Strategy Matters brings you news, tips and strategies for effective communications from Strategic Communications, LLC. We're committed to bringing you success through strategy. www.stratcommunications.com |
You May be Tweeting, But is Anybody Listening?
Recently released research from Pew should send a wake-up call to all marketers who have been-or may find themselves becoming-overly enamored of the "power" of social media.
Even among those under 30, only 61 percent indicate that they use social networking sites on a typical day. Compare that to the popular wisdom that suggests that *all* "young people" are using social media. They're not. In fact, each semester I ask students in my classes how many use the top three social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) - a majority are on Facebook, one or two in a class generally on Twitter, and few have even *heard* of LinkedIn.
What does this mean for you? Well, it really doesn't matter whether "everyone" is doing something or not. What matters is whether your target audience is doing something-like actively participating in Twitter, or reading the local paper, or watching the local news, or listening to particular radio programs, or...
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Do-It-Yourself Video for Self-Promotion
Video promotions used to be available only for those with sufficient resources to hire outside help. Today, however, changing technologies and changing perceptions about what "good video quality" means have opened the door to a much broader group of promoters. By embracing the relatively simple steps and principles below, you too can be a part of the rapidly growing club of video self promoters.
Have a Plan
You wouldn't jump into any traditional aspect of your business without having a solid plan. Why should your video marketing efforts be any different? Before starting your video project think about a few key questions:
- What is the story I'm trying to tell?
- Who am I trying to tell this story to?
- What do I need to do in order to tell this story effectively?
Work on a storyboard and script before you do any filming to save time, effort and money.
Know the Basics
Just because the technology for video development is now widely available, doesn't mean that the skills required to produce a video are universally understood. Before you broadcast any communication to your customers or other audience, you want to make sure it fits with your brand. This not only means that the message needs to fit, but also that the quality must be up to par. Learning some basic information about video production, sound quality, narration and editing will go a long way in making your video appear professional.
Know your Budget
Many business owners and professionals worry about the cost of producing a quality video. Fortunately, modern technology means that professional caliber videos can be produced quickly and cheaply, often for less money direct mail campaigns or other forms of marketing.
Interested in learning more? Read our Toastmaster article.
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Measuring Social Media
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How are you measuring the impact of your social media efforts? Hopefully not solely through "friends" or clicks. Just as with any communication endeavor, while process measures (like numbers of media placement or numbers of followers) can provide insights into consumer behavior, outcome measures matter most.
I listened to a webinar recently, presented by Vertical Response, which did a good job, I thought, of providing a range of measures that might be monitored to evaluate social media efforts. The four categories of measurement tie back to the classic stages of consumer involvement in any purchase process: awareness, influence, engagement and action. Here are the related measures that you should be monitoring (note: the first three categories are primarily process measures, the last one represents outcome measures).
- AWARENESS: traffic, followers, subscribers, page likes, reach
- INFLUENCE: inbound links, retweeted content, posts commented on, content shared, Klout/PeerIndex
- ENGAGEMENT: post likes, mentions, comments, retweets, photo/video views, clicks
- ACTION: store visits, purchases, downloads, form submission, registrations
Instead of counting number of followers (a measure of awareness), make sure that you're also measuring action. In the final analysis, that's what really matters!
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Working With Interns
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Many small business owners put in more hours than they would like running their companies because they cannot afford to hire extra employees to help with the workload. Similarly, many small businesses have seasonal or temporary needs that require some level of education or experience not suitable for temp work. A great resource to help lighten the load while giving back to the community is to take on interns to help with some of the work. Interns are a low cost or no cost way to have educated and motivated individuals help you with your business. Below are some tips for finding and utilizing high quality interns.
Differentiate
Just as with your primary business offering, it is important to differentiate your internship offering from your "competitors." There are many students looking for internships, but the best and brightest will flock to the most attractive opportunities in terms of experience and enjoyment. When creating your company's internship, it's okay to include some menial tasks such as data entry. As a business owner, you probably perform those tasks regularly as well. However, you should not look at an intern as an unpaid office assistant. Provide meaningful, hands on experience and you will attract higher numbers of high quality applicants.
Create Purpose and Structure
You should have a plan of action before taking on interns. Have clear goals for what they should get out of the internship and what is specifically expected out of both the business owner and the intern. It can be very helpful to get the intern involved in creating some of the purpose and structure of the program as well.
Creating Success
You obviously want to have a successful experience working with your intern. Your intern will feel the same way. It is important to communicate with your interns to find out their strengths and weaknesses; to find out what they enjoy; and to understand any problems that may arise. Additionally, exit interviews can be very helpful for long-term internship programs to help improve the program for future interns.
The process of hiring an intern is the same process you should use when hiring any employee: clearly identify the goals and requirements of the position, match applicants against those requirements, assess for talent as well as "fit," provide a realistic job preview, communicate clear performance objectives and then, after you've made the hire, communicate regularly and clearly.
Contact us for more information about competency-based hiring, whether you're hiring interns, or full-time staff.
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Writing An Actionable Business Plan
A business plan can be an essential document for any business. Most, if not all, potentially sources of external funding will want to see a business plan before giving you any money. Additionally, a business plan can help guide your own decision making as a point of reference to keep you on track towards your goals. Below are some basic considerations for creating an effective business plan.
Be Professional
Especially when seeking external investment in your organization, a sloppy business plan can shut the door on an opportunity it may have taken you months to arrange. Before presenting your business plan to any outsiders, review it multiple times. Don't just look for typos and misplaced visuals - although it is certainly important to avoid these - make sure the flow seems logical and that your business plan actually makes sense to you and an audience of trusted friends or colleagues.
Include the Basics
While there is a variety of information that can be included in a business plan and business plans will be different for different businesses, there are three basic sections that all business plans should include. The business concept discusses the basic structure of your company, the industry it will operate in and the factors required for success. The market analysis discusses who you will try to sell your product or service to, what their characteristics are and how you will make these potential customers want to buy your product or service. Finally, the financials section explains your anticipated revenue and cost structure, relevant financial ratios and breakeven point. This is often the most difficult area for many business owners and may require outside help to prepare.
Constantly Update your Plan
Just as the business environment is constantly changing, so too must your business plan constantly change. If you are actively seeking outside investment and presenting your plan to potential investors, get as much feedback as possible and improve your plan for the next investor. If you are simply using your plan internally, stay abreast of business news and best practices and modify your business plan accordingly.
Need help with this? Contact us at linda@stratcommunications.com. | |
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Maximizing the Value of LinkedIn Groups
Social media has taken the world by storm, but Twitter and Facebook aren't for everybody. Many business people find value with LinkedIn, a more business-oriented social media site. LinkedIn groups can be an especially useful tool for connecting with others, learning and building credibility.
Contact us for a free copy of our latest white paper.
| | Offer Expires: 10/1/11 |
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