Many of you may be drooling over the iPad, but wondering, is it worth it and do you need one?
Last night I appeared on Maine’s premier evening news magazine program, 207, to review the iPad. It went something like this:
Archive for May, 2010
Will Social Media Be Bigger Than Email? Is It Already?
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Quick show of hands: who here has email?
The first time I saw email was 1990, close to my college graduation. I was in the computer lab and some guy was typing a message on his computer, and then hit send. “This message,” he told me, “is now being instantaneously sent across campus to my friend’s computer where he can read it.”
I looked at him–stunned–and said, “that’s the dumbest thing I ever saw. In the time it took you to type out that message you could have called him and worked out the details. You don’t even know if he’s there right now…it could be hours before you hear back. That will never catch on.”
It wasn’t until years later when I got an AOL account that I realized that I could now stay in touch with friends around the world for free! (Outside of the $19.95 I was paying AOL every month.)
I don’t tell this story to point out my many shortcomings. Rather, to say that we don’t often notice the impact of a new communication tool until it’s upon us.
Social media is going to be bigger than email. Sure, it’s going to evolve and change, but as long as humans have computers or smart phones (or whatever comes next) that can connect to the Internet (or whatever comes next), social media will exist in some form.
You can either choose to embrace social media…or ignore it.
If you embrace social media that’s no guarantee of success: you might be doomed by a down economy or your biggest customer going out of business. Likewise, if you ignore social media you may be able to create products that are so unique or beautiful that people still beat a path to your door. However, even if you choose to ignore social media, one of your customers might take a photo of your hand-crafted armchair and post it to their Flickr or Facebook account where all their networked friends see it, fall in love with it, and demand to know where they can get it.
So you may turn your back on social media only to find it tapping you on the shoulder.
Whether or not you were an early adopter to email, it’s impossible to dismiss its impact on business communications. Social media is gaining users at an even faster pace, and is much more interactive and viral. The other day USA Today reported Twitter had over 114 million users. This week Time reported that Facebook was about to break 500 million users. Over 2 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day! Many of the top ten results for every search come from blogs! (Are those blogs on page one of Google yours or your competition’s?)
While social media marketing can’t guarantee your success, it can improve your online visibility, create connections and opportunities otherwise unavailable to you, and drive your best prospects right to your front door.
Rich Brooks
Social Media Marketer
Photo Credit: Pat Castaldo
Artist Designed Ribbon Belts from Belted Cow
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Flyte recently launched a newly designed website for Belted Cow, a Maine company selling ribbon belts inspired and created by artists.
Visitors to the site can shop for a wide variety of belts for adults or children. One of my favorite belts is The History of Streaking. (No, the irony is not lost on me.) There are plenty of gift ideas, especially if your loved one has a love of nautical-themed clothing or likes to keep his pants up with an homage to the Tour de France.
Pets aren’t forgotten, as many of the cool designs have been appropriated for collars and leashes.
The site offers an easy-to-use shopping cart and is powered by a hybrid of WordPress and flyte’s own custom e-commerce programming.
If you’ve been searching for a fun, whimsical way of keeping your pants from falling down–especially when everything ends up on YouTube these days–be sure to check out Belted Cow.
Social Media Marketing Call for Presenters
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
As you may know, one of the many other hats I wear is as Co-Founder of the Social Media FTW Conference. (What? You didn’t know that? When was the last time you checked out my LinkedIn profile?)
Anywho, as we gear up for the 2nd annual FTW conference, we’re now looking for speakers and presenters on social media marketing. If you’re an experienced speaker who has great, compelling information to share on social media, we want to know!
Maybe you’ve got ideas to share on social networking, online video, blogging, podcasting, or maybe you’ve got a story to tell about how you grew your organization or company through Facebook and Twitter.
If you’re interested, please complete the Call for Presenters form today.
Also, if you represent a business and want to get in front of hundreds of business owners throughout New England and beyond, consider becoming an FTW sponsor.
Information about early-bird discounts will be announced soon.
Avoiding Customer Frustration: Clear Communications
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Last week I was traveling on business and stayed at a hotel in Montpelier, VT. I got my key card and headed up to my room with my bags.
I slid the key card into the lock and pulled it out. No dice, the door stayed locked. I tried again. Nothing. I used the other key card. Still nothing. So, I lugged my luggage (hey, is that where that word comes from?) back down the small elevator. The desk attendant told me there had been problems with some of the keys and apologized, then made me some fresh cards.
He also told me that if I had any further problems there was a call button by the elevator so I wouldn’t have to come back down again. I grabbed my stuff and went back up to my room and used the new key. Nothing. Ditto for the second key. I tried both keys several more times, making sure that it wasn’t me.
I trudged back to the elevator and pressed the call button. The desk attendant answered, and I told him I still couldn’t get in. He told me someone would be up…shortly, and hung up.
Shortly. What did that mean? Was he hopping over the desk, skeleton key in hand to help me out? Or did 20 people just come in and demand his attention and he would get to me when he could?
I sat there, in the overly-warm hotel hallway, watching as the daylight–and my opportunity for a bike ride–slip away. The doors finally opened, but it was only another guest. After over 5 minutes (this was a hotel of probably under 100 rooms on a quiet Monday evening) I finally buzzed again.
“Front desk.”
“Yes, was someone coming up to help me get into my room?”
“Yes, we’ll be up there shortly.”
Shortly! The bane of my existence.
“OK, because I’m still waiting here.”
“We’ll be up shortly.”
The front desk attendant arrived a couple minutes later. We walked down the hall together and he asked for one of my cards. He put it in and…nothing. Then he put it in again and sloooooowly pulled it out, with a slight pressure upwards as he removed it.
Click. The door unlocked. Then he gave me this look that said, “you couldn’t figure that out on your own?” Then he said out loud, “you need to pull it out slowly and lift up as you do.” Thanks, that would have been really helpful information when you first handed me my key card.
Lesson Learned: Don’t let your customers wonder. Because of poor communication, I wasn’t really sure what I should do. Should I just wait there? If so, for how long? Should I go down and see them at the front desk, or did that make me seem too aggressive? The longer I waited in that hallway, the more irritated I became because I wasn’t sure what my role was.
Not knowing what’s expected of you as the customer is an incredibly frustrating experience, especially if you don’t know if the next move is yours or the vendor’s. The more uncertainty there is, the more dissatisfaction the customer feels.
Take a look at your own process; is there a point (or two) in which there’s often customer confusion? If so, what can you do to fix that? Is there a place where communication goes down a black hole, like the call button near the elevator?
Bonus Lesson: Don’t make your customer feel stupid. I don’t travel a lot, but I have enough experience to work a key card. If your key card needs a ninja move and a flick of the wrist to work, you should a) fix the locks, or b) give people a heads up that sometimes the locks are finicky.
Social Media Marketing: Are You Spread Too Thin?
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
This post originally appeared at FastCompany.com where Rich Brooks is an Expert Blogger writing about Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses.
Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Blogging. Podcasting. Google Buzz. Flickr. YouTube. Bebo. Tumblr. Jaiku. Plaxo. Hi5. MySpace. Orkut. Photobucket. Audioboo. Ning. The list goes on and on.
There are literally hundreds of social media spaces you and your company can be involved in, so when is it all too much?
There is no one right answer to this question. Different companies–based on their size, resources, industry and personality–are going to find that they have different tolerances for how much time they can dedicate to social media marketing.
Some business owners feel a blog is too much of a distraction while others have more profiles than Jason Bourne. Personally, I think the solution is probably somewhere in the middle. There’s no denying the benefits of social media marketing; increased online visibility, quality site traffic, and increased customer loyalty are just a few of the reasons to jump in. However, if social media is keeping you from doing your job, it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities. Joel Spolsky of Fog Creek Software recently signed off from his Inc. magazine gig and his blog to focus on other elements of his business.
While there may not be one right answer, there is a way to determine the right answer for you, and it starts with your business goals.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
That’s right, it’s Business 101. What are your business goals? Is to increase sales? Build your brand? Improve customer retention? Grow your membership? Motivate people to lose weight, go green, or contact their senator?
Without knowing exactly what your goals are, it’s impossible to know which tactics are going to get you there.
Focus Your Activity
Once you have a list of your top 2 or 3 goals, take a look at your social media activities. If your Flickr account isn’t helping you reach your goals, drop it like a hot potato. (Or at least put it on hold and concentrate on other things.) If your podcast isn’t driving traffic to your Web site, put it on hiatus. Ditto with YouTube, your blog, or any other site you may be active on.
Don’t worry that ignoring certain sites may reduce your influence there, unless your goal is influence at that site. Dropping karma points at Plurk won’t shutter your business. Blog comments aren’t sales. YouTube subscribers don’t keep the lights on. (All of these activities may lead to business, and this may be where you should be putting your energy. However, this could be the very activity that’s distracting you from your goal and sapping your energy.)
Recently I’ve spoken to a lot of well meaning people who are treating social media sites like spinning plates, dashing from one to the other to keep them from falling, but accomplishing little else. The best thing some of these people could do for their business is let a few of those plates fall.
Measure Your Success (and Failure)
One way to determine the effectiveness of a social media site is by looking at your site’s analytics. By looking at your site traffic you can determine where your best traffic is coming from, be it Twitter, Facebook or your blog. You may also be able to determine where the best traffic is coming from…the people buying from you, or at least filling out your contact forms for more information.
When you’re feeling comfortable again with your social media activity, and you’re ready to add more to your plate, poll some of your newest and best customers and ask them where they hang out online…chances are other future customers are hanging out there, too.
Rich Brooks
Peanut, Peanut Butter…and Jelly, and Jelly!
Photo credit: Bark
Three Questions That Will Determine Your Future
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
I was listening to Daniel Pink’s book The Whole New Mind as I drove out of Maine towards Vermont for the first leg of the “Social Media Traveling Road Show” I’m part of through Sustainable Forest Futures. (The name is unofficial and used only by me.)
I had gotten a copy of attendees’ company bios; wood-industry companies that ranged from sustainable harvest organizations to wood turners to furniture makers. Many if not most of them faced the same challenges: competition from abroad, competition from composites and adapting to new technology were often mentioned.
Compared to the other speakers on my panel and throughout the day, I wasn’t very experienced in the wood industry. However, I’m in an industry that has severe competition from abroad (what has cheaper shipping costs than a web site?) as well as plenty of free software packages, allowing small businesses to get a web site up and running without any help from a trained professional, like the kind I’ve hired over the years.
In the immortal words of William Jefferson Clinton: I feel your pain.
Pink’s book talks a lot about how the future may belong to right-brained people, and echoes the sentiment of what a lot of popular business books are saying these days…at least the ones I’m reading. In fact, this quote got me to rewind, record it onto my iPhone, and then transcribe it to my blog as soon as I got a chance:
Your future will depend on your answers to three questions. In this new era, each of us must look carefully at what we do and ask ourselves:
- Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
- Can a computer do it faster?
- Am I offering something that offers the non-material, transcendent desires of an abundant age?
These three questions will mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who gets left behind. Individuals and organizations that focus their efforts on doing what oversea knowledge workers can’t do cheaper, computers can’t do faster, as well as on meeting the aesthetic, emotional and spiritual demands of a prosperous time, will thrive. Those who ignore these three questions will struggle.
It’s no secret that the last year or so has been difficult for a lot of people and a lot of industries. Some things will get better: housing, the economy. Some things won’t: competition from abroad, faster computers that will commodicize more of our workload.
You need to take a look at what you’re doing, and what your company is producing. If it’s too easy to outsource that work or give it to a computer, you’re going to need to change your game plan.
Ask yourself: what can you offer that an overseas competitor or a faster computer can’t?
How Do I Get More Traffic to My Blog?
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
It’s a question I hear all the time.
Maybe you’ve set up a blog for your company or non-profit but have yet to reap the untold riches that await all bloggers. You know that if you could only attract a steady stream of visitors you’d have it made in the shade.
Well worry no more, friend, because I have the answers. In this month’s flyte log, our monthly email newsletter, I tackle this question head on with the article 8 Ways to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog. We’ve got tips on how to attract the first time visitor through search and social media, as well as how to get people to subscribe to your blog so they come back more often.
Photo credit: aimhelix
Web Marketing Presentations: A Busy Week Ahead
Monday, May 10th, 2010
Somehow I have six speaking gigs scheduled for this week. May have to break into my emergency Red Bull stash.
Today’s a prep day, and then…
Tuesday, 5/11/2010: Performance Foodservice Food Show, Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine
- 10:00 am: Social Media 101
- 11:15 am: Social Media Marketing That Works
- 12:30 pm: Social Media 101
- 1:45 pm: Social Media Marketing That Works
I believe this is only open to Performance customers, but I could be mistaken. You can check the Performance web site for details.
Wednesday, 5/12/2010: Maine Business Technology Expo & Conference
- 2:30 pm: Search Engine Optimization: Rank Higher, Sell More!
This is part of a full day of presentations, including Lynnelle Wilson talking social media and a big expo. If you’re around Greater Portland, you should make your way over. For more information and to register, visit the Greater Portland Chamber Web site.
Thursday, 5/13/2010: Email Marketing Webinar
- 1:00pm (ET): How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Business
This is open to the public, and available to everyone! If you’ve been looking to learn how to grow your subscriber base, get your emails delivered, and get your subscribers to take action, please register now. You can even save 40% off the regular cost with discount code: “bullet”.
Friday I don’t have anything scheduled, but I have to prepare for my “social media traveling road show” that I’m doing with the Sustainable Forest people; 5 social media presentations in 5 different places: Montpelier, VT, Glens Falls, NY, Utica, NY, Concord, NH and August, ME.
Maybe I’ll see you on the road…
Rich Brooks
Will Present for Food
Photo credit: Angela Coulombe
How to Be a PR Rock Star in a Social Media World – 6/10/2010
Friday, May 7th, 2010
I am very excited to be the keynote speaker at this year’s Yankee PRSA Annual Meeting.
Apparently there were a lot of people out of town that week.
The presentation is entitled How to Be a PR Rock Star in a Social Media World. We’re going to talk about the tools PR professionals can use to get their job done, how to leverage social media, and the power of the social media press release.
We’re also going to talk about what it means to get press these days. Is it more important to get coverage in mainstream media, or is it better to get linked to from an influential industry blog?
If you’re a PR professional–or just interested in the changing role of public relations–please join us. The event is open to anyone. Well, anyone with $25 ($20 for members.)
Learn more and register now for the Yankee Chapter PRSA Annual Meeting.
