About DeeReinhardt

Social media, marketing and community relations specialist aiming to help people build their on-line presence with as many social media tools with which they feel comfortable.

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About DeeReinhardt

Social media, marketing and community relations specialist aiming to help people build their on-line presence with as many social media tools with which they feel comfortable.

Timing is Everything

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Our family recently experienced the loss of our matriarch.  It brought to light a very important aspect that must be considered when using social media – Timing.

When a celebrity passes and you see the RIP in front of their name, it is usually related to some

Fran 1934-2013

Fran 1934-2013

news item or post from a news outlet.  It isn’t the way you want to find out about a loved one’s passing. Some of the younger members of the family posted on social media before everyone had been told in person or by phone. At the time it was considered a generational expression of emotions. But in essence, it was a matter of timing – the wrong timing for some.

This also holds true for your business.  Have you made all of the appropriate news announcements to your employees before the press and social outlets find out.  Today a “leak to the press” can be viral in a matter of moments depending upon the circumstances.  Even though you can delete a post or recall an email, it is wise to double or even triple check what is in the body of the message before you hit send, post, share or whatever the platform term is.

Timing can be as crucial as what time of the day you post something, or the time of the week, or where in relation to other news you post.  Even if you are offering a spectacular deal or sensational news item, will your post be overlooked because of poor timing?  Use the tools at your disposal to find out what types of posts are most viewed, when you seem to have the most interaction and use that information to keep the flow going.

Do you have a “timing” story to share?

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Are you using Google for your Business?

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Almost everyone I know uses the phrase “Google it” when referencing an internet search. But other than searching for something are you making the most out of a Google account for your business?  Let’s review a few of my most favorite tools.

Google Maps – if you haven’t optimized your Maps presence, jump on board.  There is a new google mapsinterface that Google announced that is going to help your business look even better. Notice the pictures of the selected location.  You can even hire Google Certified photographers to record a 360 degree view of the inside of your establishment.

Google Place Pages – are merging with your Google+ business page.  So make sure that your information, categories, contact info and links are all up to date.  If you have a page out there, claim it so that you don’t have reviews that are going unnoticed. Link here to see my page.

G+ posts and images – are now being indexed in search results.  If you aren’t using your G+ googleplus-iconprofile at least occasionally, your likelyhood of ranking very high in search results diminishes.  Also, if you have a blog, add a Google Authorship plug-in that will provide a headshot and minimal information about you in the search results.

Google Hangouts – jump on before they raise the price!  Right now you can have a video conference with up to 10 people, screen share, chat and do silly things with your screen image.  This is a great way to have a face-to-face meeting without having to leave your desk.

Google Drive – share documents that are editable with other users.  Have a spreadsheet that needs to be filled in and you are tired of having to make corrections?  Share it on Drive and let the other people take responsibility for filling in their own information.

YouTube – is the 2nd largest search platform and it isn’t even a search engine. It is a Googleyoutube_logo property as well.  You can link to it from within Google Chrome.  Talk about search engine results – put a video on YouTube and Google loves it. Check out my channel with how-to videos here.

Google Chrome – for all of you IE users out there, jump on board.  There are so many plug-in tools available for Google Chrome that I would run out of space and my fingers would grow tired from typing.  Need I say more?

What other Google tools have you found?

Keep an Eye on Your Competition

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Gone are the days of just having a “secret shopper” go to the competitors store to find out pricing. New tactics are required. After reading this article in Entrepreneur by a former CIA Officer onspying How to Get Ahead of Your Competition, I thought about how you could “spy” on your competition through social media.

There are four aspects about social media that help you build or protect your business.  Let’s review:

  • Build Your Brand with Social Media – Using social media allows you to have your logo, ideals and business practices in multiple locations, hopefully, in the right places where your customers are looking for you. Make sure that you are sharing the same message everywhere you are.
  • Build Relationships – as you are developing your clientele you are also building a rapport between you and them.  Learning more about what they want or need.  Social media can help you stay in touch with them and carry on conversations.
  • Level the Playing Field – every business has access to the same networks and tools available on the variety of social media platforms.  It is how well you use them and the available features as to how much better of an opponent you will be.
  • Monitor Competitors – you can “keep an eye on your competition” by following their movements on the various platforms in which they participate. Have they offered a coupon, a pop-up sale, a new white paper? Do they have a newsletter, a blog, a photo journal? Can you modify or improve upon their idea to help your business?  Are you using more platforms than they are, but your engagement is lower?

What have you discovered when you were “spying” on your competition?

 

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3 words or 30 seconds

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I attend a great deal of networking events. Often you go around the room with 3or30introductions. What starts out as succinct introductions can turn into a life story.  Sometimes if you attend multiple events, your introduction might turn into a robotic statement.

One group I attend often asks for your introduction and then answer a fun question so that attendees get to know the personal side of you better.  It seems that when the speaker has completed talking about their income generating life and starts into the fun side their enthusiasm is reflected in their body language and vocal cues. How can you represent that same enthusiasm with your introduction about your job?

Conquering the right way to deliver your elevator pitch can be a challenge. Do you have enough time to deliver meaning in 30 seconds? One group limited the introduction to name, company and 3 words that describe what you do. This is great to make you think about the best 3 words that describe your business.  If they are keywords that is even better.  Use them everywhere in your marketing to promote yourself on your website or social media.

Sometimes though, we do need to have that 30 second elevator pitch in our pocket.  Use the tips from this article How To Perfect Your Elevator Pitch. To stay on point – but avoid the robotics!

Which method do you prefer when giving your introductions?