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“Like” Your Page?!? What’s in it for Me?
by Jamie Gorman on March 31, 2011
“How do I get more people to…
…”like” my Facebook page?
…join my Constant Contact email list?
…follow me on Twitter?
…subscribe to my WordPress blog?”
…join my Constant Contact email list?
…follow me on Twitter?
…subscribe to my WordPress blog?”
This is a question I get in nearly every workshop, webinar and consultation on social media. I was reminded of this common marketing concern yesterday, when I saw an emphatic post in my Facebook feed demanding that I like a friend’s fan page. My first thought was:
What’s in it for ME?
So you set up your fan page and your family and close friends are happy to join in your little social media experiment, so you have your first 25 fans – enough to get your own custom Facebook username! After a time of networking, posting a few things, maybe even creating an event or two, other business friends and acquaintances become fans and you break the 100 mark. At some point you reach the plateau of people willing to join the cause just because they know you, and this is where it gets challenging. You see, at this point you actually have to show your value! That page, post and tweet have to start earning their keep and providing your audience with something they need. If it doesn’t, there is nothing in it for them and they will not join or will quickly leave.
Delivering Value
I recently saw a list of the top 10 reasons people like a business fan page. Potential discounts, brand loyalty and new product information were among the top reasons in the study. Here are some ways we guide small businesses to add value for their audience:
Use a 30/30/30 Content Mix
If your goal is to just repeat your advertising copy into your Facebook business posts, don’t expect a huge return on the time invested! My recommendation to most clients is that less than 30% of social media posts be straight advertising promotion. Another 30% should be industry news, product tips, research and other information that establishes your company as credible experts. The third 30% should be less business focused and can consist of community news, promoting charity events or entertainment. For all those keeping score at home, use that last 10% however you like!
Make it Shareable
You know those posts that you can’t wait to comment on and share with your friends? Try to be the person who makes that post! Think through your media calendar and post schedule from your audience’s point of view. Are the things you post something they will want to see and share with their friends? When you are not only valuable, but also shareable, your fan base will grow quickly.
Post Consistently
My Facebook friend base combined with the business pages I like totals about 300. Not a large number, pretty average in fact. But, for me to see one day’s worth of posts I have to scroll back through about 8 screens – and I hide Farmville posts! That means if you are a business posting once or twice a week in the morning, it’s likely I won’t even see your posts for months at a time. Social Media is more tolerant of short, valuable posts multiple times a day than email. In fact, if you are on Twitter and only tweeting a couple times a day, most people who follow over 500 people (not uncommon) will forget they are following you.
Social Media Calendar
It’s tough to sit down and in the moment you have to post, think of something creative and valuable to say. Create a social media calendar to help organize, schedule and mix your post content. My social medial calendar includes Facebook, Twitter, WordPress blog posts and Constant Contact email marketing. This provides an integrated, consistent approach to my online marketing (when I have the time to implement!)
Having trouble with your social media or email marketing? Sigma College of Small Business has business classes, webinars and services to help you get started and be more effective.
Would you like a Social Media Planning Calendar? We developed an Excel spreadsheet that we use at Sigma College. Use the comments below to let me know if you are interested.
Posted in Blog, Blogging, Email Marketing, Marketing and Sales, Online Marketing, Social Media
Tagged business, classes, education, email, facebook, fan page, marketing, networking, Online Marketing, Social Media, subscribe
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Would the REAL Time for Social Media Please Stand Up?
by Jamie Gorman on October 13, 2010
I attended a great seminar Wednesday presented by Gina Watkins of Constant Contact and hosted by the Greater Warrenton Chamber. (Sigma College co-sponsored with CC) The topic was social media and Gina mentioned that a business owner could be effective at social media spending about 15 minutes a day! There are a lot of us spending more time than that, so I thought I would walk through where the time goes when you make social a part of your marketing mix.
Start Here!
The first slide of my social media classes is this picture of a calendar as a way of telling my students that, although social media is cash cheap, it can be time expensive. One of the first decisions in determining the role social media plays in your marketing plan is how much time should be spent building your network.
Pure Posting
Once you are all set up with your accounts and have a goal of 5 or 10 posts per week on a couple of social media sites, then 15 minutes a day is likely enough time. But don’t get your expectations up! You will likely get fans and followers from your current network, but it will be slow going building that network over months. Mixing in some time to monitor and comment on some blogs, share some posts with your network and start some discussions will be time well spent.
Set-up and Design
Setting up and designing social media pages can seem like an unending task. Every time I turn around there is a new tool, or a new app that I just have to try. And even though they are all “one-click” installation, they typically take me a bit more time. Most of the sample sites we see have had some work done. An extra tab here, a customized page there – it all adds up to extra time or paying someone. Make sure you schedule some time to keep up with the latest apps and keep your sites up to date. It’s part of being relevant and it will take a couple hours a month.
Blogging
I recommend to most of my students and clients to do some blogging. It’s a great way to show your expertise in the industry and adds great content. When you decide that blogging is a part of your social media mix, make sure you plan the required time. Depending on how often, your writing skills, the amount of research required and the pictures and links you add, you may need to schedule a couple hours per post as you get started and 30 minutes to an hour if you really get efficient. But the payoff, if you are good, is that you are putting up good content that will draw readers that will subscribe, share, etc… and build a better network, quicker.
Interacting
I have yet to read a book, article or blog on social media that didn’t stress how critical it is that to be successful in social media you need to read and comment on other people’s posts. In fact, here’s one from Techipedia | Tamar Weinberg that I read yesterday. It’s part of establishing your online presence and building credibility – really it’s being part of the community, part of the network. Plan to spend at least an hour a week just interacting with the online community. Read, comment and share the content of others.
Planning
Now, to be more efficient and add the most value with the time you have will require a plan. I give my students and clients a media calendar to pre-plan their posts. We work through a plan for their posts over the next month or so, determine the topics they should post on and even write out the posts ahead of time if possible. Spending a couple hours planning every month will make you more efficient and improve the quality of your posts.
In Summary
So the answer to the question of how much time do I need for social media is a pretty wide range. Someone who uses social media for a high percentage of their marketing mix may spend a couple hours a day, whereas, a beginner may only spend about 15 minutes a day. The important thing is that you pull out that calendar and schedule the time it will take to meet your social marketing objectives so you aren’t suprised.
Posted in Blog, Business Networking, Marketing and Sales, Online Marketing, Social Media
Tagged business, classes, education, facebook, google, learn, management, marketing, media calendar, networking, online, Online Marketing, Social Media, subscribe, twitter, web
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It’s Not About the Customer?!? New Take on Customer Service
by Jamie Gorman on September 14, 2010
Today I provided a customer service seminar to a local pediatrics office. The title of the seminar – “Providing Great Customer Service: It’s All About You!” Sound a little bizaar, but give it a minute and I’ll explain.
We started the seminar with a little exercise. I asked a volunteer to look around the room and identify a person and situation where they could do something nice, something that would be really appreciated. The lady who volunteered chose one of her colleagues who was having a bad day and gave her a big hug. When she came back up to the front I gave her a crisp, new five dollar bill!
Customer Satisfaction = Company Success = Job Security, Higher Wages, Job Satisfaction = Happy Employee
So there it is, the equation that proves Customer Satisfaction from good customer service is all about making employees happy! OK, maybe it’s not a mathematical proof, but the point is that each time an employee chooses to take action for better customer service, it incrementally helps the company, which benefits the employees in the end. So in essence it’s like me giving my volunteer 5 bucks for identifying and choosing to do something nice. For employees to focus on great customer service they must first link it to what’s in it for them!
The Customer Service Definition
Customer service is the combination of activities and processes that surround and support the sale and delivery of a product or service.
I like this Sigma College definition of customer service because it opens it up to the full scope of what is involved in customer service. In our seminar we talked about how Disney designs their theme parks, Nordstrom hiring practices and online banking, all of which tie into the customer service of the company without focusing specifically on the personal interaction. Customer service is not just good or bad, it is evaluated on an internal scale by the customer. This means it is relative to that customer’s expectations, current mood and past experience, among other things. It’s a constantly moving target and your goal must be to consistently provide good customer service that meets expectations for each customer every time. Employees need to be aware of this and be able to evaluate each customer and situation as a unique opportunity to meet or exceed expectations.
Everybody has a good and bad customer service story they like to share! Feel free to comment with yours.
And if you need a Customer Service refresher class for your team, give us a call or drop us an email!
4 Tips for Improving Your Email Marketing
by Jamie Gorman on August 5, 2010
As part of my networking routine I join the email lists of new contacts. Yes it tends to fill the inbox, but more importantly it gives me something that I can forward as a referral for the people that I network with – it’s just easier for me. I’m not an email expert by any stretch, but I’ve seen, heard and read enough to identify some of the most common mistakes. Feel free to join my mailing list and hold me accountable to my own advice! Join Sigma College Email List
- Make the Subject a Headline – I’m constantly reminded by my friend Scot Small at RevBuilders – “Unless you are Coke, your logo means nothing – you need a good, prominent headline”. The point is that people don’t notice our names and logos (yet), they notice and open good headlines. Search WordPress blogs for articles on writing subject lines for a ton of great articles.
- Be Consistent and Patient – It may take months for people to start consistently opening your emails and discovering the value that lies within. For about 4 months after I started email marketing I heard nothing and open rates were sporadic. Eventually, after consistently emailing over a period of months, people began recognizing me by my brand and thanking me for sending out my class schedules and other information. Open rates steadied and I was able to start some A-B testing to refine. So, don’t give up!
- Content that Adds Value – Keep the content relevant and to the point. My weekly email is simply a list of upcoming classes. You may have articles to publish or events to announce, but my recommendation is that you include a headline and excerpt, or the basic facts and then use a “read more” link to your web site (you may prefer a “call this number” action). This does two things – gets them to your web site (or calling) which is likely the reason you send an email, and puts more content on your web site for better search engine optimization. Most importantly, after time, your readers will know they can sift through the headlines and pick what they want to read very quickly, rather than paging through an 800 word email to find that nugget.
- Create an Opt-in Email List – It took me some time to grasp the value of an opt-in email list. This is a list that you build through people joining online or giving you specific permission to add their name. Collecting business cards and adding everyone results in lower open rates, high “unsubscribes” and even some spam reports. Now sometimes there are reasons to do mass campaigns using purchased opt-in lists, but most small, local businesses should stick to a list that will help you build relationships and not alienate people.
Email marketing is a great marketing tool, especially when combined with other things. But, a campaign that is done poorly and forced on an unwilling audience can actually hurt your business. Make sure you continue to review, test and improve your email strategy!
Posted in Blog, Marketing and Sales, Online Marketing
Tagged business, classes, education, email, gainesville, haymarket, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, optimization, social, subscribe, VA, web
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Why Facebook for My Business? Top 3 Reasons
by Jamie Gorman on August 3, 2010
Yesterday, my friend Becky O’Brien from Optimal Wellness recommended that I write something about why a small business owner, even an independent distributor should use social media. To keep it simple I’ll focus on Facebook, but the same general principles apply across applications with some unique benefits for each.
- Customers are using Facebook and don’t seem to mind brief, useful posts from businesses they “like” – this sets up for you to have multiple touch points with a lot of customers and potential customers every day. Social Media is still a “passive” media where people understand a little promotion and it’s acceptable if it’s kept short and there is value mixed in. But, don’t get greedy by overdoing it.
- Businesses like “word-of-mouth” business and Facebook is “word-of-mouth” times 100 – Let’s say your average fan has 100 friends and that you have 200 fans, not a bad start for a small, local business. If even 2 fans share one of your posts you have the potential to hit 400 people with your post! Build up your fans and you can see how quickly that number could jump. Oh, and these are word-of-mouth referrals FROM people who have chosen to “like” you, TO people who have chosen to be their friend!
- Facebook advertising can be tightly targeted to a specific audience – I get Facebook advertising targeted to Naval Academy Graduates because it is in my profile. You can target by location, age, sex, relationship status….. That means if I sell wedding dresses I can target engaged women, ages 18-30 and filter out those who are already fans. That’s tight!
Facebook is warming up to business more each day, and I highly recommend jumping on the band wagon before business dominates and people start looking for less commercial alternatives. If you are just getting started remember to be consistent without being overbearing, spread posts throughout the day and week and add posts with value that are worth reading and sharing.
I’ll close with a link to a simple example of how my sharing on Foursquare, combined with Facebook to create awareness for a local small business. The post is
Sigma College of Small Business will be offering a 3-hour workshop titled “Facebook for Business! Beyond the Basic Fan Page” on August 17 and August 25 in Haymarket, VA.
Posted in Blog, Marketing and Sales, Social Media
Tagged advertise, business, classes, education, facebook, fan page, gainesville, haymarket, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, Social Media, Virginia, warrenton, web
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Getting Naked: A Business Fable…” by Patrick Lencioni – Book Review
by Jamie Gorman on July 16, 2010
A great place to start is with the full title of this book!
“Getting Naked: A Business Fable about shedding the three fears that sabotage client loyalty”
Like the title, this isn’t your typical business book. Mr. Lencioni challenges all of us in the service industries to put our pride aside and replace it with the best interest of our customers. And, he does it in the form of a novel, an interesting touch for a business book.
The Story…
…is about the acquisition of a boutique consulting firm by a big corporate firm. Jack, is the man set up to manage integrating Lighthouse Partners into the prestigious, international, full-service management consulting firm of Kendrick and Black. Along the way he learns some of the secrets of Michael Casey, founder of Lighthouse Partners. What Jack later terms “Getting Naked” with the client is the technique of putting aside corporate and personal pride to be more effective and build tremendous client loyalty. I won’t spoil the end of the story for you, but will hit on the key business points – the “Three Fears”.
Fear of Losing the Business
The premise to this fear is that when we are afraid of losing the business, that becomes our focus and drives our actions. Actions driven by keeping the account are often contrary to actions focused on helping the client. An example is when we are tempted to tell customers what they want to hear rather than our true thoughts based on the experience and education for which they hired us. Although this might help keep the account for the short term, when it doesn’t work out we become part of the problem and lose credibility.
Fear of Being Embarrassed
This fear is what causes us to walk away from meetings wondering. Instead of speaking up and asking what might sound like a dumb question, or suggesting something that might be laughed at, we decide not to speak up. Patrick’s take is that naked service providers are so busy putting the success of their client first, they are willing to speak up with ideas and questions even at the risk of being embarrassed. Otherwise, you wonder what it was you didn’t understand or what would happen if they tried your idea.
Fear of Feeling Inferior
At one point in the book a group of executives are asked which of these fears are they most susceptible. For me it was this one. As a business management instructor and service provider at Sigma College of Small Business, it seems logical that if you aren’t continually demonstrating superiority, clients will start thinking you aren’t important and adding value. However, the case is made that by purposely putting ourselves in a lower position than our clients (which equates to putting them on a higher level), the naked service provider will gain trust, respect and loyalty with their clients.
“Shedding the Three Fears”
Mr. Lencioni completes the book with a set of principles for overcoming the three fears. Instead of working through those here, I highly recommend that you pick up and read the book. It’s a very enjoyable read with a great message for anyone who provides services. Caution: When reading in public, expect some strange looks and people avoiding you as they look at the title:-)
Posted in Blog, Book Review, Business Networking, Marketing and Sales
Tagged business, business education, classes, consulting services, learn, management, networking, sales, training
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Subscribe! Part 2
by Jamie Gorman on July 1, 2010
Subscribe! Part 1 covered the importance of getting interesting blog content brought to you in a convenient, efficient manner. Part 2 is a bit more hand’s on in showing you how to actually subscribe.
Decide where you want to see blog content
A great thing about RSS is that there are multiple ways to manage content. You can set it up in your web browser, through email or even feed it to your personal or business home page. I actually have some feeds that come up in my iGoogle home page, some that feed to a tab in Internet Explorer and some that go to an email folder in Outlook.
To determine which tool to use for feeding content you should ask yourself, “Do I want to see this post immediately, or have as a reference for later” The posts I want to see immediately, the timely information I want to comment on, are fed to my iGoogle personal page through Google Reader. Those I use for reference to search later feed to my browser or an email folder, and some feed to multiple places.
Don’t forget that following and commenting on other people’s blogs is an important part of social networking. It is how you listen and interact in the discussion, building trust and credibility with each thought and comment.
For step-by-step on three basic RSS feed techniques, click the links below. If you have any questions, suggestions or run into problems, drop me a comment. Although the directions are specific to an application, most similar apps have the same functionality.
Using Google Reader and following blogs on your iGoogle home page
Posted in Blog, Business Networking, Marketing and Sales, Online Marketing
Tagged business, classes, development, education, gainesville, google, haymarket, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, optimization, prince william, rss, search, seo, social, subscribe, training, VA, Virginia, warrenton, web
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Using Google Reader to Follow Blogs on your iGoogle Home Page
by Jamie Gorman on July 1, 2010
Google Reader is a great little tool that helps aggregate the blogs you are tracking to your Google account. The reason I like it is that I have an iGoogle “portal” page (a page that I can personalize with info I want to see) and there is a “Gadget” that puts my feeds right onto my personal home page, the one that I see first every time I open Internet Explorer. This is what I use for those blogs I want to see and review quickly and then comment, especially on blogs related to educating small business owners.
1. Sign into your Google Account. If you don’t have a Google account:
- Go to www.Google.com
- Click “Sign In” at upper right
- Click “Create an Account Now” under the Sign in box
- Follow instructions for setting up an account
Click on Settings in the upper right to add new Google apps
2. In the upper right of your Google page click on the “Settings” drop-down and select “Google Account Settings”. You can do a lot here to personalize your page and account.
3. If “Reader” isn’t listed under “My Products”, go to the “Try Something New” section and click on “More”
4. Under the “Communicate, show & share” section, click on “Reader”. This will place Reader into the “My Products” section where you can open and start using.
Open Google Reader by clicking the link
5. Open Reader by clicking on the link and you should see your Google Reader Page
Now it’s time to add a subscription.
Go to www.sigmabizlearning.com or another blog you want to feed
1. Go to www.SigmaBizCollege.com or another blog that you would like to track. Select and copy the web address, or url for the blog. (you can also just type this in to the subscription box when the time comes if you know it)
Click on the "Add Subscription" Button
2. In Google Reader click on the “Add a subscription” button at the upper left, paste or type the url into the box that drops down and click “Add”.
3. You should now see your new subscription in the subscription box on the left and the latest blog post in the reader box.
Click on the Subscription to see the latest posts from that source.
Add the Google Reader Gadget to Your iGoogle Home Page
Click on "iGoogle" at the top right to open your iGoogle page
1. Go to www.Google.com and sign in if you aren’t already. This should open your iGoogle page (if it doesn’t, click on the “iGoogle” link in the upper right) and you should see something like this. Each of the little blocks is called a gadget and you can customize which gadgets you want on you page.
Click on the "Add Stuff" link in the upper right to get new gadgets!
2. In the upper right click on the link for “Add stuff”. In the search area type in “reader” and search. This will show you the Google Reader gadget and clicking “Add It Now” will put it on your iGoogle home page.
Search for "Reader" to find the Reader Gadget and "Add it Now"
3. Now, when you go to Google.com, your subscriptions will show up for a quick review. If you click on the title a preview window pops up so you can take a quick look without even leaving the page.
Although I walked through the Google method for putting subscriptions on your home page, most other portal sites that let you customize a home page will have similar functionality.
See Related Blog Posts on RSS Feeds:
Posted in Blog, Business Networking, Marketing and Sales, Online Marketing
Tagged business, classes, development, education, email, gainesville, google, haymarket, learn, management, manassas, marketing, networking, online, optimization, prince william, rss, search, seo, social, subscribe, training, VA, warrenton, web
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