Archive for: social media

How NOT to Use Social Media

thumbs downThere used to be a huge imbalance between the marketing options for big businesses and small businesses. Large businesses could afford to advertise to large audiences in major newspapers, glossy magazines, and on television, whereas your little guy had to rely on placing an ad in the classifieds or pinning up flyers at the local grocery store and hoping someone might notice it. Social media has changed all that. Now businesses of all sizes can reach out to anyone, anywhere, and anytime.

Unfortunately, a lot of people who are using social media to promote their businesses aren’t going about it effectively. Some are so annoying you want to scream. Some are so unprofessional you have to laugh (and not in a good way). And others are so clearly clueless that you almost feel sorry for them.

Business writer Heather Chaet asked social media experts to identify the biggest social media mistakes that small business owners make, and how to fix them. Read my answer, along with nine others, in the Bank of America’s Small Business Community.

What’s the worst mistake you’ve seen on social media?

Twitter: Social Network or Personal Billboard?

Basic Guide to Networking on TwitterA lot of people find it challenging to stay on top of social media because of the constant changes to the platforms themselves. Those changes had made some of the information in my Basic Guide to Networking on Twitter out of date, but I’m happy to say that an updated version is now available.

Although the tools change, one thing that remains constant is the importance of focusing on the conversation rather than shameless self-promotion.  I was recently asked by FizzNiche, “What is the trick to posting updates on Twitter that both promote and engage?”

Read my answer and get a feel for what’s in my Twitter Guide.

The Power of Engagement

Group of happy eggs with smiling faces representing a social networkIn my last post, I described the online relationship I’ve formed with Linda Samuels through social media. Don’t be mistaken – that kind of relationship doesn’t just happen because you create an online profile. Just like offline relationships, you have to work at it.

It seems like everybody and her brother is marketing their business through blogging and social media, but how many are actually taking the time to read and comment on what others have posted?

Several weeks ago, Tracey Foulkes of Get Organised in South Africa posted a question on a Facebook group about flexible working hours. Having worked staggered schedules and a compressed work week in two of my jobs, I was happy to share my experience, and I was subsequently quoted in Tracey’s blog post, Flexi-working Hours Can Boost Revenue.

Last week, as I was reading some of the submissions to this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, I posted a question on Stephanie Calahan’s post, which inspired her to write another post in response: Is it Possible to be an Outgoing/Extroverted Introvert?

So, simply by posting comments on Facebook and a blog, I’ve received exposure for my business as well as backlinks to my website, which is a key factor in search engine optimization these days.

The next time you’re reading what someone has posted on their blog, Facebook, Twitter, or some other social media site, take a moment to leave a comment. That’s what makes it social media, after all! It is worth it, as proven by my recent experiences noted above.

This will be my last post here at From the Desk of Janet Barclay for a little while. Yes, I know I’ve said this before, but I’m about to make some big changes to the site, which I’m sure you will like!

In the meantime, feel free to check out my other blogs:

Be sure to join my mailing list so you’ll know when the new and improved From the Desk of Janet Barclay is up and running!

Photo: © Galina Peshkova / Depositphotos

Sharing My Passions

sharingI hope you’ve enjoyed my recent series of posts inspired by TEDx Waterloo over the past couple of months. Attending the event and writing about what I learned has been very rewarding, but I’ve been busy with other things too!

I’ve been a speaker:

  • Social Media Q&A session for Professional Organizers of Canada, Halton-Peel Chapter
  • Presentation on Online Networking for Welcome Inn Community Centre’s bizPLAN program
  • Presentation on Using Pinterest to Market Your VA Business for the Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group
  • Presentation on Social Media, Youth & Employment for the Youth Employment Network

I’ve been a guest blogger:

I was interviewed about blogging by whohub.

I was in the April Carnival of Pen, Pencil & Paper.

But enough about me! How have you been sharing your passions?

Photo: © Gary / PhotoXpress

Who’s doing what with your information?

On March 1, 2012, Google introduced a new Privacy Policy to replace the policies they previously had in place for their many different products. If you’re a registered user, you probably received an email notifying you of the change. If you’re like me, you probably gave it a cursory read and then deleted it.

My sister forwarded the email to me and suggested that I blog about it, but I didn’t think it was important enough. I figure if I have to see ads on the Internet, they may as well be targeted to my interests. It turns out that our online activity affects a lot more than just the ads that are displayed on our screens.

One of the most eye-opening talks I heard at TEDx Waterloo wasn’t a live speaker, but a video by Eli Pariser, author of The Filter Bubble. He explained that Google, Facebook, and other sites keep track of what we view online, even when we’re not logged into their site, and use this information to filter the information we see.

In other words, although personalization may be convenient at times, there are much more serious implications. In short, it means that we’re most likely to find content that supports our existing views than to open our minds by uncovering new information. I strongly suggest that you take 9 minutes to watch the video for yourself.

Just before the video was shown, Sarah Williams demonstrated how urban planners can use mobile check-ins on Facebook and Foursquare to understand how people feel about the cities they’re in.

Sarah Williams at TedxWaterloo 2012

It was fascinating, but it also made me wonder just WHO has access to my information and WHAT are they doing with it? We have become so accustomed to sharing the details of our lives online that it will be difficult to change our habits, but you can be sure I’ll be thinking twice before I post my next status update.

How about you?

Photo by James Bastow