Q. Surely Facebook and Social Media is for kids?
This is such a common question. Demographically Social Media, i.e. Facebook is favoured by a broad spectrum of people of all ages, not necessarily the younger generation. In fact there has been a huge surge in the numbers of people over the age of 40 joining Facebook recently, particularly women in their 50′s.
Q. What if I don’t have the time for Social Media?
Does this mean that you don’t have the time to talk to people or aren’t interested in building a strong network of advocates for your business? This is basically what Social Media is all about. It doesn’t have to take over your whole life. Learn the facts before you decide because it’s your choice at the end of the day.
Q. How will I know my blog is making an impact?
If you install Google Analytics into your blog you can track how many click-throughs each of your blog posts receives, and of course if people are commenting that’s even better. You must Tweet about your blog posts, add them to your fan page, invite guest bloggers to write for you, comment on other blogs as well as being useful on Linked In Answers.
Q. What does a strategy session actually involve?
Over the past few years I have created a unique strategy process which is fuses together my experiences of working in IT Project Management and my expertise as a Coach and facilitator. The process is interactive as well as being logical and focussed on creating an action plan which you will own. It is always useful to step away from your business even once a year to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t, purely because things are always changing in business and it helps to remain flexible and open to new ideas and opportunities. My role is to facilitate this process to help you take an objective and dispassionate view.
Q. Surely Social Media is meaningless drivel?
I agree, there are many businesses who still wouldn’t touch Social Media with a barge poll, because they don’t understand it, and therefore can’t see the relevance to their business. But if you aren’t using it, your competitors are. Again be informed first, then decide.
Q. Using Social Media is a big leap for us – where do you suggest we start?
You need to review your marketing resources and evaluate whether the tactics you currently employ are working. For starters I would definitely consider setting up a Blog and a Twitter account. Add these to all your marketing materials and business card so that people know how to make contact with you. This presents your network and clients with multiple access points, and other platforms for you to promote and talk about your business and your expertise.
Q. Social Media makes me stressed! How can you help me?
This is perfectly normal! Anything that’s new and involves technology normally is stressful for anyone who isn’t technically minded. I can help you take a step-by-step approach so that the change is manageable and doesn’t overwhelm you. I appreciate that sometimes it’s the stupidest questions that don’t get answered that cause all the anxiety. In my programme you can get all these questions answered and more!
Q. If you wrote my blog for me, how do we determine the content?
With my new clients I take them through an intake session where we carry out an in-depth look at their business, their expertise, and who their customers are. From here we draw up a category of topics. We discuss and agree the blog content at a shortly monthly meeting.
Q. But won’t I have to think up ideas for my posts?
I hold a regular monthly call/meeting with my regular clients by phone or Skype to discuss the content of the forthcoming month’s blog posts and any particular themes we would like to explore. I create the headlines, draft and edit them. These ideas will either come from a brief outline from the client or I research the content if required. I endeavour as much as possible to use your voice so it is as authentic as possible.
Q. I don’t know anything about the internet – how could you teach me?
We’d go through a list of the areas you’re struggling with, and address each one over a programme of training which can take anything from 3 to 6 months. This should ensure you are fully competent and confident to fully engage with Social Media and really get going.
Q. I’m Dyslexic but still want a blog – can you help me?
My clients’ don’t need to worry about how good they are at writing. So there’s no need to feel embarrassed. My job is to make anything you write readable, regardless of how it looked when it was first drafted.
Q. How many blog posts should I create each month?
You should aim for a minimum of 1 per week and possibly more. But don’t get stressed about it. Aim for quality rather than quantity. As long as you blog consistently that’s the main thing.
Q. Can you teach me how to use Facebook?
Yes. I can take you on a tour and show you what all the buttons and tabs do, and many of the Do’s and Don’ts.
Q. Can you teach me how to use Twitter.
Yes as above. I can help you set up your profile and how to use Hootesuite or Tweetdeck – these are applications that help you manage your followers and engage with others more easily.
Q. How will a blog help my business?
A blog is the hub, the showcase to share your intellectual property. It will increase organic (free) traffic to your website/blog, raise your profile in your industry and generate more leads. Writing a blog utilises a pull approach to marketing unlike more aggressive approaches like cold calling for instance. It builds a new audience for you over time, which puts you in a much stronger position when promoting your products and services than having to push your business onto unwilling consumers. Here’s a infographic illustrating the life-cycle of a blog post.
Q. How can we measure whether Social Media is working for us – what will be the ROI?
A lot is talked about ROI – but, as Seth Godin says – you can’t measure the unmeasurable. There are many resources available to you, such as Twitter Counter, Google Analytics, Radian6 and Facebook Insights. But it’s the intangible stuff that you can’t measure – i.e. new contacts, chance encounters and viral nature of posts, videos and tweets that creates the real benefit. They all serve to grow your influence and ultimately your business. But – you need to make sure in the beginning that you are choosing the right elements of Social Media and you have the resources available to you to do this properly.
Q. What’s the difference between a Facebook Page and a Profile?
Relax, because many people get totally confused by this. Your Profile on Facebook is the personal side of Facebook. It’s where you interact with your mates, friends, family. When the majority of people sign up to Facebook, they are given a Profile. It’s where you add your photos, make new friends and read what your friends say on their walls. When you click ‘Profile’ (top right hand corner) – this will show your Personal timeline of activity (i.e. your recent status updates written on your own wall). Your Profile can be viewed only by people who are friends with you.
Whereas a Page - is what is otherwise known as a Fan Page or Business Page. In most cases once you’ve created a Profile you can then create a separate Page to promote a business. I’ve created a Page for SocialMii and Discover Yourself On the Yellow Brick Road. And not everyone who is friends with me, is necessarily a fan of my pages – the two can run separately so that you don’t have to bore you friends with work related stuff if you want to keep them separate.
Q. What’s the difference between a Facebook Fan Page and a Facebook Business Page?
They are both the same thing. Fan Page, Business Page, Friends Page, all the same. These differ from your personal profile. Some businesses set up Business Pages without a personal profile being attached to them. However, if you aren’t a well known brand like Starbucks for instance – you are much better off building your personal profile and getting a good number of friends, before you
start promoting a Fan Page. Because the early fans will be sourced from your friends list. Social Media and Facebook is supposed to be SOCIAL, and if you’re brand isn’t already well known off line – you will struggle to get fans unless you are prepared to meet and make contacts online first. Focus on building quality contacts. Please also note that if you have a business page and no personal profile you can’t request friends to become fans.
