Is Social Media Right for Small Business?

According to a recent social media small business study in USA Today:

• 61% of small businesses don’t see a return on investment on social media activities
• 49% of businesses spend more time on social media than last year. 7% spend less
• Small businesses cite Facebook as the hardest social media network to maintain

So what should small businesses do?  First, is your product or service really that interesting that people want to learn more about it through social media?  It’s okay if your product or service isn’t that sexy.  Audiences expect certain industries to be on social media, think restaurants, retail, sports, and entertainment.  But what about the B2B business structure?  Perhaps all you need is LinkedIn and an established blog strategy on your website.  Or if your business is somewhat complex, perhaps you maintain informational videos on your YouTube channel.

Second, know your audience.  Is your audience on social media and if so – how often are they on, and are they just on Facebook to keep up with family and friends, or do they follow and engage with companies?  Keep in mind that just because there are several social networks available does not mean you need to be on all of them.  Be discerning and match your social media strategy to your audience.  And most importantly, do not use social media as a blow horn.  Truly engage and speak with your audiences.

Third, put social media in its place.  Social media is one form of getting your message out.  Focus on your business objectives, then create strategies that achieve those objectives.  Social media will likely be a part of the strategy, but the key is reaching those objectives. Don’t lose sight of your goal.

SEO Scammers Versus SEO Specialists

Just read a great article that compares SEO Scammers to SEO Specialists.  The world of Search Engine Optimization is constantly evolving in conjunction with the updates made by the SE’s.  And to those that do not follow these changes, the world of SEO can seem daunting.  Most businesses rely on an outside expert to lead their SEO strategy.  Yet, how can a business decision maker discern from a SEO Scammer versus an SEO Specialist?  Perhaps this comparison list will serve as a guide:

Scammers promise quick results for quick cash.
Specialists (I’m refraining from using the word “expert” here) advise sustainable results over time and speak of your marketing dollars spent as a business investment rather than a quick spin of the return-on-investment (ROI) wheel.
Scammers speak of guaranteed top listings or No.1 placement.
Specialists will let you know that nobody—no one—can guarantee top search engine rankings or page rankings. Specialists are also more likely to show you a list of top-ranking client sites or testimonials that pan out when you do your due diligence.
Scammers promise to list your business on hundreds of directories and search engines… practically overnight.
Specialists speak of listing your business on relevant directories and online resources, and likely not on search engines, because they know that if other elements of your online marketing are in place, search engines will find you organically.
Scammers speak of immediate results.
Specialists speak of the big picture.

Goodbye, anonymity: Latest surveillance tech can search up to 36 million faces per second

Great article:

Welcome to the next generation in surveillance technology. A Japanese company, Hitachi Kokusai Electric, has unveiled a novel surveillance camera that is able to capture a face and search up to 36 million faces in one second for a similar match in its database.

While the same task would typically require manually sifting through hours upon hours of recordings, the company´s new technology searches algorithmically for a facial match. It enables any organization, from a retail outlet to the government, to monitor and identify pedestrians or customers from a database of faces.

Hitachi’s software is able to recognize a face with up to 30 degrees of deviation turned vertically and horizontally away from the camera, and requires faces to fill at least 40 pixels by 40 pixels for accurate recognition. Any image, whether captured on a mobile phone, handheld camera, or a video still, can be uploaded and  searched against its database for matches.

“This high speed is achieved by detecting faces through image recognition when the footage from the camera is recorded, and also by grouping similar faces,” Seiichi Hirai, Hitachi Kokusai Electric researcher told DigInfo TV.

Social Media & the 7 Deadly Sins

Talk about an attention-grabbing research study!  An advertising agency conducted a survey about social media habits and how and if those habits translated to the 7 deadly sins as stated in the Bible: gluttony, lust, greed, pride, wrath, envy and sloth.  Of the 562 adults surveyed, 70% committed at least 1 of the 7 deadly sins.

Here are the rankings:

Gluttony (content overload) 41%

Pride (believing online friends are better than most) 37%

Greed (craving attention) 30%

Lust 30%

Sloth (texting instead of calling; being online instead of exercising) 30%

Wrath (cyber bullying) 19%

Envy 16%

Other findings:

15-24 year olds were guilty of more offenses than most age groups

25-29 year olds averaged 3+ sins each

Wrath skewed male with 24% vs. 14% female

Slothful skewed female with 33% vs. 26%

So which of the deadly sins do you think you fall prey to?

The Social Media Revolution 2012

Being social is more than saying “Hi” to your neighbor as you walk to the mailbox.

Being social is more than being on Facebook.

Being social is more than Yelping an opinion on a restaurant.

Being social is a movement, a collective, a change in the way we as people are relating to eachother.  Think not?  If I ask you who’s in your circle of friends. How would you answer?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUeL3n7fDs&feature=share

Google: Overly Optimized Web Pages to Soon be Penalized

An announcement at Austin’s SXSW by Google’s Matt Cutt’s revealed an algorithm update that will soon penalize web pages that are too-optimized.  Details are here:

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31947/googles-pending-algorithm-update-to-penalize-over-optimized-content?source=Blog_Email_[Google%27s%20Pending%20Alg]

Google – once a technology company, now an advertising company

I found this blog entry interesting as it’s from a former Googler that discusses how the company culture within Google has changed due to the emphasis of social and the rise of Facebook.  He compares Google to being the rich kid that didn’t get invited to the cool party.  So the rich kid decided to have a party of its own (hence Google+) and it didn’t work.  Interesting comparison and blog entry.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jw_on_tech/archive/2012/03/13/why-i-left-google.aspx

Yahoo! Restructuring

I find it amazing that a company that not too long ago was once hovering around the #1 position of most popular websites is now undergoing a massive restructuring.  While it fits the axiom that technology moves faster than our adoption of it; one would expect the leadership of Yahoo! to have the foresight to correctly lead the company in this ever-changing world of technology.  For me, this article further crystallized the speed in which technology moves.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/03/05/yahoo-to-layoff-thousands-in-massive-restructuring-report/

very Pinterest ing

LinkedIn: Effective Lead Gen & Now a Company Follow Button

Survey findings of 5,000 businesses shows that LinkedIn is 277% more effective than FB and Twitter with lead generation. 

Additionally, as of this morning, LinkedIn now has an added feature for companies to add a Follow button.  Directions regarding how to implement the Follow button can be found here:

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31601/linkedin-launches-company-follow-button-how-to-add-it-now?source=Blog_Email_[LinkedIn%20Launches%20Co]