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Social Media Helps with Emergencies

Tom Sullivan — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:26:57 +0000

It occurred to me right after the 5.9 earthquake that hit the east coast, followed by hurricane Irene last weekend, that social media, while silly and useless to a lot of people, is very important during emergency situations. As a California native, it was weird to feel an earthquake on the east coast. So weird that I didn’t even realize that I was experiencing it until at least 10 seconds into it. Immediately after I wanted to know if in fact it was an earthquake, and if other people felt it. Well, no news network or blogger is that quick, so where did I look? Twitter!

Now, the example above was me merely trying to confirm my suspicion about an obvious occurrence. Hurricane Irene, however, is a different story. You see, one of the biggest threats that people face when a hurricane passes through (other than death and destruction) is power outages. If the power goes out not only can you not use your oven, stove, microwave or toaster to cook food, but you cannot turn on the television to get emergency updates.

So how do you get real time emergency updates when the power goes out during an emergency situation? Twitter! As long as you have a laptop, tablet or cell phone with battery life you’ll be able to connect to Twitter through wi-fi, even if your not connected to your network, which you won’t be able to do since the power is out.

Almost every local news station and weatherman has a Twitter account. In emergency situations they can provide you with valuable information on the storm danger zones, potential flooded areas, local shelters, tips for emergency kits and much more…

The character limit on Twitter messages is often thought of as a hindrance, but in emergency situations messages that are ‘short and sweet’ are most effective. They quick and easy to type, and they’re to the point. So what’s my suggestion? Sign up for Twitter and follow local news stations and weathermen (or weather-women), even if you never plan on “tweeting” just so you’re prepared in case of an emergency.

Is Groupon Right For Your Business?

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:46:35 +0000

The answer to this question is simply: it depends. Not only does it depend on the type of business you run, but more importantly, it depends on what your offer is. Remember, most group buying (or group discount) sites, such as Groupon and Living Social, take 50% of the revenue generated by your offer. On top of that, they ask that you significantly discount the service you’re offering (at least 50% in most cases). Therefore, a $500 service is offered at $250 and you collect only $125 per order.

Obviously, you need to do your research before even contemplating Groupon or Living Social. I’ve compiled a list of tips to consider if you’re looking into creating a group discount offer:

1) Know your profit margins: This is something every business owner should know regardless, but it is especially important to know if you’re considering using Groupon. Here’s an exercise: write down your most popular product/service (based on revenue) and then write down your most profitable product/service. If you’ve written the same product/service then that might be a good thing to offer. Unless you over-inflate the price of your offer you’re going to make 25% of what you normally would would make. Of course if your profit margin is over 75% then you’ll still be making money, which leads me to…

2) Don’t expect to make a ton of money: Yes, I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the chances are that you won’t make a lot of money with Groupon. The whole point of using a group discount site is to bring in a bunch of new customers who you can upsell and turn into regular clients. In order to do this you need to…

3) Prepare to promote your social networks and offer incentives for customers to join: At the very least you need to convert this new influx of customers into Facebook Fans and Twitter Followers, in addition to putting them on your email marketing list. Remember though, just having your Facebook & Twitter pages up isn’t enough. People need an incentive to “like” your business. Think of additional discounts and rewards that you can offer Fans & Followers. Important tip: remember to have sign-age throughout your place of business promoting your Facebook and Twitter pages.

4) Be ready for a huge crowd: As a business owner, you, or the manager, need to prepare the employees for what could potentially be long lines or an influx of phone calls. Restaurants (that don’t take reservations), delis and coffee shops need to know that there will be long lines and be ready to deal with these customers. Make sure that you have a system in place to streamline the ordering process and also make sure to keep track of each and every coupon so they cannot be re-used. If you’re taking reservations make sure that your receptionists are friendly and courteous. The bottom line, you need to make sure you provide excellent customer service.

5) Know the law: Most business don’t need to worry about breaking the law by running a Groupon offer, but believe it or not, some do. Doctors and physicians who are considering using Groupon need to be aware of their state’s “splitting laws” which forbid the “direct or indirect offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving or agreeing to receive, any fee or other consideration to or from a third party for the referral of a patient or client or in connection with the performance of professional services.” This is an exerpt from New York’s Public Health Law, and many other states have similar laws. The bottom line is, if you’re a medical practice you need to consult your attorney before making any decisions about Groupon.

There have been many organization that have used Groupon awfully and now they are out of business. This is no joke, and every detail needs to be taken seriously before you commit to an offer. Once you know of an offer where you’re not losing money then you need to focus on how to prepare for a big return, whether that is phone calls or long lines. Be prepared, and be ready to market your social networks. Most importantly, be ready to showcase your excellent customer service.

If you have any questions about running a Groupon or Living Social offer then contact Turbo Social Media today, or call 877-673-7096 x2.

Facebook Will No Longer Allow FBML Pages

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:48:53 +0000

Beginning on March 11, Facebook will no longer allow developers to use FBML to create custom “welcome” pages. FBML, which stands for Facebook Markup Language, has been one of the main scripts businesses have used when creating their welcome pages in the past.

Many third party companies have offered applications that made it very easy for amateurish developers to use their often free software to build out their FBML pages. Users have simply had to copy and paste the content into the static FBML box. Now you will have to either use an iFrame or a custom application. This requires significantly more programing knowledge, including:

downloading and uploading files via FTP
working with and troubleshooting an HTML ifame code

So what does this all mean? For starters, all the Facebook FBML “Entrepreneurs” who have created custom Fan pages in the past will have to step their game up and quickly adapt. Learning code is a skill that can take years to master, so these individuals will have to evolve their business. For businesses that have developed FBML pages before the changeover, the move will still support their old pages.

If you’re a small business this could potentially make it more expensive to get set up with a nice, custom branded Fan page. However, we at Turbo Social Media will not be changing our pricing. We will continue to offer amazingly constructed, yet competitively priced Facebook custom welcome pages. If you would like to learn more please contact Turbo today, or call 877-673-7096 x2.

Social Media is Not Just Limited to Facebook!

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:41:55 +0000

It seems like somewhere along the way people began to simply equate “social media” with Facebook. It makes sense given that Facebook is the largest social network online, but it overlooks the meaning of the term “social media.” Social media is a broad term that refers to the use of web-based or internet-based applications that allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content. This means everything from blogs and forums to text message marketing to review sites to social networks.

The purpose of this article is to discuss how social media can help every business, regardless of whether they’re using Facebook or not. Obviously the first thing you need to research is where your target market is, and where they are looking for answers to their questions. One notable network that has proven the most valuable for connecting with executives is LinkedIn. There are two key ways to connect with people on LinkedIn, without having any prior relationship with them. The first is to join an established group. The second is to get involved in LinkedIn advertising. The latter is a new feature of LinkedIn, but like Facebook, allows you to selectively target who sees your ads.

If you are a cosmetic physician then you want to go where your patients might be. Unfortunately, your potential patients likely do not have Facebook or LinkedIn profiles that express their desire for or interest in plastic surgery, so advertising on these networks is fruitless. Instead, focus on user-generated forums such as Real Self and Make Me Heal. This is where patients go to ask questions when they’re in the research phase.

If you are a freelance copywriter looking for work then there are several networks that you should look into. The first is Craigslist. Typically companies looking for a consultant, independent contractor or part-time freelancer will use the “gigs” section of Craigslist to post what they need. Another option would be Elance. The only problem with Elance is that you will likely be competing with many foreigners who will do the job for much less than you. Fortunately, if you’re a copywriter this is a good thing, as your writing should be more advanced than a foreigner’s.

Facebook may be the right social network for specific professionals to focus on. If you are a photographer, then Facebook would be a great network to put up ads. Why? Because you can specifically target and advertise to the types of clients that you want to find. Most photographers want clients that they can establish a relationship with. This means shooting photos of their engagement, then their wedding, then their pregnancy, and eventually the birth of their children. Not only does Facebook allow you to target geographically, but you can also target by relationship status. Since almost every 18-35 year old engaged woman has announced this status on Facebook, so if you’re a photographer you should market to them!

Obviosuly I can’t give an example for where every professional should turn to in order to find their ideal partners or clients, but no matter what your area of expertise is, you can find where your potential clients are looking. When all else fails, do a search on Google for your profession followed by “reviews.” If, for instance, you are a general contractor you’ll see this brings up Angieslist. If you’re a dentist this brings up DoctorOogle, among others. If you’re a chiropractor this brings up ChiroHub, among others. Get listed in these directories and review sites.

If you’re looking to connect with potential clients, find partners, and increase your businesses’ exposure online, Facebook may not be the best place for you to be spending your time (at least to start). Instead focus on review sites, forums, blogs and directories where your target market is researching and asking questions. Focus on websites where visitors are making comments. These are the types of social media sites that you need to be involved with.

If you have any questions about how you can grow your business online contact Turbo Social Media today or call 877-673-7096 x708.

Using Social Media to Find a Job

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:39:50 +0000

With unemployment lingering at about 9%, the team at Turbo thought it would be helpful to discuss some of the best ways for job seekers to find employers who might be looking for their talents. Just like businesses use social media for branding and promotions, so can you. In this case we’re talking about self branding and self promotion. Here are several sites that can help you get your name out…

1) LinkedIn: By far the best website for job seekers. Make sure that you take the time to completely fill out your profile (including your photo and detailed descriptions about your previous job experience and accomplishments). Also, make sure you optimize your profile. What I mean by “optimize” is use keywords related to your job experience in the headline and description of your profile. For example, “medical device sales rep” or “software database engineering expert.” I would also add your location as well, for example “Chicago website graphic designer.”

LinkedIn also has a premium service for job seekers. It’s $29.99 per month and it allows users to contact recruiters and hiring managers directly with InMail messages, save profiles and organize your job search with Profile Organizer, get introduced to inside sources at companies, and much more. If you don’t have the budget for this you’ll notice that with just a basic profile you’ll see a box that says “Jobs You May Be Interested In.” LinkedIn is targeting jobs for you based on your profile.

2) Blogging, Facebook, Twitter: I decided to combine these three into one because by themselves I don’t think they’re enough (or equivalent to any other networks mentioned in this article). The first step is to set up a blog about yourself. You can do this pretty easily with WordPress and Blogger. Also, while I recommend the self-hosted version of WordPress (.org), the hosted version is easier to set up and there is no monthly hosting fee. Once you have a blog in place you’ll want to write articles about your skill set, your goals, and why you’re the best at what you do.

Once you’ve started to blog you’ll want to set up Facebook and Twitter. If you already have a Facebook profile, but it’s full of your college drinking buddies’ inappropriate comments, then create a new professional profile. Do the same for Twitter and then set up your blog to automatically update both networks. On Facebook you can also use the “Marketplace” to look for posted jobs. Facebook allows you to message the person who posted the job listing . For Twitter, you’ll want to make use of the hash tag (#) in searches for #jobs, and more specifically, jobs that you’re looking for: #softwareengineerjob. Also make sure your Twitter messages include links to your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, and blog.

3) Jobster: This is an up-and-coming network that deserves to talked about more. Users can upload their video resume, showcase links to their website (or blog), add their picture, and “tag” their skills. You can also search for open positions, find out who posted the job, and add that person to your network and connect with them individually.

4) Plaxo with Simply Hired: This is a network that is similar to LinkedIn in that it allows you to create a profile and add a steam of updates from your other networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. The biggest benefit to Plaxo is that it keeps track of your location and where your contacts live. Since Plaxo is integrated with Simply Hired, a job aggregator that searches thousands of job sites and companies and aggregates them in a single location for you, you can search for jobs locally more efficiently.

This is just a simplified list. There are many others to look into, including Craiglist, Xing, MyWorkster, JobFox, VisualCV, Ecademy, and YorZ. Also, consider joining a Meet Up group in your area. They’re typically informal networking meetings that don’t require any membership or affiliation with an actual company. This in-person networking, combined with a strong presence online, will drastically improve the visibility of your talents to recruiters, hiring managers, or people who have connections to businesses that are seeking new employees.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can use social media to help land a job then fill out this form and we’ll get back to you.

Best review websites of 2010

Tom Sullivan — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:59:07 +0000

Whether you’re looking for a product or service, chances are you have used an online review site to help find a qualified business. In this article I’ll review the top reviews sites online:

Geo-targeted review sites:
1) Google Places: With the evolution of Places, having a local business listing in Google is crucial. The best way to optimize your local business listing is with reviews.
2) Yelp: There has been controversy surrounding Yelp this past year (see this previous article I wrote: “Should I Trust Yelp?”); however, Yelp has publicly addressed concerns and remains one of the more popular websites to find reviews of local businesses.
3) City Search: The dark horse of local review sites, City Search usually has good information with a lot of reviews. It’s definitely worth checking out. They seem to focus primarily on bars, restaurants and night clubs.

Medical review sites:
1) Doctor Base: A great site to be on for medical professionals. They also have phenomenal software that allows you to integrate your patient reviews with social media.
2) Real Self: Another quality medical review site that helps doctors interact with patients and answer questions
3) Health Grades: Very thorough review site of not just physicians, but also hospitals & nursing homes

General product reviews:
1) epinions: Similar to Cnet, but reviews cover much more than electronics. Everything from books to music to gardening supplies is reviewed here.
2 ) Comsumer Search: Voted by Time.com as one of the 50 best websites in 2009.

Contractor review site:
1) Angie’s list: There are several other notable review sites for contractors, but I’ll stick with Angie’s list because they’ve been around the longest.

Technology review site:
1) Cnet: This is the clear cut #1 site to go to for anything technical or electronic on the market.

If you have any to add to this list, or if you have a new category to add, we’d love to hear from you. If you are a business owner and you do not have a presence on any of the relevant review sites then you are missing out on new business. In many instances having a presence on review sites is equivalent to having a presence on search engines. If people are searching for your business, what will they find?

Turbo Social Media can help establish an identity, brand and presence online for your business. Contact Turbo Social Media today to learn more, or call 877-673-7096 x2.

Developing Your Social Media Plan For 2011

Tom Sullivan — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:19:39 +0000

As the year winds down and the Holiday season swings into full force it is important for your business to think about your plan for 2011. You can follow these basic steps below for building your plan from scratch. You’ll probably need to revise it several times, but it’s a good idea to get started on this when you have some downtime during the holidays. Not everyone has “down time” but if you’re on, or waiting for a flight, on a long car ride (as a passenger) or simply in between items on your to-do list, do yourself a favor and start thinking about 2011.

1) Start with some notes: This is where your brainstorming begins. Think about what went well this year and what did not. Which marketing strategies were successful and which were not? If you can’t answer that question then you know you need to improve the tracking of your efforts. You should also jot down your goals for the year and then break these goals into monthly goals (even weekly goals if necessary). This will help you with the other steps.

2) Analyze individual efforts: Think about all the different elements of social media: Your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Videos, Press Releases, Social Bookmarking, etc. Now analyze each effort individually and what you can do to improve the effectiveness of each. Start to set aside how much time you’ll be willing to dedicate on a weekly and daily basis.

3) Determine your budget: Now that you have an idea of which elements of social media you want to focus on, as well as how much time you can devote to each, it is important to set aside a budget. Of course, this budget will depend entirely on how much of the work you’ll be doing yourself vs. how much you’ll need to outsource. Think about the value of your time and do a cost/benefit analysis to help you determine what you should commit to yourself.

4) Find a strategic partner to help you execute or fine tune your plan: If you have an employee who has been helping you with your social media efforts make sure they’re on board for 2011. Make sure they’re comfortable with your plan and what you need from them to make 2011 a success.

If you have some ideas that you’ve put together, but you need help coming up with a strategy, or if you’re new to social media and would like to see how it can benefit your practice you should turn to an agency to help. Even if you have experience with social media and have had successes, an agency can help to expand on past success, offer new insights, and free up more time for you to run your business.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to develop a social media marketing plan for 2011, consider talking to Turbo Social Media. We’re a full service social media marketing agency with a focus on ROI. Fill out this form for a free consultation or give us a call at 877-673-7096 x2.

Happy Holidays to all!

Amazon Following Google’s Lead, Set to Invest in Living Social

Tom Sullivan — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:20:49 +0000

If you’ve been reading our blog or following the news you’ll know that Google is set to by group discount website Groupon for $6 billion or so. Just last week Zack wrote an article about this titled “Google to buy Groupon? How this affects you”. Well now Amazon is following suit, with arguably Groupon’s top competitor, LivingSocial.

The key difference in the two deals is the price ($6 billion for Groupon vs. $175 million for LivingSocial). Of course, Google is aiming to purchase Groupon outright. Hence the astronomical alleged purchasing price. Amazon, which has cash reserves nearing $6 billion, doesn’t quite have the cash to buy LivingSocial outright. Nevertheless, investing in LivingSocial is big move by Amazon because many of these group discount websites are growing fast. In fact, LivingSocial is expected to pass $500 million in profits sometime next year.

Don’t expect this trend to end anytime soon. While Groupon and LivingSocial are the two biggest competitors in a growing industry, there are many emerging group sites with specific niches. Expect more investments and venture capital in these group discount sites in the coming year.

Rumor: Google to Buy Groupon? How This Affects You

Zack — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:39:46 +0000

According to Mashable, Google might be looking to spend a little cash ($2.5 billion to be exact) to purchase online money saving juggernaut, Groupon. This would be yet, another huge purchase by Google and another step forward int he progression of the online revolution.

For those of you unfamiliar with Groupon, it is a great website that allows you to get deals on featured items, based on how many others are also interested in purchasing that item in your area, like a Group Coupon (Groupon). In the last year, Groupon has become one of the top online companies, rising in value in excess of $1 billion! A company doing this well will obviously have copycats, and Google might be making the right choice in buying them out (assuming these rumors are true.

How this helps Groupon and Google
If Google is in the process of buying them out, this deal could be huge for the both of them. Google is a powerhouse when it comes to online marketing, and if they were not to buy them out, they would create some program of its own, that would only take business away from Groupon. At the same time, Google can now integrate the Groupon business model into their own their own, and combine it with platforms, such as Google Places, giving bug and small business alike, a great way to market.

How this helps you
As I stated above Google would likely be integrating Groupon into its own platforms, such as Google Places, allowing companies to advertise in new areas, as well as offer more Groupon-esque discounts to an even larger audience. Google is obviously the largest online company int he world and one of the most recognizable brands. Google’s size helps reach an even larger audience, which means more discounts for consumers and for you Business owners out there, it is another great Social media outlet for promoting your brand and getting your product out there.

Over the years, Google has purchased many companies, and with the exception of a few (*cough-cough* Google Radio *cough*) they have really grown beyond all expectations and helped revolutionize what we do online. So if these rumors are true, and Groupon is about to become Googleized, then expect to be blown away, and be ready to reap the rewards.

For more information on Social Media Marketing for your and your business, please feel free to contact us and give us a call 877-673-7096.

Thank You, and I encourage you to leave and comments or questions below.

Social Media Spam & How to Avoid It

Tom Sullivan — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 23:48:39 +0000

If you’re like me you hate junk mail, spam emails and telemarketers. Their tactics are comparable to throwing darts at a dart board, blindfolded, as fast as you can. They’re simply trying to send as many messages (darts) out as possible in the hopes that one of them will hit the bull’s-eye (generate a lead or sale). These type of blind dart throwers are now becoming more and more prevalent on social networking websites, and it’s really annoying. Don’t fret though, because there are ways to battle spammers:

1) Monitor you blog comments: spammers love to leave comments on blogs because they think they’re being slick by linking to their websites. If you use WordPress, Joomla, or any other CMS, make sure that you have a plugin to control spammers on your blog.

2) “Unfriend” a Facebook spammer: This is something I see all too often, especially with events. The organizer (who you’re “Friends” with sends out an update every day on Facebook. It’s beyond annoying. Here’s what you do: kindly ask them to stop sending you these vent updates. If they continue, then “unfriend” them. Problem solved.

3) Monitor your Fan page wall: Fortunately Facebook gives you the freedom to edit permissions for people who’d like to comment on your Fan page. If you’ve experienced unwanted posts on your Fan page wall then I recommend disallowing any posts from Fans, except for comments to your posts.

Recent reports by SpamTitan Technologies, the maker of spam and web filtering software, announced that despite reports about the rise in phishing (the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive info online) on social networking sites, its perceived threat to businesses is marginal compared to traditional spam techniques (on websites like HSBC, eBay and PayPal, which account for more than 52% of all phishing attacks, according to the report).

While Facebook and Twitter are still relatively low on the totem pole of websites at risk for phishing attacks, there are still a number of spammers out there who might not be looking to steal your identity, but are definitely looking to bombard you with overly promotional junk.

If you have any recommendations or best practices for dealing with social networking spam, please drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.