It’s all about you

Oh no it isn’t.  Why, because I’m a business owner and I need to sell to you so actually it’s all about me, isn’t it?

So much of the time we blast people with what we’re trying to sell and quite honestly, it’s often dry, dull and boring. Whether you use social media for personal use or business use, I’m sure you agree that there is a mass and steady stream of updates, content and information flying past our consciousness on our timelines. So what is the stuff that makes us pause our scroll bars long enough to take a look?

Well for me it’s simple. It either has to be entertaining, smile worthy or of interest to me. I really don’t want to know if someone is having a bad day or feels like using Facebook to have a rant. Nope, not even if they add LOL to it. Social media is a set of tools to facilitate communication and etiquette, contrary to belief, does still apply.

Try to think about your audience when creating content. If you were reading your own content, what would you honestly think? It needs to be fit for purpose for its intended audience. A travel app for example, might not be entertaining, but it must be useful, have up to date information about events, venues and opening hours. Images should be good quality and links should be checked regularly to make sure they are still active.

So, fit for purpose, entertaining, funny or of interest. However, is there something else relating to our emotions? I have spoken to a few people recently and they have said it needs to make them feel a certain something. After all, we are emotional beings and appealing to that side of our customers’ personalities can only be a good thing. Isn’t that why cute pictures of cats and dogs are so popular? They make us feel love, a connection, they make us say ‘aaah’.

If you are a blogger, check out this great article ‘the five elements of a perfect blog post’ by Mark Schaefer @markwschaefer

So, never underestimate how important it is to make your customers feel warm and fuzzy. It doesn’t have to be in a cheesy way, but engagement does mean creating a connection and that’s very compelling when making purchasing decisions. Good customer service, a little extra attention to detail. going the extra mile and listening to customer feedback all makes a difference and makes customers want to buy from you again or refer you to people they know.

So, it should be all about you when marketing our products and services. It should be, because making people feel special is so important and is really what life is all about. Why not try ‘applying 6 habits of remarkably likeable people to businesses on social media’ by Matthew Peneycad @RGBSocial

Get with the Beat!

Waaaaah – social media is driving me crazy! I hear so many companies and individuals say just that. Who needs the hassle, the hours of time spent using it and to top it all, not being able to promote, promote, promote myself?

So, seriously, why are we using social media in business and what is the point? Well, there is no doubt that the way in which people communicate has changed. You’ve probably heard the quote ‘If Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population, right behind China (1,347,350,000) and India (1,210,200,000), and ahead of the United States (314,500,000)’ See Facebook hits 1 billion users.

So what? I hear you say. Well, there are over 1 billion users on Facebook because they want to be, not because they have to be. All consumers, or business people needing products and services. So why would you not be where they are and poised ready to be found when they are looking for you? Direct marketing still works of course, but so much of the time I find I’m pushing my services to people who are quite literally trying to block me out. Being a polite sort of person, I feel much more comfortable with the concept of being found when someone needs what I have to offer – yay bring on social media!

Oh, but the effort and the time it eats up. Yes, there have been times in the last few years when I’m sure we have all just wished that social media would go away and stop filling up our heads with terms like ‘engagement’ – don’t I at least require a diamond studded ring for that? The fact is, the 1.06 billion people on Facebook, along with the hundreds of millions of others on social media sites are not going away.  Did you know that 96% of all people born since the millennium have joined a social network of some description? In five years, those 12 year olds will be earning their own money to spend on products and services. In ten or fifteen years they’ll have their own homes and businesses. You see where this is going…social media is here to stay, it’s a big deal and as business owners we have to get on board or risk missing the boat. If we miss the boat, we just may not be able to catch up. So, it’s sink or swim time – this is increasingly where our potential customers are going to be – there is no getting away from that. Social media is probably the best way of future proofing our companies. Remember when websites were the new big thing? You wouldn’t be without one now would you, even if there is no guarantee you’ll get business from having one? The point is that you’re almost not a serious business without one.

So what am I saying? Well, social media is a huge drain on our resources – not necessarily financial resources, but human resources, or time – and many companies now choose to outsource their social media marketing to an agency, as some of my clients do to my company. Other companies employ a social media whizz, or use an existing member of staff. Still others use ‘bots’ (robots) to automatically broadcast content. Every company must choose the best strategy for them, but the important thing is that we do it, rather than ignore it and hope it will slope off back where it came from. Social media is here to stay for the foreseeable future and our return on investment is that we have a chance to still be found online in five years time, when that’s the only place anyone is looking. Of course, there is much more to sustainability than social media, but by the same token, we cannot risk ignoring something this huge. We have seen a few high street names go under, possibly because they didn’t move enough of their sales online. If we don’t get with it, our competitors, the ones who are using social media, will have the competitive advantage in the very near future.

It takes a couple of years to build up a presence and trust on social media.  This is a decision you need to make now. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Get with the beat! And if you don’t want to do it yourself, contact me.

Three valuable social media content tips. Let’s get this party started!

1. Cut down on direct marketing content:

OK now, be truthful, how many of us are using the services of our social media communities and tweeting testimonials? How many of us remember to contribute in other ways? So many of us post a constant stream of direct marketing messages, ‘we do this…we can offer that’, with little thought, and so, little hope of success. Contributions to the community are essential, unless we want to look like we’re only out for ourselves. Of course, our ultimate aim is to obtain more business leads. We all need to make money. However, the trust and credibility required to create these leads comes from building relationships. Once people trust we know what we’re talking about, trying out our services and recommending us to others, won’t be things we need to request!

2. Contribute content people will want to read:

The occasional direct marketing message is fine of course, but it shouldn’t dominate our social media presence. We need to engage with our communities. Send out articles, tips, information our communities will want to read. Our communities may be similar businesses, potential clients, suppliers, people we’ve met at networking events, friends or family, but above all they should be relevant to our business. So, follow a strategy to build a like-minded group of people, businesses, potential customers and potential suppliers. Send out quality content which links back to your website or Facebook page etc. Contribute interesting, useful or even just amusing articles from other people, related to what you’re doing. Be generous; retweet other people’s content and perhaps one day they’ll return the favour. Don’t worry so much about your competition, just do it better than them and you’ll be fine. That’s what competition means!

3. Engage with the community:

So come on, let’s get the ball rolling; ask the community questions, get a conversation going.  It’s a fantastic resource and so many people are not using it to its full potential. Next time you need a printer, plumber or website designer, for example, search your social media communities, see who’s out there and if anyone’s speaking about them, or if they’ve had any good feedback. If you have a good experience after using a service, consider sending out a testimonial to add to the community, so others can find it when they’re looking for similar services.

If we all do this, within a few months we’ll have thriving communities, offering a wealth of useful information whilst increasing our business leads at the same time. So, who’s with me? Let’s get this party started!

Social Media – where do I begin?

Disco Danny, the Snowman.

Happy New Year to all my customers, friends and family. Thank you for your continued support in 2012. I hope 2013 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you all and I look forward to working with many of you again.

A new year is a time for fresh beginnings and many of you may be starting new businesses. If you are, at some point someone is likely to say to you ‘social media – you must strategize, set it up, do it, engage, create content, devote time to it’. Some of you will probably say ‘yay no problem, I can’t wait’ while others will say ‘waaaah – I’m losing the will to live’.

Even if you’re an avid Facebook user connecting with personal contacts, utilising these tools for business can be a challenge, time consuming and confusing.

So what to do, what to do, what to do? Yes I did say that three times because I have three suggestions.

You could get some training. Of course I’d suggest that because I provide social media training, but it can help a great deal to clarify what needs to be done. Even as a trainer, I still attend workshops, courses and sign up for webinars, as there is always something to learn from other people.

You could get someone to run your social media campaign for you. Yes, that’s another service we offer. We can meet with you, brain storm and write a proposal tailored to your company’s needs and offer a variety of solutions from initial and partial management to full on going management.

You could just launch yourself into it. If this is what you decide, then please be sure to analyse your client base, decide if your company provides goods or services business to business, or business to consumer. Think where your clients are most likely to be on social media. For example, LinkedIn has a very high percentage of members who are the financial decision makers in their households. They are usually professionals and often business owners. If you are delivering business based services, then LinkedIn is a good place start.

On the other hand, if you are a consumer based business selling fashion items for example, Facebook and Twitter will be good places to grow your audience.

Wherever you decide to start, just make sure that you give it time. These tools allow us to continue face to face relationships online, as well as build new relationships online. It takes time to become someone’s friend when you meet them, to build trust and loyalty, so why should it be any different online? Creating a brand and marketing can be effective and fun using social media, just remember that sometimes it’s better to start with one tool and build up slowly, rather than setting everything up and becoming overwhelmed and subsequently giving up.

So go on, it’s a new year. Don’t be afraid to get started and if you do need help, drop us a line at info@learningmatrix.co.uk

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

Covent Garden Christmas

Who loves Christmas? Is it hard work writing cards, buying gifts, tidying up, having the family over, shopping and cooking for everyone? Personally, I don’t think so. I love Christmas. I love the food, seeing family and friends and even the cheesy music and dancing Santa decorations. By the way, what happened to my dancing Santa? Anyone?

As a business, Christmas is a time to relax, take some time off and reflect on the highs and lows of the year gone by. The Learning Matrix has had a great year providing training to our loyal clients and adding a new Social Media management service which is proving to be very successful. We are looking forward to a happy, healthy and successful year in 2013 but want to thank all our customers for their on-going support, as well as family and friends for being there with advice, backup and food parcels.

2012 had many highlights for those of us living in London. I was very proud to watch my brother leading 60 sea cadet boats in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We then hosted the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Weren’t the games amazing? I was blown away by the truly fantastic athletes in the Olympics and the sheer courage, determination and strength of the athletes in the Paralympic games.  They were awe inspiring and made many of us more determined to at least try to get fit. My Dad who is almost 80, really got behind the games and joined the thousands of volunteers as a London ambassador, spending 5 days greeting and directing tourists in Greenwich.

Every year things change. There are ups and downs. The economy has been a challenge for many and I was very sad to lose an old friend in 2012. However, it makes me realise even more just how fortunate I am.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year, so Happy Christmas everyone and a very Happy New Year for 2013.

Is Facebook Making us Antisocial?

People I speak to often remark that Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools are, paradoxically, making us increasingly antisocial.  Facebook, in particular, is encouraging us to stay at home and communicate online rather than meeting up with our friends face to face.  Half the ‘friends’ we are connected to are people we barely know.  Many people share these reservations about social media, but are they legitimate worries?  Are we losing the ability to interact in the real world, preferring instead to interact in the virtual world?  Do forums such as Facebook encourage us to share personal information traditionally reserved for face to face meetings with our closest friends, thereby crossing the boundaries of socially acceptable public conversation?  So what if I have 200 friends on Facebook, does that mean I’m not lonely?  Does that mean I actually see anyone?  Even when I meet my friends for coffee, are we all sitting around the table looking at our phones posting updates instead of speaking to each other?

The answer to most of these questions is probably a qualified yes.  I think the way people communicate is definitely changing.  However, there are also many ways these tools might add something to our social lives, and in fact reduce the alienation and loneliness that some of us suffer.  This is something it is easy to forget when we think of social media tools.  There are many people who are house bound through age, health or other circumstances.  Perhaps they simply can’t go out much because they are caring for someone else or their lives are just too busy with work and taking care of their family.  Facebook is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, even if our connections sometimes tell us things we’d rather not know.  It is a way of making contact with long lost friends and family members that might be difficult to track down otherwise. Following news on Twitter is a way of keeping up to date with current affairs. Sharing photos is another way of staying in touch.  Adding a webcam and downloading Skype to your computer can open up the lines of communication even further.  A retired couple that I setup on Skype told me they were able to speak to, but more importantly see their daughter in the USA, having not seen her for four years.  They were quite literally blown away.  So, social media can actually enhance communication for those who find it difficult to catch up with people as much as they’d like.

Of course, businesses also make use of these tools for marketing.  While websites provide a shop window to a company’s goods and services, social media offers engagement and interaction with the companies staff members; like walking into the shop and speaking with the owner.  It enables customers to have a conversation with and about companies, create a buzz about products or services and provide valuable feedback.

The point is, like just about everything else, social media has its downsides and its upsides.  It is important to practice moderation.  Don’t forget how important face to face contact is.  For both business and personal uses, social media tools should complement our interaction with others, rather than replace it.

Rebranding

It’s been a while since my last blog. I had some time off this Summer and of course we had the amazing London 2012 Olympics very close to where I live. Wow, the games were amazing as was the Olympic Park. I was fortunate enough to get some tickets to the Closing Ceremony too.

I am now developing my new website using Dreamweaver. This seemed the best way forward for me in the end. I have also had some fantastic new business cards designed and highly recommend the services of Jilly Clark if you want something unique that will make you stand out from the crowd as a business http://www.jillyclark.com/ or follow her on twitter @Jilly_Pepper

The business continues to grow and I want to thank everyone who has supported me so far.

That’s it for now and as International Rescue would say – over and out Virgil.

Two Years On

When I started my company in 2010, someone told me that all the initial work of meeting clients, making new contacts through networking and building a good reputation would take about two years to pay off.

I am pleased to say that two years on, the business really feels like it is taking off, with old and new clients asking for new training sessions, as well as passing my details on to their contacts. From helping retired people to connect using Skype to a 50 day Olympic contract last year, my work couldn’t be more varied, interesting and rewarding.

I would be interested in your views and experiences about starting a business. How did you find the first two years? How do you promote what you do and what has worked best for your business?

Learning from Contacts

I have mentioned before that I’m a member of Business Networking International (BNI) and one of the most important aspects of BNI is to have one to one meetings with other members.

In the last few months, for one reason or another, I haven’t made as much time for these. However, today having met our Financial Advisor, Tony Wellings, for a one to one, I was reminded of just how important it is to get to know other members. I discovered interesting things that had never come up before in conversation. In particular, Tony’s knowledge of business and years of experience stood out and he also offered me some useful advice. I also discovered his love for the piano and music, something I hadn’t realised we have in common.

People buy from people and it is so important to build relationships. I can only refer business to or buy from someone that I like, but most of all trust. So many people that I train in using Social Media tell me that it doesn’t work. It does work, but only if you are willing to put the time in to build your online relationships as well as you build your face to face ones. It takes time and effort. You must listen to what people say. It is after all, SOCIAL Media.

New Website

We will be developing a new Learning Matrix website over the next few months in WordPress. If you are unable to view the site during this time, we apologise for any incovenience. However, you can contact us via info@learningmatrix.co.uk to discuss your learning needs and make any bookings.

The new website will include feeds from the blog and Twitter. We also hope to make some short training videos available soon, to help with some of those niggly issues in Microsoft Office and Social Media applications.

So, watch this space.