Trends: What do you do when you see a new trend developing? Ignore, implement or keep a watchful eye.

May 26, 2011

What do you think when you see someone following / doing what you think is a silly trend?  Do you ignore them, do you read up and research it? What exactly do you do?

I know looking at the pictures to the left of me “planking” on a guard rail you are probably laughing and puzzled. I was inspired to write the post based on a recent photo I look following a trend “planking”. You can read all about the trend online. They even have a Facebook page.  I took some “planking” pictures over the weekend to have a laugh with a friend who spent Saturday taking his 13 year old son “planking”. Some trends are silly and come and go quickly, however some trends are here to stay. 

Here are a few social media trends that most people ignored and they are still around and thriving:

• Facebook was started by some college students. People thought it was a trend for kids.  Facebook now has over 800 million users. Quite a trend! Wouldn’t you have liked to say you were one of the first, I know I would have. 

There are businesses that just focus solely on building Facebook applications and games. Any website that doesn’t have Facebook “Like” and the other social media integrations they offer are considered behind the times. If you have a business and don’t have a Facebook Business Page you are behind. If you don’t have a Facebook Profile you are even more behind.

• Twitter was started in March of 2006. The first Tweet was sent at 9:50 pm PST by Jack Dorsey. At first there were only a few regular users, now they have over 200 million users. I remember the first time someone mentioned Twitter to me I had never heard of it. I needed a training lesson and live demonstration to see what it was all about (a far cry from my Twitter addiction today). This Wikipedia post about Twitter is quite interesting.  

Developers are now continually building the new latest greatest Twitter tools to manage your following, grow your following, Tweet, etc.  I personally have used and use many of them.  To name a few of my favorites – SocialOomph.com, Tweetdeck.com and Tweepi.com.

If a trend is something that could affect your business look at it a little closer before just dismissing it.  Follow it!  I am not saying act on it, but watch it a little closer than turning a blind eye. 

This is my approach with a new technology trend:

1. Does it make sense?
2. What are others saying about it?
3. Could it be applied to your business?
4. Would it damage your reputation?
5. Does it cost you little or nothing to implement the trend for a short time to test it?

I usually will test a new social media trend, so I can support my clients and friends with answers to their questions. I like to know the positives and the negatives. I then will think about the strategies that can be used with the new trend for business owners.

These are just a few thoughts I have on trends.  I know you have some great feedback also. Now, it’s your turn! Please comment and share!  Thank you!

P.S. I realized after taking the “planking” photos last weekend, I was actually doing it wrong. To me, that made it even funnier! If you want to see the rest of the photos I made, check out the album on Facebook. Also, for those that are thinking I am losing my mind, I was “planking” on a guard rail in a park, not on the side of the highway!

Honoring the Women in My Life …. International Women’s Day

March 8, 2011

Today is International Women’s Day … I thought I would honor some women that made a difference in my life. I am going to name a few that have affected me from my younger years and then move into the current.

Mary Gregory, mom.  My mother taught me at the age of 2 years old that you can have a business, be a successful women and a mom.  She raised 5 children by herself, while building and running a successful marketing business after my father left her and 5 children alone with no child support.  Believe it or not, she could be yelling at us one minute and having a professional phone conversation the next. (It’s always been a family joke – we all learned how to cry in one breath and answer the phone professionally the next. In other words, turn on our emotions and turn them right back off.)

Jimi Bratt, (@jimibratt) sister.  She taught me that if I asked just right I could get whatever I wanted from mom. (She did after all have her own Dillard’s credit card, when we were growing up.) Later this translated into learning to ask for what I want and working until I got it.

Dr. Helen Harkness (@careerdesign), first real job (besides mom and the pizza phone girl). .  She took me under her wing and taught me how to communicate with successful professionals in career turmoil, write resumes and score career assessments among a few things. She challenged me to learn new things in technology (because she sure wasn’t going to do it). My job was everything at the age of 18 from answering the phone, doing the dishes to taking out the trash.  I learned no job is too small or insignificant.  The most important thing I learned from her is to never stop, don’t cut yourself short and be passionate in whatever you do.  I still work with Dr. Harkness virtually. She is a woman of passion and purpose. You all should know her.

Stephanie Cross (@stephaniec2c), 1st social media job. Special thanks to Stephanie for responding so quickly to my email that day in April of 2009.  I emailed her and said “I am a quick learner and love social media. If you ever need some part time help let me know.”  I got an email back the same day that said “yes” and pretty much you’re hired.  We had a conference call about her client’s projects, emailed everything I needed to know about the clients and I set up three social media campaigns and started managing them for her.  She took a chance on me and I appreciate her confidence in my skills. Without her I wouldn’t have started my own business, LissaDuty.com in September of 2009.

Ana Lucia Novak (@AnaLuciaNovak), online connection, social media strategic partner and friend. I connected with Ana online when she was managing a social media campaign of a former client I was contracted work with while at another social media company.  I sent Ana some content to use for the client and got a message back “Please call me.”  We became fast friends and started sharing social media strategy. Ana has a wealth of knowledge, information and resources. She shares it abundantly with all that will listen.  Ana and I have become strategic partners on many adventures and I can’t wait to travel to San Francisco to meet her in person.

Natalie MacNeil (@nataliemacneil), connection to someone with online clout.  One day while surfing the web for blog posts about Twitter, I came across a blog post “30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter” on Forbes.com, written by Natalie.  I immediately followed everyone on the blog post and Natalie.  If I hadn’t found that blog post I wouldn’t have meet Shelly Kramer, Vicki Flaugher(@SmartWoman)  or Coree Silvera (@MarketLikeAChik)  to name a few.  I learned from Natalie, who I consider a close friend, that I can reach out to those, even out of my circle of immediate influence and become their friend online by being myself.  Natalie is a kind, generous person and I am definitely better for knowing her. Do check out her blog, She Takes on The World. I read it daily and recommend you do too.

Patty Farmer (@pattyfarmer), an online connection that I took offline.  When I decided to start my virtual assistant and social media marketing business I started growing my connections on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  I connected with Patty Farmer on Facebook, then Twitter.  We immediately started chatting back and forth.  I registered to attend a Twitter meetup Group and Patty sent me a message that she was going to be there also. If she hadn’t sent me that message I might not have joined HPMDallas (Hot Pink Mamas & Red Hot Papas) and wouldn’t have meet the next person in this blog post. Patty has coached me on marketing through numerous conversations via phone and in person how to brand myself offline, which definitely plays into my online marketing also.

Michelle Ketterman (@expertinventory). I don’t even know where to start with this woman. She is a jack of all trades kinda of gal.  She encouraged me, built up my ego and gave me the confidence to continue moving forward with my social media business when business was slow, draining on my marriage and then going through a divorce. Michelle’s has a true passion for helping people succeed in whatever they do.  Thanks Michelle for helping me to remember my value, when I didn’t.

Robin Moss, (@robinatribit) professional and personal friend. I met Robin at the DFW Social Media Marketing Meetup and we immediately started talking about Twitter.  At that time Robin’s online presence was there, but not as established as it could be.  We connected and she actually hired me to do some Twitter training with her. She knew what to do, but just needed someone to stay on her about doing it.  She took my advice and her marketing experience and has grown her online Twitter presence from 400 following her to over 2400. Robin also taught me not to barter my services. She said “someone always gets the short end of the stick”. That is still my motto today.  Thanks, Robin! (Also, a special thanks to Robin for listening to me talk about my failing marriage on and on for hours.)

Victoria Warner (@victoriawarner), attorney.  I connected with Victoria actually during a social media presentation I was giving on the “Not So Secrets ‘Secrets’ to Social Media Marketing”at Dr. Harkness’s office.  Victoria is a great attorney and has helped me through all aspects of my divorce.  I am so thankful when I sent her that Facebook message at 6:00 am on a Monday morning that said “Call me ASAP.  I need a divorce” the phone rang a few minutes later. I still remember the look on my ex’s face when he said “You already have an attorney?”, when I hung up the phone from Victoria.  It was priceless and gives me a great laugh today.

Shelly Kramer (@shellykramer), online friend.  Shelly is another friend with clout.  She doesn’t act that way though.  Her ego is small and her generosity big.  She is honest and sincere in everything online, rather it’s to her benefit or not.  She states her opinion and is never afraid to do so. Shelly, thank you for reminding me to be authentic and genuine online on a daily basis.

Erika Napoletano (@redheadwriting), online friend. This woman has a passion for honesty and tells it exactly like it is every time, no holds barred.  She writes exactly as she thinks it, profanity and all.  You will actually get a B**** slap or two from her on a weekly basis. She writes with passion and reminds all of us that we need to be authentic and if not, she will call you on it via a blog post. Erika’s writing on her blog, Red Head Writing is Rated R usually, but still quite worth the read.

Friends, as you can see these are just a few women and the stories how they have inspired me and continue to on a daily basis.  I could go on and on with names of women and the stories, but I only allow myself so many words for each blog post and I have already went way over.

Please share below a story of a woman and how they inspired you! Don’t forget their social media links and yours!

Is this photo of you? Are you protecting your digital footprint?

January 4, 2011

Is this photo of you? Are you protecting your digital footprint?

When you post a photograph online do you realize how easy it is for someone to save it to their own computer? Do you realize that in the Terms and Agreement of Services for many photo sites like Flickr and Picassa, you are giving your rights to the photograph to the site? Do you know that when you text someone a photo of you they can email it to themselves and then publish it online?

Yesterday I was researching a client’s online presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and the other social networking sites, checking his completed social media profiles, photos, etc … I surprisingly came across a picture of him uploaded about two and half years ago.  Wow, was I surprised!  It was a very provocative photo, but not part of the image he wanted to portray online any longer.

I immediately removed the photo, and of course had several laughs about it with him! He was embarrassed and explained that it was uploaded as a joke several years ago and he  had forgotten about it.

I couldn’t resist explaining the importance of your online presence and digital footprint.  I saved the picture to my hard drive and emailed it to him. I wanted to show him how easy it was for someone to save and modify it; changing it to suit their needs.  Jokingly, I said that we should keep an eye out for it on a future ad for getting rid of belly fat! LOL! I believe I got my point across and he probably won’t upload those type of photos again, even as a joke.

Ask yourself these questions about your online photos:

• Are you willing to share it with the world?
• Would you mind seeing it at your high school graduation, wedding, etc…. on a video screen?
• Would you be embarrassed if your boss, client, or mother saw it?
• Would you have objections if your child shared a similar photo of themselves on or offline?

All photos of me must pass the above screening process before I upload or allow anyone to take my photo.  You can’t control every photo or even know every time a photo is taken of you, but you can be aware of your surroundings and observe when others are taking photographs.  Ask the person taking the photographs to please let you see them before posting online, try and put your back or side profile to the photographer, it will be a little harder for you to be recognized online.

Being seen at social events is an important part of branding and your online presence, but the photos need to be photos you would share with the world. Not a photograph you would regret later.  Taking crazy photographs with your friends can be fun, but they can also have an impact later.

Try to limit being snapped in these photos:

• Drinking what would appear to be an alcoholic beverage.
• Talking with your hands making certain gestures.
• Photos with your tongue sticking out, making crazy eyes, rabbit ears, etc…

These are all fun for now, but I promise there is a very strong possibility that those fun pictures can be damaging to you in the future. Your client might decide you are not serious enough, or perhaps drinking is a NO-NO in their book.  I had a photo snapped of me where I was talking with my hands (as I often do) and it appeared from the angle of the photo I was grabbing the chest of the person next. Of course, I knew the photo was innocent, but everyone that would have seen it online would not have known that!

Here is your assignment, if you haven’t already done so:

1. Login to each one of your social networking sites, even the old ones (Myspace, etc…) that you don’t use anymore.
2. Read through your profile and remove anything that could be offensive, misleading or misinterpreted.
3. Check each photograph of you, ones you uploaded and ones you are tagged in.  Remove anything questionable; always play it safe when in doubt. If the photos of you aren’t ones you uploaded and you can’t remove them, ask the account owner to kindly remove them.  If they refuse, you could report the photo as spam on many social networking sites.
4. Think back to social events you attended and recall someone taking photos. Email the photographer and ask them to see the photographers.  Ask if the photos are stored online and ask for the link.  You want to see them online also.

Now, let us have some fun! Do you have a crazy photo story you want to share with the readers of this post? Tell us about a time when you had something happened to you online that you didn’t expect. Tell us how you resolved the situation.  We all need to make sure our online presence is top quality, and sharing scenarios will help all of us!

As always, looking forward to your comments!

Are you Influencing your Social Network?

December 30, 2010

• Are you their go to expert for your industry?
• Are you branding yourself effectively?

• Do I let my audience know I specialize in social media marketing?
• Do I talk enough about Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?
• Do I talk too much about Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?
• Do I share information that allows my audience to connect with with me on a professional and personal level?
• Do my connections recommend me to their network because of my expertise?
• Do those connections turn into emails, phone conversations and clients?

Is your Social Media in the RED or the BLACK? #BlackFriday

November 23, 2010

Is your Social Media in the RED or the BLACK? #BlackFriday

Every year I go shopping on Black Friday and I have been planning my route and purchases, it got me thinking about my clients’ social media and what I do to help them get out of the RED and into the BLACK. I decided I am going to share some information to help YOU get out of the RED and into the BLACK, I am going to be offering some BLACK Friday specials for social media coaching sessions. First, let me give you a little background on BLACK Friday.

BLACK Friday has many meanings. The one that triggered this blog post is the one for retailers.  The Friday after Thanksgiving is known to be one of the largest shopping days each year and many stores run huge sales and open extra early to encourage extra foot traffic. It got the name BLACK Friday because many retailers that were running in the RED often sell enough merchandise to put them in the BLACK on this day and throughout the remainder of the holiday shopping season that follows up to Dec. 24^th.

I want to ask you to read the following and consider is your social media in the RED or the BLACK?

1. Do you log into your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn account because you feel obligated? Do you think to yourself I have to go in and post a status update/send a Tweet because I haven’t done it today, this week or this month? Are you only doing enough to get by?

If you are using social media as a strategy to grow your business, consulting practice, sell books, websites, whatever your business may be and you are posting status updates because you feel obligated – STOP! If all you are doing to work your social media is an obligatory daily, weekly or maybe even monthly update DON’T bother.  For social media to work for you and your business you need to have a presence ONLINE on a repeat basis. Remember, customers do business with those they “Like, Know and Trust”. You are not achieving this goal with your obligatory updates. You are wasting your time and energy. (Sorry to be so direct, but part of my relationship with my readers is based on honesty and forthrightness!)

You need a structured plan, great content, ideas and a presence that one update will not get you. You need to be using groups, discussion boards, chats, conversation and comments to establish a relationship with your connections and a rapport that you can not achieve with an obligatory update.

2. Do you tweet on Twitter, post status updates to Facebook, or LinkedIn, etc…. on a regular basis, but only have 20 people following/friends/connections? Do you get any “Shares”, “Likes”, “Comments” or “Retweets”?

Part of social media is a numbers game.  I am not saying you need to have 10,000 etc… connected to you online for social media to work, but you do have to have an audience, i.e. when on Twitter your Tweets are seen by those following you. A new person to Twitter doesn’t always understand/realize that if you only have 20 followers only 20 people are seeing your Tweets, maybe.  If they are not online when you send the Tweet they may never see it.  I will see many times someone on Twitter sharing great content, but have no audience. I immediately realize (1) they don’t understand this concept or (2) don’t know how to get more followers.

Shares, Likes, Comments and Retweets: This is a great way to know and see if (1) people are actually seeing your updates and (2) see if you are sharing the kind of content  your followers/friends/connections are interested in reading.  If you don’t know what I mean when I say “Shares”, “Likes”, “Comments” or “Retweets”, or ever get them, your social media is in the RED.

3. Are you still logging into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc… via a web browser? i.e. Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, etc…. to view and post status updates.

Using the web browser to access your Twitter account is good for some things, however there are better tools available to help you manage your social media accounts. Tweetdeck is my favorite! Hootsuite is another popular tool for this purpose. There are many to choose from. You can actually use Tweetdeck to view Tweets of those your are following, and the Facebook and LinkedIn updates of your friends/connections.

You can use a Tweetdeck to post updates to your Twitter, Facebook Profile, Fan Page and LinkedIn accounts.  You can select which accounts get which updates and you can even schedule them in advance. It’s important to have activity on your social media accounts throughout the day at peak times, not just when you have the opportunity to be online.

I hardly every log into Twitter through the web browser, Tweetdeck has integrated all most all of the features available on Twitter through the browser to work with the Tweetdeck.  You still will log into your Facebook and LinkedIn for important aspects of social media.  I actually just teach/coach on using the Tweetdeck to schedule updates to Facebook and LinkedIn.  Everything else within these social media networks you will do through the browser for the most part.

4. Have you heard of the tools I mentioned above and you keep thinking to yourself I need to learn about them and be using them more? Or are their names Greek to you? Have you tried to use these tools and they confuse you?

Ask for help!!! Ask friends using these tools to teach you, go to YouTube and search for tutorial videos others have made on how to use them. You may find the best and most cost effective route in the long run, when you consider your time, energy and frustration is to hire a social media professional to teach you.

As part of the social media coaching services I offer training on Tweetdeck. I coach my clients on how to create a presence on social media, how to use each social media tool and understand whatever thing means. We focus on marketing strategy and maintenance, which can be performed mostly through a Tweetdeck, one centralized area.

5. Have you claimed your business listing on Yahoo Local, Google Places, Bing Local, etc …? Are you using Ping.Fm, Google Reader, Social Oomph and Twellow? Do you even know what these sites/tools are?

 If you aren’t REGISTERED on them this is a sure sign your social media is in the RED.

Does this blog post trigger more questions for you? I am going to stop here and close with this advice:

Learn the best way!
Increase your followers/friends/connections!
Stop with the obligatory updates!
Share tips, content and resources!
Ask for help!

If you want to get your social media out of the RED and into the BLACK use the acronym above as a guide! Learn more about the BLACK Friday social media coaching packages I have available!

I look forward to your comments, feedback and tips! It’s an important part of learning for all of us! So comment away!  Thanks in advance for “Commenting”, “Liking”, “Sharing” and “Retweeting”! LOL!

Are you tired of reading blog post after blog post about personal branding, providing value and content?

July 8, 2010

Are you tired of reading blog post after blog post about personal branding, providing value and content? I know I am sick of it. They all start to read the same after awhile. All of them, don’t get me wrong are great blog posts, and I will continue to share them on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with you. However, I would like to see something for a change more focused on how to find your brand, provide value and where to locate all this great content that you need to be sharing on social media.

Here’s my take on it:

To find your brand you need to sit down in peace and quiet, and think about what your purpose is for using social media. Do you want to sell something? Educate? Expand your connection base, etc…. If you are an individual providing a service you need to establish your personal brand first, which is what I needed to do!

When I started using social networking sites my goal was to let everyone know who Lissa Duty was and what I was about! I needed to brand myself first and foremost, then focus on growing my business. I went out and established connections with those that are influential in the areas and industries that I focus on. i.e. Small Business Owners, Consultants and Social Media. I identified @BillHurlbut, @PattyFarmer and @LinkedInQueen.

I learned all I could about them, who they were and how I could connect with them. I joke and say “I made them my best friends”. Not literally! I made sure I got to know them on a personal level, which was who they were, what they represented and the value they provide in the social networking community. I soon learned how smart and connected they were. I didn’t ask them – “Please tell your connections about me on social media”. I instead focused on developing a relationship and rapport with them, so they would want to tell their friends about me.

How to provide value? First you need to determine what kind of information would be of interest to those following you. Keep in mind it does need to be related to your industry for the most part, after all you are using social media to sell your services/products right? Think about what you know that is essential to your industry and your clients. Share tips that would help your ideal client make important decisions. Of course, don’t share company secrets or give away the milk for FREE. (I’m sure you all have heard the phrase “Why buy the cow, when they can get the milk for FREE”.) Share enough to make them want to connect with you in a more personal way. Perhaps they’ll message you a follow up question.

Content – the biggie! This covers two areas:

• Finding industry related articles that would interest your followers. Start using a RSS reader like Google Reader and every time you find a blog that someone else has Tweeted or shared on Facebook/LinkedIn that would interest you and your connections subscribe to it in Google Reader. This is a quick and easy way to find great content for you to share on social networking sites. (Watch videos on eHow – How to use & setup Google Reader.)

 

• Writing content yourself to share on your blog. Ask your connections on social media what they would like to learn more about related to your industry. I often find questions that people ask me about social media turn into some really great blog posts! Share success stories of your other clients. Get your readers interested in reading and learning more about you. (Read more about blogging.)

I trust this post gave you some ideas on how to build your personal brand, provide value and content, instead of just all the whys! Give me your feedback and let me know what you think needs to be added or you would like to read more about in future blog posts!

Thanks for reading!