Group Dynamic – Make the Most of Social Media Group Participation

Social media groups are topic-specific communities accessible for ‘members’ via  popular social networks such as Facebook and the business-oriented LinkedIn.  Members of these virtual groups can post questions, discussion starters, even news and job listings.

I’ve previously written about starting, leading and nurturing virtual groups, but there’s also an art to being a member.  Master that art, and the benefits will be plentiful.  Here are some ideas to help you get the most out of virtual group participation.

It’s just as sweet to receive as to give!
It’s truly okay to be a group participant who’s more focused on receiving information than giving it.  Groups can be excellent sources of information and ideas, which is exactly why they may be worth your time. You are perfectly welcome to slip in the “back of the room,” so to speak, and simply take in the online banter.

And if you’re new to the whole scene, I actually advise you focus on receiving first.  Observe, take in, familiarize, and then you’ll be ready with targeted questions and postings when the time is right.

What you put in is what you’ll get out.
This is not a contradiction to the “sweet to receive” point I just made.  Even if you’re only participating to receive information, you still have to be an active participant, putting in time and effort to cull through postings and determine what’s useful for you.

LinkedIn groups generate daily feeds—a list of all the postings for the group—that are emailed to members for review.  You can customize how frequently (or infrequently) to receive those feeds, but you simply must look at them in order to gain any benefit from being part of the group.  I get feeds from each of the LinkedIn groups I’ve joined via once-daily emails, and I do open those emails and scroll through the content.  I’ve established a rhythm of reading quickly, assessing and clicking through to items of particular interest.  I’ve learned of many useful things by reading the group feeds, thus it’s worth the time and effort I invest.

Facebook groups often require even more proactivity from members, as there’s no integrated mechanism for auto-email feeds as with LinkedIn.  I’ve also found that many people start groups and don’t nurture them; thus, I lose interest quickly.  I’ll only “put in” to groups that are proven  worthwhile.

Use; don’t abuse.
If you join groups with the aim to target messages to specific audiences, proceed cautiously and exercise wise decorum.  In the study of group dynamics of the three-dimensional kind, it’s quite clear the conversation dominators often alienate other members and end up isolated.  This truth applies to virtual groups as well.  Even online, share the floor, and never use a group as your platform for virtual advertising.

The beauty of virtual groups lies in the shared interests and like-mindedness of its members.  By joining a group, you do gain lines of communications with members who may be potential customers or colleagues.  Don’t abuse that access; use it wisely.

Be a first responder.
Earn your chance to be heard in your online groups by offering genuine, substantive responses to others’ postings and comments.  If you have an answer to someone’s posted question, “speak” up with a timely response.  This is the heart of the art of conversation, engaging others at their points of need and interests to spark reciprocal exchanges.

LinkedIn actually has an integrated rating/acknowledgement system that allows those who answer question to earn ‘expert’ status on the site.  When someone posts a question on LinkedIn, they can actually select what answer was most helpful.  If your answers receive top rankings frequently enough, you’ll be noted an “expert” with a green star on your profile.

Offering responses is an excellent way to become a presence, as participant and a resource to your fellow group member.  It’s a validating activity that adds value to the group in many ways.  After all, social networking is all about online conversation, and that means two-way interaction!  Commit to comment.

Bear in mind, I’m not a “joiner” by nature.  I’m prone to the impromptu, informal gathering rather than the structured kind.  Yet I’ve benefitted professionally from joining up and participating in social media groups, and my experience has been positive enough that I recommend other small business owners consider it as well.

Invest a little time and effort, and you could experience a group dynamic!

Thanks!

Can You Make Money on Facebook, Twitter or Other Social Media Networks?

“Has anybody figured out how to make money on here?”

I’ve run across people asking this question on Facebook and Twitter quite often, and the topic even comes up frequently offline.

Of course, this question isn’t coming from casual passers-by who’re just interested in reconnecting with their pals.  The question of social media monetization belongs to the business people, the entrepreneurs who’ve logged on with blatant or subdued hopes of cashing in.  And the question seems fair enough.  After all, we’re spending lots of our time and energy on these sites.  Will there be a pay-off…ever?

My quick answer is “no and yes.”

If the motive is the fast buck, good luck.  I’ll risk repeating myself to say that social media is not an outlet for ceaseless strings of 140-character classified ads.  If you deluge followers and friends with nothing but direct selling messages, you soon won’t have many followers or friends.  Granted, that tactic can work when playfully carried out by the occasional local pizzeria or bakery (hourly updates about what’s fresh out of the oven go over nicely with hungry Tweeters, I suppose) or retailers offering exclusive deals (i.e. – Dell’s successful Twitter sales pushes).

Nonetheless, status is usually done for gratis.

I liken the approach to social media to that of public relations.  In PR, we earn trust and presence with constituencies by bringing forth quality information and ideas on a consistent basis, offering pertinent and timely responses/input to current issues and substantively participating in communities.  PR is about building reputation, and try as we might to assign exact dollar signs to the value of a great reputation, it’s pretty much priceless.

Still, it’s fair to presume a business with a great reputation would have sales that reflect its positive market perception.  The dividends may not pay out in immediate, directly trackable and measurable ka-ching as would an advertising or direct marketing campaign, but the long term value is immense, impactful and important.

Social media lets companies be part of communities.  Social media extends business’ presence into customers’ lives.  It generates and facilitates conversation, connects friends old and new and adds dimension to what people know about a company. Ultimately, these things build attraction and affinity with a loyal audience that will take action (get a free white paper on this topic) by making purchases.

There will be pay-off, yes.  But it will take time, patience and ongoing nurturing.

A recent Forbes.com article also delved into the idea of cashing in on social networking.  The article features an interview with Brett Hurt, founder of Bazaarvoice.  Bazaarvoice offers user-generated review platforms that can be incorporated directly into brand websites.  The business model contends that people go to brand websites to buy, thus it’s beneficial to incorporate social networking at the point of purchase.  Hurt likened participating in Facebook and Twitter to attending a cocktail party, with the punchline being that “nobody shops at a cocktail party.”

Very true.  When people are mixing and mingling in their favorite social network, they probably don’t have their credit cards in hand.  But they are trading ideas and information with friends and deepening relationships in real, though often subtle, ways.  And in the business world, there are some pros who have the knack for working cocktail parties to their great advantage.  A few biz cards collected at a networking event can lead to paying gigs down the road.

My friend and colleague Paula Swift, owner of Prosper, Business Image Consulting, is a perfect example.  Just like Paula can work a cocktail party or networking event, she can work her presence on Facebook and LinkedIn.  When she makes a connection online, she’s savvy to take note of the person’s occupation, and if things align, she simply takes the effort to inquire further about what they do.  And now and again, that little extra effort pays off.

Paula recently reconnected with a school friend on Facebook and noted he works in the promotional merchandise business.  She followed up by inquiring about ideas for promo items for one of her clients, just to keep in mind.  Months later, Paula knew who to contact when a specific opportunity arose, and the entire transaction occurred within Facebook.  Paula’s old friend from school landed an order, Paula was able to charge her agency commission, and thus, using Facebook really did pay off.

The great thing is, it happened organically.  There was no intense hounding, spamming or pelting sales messages.  Paula noted a professional synergy with a Facebook friend, the friend responded, and when the time was right, both benefitted from the connection.

Another phenomenal example of organic, social networking business combustion:  Help A Reporter Out, the brainkid of Peter Shankman.  Shankman is an NYC PR guy.  He has many clients and knows tons of reporters, thus he launched a Facebook group to connect media in need of information with sources who could supply.  All this is for FREE, mind you.  The group exploded past Facebook’s allowable numbers, so Shankman shifted the burgeoning entity to his own website.  In just a couple years, this group—still FREE for participants—is a profitable venture.  Shankman sends three emails a day, chock full of media leads (you really should sign up!), with an amusing, paid ad at the start of each email.  Shankman started by giving…and continues to give, but he’s certainly gained in the process.

That’s great news for Swift and Shankman, but what about the question at hand…for YOU?  Is there any money to be made here?  No and yes…

No, social media is not your marketing microwave, your online cash machine for new biz.  You’ve got to invest for the long term and be willing to give to get.  Yes, social media can nurture reputations and create and enhance relationships that pay out dividends in the long term.  It’s not the be all, end all.  Small businesses are well advised to invest in comprehensive marketing, including SEO, advertising, direct communications, traditional PR and in person networking and sales.

Growing a business offline or on, it’s still true that the harder you work, the more successful you’ll be.  That you can count on.

Thanks!

How to Create & Maintain a Facebook Fan Page

A Facebook fan page can be a great tool for your business, personality or endeavor.  It serves as a fun way to update interested parties about what’s new and what’s news and is especially effective since so many people are already turning to Facebook as a means of staying connected.

Before you create a Fan Page, make sure this is the right option for you.  Sometimes people confuse Facebook fan pages and groups.  I’ve blogged about this topic before (click here to read that post); it’s my most read blog entry, as people search for this information every day.  Here’s a quick recap.

Create a Facebook fan/brand page if
* you want to build buzz around a brand name or create interest/support of a product or service.
* you want to convey information to a core group of people who show interest in your specific topic.
* you want a place for comments and feedback, yet with less focus on interactions and discussions.
* you prefer to guide the tone and content of the page as it represents the person, company, product or service being promoted.

Examples of pages:
* Musical artists, celebrities or public personalities
* Businesses or brand names
* Products or services
* Events – for purposes of promotion, not planning

If you’re certain you need a fan page, here’s how to start it and make it work for your business.

Once you’re logged into Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php.  You’ve got to be authorized to create the page, and filling out the preliminary information is self-explanatory.  Just be sure you’re making proper selections from the get-go so you don’t have to fret with corrections after set up.

Populate your page with useful, interesting information.  Post some photos.  Add a few wall postings.  Don’t treat this page as a static profile.  For a Facebook Fan Page to be effective, it needs to be consistently injected with fresh material, news, images and information.

After the page is created and populated with good content, invite people to become fans.  Whether you tap into your existing Facebook friend base or invite people not aligned with you within this website, all Facebook fans will have to first be Facebook users.  However, considering the ever-growing numbers of Facebook users, this shouldn’t create too much of a hindrance.

Obviously, by inviting people you already know to be “fans,”  you’re really tapping into your network of “friends.”  Eventually, you’ve got to grow from having friends to having true fans; heightened success with your page will take place when you see people you don’t even know participating.

So just how can you attract people beyond your existing friend base to become your business’ fan?  Here a a few ideas.

• Ask your friends/fans to ask people in their networks to join.  Sometimes it’s really as simple as making the request, and friends will rally.
• If you have employees, encourage them to help spread the word and support the page as well.
  
• Run Facebook ads.  Facebook ads can be very affordable, easily managed and nicely targeted to reach interested parties.  The ad can offer a direct link to the fan page, to encourage quick, simple affiliation.
  
• Add links to your Facebook page to existing communications, i.e. – email signatures, other profiles, websites, etc.
  
• Offer an incentive to fans via a membership drive.  For example, I’ve seen musicians offer a free download for all fans once the page reached a milestone number of fans (“help me reach 500 fans by the end of this month, and everyone gets a free download of my latest song!”).
  

And just why would you dare drive traffic to a Facebook fan page and not your existing website?  The reality is, you need to meet people where they are, and right now they are on Facebook.  This is about building relationships with your constituencies, not hard line, direct selling.  Think of this as great bonding time!

Your fans are logging into Facebook to connect with friends, message each other and share information.  By capturing fans on Facebook, you then have the opportunity to message them (with good discretion, please!) about other news, links and products.  The fan page becomes a meet-them-where-they-are message board, and via that ‘board’ you can ultimately offer links to send them wherever they need to go to get the full scoop on your business, product or brand.

Long term. it’s up to you to keep breathing life into your fan page.  Personally, I’m a fan of many things of Facebook, but I rarely hear from the companies, artists or products I’ve chosen to acknowledge.  Never assume your fans will keep coming back to your page on their own.  Artfully remind them!  When you post something new to your fan page, send a quick, single topic message to all members; feel free to add a live link to your main website if you so choose (some people will click through).

Even though we may now rely on click of mouse as much as word of mouth to share recommendations and information, we still value the input and perspectives of family and friends to find out about great things.  With the innate interconnectivity of Facebook, friends and family can help convert others into new fans.  And that’ll surely help small biz go big time!

Thanks!

Dig In! Treat Social Media Like a Full Meal

A social media plan is not an à la carte menu, so if you’re using social media to help take your small biz big time, come hungry.  This stuff isn’t for snacking.  Maybe you can get away with some à la carte, pick-and-choose in a marketing plan (operative word:  “maybe”), but you simply must order the full course meal to get a social media plan’s impact.

For example, a solitary blog is like an island—hard to get to without a boat or a bridge.  A Twitter account unto itself will serve little purpose for many business people.  A Facebook fan page without the nurturing of fresh content or interconnectivity will wither and fade all too quickly.

Social media requires commitment to a process.  One link leads to another, like tributaries flowing into a river that’s flowing toward the sea.  Ignore one aspect, and the flow is affected.  Ignore many aspects, and the flow will ultimately cease completely.

Have you been ordering à la carte when it comes to your social media?  Have you tried to sample things without investing time and effort to plan your work and work your plan?   That’s like connecting only select dots on the page and expecting to get a full picture.  There really aren’t any skippable steps here.  As I’ve recently blogged, social media is not a marketing microwave; steadiness and patience are required, but the potential rewards are great enough to merit the ongoing effort.

Of course, you can’t do everything “social” that’s out there.  But you can round out a plan that employs essential elements, to ensure connectivity and eliminate any missing links that might hinder your social media success.  Connect the main dots to reveal the big picture.  Then you’ll be able to fill in the details much more easily over time.

Here are the big picture, full-course basics you’ve must include from the get go.

- Fresh Content
If you’re going to be social, you need to contribute to the conversation.  Don’t build podiums without having something worthwhile to speak about.  Think about what you have to share, how you can add to what’s already being said and create content accordingly.  Your content may come in the form of a blog, a constantly freshened website, substantive tweets, pertinent comments on others’ sites/postings/discussions or all of the above.

- Followers, Fans, Friends
Without making connections, you’ll just be talking to yourself.  You must incorporate relationship-building into your social media plan.  You could rally your existing contacts through direct messages, initiate followings on Twitter, join groups on LinkedIn or Ning to be part of targeted communities or invite ‘fans’ via a Facebook fan page.  Also, you’ve got to be a ‘friend’ to have a ‘friend’; start reaching out to others, and they will reach back.

- Platforms for Posting
Once you create content and make friends, you need outlets and methods for staying connected, platforms for sharing what you’ve created.  This is where your Twitter account, your presence on LinkedIn, that Facebook fan page (or personal profile, for that matter), a FriendFeed, etc. comes in handy.

- Mechanisms for Participating and Sharing
Not only do you need to share, you need to make it easy for your network to share alike!  Add “share” or “add this” buttons to your blog, your website.  Ask for retweets on Twitter.  Thank anyone you find who does forward your content on.  This is the essence of social media:  one link really does lead to another.

Does this give you something to chew on?  If you need specific ideas on how to get started, ask me!  I’ll gladly dig into specifics to help you go big time!

Thanks!

Haven’t You Heard? Great Marketers Are Great Listeners

“It’s not about selling; it’s about conversation.”  “Marketing is a series of conversations.”  “Join the conversation.”  “It’s the era of conversation marketing.”

I read phrases like this all the time in the online banter about social media.  Do a quick search on Twitter for the words “marketing” and “conversation,” and you’ll get an endless bounty of relevant tweets.  There’s certainly lots of conversing about conversations these days.

Nearly everyone acts as if consumer conversation is an original tact for great marketing, as if social media has lowered the veil between marketers and consumers.  Not so.  Successful marketers have always known how to engage their audiences, and effective salespeople have always relied on relationships.

Social media is a tool (a pretty amazing one, no doubt!) that can be used to achieve undeniable results in the hands of capable people.  In the hands of the unskilled, social media is nothing but a vortex of time and energy.

It’s ironic to read about the art of conversation from some people who never stop to listen.  By definition, a conversation is an exchange of ideas between parties, not the conveyance of ideas from one party to another without reply.

I recently encountered someone who was jazzed by social media because she’d have “more ways to get the message out.”  She was poised to use Twitter as a non-stop classified ad, a LinkedIn group as her captive audience and a blog as a means of lobbing selling messages.  In a humorous twist this was her interpretation of “joining the conversation.”  Her ideas were really conversation stoppers, but she was too busy prattling on to realize that fact.

I just watched a clip on AdAge.com about Del Monte’s recent social media success in the pet food realm.  To develop a new product for dogs, the company invited conversations with pet owners—or “pet parents” might be the more operative term.  They asked questions that evoked honest responses.  And from the consumer interaction, they invented and launched a product that’s making bacon, so to speak.

If you listen, your market will tell you what it needs and wants.  That’s why you simply can’t come to social media as if you’re walking up to a podium.  If all you can hear is yourself talking, you’re in for one boring and fruitless conversation.  The best way to get down to business is to listen up.

Thanks!

Car Magnet or Facebook Fan Page? Old School Meets New Technology for a Rural-Based New Biz

I recently took a road less traveled to meet up with two fellows who’ve launched a new business.  I interviewed them for the next webisode of “Small Biz Big Time.”  Scott and Joe want—and need—their business, Eco-Clean, to succeed, and since they’re both go-getting and hard working entrepreneurs, they’re already making strides and booking biz just a couple months in.

Eco-Clean is an environmentally-friendly cleaning service (commercial and residential, primarily for hard surfaces), and Scott and Joe’s initial geographic market is a blend of small city and rural areas.  It’s so rural, in fact, Scott can’t get high speed Internet connection at his own home; he uses a connection through his cell phone to get online at the house.  Not to mention, many of the potential Eco-Clean customers may not tend to be Internet users, even if they’ve got reliable service.

All that said, how can this new business benefit from new technology and social media?  What role does online marketing and virtual relationship-building play for a business located in a rural area, targeting a customer base with hit-or-miss connectivity and usage?

This is a very interesting case study for someone like me.  I live with fingers affixed to computer keyboard.  For eight+ years, I’ve worked from home, successfully serving clients across the country thanks to seamless technology.  With the onset of social media, I’m now absorbed in discussions about web-based communities, and my daily life is a swirl of tweeting, status updating and online marketing.

My interview with Scott and Joe was a reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Life still happens at a local level.  Scott and Joe are using online and social media tools—most certainly.  Yet they’re also making cold calls, shaking hands and meeting face-to-face with prospects.  Right now, both methods are proving effective; to grow a business like Eco-Clean, online and in-person marketing tactics are essential.

While I was on site for the interview, Joe got a call from a man he’d done an estimate for just that morning.  It was good news.  Eco-Clean won the bid and got the job, and Scott and Joe were ecstatic.  I asked how they’d generated this lead, and Joe immediately got a just-ate-the-canary grin.  A friend of the man who booked the job had seen Joe’s wife’s Eco-Clean car magnet!   The custom car magnet had just paid for itself 25-times over, and Joe’s in-person estimate—at which he cleaned a corner of the man’s dirty marble floor to entice him with the possibilities of a full cleaning—had sealed the deal.

While the old school tactics merited high fives that day, Scott and Joe did go on to report that their Facebook business page had caught the attention of a local facility manager who was interested in some ongoing services.  Obviously, that one lead, earned from a page that cost nothing and took just a little time to create, could also pay dividends down the line.  But the pay-off will only come once Scott and Joe make the in-person connection and sell the value of their services face-to-face.

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

Look for the full story on the upcoming webisode of “Small Biz Big Time!”!  I’ll be editing the story over the long weekend coming up, and I look forward to sharing it with you.

Until then, happy weekend, and as always, thanks!

Numbers Game – When Does Your Count Count?

Is it just me or does it seem like lots of people use social media tools like virtual popularity contests?

Of course, Ashton and Oprah—the cool kids—have their prolific legions of followers on Twitter.  Yet I get tweets all the time from other Twitter users, direct messaging me about how they got “2,000 followers in 5 days and you can, too.”  I click on their heads out of vague curiosity, and sure enough, some of these tweet-masters have upwards of 20,000 followers.  And apparently, I ended up as one of ‘em (because I set up auto-follow on TweetLater.com, back when I was convinced numbers were everything, too).

The head counting doesn’t stop at Twitter.  There’s the friend count on Facebook, the connections count on LinkedIn, the number of fans on business/fan pages or members in an online group and total hits per day for blogs.  I observe some of my LinkedIn connections getting 10, 15, 20 new connections a day.  Other than my colleague whose business is leading LinkedIn training sessions and a few others with nationally known profiles, I can’t fathom how these people are collecting other people with such rapidity—let alone finding any usefulness in it.

Mind you, I write a blog about social media.  I work with some genuine gurus in this realm, and they’ve earned followings of hundreds or thousands because of their consistent offerings of useful knowledge.  But as I observe the growing ranks of count collectors, I’m reminded why I focused this blog on the needs of small business.  Most of us in the trenches are mere mortals who will only have time for social media if it brings legitimate results.

I consult daily with clients who would typically rather have a handful of committed customers than a sea of disinterested acquaintances.  Sure, there are times you need to cast a net in the sea to find the loyal clientele.  Still, most of us can’t realistically grow business while being tossed about in the current; we need to net our catch and bring it on board.

How do we discern when the count counts?  Here are some thought starters.

Numbers matter when
…you are selling a product or service with mass appeal (consumer or b-to-b).
…you are seeking to build a reputation with a very large audience or with multiple audiences.
…you are building a social media-based business, in which numbers of followers validates your status as an expert.
…you are seeking advertising or sponsorship for your online endeavor.
…you are building online buzz that will affect the validity of an offline venture.
…you are casting the aforementioned wide net in order to catch a fresh round of committed customers.

The acquisition of lots of people online is not innately greedy.  But it can be time consuming, and in some cases it may actually intrude on business goals.

In a past posting entitled “Don’t Use Twitter…Until You Know Why or How to Do So,” I recount (pun intended) my Twitter tale.  I ended up following so many people, I diluted the usefulness of this service for my purposes.  Yesterday, I talked about the art of starting a group with a scope narrow enough to target the right people yet deep enough to invite great conversation and variety; a broad-sweeping group often yields less fruit than a manageably sized one with a targeted topic/purpose.

Everybody raves how Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh uses Twitter (621,029 followers as of this morning) and social media so effectively.  He’s getting loads of press for his effective if not obsessive tweeting, and many equate Zappos popularity to Hsieh’s online bantering.  I don’t know about that.

All I know is, long before anybody was tweeting, I emoted old school style to all my friends about ordering a pair of snazzy heels at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday and having them on my doorstep by noon Wednesday.  If Zappos can satisfy my shoe obsession in less than 24 hours, I couldn’t care less about the CEO’s Twitter tally. I know what really counts.

Thanks!

Group Scoop – Do’s & Don’ts for Creating Social Media Groups

Want to create a group on Facebook or LinkedIn?  Groups are a great way to engage your key constituencies in discussion, trade ideas, gain insights and share resources.  We all want to belong—to find places where we fit, and groups in social networking environments bring people with shared interests together.  Group conversations can lead to meaningful connections.

Those who create and administrate groups on Facebook and LinkedIn enjoy some specific benefits.  Most importantly, they have the chance to establish the angle of the conversations, to guide the direction so the resulting interactions provide great insight.  Also, group administrators have access to member contact information and can message those members at their discretion.  This latter benefit should be very secondary because groups are not—and should never be—direct selling platforms.

Of course, LinkedIn groups are typically business-to-business, colleague-to-colleague forums.  Facebook is the better place to start business-to-consumer groups, though it certainly could be plausible to maintain a b-to-b forum as well.  It’s wise to have spent time as a group member before launching your own, just so you know how it all works from the inside out.

Presuming you’ve already determined you definitely need a group over a business/fan page (and if you haven’t, please read my previous blog on this topic to save yourself a step or two) or business profile, here are some guiding do’s and don’ts to help you make the most of the group-making effort.

Ask yourself a few key questions.
Get your bearings before you get going.  Picture your ideal advisory council.  Who would you want to be a part?  Customers and potential customers, colleagues from related industries?  Would you want a national or regional perspective?  What do you want to gain from the group?  Is there already a group out there that meets my need?  If  so, how can you start something equally as useful yet unique enough to stand alone?  Answer all these questions before you launch.

Create a topic that’s deep and narrow.
A group with too broad a focus will easily go off topic and off course.  A group too shallow is limited and will not attract interest let alone useful discussion.  More than likely, you don’t want to start a group that’s so specific it only attracts existing customers or competitors and vendors within your product category.  You want to engage a variety of people for the most useful and fruitful conversations.

Unless you’re dominant in your category (i.e. – Microsoft or Apple), a major player with many offshoots (i.e. – Burger King to brand franchisees, buying groups with regional retailers) or have a vast customer base, you probably shouldn’t start a group under your own business name.  For that matter, you likely need to think deeper than just your product category to attract a variety of people and interactions.

For example, say your business, “XYZ Widget Repair,” can service a 200-mile radius of the company headquarters in Boston.  To start a group under the heading of your business name would be limiting, as you’d likely attract only existing customers and business partners/vendors.  You’d be better off with a fan page or business profile.  Start a group for “widget repair,” and the net will be cast too wide or only attract competitors in your category.  The better tact may be to create a “Widget Care & Maintenance – Boston” to make the topic more inclusive yet regionally targeted.

Commit to being a discussion starter.
As keeper of the group, it’s your job to help it bring value to those who join.  Without some nurturing, a group is inert, an inanimate object that collects dust and is forgotten by those who’ve joined.  In the early stages, you may find yourself responsible for posting discussion topics, posting news stories, etc.  Do this with true commitment, so that you are consistently in front of your membership.  If you fall silent, the group may fall to the wayside.

Guide group dynamics.
One of the age old challenges for group leaders is encouraging good dynamics.  It seems there’s always a talker in the group, the one who always has to interject.  Then there are other group members who prefer to just listen.  As keeper of the group, it’s in your court to observe and guide.  If someone is treating the group as a selling ground, take action to discourage that.  If the same three people dominate the postings, direct some discussion starters to purposely engage others beyond the trio of constant responders.

Share the leadership.
You may even consider adding some customers or colleagues to co-manage the group to spark new dimensions.  If you’ve set the topic deep yet narrow enough, others will also have great insight to gain from being part of the group leadership.  Bringing more into the leadership fold can help expand the potential members list, delegate responsibilities for nurturing the group and multiply the usefulness of the group while staying true to the topic.

Look at the long term.
As with most social media efforts, the return on investment of your time and effort will come in the long term.  You can set up the group and invite the first round of members in no time, but it takes a while to attract diverse participants, set the tone and culminate useful interactions.  Be patient, and your group will grow to be truly dynamic.

Thanks!

Feeling Scattered & Smothered by Social Media? One Question is The Answer You Need

Years ago I had a client who exemplified the idea of “eye on the prize.”  I was part of the agency team selected to help this client’s business, a national sports association, increase membership.  This respected organization had excellent programs and benefits; all the good news was there.  We just needed to share that good news with potential members and inspire them to join.

At every meeting and over every decision, this client would ask “will this increase membership?”  We considered logo revisions, and the client asked “will this increase membership?”  We talked about a PR campaign, and the client asked “will this increase membership?”  We planned events, and the client asked…well…you get the point.

That one question was the beacon for everything we did, and it was very effective.  The client would not allow herself to get mired in minutia that didn’t matter.  She refused to donate time or brainpower to anything that was off point, and she never made a decision based solely on her preference.  With that perspective, we certainly kept our budget and tactics well-directed.

What’s the prize—the singular goal—for your small business?  What’s the one question you should ask before making any decision or taking on any project?

You’ve got to know that answer before you dive into any social media tactics lest your precious time and energies be misdirected or wasted.  I see it all the time, the business owners and entrepreneurs who feel they must “get on Twitter” or “make a Facebook fan page” yet can’t articulate how or why to use those tools.  Social media tools can be immensely effective, but only if you use them as answers to your key question.

Is your goal to increase your business?  Then ask yourself “will this grow my business?” constantly.  The truth is, you can likely use an array of social media tools to bolster business, but until you can explain how or why, it’s all for naught.  However if you choose to join Twitter or use Facebook in answer to your core question, you will do so effectively.

It’s amazing how one simple question can help take a small biz big time…
Thanks!

The Handyman’s New Tool: Web Ideas for Even the Smallest Businesses

When your neighborhood handyman gives you his web address and talks up his online promotion, you know something’s drastically changed in the marketing universe.  It’ll never be the same “sell” again.

And I gotta say, the handyman hit the nail on the head.

Mind you, the site was nothing lovely to behold, but I’m not grading on web design here.  I was impressed that (1) the handyman has a website, (2) the site contains pertinent information, (3) there was an online promotion by which the handyman can gauge response and grow business and (4) the handyman drove traffic to his online presence with traditional communications.  If he’d had (5), a mechanism to capture my information and a social media component to engage me further, the handyman would have closed the loop nicely.

I repeat.  This is a handyman—the rough and tumble guy who fixes toilets, washes windows, patches dry wall and eats lunch in the cab of his pick-up while listening to AM radio.  If he is a computer user, he clearly doesn’t log hours online like most of his customers do.  But that’s the beauty of it!  The handyman looked beyond his own daily perspective (curled copy of the Yellow Pages on the dashboard and news/talk AM for weather updates) and did his best to get in the heads of his customers—and potential customers—who are online all the time.

The handyman’s formula is a basic starter kit for any small business.  Be online.  Let customers know you’re online, and give them a “something’s-in-it-for-them” reason to visit your website.  However, he’ll need to take this Web 1.0 model to 2.0 to really tap into the potential to grow his customer base.  Now it’s not enough to just be on the web; you’ve got to engage customers to stay top of mind. Word of mouth is now conducted by click of mouse, after all!

For example, the handyman could rock it out with a Facebook fan page.  It wouldn’t matter the number of fans, but the quality of them.  If my local Facebook friends saw that I was a fan of an area handyman, I believe that would serve as a resounding endorsement.  Couple the fan page with geographically targeted ads on Facebook, timed to run during peak home improvement seasons, and I think the handyman would welcome new business.

(Sounds like a candidate for a “Small Biz Big Time” social media makeover…hmmm!…)

Nonetheless, he’s on the right track and looking in the right direction, and I applaud and laud his smarts as a business person to get in the game in real way.  He’s proof that no matter how small the business, there’s always room to think big.  I’m glad the handyman’s found a new tool!

Happy weekend to you!
Thanks,