6 Reasons to Have a Social Media Strategy for Success

Posted on by Diane Coville

Although there was a huge influx of businesses recognizing Social Media was no longer an option to include in their marketing efforts in 2011, as many or more businesses will include Social Media as part of their marketing plan for 2012.

After attending many webinars and participating in Forums in January and February of this year, I noticed many new and existing business owners are at the stage of seeking information about how Social Media works and were actually surprised when many experienced marketers stressed how important it was to develop a strategy “before” they start setting up accounts and participating.  I have also gained many new clients recently and encountered the same issue – they want “into Social Media” but haven’t any idea what they want to accomplish.

6 Reasons to have success in Social Media with a Strategy:

  1. To have a plan with realistic goals and how to reach them.
  2. To use consistent branding.
  3. To know your competition.
  4. To clarify how much time you have to participate.
  5. To set a budget.
  6. To track your Return on Investment.

I insist on sending my Social Media Assessment Form to them to be filled out before we begin.  This helps them think through a Plan of Action.  Here are just some of the questions I ask them to complete.

•   Who is your target market?

•   Clarify whether you are targeting local, national or international market?

•   What are your products and/or services?

•   What goals do you want to accomplish in Social Media and in what timeframe?

•   What forms of Branding do you want to utilize in Social Media?

•   What are your keywords for your Business?

•   What is your competition doing in Social Media?

•   What amount of time are you scheduling to participate in Social Media and what role do you want your Social Media Specialist to fill – consultant, trainer and/or implementation?

•   What is your monthly budget?

•   What is your level of experience with Social Media – beginner, intermediate or experienced?

•   How will you track your Return on Investment (both your time and the Social Media Specialists)?

A well thought out Plan of Action will lead to a higher rate of success!  Please feel free to share any other information you think pertinent to add to the above list of questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How SOPA/PIPA Would Affect Small Businesses on the Internet

Posted on by Diane Coville

Last week, the SOPA/PITA Acts were bound for approval in the United States.  In the largest online protest in history on January 18th, 2012 many huge websites (i.e. Google, Wikipedia, WordPress.org, etc.) went black and the end result was that these Bills were shelved indefinitely.  But, that doesn’t mean they are gone….

What is SOPA?

Establishes a system for taking down websites that the Justice Department determines to be “dedicated to infringing activities.” The DoJ or the copyright owner would be able to commence a legal action against the alleged infringer and the DoJ would be allowed to demand that search engines, social networking sites and domain name services block access to the targeted site. In some cases, action could be taken to block sites without first allowing the alleged infringer to defend themselves in court.

The link to read more is here:  http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s968/show

What is PIPA?

PIPA, if passed, will give U.S. corporations and the government the right to seek affirmative legal action with any website that they see as enabling copyright infringement whether of U.S. origin or not.

The link to read more is here:     http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/how-sopa-pipa-can-affect-you/

These bills were initially created to prevent piracy of content like videos, music and software on the internet that robs the entertainment and computer  industry of their royalties but since the criteria for these bills was unfocused and unclear, they “could” be used to pull a website like Google or Wikipedia or WordPress.org off the internet for copywright infringement for their content like articles, blog posts, videos, audios and so on….

What does this mean for Small Business?

Most small businesses nowadays know that if they don’t have an internet presence they are definitely going to lose a huge amount of business.  Why?  Because with the age of computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones about 80% of the population research online to find products and services that they are looking to buy.  The days of the old Yellow Pages for research is almost gone.  Most people never think to use that old method of finding businesses.  And if they research online and a company doesn’t have a website, they will never know about it or worse still, if they want to research a specific company before they buy and a website is not there, they move on to businesses that are on the internet for the information they seek.

Small businesses who have a website have to create their own content, and although some take illegal shortcuts by copy and paste from similar sites offering similar products and services, most take the time and money to create their own individual message to their website visitors.  But what if the content they create is similar to some other website.  It is inevitable.  There are only so many ways you can describe or illustrate your products and services.  SOPA/PIPA if passed, can pull your website off the internet and you have no recourse to recover from a loss like that.

And what about Social Media?

Among the thought leaders, Content Marketing is going to be huge in 2012.  Everyone can find anything “information” on the internet and individuals automatically do their research there.   With the prominence of Social Media and content sharing sites, people in my industry – Inbound Marketers, Internet Marketers, Social Media Marketers, Video Marketing Specialists, Article Marketers, Blog Marketers – we all urge our business clients to create lots of fresh content and to proactively share the content of the people we are connected to.   Is this copywright infringement?  With the SOPA/PIPA Bills, with it’s “fuzzy” definitions we, as small business owners, could be misconstrued as stealing content.

That is why huge sites like Google, Wikipedia and WordPress.org took a stand.

And, Go Daddy, one of the biggest webhosts and domain sellers, changed their minds about supporting these bills when they lost more than 10,000 customers in a week!

I agree that these Bills may eventually pass, but before they do, the “powers that be” must be educated on how the internet works, how Social Media and all the other online marketing strategies work, and then edit and modify these Bills to much more defined guidelines.

How do you feel about SOPA/PIPA?

If you want to keep abreast on developments on these bills, you can find updates here:  http://sopastrike.com/

OR, in Canada:

http://openmedia.ca/SOPA

 

 

 

 

 

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How Foursquare Enhances Local Searches

Posted on by Diane Coville

Foursquare entered the Social Media world in 2009 and although it seemed to have a slow start it has now become mainstream for users of smartphones and boosting local traffic in businesses.

As of June 2011, the company reported it had 10 million registered users and expected to pass 750 million check-ins before the end of June 2011, with an average of about 3 million check-ins per day. 50 percent of users come from outside US.

What is Foursquare?

It is a free application on smartphones.  For instance, perhaps I have just discovered a great establishment in my area, a local office furniture store that offers new and used office furniture which they buy/sell/lease/trade.  I have found they have great customer service following the sale.  And when in the store, I found they also offer services to renovate existing office space and equipment to make it more efficient and look updated and fresh.  Wow!  That is a great place to share with my business associates and friends locally.

 I use the Foursquare app to “check-in” there – Foursquare actually does a local search for places in th area you are locted and this office furniture place may be already listed in which case I just check-in and there is a place I can leave tips like “great customer service”, “huge selection of items”, “having a great 30% sale today”, etc.

I have already personally registered in Foursquare and I can connect with anybody locally or around the world and when I “check-in”, they all receive notification that I am at that establishment.   As well, I have enabled Foursquare to post my “check-in” on my Facebook page and my Twitter account.  If this great business is not listed, I can automatically “add” them in the Foursquare app.  Now they are listed for anyone else who wants to “check-in” with Foursquare.

What if someone reads my check-in and wants more information about this business I’ve discovered?  The business can create their own account online when they go to Foursquare.  They add their name, contact information, special deals and discounts and more information on their products or services.

The Benefits of Putting Your Business on Foursquare?

·        A place you can list your business and where people locally can find you

·        You can add specific information you want your potential customers to know

·        You can offer rewards for visitors who come often

·        You can post specials and deals

·        You can not only reach local buyers but anyone who visits your city, town, etc. when they are in the area or travelling and are searching on their smartphones

·        It gives your customers a chance to “spread the word” about you and give you great recommendations.

The Benefits of Joining Foursquare yourself?

·        You find the specific products/services you need locally or when you are travelling

·        You can see recommendations about the establishments

·        You can win “rewards” the business has set up – a free product or service, a discount for being a regular customer, etc.

Foursquare for business just makes sense….and it is free!

www.foursquare.com

What success stories can you share about Foursquare?

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Scams, Spams, Frauds and Hacks….Oh My!

Posted on by Diane Coville

Recently there have been more and more alarming stories about scams, spams, frauds and hacks through the internet.  As business owners who do a large part of our marketing through our websites with internet marketing and social media marketing, it is our responsibility to try to be aware of what is happening on the internet and how to protect ourselves.

This can be overwhelming, daunting and time consuming.  There are multiple sites that list scams and where scams can be reported.  There are also Forums where you can share your experiences.

http://www.hotscams.com/

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/latest-information.html

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/index-eng.htm

http://www.scambusters.org/

These are 3 scams I know of that have been circulating around and can cause huge problems for businesses.

1.   The Microsoft/Windows Scam:

“Someone” from Windows/Microsoft calls to say they have detected suspicious activity and virus’s on your computer.  They provide a URL that you are to type into your browser.  When you do, they remotely access your computer and upload a “virus software” that is actually a spybot that starts busily gathering all your information off your hard drive.  And it arbitrarily removes your own virus software to make your computer vulnerable.  As well, they offer their “repairs” for free until they install the offending software which mucks up your computer so bad that you can’t operate it and then they offer to remove the problem for a fee!

This happened a few months ago to my friend.  Thankfully, I had been doing “remote” stuff with her on her computer and as soon as she saw them take control of her mouse she knew what was happening and quickly shut down her computer until I got there to go into “Safe” mode on her computer and remove the offending upload so they couldn’t grab all her information.

This can have a catastrophic effect on any person who uses their computer for business – not only does all their information get hacked but it makes the computer unuseable until a “techie” can come in to fix it which costs huge or they fall for this whole scheme and have to pay the hacker to fix the problems.

2.     The Online Product Purchase Scam:

A Virtual Assistant I know who operates out of Australia reported that she was very pleased that one of her information products had sold bulk copies to someone who went to her website for the purchase.  She processed the payment – it was approved – and she promptly shipped out the items.  Then the credit card company came back to her with the news that the credit card had been stolen and, therefore, the purchase had been reversed.  She received no money, incurred the cost of shipping the products out (which weren’t returned) and she had no recourse to recoup her financial loss.

3.     The Phishing for Cell Numbers Scam:

I have a cell phone like most do.  At the time this incident happened my cell only had a number, a 250 minute plan, no texting and no internet.  There are many pop-ups that come to you on the internet where they offer “free” stuff or contests BUT you have to enter your cell number.  I ran into one of these several years ago and suddenly started receiving multiple text messages that they charged for and which Rogers (my provider) passed on to me.  I had Rogers reverse all after a long and lengthy fight so I never entered my cell number again.

HOWEVER, recently I started receiving all these text messages again when I had entered my cell number in NO WINDOW or POP-UP  I couldn’t figure out how they got my cell number until I thought it through.  There must be “data miners” out there who go to websites where we, as businesses, post all our contact information including cell numbers for our clients.  These “data miners” are going out into the internet and collecting these numbers and SELLING THEM to third party text messaging companies.  I had messages coming from 3 such third party messaging companies.  The cost to me for not even sharing my cell number:  $120 in 2 months.  Rogers must collect those fees and pass them on to those disgusting 3rd party companies.  When I called Rogers they tried to block text messages to my phone (I didn’t have texting anyway) but that didn’t work.  They looked in their records on my account and found the names of these 3rd Party providers and gave me their phone numbers whereby I contacted them and demanded they remove my number from their records.  It was a very long, time consuming fight and I had to call more than once but eventually when I pushed hard enough and asked to be escalated through many managers, I got a refund mailed to me by cheque.

What do you do if you have been scammed or “suspect” it may be a scam?

Here are a few suggestions offered from some of my alliances:

Courtesy of Karen Braschuk of Office Support 911:  www.OfficeSupport911.ca

There are  great places to report these calls/scams – special websites set up for exactly this purpose. If you Google a phone number from an annoying or suspicious caller, it’s likely there will a ton of others who have reported it as well.My two most trusted websites are:

www.800notes.com

http://www.800notes.com/

www.WhoCallsMe.com

http://www.whocallsme.com/

Every time I receive a call from an unknown caller, I check that number in
both of these places first. Sure enough, I usually find a slew of
information, in particular, “This is Microsoft just calling to make sure
your computer is secure” scam.

Be safe. An unsolicited call from anyone requires great care in how you
respond.

Never:

- Confirm your mailing/physical address

- Confirm your phone number

- Confirm your name

- Confirm your email address

- Confirm your password

- Confirm that you are a user of a particular service

Always:

- Ask them to identify themselves

- Ask why they are calling

- Ask for a call-back number

- Ask how they got your number

- Ask for their website or yellow pages listing

From Sandra Fénelon, Project Manager & Consultant at Sole Mia Concepts:  www.solemiaconcepts.com
If you have some facts that you can provide to the Canadian Anti-Fraud
Centre (CAFC), they can investigate the situation. However, I am not sure
what happens to the cases that have been reported. Here¹s their phone number
and email address:

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC)
1 (888) 495-8501
E-mail: info@antifraudcentre.ca

Be alert, be aware and share your experiences with others.

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Is Facebook the Place to Market B2B?

Posted on by Diane Coville

Facebook for BusinessIn one of the LinkedIn Groups I belong (Inbound Marketers), a question was posted:

You’re a B2B firm, do you use FaceBook?

I can hardly believe businesses don’t get the value of Social Media Marketing  for Business and having a Facebook Business Page whether their target market is B2B or B2C, but from the comments under that question, it appears many businesses consider Facebook only for B2C!

If you are a Facebook user, check out the feeds on your wall,  Many of your friends have no doubt “liked” business pages that interest them – I know many of the big corporations my friends have liked such as Dell, Tim Hortons, Best Buy, Staples – Business Depot, CBC, Presidents Choice, Toyota, Home Depot, Rogers Wireless, Telus and Avon,  to name a very few have recognized the value of Facebook to connect.

As well, industry specific companies like Real Estate Agents (both commercial and residental), Lawyers (both Family and Corporate), Software Companies (for personal or business), IT Companies and also any other companies in different industries have jumped into Facebook.  Did you know that non-Profits include Facebook very highly in their marketing efforts?

I certainly have highly recommended to my local clients, both established and new businesses, that to build their presence in their communities, Facebook is a MUST!  My clients are about a 50/50 split between B2B and B2C.

An example:  a local business who sells Business Furniture.  By joining local people in his community, no doubt many of them are business owners or work in local businesses.  He not only can target local people who live in the community but find other businesses in the community through them and by interacting with both his personal profile and his business page, he will be able to establish a strong presence for himself and his business and reach his target market or ideal clients.

Another example:  an account rep for wireless services whose target market is small businesses – she “found” me through Facebook and offered me a great deal for my business – I was a happy new customer and eagerly referred alliances and clients alike to contact her if they weren’t happy with their wireless providers, mostly through Facebook as I have many connections with small businesses in my community.

Of course, depending on the size of your Company, what your products or services are  and where your market “hangs out” on the internet, I can guarantee that some of your best clients/customers can be found on Social Media sites and Facebook specifically.

Larger corporations just have to define where their target market can be found and create a strategy for their marketing efforts that will effectively build on their connections in order to build their brand, communicate with their customers, share information, make new product or service announcements and create deals to entice their followers.

Let’s face it – almost everyone is now a Facebook user whether they use it for just connecting with friends and family or whether they are also using it for business purposes, purchasing decisions, information or whatever.  Personally, I have noticed recently that family and friends of mine who shied away from being a Facebook user in the past have finally decided to join and are learning fast that it is a source of all sorts of information beyond just communicating with those people they already know.  They are starting to take part in contests, liking pages of businesses they know and trust, seek information on new ventures and interests, etc.

So far in my experience, there hasn’t been a business out there that I couldn’t develop a Facebook marketing strategy for…can you think of any?

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