Facebook Usernames

“Username selection is now live: Go to http://www.facebook.com/username/ to choose yours and get a distinct Web address for your profile.”

Facebook’s notice to users created a land-grab when over 3 million users logged on in the first 15 minutes just after midnight the morning of June 13 to get their unique facebook.com username.  Millions have followed, and you should too. The site will suggest names or let you customize one and then check for that particluar name’s availability.

You can do this for your personal profile as well as any pages or groups you have — provided those pages meet the 1,000 fan or member minimum. However, the limitation is temporary. All Pages created after May 31, 2009 or that had less than 1,000 fans on that day will be eligible to claim usernames on Sunday, June 28, 2009.

Generic words (like “cars” or “toys”) are not currently available as usernames. Facebook is encourageing users “to create a username that closely matches the true identity of their name or business.” Additionally, if you wish to report that someone’s username infringes your rights, you can fill out Facebook’s automated IP infringement form.

One last note: Usernames are irreversible, even if you simply make a mistake when spelling the name. There is a group on Facebook that has posts claiming that scripts can be installed to change a username, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Must Reads re:Follower Counts

I’ve been wanting to post some new Twitter info here for a while now. Recently in my online travels I came across the following blog posts that I feel are must-reads regarding Twitter Followers. They aren’t exactly opposing views, but I feel each highlights some extraordinarily important points that are articluated very well.

So instead of just giving my 2 cents, I figured I’d let you get the info straight from the horses’ mouths. The first is from the zen-marketing-master Guy Kawasaki, the other from philosophy-student and Toronto native “Maki.”  Enjoy!

  http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2008/11/looking-for-m-1.html   
( Nov 2008)

  http://www.doshdosh.com/twitter-marketing-mass-follow-users/ 
 (May 2009)

What Makes a Social Media Expert an Expert?

LI is What You Make It

The true power of utilizing any program, such as a diet, physical training regimen, sales philosophy, or software program, lies in consistent use.

Recently, Marketing Prof’s Mike O’Toole noted that he has recently begun using LinkedIn on a daily basis after a long absence. He mentions a variety of reasons for this, but the important thing that he has done to boost his productivity is made it an integral part of his workday.

By making social media part of your work day, and therefore using it consistently, you greatly increase your chances of having success with it. LinkedIn in particular is a good site for work-routine integration, because unlike a blog or a micro-blog (like Twitter), there are a number of different things you can do on the site that don’t take much time.

For instance, on any given day on LinkedIn you could:

1. Research new potential connections and Invite someone to connect
2. Mine your current connections for marketing purposes
3. Review and answer a question in the Answers section
4. Join a Group and enter the Discussions
5. Submit news, links, or job opportunities
6. Create and/or market your own Group
7. Research and deploy one of the site’s third-party applications
8. Update your status or your profile
9. Make or ask for a Recommendation
10. Answer emails and other requests

Make a concentrated effort to check-in with your LinkedIn account each day, even if it’s in the evening (who works 9 – 5 anymore, anyways!?), and make LinkedIn work for you!

WWAKD?

WWAKD: What Would Ashton Kutcher Do? Who cares?

Well, we small business owners should. Because love him or hate him, the media circus surrounding Kutcher, CNN, and Oprah these past couple days has increased Twitter’s visibility a thousand-fold, and it is likely to significantly increase Twitter usage.

More people on Twitter = more potential opportunities for advanced Twitter users (that’s you!) to find leads and get some exposure. It’ll also be a hot topic of conversation over the next month or so, and now is a great time to “advertise” your twitter account on email signatures, other social networks, and in all of your marketing correspondence. Using Twitter for business purposes is tricky. Trends come and go at warp-speed, and there are much, much more people talking than listening.  

Find ways to introduce your current customers to Twitter, get them to follow you, then post all of the helpful, fun, intelligent, conversational, and sincere tweets you can muster…and increase your market share by building rapport with your loyal customers.

Please keep the SOCIAL in Social Media

With the mainstream catching hold of social media and Web 2.0 sites, there has been an influx of small business and marketing folks eager to make their mark and standout in the crowded social-media-market-space.

What is disconcerting to me is the number of people that have jumped on this bandwagon but are really missing the point of what “social media” is – or maybe was-  supposed to be. Twitter, Facebook,  LinkedIn, and those too numerous to mention have become targets for marketers, advertisers, spammers, and (sadly) entrepreneurs that simply do not understand that while trying to “up their numbers” of Followers, Friends, and Connections, they are further alienating those they are trying to embrace. Worse, they are creating a social media space that could potentially become irrelevant, as there are too many people “talking” and not enough people “listening.”

Listening is the key word. That’s the social part. That’s what most people miss…the order goes something like this: 1. Listen, 2. Understand, 3. Respond. That is how you engage someone in social media.  The goal should be to put yourself out there and let folks find you, based on your content and your willingness to assist them with their problem. Broadcasting canned messages to unknown people is like airing a television commercial or using a pop-up window on your web site. It’s not that there is anything wrong with that type of advertising per se, but it is certainly not social.

I’m a fan of growing network(s) organically, not using endless varieties of automated systems to create a false sense of leadership.  I believe in the power of one-on-one engagement. I believe that lots of Followers, Friends, and Connections are a great, helpful resource in many respects…but I believe that those connections are pretty much pointless unless they really want to hear from you, and you them.

That’s my rant. I know that there are certain people in certain industries who will benefit more from assembling network connections en masse, but by and large the best way for a small business owner to grow their customer base is to concentrate on networking with people you want to listen to, and marketing within your niche.

2 Things You Should Do on LinkedIn

Many people join LinkedIn, make a few connections, join a group or two, and then stop there…because they don’t know what to do next.  Let me suggest two quick things to do with your LI account right now:

1. Revisit your own profile.
Is it a standard resume, simply  listing your job responsibilities, or does it convey something more?  If it looks too much like your resume, seriously consider revamping.  Showcase and quantify the highlights of your career and be sure to include any personal information about you that a potential partner, employer, or customer might want to know.

Include items of interest that show off your best self…if you’ve climbed any mountains (real or metaphorical), spent time in an exotic locale, or won any athletic awards, this would be the time to show those achievements off a little. Remember also to link to that site you created, blog you started, and article you wrote.

Last, don’t forget to update your “status” frequently. Not only will it keep your profile looking fresh and current, it will show up in others’ network updates which can get you noticed.  It can be used as a mini-marketing weapon, so get creative!

2. Get active in your groups.
If you’re not planning on starting a LinkedIn group (you should be thinking about it, though), be sure to remain active in the Discussions in your groups. The best way to become recognized as a thought-leader in your industry is to be vocal about your opinions and expertise. Leaving thoughtful comments on others’ discussions, or starting a thought-provoking discussion of your own, is a great way to make new connections and help potential customers find you.

This is one of the best ways to encourage good-neighbor policies.

Twitter Posts – from Mashable

Mashable, one of the Internet’s best blogs about…well…the Internet, recently posted this great article  about some unusual Twitter posts. While these don’t necessarily concern your business, you can certainly take away this: creatively using social media can yield extraordinary results.

Marketing on Twitter

The ubiquitous micro-blogging site Twitter is getting a lot of press lately, growing exponentially, and becoming an important marketing piece for businesses large and small.

Using Twitter can yield great results when used correctly, and be a time-waster when not. The difference between “correct” and “incorrect” depends on your marketing plan. That is, prior to posting that first Tweet for your business, you must first ask “What do I want to get from this?”

It seems like common sense to get a map before travelling into unknown territory. But many business owners stumble unwittingly into the site looking to check it out, only to find themselves immersed in inane conversations and following random people.

Fortunately, there are many free third-party applications and online resources to help you manage your Twitter account. There are sites acting as dedicated clearing houses for all of these resources, and I’ll be posting links here to the better ones, instead of pointing you to individual apps.

The only exceptions I’ll make are for TweetDeck, a user-friendly piece of free, downloadable software which allows you to easily categorize the people you follow, and for Twitter Search, Twitter’s own powerful search tool that allows you to find information relevant to your business. 

Using only these tools,  time spent on Twitter can be time well spent.

Be sure to check out my Twitter site, and follow as you wish:
www.twitter.com/ericpursh
www.twitter.com/gmgPGH

Is Your Business on Facebook?

Many small business owners never think to put a Business Page on Facebook. The social networking site, with over 200 million users, is often viewed as a purely social medium.

 There are thousands of businesses already on Facebook, and by examining their pages, you can get a good idea of ways that you can promote your business, product, or service.

Look for further posts in this category to find helpful tips on promoting your small business on the world’s most popular social media site, or email us to find out ideas that can specifically help YOUR business.