Small Business Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Social’

Does that sound like a business launch model or in any case a way how to start business? Does it sound more like a teenagers after school hobby.

If this is unusual but still it is one of to-days best ways to reach big amount of targeted target group and to launch the business with the means of viral marketing and with very low costs. If done right, the efficiency is quaranteed, because the social networking sites are very popular.

The idea is to hunt for discussion groups that focus on the business topic you have, starting chats and covertly creating hype for your clients.

Many companies are paying good money to college students for doing this, which is the sign that this kind of word of mouth marketing works. It has become a serious medium and thanks to the popularity and newness, it offers a great way how to start business straight in the right way.

The Internet metrics company com.Score reported that in June 2007 Facebook had over 52 million visitors and the rival MySpace over 114 million. The market consists over 300 social networking sites. So no doupt, the audience is there and it leaves you a challence how to start business and to draw their attention.

Those companies,which have hired an army of students to chat on behalf of themselves will meet serious backlash, if the other users will find out this.Other companies try to market their products by recruiting people for using blogs, chat rooms and social sites, who then mention the product in the copy as if it would be their own, honest opinion. These campaigns do not raise the image of these mediums and can lead to the situation, where the site become inflated.

Transparency has its problems, since most people on social networks will ignore or complain about businesses that attempt to join in. There is also concern that, as commercially minded users flood the sites, it will create an air of suspicion. It does start to get people more skeptical about things because then they have to ask, are you getting paid for this?

One dangerous feature is linked with the social networking sites. Their users are young people, who are constantly looking for the next big thing, which will shorten the lifespan of the popular sites and the whole industry.

So the long term success of these sites depends on their ability to keep the interests of their users. This requires a lot of developement because this industry shouts fresness. One of the future success factor is most obviously the technological improvements, which lift or kill some of these sites.So the question is, who will invent the next big thing? Well, it is already here and coming. It operates through mobile phones.

Facebook sees the future more as an information producer for the users rather than as a pure chat room.

So it has realized that chatting has very little value for the chatters and will invest more into real value producing things.

Social networking sites get a part of their revenue by selling advertising space, i.e. banner and text ads to their clients.

For a private entrepreneur these sites work best, when used in a personal way, like a personal blog. The posting style should be from me to you and honest. My opinion is that an enthusiastic and active presentations work best and the straight advertising should be avoided.

If you are a book author who wants potential readers to find you on the internet, you want to be as visible as possible in places that those readers might be. And in almost every social media place that you sign up for – such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – you are given the opportunity to write a profile about yourself.

What should these profiles say to effectively attract potential readers?

Twitter Has Only 160 Characters for Your Bio Info

Let’s start with Twitter with 160 characters max for your bio. Obviously you are going to put that you are a book author (perhaps fiction or nonfiction) and presumably you will have a book website URL for the “more info URL” field in your profile. What else are you going to say in those 160 characters? That depends.

Do you have a business besides being a book author? If so, you may want to put info about that business in your bio. Or is there a particular hook about your book that you want to get across in your bio? Perhaps your book is a novel based on a true story.

Your goal in the brief Twitter bio is to make yourself interesting enough (although all true) that people can find “connections” to you and want to follow you.

This means that you must not leave this bio blank. If you want people to follow you on Twitter, you have to be willing to share about yourself.

And remember that you can change this info easily. For example, if your book wins an award, you should consider changing your Twitter bio to reflect that award. Revisit your bio every couple of months to ensure that it presents the most up-to-date version of yourself.

Facebook Has Much More Space for Bio Info

Now let’s move on to Facebook, which has a longer bio section under info on your profile page with the ability to include as many of your own website URLs as you want.

Now here’s the often-overlooked extra of Facebook:

You can have a very brief bio section under your photo that people can see when visiting your wall page as well as your info page. This is a golden opportunity to get the most important points across in a very short space. Because, honestly, how many people are going to read all those long entries on your info page? (And for the long entries, do use lists instead of long, dense paragraphs.)

Take advantage of this brief, easy-to-read bio with the info you most want to share with your Facebook friends. Note that this may not necessarily be the same as the info you choose to share with your Twitter followers, even though in both cases you want to emphasize that you are a book author. And, again, update this brief Facebook bio every couple of months.

LinkedIn Has Its Own Peculiarities

Now for the third social networking site – LinkedIn. This site gives you a very brief space to put a few words under your photo along with the opportunity to provide a brief summary of your business. Book authors should take advantage of both places to convey their most important information. Then the rest of the profile info on LinkedIn is more job and career-oriented.

There is one important “trick.” LinkedIn only allows three website links. But don’t click on “My Company” or “My Website” or “My Blog” before putting in the links. Click on “Other” in each case. Then to the right of “Other” put descriptive words such as “Book Blog” or “Book Site.” You want potential readers to know they can find out about your book(s) at your sites.

As with your other social media profiles, revisit your LinkedIn profile info every so often to ensure that the info is up to date.

In conclusion, don’t make the mistake of thinking that these profiles are unimportant and thus you dash off writing the info. These profiles provide the information that helps make you interesting to potential readers. Spend as much time writing and revising these social media profiles as you would spend writing and revising any paragraph or page in your novel or nonfiction book.

What Do You Want From Them, Inc. (WDYWFT) recently released a social networking tool for companies and young business managers: An online community that enables businesses to engage up-and-coming personnel, build relationships with recruits, and deliver an effective communication channel that harnesses current technology and cultural trends.

In today’s economy, young managers, typically 18 to 35 years old, often supervise employees who are much older than them. In response to this need for strong leadership at an early age, WDYWFT helps young managers learn subtle managerial skills, talk openly about potential shortcomings, and develop self-improvement methods. The WDYWFT name originated from a need to identify the source of the problem before taking appropriate actions.

From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies across all industries, the WDYWFT platform allows a business to create its own web page within whatdoyouwantfromthem[dot]com. Young managers can then access the private site for communication forums, social networking, mentoring, support, and various types of guidance. Issues covered include career advancement, conflict resolution, motivation techniques, and a host of other strategies that foster professional growth and maturity. For businesses, the benefits of the WDWYFT platform can include stronger training programs and lower employee turnover. Furthermore, WDYWFT provides a controlled environment that mitigates the distractions of more open social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

“We are very excited to bring this platform and online community to young managers across the country,” noted Anna Smith, Principal of WDYWFT. “By providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas and helpful advice, we hope to equip the next generation of business leaders with the support and inspiration they need to succeed. We have the potential to create a sea change in how young managers are cultivated for growth,” she added.

Site members can create profiles, search for and connect with fellow members, blog, write forum posts, seek advice, contribute to a wiki-enabled dictionary, search job openings, and much more. Other site tools include mass email, e-newsletters, and messaging systems that enhance communication with, and among, community members.

WDYWFT also features special interest groups. For example, members can connect with other young managers in healthcare, marketing, restaurant & foodservice, retail, and a wide range of other industries. Members also can connect via geographic, age-related, and other commonalities.

What Do You Want From Them, Inc., was founded in October 2009 as a Delaware S-Corporation and has an office in Charlotte, NC.

Most recent developments: WDYWFT is proud to present its latest video – “Training new managers.”

The plot:

* Scenario 1: new managers are not being challenged enough at work and change jobs often (due to lack of suitable training)

* Scenario 2: quickly promoted managers may lack emotional competencies that would enable them to be effectively part of a team and create organizational change.