Jeff Korhan

3 Facebook Hashtag Marketing Tips

Jeff Korhan — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 02:49:39 +0000

The newly launched Facebook hashtags could prove to be the savior of Graph Search – the recently launched Facebook search feature.

Graph Search does what it promises – returning search results based on the social graphs of your Facebook friends, fans, and followers. This means that you tend to see search results only for those friends and businesses with whom you are already closely aligned.

If you happen to be using Facebook for outreach and marketing, the new hashtag feature will extend your reach dramatically. This will create both risks and rewards, so you will want to choose your hashtags with care.

#1 – Avoid Desperation Marketing

What I am already noticing are Facebook posts that include a rash of hashtags. As expected, the inevitable hashtag spam has just begun. We have not seen this with Twitter hashtags because the 140 character limitation keeps it in check.

One example of Facebook hashtag spam

This is just one more example of desperation marketing. We are already familiar with this in its many forms. These include:

Sensationalized headlines
All caps and excessive use of exclamation points
Controversy and false claims

Now add a truckload of hashtags to that and you have a real mess that is sure to annoy those that you presumably most want to engage and inspire to action.

Smart businesses know that desperation marketing only serves to repel potential buyers.

When you use dozens of hashtags you tell the Facebook search engine that your post has no focus. So, all you are really doing is spamming your friends and fans.

Don’t do it.

#2 – Hashtags Are Keyword Tags – Use Them Well

Given that the effectiveness of Facebook search is marginal at best, hashtags can be quite useful for tracking your content. However, this isn’t going to work if you are using broad keyword phrases – such as #smallbusiness.

A broad keyword tag or hashtag is the same as none at all. As we all know, saying “one size fits all” means it doesn’t fit anyone well.

Use a hashtag that is personal to you, such as your business name. One that I’ve been using lately is #builtinsocial, which happens to be the title of my new book.

When I search for the hashtag #builtinsocial I’m confident the results I receive will for the most part be mine and mine only. That should be your objective.

Think of your hashtag as a link to you, your business, or one of its products or services. To accomplish that, you have to be specific.

Also consider that using broad category hashtags aggregates your content with everyone else that uses it (to the extent that your privacy settings allow), a practice that will likely align you with hashtag spammers.

Is that what you want?

#3 The Best Marketing is Specific

Mass marketing may work well for big consumer brands, but not for your small and probably local business.

If you really want to use hashtags well, use them to create alignment with a highly targeted group. This is why location hashtags will prove to be especially popular for local small businesses.

Think of your hashtags as the language of your desired community. If there are specific words or phrases that speak to your community, those words as hashtags will serve as markers that will rise to the surface in Facebook conversations.

You can also coin your own hashtag keywords and use them to brand your business.

The introduction of hashtags on Facebook, a site that is frequented by many that are not necessarily social media savvy, is sure to bring their use into the mainstream.

So, get ready for what may prove to be a game-changer for Facebook marketing.

Apply these 3 hashtag tips to your Facebook marketing and you are sure to notice favorable results.

Leave a comment below if you have questions or ideas to share.

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Connected Economy Alignment is Value

Jeff Korhan — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:30:05 +0000

In this connected economy, the challenge is not connectivity – but alignment.

If you look for differences you will find them; and if you seek alignment, cooperation, and collaboration, you will find that too. This is why learning to effectively manage your business networks is without question the key to your business success.

Alignment is the result of taking connectivity to the next level. This is often accomplished by partnering or collaborating to progressively achieve mutually beneficial objectives.

Who are these partners?

These are logically team members, friends, and influencers, but could also be what you to be competitors.

Alignment Builds Value

When a company gives freely, it earns the respect of the community, and that creates alignment. When a business is creating and sharing solutions that are relevant to their communities, alignment is naturally achieved.

This is why businesses need to start thinking of being problem solvers, what I like to think of as being in the answers business.

In addition to the content solutions that your business shares online, your products and services are also tangible and desirable solutions.

However, it is vital to first share free content in the form of tips and advice. That is what attracts buyers to what your business is selling. It’s a process of attraction that leads to engagement to build relationships and trust that ultimately lead to profitable outcomes.

The Social Marketing Process ©Jeff Korhan

Business in The Trust Economy

Like it or not, our business environment is being profoundly shaped by the influences of social media, and smart businesses are learning they can prosper if they seek to understand and embrace it.

Many of us are competitive by nature. Yet, when we channel those energies toward increasing value for the communities we serve, we can not only achieve our goals, but help others do the same.

Being a team player is a skill that ranks above technical talents. This is why nearly anyone will choose to to align their business with partners they trust, and therefore enjoy working with.

Communities are the New Markets

Traditional marketing speaks to markets, which are an abstract construct created by businesses that want to sell to buyers.

That’s a model that has become irrelevant in this connected and socially influenced economy. Consumer now have a voice, and every business should be finding new ways to engage customers with your brand.

We all live and work in local communities. So, respecting their dynamics is essential for succeeding in a trust economy.

It has taken me some time to learn this, but the feedback I am consistently receiving these days underscores its value.

This recent quote from Twitter is an example:

Truth be told, that tweet was the inspiration for this post.

So, look no further than the comments of your community friends and followers for what matters most.

Pretty simple, huh?

Every Business is Now a Media Company

Jeff Korhan — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:55:37 +0000

There was a time when every business courted the media.

They (the media) were rightfully considered business partners because they could significantly help any company interested in publicizing an event or similar happening as news.

Today, every business (large or small) is now its own media company - and that is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly.

If your business makes the effort to learn the new forms of media it can build a platform that will become an essential digital asset for connecting with current and future customers.

Consumers are Hungry for News

The preceding was excerpted from Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business, by author Jeff Korhan (that’s me).

Read further for some key points about being a media company that came from a recent podcast interview with Mike Stelzner, CEO of Social Media Examiner, and host of the Social Marketing Podcast.

Better yet, listen to the podcast too, because Mike is an exceptional interviewer. It is sure to inspire you with the possibilities that small businesses now have with respect to their media marketing.

Your Business is the News

Your business IS the news – think about that.

Traditional media such as newspapers cannot publish the news without the help of people and businesses that are “making the news.” You make it and they publish it. Got that?

So, if your business is the news, then whom better than you to tell that story, especially now that you have abundant resources for doing so, with most of them being completely free?

Broadcasting the news was a practice for which one formally had to be trained. You also required access to the necessary equipment, studios, and supporting personnel.

Today media is easy to use, and the investment is negligible. Plus, the format is very forgiving – now mistakes are even welcome because they humanize the news, making it even more interesting.

Nevertheless, please do get the necessary training and advice from sources like this blog, SocialMediaExaminer.com, ChrisBrogan.com, MariSmith.com, RazorSocial.com, and Grovo.com, to name a few.

The Best News is Specific and Relevant

Nobody knows your business and its customers better than you do. Therefore, you can personalize your news to make it highly relevant and relatable.

This is the magic behind the success of most blogs:

When you use media to amplify and extend your expertise, then you become a true media company.

How to Build Your Platform

Mike Stelzner started Social Media Examiner using his expertise in the white paper business, which is a form of educational content commonly used by larger enterprises. He translated that expertise to helping small businesses with their social media marketing, and developed a digital platform is arguably priceless.

Yes, priceless. How can a price on a digital asset whose value is potentially limitless.

You can do the same in your niche.

Read more about how Mike accomplished his achievement by picking up a copy of Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition.

Signing copies of Built-In Social at 2013 Book Expo America

Last week while doing a book signing at Book Expo America I had the opportunity to take some time to learn more about small businesses and what their social media challenges are. The most common topic of conversation was how can you build a platform to reach customers.

The answer is simple: Take the risk of focusing on your customers and provide answers to their top problems or desires.

What are the concerns or opportunities on the minds of your customers? That should be the focus of your media programming.

Where businesses fail with media is focusing on what they do. Instead, concentrate on what your business can do to help those that it can best serve.

In other words, use this new media to build your tribe.

That tribe is your audience. Use your media to care for them, and together you’ll make some great news with mutual benefits!

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5 Tips for Using LinkedIn Contacts

Jeff Korhan — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:37:34 +0000

LinkedIn is in the process of rolling out LinkedIn Contacts. In addition to several new features that are giving it a new look and feel – if offers enhanced functionality for better managing your relationships and social engagement.

There is no question that all of the major social networks want you to use their service as your social dashboard. However, many social networkers prefer to use an independent tool such as Hootsuite to effectively manage their social networks and build relationships.

One of the challenges is there is a disconnect between public social networking and private means of communication that often lead to sales conversion – namely email. This is where services such as Nimble are leading the way, by bringing social and email into one dashboard, and one reason why I especially like LinkedIn Contacts.

What gets even more interesting is that concurrent with LinkedIn’s rollout of LinkedIn Contacts, Nimble has launched Nimble 3.0, and there are some interesting contrasts and similarities. (More on Nimble in a future article).

For now, here’s how to get the most out of LinkedIn Contacts.

#1 – Import Your Contacts

You have always been able to import your contacts from other sources into LinkedIn. However, now with LinkedIn Contacts there are multiple options for doing this – while also tracking where the source of those contacts. To get started, just go to contacts in your LinkedIn profile, and then settings.

Some of the possible sources for importing contacts into LinkedIn

What is especially useful is the refresh button. So, let’s say you imported your friends from Facebook a month ago, just hit the refresh button to bring in the new ones.

Incidentally, while Facebook does not let you export the email addresses of your friends, there is a workaround using Yahoo Contacts to import your Facebook contacts into LinkedIn. Since Facebook is not prone to sharing, I suggest doing this now to avoid the risk that this capability will be blocked in the future.

Know that you won’t get all of them, because not everyone has an email address publicly linked to their Facebook profile.

#2 – Set Reminders to Connect

It’s easy to make that first connection, but anybody that has ever attended a live networking event knows that often nothing happens after that. In the old days, business cards got pushed into a drawer. Today, connections are made and forgotten days later.

So, a great solution is to use LinkedIn Contacts to set a reminder to follow-up with your connections a few weeks or so later. At the very least, your new connection will be impressed with your organization, and if you can also share some useful information, better yet.

LinkedIn reminders, tags, notes, and conversation history

#3 – Merge Duplicate Contacts

Many people unknowingly or not set up multiple profiles on LinkedIn. As a result, you may find yourself connecting with their abandoned profile because they did not delete it.

Now LinkedIn pulls up what they believe to be all duplicate profiles so that you can merge them. You simply unclick those on the list where the same name is actually two different people. Then just click merge and just like that – you have cleaned up your database

#4 – Tag Your Connections

It appears that LinkedIn automatically assigns a tag such as colleague or friend based upon the respective social graphs or source of the contacts. Regardless, you should be making the effort to accurately tag your connections

This is the true power of a CRM – using tags to create micro-communities. If you do not have a means for targeting your message for a specific community, then you run the risk of having it reduced to spam.

When that happens, your ability to connect with future opportunties is compromised, because you have lost the trust that you may have otherwise earned.

#5 – Note Relevant Information

I have always wondered about the privacy of the notes feature in LinkedIn, and have now confirmed that profile notes are private to you.

So, when you make a connection, jot down important notes for later use – including how your met and any opportunities that may have been discussed. It’s easy to forget, so take the time now, so that when that follow-up reminder pings you later you’ll recall important information.

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman likes to say, “It’s better to be the best connected than the most connected.”

Now LinkedIn is not only giving you the tools to do so, but making them seamless and easy to use for getting more from this platform.

In addition to that, LinkedIn plays well with others. So, while Google and Facebook continue to slug it out on their respective properties, it’s nice to know you can count on LinkedIn as a friendly and neutral partner.

If you are still looking for more from LinkedIn, consider setting up your LinkedIn Business Page.

How about you? How are you using LinkedIn to grow your business?

Social Marketing is Relationship Selling

Jeff Korhan — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:16:21 +0000

The Social Marketing Process ©Jeff Korhan

Mainstream small business will more reliably get better results from social media if they view it more as selling than marketing. Why?

Because effective relationship selling is personal, and now marketing is too. As social influences continue to profoundly affect business, just about every business activity is going to require relationship building skills.

Traditional marketing or advertising was something you did – to your communities. Whereas, social marketing in our digital environment is something we do – with our communities. That feels a lot like selling to me.

So, an important question is what aspects of your selling process reliably bring in new business? Then consider how you can make that more personal, and as a result, more relevant to today’s buyer.

Adapt to Today’s Buyer

The common expression, “What got you here won’t get you there” – is mostly untrue.

The truth is: It will. All you have to do is know your strengths and learn to ensure their relevancy for the inevitable changes in the business environment.

When I was launching my residential landscape business in the late 80′s I used a practice to educate my communities. That practice – known today as content marketing - was my primary means for generating leads (with referrals from happy customers being the other source of new business).

My only challenge in adapting what worked well was translating from a print to this digital platform where my future customers are likely to be found.

So, how did your business build relationships with new buyers? Give that some thought, because your growth practices are still valid, especially if you figure out how to adapt them to the new habits of your buyers.

For example, if your business growth is the result of efficient production methods that speak for themselves, then that is a vital selling factor that you should continue to use. Now you can easily amplify that using videos to reach buyers where they are – which today is usually online.

A Valid Process is Your Guidance System

Your sales process is more than a series of steps. It is a guidance system that makes everyone aware of what should be happening, and how to get it back on track if it isn’t.

Whether they acknowledge it or not, most people admire what is reliable. This is why having having a valid process that keeps your you and your sales team focused on the right variables is something that gives your buyers confidence in working with your company.

Learn to use your sales process to differentiate your business. The majority of companies are busy selling their products and services. As a result, it all sounds the same to the buyer, because they are all focused on what they do – products and services.

Whereas, the business that focuses on how they do it better is the one that will earn the attention of today’s buyer. And that is accomplished by first selling your process – then your products.

Isn’t this what Zappos does? They are selling the same shoes as every other merchant, but the process for acquiring those shoes is what made their business the market leader.

It’s all about considering how buyers would buy if they could – and then giving them that process.

The bottom line is a valid process builds trust, and that makes it essential for your social marketing AND relationship selling.

Want to learn more about refining your sales process and using it to differentiate your business? It’s covered in detail in Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business.

When you learn to build a process for your social marketing that is based on basic relationship selling practices, you will never look back – because you will be forever focused on the two things that matter most:

Your business strengths
How your customers ideally want to buy

What are your thoughts? Please share them in a comment.

If I Were Starting Social Media from Zero

Jeff Korhan — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:30:42 +0000

A couple of months ago without notice, all of the social media sharing counters on my primary website had reverted to zero. Just like that, thousands of shares that had accumulated over a period of nearly seven years had vanished.

Why is this significant?

Social sharing is what is known as “social proof.” It’s evidence that your site is active and worthy of the attention of new buyers that happen to be passing through.

Not knowing if this action was recoverable, I settled into the realization that I may have to simply move on and start fresh. While the problem was resolved, the incident got me thinking about what I would do if my entire online presence vanished – what then?

So, here is that plan.

It has lessons for businesses that are new to social media, as well as for the rest of us that can (and should) do more of what needs to be done to ensure the online relevance of our businesses in a digital world that is now driven by the customer.

#1 – Build Digital Content Marketing Assets

Your most valuable digital assets are your primary website, blog, and email newsletter.

These are the only true digital assets with which you have complete ownership and control. This means they are your lifelines – your ability to reach out to communities to accomplish whatever is necessary for your business – even if the entire social media universe goes to zero.

If you build these assets well, you will earn the trust and loyalty of your communities. This gives you the opportunity, among other things, to both fix problems and earn new business.

So, if you are missing even one piece of this three-legged stool that supports your business marketing, you should be taking the necessary steps to balance your approach.

#2 – Secure Your Marketing Assets

In addition to backing up your website, blog, and email list, you should be doing the same with all of your social networks.

While personal data is seldom compromised, the possibility always exists that any site on the web can be hacked.

This is why, in addition to backing-up my MacBook Pro daily to the cloud using Dropbox, I also backup with Time Machine to a hard drive.

Having at least two lines of defense is vital – because I know many businesses that had only one lifeline and it failed when they needed it most.

So, backup everything. In addition to your digital assets, you can easily download your LinkedIn connections to both your hard drive and Google Contacts – just scroll down to the bottom of “connections.” Also, you can easily save your Facebook friends and their contact information to Yahoo Contacts.

#3 – Organize Networks by Micro-Communities

Business will continue to be more personal. So, it is important to respect the culture and practices of every community, something that is not possible when you have thousands of connections, fans, or followers.

You can use Interest Lists on Facebook, Tags on LinkedIn, circles on Google+, and lists on Twitter.

If you are a local business, pay special attention to the local community group that Facebook sets up for you. First, if you do not use it very often it will “disappear.” Just click on the “more” button on the left sidebar of your newsfeed to get to it.

Also, you can adjust your local community settings to enlarge “local” from the default of a 10-mile radius, all the way up to 350 miles if your service area extends that far. Just click on the “Manage List” setting in the upper right.

#4 – Think of Your Business as a Media Company

Every business today is a media company that manages a business channel that collectively includes all of the aforementioned digital marketing assets and social networks, plus probably many others.

Your social marketing should not be random. Sure, in the early days we all went fishing on Twitter to see if we could catch a few new business opportunities, but those days are long gone.

As search capabilities become more personal, specific, and accurate, the businesses that are strategically aligned with the communities they serve will easily outdistance those that are taking a shotgun approach.

The stakes are going up.

Your business not only needs a solid social marketing offense, but also a well-planned defense to protect your hard work and ensure your business future.

#5 – Pick a Lane and Own It

Every major accomplishment in your life has been the result of doing one thing consistently well.

Consistency is not only a hallmark of professionals, it is a practice that will make your business memorable for the customers you serve.

Apply this to your small business marketing.

#1 – Choose one activity that will impact your business success.

#2 – Commit to consistently doing it well.

Consistent actions create expectations that attract buyers to your business. Doing this with your social media marketing engages them at an emotional level – and that is memorable.

Where would you be and what would you do if all of your social media went to zero?

Share your thoughts.

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Social Media is Still Uncharted Waters

Jeff Korhan — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:52:35 +0000

When you are embarking on a journey whose destination is uncertain, you have to get comfortable with uncertainty.

When it comes to social media, uncertainty has been, and for the foreseeable future, will necessarily be part of its use in your marketing equation.

These are uncharted waters. Everyone is still learning.

So, small businesses simply need to first get their feet wet, after which they will find their way if they follow a proven process, such as the one outlined in Built-In Social.

What I’m Hearing

Now that social media hype is beginning to fizzle, the truth is coming out from many social media agencies and practitioners – this is just getting started.

So, if you are still challenged with getting results from your social media marketing, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.

What is interesting is the practice of content marketing is beginning to go mainstream.

While they may not necessarily use the term content marketing, even regular small businesses are becoming aware that social media is fairly useless without well-planned content marketing driving it.

Of course, content marketing has been around a long time in the form of advertorials and the like, it has just taken awhile for it to be linked to effective social marketing.

The challenge, of course, is actually doing the work to put it into practice.

What Is The One Thing to Do?

Last week I worked with a small business – a very small one at that. However, the owner possesses both the technical and creative skills to make this work, he has simply not yet put rubber to the road.

So, his obvious question was what is the one thing he should be doing now.

Every business is unique, so it requires some study to determine if a blog, email newsletter, or a specific social network would be the best place to initially focus. Yes, I consider all of these to be “social media” because being digital, they all have the ability to integrate with social media (and each other) in some way.

More important than the channel, is the practice:

1. Create relevant content to be attractive

Experienced businesses, and even those with just a few years of experience, know what their customers want. It’s really a matter of learning what the pain points are and solving those problems.

Content that solves problems will always be attractive, which means your business has to get into the answers business to do the same.

2. Use consistency to establish expectations

When it comes to marketing, and really anything else in business, those doing one or two things well lead their industries, or at least they do in their local communities.

3. Learn better practices and trends

In addition to studying the better practices in your industry, you should be learning how to adapt to what is working in others.

Trends often surface first in other industries, and you will look like a genius by simply being the first to adapt it to yours. This is especially true when it comes to social media.

When the waters are uncharted and the future is uncertain, it is a risky strategy to be the first or the best, because you just don’t know what is around the corner that will bring it all down.

Instead, take a disciplined approach to establish your course to build relationships and earn the trust of your customers. If you do that, the uncertainties you may encounter are easily managed.

How about you? How are you positioning your business for the uncertain future of social media marketing?

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Why The Best Products are Souvenirs

Jeff Korhan — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 03:10:32 +0000

Marketing expert Seth Godin has more than once noted that a book is souvenir – a vessel for ideas that allows them to be readily used and shared.

I believe we can further expand on that idea.

Have you ever considered that the products and services your small business creates are souvenirs too?

What Exactly is a Souvenir?

We often think of souvenirs as relatively low-value items that are purchased or received for free as a memento of an experience with a place, occasion, business, or organization.

However, the original and primary definition of souvenir is to remember or come to mind.

Doesn’t every business aspire to be memorable?

Isn’t this purpose of your marketing, sales, and customer service? And most significantly: aren’t the best products and experiences more memorable than their counterparts.

Like books, you want your products and services to be used and shared, as that sharing is what leads to viral marketing. This is what makes them social objects - and that creates profitable outcomes in this business environment in which consumers have a voice.

The value of a souvenir is meaningless – it could be large or small. The only reason the word is associated with inexpensive items is because that is how it has been typically used.

As the definition suggests, you can apply it to your business to make it more relevant and memorable, especially in this connected economy.

Why Do Souvenirs Work?

Souvenirs ideally reinforce emotional connections. When it comes to business, logic builds value and creates alignment with buyers; but it is nearly always emotion that results in the necessary trust that delivers a sale.

When a sale is consummated, the product is the souvenir – a reminder of exchanged or shared value with your business. Is that souvenir strong enough to stand on its own, or should your business have a follow-up process in place to further enhance its value?

Think about that.

Fans Buy Souvenirs

Sports fans spend a great deal of money on memorabilia to enjoy a stronger connection to a player or a team – and that’s also why some of your customers regularly buy from you.

Sport teams represent a community. The fans are the people associated with it (or want to be). That real or implied affiliation is powerful.

How can you create a similar feeling of community with your tribe – the buyers and influencers that support your business?

Of course, you know that you have all of these social media channels to make that happen. Your blog, Facebook page, newsletter, or Google+ community are all ideal for building community.

Successful marketing today is not something you do to buyers – but with them. It’s a collaboration, one that encourages inclusivity, even intimacy.

Are you ready to get friendlier with your community of fans that share your good works as they would a souvenir?

Hold that thought as you reconsider your social marketing.

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Small Business Social Media Accountability

Jeff Korhan — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:03:47 +0000

Recent tragic events here in the United States (and around the world) have heightened awareness of the global reach of media, especially social media, and the consequences for businesses using it.

Small business advertising has historically been local, making it easy to craft messaging that is appropriate for the targeted audience. However, now any piece of digital content has the capability of reaching audiences far removed from those for which it is intended.

This creates new responsibilities that many businesses are only just beginning to fully comprehend.

Your small business may be local, but your words spread far and wide, and that has consequences that can dramatically affect its reputation.

It is prudent for every business to recognize that they are a media company, and with that comes responsibilities for which is must be accountable.

Have a Larger Perspective

Many businesses autopublish information on their social media channels. This practice is useful for convenience, provided the content is monitored. Unfortunately, many influencers and businesses were swept into a controversy in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy, largely because what they were publishing had gone unchecked.

This is precisely why delegating the social media function to a low-level employee is not a good idea. When this is done the risk of making making poor decisions rises significantly.

To be sure, this may also hold true for media agencies that are inexperienced, or do not know your business well. And let’s face it, nobody knows your business like you do.

The solution is to weigh what is published against the values and beliefs of the organization.

Naturally, this larger perspective has to come from leadership, and it has to be clearly articulated in a manifesto or core values that everyone then adheres to.

Choose a Professional Approach

Zappos is an example of a company that manages their social media well; and this is accomplished by simply linking its employees’ social media sharing to its ten core values, which are focused on achieving world-class customer service.

When a business is intensely focused on the customer, it’s messaging necessarily becomes more professional. It’s when businesses seek to draw attention to themselves that the message can be interpreted to be self-serving, insensitive, or shallow.

Vital elements of the media message to carefully consider are these:

Language – We are judged by our words. Using profanity or slang rarely postions a company as edgy or cutting edge; it is likely to be viewed as amateurish at best, and more likely unprofessional.

Timing - Choosing your timing well respects your audience. This includes both the hour and day of the week. Nobody wants to receive a business message on a weekend, with the exception of a light wrap-up of the week.

Content – Content is king, so design it for royalty – your customers. It’s quality reflects your personal and business brand.

Stories – Stories should entertain, educate, and inspire. They should deliver value and never make people feel uncomfortable. Stories about exceptional customer experiences are nearly always be appreciated.

Personal or Impersonal – Being too personal or too impersonal is not advisable when working with clients and customers, and so it is with your social media. Just be social.

Accuracy – Do your fact checking and avoid racing to report news that you have not verified as accurate.

Be a Responsible Publisher

Have guidelines that you live by. Minimize automation as much as possible, and always bring the wisdom of experience to bear on your social media marketing.

Responsible online publishing is now essential.

Learn to hold your business accountable for its social media, because its extended communities already are doing so.

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Social Media for Small Business – It’s Still Early Days

Jeff Korhan — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 02:19:58 +0000

The art of marketing has always been about making meaningful connections with ideal buyers.

Modern marketing is a practice that is new to most small businesses. Prior to that small businesses made meaningful connections through selling, not marketing.

One of the reasons for this is that most of the media available in recent decades, including magazines, radio, and television advertising, were far too costly for the average small business.

The Early Days of Modern Marketing

In the early days of marketing, impressions were a common metric that media agencies measured. The idea was the more times an ad was served to a target audience, the more likely it would stimulate buying behavior.

That’s not a problem anymore. In fact, these days the practice of focusing on impressions is considered spamming.

Every business has the capability to use technology to achieve countless impressions, and that is possible with even the smallest budget. As a result, we have gone full circle.

Now we are right back to where we started - seeking to use social media marketing to make meaningful connections with our ideal buyers. This requires practice, training, skill, and a bit of good fortune does not hurt either.

Digital marketing requires a strategic approach and committed focus. In the earlier days, most small businesses used the same forms of marketing — advertising in local newspapers and telephone books (Yellow Page advertising).

Today, mainstream small businesses have moved their focus to Facebook.

Is that the best approach for your business? It may well be, but the truth is achieving results with Facebook is challenging, because the changes are ongoing and many.

Whereas, by comparison, Twitter largely works today as it did in its early days. One could argue the same is true for LinkedIn and more recently, Google+.

These Are Early Days for Small Business

It’s true that the good old days of Twitter were five or six years ago. I was there, and I can say that getting in early was a lot of fun. It enabled me to learn by rubbing shoulders with leaders such as Chris Brogan, John Jantsch, and Mari Smith.

There are really two early days here: this thing that we once referred to as new media, and its use by respective business communities. New media is no longer new, but its use by many small businesses is.

I was delighted to hear my friend Michael Stelzner comment in a recent television interview that we are indeed in the early days of social media. That has certainly been my experience from speaking to small business groups in multiple industries, including retail, franchising, agriculture, construction, and hospitality.

It was that experience that led to my authoring Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business. Today I’m celebrating its official release – and that is exciting, because I’m proud of the result.

The challenges and opportunities for small businesses are much the same from one industry to the next. Blogging and content marketing are still practiced by just a few. Although, nearly everyone is waking up to the fact that it is a practice that effectively attracts leads that drive their social media engagement.

What’s Next for You and Me?

Those of us that have been doing this for a while have learned two things:

a. What works for you may not work for my business, but I can still learn from your practices.

b. You have to make this a practice, expect to make mistakes, and then find a business model that works.

What I find fascinating is how social media amplifies our strengths, weaknesses, and personal qualities and capabilities.

For example, I could never match the personal magnetism of Mari Smith, the productivity of John Jantsch, the community focus of Chris Brogan, or the business-mindedness of Michael Stelzner – but I can learn from them.

And so can you.

Early days means you have plenty of time to find your way. What are your unique qualities that will best help your communities? That’s what’s next for you – and me.

Find it.

Show up - and show us who you are. You’ll probably surprise yourself, and make a significant contribution as a result.

Are you ready?