Amanda

Using Social Media for Business is a must do or must have for any business, large or small. The interview below between writer Chris Brogan and Laura Cohen of Experian might seem quite long, but if you are like me & are struggling with one of the latest developments by Google….. Google +….. this high level overview may be of some help. I’ve made a personal Google + account, but must admit I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’ve + things that I like & are important to me and I know there is more to it, but my head is spinning. It is going to take some time to digest all the information. My next business step for my bricks and mortar stock will be to use more types of Social Media. Business will never be the same again.

Update: An internet course for using social media for business

Since writing this post I have found a useful site that will help with social media for your business. It covers setting up Facebook Fan Pages and instruction on various types of social media for business including google +. Also check out the setting up of Facebook Fan Pages with a difference, not just like everyone elses (free). To find out more click here

Chris, you have been a Google+ evangelist since the beginning. You even abandoned Facebook to devote more of your time to Google+. When did you realize that Google+ was more important for your business than Facebook?

Chris: Facebook works well as a platform to connect me with people I already know, like friends and family and old work colleagues. Google+ connects me with people who are like-minded, and who share similar interests. Which set of people are more apt to help me land a client? Google+. My friends and family referrals can only stretch so far. Because most businesses rely on the kindness of strangers to survive, I recommend Google+.

Business owners might feel that maintaining a Facebook page and a Twitter account is enough. How is Google+ different and why should businesses create a page and begin writing/sharing engaging content?

Chris: Two or three years ago, it was difficult to convince a business owner that Facebook or Twitter was worth it. Now, they’re not willing to transition to the newest network, run by the biggest search engine in the world? I’m fascinated by this digging in. It shows that business owners aren’t seeing the platforms for what they are: a gathering place where potential prospects can be invited into a business relationship. Saying no to the biggest up-and-coming social network run by one of the richest companies on the planet seems a lot short-sighted.

You wrote Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything to provide advice on leveraging Google+ to improve business communication, content promotion, and much more. Aside from social networking, what are ways businesses will benefit by owning a page in Google’s ecosystem?

Chris: 69% of people start their online activity around a need with search. The number one search engine in the world, Google, has opened a social network to help people better interact with and find what they want. Posting information to the public on Google+ immediately impacts search results because Google (the search engine) indexes Google+ (the social network). If three out of four humans start their search to fulfill their needs with a search engine, why wouldn’t you want even more potential opportunity to interact with those searchers?

When business owners first create their pages, they might feel lonely since they are unable to circle people (until first circled back). What is your advice for them to help them get noticed and added into relevant circles?

Chris: I’m almost sad that business pages have already launched. So many people didn’t take the opportunity to make relationships happen before those pages landed, and now they’re wondering why no one is rushing in to circle their company page. Humans make relationships. Humans do the footwork before the business page comes into view. I knew Esteban Contreras from Samsung long before I saw the Samsung page. We’d interacted a lot. When the Samsung USA page opened, I circled it right away due to my affinity for Esteban. I’m friends with Jennifer Cisney from Kodak, and so I interacted with her page long before Kodak opened up a presence. The same is true for your business. Humans connect. Make a relationship and the business page will get some traction. But don’t wait for that. Think of the business page as a business card. Would you ever let a salesman wait around to sell until he or she had a business card?

During your Google+ Business Webinar in November 2011, you suggested that businesses should think about posting every six hours. This is a much more aggressive posting strategy than businesses might be used to (especially compared to Facebook). Why should businesses be active on Google Plus?

Chris: Google+ is tied to Google, the search engine. The more opportunities you have to influence potential direction of prospects to your business is a positive thing. I also think that because it’s a new and budding network, that more “seeding” has to happen to keep people interested. I note that larger companies are still only posting once a day at present. Then again, they don’t get the engagement I’m seeking.

What types of circles should businesses think about creating so that they can message the right people with the right kind of content?

Chris: It depends on the business. Intel has three circles: tech enthusiasts, press stuff, and life at Intel. They split it that way. If you’re a plumber, you probably don’t have plumbing enthusiasts (then again, what do I know?). Circles for my professional page include “prospects, collaborators, colleagues, allies, and unknown.” I use those to sort people so that I don’t upset any particular group by sharing too much (or the wrong) information.

What are some ways small businesses could utilize YouTube hangouts in Google+?

Chris: Hangouts are live video events. You can have up to 10 people in a hangout (the host +9). To me, they are a great way to handle customer service issues, a wonderful way to do training/education, a great method by which to share business advice, to have meetings, to consult, and more. Hangouts are one of the best features of Google+. YouTube videos shared on Google+ get a lot more engagement by a higher caliber of person. I find that comments on YouTube itself are useless. On Google+, I have the exact opposite experience.

When Google+ page analytics gets introduced, what type of data do you think will be helpful to business owners – and how can they use this data?

Chris: Analytics will help people see what type of content they share drives what level of engagement. They will also see more click-through activity, more sense of how long someone interacts with your profile and/or other parts of your account, and more. It will really help people decide what to spend their time on.

How do you envision successful Google+ business pages will operate in the future?

Chris: Google hinted at what business pages would do with Google Places. With Google+, once Places integrates with business pages, and given all the other tools you can use on Google+, I believe that this network will be a very robust and de facto part of business communication and collaboration.

What about you, are you also struggling? Are you using social media for business or just for personal use?

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I like this article, even though I am not based in the US, there is allot that us Small Business owners around the world can relate too. Small businesses over the planet can unite ( maybe even ‘occupy’) with the knowledge that we are not alone, somewhere some government is stuffing things up for others as well.

I am excellent at screwing up my business. I sell to customers who can’t pay, hire people who don’t work and rely on vendors who don’t deliver. I purchase outdated technology, say the wrong things to the wrong people and I’m terrible at making plans. But somehow and despite my best efforts, my company continues to be profitable.

Of course, we could be more profitable if I didn’t keep making so many mistakes. And I certainly don’t need any more help in that department. But the problem is my business, like most small businesses, is vulnerable to potential mistakes that could be made this year in Washington. Mistakes that could really screw things up. A few come immediately to mind.

Mistake #1: Gingrich becomes the Republican nominee. Please don’t misunderstand. I really like Newt Gingrich. He’s the smartest, most politically experienced presidential candidate we’ve had since Joe Biden. Just kidding on that one. Newt’s a thinker, a debater and a political savant. Sure, he’s a little chubby. And a “newt” is a kind of salamander, isn’t it? I’m not worried. A couple of turns on the treadmill and a bomb or two dropped near Tehran and even Putin will show a little respect.

Newt is very pro-business. But that won’t do me any good. Because if he becomes the Republican candidate he’ll have a hell of a time getting elected. He’s too polarizing. He has less business know-how than Romney. He has too much personal and political baggage. He’s going to be spending a lot of time defending his past actions, positions he took or things he said more than twenty years ago. When Nancy Pelosi says she “investigated” him and has “dirt” I believe her. Trust me, Pelosi hates guys like these which means that…

…with Gingrich as his opponent, Obama will draw the left back to his camp. Alec Baldwin and Barbara Streisand will be re-energized. Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen will write him campaign songs. Look, I think Obama’s a good man too. I voted for him. But I would never vote for him again. He’s proven himself to be way too big-government and way too anti-business. He wants to raise taxes and continue to spend on stimulus programs. As far as running the government and managing the world’s largest economy he’s shown himself to be inexperienced. The economy, the markets, the business environment and my small business in particular would suffer if he’s re-elected.

Mistake #2: With the retirement of Barney Frank, Maxine Waters is appointed to chair the House Financial Services Committee………..

Mistake #3: The Supreme Court declares that healthcare reform is constitutional……..

Mistake #4: The Fed eases even more…….

Mistake #5: More stimulus is approved……`

…………This is not something a small business owner would do. This is not something that any experienced business manager would consider. For God’s sake, even Greek government bonds would start looking pretty good. More stimulus would further exasperate the potential for inflation as our currency loses its value. For the business community, the downsides of stimulus are higher than the upsides.

Look, I can do a great job screwing up my business on my own. I don’t need any help this year. Especially from Washington.

I hope you enjoyed this teaser. Do read more on this article, it is one mans opinion and you can accept or regret, but it makes for interesting reading. Thanks to Gene Marks of Small Business America, I’ll be watching for you again

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Using Social media for Business Google +

Update: An internet course for using social media for business

Who can Screw Up My Small Business In 2012