I Don't Consider Myself A Prude, But.....

Time to let the chips fall where they may.  As the title of my blog suggests, I was raised in a much different era.  There are just certain words that you didn't use in mixed company.  Okay, I will be honest; I probably use them almost as often as anyone else but it is usually while I am among close friends and after a few cocktails.

However, there are just some words, no matter how prevalent they have become in today's everyday speech, that you just should not use in your marketing material.

All too often I am seeing images and announcements of events and promotions which contain words that I, personally, would not consider appropriate.  Just because the promoter may use the "F" word in normal everyday conversation, using it to promote their business takes away all sense of professionalism.

As I have stated in previous posts, I administer a Facebook page which promotes local area businesses.  Too often I find myself censoring what I share based simply on the wording of the businesses' status.  Am I wrong in doing this?  Am I more of a prude than I care to admit?  What are your thoughts on this matter?

It's All About Your Fan(base)

One of the most difficult things to do when engaging your fan base via social media is being able to anticipate what they want to know or even see on their screens, for that matter.  It is easy to keep followers interested and engaged when you have a well-recognized brand outside of the world of social media.  Ben & Jerry's, Apple and McDonald's seem to use social media as an enhancement to their corporate marketing strategies.  But what about the local mom & pop businesses and local non-profits?

All too often we see posts on local pages that have nothing to do with the business or organization.  It seems as if these posts are made simply to get the page to show up on a person's news feed.  Granted, not a totally bad strategy; however, posting several updates one right after the other will more than likely turn off the fan they worked so hard to get in the first place.

Many businesses and non-profits cater to a distinct niche demographic.  Their posts, while focusing on that demographic; should also attempt to draw in those who normally would not consider themselves in that group.  However, posting one of the million cat memes out there just for the sake of posting it, is not doing their marketing strategy any good.

Finally, the digital/social media coordinators of these pages need to remember to check their personal political and social opinions at the door before sitting down at the computer to work on their pages.  We all have personal opinions on gun control, sexual orientation, smoking, the "fiscal cliff", women's rights, etc.   The list is endless and so are the opinions out there.  Unless your organization is a champion of one of these causes, posts regarding them are best left for your personal Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter accounts.

The bottom line is "It is what your fans want to see over what you want to post".  

Did Non-Profits Miss the Memo on Social Media?

Being personal friends with many who are heavily involved in all aspects of various non-profit organizations - from Executive Director down to the occasional volunteer - I have prepared myself for the expected onslaught of phone calls, emails or, even worse, the cold shoulder once I hit the publish button on this post.  However, having spent the last 25 posts focusing primarily on the business side of social media, it was time to venture on to the subject of the non-profit organization.

Many of these organizations and charities have been in existence longer than some of the most successful corporations.  They've learned to survive on the bare minimum in order to direct a vast majority of their financial resources toward the cause or demographic they are championing.  Through grants (either governmental or private) and donations, it is a daily struggle to keep afloat and operational.  Advertising budgets are slim to none.

As the pool of disposable income traditionally used for donations shrinks and that list of volunteer names dwindles due to either death, relocation or just being "burnt out"; new and innovative strategies need to be employed.  Social media offers such strategies that have proven successful for many for-profits and a select few non-profits.

It are those "hold outs" that have me shaking my head.  To start out initially in social media is basically free.  The one thing that a Facebook page, Google Plus page, Twitter account, Tumblr account and a Pinterest account have in common is that they are all FREE.  They are all easy to set up, maintain and link together.  The amount of time spent administering these accounts is minuscule compared to the amount of man hours spent stuffing envelopes or dialing the phone.

Mailers and phone drives have their place. No one is suggesting that they be stopped completely.  The return on investment in a social media campaign is limitless.  There are tried and true best practices that can easily be used by the non-profit while maintaining the true core values of the organization.  Non-profits (and their boards) who insist it cannot be done just didn't take the time to read the memo.

Road to Being a Facebook Page Admin

It began innocently enough as a normal mid-December morning of scrolling through Facebook friend status updates while enjoying a cup of coffee.  One update caught my eye, a friend was looking for someone to help administer a community page he had started a few months earlier and didn't have the time to maintain.

I was just coming off a 6 month whirlwind of being the Digital/Social Media Coordinator for the local presidential re-election team and for the local county's Democratic Party which, in itself, had several local campaigns going on simultaneously.  Not long after November 6th, I found myself with a lot of idle time on my hands; so this random call for help could not have come at a more opportune moment.

I immediately clicked on the link to his page to see what it was about; knowing I couldn't put 100% into it unless I believed in what he was trying to accomplish.  The page and task at hand seemed simple enough.  Its main premise was to promote local area small businesses and the overall concept of shopping local.  There are 46 page followers at this point and a handful of business pages that had liked the page.  As a former small business owner from an era when social and media would never have been used in the same sentence together, I knew how important and valuable this online resource could be to the small retailer competing with the big box stores or the local restaurant and cafe fighting for space among the big chains in the area.

Initially, my thought was that this would take up to an hour a day, if that much, to maintain.  It would be a piece of cake.

Boy, was I wrong.  Just shy of two months later, we are up to over 570 followers, over 300 business pages that like us and a totally separate blog devoted to local business profiles and reviews.  What started out as an unrealistic expectation of 1 hour of computer time has become a full time obsession, for lack of a better word.

I adore what I am doing and love hearing the mostly positive feedback both on the street and online.  I have made it a habit of scouring the social media blogs and how-to sites to make sure I can give solid advice; but I know enough to refer the harder questions to the social media professionals in the area.  

I will continue to devote whatever time I can to this endeavor.  I am also realistic in knowing that the Internet and Social Media is ever evolving and changing.  With that in the back of my mind, I know that this will not be a permanent volunteer gig; but believe me when I say that it keeps me busy and has helped me to master a skill I never would have thought possible just 5 years ago.

Am I Missing Something or Are They?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the trials and tribulations of getting Facebook page fans to become engaged.  It has been an uphill battle on my own page but we are getting there.  My new sense of confusion happens to be regarding other business and community pages.

One of the pages I administer is geared toward highlighting local area businesses in a way to drive traffic to both their Facebook pages and their physical locations.  The primary focus is to promote the "SHOP LOCAL" mentality.  The graphic below aptly describes that focus:

On the plus side, the page has been receiving a lot of positive feedback both online and on the street but... (yes, there is always a but), for every local business that regularly updates their Facebook page and actively engages their fans, there are many others that either do not utilize best practices or worse yet, never update their page.

Branding Yourself is Just as Important.....

Branding yourself is just as important as the company, product or service you represent.  I know that this is definitely not a new concept; but it recently took on a more personal meaning to me.

When I began writing this blog, it was more of a way to put down my thoughts about the many things I was finding out about social media and its effect on my world and the world around me.  It was also one of the things I began doing to keep busy and not go crazy trying to search for employment.  So much as transpired since my first post.

Whether it was as a result of this blog or the mere fact that I was the only one who raised their hand in the room, I soon found myself being recruited as an administrator for several Facebook pages.  Of course, this is all done on a volunteer basis and the job titles run the gamut from Digital/Social Media Coordinator to Page Administrator.

I found myself becoming the "Professional Volunteer".  Not a bad title and it does provide a great deal of personal satisfaction.  It does not, however, pay the bills.  So now I embark on my next journey - taking what I have learned and branding myself just as any Fortune 500 company would do for a new product or service.

Social Media May Be All That... But I Am Not!

I will admit that upon hearing the term "Social Media" for the first time, images came to mind of people sharing newspaper clippings or discussing the previous night's newscast.  I have learned a lot in the last year.

I am not an expert on all things "Social Media" by any means.  I know what SEO stands for (Search Engine Optimization) but do not ask me how to put it into practice.  That I will leave to the true experts.

What I can admit to is, I can tell you how to set up and maintain a Twitter account (or maybe even several); how to switch between the accounts; and how to link them to other Social Media sites.  

I have been able to navigate through the ever changing world of Facebook with more ease than some.  I understand the basics of setting up a business or community page and how to best promote it for free (that is, without having to pay Facebook to do it for me).

Finally,  I understand the true meaning of social networking through my use of LinkedIn.

I will continue to explore the endless possibilities that Social Media holds and let all of you know what I find out.  This has become more of a learning process for all of us.  In the meantime, I will still continue to answer questions from those of you looking for help in setting up Facebook accounts and/or pages.  We should all be able to view all the cat pictures out there; they weren't meant for a select few.