Sirona Social Media

10 Reasons why YOUR business should be using video as a marketing tool

You have all heard of YouTube and the sheer mind blowing numbers of videos being watched on that channel. But most businesses don't realise that they could seriously benefit from using video as a marketing tool for their business.

Denise Wakeman over at the excellent BizTipsBlog shares her ten compelling reasons why your business should be using video as a marketing tool.

1.    Google Loves Video!  And not just because they own YouTube.  Video puts your SEO on steroids.  With video, you can dramatically improve your search engine rankings.

2.    Video is Personal.  You can enhance your know, like and trust factor very quickly by appearing on video.  Let your customers get to know you by seeing and hearing you!

3.    Video is Immediate.  Got an idea or a message?  Got a webcam?  Then you can make a video instantly and be online in minutes.  (Try the "quick capture" function on YouTube).

4.    YouTube Rocks!  With an audience of 85 million viewers, YouTube is the place to be seen online.  Not only is YouTube now the 4th most popular website on the Internet, it's also the 2nd biggest search engine! Want a piece of the action?  Create an upload your video to YouTube!

5.    Video Connects.  Nothing establishes a better connection with your clients and customers than video. Video creates that immediate bond.

6.    Video is (mostly) Free!  With a free account on YouTube and a $40 webcam, you're good to go with online video.  In fact, you can get a free account at Animoto.com and create a free video montage using just your photos!
 
7.    Video gives you worldwide exposure, 24/7.  Having videos online increases your visibility across the globe.  Let your video work for you while you sleep!

8.    It's Easier Than You Think!  New gadgets like the Flip Video camera and the new iPhone 3G with Video make it easier than ever to capture and upload video.  Both the Flip and the iPhone let you upload directly to YouTube.

9.    Video is Here to Stay.  Video is way past the trend stage and is quickly becoming a mainstream marketing tool.   The sooner you get up to speed with this valuable resource, the better!

10.    Video Accelerates the Sales Process!  The best news of all about adding video to your marketing mix is that it greatly accelerates the sales process.  People buy from someone they know, like and trust - and video can rapidly speed that process. That means more customers, more quickly, and more coin in your pocket!

So go out and grab a Flip HD video camera and get started!

Does your company need a social media policy?

With all the talk about social media in the workplace, some companies are understandably getting a little nervous, about their rights when it comes to their employees using Facebook, Twitter etc at work. So where do you start when it comes to writing a social media policy?

You need a social media policy that sets out your expectations, empowers your employees to tweet or blog without fear, rewards social media problem-solving, and educates staff on things to avoid in both personal and professional status updates.

It’s smart business to have a social media policy, and luckily  some of the biggest brands have already paved the way and published policies that you can emulate.

Here are three social media policies (click on the names for the link) that you can easily take relevent information from to build yours:

Kodak

Intel

IBM

Policy documents can be a little boring sometimes, so that is why my favourite of the three is the Kodak one - it is a real pleasure to read.

Check your Twitter followers out first with Foller.me

Ever uncertain about following a certain person on Twitter? Well there is be a solution in a new Twitter app called Foller.me.

Foller.me is a Twitter service that can provide you with the most detailed information about a specific Twitter user in the least amount of time.

To be honest I don't need to explain too much about this app, because it is SO SELF-EXPLANITORY that you just can't go wrong!! So go along to Foller.me, and put in a twitter username and see for yourself. (Don't forget to do your own username first  - it might just surprise you! For example, I have Twitter followers in 196 locations around the world!)

Peekfeed: a great tool to keep you informed by email of people engaging with you on Twitter

Peekfeed is a great (and simple) web tool that allows you to be kept informed of any people engaging with you on Twitter. It also send you a whole wealth of information from the millions of other RSS feeds you choose to select.

Before I go any further, if you are not clear what RSS is - please first read my easy RSS guide, to understand what it is, as it is the basis for this tool.

Now Peekfeed!

First you need to get the RSS Get the RSS feed for your Twitter @ replies.
Go to http://search.twitter.com and enter @username (your Twitter username with an @ sign in front of it -- in my case, for example, that would be @andyheadworth) as the search term.

On the search results page, look for the standard little orange RSS icon and "Feed for this query" link in the upper right. That link is the URL for this particular RSS feed. It will give you all the Twitter tweets that include your username with the @ sign in front of it - all the public Twitter messages that mention you by username or are addressed to you directly.
Using a feedreader like Google Reader (which is brilliant I have to say!) or Bloglines might be the most efficient way for you to keep on top of Twitter.  But if you really do need to get your Twitter @replies by email, an RSS-to-email service will do that for you.

And that is where Peekfeed comes in. It lets you choose how often you want to get your email updates - by the minute, hour or day.
However, do be aware that Twitter's own API limits may restrict how often a search can be queried.Depending on how busy your Twitter account is (and how popular you are!) I would suggest setting your emails to arrive a couple of times during the day.

So there you go - you never need to miss a conversation in Twitter again!

Seven Tips to get your business on Facebook

Facebook is a tool that many small businesses use as a tool for their business. But many miss the opportunity to maximise this. Here are seven tips to get you started with setting up your Facebook page for business:

1. Make sure you register your own page on Facebook - you can register for your page either from the home page on Facebook - you do not have to have a personal profile to develop a Facebook Page for your busines or within the area that says ‘advertise’.

2. Don't forget your key words - think carefully when creating the name for your page - your Facebook domain name for your Facebook Page can include key words that people will search for you online.

3. Make sure you complete your about page - You can add a number of different tabs to your page to include for example importing blog posts or your Twitter feed (once you get those in place). However to start off, use the ‘Info’ tab as your ‘about page’, adding details of who you are, your company overview, your products and services.

4. Set your landing page (your default page)- Set your ‘Info’ page as your default page so that if someone were to look for you on Facebook and they are not already a Fan of your Facebook Page, they will quickly get a sense of who you are and what you do.

5. Max out your Profile - Take the time to upload photos and online videos of your products or services to add rich content to your Facebook Page and given your visitors the opportunity to learn more about what you do.

6. Update your Privacy settings - Check your Facebook default privacy settings so that you can determine the information that you share including what information gets shared in the search engines – don’t be too over cautious. Remember that the reason you decided to create your Facebook Page is so that people can find your business online so you need to have key elements visible when people search for you.

7. Go get some Fans - Now you can invite some of your friends to become Fans - and of course when they become a Fan of your Facebook Page, their network on Facebook will see this and might even be interested in taking a look, becoming a Fan and even may become a client or customer in the future.

A video on the Social Media Revolution

I have just seen this video on YouTube this week, and thought you would enjoy watching it. It is called the Social Media Revolution, and it shares some very 'scary' information with regards to where social media has got to, and fast that has happened.

Enjoy......

How to Retweet (RT) on Twitter

Many people get a little confused when starting off on Twitter, with what a retweet is and how to use it. So here is an explanation of what a retweet is and how best to use this excellent function of Twitter to share information.

Retweeting is an integral part of the Twitter experience. Essentially the retweet (or “RT”) allows Twitter users to share the best links, tweets, and information they find from others using Twitter. It is probably best described as taking a twitter message someone else has posted, and rebroadcasting that same message to your followers. When broadcasting this message, you should give credit to the original poster. While retweeting sounds great for the original tweeter (since there is usually a link involved), retweeting can actually benefit you just as much if not more.

How to do a retweet (RT)

Copy and paste the original tweet but before you hit send  give credit to the original person who posted the tweet. Users usually put “RT” plus the originator’s username at the beginning of the tweet. Here’s an example:

- The Twitter user  @andyheadworth tweets: We have some great new Twitter workshops coming soon

- You retweet by posting RT @andyheadworth We have some great new Twitter workshops coming soon

If you are using Tweetdeck or any other Twitter application (apart from the main Twitter.com site) there will be a button you can click, to easily retweet a message).

Don't retweet everything though!

You should not simply retweet everyone’s content for your own personal gain - that is not what retweeting is all about. You must be selective when you retweet since the whole point of this practice is to benefit your followers, by sharing interesting or worthwhile information, links or tips with your followers.

There is some benefits to retweeting

If you can provide value to your followers you will not only make them happy, but you will most likely attract more followers. If you point someone to an external source that is truly relevant and beneficial to them, the amount of trust that person has in you will increase.

And remember...

Retweeting is all about providing value to your followers - so don't be retweet parrot, only retweet what you think is worth sharing!

The Twitter for businesss workshops are in demand!

Today sees us deliver another Twitter for Business presentation. This time it is at the Annual Worthing B2B Exhibition. There are some interesting workshops in this exhibition. Should be nice and busy as there are 80 local companies exhibiting at the show.
As you can, we will be giving people a crash course (15-20 mins) in using Twitter for Business at Mid-day. Hope to see you there.

Workshop and Event Schedule   10.20 - 10.35am Workshop 1      Top Tips for business growth. Presented by Paul Trew of Northbrook College. 11.00 - 11.15am Workshop 2      The 15 minute Sales Strategy All the key points you need to consider to ensure you have a sales strategy that works and wins you business. Presented by Clifford Thomas of Business Development Consultancy   11.30 - 11.45 am Workshop 3      Effective presentation skills - you don't get a second chance to make a first impression Presented by Paul Trew of Northbrook College 12.00 - 12.15 am Workshop 4      How social networking can help develop your business using Twitter Presented by Andy Headworth of Sirona Social Media 12.30 - 1.30 pm      Speed Networking Lunch. Numbers are strictly limited so booking is essential, £5.00 per head with all proceeds going to the Worthing Hospital CT Scanner Appeal. Buffet lunch to be provided by Northbrook College Go to www.sussexnewspaperevents.com  book your place now, numbers limited. or email events@worthingchamber.co.uk   2.00 - 2.45 pm      Guest speaker - Gill Fielding Gill Fielding, founder of The Wealth Company is a successful entrepreneur, business owner and highly respected commentator in the business arena.    Gill has presented at the Business Start Up show at Olympia, is one of Channels 4's 'Secret Millionaires', has appeared as a business advisor on both BBC and ITV and has been seen as one of the experts on the 'Apprentice - You're Fired' show on BBC 2.

Don't rely on the bots Twitter in person!

Twitter is a social networking tool, and this is one thing many people seem to miss the point on.
For me social media is all about one word - engage. To engage properly you need to build a relationship with people, whether that be online or offline.

Twitter is no different. Yes you can get the bots involved, and get everything automated for you  - and yes there are tools that will actually write your tweets for you!! You can also automate your following of other twitterers as well,  if you really want to. The trouble is that this is exactly what Twitter IS NOT about.

Twitter is about relationships. It’s about groups of people and communities, sharing ideas, information and experiences with each other. It is about ENGAGING with them.

So:

• stop broadcasting information like a regurgitated news channel - we already have those they are called the BBC, CNN and Reuters etc
• stop using bots for everything - ok you might get less followers to start with, but you will have a much richer experience, if the people you are following and your followers are engaged in a relationship.
• stop selling so much via your twitter feed - you don't do it in conversational relationships, so don't do it on Twitter

Just be yourself, enjoy the experience and remember one of my social media mantras..GIVE TO GET!

Twitter for Business presentation slides

Here are the presentation slides from the Twitter for Business presentation we delivered to the Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce on the 2nd September, 2009.

Twitter For Business

View more presentations from Andy Headworth.

If you would like to know more about our social media workshops, and how they could benefit your company, or you would like us to present to your company or organisation then please email me today to discuss further.