“Give a man a fish…feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish…feed him for a lifetime.”
Well that’s our mantra these days when businesses approach us looking for social media help in Kansas City. View the video below to get a feel for how we simplify the social media strategy process and help Kansas City businesses catch their ideal fish.
July 1st Update – Just noticed that NBC Action News has revamped their video player and older videos are no longer supported. The transcript of the video is still provided on their website.
Original Post:
I must be doing something right…NBC Action News keeps calling. Here’s another interview from Tuesday (3/23) morning’s newscast on Twitter etiquette and a few best practices to remember.
Quick Summary:
Google, your boss and God can see everything you do on social media.
Leading with the hard sell or being overly self promotional is a significant turn off. Don’t be that guy.
Know that your competitors are probably monitoring your activity. Don’t tip them off.
July 1st Update – Just noticed that NBC Action News has revamped their video player and older videos are no longer supported. The transcript of the video is still provided on their website.
Original Post:
Despite community outreach efforts to locate a serial rapist in the Waldo area of Kansas City, MO, it’s unfortunate that some people have the audacity to push false information into the social realms, which has created a false sense of hope within the Waldo community.
Unlike journalists who are ethically required to back up their stories with facts, the general public has free reign to post content (fact or fiction) through blogs, social networking sites and other online forums. This content is then viewed by both interested searchers and search engines, who spread and index the news through their normal channels. In most cases, accuracy is “assumed”. But you never know when there might be a bad apple in the bunch.
During a presentation on “Social Media for the Creative Soul” for the Freelance Exchange of Kansas City, Brody Dorland of Something Creative, Inc. tackles six misconceptions that often deter marketers and business owners from dipping their toes into social media ponds.
An article I wrote on social media for small business was recently published in the April 2009 issue of the Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine. Click the image or link below to view/read the full article.
If you would like assistant developing and/or implementing a social media strategy for your business, please call 913-440-9930 or complete our contact form.
Have you ever been given the responsibility of designing/developing a new marketing piece (website, brochure, etc.) only to have your design or content ideas trampled by an upper-level executive who really has no clue? That’s a HiPPO, the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion.
As a website developer, I tend to run into HiPPOs a lot. And unfortunately, there are a lot of bad websites out there that have been designed based solely on the siloed, subjective opinions of upper-level management. I know the same can be said for logo and print designs as well. Ask any graphic designer and I’d bet they have a slew of designs that their clients “should have chosen”…But I digress.
Video is the fastest-growing form of marketing on the Web. eMarketer estimates that in the next four years marketers’ spending on online video advertising will reach $4.6 billion, more than seven times the amount spent in 2008. And no wonder. Video lets you demonstrate your idea — with action, with humor, with the credibility of a great presenter. Ask yourself: Which would you rather do? Read 5-6 more paragraphs? Or watch a 90-second video that visually explains the topic?
Just in the last two months, I’ve engaged in six video projects with my clients. When you take a minute to think about your business from a video perspective, there is so much sitting right under your noses. For instance, I encouraged a real estate client to do a quick YouTube search on “olathe real estate”. From the quality of the resulting videos, my client was quickly encouraged to undertake his own video effort.
I was able to record a recent presentation that I gave on social media, but the camera work, lighting and sound isn’t great, so here’s just the introduction so you can get a taste of the content.
Let me also set up the clip a little… I start the presentation by asking one of the audience members (Lance Tomlin) to be the “guinea pig” and provide some details about his company, including several “buzz words” or keywords that might relate to his products/services when used in a social situation or conversation.
Recently I was approached by a friend to provide an estimate on a new website for his company. During our initial discussions, we talked about his company’s strategic goals, their audiences and the markets in which they serve. Also during our discussion, he mentioned the fact that his boss, the owner of the company, was not necessarily sold on the need to invest much money on the website since referrals are really their primary focus for generating new business.
As the owner of a referral-based small business myself, I certainly understand the notion that making a significant investment in something that may not bring a return might not be a smart move. But as a website developer, I have also seen first hand how a solid website can be the soft-selling opportunity that gives prospects the confidence to pick up the phone and call you.
Sales & Marketing Are a Lot Like Dating
I find it funny how sales and marketing can be a lot like dating. As a confident guy, you feel like you have a lot to offer a girl and most of the time, when in social situations, you can get her digits, which may or may not lead to something. But she hears good things about you from her friends, so she decides to take the next step and try out your goods (bare with me here people).
But what happens when a nice girl, who has just moved into the area and doesn’t know a lot of people, starts her search on the web? She’s busy with her new job and doesn’t really make it out to the social scene. Other than the web, she really has no way of knowing you exist and might just be her soul mate.
So she starts her search and finds a lot to choose from. There are big guys, little guys, and cute guys with lots of flash, but not much substance. She’s determined to find the right guy that “completes her”, but since you didn’t make a proper investment in your website, this match made in heaven may never happen.
There are a few key points within this analogy that I’d like to drive home…
You Can’t Be Everywhere at Once – While your personal networking efforts may always be your number one new business generator, you can’t be everywhere at once. Business growth really starts ramping up when you can duplicate your presence (your brand and your message) in many different, targeted mediums.
Search Engine Optimization/Internet Marketing – The internet is the first place people go to source products and services. And search engines are the driver. Period. In order to capitalize on these buying opportunities, search engine optimization and internet marketing strategies should play an ever-increasing role in your marketing efforts.
Perceived Value – First impressions are everything. If your site’s design and organization are subpar, your company will be perceived as the same, subpar. A proper investment in your website design and website architecture will go along way in raising the perceived value of your company.
Content Expectations – Every time a new visitor stumbles onto your website, they are looking for something, and they expect to find it. If they don’t, they move on. A solid website is one that has been carefully engineered to quickly provide the content that your target customers will need to make a buying decision. And the most effective content is professionally written and delivered as if you were providing it in person.
All Alone on a Saturday Night
Bottom line, it doesn’t necessarily take a big investment to build a solid website that can be found on search engines. The key here is to make an appropriate investment to build a site that can help you reach your goals for business growth. Not investing enough may leave you sitting at home alone on a Saturday night waiting for the phone to ring.
What’s a HiPPO you ask?
Part 5: Got Video?
