So what should we post to our social channels to help engage our audience in meaningful conversations that may translate into business? It’s actually fairly simple if you know the 4 Engagements. Ask yourself when reviewing each posting if the message will allow you to engage with your customers, prospects, employees, vendors and stakeholders by facilitating one or more of the following:

Education – share new ideas & helpful information

Information – current events, open houses, new employees, dissemination of found information (i.e. other websites)

Collaboration – ask questions of your audience

Entertainment – build rapport with a sense of humor and inspiration; evoke an emotion to build deeper relationships

Posting Stress Syndrome can be cured if you engage with purpose. Do you have a fifth engagement to add?

Cheers!

Lisa Michaud

President

The Startup Launcher

Social Media Systems Designed to Empower Your Voice

www.thestartuplauncher.com

As the owner of a social media training and management company, I can say that this concept is often overlooked by today’s business owners. So many are so busy looking for the next marketing “silver bullet” that they forget that the real power behind marketing is to create a trusting and meaningful experience for each client/customer who walks through the door. The customer is king and their experience with you is the crown jewel.

By approaching social media in a way that consistently checks in with your clients through Facebook, Linked In or even Twitter, you are always showing how much you care, not just about their business endeavors with you, but also them personally. I regularly greet people to my Facebook page and introduce them to my network. I also visit their personal pages and comment on the happenings within their lives, as each client is as important to me as my family. After all, they are the life blood of my business and without them, I would not be in business.

So the next time you sit down and begin to build your social media strategy, empower yourself and your team to really engage with your clients on every level. Share your dreams, hopes, next business plans, even your family updates. And be sure to comment on their lives while you are at it. The corner stone to all good business starts with a relationship. Social media has given you the power to deepen that relationship to levels we only once had when sharing a meal.

Lisa Michaud

The Startup Launcher

lisa@thestartuplauncher.com

www.thestartuplauncher.com

303.881.9409

Actually, in real life (#IRL)…

Small businesses can no longer ignore social media.

I recently read the article entitled “If a Tweet Falls in the Forest, Does it Make a Sound?” by Jeff Haden, and it got me thinking…

Social media is not unlike any other technology, product, or service that goes through an adoption cycle. I think we’re well beyond the innovators, through the early adopters, and into the thick of the early majority. As a social media community coordinator, I’m able to dive in and see the advantages of social media first hand–and this list of advantages has grown from a modest number to something momentous.

Mr. Haden argues that the “Return on Tweets” is too low to really warrant much attention from small businesses. And, in his defense, he does go on to point out several of the advantages he has seen: search engine optimization, more personalized than a website, that they “can” drive business, and they provide a place to have direct conversations with your customers. However, his list excludes many of the advantages accessible to small businesses that can be realized through spending just 30 minutes a day on social media.

Additional advantages:

Integration: Of the main three media that you’ll be utilizing as a small business-Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn–each has their own purpose within your communications. When managed correctly, each medium serves to complement the others. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Added value: Mr. Haden touched on this briefly, but I feel it’s worth expanding upon. When you interact with people in real life (#IRL) and invite them to join your online networks, you open up a line of communication that’s consistent and allows you to stay on the top of their mind. In addition, you may mention a service, product, or skill set they didn’t know you have.

Needed exposure: Not only do you provide an additional place for your market to find you, you become involved in networks where people will go look for you. If your presence is non-existent or haphazard, a potential customer is much less likely to utilize your offerings–especially given they’re the type of person that looked for you there in the first place. Now imagine they log on and view your LinkedIn profile, see your full listing of experiences and areas of expertise, and then notice you’ve provided a slew of answers to questions about the topic they’re interested in hiring you for, and some these answers you’ve received “good” and “best” votes for. SOLD.

Industry networking: You should not just be trying to connect with customers, but also with others in your industry. A good strategic partner can be instrumental in your bottom line. They can provide a way to reduce your costs, enable you to more effectively sell and market your offering, or be a source of leads for you–or all three!

Introductions: Going to an event? Let people know via your social networks. If others are going to be at the event, they’ll let you know. Now when you meet them at the event it’s not a cold introduction. You’re one step closer to a new customer or strategic partner–or friend, friends are good too. We live in the age of technology, but we still like living in real life (#IRL).

It doesn’t cost money: If you manage your own social media, it’s not a new expense for you. You get all of these advantages by adding 15-30 minutes of additional networking each day. It is worth noting that the more you put in, the better your results; this isn’t a straight 1:1 (time:results) ratio. Think of 15, 30, and 60 minutes as intervals of 1, 2, and 3. The return looks something like this: 1:1, 2:4, 3:9.

Things to note:

Tweets do fall and no one hears them: Out of the three, Twitter posts (“tweets”) certainly have the shortest shelf life, but only in the Timeline. If someone finds themselves on your main Twitter account, they’ll see all of your great content and interactions. Also, because of their short shelf life, it’s important to post more frequently and consistently to Twitter–2-5 times a day is fine.

Patience is required: Unless you already have a strong market presence and great awareness, you’re not going to see immediate results. You need to build your online network through consistent, quality posts and interactions. People will begin to know you and know where to find your business.

I hope this has been sufficient to help you, the small business, realize the impact social media can have on your communication efforts. So what are you waiting for? Go get yourself a piece of the pie… in real life (#IRL).

Will Montague is the community coordinator for The Startup Launcher. The Startup Launcher empowers small business owners to use social media to maximize their businesses’ potential. They offer Denver-based interactive classes and private education sessions, as well as a host of media management services. For more information, visit TheStartupLauncher.com or contact him at will@thestartuplauncher.com.

1. Overcoming fear of posting your opinion: The first rule of thumb is that you cannot please all of the people all of the time. However, people are interested in passionate, real and different information. Once you can embrace this concept, you will find freedom in your voice.

2. I don’t know what to write about: We all receive news & tidbits of new & different information every day. If you are moved, engaged, inspired, outraged….write a blog or find a few articles related to the topic to post to your networks with a short statement reflecting your opinion or observation. This technique is also called a microblogging and is commonly used on all of the social media channels.

3. What if I make a grammatical mistake or a spelling error? People make mistakes all of the time. The best words of advice: just write, spell check, proof and post. If the content is good, few will care about a misspelled word.

The real trick to overcoming PSS is to dive in and get started. Social media is providing a new way to communicate, educate, collaborate and entertain that not only increases the awareness of your business, but establishes your voice in the marketplace. Work from a place of inspiration and excitement and the world of social media will begin to make sense.

·         The line right under your name.

·         Specialties: Add all titles and industries for which you may be considered.

·         Job Titles

·         Interests: Copy and paste what you have under specialties.