No Time for Social Media? Make time!

by admin on February 8, 2010

time

One of the most common reasons I hear for not using social media is lack of time.  I absolutely understand this.  Especially as a small business owner!  You are super busy, doing just about everything, and the thought of figuring out one more thing is just too overwhelming!  But, I also think you can’t ignore what social media can do for your business.  And the fact that social media is completely changing the way we do business online!  The tools may change, but being social online isn’t going anywhere.  So, what are you to do – I say make time for social media.

Start by choosing one social network to begin using.  Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, YouTube, a niche site, a forum, a blog – just pick one.

Commit to using that one social network.  Fit time into your day to spend time on the site – listening, learning, interacting.  Schedule in the time everyday!  Whether it is in the morning with your coffee, during your lunch, in the afternoon.  Find the time and commit to it every day!

Listen and Learn from others.  Pay attention to how others use the site.  Read what they are talking about.  Comment, connect, interact with people there. Create your own content and share.  Don’t just jump in and start bombarding people.  Take it slow, and use it as a learning process.

Once you have spent some time getting up to speed with your first social network, join others.  The same general rules apply to every tool – be real, be authentic, be helpful, be caring, and build relationships.  So once you have gotten the hang of one of the sites, you can take that knowledge and apply it to the others. Although, each social network or group has their own set of rules, so don’t forget to listen first whenever you join a new network.

Then, once you have spent some time on a few of the sites, you can determine what social networking tools will be most beneficial for your business.  And focus your efforts there.  But, you have to start somewhere, and waiting until you have the time means you never will.  Just take it slow and work social media into your current marketing – see where it takes you!

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Interesting Reads this Week

by admin on February 6, 2010

I read a lot of blogs.  There is so much information out there, and I find new and interesting blogs every day.  I will be sharing some of the best articles and blog posts that I have read each week on Friday.  So, here we go…

Framing Your Social Media Efforts by Chris Brogan – Great post that breaks down the basics of social media.

Could Your Blog be Ruining Your Business by James Chartrand – Reminder that when blogging for your business, that you need to make it easy and obvious to actually do business with you!

11 Mind-Blowing Reasons Your Company Needs Facebook by Jay Baer – more reasons to love Facebook for your business.

14 Mistakes Many Business Bloggers Make by Denise Wakeman - another business blogging post – very useful information!

I hope you get as much helpful information from these posts as I did!

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Promoting your Facebook Fan Page

February 3, 2010

You have created this great Facebook Fan Page and have loads of useful information to share, now where are the fans? Well, it isn’t really like Field of Dreams –  if you build it, the fans may not come.   With Fan pages, you have to promote your page, especially in the beginning, to [...]

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Customizing your Facebook Fan Page

January 28, 2010

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I am on a little Facebook kick.  People are spending a lot of time on Facebook and the site is growing very quickly.   With the amount of traffic Facebook receives, it makes sense for businesses to start participating on the site.  Once you have set the basics up [...]

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Twitter Adds Local Trending Topics

January 27, 2010

Yesterday, Twitter added a feature that allows you to choose a specific location for your trending topics.  So, instead of seeing what is trending globally, you can look at just the United States or just the San Francisco area.  I think it is pretty cool to see how the trends are a little different depending [...]

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Getting Started with Facebook Fan Pages

January 25, 2010

I attended a great webinar today on using Facebook for small business.  (It was put on by Duct Tape Marketing) I definitely learned a bunch and it got me thinking about Facebook.  So, Facebook will be the topic of my next few posts.
So, lets start with the statistics you can find this information at Facebook Statistics

Facebook [...]

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Let your Personality Shine through Social Media

January 20, 2010

One of the things I love the most about social media is the fact that authenticity is supported and encouraged.  Social media tools are really designed to let you share your life, who you are, and your business.  They allow you be a real, 3 dimensional person online and this has tremendous value.
Going back to the fact [...]

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Real Estate Agents, Relationships, and Social Media

January 14, 2010

The way I see it is choosing a real estate agent is a lot about relationship.  So, put yourself in the position of your ideal client.  Buying or selling a home is a huge process.  It is life changing.  It is the biggest purchase you will ever make.  It is a big decision.  You are [...]

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Why Real Estate Agents Have to Use Social Media

January 11, 2010

OK, so you are a busy real estate agent, running around showing houses, dealing with clients and lenders and appraisers.  And now you are supposed to learn all of these new sites, figure out what social media is and even write blog posts?  Who has the time?  And what is the point?  I completely understand [...]

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How a Virtual Assistant Can Help with Your Business Blog

November 18, 2009

1. Blog Set-up – A blog virtual assistant can get your blog set-up on your domain, and customized for your business.  She can keep it up to date and current.  As well as, add and customize plugins.
2. Keyword Research – keywords are very important for your blog.  Optimizing your post for certain words helps [...]

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