10 Reasons You Should Not Be On Social Media

I have been researching, reading, and listening for awhile now to the small business world in regards to social media and blogging. There are plenty of business owners and professionals in the world who accept social media as a new form of communications… and plenty who do not.

I decided to write a small guide for business owners to gauge whether or not they should be in social media.

10 Reasons You Should Not Be on Social Media As a Business

1. You would rather not change your business model of communication. You are content with direct mail and email marketing. You are right, they will be around in 5 years.

2. The only computer you have in your office is the black and green screen MAC.

3. You purchased a dial-up modem to “save money.”

4. You are still struggling with the reply and forward functions in e-mail.

5.  You are convinced that the only people using social media are college kids and pot smokers.

6.  You feel that the newspaper is still a valuable form of advertising.

7. You designed your logo in powerpoint or publisher and all brochures were designed in the same programs.

8. When asked about time commitment you whine about an extra 30 mins a day to grow your business.

9.  Your website was designed pre-2005 and has not been updated.

10. You find that building “trust” in a marketplace is a waste of time.

If you fit any of the following criteria… do me a favor and stay off social media.

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Multnomah County is Kicking Your Butt in Social Media

We are finally getting to the point where government entities are starting to enact social media initiatives. This from Frank Mungeam, staff writer of Kgw in Portland:

“Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler is taking criticism for a new county job that’s just been posted.

The official title is Social Media Coordinator.

The qualified candidate will be paid between $60,000-$70,000 to use social media sites to reach out to the residents of Multnomah County.”

In my opinion this is a brilliant move on behalf of the county. They want to start communicating on a different level with people throughout the county and social media is one way to do this.

There are people in the area that are doubting the validity of the position which is not a complete surprise to me… although disturbing. The members of Mult. County are disturbed with the price tag of the position ($60,000 – $70,000/year). While this is a high price to pay for a social media advocate but sometimes the price is high to adapt to changes in communication.

If you want an example of the best way to look at shifting your paradigm as a business owner.. listen to this:

“I am taking a lot of heat for this, but so did the poor guys who claimed that someday those crazy flying machines would replace the railroads. – Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler”

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Social Media Lab Developed to Help Interns and Biz

Thanks to my partner in crime at Brandswag, Brandon Coon, for sending me this article on a Social Media Lab in Oklahoma.

There is a company in Tulsa, OK that is taking the concept of marketing and education in social media and magnifying it by 1000%. Cubic , a creative marketing and advertising company, has developed a Social Media Lab that is dedicated to teaching young professionals and business owners the front and back of technology and social media.

Check out the article and read the background behind the idea from Cubic.

I like the idea of the Social Media Lab because we need (as a culture) to start helping the masses understand the concepts of social media technology and the Internet. It is important for the learning curve to start collapsing from all sides. I am glad that tech and new media companies are taking this upon their shoulders.

From SMASH to the Social Media Lab, education is going to be the leading focus of many social media and new media marketing firms in the near future.

What do you think about the Social Media Lab? Do you think it will work?

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Next Time. Punch Fear in the Face.

What is it about fear that immobilizes an individual or an organization? The fear of failure… The fear of not understanding how to use a specific tool.. The fear of being left behind.

The problem with fear is that it paralyzes and damages the great things your company or organization can do in the future. At Brandswag we come across many individuals, companies and organizations that are simply afraid of jumping into the world of “the social web.”

It could be the fear of open conversation. It could be the fear of not knowing what to do. What is driving your company? What is the driving factor for not changing? What is keeping you from not adapting to the changing world of communication?

The simple fact…

You cannot let fear rule the way you run your business. The world is changing. People are controlling conversations, brands, and causes. Your brand is built by people. Why not use the tool most associated with communication?

You may not want to change for a variety of reasons… but you don’t really have the choice. Remember the term Evolve or Die. It applies here.

Here is what I want you to do… Next time you are sitting down and reviewing methods and procedures for the marketing of your product or service and that fear starts to rise in the back of your mind… you have two choices…

Ignore it or Embrace it.

Which one do you think is going to revolutionize your company or organization in the years to come?

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Is Blogging for Search ruining Innovative Thought?

Let me preface this post by saying… I don’t know the answer… and if you are a social media professional or consultant.. you are at fault.

I have been debating with myself lately (you should try it) about the concept of blogging for search and how it could be affecting the . From a marketing standpoint it is brilliant to use a blog for search. I will be the first to say that my company, Brandswag, uses our corporate blog for organic search. The blog you are reading now is used for some organic search goals, as well as my own personal branding in the city of Indianapolis.

What am I struggling with?

If you are constantly focused on keyword rich writing and blogging for search is that taking away from building knowledge and innovation in your industry? Is it taking away from you actually writing your thoughts.. feelings.. and ideas?

Sometimes I get stuck.

We blog for many reasons. Maybe you want to learn and co-create interesting articles and discussions. Maybe you want to build your company brand in order to drive more revenue. Maybe… you just want to talk to other people with the same interest.

Blogging and the world of social media has created a spinning mass of information that is being consumed by hundreds of millions of people on a daily basis. Are we missing out on writing from the heart and helping industries/people become better?

Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know the answer.

If you are focusing so intently on the right keywords and such doesn’t that take you away from being truly innovative and thought provoking in your writing?

Maybe we are all at fault.

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Facebook Just Got Twittered: The Twitter Rush

I feel like I am in the gold rush. We are all part of this massive push to join the online minions of the Twitter world.

I just finished reading a post by Sarah Perez from ReadWriteWeb about Nielsen Online reporting Twitter “has now surpassed Facebook and others to become the fastest-growing site in Member Communities.” I wasn’t really expecting this type of growth out of Twitter. And there is a reason for that…

It is hard to describe the concept or meaning behind the Twitter revolution. Facebook is easy to describe and (sometimes) use but Twitter?? No way.

In a way the growth of Twitter is encouraging to the Social Media enthusiast in all of us. The world of social media tools and marketing is no longer for the computer nerds stuck in their mothers basement. This world of two-way communication and online relationship building is starting to gain traction from small businesses to corporate America.

You may be asking…What do we do with this information?

To all the non-Twitter Users:

You use the stat of an increase of 1382% of unique visitors year over year (2008-2009) and beat yourself over the head until you at least TRY the tool. It is important to understand all communication tools available.

To the Twitter Users:

Congratulations. We now have a used tool.. now let’s figure out how it can be useful.

Small Businesses Can Compete without Borders

I was reading a post over at David Castor’s Business & Culture blog where he was discussing the Long Tail by Chris Anderson. Many of us (small business owners) understand the concept of the Long Tail. It has helped us grow in the early years of running a company. It is now easier than ever to enter into the LT strategy by using the Internet as a marketing medium.

I had another thought while reading David’s post:

It is now more important than ever to realize that competition stretches beyond borders in the “new economy.”

Small businesses across the nation (and the globe) are slowly starting to compete on an International scale. Whether you like it or not, the Internet has created a global market that is becoming faster and stronger than ever. Marketing plans have change. SWOT analysis have grown longer and more intense.

Why is it important to learn how to use the Internet as a marketing tool? There are plenty of reasons. The global economy should be pushing YOU to use the tools to cross borders and gain clientele that you wouldn’t have dreamed of 5-10 years ago.

You can be a lawyer or a accountant and begin gaining clients from all over a specific geographic region (the mid-west). If it is part of your goal structure of your company it is even possible to go GLOBAL.

Think about it…the world is open.

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35 Lbs of Food to End Hunger

There is a great site that was just launched yesterday by Indianapolis creative firm Mediasauce. The site is called Pledge to End Hunger and it was created to help feed needy families and children across this great nation of ours.

I am a huge fan when companies take the initiative and try to make our world a better place. The site is extremely well designed and as of this morning they have a total of:

761 Pledges

266,351 lbs of food

106,540 meals

On the site there is a way for the user to either GIVE, VOLUNTEER, or SHARE. To be completely honest with you… I just get excited when people take it upon themselves to help others. This is a great way to get a ton of people onto a cause and the site is well designed too! I am looking forward to seeing what comes of this entire campaign.

Also, if you are looking for a good way to take your website from 1.0 to 2.0… Go check out the Pledge to End Hunger site.

We Are All Recognized. Be Remembered.

I kind of fell off the Social Media Commandment horse (or mule) the past few weeks (happy Monday by the way). Now is the time to get back to where we left off. Some of you may remember the last few commandments but for those of us who can’t remember past yesterday morning… here is the list so far.

1. From Consumers to People

2. From Product to Experience

3. From Honesty to Trust

4. From Quality to Preference

5. From Notoriety to Aspiration

The commandments are based off of Marc Gobe’s commandments for emotional branding from the book Emotional Branding which he published in 2001.

Now that we have that out of the way… time for the sixth commandment:

From Identity to Personality

“Identity is recognition. Personality is about character and charisma!” – Marc Gobe

There are plenty of ways you can start to relate this sixth commandment to social media. There is a huge aspect of social media catered to the ego of an individual… that is where recognition plays a huge role. It is fun for users to gain 2000 to 4000 new followers. It is awesome when Chris Brogan or Robert Scoble mentions your name in a post or through a feed. The reality of all of this is that it doesn’t matter. You may gain a few new followers because of the endorsement but relationships still have not been forged.

You are unique. The personality that you were gifted with needs to shine through when using social media tools. We are all an “identity” when first introduced to another on social media. We are all just another small 100 x 100 pixel face on Twitter until we create an emotional response… until we share some insight and join in the discussion.

Only then can we move from an identity to a personality..

and be remembered.

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The 10 Commandments to Understanding Social Media

I am obsessed with a book by Marc Gobe called Emotional Branding. It was written in early 2002 and is (in my opinion) a staple to understanding the concepts of emotional branding and marketing. He has a section in the introduction of the book (pg. xxviii) called The Ten Commandments of Emotional Branding. I was reading through the ten steps and realized they fit perfectly with understanding the model of social media and how to use it to better communicate with your clients and potential clients.

The Ten Commandments to Understanding Social Media

1. From Consumers to People.

2. From Product to Experience.

3. From Honesty to Trust

4. From Quality to Preference

5. From Notoriety to Aspiration

6. From Identity to Personality

7. From Function to Feel

8. From Ubiquity to Presence

9. From Communication to Dialogue

10. From Service to Relationship.

We are going to focus on each one of the ten commandments in the next couple of days. The concepts outlined in the book by Gobe were not dedicated to social media but they are essential to understanding how to use the tool. They are based completely behind the idea of understanding the emotional relevance of the communication tool called the Internet. Joel Desgrippes of BrandImage says it best:

“Branding is not only about ubiquity, visibility, and functions; it is about bonding emotionally with people in their daily life. Only when a product or a service kindles an emotional dialogue with the consumer, can this product of service qualify to be a brand.”

First on the docket: Consumers to People. I can’t wait. Stay tuned.

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