Everyone has been yapping to you about Social Media Marketing.  I’ve even been yapping to you about Social Media Marketing. The real question is:  Who hasn’t been yapping to you about it?

I want to take a break from the Getting Started on Social Media for Business series for a moment even though this goes right along with it.  The uncertainty in the Small Business realm with regard to Social Media (SM) and using it to your business benefit is still too often overlooked.

“I own an {insert obscure business niche here} shop – how could I possibly use {SocialMediaSite}.com for that?!”

Well, it’s time to stop listening to me.  This is not a “get social media / a blog / connected or get left behind” post that we see so much of in the blogosphere (Guilty!) as much as it is an “I’m tired of telling you, see for yourself” post.

Below I’ve provided you with search results from specific SM platforms for a specific niche. Nothing too fancy or techy, just some good old fashion search material.  You can stop taking my word for it and decide for yourself.

Start by labeling your niche: Adolescent Fitness, Affluent Travel, Rubber Pants, Not-For Profit Doorstoppers – whatever.   If your niche is not really a niche (shame on you), apply a broader category like: Retail, Arts, Crafts, Technology etc…  Now the fun begins.  Now you search for others on the different Social Media Platforms.

In this example, we’ll say Model Airplanes is your business.  I’m going to start by finding out who blogs about Model Airplanes.  Surely NO ONE, right?  I’ve done a Google Search for you:

Blog Model Airplane

WOW!  There really is someone blogging about Model Airplanes.  A few actually.  If my business is Model Airplanes, I might want to take notice here.  I might read what’s being said, make a comment on a post including contact info or a link back to my website.  Wouldn’t hurt, right?  So there’s your blogosphere representation.

Note: Some of you will ask “Why didn’t you use Google Blog Search?”  Simple:  I don’t love it.  Try it out, if you like it by all means use it instead.

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What about Facebook?  Sure, there may be specific individuals that enjoy Model Airplanes as a hobby (which by itself is a great reason to join if I’m in that business!), but are there actual profiles, groups or pages dedicated to it?

Facebook Model Airplane

Holy Cow, there are!  In fact, pages of Model Airplane Results.  The group R/C Model Airplanes alone has 254 members at the time of this post.  It’s easy to see more than 5 groups dedicated to the Model Airplane market on the first results page.  That’s a bunch of folks practically begging for more information on your business.  What say you?!

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Next, let’s try MySpace. MySpace sometimes gets a bad name for being primarily kids, rock bands and general riff-raff.  That’s not entirely true, there are some very popular and mature profiles.  In fact, let’s see if our Model Airplanes are represented here:

MySpace Model Airplane

Would you look at that?  Model Airplanes on Myspace.  I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, 2 whole groups with a total of 27 members.”  Fine, there’s not a HUGE representation of Model Airplanes on MySpace, but I wouldn’t mind reaching out to those 27 potential customers.  They’ve joined that group for a reason, to interact with people that also enjoy their hobby.  Speak to these people!

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We move on to LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a professional networking site and I thought I might have trouble finding something specifically associated with model airplanes.  I was right.  A specific search on Model Airplanes returned nothing of value, so I broadened the search to Arts and Crafts.  This is what I found:

LinkedIn Arts and Crafts

(Note: if the link to the search results doesn’t work, type Arts and Crafts into the “Search Groups” Box in the upper right hand. It appears LinkedIn uses a dynamic URL for the searches)

Can’t win ‘em all, but this is not a total loss.  As a Model Airplane business owner, these are still people I can connect with, share thoughts, ideas and good arts and crafts times!

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Let’s try Digg.  For those that aren’t familiar with Digg, it’s a collection of user-rated articles and content.  Users “digg” something they find on the net, other users check it out and “digg” it too.  After an article has been “dugg” so many times, it ranks high on the site and the originating website gets somewhere around a gajillion views.  How does this help you as a Model Airplane Entrepreneur?  First, you’re able to see what people are saying in the industry.  Many times you can leave comments with your contact info for people you KNOW are interested in Model Airplanes.  Next, if you have a website or blog, you can write something so awesome that’s so full of rich content that you get “dugg” many times.  Then you say welcome to the gajillion potential customers to your blog or website, bringing you even closer to converting them from visitor to patron.

Digg Model Airplane

There you have it – Model Airplanes on Digg.  Keep in mind, where you see the number of “diggs” down the left hand side that that’s not the number of people who have viewed the article, it’s how many dugg it.  Views could actually be in the tens of thousands or more.   Would you like to speak to that many potential customers all at once?  I thought so.

All you have to do now is plug in your niche to a few of these sites to see your market’s representation on SM outlets.

This is by no means the end-all, be-all for determining your Social Media arrival, but it’s a good start.  It gives you a good idea about who is talking about your product or service, what they’re saying and possibly where you fit in.

On the rare occasion you find no representation of your type of business in SM, maybe that’s a sign too (find another business!).  You decide.

Just remember this: By you not connecting on SM outlets, you’ve provided businesses in your niche that are connecting a free pass to (openly and without interference) speak with your past, present and future customers.   Why don’t you just mail them your client list while you’re at it? (ok, I went too far, you get the picture)

Do you have any other tools in your arsenal for checking on your niche in the Social Media world?  If so, let us know!

If you enjoy talking small business online marketing, go ahead and subscribe to us.  It’s free, it’s easy and we’d love to have you along for the ride.

You know Social Media Platforms are great tools to keep in your marketing arsenal.  If you’ve been following along, you’ve looked around at some of the Social Media sites out there, you’ve seen some of the movers and shakers, and you’ve developed a plan or goal for what you hope to accomplish with these great tools.

Now it’s time to:  Participate!  Interact!  Engage!  Make friends!  This is Part Three of Getting Started with Social Media for Business Series.  If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Choose your favorite Social Media outlet whether it be Twitter, MySpace, facebook, LinkedIn etc… and set up an account.  Most profile setups are similar in that they ask for your name, a profile name, e-mail, city and state and so on and they also walk you through the process.  Your profile name is what people will see you as, use whatever profile name you’d like, whether it is your business name or real name.  Choose a valid e-mail as this is how the site contacts you for profile validation (to make sure you are not a bot or spammer) and this is how you will be notified of connections made (friends, followers etc…) You do not typically receive unsolicited emails for the site nor do they typically advertise your e-mail to visitors unless you specifically tell them.  There are optional fields on the setup screens, so put only what you want people to see.  It might be a good idea to detail your location, after all you do WANT people to find your business.

There is some debate on what to use as your profile picture, but we recommend using a personal picture, not a logo or product.  Remember, this is about engaging your customer, humanizing your business – not about direct advertising.  Many of these sites offer picture galleries where you can show off your marketing collateral, graphics and logo.  Put a face to your business and use your own picture.  If you require some anonymity, crop the picture to show half your face or some other crafty adjustment, but not so much you are completely unidentifiable as a person (Email me if you need help with this).

As far as layouts go, choose something basic the site provides for you.  The layout is the background look of your profile.  No need to go crazy on customization at this point.  Once you get comfortable using the site, you can revisit the layout and change it at any time.

Once you’ve gone through the setup process, you will usually need to check your e-mail for a message from the site and verify that you are real.  Click the link within the e-mail and you are all set.

Next, work on your profile so people who visit you can get to know you. Upload pictures (people LOVE pictures!), logos too if you like.  Then input some things about you and your business, your hobbies, favorite movies or quotes.  List anything people might be interested in – you’d be surprised the connections you make from weird associations.  I once got a lead from a golfer because we had the same last name and he saw a golfing picture on my facebook profile – two items not included in my overall marketing strategy that a customer used to connect us.

Once the pictures and “About Me” type sections are complete, it’s important to make sure you update the micro-blog as applicable.  Twitter, MySpace and facebook all have these available.  In short, the micro-blog is a limited text area to tell people what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling, cool links you’ve found etc…  Update as often as you like, the more the better!  Be wary of trying to sell here!  You need stay away from pushing your product, services, website or blog and instead talk about you!  It’s fine tell people you posted to your blog or have a special going on here and there, but make sure the majority of your updates are personable.

Here, we’re going to take the first step in connecting with other people.  An intuitive act, and not altogether a no-no, is to add every person you know that also uses the social media site.  Use some caution here:  I have added “friends” from college that like leaving comments about their party habits that don’t really fit with the image I’m trying to portray.  If you have a drunken uncle (we all do) or college friends that might leave a visitor with a bad impression of your business, by all means, don’t add them to your friends.  Otherwise, add people you know – it’s a great way to get started and feel a part of the community.

Assignment

This assignment entails you seeking out those “movers and shakers” you’ve admired thus far and adding them as a friend.  Each Social Network is different: Twitter allows you to follow someone without reciprocation whereas MySpace, facebook and many others require you to request a connection from someone before you’re allowed to view their profile, updates etc…  Don’t be afraid to send a friend request!  We love getting friend requests.  It’s like validation!  For better results, send a message along that resembles:

“Hi, my name is Awesome Aggie and I’d like to connect with you.  The interesting information you provide is great and you really help me out with X, Y or Z.”

Flattery always works, you know that.

Getting acquainted with people you know and some you don’t (yet) should keep you busy for a while.  Shoot me any questions you have and don’t forget to subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss more Getting Started on Social Media for Business tips!

Congratulations!  You have completed your first assignment of lurking in some of the Social Media outlets and you’re ready for the next step!

This is Part 2 in the Getting Started on Social Media series.  If you just got here, see Part One here. 

Here is what we know:

We know Social Media can be a wonderful tool on your marketing strategy toolbox.  With millions of active consumers waiting to hear from you, it’s a no-brainer that small businesses are using it to connect.  However, if your intention is to sell directly to users of these sites, STOP right there!  Spend your efforts on a Google ad or post on Craigslist instead, they are more effective from that standpoint.

Let’s be very clear: Social Media outlets are for connecting.  They’re for sharing information which means GIVING and RECEIVING.  If you have nothing to offer, you won’t be successful.  If you don’t interact with people, they have no reason to create a bond with you.

No matter your business, you have something to share.  If you’re in the knitting business, you talk about what the prices of yarn are expected to reach.  If you have a dog-walking business, you talk about the great doggie parks in your area.  Someone wants to know about what you have to share.  Likewise, someone has to share what you want to know.  See how that works? 

There’s our recap.

With that out of the way, now it’s time to ask yourself one question, a very important one:  What do you hope to gain from Social Media Networking?  Of course you want to boost your brand, but in what way?  For many small business owners it’s to bring traffic to their website or blog, for others it’s to develop themselves or their business as an authoritative source.  For some, they show up because they know competitors are chatting to their customers on these platforms.  All of these are great reasons to get started and using these platforms you can accomplish those tasks.  Whatever your reason(s) for showing up, make sure they’re clear so you can develop a successful strategy.

Assignment

Your next assignment is to continue lurking on Social Media Networks, but this time try to determine what you think each one of your favorite people are doing there.  What are their goals within these networks?  Some are obvious, some maybe not so obvious.  Keep in mind, the folks trying to connect or give value to their customers may be harder to figure out. 

Once you’ve done that, what are your goals?  Do you want more traffic to your website, better qualified traffic to your website, do you want to establish credibility – like we said, there are many reasons, what are yours?

Keep me updated on your progress and feel free to ask questions along the way.  I know you want to get down to business, but this is a very important step.  Next time, we create an account and get talking!

So don’t forget to subscribe to this blog to see Getting Started on Social Media (pt3)!

We know using social media for your small business can seem a daunting task. Stick with us and we’ll get you through!

This is the first post of the Getting Started with Social Media series. It is written with the complete novice in mind so no one is left out. Hopefully by the time the series is complete, you will know exactly how to harness this super power.

The first thing we recommend is getting out there to see what’s going on. “Lurk” in a few of the media outlets (herein called “site/s”) and read a few blogs to get the general feel. Each site is different and caters to a diverse group of like-minded folks.

You may hear people say that Facebook is for college kids, LinkedIn is for snobby professionals, Twitter is for people that talk too much, MySpace is for obnoxious teenagers and bands, StumbleUpon (et al) is for information nerds etc… The truth is you’ll find every kind of person on every kind of site. Often, you’ll see the same people with accounts on multiple sites. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be connected!

As you navigate through the sites, try to find the people that are doing business. What are they saying? If they’re using the sites correctly, you may have trouble (at first) seeing how it applies to their company. Because social media is not about lambasting anyone and everyone with your advertising, you will see that people are out there connecting with one another, talking about their families, friends, weekend activities etc… You’ll often see a link to a cool site or an updated blog post. Every once in a while you might see a link to a special offer on products or services.

These guys and gals are building a following and developing themselves as credible sources on the chosen topic they represent. They are not greasy salespeople waiting to pounce on your vulnerability.

Assignment

Harnessing the power of Social Media networks has become a huge craze for many Internet Application companies. Just think of how many facebook and MySpace “apps” we’ve seen spring up in the last year. These are very valuable streams of revenue for these companies and there is no shortage of batters stepping up to the plate.

It is only natural then, that these application companies would try to take it a step further. Enter the “Mashup”. Mashup is the term used to describe a web application that brings two or more sources of information into one integrated tool for the convenience of the user. One example of a mashup is WikiCrimes.org – this application combines Google Maps with an interface that users report crime happenings in a geographic area by placing color-coded pins describing the crime and where it took place. Kind of interesting but not something I would use daily. I just don’t have a need for it.

One mashup I do potentially have a use for is one to help me reign in my Social Media outlets. In fact, this post is actually intended to test a “new” mashup called Ping which recently came out of beta testing. Ping is used by people like me to update different Social Network accounts in one fell swoop. When I think of how many times a day I log into my facebook, MySpace, and Wordpress account, if Ping delivers on its claim, I am already a fan. A huge one.
I have this post set to update my blog on facebook, MySpace, Wordpress and Twitter. Once I post, I will report back with my thoughts on the integration. Alas, I have already found one issue with the service that bit me as I was writing this post. In my effort to keep you informed, here is my gripe:

If you use the Ping textbox to input your message (as opposed to copying and pasting from Word or other word processing software) DO NOT CLICK on the helpful links on the page. You would think the helpful tips that are listed below the text box (which means a user might click on it AFTER they input a post) would bring up a pop-up text box or at least a new page. It doesn’t. When clicked, it will take navigate to the link from the current page and you will lose your post. All of it.

Learn from me – writing a post twice is a pain.