Owning Your On Line Presence

The big social media platforms are always changing, searching for new ways to gain users, keep engagement up and make money. Yesterday, Google+ announced new leadership and the reorganization of some of the features. Within the last year, Facebook has changed the way business pages are able to reach followers, drastically dropping organic reach. Twitter is working on implementing more advertising and native video. And the list of changes goes on and is happening on every single social media platform.

With the adoption of social media as a 'required' marketing element for business, one important reality is often overlooked...that every single one of the platforms is owned by someone else. As a user of any of those platforms, you have absolutely no control over what they decide to change, how they decide to present your information and when they will require paid inclusion. While I don't underestimate the value social media can provide right now, I don't think it's a good idea to have your on line efforts solely focused there. The best questions you can ask yourself are,

"What if (social-media-platform-of-choice) disappeared today?  

                 Would I still have an effective on line presence for my business tomorrow?"

The very best approach to social media is to use it as a supplemental tool, not as the end-all-be-all of your on line presence. It is time for you to own your on line presence and not leave it in the hands of others. So how do you accomplish that?  Develop and maintain a good website.

Now more than ever, your website needs to be the hub of information, content, calls to action and marketing efforts. With your website, YOU are in control of your company message, brand identity and business information, both how it is presented and the way it reaches your target audience. Investing in the development of your site is a long-term strategy that allows you to utilize short-term tools to boost effectiveness. (Read my blog post, "Is Your Business Internet Presence A Well-Oiled Machine?" to see how social media fits to an effective on line presence equation.)

So in the end, make the effort to develop your website - it is truly the element of your on line presence that will stand the test of time.

The Case For Cash

An important emphasis has been put on local, small business in the wake of the recent financial problems around the country. Here in Michigan, we are urged to "buy local", "support Michigan business" and put "Michigan first". I have always done my best to do that but I will admit I am doing it more often and with more focus than ever before. In considering how I can personally support local business, I am also trying to use cash as often as possible. Why am I making this case for cash? Let me share a few thoughts.


1) Using cash helps reduce small business costs.
The same purchase made with a debit or credit card costs the business more than if paid for with cash. The costs associated with the convenience of a business accepting debit/credit cards usually consists of a set transaction fee and a percentage of sales fee. Other bank and processing fees may also be applicable. Obviously none of those fees are incurred by the business when purchases are made with cash.

2) Cash can be withdrawn without cost to the consumer.
Many small businesses have the ability to accept debit/credit card payments but on certain sales (say those under $5) they have little or no chance to cover their costs. As a consumer, consider using cash as often as possible for purchases under $10. With ATM's on every corner, it is easier than ever to get cash conveniently. And with free cash withdrawals, it does not cost a dime to have cash in hand.

3) It is a win-win-win.
If the consumer supports small business through patronage and helping keep costs down, that small business has a chance to keep prices down and stay in profitable business. If that small business provides good products & services at good prices along with local expertise & service, consumers will want to support the business. The consumer wins, the business wins and the local economy wins.

It is obviously not rocket science, but the case for cash has clear benefits to local economies. So the next time you are at the ice cream shop, the fruit farm, the pizza place, etc., I urge you to support them with your patronage as well as your cash!

Facebook Community Pages & Your Social Marketing Plan

Well, there has been lots of buzz the last few weeks about changes being made on the social networking site Facebook...and reaction has been both critical and optimistic. The changes went live this week and it has left many wondering what it all means!

Just about the time businesses and on-line marketing gurus really got a good feel for using Facebook for business promotion, the new "Community Page" has been introduced. So what does that mean to your marketing plan? First, let's look at a quick run-down of how these pages function (at least as of this writing):

1. Group Page - Created by a user and those that become group members may have various posting rights, as determined by the group administrator. Content may or may not generate stories in News Feeds of those who are members of the group. Content of the page is not indexed by search engines.
   
2. Community Page - Created by Facebook and maintained by them, updating information & profile pictures using Wikipedia. Related posts from other people on Facebook may be displayed also. Content does not generate stories in News Feeds of those who "like" the page. Content on this page is indexed by search engines. As is stands right now, once the Community Page becomes very popular (a certain number of fans), it will become a community administered page which means everyone will have the ability to post on the page.
   
3. Official Page - Created and maintained by authorized representative of a business, brand, celebrity or organization. Content is created by authorized user and it generates stories in News Feeds of those who "like" the page. Content on this page is indexed by search engines.

So the idea that Facebook is trying to get across through this change is that Group Pages are for interaction about specific subjects, Community Pages provide information about specific topics from Wikipedia (and potentially other sources) and Official Pages provide professional content from a business, brand, celebrity or organization.

In considering what this means for your social marketing plans, I suggest taking the wait and see approach for now. Things are literally changing by the minute as these new updates work through the Facebook system. Don't panic just yet about the impact of Community Pages but also, don't bury your head in the sand.

Who's On Facebook?

Remember the great comedy routine, "Who's On First?". The hilarious and ambiguous skit by Abbot and Costello left you wondering who really was on first. And many people are asking the same question these days about Facebook - who is on there and what does that mean to me?

Well the answers are easier to find and decipher than those in the comedy routine. Facebook tracks that information themselves and provides the details through their Social Ads Platform. And here are some interesting details, taken right from those statistics :

1. The largest number of U.S. users on Facebook are ages 35-54 years old - that is 29% of the user base.


2. The largest increase in users came in the 55+ age group - up 922% since 2009. That turns out to be over 8.8 million new Facebook members over the age of 55 in the last year.


3. During 2010, Facebook grew to over 103 million users in the U.S. That is up 144% from 2009.
   

So what does that mean to businesses trying to get the most out of the social networking site? It tells us that Facebook is still growing - at an impressive rate. And that growth continues to represent an excellent opportunity for marketing - so it is worth the time and effort to use it as a part of any marketing campaign.

It also tells us that the use of Facebook is not as lop-sided as it once was. Even over the last year, Facebook has morphed into a place for those over the age of 25 to connect, discuss and develop business. Before that, it was often assumed it was a phenomenon for those under 25. The new reality is that the middle age demographic is engaged in the social networking community.

So now that you know who is on Facebook, use the information to tailor the social networking portion of your marketing. And if your business has not started working with social networking, maybe now is a good time.

The Time Is Now To Address Social Media

Well, like it or not, social media is not going away. With users increasing daily, small businesses need to realize the fact that social media is here to stay. However, with the continued development of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other web tools, there is an unprecedented opportunity for small business to take advantage of low-cost and even no-cost marketing tools. Now is the time for small business to address social media.

Recent surveys have found the majority of small businesses are not taking advantage of social media - either from lack of understanding or lack of time. It is a tough spot to be in but the benefits are clear - direct communication with your target market equals an increased potential for sales.

A simple way to get started is to begin in one place - start with just one of the social media platforms. Learn what you can, enlist help from others you know, read articles and jump in. Keep in mind the purpose of social media is to build relationships with others. As a business, your goal is to build a network of connections that mean something to your company...and even more importantly, you want to offer valuable information about your business to your connections.

Free promotion is truly priceless. So now is the time for small business to get on the social media bandwagon and take their marketing message to whole new level - all for little or no-cost. Now that is a strategy you just can't beat and one that should be implemented sooner rather than later!