Posts tagged as:

social media for small business

Managing Social Media In A Small Shop

by · July 5, 2011

My first director’s position as a public relations pro was as the Sports Information Director at Georgetown College, a small, NAIA-affliliated, liberal arts college in Kentucky. While my job was primarily to publicize the school’s athletics athletics teams, being a sports information director is so much more than PR. You are the official historian, web master, graphic designer, photographer, statistician, event manager and sometimes facilities supervisor on top of the media and public relations duties. While each institution has varying degrees of staffing, support and responsibilities relative to those areas, the smaller the school, the more responsibility the SID has.

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Should We Be Un-Integrating Our Marketing?

by · June 14, 2011

Ever notice that there are always two camps: One that wants to split things down the center and be all things to all people, and the other that is radically on one side or the other sucking down the Kool-Aid with a giant straw?

As of late I have found myself trying to be closer to the center, saying such things as you need an integrated marketing approach. I think that is a mistake. I should be asking, “What marketing venue or platform are you going to stop doing, before you start doing social media marketing?: The best way is NOT an integrated marketing approach. Businesses simply cannot add more things. More marketing equates to spending more money. A more appropriate question would be, “What are we going to stop doing in order to allow room for worn out ways to pass and new ways to emerge?”

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Online Customer Engagement is a Myth

by · September 10, 2010

The Social Media Echo Chamber clamors that as business owners, we need to embrace the new media, be transparent, join the conversation and engage with our customers. That sure does have a smooth and flowery pitch. Accordingly, that is how it works for your business. Launch a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, a blog and let the customer engagement begin. Your over-satisfied and happy customers will flock to your digital pasture with stimulating and fulfilling “engagement.”

Not So Fast With That Advice

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We’ve Only Just Begun

by · April 23, 2010

You can believe all the Forrester reports and eMarketer statistics you want, but the truth is when research firms survey people about social media, they normally ask social media people. Citibank asked more than 550 small business owners across America several questions about Internet and social media use for their companies. The survey, which wasn’t conducted by a social media-friendly company using social media tools to ask questions of a social media-adept audience, came back with some results many would find surprising.

Citibank, N.A.

They didn’t shock me. Wanna know what real businesses are doing with digital marketing? Here’s a few of the findings:

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