Marketing with Social Media for a Not-so-business Business

There are many organizations that run like a business but are not quite a business in the traditional sense.  For instance not-for-profits and educational organizations often are run like a business from the perspective of employees (volunteers), managing a budget and promoting a product/service, but they can have very different marketing needs from their business counterparts.  This is the case with the organization that I am working with to create a social media marketing plan.  One of the big differences is there is not one personal voice speaking for the group. I know Gitomer suggests rather strongly that in order for social media to really work, you must speak from a personal point of view.  Although I can understand this for most  traditional companies, some groups need to speak as the group. Another difference as in the case of my client, they don’t have a product to sell, they are mostly in the information sharing business.  Are they not able to utilize social media to their best advantage because they lack a singular person  or a specific product to sell?

My client is a collaborative group with 16 individual member organizations.  They serve a constituency of over 2000 educators.  In their case, creating a marketing plan that would allow them to share information both static (known information and resources) and emerging (new or changing content) was the goal.  I presented the following plan to them to best take advantage of their strengths while addressing what I found to be weaknesses in the information delivery chain.  By introducing a blog, facebook page and twitter the group will be able to reach out in a quick and frequent way to their membership with relevant emerging information to inform, educate and motivate while developing a strong connection membership can grow to rely on. The introduction of website pages dedicated to new information postings will further create a network of value added content.  These tools  will help to boost the SEO of their website by driving viewers to it and keep them coming back.

Social Media Marketing Plan Final Project on Prezi

Although the plan I created for this client is specific to their needs, the basis of the plan would work for any business.  As with any marketing tool, traditional or new media, success is found in trying various methods, evaluating what works and what doesn’t and concentrating efforts to those that give the best return. This isn’t always measured in dollars and cents, but often in building credibility and establishing your organization as an authority in which you speak.

If a company or organization does this can you see them failing to meet their goals? 

 

The Challenges of Creating a Social Media Network for Someone Else

 

Every once in awhile it seems like the fates come together and like some cosmic reward for good behavior, an opportunity presents itself at just the perfect moment…or does it?

 

As part of an assignment for my Social Media Marketing Course, we had to create a social network for a business, real or fabricated for the purpose of the class.  Knowing that I tend to learn best when applying knowledge to real-life situations, I wanted to do this assignment for an existing business.  At just about the same time I became aware of an opportunity to create a website for an organization connected to where I work. A quick email expressing my interest and credentials awarded me the job.  “This is great” I thought, a course project and the added bonus of being paid.  The fates were looking down upon me.  Well experience should have told me that it is never that easy.

Creating a Social Network for your own business has its challenges to be sure.  if you are starting for scratch you will need to:

• Create a website
• Create a Blog
• Make a list a potential blog topics to keep readers coming back
• Create a Linked-In Account and make connections, join groups, interact
• Create a Facebook page for the business (not your personal page)
• Create a Twitter Account (again for business messages, not coffee consumption updates)
• Look into other social platforms like Constant Contact, MailChimp, Pinterest and others
• Follow blogs that relate to your business

That is a lot to get started with. If it is your own company, at least you have the role of Content Generator. You may and probably should seek advice, but ultimately the decisions are your own.  It may be hard, but no one knows your business better than you.  You decide what content to feature on the website, what topic is hot in your field right now to blog about.  You walk through your day and find interesting things to tweet about.  The whole network is in your voice and as Jeffery Gitomer advocates, this is how social media is most effective.

CHALLENGE #1 Content Generator vs. Content Publisher

I have the knowledge to create a social media network, but in my case as a SMN (Social Media Networker) for hire, I have to rely on another person or in my case a group of people to provide me with content.  My role has shifted from Content Generator to Content Publisher.

CHALLENGE # 2 Designing for Unknown Expectations

As such I spent a weekend exploring all the options for creating the most customized WordPress website possible. I looked at the templates and tried them out.  I research outside sources for templates, looked into domain names and priced outside web-hosting. Ultimately I decided to start with a free wrodpress site using the Paperpunch Theme for the versatility.  To prepare for my requested face to face meeting with the group, I plugged in as much content as I was privy to into the template, created a custom background, hit publish and prayed I was at least in the ballpark of what they expected. My meeting went well, they liked the site.

CHALLENGE # 3 Decisions, Decisions Decisions- Who make them?

I suggested purchasing a domain name to lend credibility to the site.  Everyone was in agreement on doing that, especially since many school filters block wordpress sites.( I’m working with an organization connected to K-12 school districts). Great we’re getting a domain name!   It’s been a month and they haven’t agreed on one yet. I also have pages without content and missing statistics.  Since this is not my business, all I can do is create a plan for adding content in some reasonable order and ask for the information.

CHALLENGE # 4- Who’s voice are people hearing?

When you create a blog, tweet updates and/or update a facebook status the voice people hear is your own.  In the case of a SMN for hire, I can’t just write a blog, forward a tweet or update facebook on my own.  There are some safe areas in which I can repost information, but unique value content has to come from the decision makers (please see challenge #3).

So for now, I am doing my best to act in an advisory capacity, sharing my knowledge and experience and hoping to motivate my client to take an active role in providing content to their constituents.  Wish me luck.

 

 

Business Social Media…One Part Expert, One Part Spy

I know what you’re thinking, I get the expert part but what do you mean by spy? Think about the movies or TV shows that have spies, what makes them effective?  The answer, the ability to collect and connect information about their target.  In Jeffery Gitomer’s book Social Boom, this is also a main strategy for using social media such as facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to make business connections.  The book advocates in many sections that you first need to listen before you respond.  Both Gitomer and Richard Brasser who wrote the section in Social Boom, The Secret Door: 8 Steps and You are In, believe that it is imperative that you listen to what is going on so you can make valuable contributions to the conversation. It’s like being at a party, you and your group are having a discussion and someone you have never met walks over and starts adding in their 2 cents.  Most people feel a little resentful “Who does he/she think they are?”  Social media remember, is well social, so many of the same graces also apply here.  If you are wondering how to listen, Chris Brogan, President of Human Business Works wrote a great blog Grow Bigger Ears in 10 Minutes.  It takes you through the steps to creating your own spy worthy listening station. It is important to note you need to not only tune into your targets but into yourself as well.  

So how does this help you get a meeting with the ever elusive company executive?  

 

What Can You Do for Your Business in 1 Hour?

The alarm goes off.  You are up and moving.  You shower, carefully pick your attire, swing by Starbucks, and hit your office, ready to set the world on fire… and it’s only 8:00 AM.  Here’s my question. What can you do in 1 hour that will increase your business potential?  Maybe you make cold calls to set up leads. That’s a good idea. You spend maybe 20 minutes looking up names and numbers, another 10 on the phone with receptionists whose sole purpose it seems is to protect their boss from you, and maybe if you are lucky, you get to talk with 3 people for about 10 minutes each, pitch yourself and/or product and hope you get at least 1 solid appointment and 1 promise to call back.  An hour well spent?  What if you could reach hundreds of potential customers in that same amount of time?  And what if I told you that eventually, you would have customers/clients coming to you instead of you chasing them down?  Sounds good huh?

Well that is the power of Business Social Media.  Jeffrey Gitomer author of Social Boom, believes if you spend just 1 hour a day building and maintaining a business social media network, you can increase:

• Business Connections
• Prospective Customers
• Company Image
• Efficiency and Productivity

“Business social media is the new cold call” (Gitomer, 2).  

 

Blogging for Business: Tips for Beginners

created at http://www.wordle.net by V.Rehac

Many people are just discovery the blogosphere, yet blogs have been around since about 1997.  Today it’s hard to do a google search and not have several blogs taking up the top spots in your results.  Many folks think that blogs are simply someone’s personal on-line journal, and while that may be the case as in Inconsistent Musings, increasingly they are being used in a variety of ways.  Newspaper reporters are now bloggers, take a look at your favorite daily news and you’ll find a host of news blogs.  Businesses are also getting in on the blogging scene more these days.  There is a great value to having your voice out there, gaining regular followers, building loyalty and becoming an authority on your subject.   Blogs take time and commitment, but offer free marketing and the ability to let your followers help spread your message.

There are some tips that experts seem to agree will help you to be successful.  First of all, as my good friend Sherry says “Work smarter, not harder”.  In the beginner’s world of blogging, this means to start with a free blog hosting service like Google’s Blogger, WordPress or Tumblr.  These sites make it easy to have a professional looking blog with a few clicks and some patience.  Once you have picked a place to create your blog, you will have to decide on how you want it to look.  All of these sites offer customizable templates so your blog is sure to have a personal look all your own.   Now that you have that settled, here are some tips from veteran blogger GENA on Choosingraw.com  (the full list and descriptions can be found by clicking the link). 

 

Oh How Marketing has Changed Since I’ve Been Away

This blog will serve as a learning journal for my next Empire State College course, Social Media Marketing.  When I took marketing some 20…OK make that 25 years ago it centered around magazines, radio, television and newspapers.  Now marketing incorporates websites, blogs, twitter, facebook, e-zines  and even you-tube.  As my children are going off to college this soon to be empty-nester will be looking to re-enter the full-time working world.  I have decided to expand my past education and pursue a B.S. in Communications.  While researching what is current in this field I found many references to “new media”  and I decided that is where I would place my focus. I think it is a sound choice, after all where is the first place you go to find information on a product, service or business?

My next post will give some tips and guidelines on creating blogs for business.