Tag

how to use social media for business

Jan 03
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16 Reasons to Blog for your Business

By Communications
  1. Blogging makes you a better writer (thinker, speaker) by forcing you to put your thoughts about your business into shared, understandable forms.
  2. A website with a blog gets 55% more traffic than a website without a blog.
  3. You are proud of what your business does and want people to know about it. 75% of Web users read blog content.
  4. Blogging makes it easy for your customers to get to know you.
  5. Having a blog gives customers a place to give you feedback, where feedback is invited.
  6. Blogging helps create discipline; a blogging schedule or editorial calendar can help you maintain your focus.
  7. Being a blogger automatically puts you in a community of people who blog — you will be welcome at conferences, meetups and other gatherings where like-minded people congregate.
  8. By writing about your business often, you have the opportunity to refine your message to your audience, improving along the way.
  9. If you communicate using your blog often, then when there’s something urgent to communicate, your audience will know where to find the information, and in most cases, will already be paying attention.
  10. A blog can provide a look into the inner workings of the business, a chance to get to know the people behind it and what the business means to them. Blogging makes business personal.
  11. A blog is an opportunity to share what you know, to demonstrate thought leadership in your industry or about your product. Go ahead; show off.
  12. Search engines need a blog to find you. OK, that’s not strictly true but a frequently updated blog with well-written headlines, focused content and tagged entries is like crack for search engines. Go get some Google juice.
  13. Blogging is only a commitment in time; it is the most affordable way to market your services.
  14. It’s much easier than you think; and chances are, you’re already developing the blog content in e-mails, newsletters, marketing materials, etc. Get that content out on the searchable Web.
  15. It doesn’t have to be written to be a blog. For those of you intimidated by the writing, buy a webcam and just talk. Video is an excellent way to tell your story.
  16. People value information; sometimes blogs begin as a way for a business to keep the company’s team members informed. Twitter started that way — as an internal communications vehicle. Keep your team in the loop with regular blog posts.

In short, there’s no reason NOT to blog for your business. Get busy blogging.

Jan 03
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Digital Communications Plan Development Workshop

By Jaggers Communications News

*MEDIA ALERT*

For more information, contact:

Marijean Jaggers
636.485.2920
mjaggers@jaggerscommunications.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Digital Communications Plan Development Workshop

WHAT: A hands-on workshop for marketing directors and business owners. Participants will be guided through the process of developing a strategic communications plan for their business, integrating social media tools and tactics to help reach and surpass business goals. This workshop covers the creation of a plan infrastructure and the use of online tools to keep tasks efficient. Learn how to set measurable goals for social media and connect engagement to business success.

WHEN: Thursday, January 13, 2011, 9:00a.m. to noon. Fee: $200/participant.

Register online: http://jaggersplandevelopment.eventbrite.com/

WHERE: OpenSpace in The Conference Studio, 455 Second Street SE, Suite 100, Charlottesville, VA 22902, phone: 434.566.0880, http://getopenspace.com/

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About Jaggers Communications

Jaggers Communications is a strategic communications firm that provides organizations in the health care, education, manufacturing, travel and tourism industries with social media consulting, public relations support and reputation management strategy. The firm was founded in 2011 to serve businesses and nonprofits with a need for cost-effective, strategic communications with effective reach. www.jaggerscommunications.com

Jan 02
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The 6 Most Annoying Mistakes Made in Social Media

By Social Media

This is a list of six mistakes I find people and businesses making social media on a regular basis. I’ll bet you have more, so let’s keep this list going as a cautionary document for those new to engagement online.

  1. The blog that died. In 2009 the New York Times estimated that 95 percent of blogs have been abandoned. That’s sad, especially because businesses that are blogging or individuals who blog as a way to increase business are probably still churning out content in the form of advertising, marketing materials or news releases. A blog that hasn’t been updated in months is a death knell for a company.
  2. The Twitter account with no biographical information. You’re who? You do what? Even worse are the accounts with no image. Let us see your face!
  3. The blog that doesn’t allow comments. In my opinion, if it’s not a two-way conversation, it is not a blog.
  4. The automated follow, reply or repost. See Automation Sucks.
  5. The rolling tumbleweed, the sound of crickets; that is, the lack of response when someone is contacted via Twitter, Facebook, online form or e-mail. Be responsive.
  6. The unattended LinkedIn profile. Business people have a responsibility to be aware what they look like online. Completing a LinkedIn profile has to be one of the easiest steps in social networking. It’s important, because it’s searchable and represents you as a business person online. Get it up-to-date today.

Your turn! What social media/networking mistakes are like nails on a chalkboard for you?

Jan 01
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5 Ways Social Media has Worked for Me

By Social Media

I was reading my friend Ken’s post about his community and all the amazing ways the members of the community have come together to help one another.

I have a deep appreciation for the benefits I’ve received from being a part of an online community. I know how much having a broad social network has helped me develop new business and assist others to find jobs and other opportunities. I, of course, realize the benefits of being a content creator and have enjoyed the payoff in the form of friends, great working relationships and the kind of support that has lifted me up and given me confidence, fresh ideas and inspiration.

Here are five personal stories of my social media success:

  1. One of the longest-term clients I’ve had knew me first because of my personal blog (where I used to write a lot more about social media till I had this blog). She was delighted to learn that I lived and worked only a few miles away from her business. A mutual connection in our social network introduced us and the rest is history.
  2. I am very good about keeping my online social network up-to-date, entering new contacts into LinkedIn and connecting with new people I meet at conferences and networking events as soon as I can. This practice has led to speaking engagements and the introduction to new clients. I’m also pretty committed to providing recommendations to others on LinkedIn, allowing me to also receive endorsements from others with whom I’ve worked. It’s a wonderful boost to my business to have these online “testimonials” about the work I’ve done.
  3. In a wonderful mash-up of more traditional media and social media, I’ve worked with a local affiliate of three television stations as a blogging expert and social media correspondent as well as providing guidance as a consultant to the news staff of the stations. This mutually beneficial relationship has allowed me to develop relationships with a wide local audience and helped the television media use a social presence to expand their reach and build more solid relationships with their audience, a very gratifying experience indeed.
  4. On Twitter, I have met, followed and learned from many people in my industry. A few of these have included Gini Dietrich, Jay Baer and Ken Mueller. I’ve contributed guest posts to Spin Sucks and to Inkling Media’s blog, helping me increase my reach to new audiences. Not only that, but all three of these people are dear friends whom I’ve enjoyed knowing, reading and talking to often.
  5. There’s the misguided perception among the uninitiated that is that the social media active live their lives online. Those who aren’t engaged online seem to think that those who are conduct all communication via Twitter, Facebook and other online networks. What they’re missing is the moment that two people who have known one another well via an online relationship meet in person for the first time. Kismet! Joy! Bonding! A relationship cemented with a handshake or a hug. One of my favorite instances of this is when Self-Made Mom and I kept e-mailing and Instant Messaging (this was in a pre-texting era) to find one another across a room full of hundreds of other women bloggers (“I’m wearing polka dots!”) until we spotted one another and beamed the smiles of people who were already friends.

When people wonder if social media and social networking “really works” I can answer that with real stories of my own (and these are five of dozens that I have and love to share) and those of clients with whom I’ve worked.

I continue to be surprised and delighted by the connections and re-connections formed via social media, like the opportunity coming from a high school friend and another coming in from my sister’s college roommate — don’t discount the reach of your entire network. You just never know where the next opportunity will come from.

Tell me: what are some ways social media has worked for you?

Dec 29
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My Top 10 Social Media Posts of 2010

By Social Media

2010 was a great year for social media inspiration, with no shortage of great topics to address and questions to answer. Here are the top ten posts from this blog throughout the year:

  1. Time vs. Newsweek and the Demise of the English Language in which I freak out over the misuse of peak (peek!).
  2. Twitter: Why We Care What you Had for Breakfast I recognize that there are people who still don’t “get” Twitter (while only an estimated 8 percent of the population uses it, 100 percent knows what it is — this validated by the “Mom Index” which is determined by my mom saying “I know what that is.”)  I hope this post helps people in business understand why Twitter is an important communication tool.
  3. How NOT to use LinkedIn: Three D’oh!s from a Real-Life Example In social media consulting, we don’t spend a lot of time talking about LinkedIn, taking it for granted that people know how to use one of the first business social networking tools. It is only when someone steps so far out of line that it becomes necessary to outline the offense and make sure others don’t repeat it.
  4. Five Steps BHG Real Estate III Should Take Right Now I enjoy these social media case study opportunities that pop overnight and result in people sending me links and asking me to provide my thoughts on the situation. This one was pretty shocking and I think it’s been so popular because the lessons are applicable to any crisis or communications faux pas that any company (or representative) unfortunately might make.
  5. Five Ways to Avoid a Social Media Spanking I don’t know if the term “spanking” led to additional traffic on this page, but no matter — this is helpful advice for anyone posting content on behalf of a company.
  6. But Honestly Monica, Five Things Cooks Source Should Do Right Now The Cooks Source debacle was classic — probably the best foot-in-mouth social media episode of the year. Pretty much everyone wrote about it; I couldn’t resist throwing in my two cents.
  7. 10 Things to do on Your Facebook Fan Page I’ll admit it — I think I wrote this post more for me than for you — it’s something I get asked regularly and rather than repeating myself, I share the link to this post often. Of course there’s MORE you can do on a fan page . . . and this might lead to a Part Two post in the future.
  8. Charlottesville Car Dealerships and Social Media: A Study of Four Automotive Brands This began a series of reviewing service providers in my community and their use of social media.
  9. Ambassador You: An Employee’s Role in Social Media Also the topic of a presentation I’ve given to networking groups in several locations, the Ambassador You concept continues to be relevant and valued by businesses and marketing professionals.
  10. We’re Not Really Friends: Six Ways to Balance the Personal and Professional on the Social Web The “how do you separate the personal and the professional” question is one of the most frequently asked during my speaking gigs. This post helps explain my approach.

Thank you to all of you for a great first year of blogging about social media on Change the Conversation — keep reading in 2011 and feel free to let me know if you have any questions, case studies for me to review or would like me to come speak to your company or organization.