is there are thousands of sites out there where people gather to have conversations with each other. The essential questions - where are your customers, and how do you talk with them?
If your customers aren't very busy in cyberspace (yet), then perhaps you can take some time to research your best options.
In any event, don't feel bad if you haven't started...or if you need a restart. Take it a step at a time, and dip your toes in. You don't have to take a 'polar plunge'* to make a successful start in social media.
*******************************
* A 'polar plunge' is a popular event here in Minnesota. Often performed as a fundraising activity, people jump through a hole cut into the ice to the icy waters below...in January (or December, or February). In a bathing suit. To have fun. We're a wild and crazy bunch, aren't we?
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