Social Media | Briscoe Network Solutions

Corey’s Corner | How is your Social Media PR?

February 24, 2011 By CoreyY Leave a Comment

The BNS blog has been following how businesses can harness the power of social media for several months now. From deciding if hiring a social media expert is worth the cash, to finding all the social media sites that fit your advertising needs, we’ve presented a fairly broad view on how social media can benefit a business, and why it could be smart to get on the bandwagon now.

We haven’t touched on one thing, however. So far, we haven’t written about the darker side of social media, something that every business engaging on Facebook, Twitter or any other number of sites should be aware, and frankly, fearful of. That darker side is that of viral backlash, where one large misstep can turn from a public relations blunder to a death spiral for any company, big or small.

Despite how casual social media is, it’s still PR at it’s best. You interact with customers, inform them of sales, and build a thriving online community you can tap into with the click of a mouse. It’s easy to forget these are your customers, and that despite how close and transparent you want to be with them, what they really want is a company they can trust. They don’t want brutal honestly from you, they want a warm and slightly perfect company interaction with you.

So imagine, for a moment, that in a stroke of supposed brilliance, one of the people managing your Facebook or Twitter decides to take advantage of an international political revolution that millions are following with bated breath. Let’s also say that the person managed in 140 characters to reduce the unrest of an entire country to consumers eager for their product. Heck, let’s just say that you’re Kenneth Cole, and you do what he did earlier this month with the #Cairo Twitter hashtag.

According to the above linked TechCrunch article, this PR flub by the front man himself resulted in almost 1500 negative retweets an hour. In this case, the result was angry, negative, immediate, and fast spreading. With so many people utilizing their social media groups or using spoof accounts to further fan the flames, what could have been a very small news story maybe sandwiched in the national news section of the local broadcast at 11 at night about 10 years ago, this incident became a huge PR nightmare in the span of mere hours.

Now, taking a step back from a large company such as Kenneth Cole and looking at your business, do you trust the person taking care of your social media? Gone are the days where one surly employee was only a small problem. With the advent of review sites like Yelp, or fast ways to spread information such as social media sites or even search engines using online reviews like Google to help searchers, your businesses’ dirty laundry could be hung out to air for anyone searching for your company name or trying to compare your services with that of your competitors.

While you may want to laugh off the Kenneth Cole tweeting fiasco as a minor blip on the consumer radar and that it surely didn’t damage their brand, think on this: social media means more people asking the opinions of people they know. All it takes is a handful of people to be absolutely disgusted with your company to warn all of their entire friends cirlce away from ever doing business with you. Then, those friends will spread the story of your deeds onward to their friends as well. It doesn’t, at that point, even matter if what is being spread is absolute truth. Those complaints spread with the alacrity of a rumor in high school. That’s not even the worst part! Once something is on the internet, it has the potential to be around forever. Thus, I caution businesses with the same adage being given to socially driven teenagers the world over at the moment: Be mindful what you put on the internet, because it could come back and haunt you in perpetuity.

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Filed Under: Blog, Corey's Corner Tagged With: Corey's Corner, Social Media

Corey’s Corner | Social Media Experts?

October 21, 2010 By CoreyY 1 Comment

It never fails. Every time a new internet sensation pops up, a wave of people claiming to be specialists appear to take your money and somehow monetize the craze, no matter how inappropriate the new service/program/good is. When it comes to the internet, this is exacerbated by the ease with which people can disseminate incorrect information, and of course, by how fast a new site or fad can change from one month to the next.

Social networking is no exception from this. More and more, I see more people touting themselves as “social media specialists”, ready to tell potential customers that Facebook is the new Google, and can make them millions if only they let this person have access to their business and pay a hefty service fee. Now, this isn’t to say there aren’t individuals who have the marketing knowledge to leverage your Facebook to help your website and other online operations gain more business. It can be done, but there are a few things you need to watch out for before opening your pocketbook.

1. If they sound like they aren’t making sense, they probably aren’t. Just like any scammer, some people can and will say anything to try and get you to give them money for a “service” they can provide to you. If it sounds like they’re all buzzwords and no substance, they probably are.

2. Their price seems pretty high for the services they claim they are offering. Honestly, if they can’t break down what they’re charging you for and why, why would you give them money? Any specialist soliciting your business should be able to explain the benefits of their services, how they feel they can generate more customers for you and then give examples from the real world on how what they are claiming can be done.

3. They guarantee results. While it’s tempting to go with a “sure thing”, the internet rarely offers any kind of surety where marketing is involved. Unless you’re paying a service directly for results, you can’t be sure about what you’re getting. (ie: Paying Facebook or Twitter for the results, not a third party claiming they can advocate for you.) Just as an organic search optimization can’t guarantee your the #1 spot on Google, a social networking specialist can’t guarantee that 50,000 people will “Like” your page on Facebook and bring you money. They can give you their tailored strategy to show how they will work to get you more business, but the keyword here is more. Exact numbers are a dangerous game to play with internet results, and specialists all too often use shortcuts that can get your site flagged at a later date by the very sites they optimized for. By the time you’ve been penalized for their methods, that specialist is long gone with your money.

5. They use buzzwords and make outrageous claims while trying to earn your business. I can honestly say that if I hear “Search is Dead” one more time, I won’t be able to stop screaming. While Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites are excellent ways to disseminate information, they are tools to be used lightly and appropriately. They will never replace a customer’s need for a search engine, and can only marginally influence their spending trends. Can you use them in a way that gets you more business? Of course!

This would be a pretty poor article if I didn’t give you a few pointers on how to make your Facebook fan page or Twitter do some heavy lifting for your marketing plans. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while updating your respective social networking accounts:

1. Think about what you’re posting. While this may seem like a simplistic piece of advice, I see countless updates by clients that obviously have no idea how people use Facebook. Social media is best suited to spreading information about sales, new services and deals. It can also help with giving your customers reminders about special events or celebrations. For instance, I’ve seen some car dealerships offer a Facebook service special that could be applied to an oil change. I’ve also seen a massage company advertise specials for their Facebook friends only. All can gain you new business.

2. Be creative! Your product or services may not be an easy fit for social media marketing. Try to keep any sales text succinct, to the point and energetic. For example, if you’re a clothing shop with a sale on say, sweaters for the Fall season, a good Facebook update could be: “Brrr! It’s chilly out there! Don’t suffer at the bus stop, come in and save 20% on all sweaters, through Friday at Sammy’s Sweater Emporium.” The point is to grab attention as quickly as possible, deliver a short message, and then end it before you lose your audience. They have other Facebook updates to read, after all.

3. Try to make a connection. It’s easy to de-friend or remove a page on Facebook. It’s even easier to hide updates from a certain user. The trick is to try to make a connection with your audience without clogging their news feed with countless updates they aren’t interested in. Red Mango is an excellent example of a company that updates their Facebook fans while still keeping everyone interested. They encourage customers to prove their love for their frozen yogurt by sending in pictures, showcase new flavors or poll customers to see what they want to see next on their menu.

4. Keep things updated! Another common sense bit of advice that is much harder to follow than is apparent. Social networking is hard work, and can be time consuming to do properly. It isn’t something that can be done halfheartedly, or you run the risk of losing your audience through inactivity. Make sure there’s a little something for your Facebook fans on a regular basis, or even better, update the same time every week if appropriate.

5. Have a plan. Just like your website, your social networking accounts should have a clear goal along with a plan on how to reach that goal. If your goal is to gain 50 more fans by next week, how are you going to manage that? What kind of marketing are you willing to do? How will you encourage your current fans to bring in their friends? If you stop and ask the simple questions before you go on a Tweeting or updating frenzy, you’ll be in a much better place to handle your social networking efforts and turn that time into new business for your operation.

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Filed Under: Blog, Corey's Corner Tagged With: Corey's Corner, small business, Social Media

Corey’s Corner: I Have a Website, Now What?

April 30, 2010 By CoreyY Leave a Comment

So you’ve taken the plunge and created a website. Now what? Never fear, you’re not alone when it comes to not knowing the next step of internet marketing. My next series of blog posts should help get your mind going in the right direction as well as provide a few resources for you to lean on.

The first thing you should know about internet marketing is that it has very little to do with traditional marketing. This isn’t Valpak or your local newspaper. It’s the world wide internet, and it takes a different thought process to reach your target audience. One of the biggest mental block’s I’ve experienced working with my clients is the jump from a relatively captive audience to being forced to lure in your potential customers. Not only do you need to offer a valuable service, you need to offer it the right way with the right content and vehicle to capture your target demographic.

Step 1: Figure out who you want to target with your website. Everyone wants more sales, but who buys your products? What do you think you would be looking for online if you needed your own services? How would you look for your services? Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes is an excellent way to formulate a plan.

Step 2: Form a cohesive plan. You need to know what your expectations concerning your website are, and then you need to ask yourself what you need to accomplish those goals. This could require the hiring of outside professionals to fill in your knowledge or skill gaps, but we’ll talk about that later. Right now, you’re planning, and hopefully budgeting, for your website.

Another part of the plan is to figure out how your website will connect with your business. Is it meant to be your one and only way to get customers? Do you just want it so customers can see what your brick and mortar store offers? Perhaps you just want to have a web presence for now, and only want to post basic information and contact information. All of these are viable uses of a website, and can help your business. You just need to choose which is right for you, and build your plan around your needs. (Remember, the best part about having something on the internet is that it’s easy to change! Your website can always be updated to change with your needs.)

Step 3: Educate yourself! While it can be frustrating and uncomfortable to acknowledge that you don’t know anything or very little about creating a website, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t know what SEO, Paid Search or Local Search are? Research! Wikipedia can be an excellent resource, as can technical blogs and many other internet resources. In addition to Wikipedia, Google Webmaster Tools has a set of guidelines that are good to know. As they are dense and in what I lovingly call “netspeak”, I do recommend Feedthebot.com, where the guidelines are explained in a more friendly manner. Still confused about what some of the information means? Run unfamiliar words through an online tech dictionary.

I know it sounds and feels a little like researching a paper, but trust me, the better informed you are about the internet, websites and internet marketing, the better off you’ll be. Even if you only know the basics of what some things are and want to hire a professional to take care of it, knowing a little protects you from obvious swindlers that try to trick the unsavvy with doublespeak and buzz words. Avoiding even one of these can save you loads of money and keeps you free to find a good specialist to help you manage your site.

I understand that this post only covers the rudimentary basics of managing your website. See it as a way to readjust your thinking on what this new website is and what it can do for you. There’s a very fine line between taking up real estate on the internet and having a useful, revenue-producing website, and walking that line takes dedication and passion. As long as you care about your internet presence and are willing to put the time in to keeping your website up to date, you’ll do fine.

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