My friend Rodney Parks introduced me to a video on social media, and as someone who prides myself on keeping up with the industry, I am sad to say that I had not seen it. Erik Qualman writes and maintains a blog called Socialnomics and has a book by the same name. In this video, he delivers mind-blowing statistics, a year old mind you, that shows the impact and the speed at which social media has changed our culture.
One of the most poignant thoughts in the video referred to ROI (Return on Investment) which so many businesses are interested in when it comes to social media. The video says, “The ROI of social media is your business will still exist in 5 years.”
Friday (August 20, 2010) I attended BarCamp Conway (Conway, AR) which was hosted by the guys from Conway Cowork. Wow was it awesome! I got hang out with a bunch of tech lovers for five hours. What could be better?
The barcamp idea is known as an unconference. This means that the participants are the presenters, and they are voted on by their peers, other participants, to deliver a presentation. Sample topics included business startup, geosocial networking (gowalla, foursquare), drupal (web content solution), passion via Crushit, project management and more technical and website development topics.
I have to say that the topics I sat in on was awesome. I listened to Zack Hill of Flex360 Website Design in Little Rock, Kristian Anderson from KA+A and Pathagility (Conway, AR), Cotton Rohrschieb from Pleth, LLC (Batesville/Conway, AR) and Luke Irvin from Clarovista (Conway, AR). Each presentation was awesome!
I encourage you to visit a BarCamp near you if you have the chance. You can learn a lot about technology and web development and meet great folks to network with. You might even find your next website developer. And, not everyone at our event were IT and website guys/gals. We had folks from other sectors of the business world.
Sometimes, a story has to be painted. Often, a message has to be told in another way. I love words, and I write, but sometimes, words are not enough to convey the message in the best way. That is why we have art. There are those that paint, draw, sculpt, write and play music and more. We, as a society, are blessed for it.
As a business owner, there may be times when we need a little more than a tagline to get our message across. We come up with elevator pitches to help, and we might turn to someone like Samantha Hartley to come up with an audio logo. These are alternative ways to convey our message, and they are well worth looking in to.
Another way to paint a message is through videos. Studies have shown that people are more “hooked” by watching videos on websites. Videos are powerful tools, and you don’t have to limit yourself to making a video to put on T.V. Videos can be used online at your website, on Youtube, and Facebook. In fact, Old Spice did a video/social media campaign earlier this summer that was very successful.
Now, take a truly inspiring story, and make a video about it, and you have a very powerful message. In the 1992 Summer Olympics, Derek Redmond was running in a 400 meter semifinals heat, and he was the favorite to win the race and race for the gold. However, something happened. Redmond tore a hamstring muscle and collapsed to the track half way through the race.
What happened next startled and inspired the rest of the world that day in Barcelona, Spain. Redmond got to his feet, and he continued the race hobbling around on one leg. With a little over 100 meters left, his father joined him and helped him finish, way behind the others, the heat race.
The story has been told, but the video below tells the story and in a more profound way while reminding us of a message we all need to hear.
The next time you think about your marketing message, and how you are going to communicate the message, think about the use of videos. You don’t have to purchase expensive commercial time on T.V., you can upload it online and share it with as many people as possible.
If you need some help getting a video for your company, feel free to contact us.
The ability to embed videos into your website has created a totally different dynamic. Websites can become much more entertaining and hold the attention of readers longer than with articles. Youtube, the video sharing website, changed everything. All a user has to do is upload their video, and they can instantly share the video on their website, Facebook, Myspace or any other social networking website.
Small businesses can take advantage of videos. As a result, as a business owner, you can produce a video which can get the kind of viewership that rivals what you would get by putting a commercial on TV at a fraction of the cost.
The following is three ways that a small business owner can use videos on their website and more.
Promotion
Have you ever gone to a website that had a video telling more about their product? This is an example of putting a promo video on your website. Unfortunately, those websites could do so much more! I am always at a loss for why a company who has a well done video on their website would not upload the video to sharing websites such as Youtube.
Do you have a commercial? With the power of the web, you can upload your video to Youtube and instantaneously share the video in as a commercial. Google has a platform through their advertising program or you can contact an individual website you would like to advertise on and offer to pay for space.
Training
Web based training is become very popular among publishers. How to videos can be very beneficial, and anytime you put the videos on Youtube you can get more traffic as people decide to check out your website for more information. If you are a chiropractor, you can produce a video on stretching and upload it to Youtube and your website. Tell you audience to go to your website for more information and clearly put your website address.
Other people have started video podcasts. Shama Kabani has a video podcast where she offers tips to her audience in a short two minute or less clip. The videos are entertaining complete with a cute tune and animation. Others, such as Kathleen Sullivan, offers video tutorials for her clients on how to use the tools she empowers them with.
Virtual Tours
Are you a real estate agent of do you need to show your facilities. This can be accomplished fairly easy also. Take a video and upload the video as a virtual tour. It is the best way to show around a facility to your potential customers. Customers can get an up-close view of the facility before they ever show up.
Other businesses can do a sample demonstration of select products. Imagine you are trying to increase sales of a menu item at your restaurant. Customers can’t smell your item, but they can see and imagine tasting the item! Make a video demonstrating the product, post it on your website, and share, share, share!
Videos are a great way to continue to market your product online. I am amazed how many people don’t think about videos.
Best–It is absolutely best to hire somebody to do your professional videos. A video is so much better when it is shot professionally. If you need somebody to shoot videos for your website, etc., give us a call. We have added video production to our line of products and services.
Good–For the quicker, more candid shot videos, buy a flip camera from a major retailer. You still may need video editing software, but go ahead and get videos made! If you need someone to edit the videos, let us know as we can take care of that too. Some animation or graphics may be exactly what a video needs to look a hundred times better.
Admit it, you watch both videos didn’t you?
We offer video production for the web. Give us a call so we can produce a professional quality video for your company today!
Let the power of videos transform your online marketing today!
Driving to my church homegroup last night, I saw a business sign which read, “Follow us on Facebook.” The first question that came to my mind was, “Why?”
“Why should I follow you on Facebook?”
Scott Beale / Laughing Squid http://laughingsquid.com/
I am a little bit of a sucker for following Facebook fan pages, probably because I have set up a few and know how hard it can be to get fans. I do try to be a little discerning, but the fan page is for a friend, etc., I usually follow. However, many people are harder to convince. People’s time is a commodity we should never take for granted, even on Facebook.
Therefore, what kind of strategy do you have in place for your Facebook fan page? Is your goal to get a certain amount of followers? Once you get your followers, then what will you do?
Many companies set up the Facebook account without any idea what they will use it for. After all, there are over 400 million people on Facebook.
1. Give something away
If you sell products, you might have a contest for fans to win something. You got great products, right? Everyone who “likes” your page can be entered in to a drawing for a free “fill in the blank.” It worked well for a client of mine who increased her fans to well over 800 fans just by giving something away.
2. Post links to your blog posts
You do blog don’t you? Post the links to each individual blog post to your Facebook fan page. A blog that offers advice or gives an “insider’s” view to your business has great value for customers. Make sure your fans know about your blog!
3. Post links to your website
This is self explanatory. If your website is built around a blog, then #2 should work just fine. Offer some kind of special at your website and promote it on your Facebook page. The goal is, after all, to get people to your website to buy your product or become a member of your community.
4. Post contact info
Do not neglect this! Post a way for folks to contact you. It is a customer service issue. It can be sending them to your contact page at your website or posting an email address or phone number. This is especially true if you do not have a website. People need to know hours and other info too.
5. Interact
When someone posts on your wall, respond! This is the unique strategy of social media, interaction with fans/customers. You can offer fans a chance to win something by posting on the wall, etc., but whatever you do, get your fans to interact. And, then, join the discussion! Facebook is a communication medium, and communication is a two-way street!
I hope this helps those of you trying to establish a Facebook page. Having a Facebook fan page is an active process. I hope you’re ready!
I made a bold move today. I joined the Conway (AR) Chamber of Commerce. If you are a resident of Conway and have a business, you might consider joining. These guys do a great job and it is a good way to get exposure.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thechamberlife/
I think there are many good reasons to join the Chamber, but one thing I like about our Chamber is that they are using social media. Several of the staff tweet often on twitter and they know how to make use of other social media channels such as flickr and Youtube. Last year they even held a Social Media Conference.
It is a great way to get your business some much needed exposure as they list in their newsletter, on their website, and feature you in the member newsletter. They also do “ribbon cuttings.” I participated in one for my church, oneChurch. If you don’t have a marketing team, this is a “no brainer.” If you do, well, you can still benefit.
I haven’t had a Video Friday in a while, but I thought this video was good food for thought. Rochelle Veturis from Orange County, CA has some good ideas about dealing with negative folks.
Mobile applications such as foursquare and Gowalla are becoming the new phenomenon. Can it be used for your business? Decide for yourself. Here is a video with Kevin Rose of Digg (@kevinrose).
Thanks for stopping by to see who I am choosing for this week’s #Follow #Friday. I have four persons selected, and hopefully, they will be someone you haven’t heard of before. If you have, then it will only confirm what you already new!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/milwaukeejobcamp/
@KatieFelten — Katie is widely considered a Linkedin expert and she is the president of MKELive, a company that provides Linkedin training services for a wide variety of organizations. Katie can also show you how to practice Bikram Yoga.
@Stephaniec2c — Stephanie is a key member of the Dallas based Marketing Zen online marketing company. She really engages her followers keeping everyone up with the latest social media news. When you get to know the lady behind the tweets, you find she is a down-to-earth, loving and caring mother and wife.
@PaulKirchoff — Paul may be the coolest CEO I’ve never met! He runs a full service social media and online marketing company based out of Austin, TX. Hey, we know that some of the coolest tech people come from Austin!
@scottica — I appreciate Scott who is the CEO at SWIX, a social media analytics company based out of Ottawa. I tweeted about trying their service and he responded to me asking if I had ideas for improvement. I have enjoyed trying the tools which are in beta, and I think they are a good solution for social media marketers to look at. Give it a try.
There you go. These are my Follow Friday tweeters.
Chris Brogan challenged many of us to handle Follow Friday different on twitter, and so I have decided to do just that. With his suggestion, I have created a post mentioning my Follow Friday folks telling a little bit why someone should follow them.
Arkansite.com
You will have to bear with me here as I have a variety of interests that range from professional wrestling, to sports, to social media, to web design and many others.
@kaseyjohns–Casey is a talented website designer from San Marcos, TX and he handles promotions and the website for the Austin Turfcats, an arena football team. I actually got to meet him when he came to North Little Rock with his team to play the Arkansas Diamonds where I was working. Check out the Tufcats’ website.
@slims_conway–Did I forget to tell you? I like food! Slims has pretty good chicken in Conway, AR where I live. They actually have several locations, so you can find one near you at their website. I also like that they use social media.
@Strombolis1–Quite possibly the best stromboli on the planet! Well, at least in Conway, AR. I visited there on Wednesday and immediately realized that I had sinned (it has to be a sin to eat their food because it so good!). I had some of their garlic knots, and oh they were so good! If you are in Conway, check them out. Oh yeah, and they are on Facebook too.
@Arkansite–Meet Shelli Russell. She has started MySaline.com and Arkansite.com. She has created these community-based, hyper-local sites in Central Arkansas utilizing Ning.com. She does a great job of keeping up with the events and happenings going on in her neighborhood. She is also a good neighbor lending her support to charitable causes.
So, there you have it. These are my picks for Follow Friday on twitter. Check these guys and gals out and follow them, because they are worth the follow!
Web Entrepreneur, Wordpress Developer, Sports Writer and Blogger, and generally, an all-around good guy. I blog about things that help small businesses maximize their online efforts. That includes things like social media, websites and other software. Fair warning: I will also talk about faith and food sometimes!
