Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Consultant,
and Tech Geek at Heart

Home >

Posts tagged as:

community

5 Things I’ve Learned from Running BizSugar

January 24, 2012

This is a guest post by Anita Campbell.

When my company, Small Business Trends, LLC, first purchased BizSugar in the summer of 2009, the best way I could describe it was as a miniature version of Digg, except that BizSugar focused soley on sharing information geared toward small and mid-sized businesses. This is still true. But as BizSugar has grown over the last couple of years, it’s also become a small business networking site where business owners can discuss issues, get and give advice, and gain insight into the ins and outs of running a small business.

As the site has changed and evolved, so have I, both in my understanding of how the site functions best, and how to help it continue to grow. If you’re considering acquiring or building a user generated content site, here are a few things I’ve learned that may help you.

This is a preview of 5 Things I’ve Learned from Running BizSugar. Read the full post (1139 words, 1 image, estimated 4:33 mins reading time)
Continue Reading14 comments
Read the full article →

Why Most People Fail in Social Media

October 13, 2010

Tools are a wonderful part of today’s information age, but if you’re going to use “social networks” or that thing we call “social media,” it’s important to remember the common denominator: the social. Without an understanding of your community and an understanding of the influencers, you’re destined for failure. There’s no question about it.

Networking is the key component for social media success

Social networks become popular because of the people using them. Social media “experts” recommend Twitter and Facebook because they know there’s a critical mass there to reach a desired audience. Of course, there are other sites, but these individuals know one thing: that there are people there who are willing to listen, just as long as you are willing to make a true effort to interact. You need to work to see results.

Even experts do not always understand this critical fact.

George, a representative of a UK social media agency, emailed me last month to tell me to check out his company’s blog. He also made the request that I link to his site with “social media agency [companyname]” if I ever like what I see.

This is a preview of Why Most People Fail in Social Media. Read the full post (1097 words, 3 images, estimated 4:23 mins reading time)
Continue Reading194 comments
Read the full article →

Social Media Strategy from A to Z

May 28, 2010

Social media might be old. It might even be a dead buzzword. That’s why you need to paint a picture that’s more meaningful and encompasses what “social media” as a label really is.

Some of us have been thrust into social media simply because the online landscape showed potential for online conversations. Others have been there for over a decade. Regardless of the many years of experience you have in the online space, the ideas behind social media and social media marketing are applicable to everyone. Let’s take a look at some lessons, takeaways, and tips.

Always be Listening. Social media rocks because it’s one of the most amazing tools for “free” market research. Your investment is merely that of time. Take the time to hear what people are saying about your business. If you’re the frugal type, take advantage of the free alerts from Google, YackTrack, Social Mention, BackType (which gives you alerts from blog/article comments, which other services do not include), and Trackur.

This is a preview of Social Media Strategy from A to Z. Read the full post (2350 words, 6 images, estimated 9:24 mins reading time)
Continue Reading55 comments
Read the full article →

10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Killer Social Media Strategy

May 18, 2010

This is a guest post by Beth Hrusch.

Why do businesses need social media? It’s a good question, and one that everyone should ask before they get started. After all, spending time, money, and other precious resources on social media marketing before you have an understanding of what it can do for you is kind of like putting the cart before the horse (not advisable).

What are your goals? Just because you’ve heard that other companies are doing it doesn’t mean that social media will magically work for you. Like any marketing strategy, it takes maintenance and a clear vision of the bigger picture. Your tweets, posts and comments should all be coordinated to meet the ultimate goal, which is to establish trust, build your brand, and increase sales.

Which is why, of course, your business needs a killer social media strategy. In order to tap the potential of this fabulous marketing tool, you’ll want to first determine if social media can meet your goals and objectives. If you’re still figuring out your marketing plan for 2010, consider the following 10 reasons why a social media strategy may be well worth the effort.

This is a preview of 10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Killer Social Media Strategy. Read the full post (1125 words, 4 images, estimated 4:30 mins reading time)
Continue Reading28 comments
Read the full article →

How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing

May 5, 2010

Welcome searchers! If you’d like help with your social media strategy, including Facebook and Twitter outreach, please feel free to contact me for social media consulting.

As much as Facebook may not be kind to businesses, it’s still a tremendously valuable business tool. After all, Facebook could eat the web. In fact, you’re likely spotting the shift; instead of companies posting their URLs on television commercials, they’re asking their followers to join them on Facebook. Therefore, it’s a force to be reckoned with. Let’s just take a look at the potential of Facebook for business for a moment here and review the various options business owners have in order to be effective with Facebook business marketing.

Profile Page versus Fan Page

The average Facebook user uses Facebook not for business but for personal communications. I am one of those users. In fact, I explain my Facebook usage by stating that if you want to follow me in a professional capacity, you can use one of my two fan pages. Simply stated, for a business, you should create a Fan Page. Want one? Go here. If you are officially representing your company, you’d want to create an Official Page.

This is a preview of How to Use Facebook for Business and Marketing. Read the full post (2250 words, 9 images, estimated 9:00 mins reading time)
Continue Reading243 comments
Read the full article →

← Previous Entries