Social Networks

Sarah Worsham / May 1, 2009

Social Media Use Case – Insights Group – Business CoWorking & Organic Marketing

Insights Group in Brighton, MI provides businesses with co-working space (office space you can use whenever) and organic marketing services (helping your business get more business). Co-founders Sandra Maki and Allan Curtis are inherently social people – Sandra is always ready with a hug. They’ve taken that knack of being social online to use social media to connect people and get the word out.

We are helping to teach small business owners how to use social media as one of the marketing strategies for their business. Social Media is the #1 choice to get started marketing a business, and to add to an already established plan. Best of all, it doesn’t cost you a thing. Just a bit of time invested. So many things are changing daily, and by having a presence on the web, and utilizing social media, incredible opportunities present themselves. So many of the people who have attended our classes are amazed by what doing a few simple things online start to do for their business. We have a member who has been in business for 16 years. She says that since coming to InSights classes and putting into place some of the things we teach, her business has more than doubled. Social media helps us connect to each other, fellow entrepreneurs and business people, and to our consumers. – Sandra Maki, Insights Group, Co-Founder

Insights is connecting people and to people by using a variety of social media, including Facebook, MeetUp, CollectiveX (for community) and regular blogging. Similar to directing an orchestra, various social media are used in concert to promote events, information and connect people. Using RSS feeds, Facebook and the Insights Community (CollectiveX) can be updated with posts from the blog. When events are scheduled, they are promoted on Facebook, Meetup and the Insights Community, with coverage on the blog. A synergy of socia media, using the strengths of each to reach the right audience, has helped Insights help businesses, and in the process, help themselves.

Being social is all about giving. Sandra and Allan help other businesses learn to use social media effectively, by teaching classes, providing insight and connecting people. They are helping local businesses reach beyond their traditional marketing efforts to increase their networking effectiveness. When you give and help people, they are more likely to recommend you. And, as most people who have met Sandra or Allan will attest, they are well worth the recommendation.

Is your Michigan business using social media effectively? Send us an email and tell us about it.

Technorati tags: social media, strategy, social media strategy, business, marketing strategy, marketing

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Sarah Worsham / Apr 30, 2009

9 Ways to Lose Business Using Twitter

Companies and inviduals alike have been flocking to Twitter. Many companies are using Twitter to enage their customers in meaningful conversations, helping with support issues and questions, and gathering feedback to improve their products and services. But some companies are just using Twitter as another broadcast medium, which can actually be harmful. When using Twitter for business here’s what you shouldn’t do:

Talk only about your company and products – Twitter is a social media for having conversations (that means two-way communication).
Ignore what people are saying about you – Twitter gives your customers a voice. Pay attention to what they’re saying.
Fail to Respond – For very large companies with many followers, it can be difficult to respond to every request, but you should try as hard as possible.
Talk about inappropriate subjects – This happens most often when personal and business subjects mix, but it could also be talking about controversial subjects. Just keep in mind that whatever you say is out there for everyone to see.
Sell to followers – Obviously some self-promotion is fine, but it should not be the main use of your Twitter account. And you shouldn’t direct message every follower with links to your product or promotions.
Ask for contacts – If people are interested in your products or services, they’ll contact you. If you provide useful and helpful information, people will start to follow you. People are very protective of their coworkers, friends and family, so don’t violate their trust.
Ask people to promote your stuff – If they find what you say valuable enough, they’ll tell others. Asking for a rt occasionally may be ok, but constantly bugging people to promote you will just annoy them.
Don’t do anything constructive with feedback – Your customers are offering feedback because they care (if they didn’t, they wouldn’t bother). If you don’t do anything useful with the feedback, they’ll stop giving it and it’ll be much more difficult to satisfy them.
Take more than you give – If you fail to offer useful and helpful information, offer support and wisdom, and give information, your customers will stop listening and go elsewhere.

I think a lot of it comes down to acting the same on Twitter as you would in person.

(photo by hansvandenberg30)

Technorati tags: social media, brand, social networking, business, marketing strategy, marketing

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Sarah Worsham / Apr 28, 2009

Social Media is Already Affecting Business As We Know It

In his post yesterday, The Future of the Social Web: in Five Eras, Jeremiah Owyang summarizes a larger Forrester report on how the social web will impact businesses for the next fear years. Of particular interest to me are the 5 eras and how they are defined:

The Five Eras of the Social Web:

1) Era of Social Relationships: People connect to others and share
2) Era of Social Functionality: Social networks become like operating system
3) Era of Social Colonization: Every experience can now be social
4) Era of Social Context: Personalized and accurate content
5) Era of Social Commerce: Communities define future products and services

Forrester has era 5 starting around 2011, but I don’t think the eras are so clear-cut. Many companies are already tapping into the social web to define future products and service (era 5) through the concept of co-creation. Through it’s Nike+ iniative, the company engages runners and uses information and feedback to produce products they want. Brother has tapped the social web for hobby sewers to provide products and services for both its customers and for its dealers – leading to more sales of its high-end hobbiest sewing/embrodiery machines. Comcast has famously used the social web to improve customer service. I believe there is quite a bit of cross-over in the eras, with business leaders already jumping into the 5th era. The nice thing about the social web is that any sized company can jump right in, without the need for expensive research tools. I do believe, however, that the social web will also force these eras to happen and businesses who have not entered the fray will be left behind.

(photo by cloudzilla)

Technorati tags: social media, strategy, social media strategy, business, marketing strategy, marketing

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