Social media. Social networking. It’s the hottest trend in marketing today. If you’re wondering whether the time you put into social media is worth the effort, check out the thinking in these blog posts.

• Can social media show you the results you’re looking for? “10 Ways to Leverage LinkedIn to Generate Business” offers some tips for putting LinkedIn to work for you. You’ll also find some other helpful tips in the comments.
• But don’t think that social media is all you need to do. Integrate it with the other ways you connect with customers, partners and suppliers. Read more on “Linking Social Media and Face to Face Networking.”
• Struggling with how to measure your social media efforts? Take a look at this SocialMediaExaminer.com article, “4 Ways to Measure Social Media and its Impact on Your Brand.”
• What makes your customers and prospects trust what they find on social media?  What rose to the top was seeing an open dialogue with both good and not so good comments, content quality and responsiveness of the creator. Read more at “What Makes Social Media Trustworthy?”

Other articles that may be of interest:

• 41.6% of the US Population Has a Facebook Account
• How to Prospect Using Combined Power of LinkedIn and Twitter
• 7 Great Social Media Websites and Blogs for Insightful Advice and News

Are you finding social media worth the time you invest? How do you use it in your business?

If you like, leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts. What strategies or plans are you thinking about? If you need a little assistance, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!).

What makes up your social media strategy? Maybe the first question should be: do you have a strategy or plan yet? Mention social media and most think of the big 3 to 4 – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and others. That’s covered. Out there on a regular basis. Having a presence in those spaces. That’s the plan. That’s the strategy.

This can get you started in the short-term. But long-term – no matter if you’re a small business or large – you need a solid foundation. (What Makes up a Social Marketing Strategy?,  eMarketer Digital Intelligence.)

1. Monitor your brand. Simple enough. But what do you do with what you hear? Establish processes so that this information gets shared with the right departments and upper levels of management. That it doesn’t just sit in some PowerPoint deck or database. And, of course, know how to respond in a timely manner when the need arises.
2. Guidelines for managing ongoing activities, especially allocating resources – who does what and when, how much time needs to be spent, and on what.
3. Defining company policies, internal and external use tends to get overlooked. And these are critical. Whether you encourage active participation or not, make sure your employees know what they can and can’t do.
4. Monitor employee use. Do you know who already uses social media? Or who wants to? Keep in mind that many of your employees may be using social media for personal use. What and how much do you allow to overlap, or spill over, between personal and business. Help employees understand what is acceptable.
5. Follow through with established policies. If there are consequences you have to be prepared to track, then carry out and move forward.

Having a solid foundation to build your social media strategy will help you and your employees use it and use it effectively.

If you like, leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts. What strategies or plans are you thinking about? If you need a little assistance, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!). 

Have to admit, like everyone else, managing a social media presence can sometimes feel daunting. I’m always looking for tips to help me manage my time online.  Came across this article from Social Media Examiner, “How to Manage Your Social Media Marketing in 10 Minutes Daily” that I wanted to share. Check it out. Nothing too long or involved, just 3 quick sound bites … with a thought or two of my own below.

1. Take One Platform at a Time. Don’t know about you, but to me I almost feel pressured to do everything on a daily basis. It’s a relief to hear someone basically say slow down and focus; it’s okay to rotate and do one thing a day.
2. Respond to Your Fans. Prioritization is another key. It can be easy to look at a comment and overthink what the response should be. Which means that your response may not be responsive. Positive or negative, have a process in place so that you can be responsive to your customers when they take time out of their busy schedule to connect with you.
3. Reach Out and Help People. In other words, give without wanting anything in return. Maybe you see a Facebook comment that a friend is getting ready to paint their house and isn’t sure where to start. If you know a good painter or have some tips from your last foray, take a minute to share.

If you only have a few minutes a day, focus. Have a plan of action before getting on Facebook or Twitter or wherever you’re at. As the article says “focus on one or two actions per day and leave the rest for tomorrow.” And “let your actions tell the story and your interaction be the message.”

If you like, leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts. How do you manage your time with social media marketing?

If you need a little assistance, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!).

Your network is a living entity … you have to constantly nurture and grow it. Does that mean you just focus on quantity? Just add another person to the network and move on? Growing your network should be about quality.  Here’s a few highlights from a recent webinar I listened in on.

Tip #1:  Growing your network doesn’t always have to be a face-to-face or voice-to-voice interaction. Out of the 5,400+ sites and platforms probably ½ or more allow you to set up a profile, which can be either personal or business. Join groups where there are people you want to connect with.

Tip #2:  Don’t confuse size with value. We each have the opportunity to connect with hundreds of people. You only have a certain amount of time in your day, your week, your month … your life.  Focus on making connections where there will be a return on your effort. Connect when there is value to the relationship; not just to increase the number of people you’re connected to.

Tip #3:  Ensure you have quality in your connections. That means you need no introduction to those in your inner network circle. You could pick up the phone or send an email and feel comfortable in talking with them. Take that a step further. Think about who may be a “qualified” intro away? Is there anyone in your inner network circle who could introduce you?

Tip #4:  Prune your networks every so often. Its okay to cut out the dead weight. If you can’t recommend someone, they probably shouldn’t be in your inner network circle.

Tip #5:  Build your reputation as a “go to” person … someone who can help others get connected.  Someone who knows the industry. For example, you may be a real estate agent talking with someone who needs furniture. Why not give them the names of a couple stores where you know they’ll get treated right.  

On average, give away 10 pieces of “value” for every withdrawal you make from your network. Always give more than you get. If you need a little assistance, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!).

If you like, leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts. What has helped you grow your network?

Always heard it’s not easy writing grants. I’ve found some are definitely more challenging than others. Making sure you answer the questions posed in their entirety. Providing the foundational data to support your need. Clearly. Concisely. Succinctly. In some respects, it’s a purer form of writing; a truer communications style  – get your point across in as few words as possible yet be persuasive and passionate about your cause.

I’ve learned a lot and am still learning what makes a stellar grant application. I’ve also learned I need to help educate some organizations I’m working with. Can’t just assume that all non-profits know the terminology. Or what documents are what. How to look at and interpret budget documents, for instance, and use them to answer some of the questions. What demographic data might paint the picture of need.

Some organizations know what grant opportunities they want to pursue. Others don’t. It’s a time consuming process so it’s important to make sure that your program, your need, synchs up with what a foundation or other entity may be funding. Resources to check out include Nonprofit Connect (www.npconnect.org) and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (www.gkccf.org).

Make sure you have the right documentation. You don’t want to get to the point of being ready to submit – being at that deadline – only to find out you’re missing a very important document. Some standard ones include: 1) IRS letter of determination on your 501(c)(3) status, 2) IRS 990 Report, 3) annual audit, 4) certificate of incorporation, 5) current (sometimes previous) year’s operating budget, and 6) a listing of the board of directors. Of course, there might be others; depends on the grantor.

I actually enjoy writing grants – it’s given me an opportunity to learn about some organizations doing great work in the Kansas City area. Learn more than I ever would have as a volunteer. Through the grant writing process, I help them get more exposure (and hopefully funding). And what a feeling it is when you hear that the work you’ve done has been successful!

If you need a little assistance, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!).

If you like, leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts. What has helped you write or develop successful grants?

Planning your business … you have an idea. You think it’s viable. That there’s a market for it. Time to refine, narrow, define.

 If you’re starting out, here’s a few thoughts for you.

• Research. Research. Research. Talk to others in the same industry or related industries. Those that could be your customers. Those that might be your competitors. Or your suppliers and vendors.
• Identify the problem you’re trying to solve. Who are your customers and what do they look like? What are their needs? What do you need to address when your customers want to know more?
• Open your mind to what you find. It could take you in a different direction from what you originally thought. Help you narrow your focus. Find a better target audience. Or maybe fill a niche need.
• Design your product or service. It seems like defining a product might be a touch easier … even though it isn’t. It’s tangible. You can see it. Feel it. Try it out. You know what to expect. What if you’re selling a service? You can see me, but what I offer isn’t tangible. Trust becomes huge. Expertise. Reliability. Ability to deliver. And what exactly will you deliver?
• Define the boundaries. Narrow, or broaden, the scope of your product or service. What exactly will you offer to meet consumer demand?

It might feel a bit overwhelming at times. Like some big glob of goo. It’s easy for the scope to creep and creep … and creep. You can lose focus easily. Leading to what I call “analysis paralysis.” Maybe you’re trying to solve too much of the problem to start. As a small business owner, try not to let that happen.

Focus … on your product or service. On your target customers’ true needs. There’s time to expand and grow your business once you see success in your initial venture.

Starting a new business is stimulating. Tiring, too. If you need a little assistance, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!).

If you like, leave a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts. What did you do when defining your product or service offering?

Lately I’ve been working on a business plan – a nice, refreshing change of pace. Getting me back to basics. Thinking about all the elements of getting started. Up and running.

What’s on my mind? The name.  Okay, so maybe my ABC’s start with ‘n’ instead of ‘a’ – anyway, what’s in a name? How important is it? Good questions … ones I’ve been asking myself.

As I think my mind wanders and hops from idea to idea.

1. What will convey to my target audience what the business is? How easily will it be for them to find me? Will they get it enough to want to learn and know more?
2. What will be the brand behind the name? What are the words to describe not just me, but others who are helping to found the business? How will it be impacted by my mission statement? Vision statement. Attributes and traits. Personality. How I want the business to be perceived.
3. Of course, you want it to be distinctive enough to differentiate you from the competition. So, then who are your competition … take a look at their names. How have they positioned themselves in the market? No one wants to be seen as a “me-too” business.
4. Today it’s important to think of your name from a search perspective. Is the domain name available? What are keywords that you can associate with your name? Your business. Your service or product.

Then come the technicalities of naming your business … searching, registering … do you apply for a service mark? Where do you even search? Just a few things to try:

• United States Patent and Trademark Office (www.uspto.org)  – this is one of the first places I would visit. Maybe you find out your name is already registered. Not a total loss. Doing a search may give you ideas for other names or alternatives on your original.
• Secretary of State where your business will be registered – again, why do other searches if the name you want is already registered in your state? A side benefit is that you might find other information that may be helpful to your business planning process.
• Google and Yahoo – So, your name isn’t registered. Where’s the first place anyone looking for you would go?
• Online directories such as yellowpages.com – check out other directories that may be specific to your industry.

Lot of things to consider. People to collaborate with this time. Needs to reflect what we all think. Who we are.

Its fun though. You try this version, then that. That leads to another idea and so on. Until finally you hit on it … what’s right. What works.  What makes sense … not just to you, but to the people who will want to do business with you. Who will be buying your product or service.

If you need a little assistance planning your business, let’s get together and chat over coffee (tea for me!).