You never forget your first... client

I was thinking the other day that I have now been running this business for 7 1/2 months. It's been a very exciting ride so far, and really I have my friend Cheyenne to thank for helping me decide to take that step.

I say "helping me decide", but what she really did is give me a push. Back in September she was still in the beginning stages of her own business, My AZ Kitchen. It was in the very early beginning stages over the summer, and I gave HER a push to join Startup Weekend Chandler and really get it moving. It worked too- by the end of the weekend she had made so many connections, she not only had her online tools, but funding  to get a space open as well.

Cheyenne and I at a Yelp event in 2012.

During this time I had been looking for work and sending out resumes, and not getting anything back. It was actually pretty frustrating. So when Cheyenne came to me looking for a social media manager, I was excited to discuss the possibility with her. She wasn't able to hire me as staff, and that is when the suggestion came up that I just make her a client, and start my own business. My response? 

"Well, ok then!" My business was born. 

Now, many people say that you should never do business with friends you want to keep. I admit I was a little worried. Our daughters are also good friends, and going into a business arrangement with a friend could certainly turn into a train wreck if you're not careful. However, we both seem to know each other's personality pretty well, and it turns out we complement each other with our strengths. We also have a similar belief system, and I know her mission. I knew how to properly voice this online. She also gave me the freedom to take control of the kitchen social media and really figure out what works and what doesn't in regards to gaining a following. She put her faith in my abilities, and I am forever grateful to her. My work for her has helped me gain clients, because that is the first thing people are going to look at when they want to hire someone in social media- they want to see how you you actually *do* it. 

Now that our contract is up, I'm a little sad. I had a lot of fun creating content for the kitchen! I like to think it showed in the postings, and in the engagement with other fans of the kitchen on Facebook and Twitter. How can you not have fun with food, right? I will always be thankful that we could mutually help each other and get our businesses moving! 

Best part of all? Cheyenne and I are still friends, and I think even closer now that we've worked together! She has so many amazing things lined up in the future, something tells me we will be able to do business together again.

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

Building A Trusting Relationship

Trust Exercise. Photo by Joi Ito

One thing I've noticed managing several social media accounts over the past few years is that the more freedom you give your social media/community manager, the better the results. Your reach with fans goes so much further than if they are micro-managed.

I know, it's difficult to give up control. After all, these are not personal sites where you talk about what you had for dinner or how your child made the honor roll (though in some cases, you could certainly talk about them!). These sites represent your business- your bread and butter- and you want it to be the best reflection of your product or service as possible. In that respect, yes, it is personal. Your business is your baby.

So how do you do it? How do you give someone the power to be your voice, and trust that they are going to post the things that will generate interest? How do you not check every 5 minutes to make sure they haven't said something out of context, posted a NSFW photo, or created some controversy that will only leave a negative mark? 

How do you let it go, and put your faith in a social media manager (SMM), whether it's to work exclusively in your company, or you bring in someone freelance? Here are some ideas!

1. Check their social media. If they are in the business of social media management, then they have accounts. That also means they should have a public Facebook/Twitter page (or more) for their business. That is your first window to see how they would run yours. Bonus- if they have other client accounts, check those out too. 

2. Be casual. Social media is casual. It's a conversation. It's coffee or lunch with friends, but still talking about things that relate to your brand. If your prospective SMM can't engage you offline, you can't expect them to engage others online. Go and have coffee with them. Ask them a few of these questions, too! 

3. Make sure they believe in your product or service. Heck, make sure they know what your product is! While having that coffee, ask them what they think of your product. Why do they want to help you?  If you aren't getting any passion from them, it's not going to show up online. I mean real passion and excitement. Don't worry, you'll be able to tell. 

4. If it's a freelance situation, make sure there's a contract. READ that contract. Make sure their breakdown of duties includes how they are going to represent not just your business, but themselves. For instance, I have included in my contracts that I will maintain a professional and high-quality profile, and will not use any accounts for personal use. If there is something additional you want added, make sure it is in there. Hopefully everything will be in place after having coffee with them! This is probably the most important item. Although it is not a 100% guarantee, it's a huge sign that your SMM wants to do everything they can to make sure you are happy. After all, it's their business too, and they want to best reflect their services as well. 

5. Make sure they are in the know. If your SMM is good- they will arrange meetings or check in to find out any new events or items that need to be added to the rotation. However, it's always good to let them know when new things arise in-between!

6. Check in on your sites. No, you don't have to check all the time, and at the beginning it most likely will be more than less. It's a relationship, and everyone is nervous as they get to know each other. Ask questions if you're wondering why something was posted. Check your Insights and stats. If you're not sure how to read them, your SMM should know and can show you.

I'm sure there are many more things to add, but these have come to mind as I've been working with a wide variety of businesses. What would you add to the list? I'd love to know!

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

Big Facebook Secret Revealed!

Ok ok, I might be exaggerating a bit with this title, because it's certainly not a secret. This is more of an addendum to my post about how a lot of Likes on a Page mean little if no one is engaging with the page. Did you know you can check basic stats on any Page?

If you ever want to see what sort of reach a Page has, click on the "Likes" section under the name of the page (I circled it all nice and clear for you in the photo). It shows you some basic insights of the page, including a graph of activity (bonus fun- hover the mouse over points on the graph). You don't have to be a page manager to see it! Just one more thing to distract you as you play on Facebook!

Remember, if your favorite pages aren't doing so great, you can help give them a boost just by liking, commenting, and sharing their posts a little more. The more you engage with a Page, the more of that Page's followers will see all of their great posts, and will encourage more of your friends to check out more Pages! I've found many a new page to like because of my other friends engaging. 

Now get out there and like something! As for me, I'm going to hunt around and see if I'm supposed to even use Page as a proper noun.

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

Posting Etiquette: What's Right And Wrong?

I read many posts about the correct way to post on Facebook and Twitter. I'm using these two as the example because they are the two most popular, but it really applies to other social media sites as well (Google+, LinkedIn, etc.). There are some things that those of us who manage sites are in agreement with, such as knowing your audience and knowing how each site works so that you can get your posts out there and seen in the best way possible.

One thing I vary on with my colleagues is auto-posting directly from Facebook to Twitter and vice-versa. I have read in several places it's considered a huge no-no. Business-killer. Makes you look like an amateur. I agree with this assessment, but only to a point. While I agree that you should not post as actively to Facebook as you do Twitter, in some cases it is ok to have updates automatically post from one place to another.

Facebook now allows you to choose the type of posts you would like to automatically go to Twitter. I keep mine at Photos, Video, Notes, and Events. Status Updates are definitely a no-no because you need to keep posts to less-than-10-a-day (some say 5, I say it depends on your business). There is also a different dialogue on Facebook versus Twitter. At times you will talk about the same things, but you have to present them differently. Not to mention if your all of your Facebook updates post automatically to Twitter, then you are never on Twitter (and again, vice-versa). How would you know if someone is responding to your posts, or trying to connect with you?

Links are are also bad to auto-post. On Facebook when you post or share a link, you can set up the link in your status with a comment. Most of the time that goes way over 140 characters (I always try and say a little something about the link I'm posting, rather than just share with no comment). When that link is automatically posted to Twitter, your words are cut off, and the link will go to whatever story or blog post you were talking about. It takes away from your message, and looks sloppy. It's better to make two separate posts.

Again, and I really can't stress this enough, you need to know your business, and more importantly your audience. For instance, if you are a photographer, it could be a good idea to have your photos automatically go to Twitter. I would hope in this case you are using Twitter for more than just a Facebook post dump. People are looking for different things on each site, and cross-posting can work if you use it smartly.

This post applies to Facebook Pages. I'm not a big fan of suggesting how to run your personal page, because that's YOUR playground. You do with it what you want, and your friends can decide if they want to see it or not. To me that is a completely different thing than promoting a brand.

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

Size Means Nothing If No One Sees It!

I see a lot of posts on Facebook pages patting themselves on the back for reaching milestone followers: 100, 1,000, 10,000, etc. When I first look at a Facebook page, I don't look at how many likes, but the number next to it. I want to see how many are talking about a page. What exactly does that mean? Well, here's how Facebook describes it:

People Talking About This: Number of people who have created a story about your page. Story is created when someone likes page; posts to wall; likes, comments, or shares page post; answers a question; mentions page; tags page in a photo; checks in at location or recommends.

Basically the point is this: A million people can like a page, but if no one is sharing or talking about the content, it doesn't matter. 

 Now don't get me wrong. Likes are a good thing, and they will increase stats- temporarily. It gives the page potential when people are interacting.  The more likes, the more people see content. If only 10 people like a page, then sure, if 5 are talking about it, that's a great percentage! Yes, having people like the page is very important.

Think about your News Feed for a minute. What are the things you see when scrolling? You see a mixture of posts from your friends, pages you follow, the same photo shared 10 times. What else? You see what friends comment on. You see what statuses friends like. You also see what PAGES friends like, as well as comments on pages. I've found many a page to like because of someone else liking it. 

Businesses- if you want more people to see your page, you have to create the content to make interaction possible. Sometimes a few "likes" are all you need to get that ball rolling. Encourage interaction. Ask questions, have a "call to action" in the post. People love photos and video. Links are less likely to be seen. Don't slam your page with posts, either. If you start going over 5 or 6 in a day, people might not like that in their feed. Then again, it all depends on your business and what you are posting.

It's important to know your audience. As you see, some pages have more talking about them than likes!

Casual Users- A simple "like" can go a long way. If you believe in a business, or want to support one, all you have to do is like a status occasionally. Leave a quick comment. Share something they have posted. You all ready know it doesn't take any time to do it. Now you also know that you could be helping that business increase their presence, and in turn helping them grow and become successful.

PS- all the pages here in my examples are great pages, and should be given a look- and a like. Look them up!

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

5 Positive Things About Social Media

Who knew that a little website helping students at a University stay connected would become what we know as Facebook today? Or that the stream of consciousness known as Twitter would not only let us know what you are having for lunch, but keep people aware of what is happening when their entire country is falling apart?

It's no secret at all that I absolutely love social media. You don't make it part of your business if you don't like it! I see the value in it, personally and professionally. Recently there have been some negative things circulating about the social media world, and being online in general. Some I have all ready addressed on this blog, and some are earmarked for later. At times it feels like an uphill battle dealing with knee-jerk reactions to every single bad thing that happens via social media. So, that being said, I'm going to give you 5 positive things about social media, on the personal side, and the business side. These are some of the reasons I love social media!

Personal:

1. I can keep in touch with my family, spread out all over the country, and they can keep in touch with me. Any time we want. Day or night. Time zones do not matter!
2. Information. I love politics, news, and information in general. I also love telling others about it. Sharing this information has never been easier with social media. Learning information from others is also a plus.
3. Living vicariously through others. My brother is an avid traveler. I am not, but I love watching his adventures unfold when he posts photos, status updates or blog entries.
4. It takes a village. Once a friend's daughter posted some scary stuff on her Facebook page. Red-flag stuff. Immediately three of us started messaging to see if anyone had contacted the parent yet about this. It turns out the child was just playing an attention card, but what I take away from that is how quickly we came together to figure out what to do, should it have been a real emergency.
5. Silliness. I love the memes, music videos, check-ins, and everything else that you never even thought to share with others BI (before internet). It makes the world seems smaller, and I feel that's a good thing.

Business:

1. Everyone is using social media in one form or another, and they are looking for your business.
2. You can communicate and engage with customers or clients at any time day or night, not just during business hours. Again, time zones do not matter! If you are doing it right, they will see what you're posting.
3. Social media is the greatest opportunity to show customers that you care about them, and not just getting their business.
4. Social media draws traffic to your blog and website.
5. All of these social media sites are available for free!

There are many more positives to social media, but this is a good start. This is a way of life now, and I don't see it dying off any time soon. It's better to embrace it, understand it, and use it to your advantage than fear it. Happy socializing!

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs! 

How Does Satirical News Cross A Line?

I am one of the millions of people who are sucked into the Academy Awards each year. Thanks to social media, they have become even more fun to watch, since with social media you are never alone watching them. Naturally, everyone has an opinion, and Twitter, Facebook, and a couple glasses of wine always give us the courage to really say what we think. I think most of the conversations were disagreements! For some reason it's always more fun to argue than agree, especially about creative topics.

Even with my watchful eye, I follow way too many people and hashtags to catch everything that goes by. However, that is what retweets are for. Not everything slides under the radar on the internet for very long. This is how the satire-news site The Onion got into a little hot water Sunday night.

For those who are not familiar (and even those of you who are), I would like to repeat: The Onion is a satirical news site. It's fake, and most of the time, pretty tasteless. So how could a well-known satire site that always tries to up the shock factor possibly get in trouble? Well, by this tweet. Warning, it's definitely "R" rated and not for work. Or children. Or those who are offended easily (who also probably do not read the Onion).

My first reaction was the same as everyone else. Too far! You don't say that about a 9 year old! The nerve! Where's the decency? Apparently the entire world (i.e. Twitter) wanted the offending tweeter's head on a pike. It is definitely a fine line between a parody and just being an offensive jerk. It caused so much controversy that The Onion actually had to issue an apology.

That's what made me rethink the entire thing. The Onion, satirical news site, apologized for doing what they do on a daily basis. Here's a sampling of headlines from their website:

*While I'm Glad I Won, I Personally Believe Abraham Lincoln Deserved To Die ("written" by Daniel Day-Lewis)
*Sonny Bono Foundation Prevents At-Risk Youths From Skiing Into Trees
*In Focus: Parents Of Suicide Victim Saw It Coming A Mile Away
*Oscars Fashion Report: Kathryn Bigelow Stuns On Red Carpet Wearing Blood-Soaked Rags Osama Bin Laden Was Killed In

Now, granted I am more tolerant than most when it comes to language. I personally don't believe that there is bad language, only appropriate places to use certain language. I tend to be colorful with my language, but you certainly aren't going to hear it in a client meeting or at a conference. If MSNBC had tweeted the same thing as the Onion? Probably not the best of ideas. It's not their normal policy, so yes there should be action taken (I'm not even mentioning all of the radio hosts out there that work for major news outlets who routinely offend on a daily basis, and never have to worry about losing their job). But the Onion? Honestly, I don't feel an apology was necessary. It's what they do. That's the point.

I was on Twitter following along while watching the Oscars, and I didn't even know this happened until the next day when I read the post from Social Media Today. That leads me to think that unless you were completely glued to Twitter and caught the re-tweet, a lot of people didn't see it either. It certainly wasn't a story the local 10pm news talked about. I think this was made out to be a bigger deal than it needed to be.

There is a lesson in this though. A reminder that what you say online stays there. Once you hit "send", it can't be undone. For those of us who do not run satirical websites that borderline on vulgar, it's good to remember that as you're typing status updates.

I'd love to know what you think, not just about this, but about appropriate use of language in different contexts. Comment below, or over on the Facebook page!

Thanks for reading! If you feel so inclined, you can follow my daily ramblings on Twitter, and get all sorts of information from my Facebook Page! See you around the interwebs!