Purple Phone PR & Marketing

Follow Me Already! How to Increase your Number of Followers on Twitter

I just hung up with a frustrated colleague.  I had invited her to follow one of my new Twitter accounts and she quickly called by phone (I know, I know – that’s sooo 2009!) to say, “I’ve been using Twitter for two months and I’m providing quality content.  I only have 24 followers.  You just opened that account and you already have that many.  How can I get more followers?!?!?”

Before we go any further, let me digress and mention that using Twitter is NOT all about how many followers you can collect.  It is about the relationships that you build.  One deep, solid relationship might develop into one lead: 15,000 uninterested followers will remain bystanders.

That said, watching your number of followers is appealing.  After all, it’s an easy metric to track.  So, if you’re looking to build your number of followers, the big secret is that you must introduce yourself (aka. Follow someone else.).  That’s it – the big secret.

Of course, that does lead to the question “to whom do I introduce myself?”  A couple of key ideas include:

• Start simple: follow your friends, family, group or club members, people who you meet at networking meetings, etc.
• Search for people who are searching for you.  For example, if you’re a photographer in Massachusetts, run a search on that.  Those people will be excellent leads.
•   Locate your competition.  Follow the people who are following them.
• Locate accounts in your area or industry who have many followers.  Follow their followers.
• Use Twitter directories to find accounts of interest.  Two useful ones are http://wefollow.com/ and http://geofollow.com/.

It’s called “social” media for a reason: people want to get to know one another and enjoy each other’s company.  There’s no magic to it – just people getting to know one another on a slightly grander scale.  So, go ahead and introduce yourself to others.  In no time, you too will have many followers!

Facebook Statistics

I should have probably known that this page existed, but I generally get my data from other sources, so I've JUST now stumbled upon Facebook's press page, which provides several useful statistics for the marketing professional - or for the do-it-yourself marketer.

http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Do You Love Your Poken?

 How many of you have heard about the Poken?  Well, it's all the rage down here in "chilly" North Carolina.  For those who are just beginning to get a taste of the idea, I thought I'd quickly post about the beauty of this tiny tool. [disclaimer - the link over on the right side is my affiliate link, but I really think these are a sweet little tool, so I'm sharing anyhow!]

In essence, the Poken is a cutely decorated USB device.  What makes it fantastic is that this little device can transfer contact information from one person to the next simply by touching "hands" together.  It's a virtual handshake - and a super simple way to manage contact information as you are out networking.

To begin, purchase your Poken, connect it to your computer, and login to the Poken website.  Once you do that, your device is enabled and ready for use.

While on the Poken website, you can create your business cards, which may contain all of the contact information that you want to share as you're out networking, including all of your social media information.  What I really enjoy is that I can create multiple "business cards" within my profile:  I have one card for myself, one for my business, and one for a side project.  This means that I can organize my contact information as I wish.  In addition, I am able to specify which of my contact cards is linked to my Poken, so if I don't want to include my side project card as I'm out networking, I simply unlink it and that information will not be transferred to my new contacts.

Now, head off to your networking event with your Poken in hand.  (Sidenote:  these are tiny little things and easy to loose.  I see many people attaching them to a lanyard that they wear around their necks.  One smart woman had hers attached to her phone, figuring that her phone is always with her.  I, personally, have a wristlet that I take when networking and mine is attached to that.)  When you arrive at your event and are talking with another person who has a Poken, you simply touch the two Poken together.  Contact information is exchanged within seconds.

Back home, insert the USB portion of the Poken into your computer and all of the contact information that you've obtained is uploaded to your Poken account.  Now, you can add people to lists, download their information as a vCard, or view all of your contacts on a timeline, which is great when you can't quite remember a name, but you know when you met the person.

What's also nice is that you no longer need to manage all of the contact information for these people.  Should they move or change an email account, they simply edit the cards within their own profiles and the contact information that you've gathered from them is automatically updated!  

Hopefully, this has been a useful introduction to the Poken for you.  Should you have any questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to help you find the answer!  In the meantime, happy Pokening!

What Makes a Social Media Strategy?

All too often, I observe businesses jumping into the social media pool because it is the "thing to do" right now.  No one wants to be left behind and I certainly appreciate that feeling.  However, if you dive on in without regard to planning and goal setting, you may be setting yourself up for an investment of time that doesn't deliver results.

For this reason, once you understand the technical way to use social media tools, spend some time thinking about their uses within your company.  Consider:

• What is your goal for using each tool?  Why are you on that platform and what do you plan to gain from being there?
• Are your target customers using this platform?  When and how are they using it?
• How will the various social tools interact?  How can they feed one another and work together?
• What guidelines will you use for the type of content that you deliver through each media?  Does everyone in your organization understand these?
• How will you tie your online efforts to your offline efforts?
• What is unique about your business and how can you bring that to your online communications?

Now, do I recommend getting on Twitter to get the feel for it?  Of course and the same is true for all other outlets. But, as you do so, recognize that simply joining in isn't a strategy.  It's an activity, a task, something on the To Do list.  A strategy requires planning and understanding the over arching goals of social media for your organization.

How to Craft a Viral Message on Facebook

A couple of weeks ago on Facebook, most of us saw the video of a nine-month old, diapered baby getting his groove on to Single Ladies by Beyonce. (If you didn’t, check it out: it was hysterical!)

As a business owner, it can be frustrating to watch such a silly video being passed from one person to the next while you’re working as hard as you can to publish informative and useful information that just sits, resulting in little interaction from your fans.

Certainly, the people who are already fans of your business may find your content interesting, and it may help to keep you at the forefront of their minds, but why aren’t they passing along your posts? Why isn’t the Facebook magic that other people are buzzing about working for you?

Don your marketing cap. Think back to the principles of what transforms something interesting into something viral (passed along from one person to the next).

There are three main traits that a message must have to become viral:

1. Emotion. Your content needs to appeal to the reader/viewer on an emotional level, be that joy, sadness, fear, anger, love, or happiness. If you think about the dancing baby, most people chuckled heartily when watching the video. They felt joy and, perhaps, a sense of surprise, so the video touched them on an emotional level.

2. Benefit. The content that you publish must also give your fans the feeling that they will be helping people in their networks by sharing this information. Benefits either increase a positive or they reduce a negative. Benefits are concrete statements and are often expressed in numerical form.

For example, you might be saving your friend 20% on a clothing item or saving them 5 minutes by sharing an organizational tip.

Now, in the dancing baby example, there isn’t a way to quantify how much a person’s happiness would be increased, but certainly, people spread the video expecting that their friends would have a good ‘ol belly laugh after watching.

3. Trigger. A trigger reminds people to pass the information along. This is where Facebook “does the work for you” and why it’s such a wonderful tool to use from a marketing perspective. If you have the first two traits in place, Facebook users know instinctively that they simply need to click a “share” button or make a comment about your words and off your content goes to their network.

The lesson here is that, if you want your words to be sent of into the great land of Internet magic for all to share, you must focus on appealing to your readers/viewer on an emotional level AND making them believe that they will be helping others by passing it along.

Keep these two traits in mind with each Facebook post and you’ll see many more of your fans clicking that “Like” button or making a comment each day!

Rotating Photos, Confused Customers

Wait - where did you go?  I feel like I just got to know you and now I've lost you.  Oh - that's you now with the baby as your icon.  Or, are you the dog with bright red glasses now?  Help!

As you delve into social media, all the advice out there implores you to add a photo to your profile.  And, I do agree!  You must.  After all, I follow you visually, so I want to be able to recognize you as quickly as possible.  I've got 500 people on Twitter to sift through, so I need to identify you and mentally connect quickly.

Now, if you're my buddy down the street, chances are good that I'm going to see your baby niece's picture and smile or get the dog joke and chuckle, BUT if you're online and using your profile to do business, you take a chance by changing your photo out too often.

Why?  Because, your photo becomes you.  Certainly, that's an overstatement in real life, but online, your photo (or icon or logo or whatever image you initially use in your profile) becomes your brand.  It's how I recognize you if I don't know you .  It's how I connected with you when I first "met" you.  

So, think long and hard when you make your first choice of profile picture.  And, think again before you go and change it.  Change it too often and you may find yourself confusing your customers.

Overcoming Blogger's Block

Blogging seemed like a smart business move.  A way to share your expertise with the world, an opportunity to get people talking about what matters in your industry, an avenue for spreading your brand while sharing useful information.  So, you sat down and created the account that would have audiences hanging on your every word.

Then, reality struck.  You clicked the "new post" link and up popped an empty page.  Staring at you were two fields: one said "title" and the other "body."  "Title - well now, that should be easy enough.  I just need a couple of words to finish this up," you think.  So, you throw in a phrase and stare at the bright white and still empty page.  Hmmm . . . what do I have to say about this.  Backspace, backspace, backspace.  And, you try again.  At this point, the pressure is mounting.  You're thinking, "I've got to blog or my business will fail and I have nothing to say!"

You're not alone in this panic.  Even the most experienced writers face writer's block (or in this case "blogger's block") from time to time, but there are ways to get through those stumbling moments and still create a thriving forum of ideas for your audience.

Read, Read, and Read Some More

Whether its industry journals, favorite blogs, or Twitter feeds, start reading.  Once you look beyond your empty page, you'll see that both the online and offline worlds are swarming with ideas and energy, so think of your writer's block as a chance to explore new ideas.  Set aside your blog for a moment, and read.  Learn about new methodologies and consider how they might apply to your business.  Investigate the latest laws and comment on their impact.  Find out what others are talking about and agree or disagree.  Consider the latest technology movement and what it will mean to your industry.  

Ask for Help

You know from networking that people love to share information about themselves.  In fact, the rise in popularity of Facebook, Twitter and other social media are simply proof of this.  So, give someone else an opportunity to talk.  Invite a complimentary guest blogger to your site.  For example, if you are a website developer and you have a contact who is an SEO expert, ask him or her to contribute an article.  It's additional promotion for their business and it keeps your blog active and effective for those reading.  

Engage your Audience

Instead of looking at your blog as simply an article repository, invite your audience to get involved, and turn it into a conversation.  Chances are you've never stared blankly at someone with whom you are speaking the way that you are staring at the blank blog post in front of you.  See what others have to say: how can you elaborate on this?  Listen to their concerns: what advice can you offer?  Learn what confuses your readers:  how can you help them?  The more you get your audience involved, the more effective you can become as a blogger . . . the added benefit is that you always have a topic that needs to be written about so that you can help people out.

Take the Pressure Off

The idea of putting yourself "out there" for the world to hear and comment on can be intimidating: that fear can show itself as writer's block.  So, it's important to remind yourself that you're not aiming to make history with your blog.  You're simply trying to let people know who you are and what you're thinking about.  It's OK if no one reads a particular post.  It's OK if someone disagrees, because your goal is conversation anyhow.  It's even OK if you make a mistake, because we all do!  

As you leave this site and turn back to that empty, white "body" field on your blog, do so with the confidence that you do have ideas to share.  If you're stuck on what those are right now, you know how to go and dig up a few for today's post!

Am I Ready to Hire Someone to Manage my Facebook Page?

The other day, I posted an entry called Five Factors to Consider When Seeking a Facebook Page Manger. As I was adding a point here and there, it occurred to me that I had started with the assumption that business owners are READY to have someone manage their pages.  Certainly, time may be crushing in on business owners and they may WANT someone else to take over, but are they ready?

In an attempt to help my fellow business owners answer this question, I recommend considering the following before you even begin trying to find someone to help you manage your Facebook page (or any other social media, for that matter):

1. Do you honestly have a solid understanding of who your target audience (ideal client) is?  Seems basic, but I constantly run into business owners who respond vaguely to this question.   
2. Do you know WHY you want to have a Facebook page?  What is it you hope or intend to accomplish with this page?  Do you have specific business objectives that you are trying to reach?  Do you have an idea of how you will measure against these objectives?
3. How will you coordinate with your content manager?  Weekly phone calls?  Regular emails?  What is the escalation procedure should an urgent client request be posted? 
4. Are you comfortable letting your content manager discuss industry related topics that are not related to your business?  Do you understand that it is not always beneficial to simply offer links to your own content and discounts to your own products? 
5. Are you committed to the success of the page?  Are you ready to establish a personal Facebook page so that, when needed, you can comment on your business page?  Are you ready to relay news and updates about your company to your page manager? 
6. Do you have a basic understanding of public relations?  (Social media is a lot like public relations.)  Do you recognize that the person ought to be monitoring your brand beyond Facebook and bringing brand mentions to Facebook?   Are you prepared to expand your communication repertoire beyond Facebook - to local media, podcasts, YouTube, etc.?

For all of us, business owners that is, time is critical!  That goes without saying.  But, before you dive into bringing a Facebook manager on board to rescue your sanity, make sure you have a solid plan in place so that it a successful venture for you.   

Five Factors to Consider When Seeking a Facebook Page Manager

Business owners, from the largest corporation to the smallest, in-home start-up, have heard of Facebook and are establishing their presence there.  Facebook has become one of the tools to use for establishing community, building brand recognition, learning about the competition, and understanding buying personas.  For all of its positive marketing uses, however, not every business owner has the time to or interest in building a robust page on their own, so they turn to consultants to manage the pages on their behalf.  

If this sounds like you, what should you keep in mind before agreeing to have another party manage your Facebook page?  The following are five key factors to consider.

1. "Talk the Talk".  The ability of the page manager to provide engaging content and get people talking will somewhat depend on their ability to understand who your target audience is and the lingo that the community is accustomed to using.  For instance, if you're target audience is the basketball fanatic and your candidate can't jump into a conversation about the Celtics offense this year, you may want to keep looking for someone who is as enthusiastic about the topic as you.
2. Professionalism.  While you may be looking to cut costs and assume that hiring someone right out of college will enable a lower rate, remember that not everyone who departs college steps forth with a high level of professionalism.  This is often a skill that is learned in time while working in a variety of settings under a variety of situations.  
3. Understanding of measurement.  Experience not only brings the vague quality of professionalism, but it also ensures that the person hired understands the importance of defining measurement goals for the page and then watching/working towards those goals. 
4. Customer service or public relations background.  Engaging someone with a strong ability to address and mitigate any negative comments that may be posted to your Facebook page is key.  You don't want negative comments lingering unanswered for the rest of the world to take in as truth.  
5. Trust.  Most importantly of all, as a business owner, you must trust that this person or agency is trustworthy and has your best interests at heart.  If you doubt that, move on! 

Keeping these five factors in mind as you find someone who can assist with your workload will ensure that your Facebook page is managed in line with your overall business objectives and that your brand maintains or enhances its current standing.  
  
  
  

Thanks to Toilet Paper Entrepreneur!

They ran a great blog post that asked how women who are both mothers and entrepreneurs keep the balance.  I was thrilled to be able to include a tip.  Here's the link: http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/mom-entrepreneur-success-strategies