Change Conversations

Jan 9, 2012

I recently attended an workshop to learn how to use software I was unfamiliar with, but which integrates with tools I use daily. The workshop was informative and told me all I needed to know to get started using the program. However I was quite surprised by comments from other participants, many of whom were small business owners. Hardly anyone was familiar with the most popular social media tools!

It’s Not About You

I found myself thinking: ‘Come on people, do you live under a rock?’  I heard a few people say, “I don’t like Facebook.” Well in the words of Erik Qualman, “We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it.”  There are plenty of aspects that people don’t like about their jobs, but it’s part of the job description and it is obviously beneficial for the business, so we do it. You don’t have to personally like Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms, but you certainly should be using them to your advantage.

Image via Wikipedia

Powerful Examples

This prompted me to share a few of what I think are the best videos that illustrate the power of the Internet and various social media outlets.

King Arthurs Flour

First up is the Google television commercial featuring King Arthurs Flour, “a 220-year-old startup in Vermont.”  For me this video illustrates the power of the Internet.  A small business in Vermont is able to connect with millions of people around the world, and communicate through a variety of vehicles.  The Internet gives them the platform to get their name out there, using Vermont business sense and new technology King Arthur’s Flour has grown enormously and continues to do so.  They are able to communicate cross-culturally, in a variety of languages, through videos, and articles, and much more.  That’s certainly something to say for Vermont small businesses as well as the Internet and tools used to promote it.  Ahhh, the power of the Internet! 

Social Media Revolution 2011

Let’s move on to some videos that show you the value of adding and using social media tools to your brand.  First up is Social Media Revolution 2011, which will give you an idea of the continuous growth of social media throughout the world.  There are some pretty amazing statistics so be sure to take a look.

Every 60 Seconds on The Web

Now take a look at this video, it is fascinating!  Some stats include: 98,000 tweets and 320+ new twitter accounts, 695,000 Facebook status updates, and 600+ new videos uploaded to YouTube, PER MINUTE.  That’s insane.

My point in sharing these videos with you is to demonstrate the power of these tools and how many people are using them. If you personally don’t like or understand social media, look for ways that it can benefit your business, talk with those who do, or get some training. It is becoming a huge part of the job description for all of us, so take advantage of these new tools before you get too far behind; which as we all know, isn’t very hard.

Nov 24, 2011

If you were still wondering whether or not you needed a mobile website after we last discussed the subject earlier this year, we have some new information for you. Although we have to assume the mobile share of overall web consumption is still quite small until the stats come out early next year, its incredible growth rate and consumer behavior changes mean you need to revisit your mobile website needs regularly.

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

New Stats

• One new nugget of information that may help tip the scales comes from Efficient Frontier. They claim that by the end of 2012, 22% of of all search advertising spending will be for mobile devices, including tablets. That’s up from 8% projected at the end of 2011, and roughly 4% at the close of 2010.

Here are a few more stats from Mobi Thinking:

• Many mobile Web users are mobile-only, i.e., they do not use, or very rarely use a desktop, laptop or tablet to access the Web. Even in the U.S., 25 percent of mobile Web users are mobile-only.
• Over half of U.S. mobile ad spending is local.
• Mobile searches have quadrupled in the last year, for many items one in seven searches are now mobile.

Local business?

So now that you have a few more facts to consider, let’s put them into context. Chances are, your business is one that is locally oriented. Whether you have a brick and mortar store front, or you provide services either on-site or on location, you need to target your local audience. You can see from the facts above that your competition is aware of this and they are targeting their search advertising locally. A good mix of SEO and SEM will make sure your customers see you in the mobile SERPs, but if they click on your link and your website comes up as a microscopic version of what they would see on a desktop monitor, they will be checking out your competition before you can say “lost opportunity.”

Consumer products?

Your strategy for targeting mobile users may vary if you’re in the business of selling physical products, as opposed to services. Users are now able to compare products while in the act of shopping, so having your information available in a mobile friendly format and available across different product directory websites is key to getting or staying ahead of your competition. This kind of optimization can be very extensive and needs to be carefully considered to ensure a decent return on the investment of time and money.

Service business?

If you’re in the service business, you should still have a mobile-formatted presence —— one where a user can learn what you do for any given aspect of your offerings without having to zoom in or pan over your site to navigate or read the content. Mobile users want their information quick and clean, more so than somebody who is sitting in front of a laptop and way more than somebody sitting at desktop computer.

When is the right time?

The number and percentage of mobile users keeps going up, and will for quite a few years before it levels off. You might need to jump in to reach your customers before the pool is too crowded and all the good spots are taken.