social media

Post Revised 3/8/10, 2:19pm.

Dear readers, I have revised this post from it’s original format and removed a paragraph that may have sounded patronizing. The rest of the post has remained the same.

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Today it seems that everyone is claiming to be a social media “expert”.  The amount of companies making this claim is getting to be a bit ridiculous. Even folks like Chris Brogan, Gary Vee and Jason Falls don’t claim to be experts – and they know what their doing.

The reason I bring this up is because I’ve witnessed many businesses jump on the social media bandwagon simply because they see dollar signs. They see social media as an easy way to make money. They think by saying they offer social media services, clients will just flock to their door and flood their voice mail and in-boxes with consultation requests.

Social media today reminds me of SEO in the late 90’s, early 2000’s. Everyone and their grandmother made claims that they could “get your website on the front page of Google.” Jump ahead 10 years and how many of those companies still exist? Not many.

We can even compare social media to real estate. Remember when the real estate market was doing really well? How many people did you know suddenly decide they wanted to sell real estate? How many of those people still sell real estate? Need I say more?

I really don’t mean to get so angry about this, but when I see random companies suddenly offering social media services, I do get angry. Companies like that make us, the ones that truly get what social media is all about, feel not only angry, but dirty. I just don’t want to see an industry that I fell in love with, one that I built my business on (legitimately), get a bad name, or even worse, bust.

What do you think? Do you think social media will bust just like the dot com’s?

Just when everyone was getting used to the last Facebook change (the “News Feed” vs “Live Feed” thing), they once again make another change to their home page.

According to Facebook, the new home page is “provides easy access to your entire Facebook experience”. That statement has yet to be proven. From what I can see, the most apparent changes are:

1. Search field has relocated from the upper right corner to the upper left center

2. Friend requests are in the upper left corner, identified by this symbol: 

3. Messages are next to the “friend requests”, identified by this symbol:

4. Notifications are right next to “messages”, identified by this symbol: 

5. If you are the admin of a Facebook “fan” page, you can now enter that page via the left side bar (moved from the bottom footer bar), identified by this symbol:

6. Privacy and account settings can now be found under the “Account” drop down in the upper right corner

Of course this change couldn’t come at a worse time. Yesterday I hosted a four hour workshop in Social Media to a local real estate company, 1.5 hours which were spent on Facebook, and everything they learned has changed.

Honestly, I can see how the new changes will make Facebook easier to navigate, but they should just leave it alone. Facebook may soon find that their 400 million users may dwindle due to frustration.

Tell us what you think of the latest Facebook changes. Your comments may appear on CreativeMind’s  Facebook Fan Page.

Matt Cutts from Google explains in this video how all links are created equal, even those from Twitter and Facebook.

My thoughts

Even though links from Facebook or Twitter may not count towards page rank (if they are no follow links), I think they’re still important for driving traffic to your site. So, should you work towards building inbound links from Facebook and Twitter? Yes, for traffic purposes only.

People ask me all the time how to create a fan page on Facebook. It can be a little difficult on Facebook to find where to begin. In this post I’ll walk you through the steps of creating your fan page. Creating the page is relatively easy to do, developing a strategy to build and engage fans is a bit more difficult. We’ll talk about Facebook fan page strategies in another post.

Here are quick and easy instructions to create your Facebook fan page:

Step 1: Create a personal profile.

First off, you need a personal profile to go along with the fan page. Facebook does not allow fan pages to exist alone. If you are a marketing person building a fan page for your employer, I suggest you create a new profile using a generic business email, like marketing@yourcompany.com so that your personal account is not linked to the fan page.

Step 2: Create the fan page.

The easiest way to create the page is by clicking on “Create a Page for My Business” link from another fan page. Or just click on the link I just created, it takes you to the correct place.

Step 3: Choose a category for your page.

This is where it gets slightly confusing. If you’re a local business, you may choose “Local” then pick the appropriate category. If you have an online business, or sell to a national audience, then choose “Brand, Product, or Organization”. This category is also suitable for non-profits. Bands and Public Figures option is self explanatory.

Step 4: Name your page.

Be careful! You can not change the name of your page. Choose the name wisely. Brands should use the name of their company. For retailers, I like to use the name of the product first, followed by the name of the company. For example: “Leather Jackets by Shoreline Traders”. I tend to name pages with the product category first for search purposes.

Step 5: Finish sign-up process.

Fill in the secret code and click “continue”. Facebook will ask you if you have a Facebook account or if you’re creating a new account. If you created your profile in Step 1, then choose “I already have a Facebook account” and log in. If not, then create a new account following the instructions and click continue. Note: choose to keep your page private for now, you’ll be able to publish it when you have finished uploading content.

Step 6: Add content to your page.

Ta-da! Your page is created. Now, it’s up to you to fill in the details. Next you’ll want to:

1. Upload a logo or picture for your page. Hover over the big question mark where the photo should be and you’ll see the link to change the photo.
2. Include your contact information and website by clicking on the Info tab. Click the “Edit Information” link on the right to do so.
3. Include a brief description of your company or product. Look under the photo area (that big question mark), you’ll see the box where you need to add a description.
4. Add photos and other content. I usually like to add at least 5-10 wall posts before publishing the page. This way the visitor has something to actually read when they get to your new page.

Step 7: Publish your page.

Now that you have content, you’ll want to publish it so it’s visible to both search engines and Facebook users. Click on the “publish the Page” link at the top of your page.

Step 8: Invite Friends to fan your page.

Once your page is published, you’ll see a “Suggest to Friends” link on the left side of your page under the Edit Page link under your photo. If you created a new profile and do not have “friends” yet, then you’ll want to read my next post on developing your Facebook strategy (stay tuned).

So there you have it. 8 Simple steps to creating your Fan page on Facebook. If you need further instruction, or would like us to actually do the work for you, feel free to contact Patti Fousek at CreativeMind Search Marketing for a no-obligation consultation.

It seems as if Google’s been talking about revising their search engine forever, but soon, in the next few weeks, Caffeine will be live. We’ll talk about the algorithm implecations in a moment, but first, let’s look at an example of what a search engine results page (SERP) will look like on the new Google:

What you can expect with Google Caffeine update:

1. Live search results. Notice the Twitter update in the middle of the page. Also, the user can click on “Latest” time-frame to see the most recent results. It’s going to be very important to make constant updates to your blog or website to keep relevant.
2. Universal Search features. We’ve been able to search for video and images (as well as other Universal Search items) since 2007, but now these features are easily located in a left sidebar.
3. The Updates tab. See who’s currently talking about your subject on Twitter. Your social media marketing campaign just got easier.
4. Page Previews. See a snippet of the page before you click on the result.

If you’re a website owner, webmaster, marketer or blogger, I’m sure you thinking… “ok Google’s revision is great for the searcher, but what about me? What do I need to do to make sure I rank well on the new Google?”

There are a few algorithm changes that have come to light that anyone involved with the running of a website should know.

1. Speed your website loads. Yup, if you have a slow loading site either due by old technology, too many large images, or a flash intro, then your ranking may suffer a bit.
2. Broken links. Google is all about offering the searcher relevant information. If broken links are found while your site is indexed, you may see lower rankings as a result.
3. Website design. On page factors such as meta titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, current content, still play a factor, but now the design of your site will have an effect as well.
4. Social Bookmarking. Yes, that’s what I said. Social bookmarking will be a major factor in page ranking for 2010.

If your site has been optimized for search engines, you may be in good shape. If you’re not sure if your site meets the latest standards, please feel free to ask us, we’ll give you an honest answer.

In my previous post, Small Business Blogging Part 1 – Finding Your Niche, we talked about how to choose who to write for and types of posts you could write. Now I’m going to share a few ideas to encourage your blog readers to interact with your blog and interact with comments.

To start, I have to say that my blog did not receive any comments for a very long time. Then, I started to do things a little differently. Here are the three steps I took to encourage more blog comments.

1. I put my personality into my blog posts. I was an English major in college with a concentration on business writing. I found that my early blog posts read like boring essay assignments. Once I started writing like myself, I not only found the writing would come easier, but also  more readers would reply with comments.
2. I write on topics my readers want to read. How do I know what my readers want to read. Wel, I look at which posts get the most page views in Google Analytics and write more posts on those topics. For example, the posts that get the most reads for me are those written about ranking in Google, blogging, and Twitter. Look at your stats and see which posts get the most reads for you and write more posts on those topics.
3. I ask for comments. Yes, that’s right, I just ask. From time to time you may see a simple statement at the end of a post that says “tell me what you think” … give it a try and see what happens.

So there you have it. Three very simple steps to encourage your readers to comment on your blog posts. Give one a try and tell me how it works for you.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I *love* Twitter. I also love the many tools that are out there to manage Twitter accounts. My favorite by far is HootSuite. Now, no one from HootSuite knows I’m writing this post, and by no means have I been paid to write this post. OK, now that I’ve gotten the FCC formality out of the way… here are *my* top 10 reasons for using HootSuite for managing time on Twitter.

1. Simplicity – HootSuite is incredibly easy to set-up and start using right away. The interface is intuitive and simple to use.
2. Shorten URLs – HootSuite includes a shorten URL feature that will automatically “shrink” the URL using Ow.ly and add the shrunken URL to your tweet. Very cool!
3. Create Groups- Ever find yourself searching through your Twitter feed trying to find tweets from a specific person? I sure have. Well, with HootSuite you can organize Twitter users you follow into groups. I have groups set up by category – business, entertainment, friends, news, specific search terms, etc. This feature is *super* helpful if you’re like me and use Twitter for marketing.
4. Schedule Tweets -The “Send Later” feature of HootSuite allows you to schedule your tweets for future dates and times. I especially like this feature for time management. Say, for example, I find a few articles I want to share with my followers, but I don’t want to inundate them with a ton of  tweets, I’ll schedule my tweets to send every 15 – 20 minutes.
5. Share Files and Images – Share files and photos with your followers very easily by uploading them directly to your tweet from HootSuite.
6. Multiple Users & Multiple Profiles - HootSuite allows one account to manage multiple Twitter profiles. You can also add multiple Twitter editors as well. This feature is extremely helpful for corporate Twitter accounts where you have multiple employees and a corporate Twitter profile.
7. RSS Feeds - Add your RSS feeds to HootSuite account in seconds. This feature allows your feeds to post to your Twitter account automatically. No more copying and pasting blog headlines and links to Twitter!
8. Ping.fm Integration – Update all of your social media network profiles through HootSuite. Paste your Ping.fm API key into your HS account and that’s it. All of your social networking accounts are updated all at once!
9. Add HootSuite to Your Website- The Columns-to-Go feature allows an easy way to add your tweets to your website. Just click on the Columns-to-Go button and follow the instructions on the video tuturial.
10. Statistics – This is my *favorite* feature! See which tweets get the most clicks. View by date and location. Being able to see which tweets are most popular will give you an idea of what to tweet about in the future.

Using Twitter effectively for businesses can be time consuming. Twitter clients like HootSuite make managing that time much easier and effective. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

In a post I wrote back in April, Blogging is it right for all businesses? Yes!, I told you about a client who needed to convince her boss that blogging is beneficial to their small business. The benefits of blogging out weighed the cons, so with my help, she was able to get the ball rolling on a new blog. During a strategy meeting, the question I love the most arose: “What do we blog about?”

Finding the right topic to blog about can be a challenge if you’re not sure who your target market is. Knowing who you’re speaking to and how to effectively reach them is key. The more focused your topics, the more value you will bring to your audience.

For example. Let’s pretend I own a small local restaurant and I want to start a blog. My first inclination may be to blog about how great the food is at the restaurant, or to blog about the specials of the week. Well, that may be OK if you don’t want visitors at your restaurant, never mind visitors who read your blog. Instead, find that niche – that special something – that will help you stand apart from your competitors.

For the local restaurant, say for example, they hold wine dinners and other special events at the restaurant. Then, they may want to blog about the best type of wine that best accompanies steak. Or, maybe they write a blog post on the challenges they faced planning a the menu for a client and how they overcame the obstacles. They could even designate a certain day of the week to an ingredient and post a sample recipe or two for their readers to make at home.

The topics are endless once you’ve determined your special niche. To determine your blogging niche, start by reading other blogs. Use tools like blogsearch.google.com and search for your industry. When reading other blogs, consider the following:

• What topics are bloggers writing about?
• What are the trends?
• Which topics are blogged about often?
• Which topics don’t get enough attention?
• What blogs do you like, or not, and why?

By reading other blogs in your industry, you’ll get to know who the major players are, how much competition there is and what topic is best suited for you.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Small Business Blogging where we’ll discuss types of posts that encourage comments.

Have you been blogging for your small business? Share your story. Want more information on how you can start a blog for your business? Contact Patti Fousek for a free consultation.

So, you’ve decided that your company needs to be involved with social media.But you keep asking yourself the same questions: how do I get started, and do I have the time. Here are eight tips to help you on your way to becoming a social media maven.

Tip 1: Have a Plan

I can’t stress this point enough. Many companies and freelancers dive right in to social media without a goal. Before you start, ask yourself “what do I want to achieve with social media?”

Social media can be used to:

• Build buzz around a brand or product
• Increase traffic to a website or blog
• Brand yourself an expert in your field
• Network with business professionals and/or consumers
• Communicate with customers

Tip 2: Listen to your audience:

Remember when your parent told you to do something and you ignored him/her. What would they say? “You’re not listening.” Well, your customers are constantly telling you what they want. Be sure to target your message to them. I like to use Google Alerts and TweetLater as my “listening” tools. I also read many blogs that pertain to my industry and area of interests.

When you listen, pay attention to:

• How does your target market communicate/interact on the social web?
• What are they discussing? What is important to them?
• What types of social networks are they using?

Tip 3: Brand yourself with your profiles

Social networking sites are sort of like going to a networking event or a party, only virtually. Your profile on these sites are your online billboard and should be used to emphasize your strengths. Think of your profile as a 60 second elevator pitch. Write in conversational style, keep it interesting, use keywords so you can be found, and voila!, your profile is born.

Tip 4: Get your feet wet

Start participating on social media sites by sharing content and knowledge.You can participate by:

• Link to helpful articles or blog posts in your status updates on Twitter
• Answer questions on LinkedIn
• Join a group and join in discussions on Facebook
• Give recommendations on LinkedIn to former co-workers or employees

Tip 5: Connect with those you know first

Your email inbox is a great wealth of information… use it. Use the tools in LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to find contacts you know on these platforms. Write personalized notes when you wish to make a connection. Especially if you’re connecting with a former colleague or boss. A personal note will help jog their memory of who you are and make you stand out from the crowd.

LinkedIn is a super helpful tool to start connecting with people you know. Once connected, ask for recommendations from former co-workers or employers.

Tip 6: Engage your customers

Notify your current customers that you have a profile on LinkedIn, you’re on Twitter, and have a fan page on Facebook. Encourage customers to follow you – or connect with you on these sites. Other ways to promote your social media status is to:

• Add badges and widgets to your website
• Link to social media profiles from your email newsletters
• Send out a post card announcing your Facebook Page

Tip 7: Track and measure your results
As a business owner, you want to know if social media is working for you. One great way to measure how much reach you have is to use your web analytics package to track visitor statistics (i.e. Google Analytics or HubSpot). There are also many tools out there to help you measure your reach on social media. I use Google Alerts and TweetBeep to track mentions me or my company.

Tip 8: Manage your time wisely

It’s easy to get carried away with using social media. If you keep your end goal in mind, it’s easier to stay on track. When I first started out using social media tools, I would set aside 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at lunch to update my status and to share links. Now I incorporate social media activities into my marketing calendar.

To help save time, I use Ping.fm which is a great tool that supports over 40 social networking sites. You post your status update once in Ping.fm and Ping updates all of your social media sites. I love it, it’s a great time saver!

Conclusion

Remember to always have a plan, start with the end goal in mind, and manage your time wisely.

Have any other tips? Feel free to leave a comment and share with others.

Recently I had hosted a social media presentation at a One More Referral “Brown Bag” business development luncheon. I had presented to a group of 95 New Hampshire and Maine small business professionals who were very eager to learn about how social media could better their businesses.

During the presentation I spoke about the benefits of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Following the presentation, I have received lots of Facebook friends and LinkedIn connections, but only two new Twitter followers. Many of the survey responses were also super positive, but I did see one comment over and over. “I just don’t understand the benefits to Twitter.”

Well, as a small business owner, I have found Twitter to be very helpful as far as growing my business. Not only have I received increased traffic to my website, but I have also learned a lot from those that I follow.

For example:

• @smallbiztrends (Anita Campbell, CEO of an online community) tweets include small business marketing tips, product info and other tidbits to help small business grow and more.
• @SmallBizTools tweets include advice, tips, and tools for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners.
• @mainebusiness (Carl V. Natale, content producer for MaineBusiness.com) tweets about lots of useful tips to improve your business. From marketing to social media, to business growth and taxes – he covers it all)

Others to follow include:

@WSJSmallBiz

@MarketingProfs

@thebrandbuilder

@PRmaine

@BeckyMcCray

@smallbusiness

@PaulDunay

@andybeal

@digg_technews

And, of course, yours truly @PattiFousek

Just remember…. Not only can you learn from those you follow on Twitter, but your followers can learn from you too. And… it’s fun.