Mobile is Everywhere, Time to Behave?

In 2014, Mobile is everything.  Everything and everywhere. Go to any public place, work place, and or relax place and you will see mobile devices (smart phones and tablets) in use.  Mobile and Social Media go hand in hand, one is used to connect to the other.

What does mobile mean to you as a small business professional? Some timely realization is that with mobile being everything and everywhere, giving thoughtful application to your online presence or footprint is now a timely consideration. In 2014, the competition is fierce for customer experience.  The customer experience begins online for the most part. You and or your business are easily researched, quickly rejected when your posts are considered offensive or you are not credible or even nice. Like it or not, opinions are formed and you are always a click away from that follow. We don't suggest you adopt paranoia, or put your head in the sand, but some skilled awareness about what and how you are sharing are in order.

With Social Media, you are your own media department. Social media is like a really big cocktail party, and the way you conduct yourself and respond to others is noticed by those considering engaging into business and interpersonal relationships with you. Are you falling into pitfalls that are considered online no-no's? Are you sending accurate and positive messages? Are you being off putting without realizing?

Competition heats up in 2014. Unless you are the only one who does what you do, this is the year to be skillful, fun, and engaging simultaneously.  People are using their mobile devices to connect and they are mostly into light hearted, unique, positive and relevant posts. Do you have a blend of these elements in your posts? Do you do what everyone else is doing? Are you paying attention? Are you savvy about new uses with social media?

It is time to brush up on Social Manners and Social Analytics. Social media is not necessarily a big waste of time if you know how to use it to advantage.  If you are not seeing results with social media, however, you are likely wasting your time. 2014 is the year to learn how to win at this fun medium.

smbSocialMediaWorkshop.com offers private, personalized webinars where you can ask your pressing questions without 20-40 other classmates present. We also offer small class webinars for a lower price point. Our webinars are recorded for your review at your convenience, they are included in the price of the personal webinar and purchased optionally with a class. Our class times are Mountain Time, we are in the Denver time zone.

Remember, in the year 2014, mobile is everything, make sure you know how to leverage it.


Sources: Gartner: Mobile Forbes: 2014 Mobile Payment 7 Ways to Deal w A-holes on FB Mobile Device Onslaught Tablet Image

Handling Customers on Social Media

Are your employees prepared to handle Social Media customers?
Follow us at: Facebook.com/QRCodesOfNote

When an untrained business professional begins a Social Media presence, one of the first things s/he does is post sales messages. The next thing they do is log off. Both activities are a colossal FAIL. 

1. A business using Social Media needs to be mindful that people are using Social Media as a social tool. Social Media is like a little party that is always going and people pop in and out.  Would you interrupt a live party to broadcast your commercial? If you did, people would want you to leave. On Social Media, there is a word for that, it is called an "Un-Follow" and that is exactly what people will do to your business page.

2. You posted a sale and then you logged off?  Now I ask you: is that being "social"? Would you "Like" (the facebook coveted marketing attention getter) a person if they came to your party and handed out their business card and then immediately left? What if someone had a question aobut your product or service? You would not be there to respond. If you returned 3 days later, the moment would be lost.

Those are the biggest business Facebook-ing FAIL's but this goes hand-in-hand:  if you haven't robbed your consumer of the opportunity to interact with you by logging out immediately after posting, the next mistake is still avoidable: If a customer asks a specific question, it should be answered with a specific answer and not a general "come on by and see". When providing customer service online, you are telling others more about your product or services. You are providing help-desk service and marketing your business simultaneously. 

If Social Media marketing is a different ball game than you are used to, schedule professional webinar based training by the professionals at: 

smbSocialMediaWorkshop.com

Facebook.com/QRCodesOfNote

Image sources: Search Engine Journal, We Speak Social Media

CHAT

Lots of people are meeting members of the opposite sex online these days and having first dates and it is required that you chat with that someone you do not yet know.  Even meeting people at a forth coming holiday party or other social setting requires talking to a perfect stranger.  Business networking... ok, you get the idea: you need to know how to talk new people without looking like a jerk, idiot, bore, stalker, desperado, needy or creepy.  Symptoms that you are blowing it:

1. When people back up as you are talking - stop inching forward.  You are being creepy.
2. When people are reluctant to answer the question you have just asked, back off.  You are being an obtrusive jerk.  You also seem like a stalker if the questions going unanswered are of a personal nature.
3. If you find you are doing most of the talking, well, it’s time to share the mike.  You are being a bore.  Yes you are, I don’t care how interesting you feel in that moment.
4. If you are winning an argument and you are loud, animated and spraying your words; seriously, you’re probably being a jerk.  It is probably not the first time either. 
5. If you only want to talk about yourself or how something went terribly wrong and it’s not your fault, hello:  You are being needy.  Yes you are, and the person you are talking to knows it and will bolt the first chance they get.  
6. If the person you want to talk to keeps getting away from you and you have had to look for them several times; they are ditching you and you need to know that you are being a bit of a stalker.
7. If you are staring at a person and they will not make eye contact with you, walk away.  Otherwise, you seem a tad creepy for not taking the hint that the individual does not want to chat with you.
8. If you are calling someone a name for not answering your questions, or participating in your discussion, I am sorry to tell you: you are being an idiot.  I know, you feel powerful and entitled but no, you’re just an idiot and others are too polite to tell you as much.  Mostly, nobody smart wants to argue with an idiot.

“I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me.”
― Dave Barry

Comments? We'd love to hear examples of "winners" you've met at parties.