If there is one topic that is guaranteed to unite the whole nation, if not the whole world, at the moment is the dislike of those darn vuvuzelas at the World Cup Matches.  My OH, like so many other football fans, is watching the matches on mute as he can’t stand the sound of those droning horns.

So why is it that so many small business owners adopt this same approach to their social media?

The vuvuzela social media strategy comes in a couple of forms.

1. Broadcast mode – visit someone’s twitter stream and all you see is automatic RSS updates.  Great if you are a publishing or news business, such as http://twitter.com/mashsocialmedia who have thousands of followers who follow because they want to receive the latest article posts.  But for most small business owners who adopt this approach, automatic broadcasting creates noise.  There is no engagement & although people may still “follow” you, they don’t really “listen” – you go on mute!
2. Multiple postings – Yes, I know it’s easy to automate your updates so that the same update can be posted on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace and any other social networking profile you have.  But just because it’s easy, doesn’t mean it works.  LinkedIn is used very differently to Twitter, so 20 daily tweets on Twitter is perfectly acceptable whereas 20 status updates on LinkedIn is noisy and clutters up your newsfeed.  People may still stay connected with you but they will hide your updates in their news feed – you go on mute!

The vuvuzela social media strategy is easy to set up but use it at your peril.  I love using automotive tools in business and simple set-ups such as adding your blog feed in to your social networking updates so that your new blog posts get automatically fed out is essential.  You just wouldn’t have time to post your blog post each and every day on all your profiles.

But go on automatic pilot for everything, all of the time and you will end up just like a World Cup football match:  followed but put on mute.

As you may have realised, the UK is in the middle of an election.  I know, I know! You don’t need reminding, but I did want to put this situation in to context.

We had a knock on the door the other day and it was my neighbour canvassing for our local Conservative MP.  We had a quick chat and we shared a few of our thoughts on the Live Leaders Debate programme.

And then she said something really interesting.

“You would have thought with all this internet technology, I wouldn’t have to do all this door knocking.  It would be so much easier to do this canvassing through an online form.”

Now this lady was in her 60’s so not your typical web-tech geek (unlike me!!) so suggesting that the canvassing she was doing was easier online was a surprise to me.

Yes, it may be easier to send out emails asking people to go to a website where they could register their support.  And yes, it is probably a great way of adding to marketing campaign of a MP (or any other product or service).  But to suggest the face-to-face door knocking is replaced would be a poor change in marketing strategy.

Using email and website can be easier.  And it can certainly be cheaper than printing, postage and spending time getting out and about.  Helping small business owners use web-tech tools effectively in their business is something I do all the time.

But many small business owners go online as a replacement rather than an addition to a marketing strategy.  They replace the face-to-face networking with Facebook and Twitter.  They stop picking up the phone and send more emails instead.

The ease of the internet does indeed increase your opportunities and help raise your brand awareness.  But before you take the easy way, just make sure it is the most effective way.  Because, much as I love the web, nothing beats a bit of face-to-face when winning votes – and business!

Last week I got an email from someone who saw me speak on the subject of using Twitter for small businesses.  It was titled “Help Please – slightly ranty and desperate”.

Having been a Twitter for some months, this small business owner was feeling like a child coming home and saying “no-one wants to play with me”.  She was frustrated that she didn’t seem to be able to attract new followers, nor be able to get her own tweets retweeted.

This is what I emailed back:

Sounds like you need to stop focusing on the numbers and start focusing on the results that you are looking to achieve on Twitter.  Twitter is never going to be successful as a business tool if you are only trying to increase your follower numbers and increase the number of Retweets you get.

Step away and take time to sort out a strategy for Twitter.  What are you trying to achieve, who do you want to be connecting with and what impact is Twitter going to have on your business?

If it feels like no-one wants to play with you, it is probably because you are hiding in the corner. Most children ignore children who do that, don’t they?  Get out there, introduce yourself, have conversations – join in with the party and people will want to play with you.

The following day, I got tweet back from this small business owner.  It simply said:

“I was missing out the “social” bit of social networking, you are such a clever girl!”

That’s exactly right!  The all important word is social.

If you feel you are being ignored, then don’t wait to be asked to play.  Start your own games and join in with the party.

Twitter isn’t right for everyone.  I know – shock horror!! But it’s true.

There has been so much hype about Twitter over the past year that it can be easy to get sucked in to and feel that everyone is on Twitter already and you should be doing it too.

I was speaking at the 1230 AOB conference yesterday in Bromley to a group of ladies about Twitter.  In the morning Claire Young from The Apprentice gave a very interesting talk about her career and the journey that made her a TV star.  It was great that she referred to Twitter – but I had to cringe as she stood there in front of the audience to tell everyone that Twitter was to become THE most important marketing tool within the next 2 years and as she made £10,000 of business from it in the last 2 months, everyone should be tweeting too.

These are dangerous words and I worry that for every hype story like this, there are a dozen or more so being banded around.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Twitter. As many of you who read my blog may know, I use Twitter in my own business and help many clients integrate it in to their marketing and business plans too.

But to be telling everyone that they should be on Twitter is not something I recommend, and especially to an audience of self-employed professionals and small business owners.  And these are reasons why.

Don’t use Twitter if:
 
1. You are a Magpie. A magpie is notorious for swooping down and collecting sparkly, shining objects and taking them back to their nests.  And many business owners act like magpies too.  They see a new sparkly toy (Twitter!), swoop in and spend the next few days and weeks playing around with it.  It’s easy to start wasting time, but also to forget to spend time with the stuff that actually works already, such as networking, sending out their next email newsletter or making those follow up calls.  So not only does Twitter distract them until the next new sparkly toy turns up, the stuff that used to work for them, stops working for them.

2. You don’t know your target client.  Like any marketing and business tool, if you are not totally clear on exactly who your target client is, don’t go near Twitter.  Using Twitter without understanding your target clients will be like throwing mud at a wall to see what sticks.  Start with your clients first before deciding whether Twitter is a tool for you.

3. You hate being “you”. If your website is very “corporate” and talks about your business in terms of the “royal we” without any photo or mention of you – the business owner behind the business – then Twitter is going to be a hard slog for you.  Twitter works best when your Twitter profile is humanised.  For example, the avatar is a picture of the person behind the tweets, rather than a logo (or even worse, a clip art image!).  The tweets are mixed in with real-life comments, rather than a series of bot-like tips & article links.  And there is conversation in the form of @replies, rather than a series of scheduled adverts.

So be careful of falling for the Twitter hype.  Twitter can be a very powerful business tool, but like any other marketing or business tool, it has to be right you, your business model and, more importantly, your clients.

What are your thoughts on using Twitter?  And where would you recommend starts if they plan to start using Twitter?

LinkedIn is proving to be one of the more popular social networks for business; a safe haven where “normal” business rules seem to apply.

Facebook is great for your “water-cooler” chat and sharing photos. Twitter works for the “cocktail hour” chat, buzzing with link sharing and playful banter.  But LinkedIn is the platform that many professionals and business owners feel “safe” online.

LinkedIn is your suited-and-booted business networking environment where people are there to talk business.  And more and more of you are signing up.

But, for some reason, most business owners seem to think of their LinkedIn networking as a completely separate activity from their “real” face-to-face networking.  Once you are sat in front of your PC, it’s easy to slip into virtual mode, isn’t it?

But if you make the time for “real” networking, how often do you look up the people you’ve met on an online network such as LinkedIn?

Virtual relationship building does work.  But what really turns up the power on your virtual networking is making is real.  And what better way of making it real than by reaching out and connecting with people you’ve already met.

It’s quite simple really and yet very few people I meet at networking events do it.  After each event, look up the people you’ve met and wish to build upon that initial meeting and invite them to connect on LinkedIn.

Your online world becomes much friendlier and works far better for you when you link it up to your offline one.

Have you got any more LinkedIn tips? Leave a comment and share your thoughts

How many times have you checked someone out on the internet before meeting them?

Perhaps you are off to a conference or networking event and you’ve checked out the speaker’s credentials before attending.

Some may call it stalking! But for most of you, being able to read someone’s LinkedIn profile or look at their website before picking up the phone to them, is a useful gauge on what this person is all about.  You get to check out what they may stand for, their tone of voice and even a find a picture to see what they look like.

But when was the last time you Googled yourself?

And what did you find when you did?

(Quick Note: When I refer to Google, I am referring to all search engines)

Hopefully Googling your name produced some great results.  Possibly professional looking online profiles, a comprehensive About Us page from your website, half a dozen articles authored by you and perhaps even a link to a photo of you accepting an award the other month.

But what if you find something that you would rather not have others see?

Here are some of the common pitfalls to being found on the web and what you can do to overcome them.

1. Your social life is there for all to see. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are packed full of photos and videos.  And what happens when one of your friends decides to upload photos from last weekend’s party and you get tagged?

Tagging is a process of adding someone’s profile link to the photo, thus allowing this photo to appear in a search of your name – easy to do but perhaps not something you want to be associated with.  If you find anything you don’t want to be associated with, go and un-tag yourself.

2.Business v Social. You use Facebook for friends & family but what happens when a business contact wants to become your friend?  Rather than ignore them or reject them, make use of the privacy settings.   You get to set the privacy settings specific to your needs.

For example, did you know you can update your status and set it so only certain friend lists are able to view it?

3.Your abandoned online profile is ranked higher than your website. Sites such as LinkedIn and Ecademy are ranked very highly by Google because of the size of these sites and the continuous updates and activity.  So it is very likely that your online profiles can appear above a link to your website’s contact page.

And if you are not active on those profiles or, even worse, they are out of date and don’t reflect what your business is all about today, it could sway the judgement of the person who is Googling your name.  If you have an online profile that shows up on the search, make sure it is up to date.

4.You don’t appear anywhere. Ooops! No record of you anywhere on the internet? Perhaps not critical for some businesses, but for the majority of you who read this blog I would expect a link to your website to come up when your name is Googled, at the very least.

Perhaps your name is not mentioned anywhere on your website – a common preference for some businesses who like to promote their “corporate” brand over their “personal” brand.  Unfortunately when using this approach, your name is nowhere to be found so add your name on your website somewhere, even if it is just in the “About Us” page.

5.Too many other John Smiths! A common problem for name Googleability is having a common name.  This is where sites like LinkedIn and Ecademy can really help get your profile ahead of others who share the same name.  Also submitting articles on sites such EzineArticles.com can get you found more easily.

One other consideration is to use a middle name or even a pseudo name – authors and bloggers often do this to help their name be found more easily.

Getting found on the web is not always easy.  But whether you want to be found on the web or not, is immaterial.  Hide yourself away and protect your identity by all means.  But think of your potential clients out there.

How many of them are able to find you?  And if they can’t find you, what do they do?  Do they try a bit harder and find another way of tracking you down – or take the easier option and move on to the next supplier or contact that has been recommended to them?

Let me know what you find when you Google your name!

Quick Note: This is a huge topic and it seemed to get huger, huger (!) as I wrote it – so if there is anything you are not sure of, or I have glossed over a point too much – do get in touch.  Delighted to answer any questions you have.

Earlier this month I published an article about the 6 Things You Need to Know About Writing Website Copy and suggested that you take a look at your own website copy to see how many “I’s” and “you’s” where mentioned.

How many of you did this?

Well, Nic Oliver, who writes at www.Nic-Oliver.com, has been doing just that.  But not on his own site.  He’s been checking up on some of the big names in social media blogging.  And he’s included little ol’ me too

With all this talk about social media engagement, he found that – fortunately – the big names where all doing it right.  It wasn’t just a Social Media urban myth!  The talk is actually being walked (phew, thank goodness for that!!)

It’s a great article and you can read here – In Social Media, Size Matters!

And if you want to check your own website copy, get in touch with Nic. He’s got the software to do it quickly for you (rather than the “getting out the highlighting pen” process that I suggested!)

The past few years have created very exciting marketing opportunities for small business owners.  The ability to get yourself known, both locally and internationally, has been made easier and cheaper than ever before.

The explosion of social media has allowed you to upload videos, publish articles and reach out to potentially thousands of new clients – every day.  And without having to shell out thousands of pounds to do it.

But does that mean traditional marketing, such as printed brochures, face-to-face networking and advertising are things of the past?

Can’t we just ditch all that expensive stuff and put all our energies in to these new, web-tech tools?

It’s tempting isn’t it?

But be tempted and you’ll probably find yourself left with a very quiet business pipeline.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  Social media and online marketing techniques can be incredibly effective.  I use tools such as facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn because of they do generate great results for me and my business.

But use them in isolation? Absolutely not!

Behind my very visible online presence lies speaking schedules, regular face-to-face networking, newsletters as well as postcard campaigns and word of mouth referrals to name but a few other marketing activities I embrace.

Let me give you a great example of a recent campaign that has taken place over the past couple of months.  Google released its own internet browser, Chrome.  And if there is one company that is synonymous with the internet, it is Google.

Google is dominant in the world of online advertising and it has become a verb, just the way the brand Hoover did all those decades ago.

And yet, when Google launched its new internet browser, did it rely only on the internet?

Absolutely not!

They took out full page spreads in national papers.  They were on billboards up and down the country.  They had posters in and around the underground in London.

They had a full scale, offline advertising campaign going.  And all to spread the word of an internet based product, that could only be used on the internet.

So, it’s not a case of choosing between using social media and traditional methods.  It’s about integrating the two worlds together and making sure your offline world is backing up what you are doing online, and vice versa.

How do you do this?  Here are a few simple suggestions to get started with (and none of which involved a national advertising campaign, you’d be relieved to know!)

• Have your online profiles on your business card, along with your phone number and business address – give people the option of how they want to get in touch with you.
• Arrange to have a coffee meeting with a new contact you “meet” on LinkedIn – get to really know your online network.
• Have your phone number listed on your website, blog and social networking profiles – make it easy for people to speak to you, rather than be forced to message you electronically all the time.
• Pick up the phone to someone rather than send them a message online – it’s amazing how these conversations can go!
• Follow up the people you’ve met at a networking event and search for them on LinkedIn – get connected online with the people you meet offline.
• Use postcards to promote your facebook page or LinkedIn group to encourage more people to visit and sign up – don’t just rely on those automatic email invitations that seemed to get ignored most of the time.

These are just a few ideas to get you going and very few of them need any cash to follow them through.  So, don’t get caught up with the sparkles and glitz of social media and ignore your offline strategies.

The more you can integrate your social media marketing with your traditional marketing, the more effective it will be.

There’s lots of bad things you can do on social media, isn’t there?

You can sell to everyone all the time and create noise that no-one listens to.  You can automate your updates to the point that people wonder if you really a bot, rather than a human being.

You can get obsessed by numbers and spend your whole week focusing on getting more and more followers, irrespective of whether they are porn stars, get-rich-quick-system-sellers or C-list celebs.

You can even kid yourself that because you spent the whole morning replying to tweets and retweeting other people’s tweets that you are actually contributing to the profitability of your business.

But what is the worst thing you can do?

It’s getting started and quitting before you achieve anything.

Most small business owners throw themselves in social media tools, such as facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, create a profile, start updating their status and then after a few weeks, let it all peter out and give up.

It can actually be more damaging to your brand and business to have a twitter account lying dormant or a LinkedIn profile with a half-done profile than having nothing at all.

Sites like LinkedIn and Twitter are indexed so quickly by search engines that your online profiles can appear very quickly in the search results.  Go on, try it now – google your own name and see how many of your half-done social networking profiles appear.

And that’s what your potential clients will see too.

By all means, you need to have a play with many of these online tools before deciding how best to use them in your business – there’s a lot to get your head round, isn’t it?

But, start your social media marketing with purpose.  Have a strategy, know what you want to get out of using these tools and work out how you are going to incorporate them into the rest of your marketing.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, so don’t start until you are ready to achieve.

SocialToo, a useful management tool for your social media accounts, has just announced on its blog that Twitter has requested they take away the auto-unfollowing feature.

Up until now, SocialToo subscribers could set their Twitter account to automatically unfollow people when they unfollowed you.   Sounds like an efficient way of managing an account, doesn’t it?

On the SocialToo blog they say they added this feature because “when I auto-follow, some times later on those people unfollow you again”.  The point being that as Twitter has set out a ratio to ensure you are only follow people in proportion to the number of people who follow you back, it allows you, the Twitter user, to keep adding more followers who keep following you, and dump the ones who don’t.

Doesn’t that mean that you are only in Twitter for the follower numbers? 

My take on follower numbers is that they are nothing more than Emporer’s Clothing if you are using Twitter to help promote your brand online.

Yes, the number of followers is a useful indicator of how “popular” you may be and give you one measurement of how “popular” you may become over time, but just because someone follows you, doesn’t mean that they read or act on your tweets.

Tools like auto-unfollow are incredibly useful for those of you who just want to focus on numbers but for most of you reading this, I assume you like to use Twitter like I do – follow people who interest you, engage with you and you learn from.  And not follow people just because they are following you or you want them to follow you back.

Noise is not helpful in your day-to-day lives.  But conversation and engagement is.

Which is why I think it is very interesting that Twitter itself has taken a stand against auto-unfollows and asked third party applications, like SocialToo, to remove it.

What do you think?