A client of mine, who shall remain nameless, just told me Twitter is being referred to as the "Digital Macarena." The implication being "Twitter is a trendy now but won't be around for long." So, first of all, I happen to like the Macarena – and I'm in good company, as a quick spin over to Wikipedia will tell you it is number five on Billboard's 100 All-Time Top Songs, as in OF ALL TIME. And, we should all be so lucky and become billionaires creating the next Macarena. Regardless, the insinuation, by people who do not visit the dance clubs I visit, is Twitter is fad and will soon fade away.
Doubt it.
For SMBs, it does beg the question though. What should you do about social media platforms like Twitter?
Let's start with some man-on-the-street definitions. When the majority of folks you talk to say 'social media', they are referring to either a blog which they write themselves, or follow closely, or to one or all of the following websites:
- MySpace
- Bebo
- Orkut
- Flickr
- YouTube
If these sites are unfamiliar to you, don't sweat it, I'll explain at the bottom of the page **, but in the meantime … let's focus on blogs, LinkedIn and especially Twitter, which tend to be the most useful in business, if you are in the business of running a business.
Blogs are not going away. They are a tremendous way for a business owner/operator to communicate in a very personal and informal way with customers, employees, suppliers and anyone else who might care about the firm.
LinkedIn is not going away. It is by far the most popular and well developed social network for professionals, in a career context. It's an excellent way to find folks in your industry, source potential employees, join groups to learn more about a subject area, and keep others informed of your career status.
And Twitter is not going away. Sure, eventually people will tire of reading banal posts about how someone they are following is "going to lunch". But, as my friend Jordan Banks recently pointed out, it is quickly becoming a source of breaking news. Last week I wanted up-to-the-minute details from the Coyotes court case, and sure enough a Toronto reporter on Twitter had a Tweet out within ten minutes of the judge's call for a recess, long before any of the conventional news websites (like CNN.com) I was checking regularly had a headline up.
Twitter is a great place to release company news, and also to build personal profile.
So, if you are thinking about getting into the social media game, or if you have dabbled and experimented in this space and want to get more serious, here are three simple rules:
- Focus, and be present
- Don't advertise, philosophize
- Be realistic
What do I mean by that? This is what I mean…
1. Focus, and be present
I'm cheating. This is a two-for-one rule deal. Focus means pick one or two platforms, and really try to make the most of the opportunities these platforms offer up. Be present means you can't dabble here. You have to take your presence seriously and be active in the platform. For example, if you choose Twitter, you can't post once a week and hope to reap the rewards. You need to post often enough (once a day or better) to be taken seriously and build profile.
If you have a deep presence, you will attract folks who want to know what you have to say.
2. Don't advertise, philosophize
This would be the most important rule. It's not first, because you do have to have a presence and know what you are doing before you can optimize, but the right approach is critical. There's a reason these utilities are called social media platforms, not digital advertising platforms. You should approach blogs, LinkedIn and Twitter as tremendous tools to build your personal profile, and not as great places to try to sell your firm's wares.
Here are two things we know about SMBs:
- Whether we are talking about professional services firms (lawyers or bankers or accountants, etc.) or small production firms (manufacturing or baking, etc.), a huge proportion of small businesses sell based on the reputation and profile of the owner/partner more so than on the reputation of the product/service itself
- SMBs are not typically hip to the jive of using social media optimally.
What does this mean? It means instead of putting up a firm page, or opening a company account/alias, you should sign up as yourself – as the owner/president/circus ringleader. It means don't talk about your company much, but instead say something interesting. It means posting information or thoughts which bring value to those who read your profile, or regularly check your blog, or who follow you on Twitter. Be relevant to your audience, and be conscious of the personal brand you are building based on what you talk about (and don't talk about) in terms of subject matter and content, and how you talk about it (and don't talk about it) in terms of tone and language.
If you build up your own personal profile through any of these platforms, in a consistent and thoughtful way, your phone will eventually start to ring off the hook.
3. Be realistic
Don't expect your business to jump 15 per cent in the first month. This is a longer-term play. And the success might be indirect. For example, your genius comments posted on Twitter might garner you a conference speaking engagement before they generate a purchase order. That's okay. That conference is a great biz dev opportunity for you and that's where you'll get the sale.
If you calm down and don't think of social media platforms in terms of traditional ROI, your cardiologist will thank you and you'll see the rewards in the end.
No matter what kind of business you are running, if you don't have a social media presence, you are behind. You can't afford to say things like "I don't understand this newfangled stuff" or "it doesn't apply in my industry" any more. Find someone in your firm, or call your 14-year old niece, and get on with it.
Last thought here. For those of you thinking "I'm so tired of keeping my status up to date on two or three (or more) platforms," there is a solution. It is called Ping. Ping will populate all your status updates for you on all your platforms, in one shot. Check out ping.fm on the world wide interweb. It's cool, but not as cool as the Macarena.
Now on to some regular business…
SMB stat of the month
A group of Canadian small businesses called "Stop Sticking It To Us" is attempting to fight credit card companies over what they perceive to be rising fees – fees which they feel compelled to pass on to consumers in order to protect their own thin margins. A federal hearing in Ottawa is looking into fees.
Secret behaviours of SMB decision-makers (for Enterprise executives sneaking a peek here)
Sometimes SMB owner/operators make emotional decisions. This is a horrendous piece of news if you are putting together a structured, predictive-based process to sell to SMBs. But take heart. There is a lot of data suggesting relationship-with-sales-rep is in the top three buying criteria for SMB purchase decision makers. And that rep can help the SMB owner sort through the emotional decision, and still win the business.
*Notes on social media platforms listed above
Facebook and MySpace tend to be used more for social utility (connecting and maintaining communication with friends, organizing social events, etc.) and by particular communities (like the grassroots music community, which relies heavily on MySpace for organization and exposure). Bebo and Orkut are a lot like Facebook, but more popular in other markets (like the UK, and Brazil, respectively). LinkedIn is work/career oriented and populated heavily by professionals of all makes and sizes, looking to build a virtual business network. Flickr is a photo sharing community. YouTube is a video sharing community. And Twitter is technically a "micro blog," or place where you can post one line of text/one thought at a time. The commonality between blogs and among these sites is: a) the content is all generated by the users of the blogs/sites themselves (user-generated content, or UGC), and b) each is a means of expressing thoughts/ideas and other media (photos, website links) with others.
Mark Healy, P.Eng, MBA is a Partner at Torque Customer Strategy, a boutique consultancy focused on customer experience, innovation and go-to-market strategy. Mark has completed over one hundred engagements in this new space over the last four years. He is a regular speaker and media contributor on topics ranging from marketing to managing professional service firms. Mark is known as much for his aggressive sense of personal style as he is for intense and engaging conversations. He lives with his wife Charlotte and their bulldog McDuff in Toronto. His full bio can be found at www.torquecustomerstrategy.com .
Mark Healy