Fun Definition of Social Media

While reading “How to Make Money with Social Media” by Jamie Turner and Reshma Shah, Ph.D., I came across a fun definition of social media and thought I’d share it with you.

“What is social media? You can find dozens of answers on the Internet, some helpful and some flat wrong. But for our purposes, social media are the digital tools that enable a two-way conversation between your prospects or customers and your business.

Unfortunately, most businesses are social media for one-way monologues instead of two-way dialogues. This brings us to our first analogy:

Social media is more like a telephone than a megaphone.

Businesses that use social media as a megaphone are missing the point. You know the kind we’re talking about. They’re the businesses (or consultants) that can’t stop talking about themselves and what makes their products or services special.

Now let’s take that analogy a step further. If using social media is similar to using a telephone, then what is Facebook like? Or LinkedIn? Or Twitter?

• Facebook is like a pub. It’s a casual place where you can go to talk about what you did over the weekend, tell a dirty joke, or tell people about the checkers convention you attended last week.

• LinkedIn is like a trade show. You wouldn’t tell people at a trade show what you did in Vegas last weekend, would you? Limit LinkedIn to your professional side. Talk about business. Talk about interesting articles in the Harvard Business Review. And use plenty of phrases such as “value chain” and “business model” in your profile. That should do the trick.

• Twitter is like a cocktail party. Just be sure you send out tweets that are helpful. New Tweeple make the mistake of taking Twitter seriously when its home page asks, “What are you doing now?” Well, we’ve got some bad news for you. Nobody cares what you are doing now. They care about information that will help them in their daily lives. So stick with helpful tweets that will position you (or your company) as an expert, drive people to a landing page on your site, or promote someone else in your industry who will someday return the favor.

• YouTube is like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Times Square on New Year’s Eve is packed with people clamoring for attention, which illustrates the problem. Just as it’s hard to stand out in Times Square, it’s hard to stand out on YouTube. Too much competition exists. [You’ll have to read the book to find out their solution.]

• MySpace is like Woodstock. MySpace has suffered the same fate as AOL – it was huge at one time, but it has faded a little during the past few years. That said, MySpace still provides some very good uses. If you’re a musician or a cause-oriented marketer, you should be all over MySpace. But if you’re selling industrial widgets in the B2B space, you should do two things: 1) avoid MySpace like the plague and 2) think about getting a new job, because selling industrial widgets in the B2B space sounds like a terribly boring job.”

Taken from “How to Make Money with Social Media: An Insider’s Guide on Using New and Emerging Media to Grow Your Business” by Jamie Turner and Reshma Shah, Ph.D. FT Press, 2011. Pgs. 34-36. More info at www.60SecondMarketer.com

Maurer Marketing Minutes #30-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages

Maurer Marketing Minutes #30-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages
In Part 3 of our three-part interview, Beverly Cornell, Marketing and Social Media Director at Mango Languages, discusses what and what not to share on social media sites. She encourages users to share their “human” side, as well as reflecting their business personality as well. You need to know who your audience is and provide engaging content to interest them as followers. Contact Beverly directly at 248-254-7450 ext. 824 or email Beverly.Cornell@mangolanguages.com or visit Mango’s website at www.mangolanguages.com
Direct download: MMM-30-Beverly_Cornell-Mango_Languages.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes 23-Mark Besh-Visual Impact

Maurer Marketing Minutes #23-Mark Besh-Visual Impact

Mark Besh, multimedia expert and Principal at Visual Impact agrees with our former guest, Kevin Krason, that video is becoming the most important media to get your company, product or service message noticed and ranked higher on the search engines. Mark talks about the benefits to business owners in using video to reach their customers and how to get the advertisement seen by the virtual community. Mark is happy to hear from you at mbesh@4vis.com or 248-548-7000 or visit his website at www.4vis.com
Direct download: MMM-23-Mark_Besh-Visual_Impact.MP3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #21-Kevin Krason-BizNet Internet Solutions-2

Maurer Marketing Minutes #21-Kevin Krason-2 BizNet Internet Solutions
In Part Two of our two-part interview, Kevin Krason, Digital Expert and President of Biznet Internet Solutions, makes some predictions on the future of digital marketing. He says the focus will be on the expansion of online video content and portable access to the web from your cell phone. Kevin can be reached by phone at 248-560-9000, email him at kkrason@biznetis.net or visit his website at www.biznetis.net.
Direct download: MMM-21-Kevin_Krason-Biznet_Internet_Solutions-2.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #20-Kevin Krason-BizNet

Maurer Marketing Minutes #20-Kevin Krason-BizNet

The methods of marketing to consumers are being shifted from “outbound” messaging (or interruptive advertising) to “inbound” messaging (or content marketing). In Part One of our two part interview, Kevin Krason, Digital Expert and President of Biznet Internet Solutions, takes us through the rapidly changing trends in digital technology and defines search optimization and content marketing. Kevin can be reached by phone at 248-560-9000, email him at kkrason@biznetis.net or visit his website at www.biznetis.net.
Direct download: MMM-20-Kevin_Krason-BizNetIs-1.MP3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #12-Kevin VanDette-Affordable Website Specialists

Maurer Marketing Minutes #12-Kevin VanDette-Affordable Website Specialists
In this interview, Kevin VanDette of Affordable Websites clears up the confusion surrounding the use of a website or a blog – or both – to promote your business. He tells us the differences in the two and how to determine which option would best suit your situation. You can reach Kevin at 248-884-5267, email at info@awspecialists.com or visit his website at www.awspecialists.com.
Direct download: MMM-12-Kevin_VanDette-Affordable_Website_Specialists.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #4-Sara Kravitz-Balance Communications

Maurer Marketing Minutes #4-Sara Kravitz-Balance Communications
Press Releases are often referred to as “earned media” or free publicity that gets you and your company noticed in print and broadcast markets. According to Sara Kravitz, Marketing Communications Specialist and owner of Balance Communications, getting that news published in the local newspapers and online is the best form of self-promotion. Sara gives do-it-yourself tips on how to write a press release and develop content for a website. Contact her at sarakravitz@sbcglobal.net, or by phone at 248-787-9854.
Direct download: Sara_Kravitz-Balance_Communications.MP3