The Pope Tweets

"Dear Friends, I just launched News.va  Praise be our Lord Jesus Christ!  With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI"

According to the Associated Press, the Pope sent this tweet on Twitter....... from an iPad.  Hey, the Holy Father is 84 years old.  Out of respect I won't refer to him as an "Old Dog", but he sure has learned some New Tricks at 84 years young.

What's your excuse?

I'm 100% in favor of using any method or platform to talk about the Creator, and I applaud the Pope for doing so.  But there are many benefits to engaging in social media.  Are you using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and other social media to improve your business and your life? 

Consider posting a profile on LinkedIn.  By building your own profile page now, you'll have it when you need it (to attract business, advance your career or find a new job). 

For those who haven't yet utilized LinkedIn, it really is quite easy to get started.  Simply log on to www.linkedin.com and follow the steps to creating your own profile.  This social media platform is for business purposes, and less informal than Facebook.  Give it a try!  You can find me there at www.linkedin.com/in/smittyboros . 


If you visit me on LinkedIn or stop by my Facebook company page, The Boros Company (don't forget to click on "Like" and make me smile), please email me at sboros@zoominternet.com with your candid feedback.  This Old Dog would love to learn a New Trick or two.

Just like Pope Benedictus has done.

Thanks for sharing 79 seconds of your day,
Smitty

So This is How It Works

In a recent post (FACEBOOK: The Reality Show on May 17, 2011), I mentioned that I sought help for a computer problem via Facebook and "in less than 12 minutes a new friend that I have gotten to know through a mutual friend [gave me] the name and number of a professional who repairs computers quickly and inexpensively, for future reference." 

In short, several months ago I had acquired a new friend on Facebook (Stella) by connecting with her through a personal friend (Abby).  Stella worked for years in a near by local Post Office and seems to know about half of Western Civilization, though I previously had not met her.  When my laptop refused to punch in for the work day, my anxiety grew and I sent out an S.O.S. message on Facebook.  Stella responded in less than a quarter hour by recommending Linda Maihle (724.256.8852), who repairs, services and supports computers in southwest Butler County, and the surrounding area. 

Last week, when my laptop went on strike and threatened to never show up for work again, Linda rescued me.  Thankfully, Linda is as good at healing sick computers as Stella recommended.

Watch this closely:

1. I took my laptop, twice, to Best Buy.
2. I received a free evaluation at Best Buy, recommending a service call to my home to work on our wireless router and the laptop.
3. Best Buy spends $Kajillion Dollars on advertising their Geek Squad.
4. I contacted Linda Maihle through a new Facebook friend.

Why?

In last week's videos, you may have noticed info like this:

90% of consumers trust peer recommendations
Only 14% trust advertisements
Only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive ROI [Return On Investment]

Like I've been trying to tell you, Social Media is the small business owner's best friend, leveling the playing field against larger businesses with big advertising budgets.

Big Box Business (Best Buy)                    0
Small Business Owner (Linda Maihle)     1

(Now you know who to call when your computer calls in sick - and it ain't Ghost Busters, or Best Buy)

Thanks for sharing 98 seconds of your day,
Smitty

       

Grab Some Popcorn

Over the past few days, I posted several videos that contain updated fascinating information about social media.  If you haven't already viewed them, kick back with a bowl of popcorn and a Coca-Cola (remember over 31 Million people "Like" the Coke Facebook page), and enjoy.  Take note from Erik Qualman:

"We don't have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is HOW WELL we do it."

"The ROI [Return On Investment] of Social Media is . . . Your Business Will Still Exist in 5 Years."

Old Dog, it's time to learn some New Tricks.  Your family-owned small business won't survive to pay your mortgage or pass on to your children if you don't take steps to make Social Media work for you.  Obviously, there are many demands on your time and I understand how overwhelming owning and operating a small business can be.  The intelligent use of social media will allow you not only to compete with larger businesses, but to succeed.

One final warning from these videos:

"What is the CO$T of doing nothing?" . . . . "Do you REALLY want to take that risk?"


Thanks for sharing 51 seconds of your day,
Smitty

Got 143 Seconds?

There seems to be no end to the interesting videos about Social Media . . . .

Return On Investment (ROI)

When you and your small business invest in Social Media, what kind of a "Bang for your Buck" can you expect?

Erik Qualman, who initially inspired this Old Dog to begin learning the New Tricks of social media (and who is the author of socialnomics), produced another thought provoking video that we all can enjoy.  (You may have to click a second time on Watch on YouTube)

Thanks for sharing 269 seconds of your day,
Smitty

Social Media Revolution 2011

Do you think the Social Media Revolution will change the world?

Perhaps it already has....  (see below)

Thanks for sharing 161 seconds of your day,
Smitty

Like A Dog Begging For "Treats"

According to HubSpot's 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report, small businesses plan to spend 29% of their lead generation budget on social media and blogs, while businesses with 50+ employees plan to spend 9% of their budget on these two tools. 

Overall, from 2009 to 2010, these busineses increased their budgets for social media and blogs by 67%. 

These two categories, social media and blogs, have the lowest cost for lead generation.

Simply stated, small businesses are spending more and more of their hard earned dollars on the cheapest way to get new business:  social media and blogs.

As a small business owner, what steps are you taking to increase your business in a cost efficient manner?  May I suggest that you return to the top of this page and reread the information from HubSpot to glean a few ideas?

Come on, Old Dog, don't make me "sit up and beg" you to take bold steps to help yourself!

Thank you for sharing 41 seconds of your day,
Smitty

Oh Brother!

I have only one brother, a great guy who lives in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.  And regularly reminds me that he lives there in January and February.   (Payback for the reminders begins for me in July and continues through August).

My brother does me a huge favor of regularly reading this blog, and quickly points out any grammatical errors he spots.  I am truly grateful for Bill's proof-reading, which I use to make updates to my blog entries.

Bill recently told me that the closest he has ever come to using social media is when he reads my blog.  No Facebook?  Nope, he just sees it as a waste of time reading about what people are eating for dinner, how they hate to do housework when the weather is beautiful outside, and how cute are the last 516 posted pictures of their grandchildren.

OK, so maybe he has a point there.  If he was a small business owner and had a Facebook business page like Mark Helgerman has for Trinity Jewelers, he might feel differently about Facebook.

My brother is an awesome, gifted trainer who has worked for Verizon for a number of years.  The arbitrary nature of corporations resulted in his being downsized in the recent crazy economy.  Bill is currently making his livelihood as a sought after contract trainer, and is doing well in this arena.  Despite reading my blog, it took a phone conversation to convince him that LinkedIn is an exceptional tool to promote his experience and professional expertise.

He tells me he's now considering participating in LinkedIn.  Let's give this Old Dog a virtual "pat on the head, and scratch behind the ears" for being a "good boy".

If you still haven't embraced the New Tricks of social media, phone me.  Please.  You may be missing an opportunity.

Thanks for sharing 94 seconds of your day,
Smitty
  

Were You Paying Attention?

You may have missed something about my last blog, something far more valuable about LinkedIn than you realized:

LinkedIn is the only platform that I can find that allows you to export your contact list.

...... (do you get it now?)

Suppose you want to email your "Fans" on Facebook?
Suppose Facebook determines that they no longer want you to have a page?
Suppose Facebook decides to charge you $50/month and you don't want to pay?
Suppose Facebook has a "glitch" and you no longer have contact with all those precious individuals you've added to your page over months and months?

Who's in control of your valuable relationships on Facebook?

If you periodically export your LinkedIn data, who's in control of your valuable relationships on LinkedIn?

Sometimes, "me" can be a beautiful word, eh?

Thanks for sharing an extra 39 seconds of your day,
Smitty

Don't Get LinkedOut

Standing in the endzone stands at Heinz Field during a Steelers pre-season game in an absolute deluge of buckets of rain as others run for cover.  Junior (aka: my 18 year old twin son with a name strikingly similar to mine) is at my side for his very first Steelers game ever.  Priceless.  Cell phone in my pocket is rendered useless by the soaking water and loses all my contact data.  Not so priceless.

Ever lose all your valuable contact info to a failure of technology?

Here's a little hint:  In the event of an unusual loss of your valuable LinkedIn connections data (and it does occasionally, though rarely, happen), don't get soaked.  You can download your LinkedIn connections to an Excel spreadsheet:

1. Click the Contacts tab on your LinkedIn account
2. At bottom of page locate "Export Connections" (very small print)
3. Click Export Connections, and select Microsoft Outlook .CSV
4. Fill in the security letters/numbers and it will allow you to download a spreadsheet list (email addresses included)
5. Smile.

Hey, don't get LinkedOut.

Thanks for the tip, Cindy!

And thank you for sharing 63 seconds of your day,
Smitty

What Social Media Does Best: C.R.A.P.

Spent about an hour a little while back on my Memorial Day holiday watching a video of a talk given by Chris Brogan.  He knows more about social media than most of us (so they pay him to talk about it).  He discussed four things that social media does well.  Read this list and guess how I was able to recall the info one week later (without referring to my notes):

Connection
Referral
Awareness
Presence

His point wasn't that social media was a "waste" of time (sorry, I couldn't resist), but that social media does some things quite well.  If utilized appropriately, these new tools can be a tremendous help for small business owners.  These owners can connect with prospects and customers, turn them into "walking, talking billboards" that promote and refer their business, while raising awareness of their business and establishing a public presence. 

Social media allows small business owners to achieve these benefits with very little cost, if any, other than the time investment of sweat equity.  Truly an opportunity to compete with larger businesses that have more money to invest in advertising and promotions.

Such a deal!

As an Old Dog like me, isn't it time you learned a few New Tricks?  One nice thing about the C.R.A.P. that social media does well:  you won't even have to make a small investment in a pooper scooper to participate.

(Wow, can you even believe that I published this post?)

Thanks for sharing 71 seconds of your day,
Smitty

You Be The Judge

Below is a very lengthy blog, or a brief white paper that I've authored on things I have learned in recent months.

If you would read it and post your thoughts and feedback by making a Comment, you would make me smile (even if your Comment is negative criticism - which I welcome if that is your genuine reaction).

If you don't have time to read it, believe me, I do understand.

Thanks for sharing 17 seconds (or longer - can you see me smiling?) of your day, 
Smitty

Retro Small Business:  Everything Old Is New

Is your company, and your message, authentically trustworthy?  Do you genuinely care about your customers?  Social media, and more importantly the public expectations that the new media fosters, has not only undermined the effectiveness of traditional broadcast media, it has fundamentally transformed successful business practices.  Gone are the days when individuals willingly and attentively sit through TV ads that interrupt their viewing, or the days when effective marketing consists of bombarding individuals with ads, ads and more ads.  It is crucial to understand that the shift from traditional broadcast media to flourishing social media has created a business environment of greater transparency.  Individuals are demanding greater authenticity and integrity from companies, and expect to be treated with increased respect and care. 

Word of Mouth

One principle has remained unchanged.  Business owners still believe that the best form of advertising is Word of Mouth.  These owners are correct, and what is being shared and discussed about a company in the public forum is critical to success and profitability.  Creating a successful future requires a company to do everything possible to positively impact this discussion in the public forum, including the social media conversations. 

In this environment, a company destined for greatness operates from a heart that is focused on giving and serving.  Such a company converts a casual customer into a walking, talking “billboard” by clearly giving more than is expected, being delightfully generous with kindness, and by providing incredible follow up.  The company’s ability to serve many individuals and serve them exceptionally well is the key to creating referrals through the conversation being shared in various social media platforms.  The practice of controlling the company brand through traditional broadcast media has given way to an era of sharing the company reputation through walking, talking individual billboards who practice Word of Mouth via social media. 

An Effective Referral System

The critical element of spreading a positive company reputation is developing a company culture built around the ultimate goal of having individuals refer those people they know and influence.  An effective referral system is essential for success.  Trust is the singular necessity of an effective referral system.  The company reputation requires core values of being honest and having genuine integrity.

Company owners recognize the wisdom of having an effective referral system intuitively.  The overwhelming majority of small business owners believe that over half their business comes from word of mouth referrals.  Yet, less than a quarter of these businesses have an authentic and systematic strategy to educate customers, collect leads and convert prospects or referrals into customers.  One reason for this may be the overwhelming professional life of small business owners resulting in an inability to establish an effective referral system.  Another reason may be that initializing an effective referral system requires examining the entire business in a holistic manner.

A Benefit to Owners, Employees and Customers

It has been said that the owner takes care of the employees, the employees take care of the customers, and the customers take care of the owner.  Pause and think this through:  employees treat customers in relatively the same way that the owner treats the employees.  Happy, content employees connect emotionally with customers.  This requires businesses not only to hire and train the right people to create a highly successful referral culture, but to also treat their employees with genuine care.

It is vital to train all employees and new hires to a deeper level, to teach them everything possible about the company’s marketing position and strategy.  Everyone in the organization must be able to recognize an ideal customer and how to best service these truly valuable individuals.  Understanding the company’s marketing plan (and the primary objective of consistently creating referrals) is a necessary characteristic of employees who are genuine ambassadors of their business.  The company employees are more than the direct interface with prospects and customers, they are ambassadors shepherding these most critical relationships.

The impact of social media, and the transparency and demand for authentic trust that it creates, has caused businesses large and small to become “Retro”.  Once again, The Customer Is King, as it was for the small town merchant where everyone seemed to know everyone else and word of mouth determined if a business prospered or collapsed.  Today the wise owner empowers the staff to delight customers by meeting the employees’ needs.  Those in the public who are referred to a business are greeted and served by enthusiastic employees who are ambassadors of the business.  Receiving extraordinary treatment, those experiencing the business become satisfied customers and will naturally become walking, talking billboards that will refer others. 

When everyone in the organization believes in the value they provide, the entire organization seeks to make it very easy for new customers to introduce their friends to the business.  By having an authentic system and culture of referral generation, with a primary goal of creating walking, talking billboards, a company is able to help and to serve a greater number of individuals.  Ultimately, the use of social media behaves as word of mouth “on steroids”, virtually assuring success for the company and all involved.

What Have We Lost?

The other evening, the electrical power went off in our home, as it did for a rather large geographic area.  Talk about simplifying life in a hurry.  Despite my infatuation with social media (something in which it is difficult to participate without electricity when router dependent), I found the fading daylight and stillness of our home quite peaceful.  Wonderfully peaceful.

I thought about the home of a neighbor farmer and his family that my father and I occasionally passed when I was a child.  The dark home shortly after nightfall always produced the comment from Pop that "Farmer Browning and his family are in bed like the sun, good people that they are."  There's something simple and romantically attractive about a lifestyle like that.  At least there is until you are forced to live it. 

My wife and soon to be nineteen year old twin sons arrived home to our darkening home without electricity.  Candles were lit throughout our home, and we sat around the kitchen table, ate and visited in the candle light.  I had a strong sense of contentment in the simplicity of it all, wondering if the Amish gang may be on to something.

My point?  Perhaps there's a subtle lesson there, that in our somewhat frenzied activity to be known and to know others on social media platforms, it is so very good to be with those so very close to our hearts without a keyboard to connect us.  There's something about honest to goodness, face to face relationship that even Skype can't bridge.  Being human, we simply yearn to be together in a still, relaxed moment.

Do me a favor and use your choice of social media to arrange an unhurried breakfast or leisurely lunch with someone you love or truly care about.

And then post it on Facebook so we can all enjoy the experience together.  (just kidding)

Thanks for sharing 92 seconds of your day,
Smitty