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When you’re dealing with an online business it’s easy to stay safely invisible behind your computer and let your business do the talking. Sometimes people who feel uncomfortable selling or networking offline start businesses online because they believe there is anonymity in cyberspace. They are right to an extent, but to see real gains in your business or in brand recognition you’ve got to get out there and be social. Yes, I’m talking network, same as you would do in the offline world. You’ve got to pound the pavement so to speak, except that you’re pounding bandwidth.

The benefits of social networking for online businesses

1. You will gain traffic–Traffic is good for business. The more traffic the better right? By getting out there and getting to know people interested in your particular niche you will attract them to your site as well. Visit blogs related to your business. Leave genuine comments or add to the conversation. Interact with your business’ Facebook fans. Make sure you are active on your own blog as well promptly responding to comments and questions. The more you reach out the more people will start looking for you.

2. You will build brand recognition–When you start networking online it’s like you are leaving a cyber calling card everywhere you go. Suddenly people are seeing you on Facebook then they are seeing you commenting on one of their favorite blogs. Then they see you on another blog. All of a sudden it seems like you are everywhere. Your brand will stick in their minds and it becomes recognizable. The best part is you didn’t have to shell out big bucks for advertising.

3. It’s free–Like I said, you don’t have to spend advertising dollars to use social networking to your advantage. It’s completely free. The only thing you have to invest is your time.

How to maximize your social networking time

Of course, you do still have a business to run and you can’t be a social butterfly all day long. So you maximize the time you spend social networking with a strategy. You want to make the biggest social network impact in the shortest amount of time.

1. Identify related blogs–This could be blogs that are competition. Well you definitely want to check out what the competition is doing but you can also want to find blogs that relate to your industry. So if you sell silk flowers maybe you want to hang around some bridal blogs. Right? Just like you would do in the offline world. Identify 10 blogs/businesses whose radar you’d like to cross and start networking. Comment on their blogs, add valuable comments.

2. Find out where your customers are socializing–Where are your customers going for information. If they are going to bridal websites or forums that offer resources or tips that’s the perfect place for you to hang around and contribute. Offer to guest post something about your industry, like “Why silk flowers are a better choice for your winter wedding.” The important thing is to find out what sites your customers are visiting and be there. They’ll see you.

3. Set aside a finite period each day to  participate in social networking–Maybe it’s just an hour a day, maybe it’s two, but be consistent. Another approach is to set a goal for the number of comments you want to leave or how many tweets and retweets you want to post. Start out by promising to visit 5 blog sites and leaving five valuable comments a day. Then adjust from there.

The internet makes it easier to be even more social than offline marketing does. It may seem overwhelming at first but setting a plan and getting social can reap big rewards for your business.

Is the press release dead? You know what I’m going to say. However, there was actually a declaration made by Simon Dumenco at AdvertisingAge yesterday that the press release is officially dead.

And why? Because celebrity reporters have turned to Twitter to get real time news. Also JetBlue skipped an official press release about its flight attendant melt-down situation and instead posted to Twitter. The article also points out how BP issued a formal press release apology but didn’t go to Twitter therefore leaving themselves wide open.

I’m thinking this guy has never been a real reporter. Reporters–even the millennial type–rely on press releases. Twitter is fine and I’m all over social media for my Beach Betty PR clients. But for my job as a reporter I still rely on press releases. Twitter and other forms of social media are wonderful for quick consumable soundbites and celebrity real-time news that quickly reports on the fact that Lindsey Lohan picked her nose, then moves to what she’s eating at lunch.

Social media is also great for networking with reporters and pitching them a story. However, unless you are feeding them a groundbreaking, juicy tidbit, most reporters are going to want the long version. I get inundated all day long with emails pitching a story. Usually they are one or two lines asking “Would you be interested in a story about …” To which I reply, “Send me a press release.” Why? Because no matter how poorly they are written, I don’t want to waste my time tracking down every possible story idea that more times than not is going to be about someone’s enchilada bake sale. I want the details. I want to know why it’s important that I stop working on the story I’m writing and talk to someone about their story idea.

Again, this goes for most story pitches and announcements. Not all of them. The really groundbreaking news never comes in the form of a press release. Then again, the really groundbreaking news doesn’t happen with great frequency.

Here are few reasons why the press release is still relevant:

1. It gives reporters easy access to the facts, the who, what, where, when and why
2. Reporters are too busy to track down every vague lead. A press release gives us something more to go on.
3. It lets us decide how newsworthy the story idea or pitch is. Sometimes stories are turned away because the person pitching the story emphasized something that the reporter didn’t think was important while neglecting to mention the item the reporter thinks is the true story. Having all the facts lets us decide.
4. Having contact information available lets us know that it’s probably credible, especially after we verify it. A social media post is too easily manipulated by anonymous sources.
5. A press release is a means for the little announcements to get noticed. You may not be a high-profile celebrity, let’s face it you probably aren’t, but you still want some attention for your newsworthy item. Do you think some big-time reporter is going to jump on it because you tweeted about it? No. Because he is watching Lindsey pick her nose. A press release across his desk is a tangible, physical thing, that in a world of social media stands out because it’s different. Different but definitely not dead.

Freedigitalphotos.net

And my short answer is “Because you are expected to have a social media presence. That’s where your customers are.” Of course there are a million other reasons why that company should have a social media presence — to connect on a personal level, humanize their company, start a discussion with their clients and potential clients — but the easiest way to stop any counter-arguments is to tell them that’s where they are expected to be. And it’s true. Think about how many times you’ve visited a static web page and looked for a Facebook or Twitter button or sought out more photos or reviews. If you don’t have that ability to connect, you customer feels, well, disconnected from you. And these days web smart customers assume a business has these channels to connect in place.

To answer the first question, yes, being online and communicating with your clients will ultimately lead to sales but not directly usually. It’s important for business clients to know that a social media campaign is just one element of a complete marketing strategy. But it is an important one that should be standard operating procedure.

What other things do your customers expect of you that you may be missing?

Ndaura, male silverback

When you visit the site you can find all sorts of info about gorillas and you can see the names, background, family group and pictures of the gorillas you want as your Facebook friends. But much like on Facebook, their bios are reserved for their “friends.”

So when I came across this site, I was excited to help out and I adopted a few. But what excited me even more was the campaign itself. What a fab way for a nonprofit to put Facebook to use to help their cause. Who can resist getting updates from a lovable, goofy gorilla every now and then? It’s taking a successful model–the “adopt a child” plea– which is always hard to say no to, but then using Facebook to take it to another level by:
1. Playing on people’s vanity by allowing an app, or a page showing the gorilla they adopted. and 2. Giving it the irresistibleness to go viral.

The app instantly posts to your Twitter and Facebook accounts announcing your new friend. There’s also the ability to friend a gorilla as a gift.

Check out the site both for the cause and for an example of a great way for business and nonprofits to use social media to get their message out and raise funds. www.friendagorilla.org

The above title is a little misleading, as you will find out. If you haven’t seen the Public Relations Society of America’s post Status Update: Millennial Staffers Can Update Your Social Media Plan you need to go there and read it. Like now. Because it’s ridiculous and you may need a good laugh tonight. What the heck, any time is a good time for a laugh. Only I wish we weren’t having to laugh about this. It’s plain silly.

Like this post, the title of PRSA’s post is misleading as well. The author may have meant well but he actually came across as offensive to lots of Millennials. He suggests that companies look to their Millennials to help build their company’s, as well as their senior staffers’, online presence. But he says things like this: Tapping on these new professionals may seem like a gamble. You don’t want them speaking to clients, let alone producing messaging. However, to increase your organization’s toolbox and capture the attention of younger staffers eager to get ahead, the social media space is an ideal testing ground.

What, what?!?!?

Not only is this offensive to Millennials, it’s offensive to those of us who are a bit older. However, because of the assumptions made–both that Millennials are Social Media pros and also that they are incompetent to deal with clients, Millennials took the brunt of the offense. Social Media is not about “testing things out.” A successful social media campaign requires some strategy and planning. Also, it should be representative of your company, it should be about branding. You should kinda have some idea of what you want your company to be online — that’s not something you can delegate to someone you don’t feel safe with speaking to your clients.

Read the PRSA post and the great comments that follow it. But let me just say this, if you want an online presence for your company make sure you learn a thing or two about social media, why you want an online presence, and how you want the company to be presented online. Then find the best qualified person (yes, sometimes even people way past their 20s, like me, know their way around a social network) to do the job. Don’t just assume your Millennial employee is the best person, although, they very well may be. Remember what they say about assumptions.

I’m still surprised at the number of tweets I get on Twitter about “How to get 19,000 followers in 30 days.” From a purely competitive, goal-oriented point of view it sounds tempting and I’ll be totally honest, part of me secretly thinks “How cool would it be to have 45,000 followers?” Then the logical side of my brain asks “Why?” Then the first part of my brain, the competitive part, says in a much smaller voice, “Uh, because it would be cool?” And the logic side responds, “OK I’ll give you that, but would it accomplish anything?”

Especially from a business standpoint, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to collect thousands of followers at random. A more logical approach would be to build your base and relationships with those followers.

There are several ways to build a following. You can try one of those get 19,000 followers in 30 days approaches or use something like Hummingbird and sure you will get followers but they won’t necessarily be targeted followers. You may not even have anything in common with any of them. So then what is the point of having those followers? They won’t care what you say, you won’t care about what they say and at some point their tweets will just become annoying to wade through them to find something you actually have an interest in reading.

Worst case scenario, Twitter shuts down your site, because it’s increasingly not putting up with tactics it sees as spam.

What I’m saying is take the time to build a targeted following.

Use directories like Twellow and search the categories for people with the same interests as you or that apply to your business and then follow them.

Do a Twitter search for a term or phrase, see who’s talking about it and follow them. But don’t just follow them, start conversing. Contribute something of value.

The process takes a bit more work and a lot more time, I know but it will be worth it. The numbers will come but the relationships will be substantial.

First it was your momma on Facebook and now grandma is on Twitter? What’s next?

Crime fighting. Yes, authorities and government officials have got on to the fact that there is a wealth of personal information they would love to get their hands on, just offered up into cyberspace by the very individuals on whom they want the info.

Think about it. We may find nothing wrong with posting about our new job, your raise, or that fact you’ve started an internet business to make extra money. But the IRS thinks that is some information they can use to help collect those back taxes you owe.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Internal Revenue Service has been using social media in several states, including Minnesota, Nebraska, California to successfully collect back taxes. They employ Google searches, Facebook and MySpace to gather any financially-relevant personal information that could help them in their collection efforts.

Hmmm, the IRS friending me? Shudder. Actually they can’t request friend status under false pretenses, so don’t worry. That is, if you have anything to worry about. Which, I hope you don’t.

And while even those whose financial affairs are on the straight and narrow may bristle at the thought of the IRS monitoring their posts, social media is also being employed to bring scarier criminals to justice.

After a recent break in at the Hollywood Hills home of Linsay Lohan, police used YouTube to aid in the search for the three suspects. Police posted the surveillance video showing the three on the LAPD’s YouTube channel hoping for leads.

So you tell me, do you think this should be admissable evidence? Should the IRS be allowed to use information you post online to collect back taxes?

So what’s the deal with Twitter? Every company seems to be jumping into the Twitterverse, but can it really help your business? Absolutely yes! That is, if you use it right.

The first thing to remember is don’t be afraid to establish your Twitter account and just jump in. You can use your name and photo and in your profile and say you are the owner of such and such company. Or you can start a Twitter account in your company’s name and use the logo for the photo, either way, just get started.

In order for Twitter to help your business you need to have followers to hear your message. In the search bar on your Twitter home page type in a keyword that is relevant to your business. You will get a list of people and their tweets that contain the keyword you searched for. Now start following people that seem to have an interest in that keyword. For example, say your business is managing a bed and breakfast. You did a Twitter search for <em>anniversary</em> or <em>travel</em> or <em>getaway</em> or even <em>bed and breakfast.</em> What came up was a lot of people tweeting things like “Where should I go for my anniversary?” or “I need to getaway for my vacation,” or “Getting the itch to travel.”

These are people that may be potential customers for you in using Twitter for business. Follow them. Usually they will follow you in return. Next go to a directory of some sort like Twellow and list your Twitter profile there. It’s free to register. Find the category that best describes your business and list it there. You can also find people to follow by using this directory, but people will also be able to find you.

Now that you’ve got some followers, start tweeting. This is the trick in using Twitter for business growth. You want to tweet something that is interesting and valuable. NEVER spam your followers, that is the fastest way to lose them. Instead give them information. Maybe there is a huge Maple festival in your town and you are that bed and breakfast and so now you can paint this quaint little picture of this maple festival going on and the leaves turning red and how fluffy your comforters are on your beds. So tweet something like this “Done fluffing the comforters, leaves are falling and I’m headed to Maple Festival.” Or something along those lines, get descriptive with your 140 characters. But doesn’t that sound more appealing than “Offering a 25 percent discount at our bed and breakfast.”?

The important thing to remember is that you need to make your business seem like a person. No one on Twitter wants to socialize with a company or a corporation or logo. So don’t be afraid to include that human element when you use Twitter. Because it’s a business, most people think they need to give off a professional image and that’s true but you can also show a softer side, a more human element and customers will relate to that. Tweet about what is going on in your company, tweet about what is going on in your industry and your thoughts about it, tweet about what’s happening outside your office window at that moment, tweet often, and stick with it, business will come.