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When I first started to use social media, I took the “bull in the china shop” approach. It’s not the most elegant method but I’ve found that you can apply it to almost any situation in life. There are always a few disasters to sweep up with this method and I picked up a few hints, tips and tricks in the aftermath. Over time, I developed a set of guidelines that would be useful for SMB and professional people looking to engage in social media.

Detailed below are recommendations gleaned from my experiences. Some of them were learned the hard way so take a few moments to review them. If you have any additional tips, we’d love to hear about them.

Things to Do

1. Be transparent in all your dealings. There isn’t a social media community that won’t sanction you if people in the community get a whiff of deceit or underhanded technique.

2. Use a picture. Remember you are building relationships and you’re using a visual medium. A picture makes people feel like they’re dealing with a real person. Make it easy on yourself and use the same picture for all the tools. If you’d rather not post a photo of yourself, get an avatar based on a photo. As a last resort, use a logo from your company. Whatever you do, don’t let the photo link remain blank.

3. Pick a short, descriptive user id that can be used across all tools. A common id is going to make it easy for people to follow and find you on multiple social media channels. Ideally, make it the name of your company or something that easily identifies who you are.

4. Use your real name. While your user id is how you will sign on to a tool, your associated profile should have your name. When people start investigating whether they want to have a social media relationship with you, they’re going to want to know that it’s a real, accessible person with whom they’re communicating.

5. Keep your details updated. If a prospect can’t find you easily, they probably won’t bother to look farther than the first dead end.

6. Make regular, frequent posts. Social media requires regular activity. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time – less than 20 minutes a day if you like – but you need to be consistently present in your community.

7. Be social but keep all communication at a professional level. If you’re having trouble with how to achieve this, consider the conversations you’d have in an office hallway or while waiting at the photocopier.

8. Be generous with resources. If you’ve found a good article in the newspaper, had a good experience with a business or know someone doing a great job, tell your network.

9. Shorten your URLs when providing website links. Most social media tools, especially Twitter, have a limit on the number of characters you are allowed. A number of URL shorteners provide useful statistics about usage of the link. The most popular URL shorteners are bitly and tinyurl.

10. List yourself in social media directories. Two good ones are Twellow and We Follow. These directories are great places to find people to populate your network.

11. Adopt a Quality vs. Quantity mentality when it comes to followers. Remember, you’re in this for business. It’s not a popularity contest. A lot has been written about the etiquette around following everyone who follows you, but that doesn’t make sense. Ideally, your followers are people who are prospective customers. You want these people and also the thought leaders in your field in your network. Having quality followers removes you from the “What are you eating for breakfast?” nonsense.

12. Connect your tools with each other as much as possible. The Company Buzz feature on LinkedIn allows you to follow specific keywords being discussed on Twitter. The Blog Link application on LinkedIn follows the blogs of your connections. Twitter and Facebook have many different interfaces.

Things Not to Do

1. Don’t be selfish, self-centred or self-serving. Your connections and followers will rebel. We’ve all been to the dinner party dominated by a corporate bore. Don’t be a social media bore. Share information, ask questions and build relationships. If you do, the opportunity to promote your business will arise on a daily basis.

2. Don’t spam. Don’t peddle porn.

3. Don’t use a suggestive or controversial photo. You’re trying to promote your business and it’s best not to do it showing a lot of skin or wielding a firearm.

4. Don’t use foul language.

5. Don’t send out quotes. This is usually a sign of a spammer or an affiliate marketer. You’re unlikely to inspire anyone and it demonstrates lack of original thought.

6. Don’t get too personal. No one really cares about your sex life, what you had for dinner or whether your bathtub needs cleaning. This sort of information only weakens your professional brand. Additionally, you don’t want to reveal so much information that your private life is jeopardised in some way.

7. Don’t comment on controversial subjects. You may have strong views on late-term abortions or sex education in primary schools, but sharing these opinions probably isn’t going to win you any business.

While driving to a meeting yesterday, I heard on the car radio an advertisement for advertising. The message was businesses that spend money on advertising in tough economic times have an advantage over those that don’t. The spot went on to describe how a small investment in traditional advertising could increase sales and generate more customer traffic. I had to smile. Spending money on advertising helps the advertising industry come out of a recession in better shape, for sure. That’s not necessarily true for the rest of us.

Getting Ahead During a Recession
I do agree that spending money on promoting your company is one of the best things you can do to weather a financial storm. A recent article in Inc. Magazine titled Managing: Planning Now for an Economic Rebound, describes different ways companies are improving their businesses. Where money is being invested, it’s done with careful consideration and an expectation  that the investment is going to produce results.

The Rise of Word of Mouth Marketing
Recent research indicates that traditional advertising is no longer the most effective way to reach your target audience. PC Media Research reports:

July 29, 2009 Stamford, CT, Spending on word-of-mouth (WoM) marketing rose 14.2% to $1.54 billion in 2008, despite the worst economic recession in 70 years, accentuated by secular and structural trends battering traditional advertising and marketing media, according to new research from PQ Media (www.pqmedia.com). While year-over-year growth is expected to slow in 2009, WoM spending is on pace to grow another 10.2% this year, placing it among the fastest growing advertising and marketing segments. By comparison, the U.S. economy, as well as the advertising and marketing services sectors are all expected to decline in 2009 for the first time since the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

Bridge Ratings, an American company providing audience measurement services for radio, agrees with the changing nature of marketing and advertising. According to a 2007 report titled: The New Influentials, WoM has exploded to include “Strangers with Experience.” The survey describes this trend:

Note that as Influentials, “Friends, Family and Acquaintances” maintained a consistent rating. “Strangers with Experience” improved significantly in the ten years between studies, and “Teachers” trust level has slipped. Of particular interest is the drop in the Influencer value of “Religious Leaders,” “Newspapers & Magazines” and “TV News Reporters.”

The report went even further. In an indictment of their own industry, the survey states:

No matter what your business or product is today and in the foreseeable future, the concept of marketing that service or product has been turned on its head.

Traditional Advertising is Dead
Consumers have changed the way they make purchasing decisions. With more information available, everyone is doing research, most of it conducted online. The global financial crisis has supported this trend and now, more than ever before, consumers are educating themselves. If your company is not producing documents that help prospective customers make an educated choice, you are losing business.

The Solution
Content marketing is the smart place to invest. Websites with informative blogs about your products or services, case studies that describe the experiences of your best customers and white papers that educate and inform are all examples of content marketing. Investment in these materials will highlight the best parts of your company and provide a basis for people to choose you. The businesses that survive the recession are going to be the companies that treat their customers as smart consumers. Investing in catchy slogans, memorable jingles and flashy brochures is the old way to do business. Describing your expertise and endorsing it with corroborating documentation is the key to success in the new economy. Developing a portfolio of content-rich material readily available for consumer research is the new marketing model. Don’t let anyone persuade you differently.

One thing I enjoy about freelancing is you are exposed to many different business situations – each with its own set of requirements and demands. The mandate is always the same: help them improve their business as quickly as possible with maximum cost effectiveness. While each customer is different, my involvement and the solution are often similar to other work done before. That makes sense since I specialise in developing content that helps increase profits and attract new prospects. Occasionally, I get a customer who challenges me.

Customised SEO Services

I’ve been doing a lot of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work. I’ve teamed up with a talented graphic designer, Ryan Briggs, to offer a specialised service delivering continuous results to our clients. We differentiate ourselves by employing methods encompassing a complex and layered approach to increasing website traffic. It’s more than just developing keyword-rich copy and goes beyond an adword campaign. Businesses dependent on their websites, or expecting their website investment to work for them, appreciate the additional service we provide.

A Smart Customer

Not long ago we entered into an SEO project with Clayko Group. Clayko is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with solutions for Document Management, Enterprise Content Management (ECM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and a comprehensive service offering including hosting applications and outsourcing complex document scanning projects. They have long supported and sold the SharePoint product in Australia and New Zealand. SharePoint, in fact, is integral to many of their service offerings. Lately, Clayko has become a representative of the KnowledgeLake solution in Australia and New Zealand. The new addition to their portfolio prompted them to review their existing website and consider how it could work harder for them. It was the right thing to do at the right time and we welcomed the chance to help them.

A Conundrum

Clayko’s website was working for them and it wasn’t working for them. They had solid business reasons for their current design. They were reluctant to change but wanted to improve the traffic coming to their site. It was an easy decision to develop a new site for the KnowledgeLake business but I was at a loss on what we could do for their core business, which also happens to be the biggest part of their revenue stream. How do you leave a website just as it is and still improve the SEO?

A Smart Solution

Working alone, I probably would have admitted defeat and focused my attention solely on the KnowledgeLake SEO project. Luckily for Clayko and me, Ryan had an idea that allowed them to preserve their current website and still drive new traffic to it. Within a few days, we had solidified our plan and proposed a solution that met their requirements but didn’t affect the overall cost of the project. It was an innovative resolution that worked for all parties.

The Beauty of Freelance Collaboration

This sort of thing energises me. I wouldn’t have arrived at such a neat solution. Ryan couldn’t have implemented the project without the help of a dedicated copywriter. We both appreciated the opportunity to play to our strengths. For me, having a trusted partner with complementary talents meant the angst was removed from the project – and I know Ryan felt the same way. While we both value our freelance careers, finding a good partner has opened our businesses to more opportunity. Our customers are happy, too. Who doesn’t like to get a creative solution delivered quickly and within budget?

Copywriting is a profession. Interestingly, it’s a line of work many businesses fail to utilize. The creative professions understand, inherently, the value of precise writing. Photographers, web designers, public relations firms, advertising agencies and publishers have long employed professionals to write their copy for them. Corporate enterprises regularly hire writers or use freelancers to complete their marketing projects. The small to medium business (SMB or SME) is often reluctant to make an investment in writing services. That reluctance is costing them.

Establish Authority
SMBs exist because they work in a niche that major corporations do not address. Every operation is different but the principles for success are the same. The business, no matter how small, has an obligation to present themselves as an authority for a specific product or service. It might be price point, local presence, superior quality or quick turnaround but it’s imperative the SMB establish their particular expertise. Failing to do so reduces profit and, in the worst case, contributes to failure.

Inform your Prospects
Understandably, the SMB is likely to focus on “doing” and not “telling.” I’ve spoken to many talented business owners frustrated by their inability to attract paying clients. They have a great product or provide exceptional service but aren’t enjoying the success they rightly deserve. In every case, it’s because prospective clients are unaware of the opportunities on offer.

Take Action
Depending on word-of-mouth is no longer an effective way to manage a business. With the proliferation of the internet and the advent of globalisation, consumers have more information than ever. If you’re not actively promoting your product or service, it won’t be long before you’re filling out job applications. It doesn’t take an expensive advertising campaign or a public relations firm to improve the profile of your company.

A Different Kind of Marketing
As consumers become more sophisticated and budget demands enforce careful spending decisions, it becomes imperative that the SMB educate their prospective clients. Glossy brochures, expensive advertising and inscribed gifts are giving way to professional documents that position your company, eliminate competition and instruct your client base. A case study or a white paper might be all your company needs to gain a competitive edge and establish your organisation as the leading provider of products or services in your field.

Educate
White papers have been around the IT industry for decades. Due to rapid technology changes, IT professionals have long depended on white papers to keep them abreast of new developments in software and hardware. Much like the trusted Cliff’s Notes for literature students, reading a white paper is a quick way to learn the basics. White papers are no longer used exclusively in the IT industry. Any business using a white paper as part of their sales cycle will benefit because they have ensured their prospective clients understand the broader issues, the competitive advantages and disadvantages, and the cost benefits to making a decision.

Credible Success
Case studies, or customer-success stories, are another effective way for the SMB to define themselves as the authority in their area of expertise. In Casey Hibbard’s excellent book “Stories that Sell”, she explains that it is human nature to trust a personal observation about a company more than anything that company would say. This is true even if you don’t know the person with the experience. By capturing your best customer stories in an easy-to-read document, you’re guaranteeing that your marketing budget is working hard to impress your prospects.

Copywriter Required
Make no mistake, documents like white papers and case studies are specialised writing projects. It is essential that a copywriter with specific expertise be employed to produce them. SMBs should be focused on their own business and not spend precious time labouring over a paper that will likely miss the mark. Investing in documents that educate and inform is the best use of your marketing budget. Enlisting the help of a professional copywriter demonstrates that your business values their public image. If done correctly, your professional marketing documents will continue to add value and attract customers for a very long time.

When I first started this blog, I was worried about being relevant. I had failed to understand that a blog is business writing. My concern was that I didn't want to trivialize my business and potentially undermine my own efforts. It's taken me less than two months to figure out that a company blog can be a powerful lead generation tool. I don't know why I didn't recognize it before.

Establishing Authority
The first thing that happened was people started reading my blog posts. Not only were they reading them, they were suggesting other people read them, too. Like all writers, I appreciate nothing more than knowing someone has found value in something I've published. It wasn't long before I got a call from my SEO service provider saying my site was beginning to index on the major search engines. He also said that if I continued to post on a weekly basis, I was going to improve my rankings much quicker than he had expected.

Developing a Brand
Still, I hadn't quite grasped the full benefits of a regular blog post. My list of topics grew as I went about the normal course of my week. Every client meeting or interview gave me new ideas. When I discovered something that worked really well, I made a note to blog about it. When something went bad, I usually started writing a cautionary tale. Not all my ideas have resulted in a post, but they've all been helpful in developing my business.

Educating
My favourite part of blogging is having a platform to promote a good product or service. I enjoy pointing my readers to a great company or an interesting story. If somebody has provided good service or come up with an innovative idea, I'll go out of my way to share that information. It's the best thing about the internet.

Return on Investment
The one benefit I didn't anticipate is how blogging ensures your company assets are being fully utilised. A good website is an investment. As technology becomes more sophisticated, it becomes harder to manage those investments. It's no longer possible to develop a website with all the necessary information and leave it alone. Search engines are looking for living, changing web content. They're not much interested in dormant sites. One of the easiest ways to keep your website fluid is to blog.

The Plug
I'm still a novice to blogging and I still worry about being relevant. I'm no longer in doubt about the importance of a company blog. Not only am I able to drive people to my website, I'm also able to use my posts to educate my potential client base. I'm assisting my SEO and capitalising on an important service that keeps my business positioned for success.
I'm lucky because I love to write. If writing is not something you enjoy or you just can't find the time to develop a company blog, drop me a note. I'm a business writing expert and can help you realize some of the benefits I'm enjoying.