I recently visited a friend who makes his living as a painter. There are paintings, sketches and other signs of his work throughout his house. Art in various stages of development is everywhere. He has built a large body of work that continues to grow every day. I was . . . → Read More: Dr. J, Building a Body of Work and Going Pro]]>

"Warhol Art in a Can" from jelene

I recently visited a friend who makes his living as a painter. There are paintings, sketches and other signs of his work throughout his house. Art in various stages of development is everywhere. He has built a large body of work that continues to grow every day. I was so impressed with evidence of his efforts. Once he gets his website back online, I’ll add a link to his work. (The Warhol can isn’t Micheal’s, I just thought it was cool.)

I would like to think that the reason I’ve let my blog become stale is because I am the parent of a young toddler or that my work responsibilities have increased now that the economy is less frightening than it was in 2009. While I have reached the time consuming “goaltender” stage of fatherhood and work has become more involved, the real reason is a lack of discipline.

It’s hard to keep sustained effort going on a blog (or a novel or a new business idea) when it’s easy to let the status quo dominate your day.

Right after visiting my artist friend, I also encountered the following quote from Julius Erving (Dr. J to basketball fans): “Being a professional is doing the things you love on the days you don’t feel like doing them.”

Dang Doc. That’s kind of sums it up.

So…I need to start blogging again. A lot. Even when I don’t really feel like it. Because that’s what professionals do.

Twitter encourages you to post short, 140-character status updates (“tweets”) that are sent to the people who have chosen to follow your messages and to the rest of the Web.

Twitter is a great way to stay connected with customers, vendors and colleagues and send brief bits of relevant information to those who . . . → Read More: How to Get Your Business Started on Twitter]]>

Rufous Hummingbird by brendan.lally

Twitter encourages you to post short, 140-character status updates (“tweets”) that are sent to the people who have chosen to follow your messages and to the rest of the Web.

Twitter is a great way to stay connected with customers, vendors and colleagues and send brief bits of relevant information to those who are interested in your business.

HOW TO GET YOUR BUSINESS STARTED ON TWITTER

> Sign up for a personal account: Twitter has its own jargon and social etiquette that you’ll need to become comfortable with before launching a business account. Make sure to fill in the bio, add a picture and then take a few weeks with your personal account to learn the ins and outs of how to interact in 140 characters.

> Become familiar with search.twitter.com: Every tweet posted to Twitter (unless a user chooses to “protect” their updates) creates an individual web page with a unique URL. The advanced setting of search.twitter.com allows you to analyze the mountain of tweets added each day by keywords, geography and more to see what’s being said right now about what you care about.

> Choose a desktop Twitter program: While there are a number of free Twitter programs available, the current choice of most Twitter power users is TweetDeck. The main benefit of TweetDeck is the ability to sort users and search terms into separate columns. The columns create a dashboard of current activity that you can quickly glance at throughout the day.

> Find other people and businesses to follow: Visit search.twitter.com each day for two weeks, run a search for relevant terms to your industry and then follow the other users that you find posting interesting content. Only follow between 5-20 people a day to avoid looking like a spam account.

> Post to Twitter on the go: Twitter’s power comes in the real-time nature of the updates. If you are in a tradeshow, send out a tweet with your booth location. Offer a discount to your Twitter followers if they place an order on your website in the next 48 hours. There are a number of Twitter applications for BlackBerries and iPhones that make it very easy to manage your account throughout your day.

WAYS TO USE TWITTER FOR YOUR BUSINESS

> Be interesting: One of the main objections to Twitter is the perception that it’s a big accumulation of chitchat. In fact, a study of 2,000 tweets from Pear Analytics in August 2009 classified 40% of the tweets gathered for the survey as “pointless babble.”

Combat this by sending out content and updates that position yourself or your business as an expert. Because other Twitter users need to choose to follow your updates, it’s important to present your business as smart, successful and useful. Become a resource your followers turn to, keep them up-to-date with new developments in your area of expertise and you’ll quickly stand out above the noise.

> Reach out to your local market: Naked Pizza in New Orleans used a Twitter promotion to set the one-day sales record for their two-year-old pizzeria. 41% of their customers on their “Eat Like an Ancestor Day” promo on May 29, 2009 came from Twitter.

Naked Pizza wanted to focus on residents who live within three miles of their store and have been so successful reaching out to customers with Twitter that they have replaced the phone number on the billboard above their store with their Twitter ID.

Use the geographic search feature in the advanced setting of search.twitter.com to see who’s in your neighborhood.

> Listen in on what’s being said and join in: If you see a tweet complimenting your business, post a quick reply thanking them for their kind words. Send an apology and an offer of help to a complaint. Add your opinion about news stories that apply to your field.

> Ask questions: Twitter is a very useful venue for asking questions – whether it’s a recommendation for a new vendor or troubleshooting a computer problem. Questions also engage your followers and get them involved with your account. Make sure to thank anyone who takes the time to reply to your query.

> Retweet posts that will benefit your followers: When you come across an interesting link or a funny tweet from a user you are following, add “RT” in front of the post and send it back out to your followers. This is known as “Retweeting.”

Retweeting is a great way to recognize someone you follow for providing good content and to add quality information to your updates that may be out of your area of expertise.

> Include your Twitter User ID everywhere: Once you’ve decided to get started on Twitter, you need to add your Twitter ID to just about every piece of forward facing communication you send out.

Add it to your email signatures; post “Follow us on Twitter” links on each page of your website; add your User ID to the contact information on your business card; post a “Follow us on Twitter” sign in your retail location, include a “Continue the discussion on Twitter” link to your email newsletter, etc.

Twitter makes a bad first impression. If you keep with it, post a few tweets and find a few fellow Twitter users to follow each day for two or three week, I’m confident you will soon be using this new tool to expand the reach of your business into social media.

Jason . . . → Read More: SyFy’s Ghost Hunters Offer a Great Social Media Case Study]]> If you’ve been thinking about getting started in social media but are not sure what to say, check out a few episodes of the SyFy Channel’s show Ghost Hunters for inspiration. Why? Because Jason, Grant and the rest of the TAPS crew are a great examples of being interesting by just creatively explaining what they do.

Jason and Grant are two Rhode Island plumbers who have turned their ghost hunting hobby into one of the most popular shows on cable television. All they do in each episode is conduct their investigation of different haunted locations and explain to the audience what they are doing as they try to capture proof of paranormal activity.

But what if you’re in a profession that isn’t as cool as paranormal investigation? I would say your success in blogging or social media depends on how you frame your content. Most people hire accountants because they don’t like to do accounting and if you focus on the mechanics of accounting, they will tune you out (unless they are fellow accountants).

But if your audience is made up of other business people and your content shows them how a trained accountant can save money, free up time in their day to focus on other priorities and protect them from an IRS audit, what you have to say suddenly becomes very interesting.

Highlights:

I’ve found that when businesses think about getting started in social media, a lot of time is spent debating and planning strategy.

Are we trying to build brand recognition? Is Twitter going to be a new customer service channel? Is the content for the Facebook page going to be . . . → Read More: Gary Vaynerchuk’s Secret to Social Media Success: Work Your A$$ Off]]>

Gary Vaynerchuk at Affiliate Summit West 2009 11

I’ve found that when businesses think about getting started in social media, a lot of time is spent debating and planning strategy.

Are we trying to build brand recognition? Is Twitter going to be a new customer service channel? Is the content for the Facebook page going to be strictly business or should we mix in some personal chit chat?

People want the answers to all these questions before diving in. Here’s the thing: before you can wow your fans, you’re going be awkward and goofy for a while as you figure stuff out.

So just get started. Today. Right now. Because the sooner you get the hang of things, the sooner you can actually knock all of your strategic goals out of the park.

But what if we are lousy? I think this little question is one of the main obstacles blocking more involvement in social media. Unfortunately the only way to get good at this stuff is to risk being bad at it for a while.

Case in point: Gary Vaynerchuk, the current reigning world champ of video blogging. Click here and here to get up to speed on who Gary is and why he’s so cool if you don’t know.

Why bring up Gary if he’s so awesome? He didn’t start out awesome. His first winelibrarytv.com video is a solid start but nothing spectacular.

You can see the glimmer of today’s superstar in this show but he’s clearly inexperienced talking to a camera. He’s not exactly sure what to say, but the desire to tell his story is obvious. Gary took his natural charisma, busted his hump cranking out content by doing a winelibrarytv.com episode almost EVERY SINGLE day since he started and is now a consultant, public speaker, author and all-around a$$ kicker.

As someone who’s been active with Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites on an almost daily basis since 2008 (to my wife’s sometime chagrin), I thought writing about what I’ve gotten out of my efforts would be a good blogging execise. (Tip of the hat to Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh as . . . → Read More: Ways Twitter Has Made Me A Better Person – I Notice More Cool Stuff]]>

Daisy Refraction by audreyjm529

As someone who’s been active with Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites on an almost daily basis since 2008 (to my wife’s sometime chagrin), I thought writing about what I’ve gotten out of my efforts would be a good blogging execise. (Tip of the hat to Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh as this post is my inspiration.)

First thing that comes to mind is social media has refined my “daily palate.” I notice more of the cool little details of life and have learned how to describe them in a way that’s (hopefully) interesting and helpful.

When people complain they don’t have anything to say online, I say aren’t paying much attention each day.  Here are two simple examples that provide great fodder for social media updates if you take a second to think about how to talk about them:

1. The last place you had lunch – I don’t give a #%!?! THAT you had lunch. What you had, whether it was tasty, the qualify of the service, if the specialty of the house is actually special, or a cool waiter to ask for are all things that could add value to my life the next time I’ve got to select a lunch time destination.
2. The last movie you watched – Again, THAT you watched a movie is not helpful or terribly interesting. What you thought of the plot (without blowing the ending), which actor surprised you with their performance, or a recommendation of another cool film by the same director are all things I could use as I surf through my Netflix account looking for the next movie to add to my queue.

Thinking about the “mundane” experiences we all have each day with this mindset has made me more involved in the present and I appreciate more of the simple details of my life.

My son is one month old. Having your first kid makes you think about a lot of stuff.

One of the biggest thoughts for most first-time parents is “How in the world are they putting me in charge of this little person?!” Insecurity and paranoia are large pieces of the joys . . . → Read More: Do You Inspire Confidence?]]>

Florence Nightengale monument in London, England

My son is one month old. Having your first kid makes you think about a lot of stuff.

One of the biggest thoughts for most first-time parents is “How in the world are they putting me in charge of this little person?!” Insecurity and paranoia are large pieces of the joys of being a new dad.

The boy was born at Sky Ridge Medical Center and the nursing staff was fantastic. They all had their own personalities and styles but everyone of them radiated a steady confidence and displayed genuine caring. This was a great thing to have as my wife and I wrapped our brains around the idea of being parents. Each nurse who helped us seemed to be 50 percent Navy SEAL, 50 percent coach/psychologist. I felt COMPLETELY confident in the advice and care we received during our stay.

Compare this experience to a trip to the local pharmacy a few days after we went home. I asked if the antihistamine my wife used before her pregnancy would still work because she was breastfeeding. The pharmacist wrinkled her brow, looked it up in a PDA and said “that should be fine” without out any enthusiasm.

Ummm…sorry. The correct answer to an anxious new dad when he asks you whether or not he may be poisoning his infant son by buying the product you sell is: “This will not be a problem at all. Your wife and boy will be fine if she takes this for her allergies. You have nothing to worry about.”  It would be a good idea to say this with all the authority and confidence you can muster too.

Make sure a potential client who comes to you for a new website, basement remodel, puppy for the kids, etc. leaves without any doubt they’ve made the right choice talking to you (even if they don’t choose you in the end).

Also, don’t forget that your current clients need to feel that working with you is still one of the best decisions they’ve made. Do they see your invoices as a continued investment in their success or an expense that could be cut if things get too tight?

All of the traits that go into success . . . → Read More: Great Social Media Advice from the Food Network]]> This commercial on Food Network is pitching the newest season of The Next Food Network Star. As our pal Bobby Flay walks toward the elevator, various people (I’m assuming they’re contestants) hold up different signs describing qualities they possess that will make them the next superstar TV chef.

All of the traits that go into success at the Food Network are also great guidelines for anyone involved in social media. Have a look at the video and then we’ll break it down.

> I Will Have a Clear Culinary Point of View: This is vital in social media because things get so noisy. When there are millions of choices online, getting me to listen to you and subscribe to your blog involves standing out and having a clear voice.

> I Will Express Myself and Be Authentic: If your stuff sounds like PR/corporate-speak, that may be worse than not having a point of view. Consumers are too smart. They have developed an incredible ear for B.S. and expect people to sound real in social media. Compare the President of Domino’s Pizza and a multiple franchise owner from Chicago as they both issue apologizes for service problems. Guess which one I like more?

> I Will Make My Food Personal: This is a delicate thing to get right. One of the main complaints skeptics have about social media is that Twitter, Facebook, and other sites are just a collection of people broadcasting random details about what they had for breakfast. And that is boring. Think about ways your personal stuff can also add value to my life (because in the end, it’s all about me). Try this as an example:

• My cat barfed = BAD
• My cat barfed & I’ve found Kitty-Barf-Away is a great product for cleaning up messes = BETTER

> I Will Handle Pressure: Getting involved in social media may expose you to criticism. Don’t forget that getting a few rocks thrown at you goes with the territory.  The upside of social media is worth the occasional brouhaha.

> I Will Be the Next Food Network Star; “We’ll Be the Judge of That”: Bobby’s right. It’s all about the audience. You’ll quickly learn if what you’re sending out connects with people.

Now that Twitter is all the rage (@Oprah is the tipping point), I have friends and co-workers asking about the difference between Twitter and Facebook.

After using the lame “Twitter is like your Facebook status update” analogy for a while, I think I’ve actually figured out a good way to explain . . . → Read More: Using Barbecue To Explain the Difference Between Twitter and Facebook]]>

BBQ ... Portuguese stylee by markdrasutis

Now that Twitter is all the rage (@Oprah is the tipping point), I have friends and co-workers asking about the difference between Twitter and Facebook.

After using the lame “Twitter is like your Facebook status update” analogy for a while, I think I’ve actually figured out a good way to explain it using barbecue culture.

FACEBOOK
Your Facebook page is like a backyard barbecue you’ve organized. You know everyone (at least a little bit), you’ve invited them and they’ve accepted your invitation.

The average Facebook user is online for about 20 minutes each time they visit the site. Switching back to the backyard cookout analogy: you’ve got time to get a beverage, show your pals some pictures of the kids while the food is cooking on the grill and chat about what’s going on in both of your lives.

For me, Facebook is a wonderful tool to keep track of friends and family when geography and busy schedules may otherwise prevent us from staying connected.

I’ve actually become fairly protective of my Facebook account. My rule is that I need to have had some kind of real world connection with you to add you as my Facebook friend. Our connection may go as far back as grade school, but I don’t normally accept a friend request from someone I’ve never met.

TWITTER
Instead of a cozy cookout in your backyard, Twitter is the World Championship Barbecue cooking contest held each year at the Memphis in May International Festival in Tennessee. It’s jam-packed with a multitude of people from all over the world. The air is filled with smoke, there are tons of different vendors, and thousands of conversations going on at the same time. There are people buzzing around to the different booths, trying things out, ranting, yelling, discussing, complaining and moving on to taste the next thing.

If you like ribs, chances are you’ll end up congregating with the ribs crowd and debating the best places to get ribs. Then the conversation may turn to whether beef or pork ribs are the best. Pretty soon, you find people who share your tastes and you may even spark a few friendships that last after the festival.

What are you good at and/or what do you like? Zeroing in on the answers is your key to Twitter success. Send out tweets about your passion and connect with others who share your enthusiasm and you’ll become a resource in your topic. Use search.twitter.com to find other people who are tweeting about your favorites.

If you like big dogs and live in Colorado, send out tips on good dog parks and where to get deals on food. Are you a hair stylist? Send out links to hair blogs you like and share ways you’ve found to make dyed hair last longer. Jump into the crowd and become someone that other people refer to and look to for cool stuff.