Why Twitter is the Best News Source

Twitter is a relative newcomer to the Social Media scene and yet has an astounding following.

Every major event that I have wanted to know about this year has been more widely, more speedily, and more reliably reported by Twitter than the mainstream media.  When the earthquakes hit Christchurch, it was through Twitter that I first got a clear picture of events - which suburbs were hit, the level of severity, and so on.  And if a superstar does anything exciting, well it'll be all over Twitter like a rash within seconds.

Speed
News is tweeted within minutes or even seconds of an event, making Twitter faster than newspapers, radio and television by far.

Wide Coverage
So many people are Tweeting any given event that you will normally have many and varied viewpoints, making it possible to sift through and get a wider version of an event than mainstream media might give you.  It might also allow readers to see opinions and ideas they hadn't considered and which other media might not report.  Follow  two or three media giants as well as smaller fry to get a wide coverage of views.

Multiple Viewpoints
As well as following those you respect and hold similar views to, it's worth following people you don't have common view with.   Why? Well there are two excellent reasons:

1. There is nothing more valuable that considering BOTH sides of an argument, and 
2. Knowing what your adversaries, opposition or competition are saying is invaluable.

Tracking Events - Hashtags
Hashtags are what people add to tweets to categorise them for easy searching.  For example #Oscars or #Australia or #tsunami.   If any big news hits, use the hashtag to track the latest.  To do this just use the search box to get the latest, using whatever hashtag is being used by others.  The busiest ones are listed on your twitter home page so you can always see what is trending, although these are often facetious and not altogether helpful for newshounds or businesses.

Now, make sure your Twitter account is open at all times and check it regularly - you will be amazed what you will learn.

Social Media Marketing - Plan and Share Carefully

If your business tried to sell itself online in any way then you must think, and think carefully, about your social media marketing strategy.

You think it doesn't matter?  You're just a wee crafter?  A one-man-band?  Think again.

PLAN
You must plan very early on - before you get started would be ideal.  The golden rule is 'the earlier you plan, the better'.  Carefully consider these key things:

• What is it about your business that want to promote?  
• How do you want your company to be seen?
• Who is your ideal customer? 
• What is your goal?

Make sure you have these basics thought through before you begin, that way you will have a good, clear focus, your customers will start to get a good feel for the company from the start, and your online presence will be consistent.

Plan, and you'll be targeting the right people with the right message to sell a specific product or service.

SHARE CAREFULLY
Do not over-share.  Do not share randomly.  Do not share things that could harm your business's image.

• Too much sharing can drive your potential customers batty and even turn them off your company altogether.   To a certain degree, less is more.
• Share things that fit with your company's profile and that your customers would want to hear. Make sure that whatever it is, it  serves to strengthen your image.
• Do not share things that could upset or offend your customers - be very sure it is relevant and appropriate.  One really big mistake could cause a lot of damage.  If in doubt, don't share it.

 Make every interaction count.

If you have already forged ahead with your social media, it's not too late to pause and put the above advice into practice.

Do it now.

Social Media in New Zealand

This short video gives a good overview into the numbers of people, particularly in New Zealand, using key social medium and their likes and dislikes. 

Take 4.44 minutes of your time and learn something useful:

Social Media - is it really that good for my business?

I've met and spoken with a fair few business folk that think having a FaceBook page puts them at the cutting edge of things, and some business owners who don't use any form of social media at all, saying it's a waste of time.  I've got two things to say about that. 

 - Firstly, if you don't think social media has any effect on your marketing then you really don't understand it or what it can do when done well.  And just having a FaceBook page that no-one sees is not effective advertising!

You wouldn't shrug off TV, print or radio advertising so easily, so why shrug off the new age of promotion? 

- Secondly, you might be right about it being a waste of your time - but that doesn't make it a waste of your company's time and money.  If tinkering with the Internet is not your thing, get someone else to do it - pay someone reputable to create the basics for you and show you what to do, then take over from there - or, if you really don't want to faff with computers - get someone to do it all for you - your FaceBook, your Twitter, your blog, and so on.  Pay someone to be the face of your company on social media.

If you do go down the route of paying someone to do your social media for you, make sure you have specific achievements in mind - higher visibility and sales.  Be sure you are told clearly how performance will be measured, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Anyone can shove a few things on the Internet - for them to be effective, they have to be done in a planned and targeted way and should produce results that can be seen.

Whatever you do, don't be afraid to embrace social media for your company, or you will find yourself increasingly left behind.

Image from http://www.ixlstudios.com/blog-40/259-how-to-avoid-a-social-media-nightmare.aspx

Many Hats

If you run a small business, you no longer are just a baker or a seamstress or a plumber or whatever.  Suddenly you're a receptionist, office manager, credit controller, accountant, advertising agency and marketer.  And whilst you can fudge some parts of each of those and get away with it, it will serve you better if you aim to do each one well.  It will save you time in the long run - not to mention money and sanity.

My tips:

• stay on top of your accounts - without that information you have no idea how you are doing, what is working and what is not, let alone whether you are solvent.
• do the filing at least once a week - you won't regret it, and it doesn't have to be a complicated filing system, just a system of some sort.
• answer your phone and emails professionally and with good manners.  Sounds obvious but how many calls do you come away from as a customer where you think the person on the other end was unhelpful or disorganised?  Do you want that reputation for your own business?
• think carefully about where you advertise - what custom you want to attract and from where, otherwise you will waste money.  

and last but not least by any means

• learn about social media and what it can do for your business.  And I mean really learn - not just a few random tweets and a dead Facebook page.  Find out how they work and use them in a targeted way.  You won't regret it.

You need many hats, but make sure you find the right ones and wear them well!

Small Business not Small Minded

I started a small business a few months ago and spent the next eight or nine months telling people it was "just a hobby", and then I had a revelation - it would never be a success if that's how I viewed it.  So, did I want a hobby or a business?  I had to decide.  I chose business, and decided to get serious about things.  And so it began...

So instead of just sewing and selling my wares at MooAndFlo and Lady Bracknell's Bags I decided to start learning in some detail how Facebook works, to start using blogs and Twitter and other social media in order to promote my businesses and in the process to actually learn how it all works (or is meant to work, at least).

And so Flo's Small Business Low Down was born.  A place to share what I find, get feedback from others, and keep a track of the excellent articles I find lurking in the back-waters of this thing we call the Internet.  You never know, I might even read some paper books - go figure!

So, if you want to share what I learn, BOOKMARK ME.  Now.  Yes, now.  Do it ---->

If you want to share what YOU learn, bookmark me and comment.

If you want to learn, read this, read that, read something - and then try it all for yourself.  It's the only way.