Where is your online audience?

It is easy to say that your audience is online, but where online is your audience? Contrary to popular belief not everyone is on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and even if they are, is your audience engaging or do they just have an account for the sake of having one?  Where your audience is often depends on what your business is and who you are trying to reach; for example a plumber may not have as much success on Pinterest as say a florist because their audiences are not the same.

Before you Start

Before creating that Facebook page or Twitter account ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is your target audience?
• Who is your ideal client or customer? Are your audience teenagers, post-secondary students, parents or seniors? Are they small business owners, contractors or teaching professionals? Ask yourself who will express the most interest in your product or service. Who do you want to reach? This will help you determine where your audience is “hanging out” online.
• What kind of content best suits your audience?
• Do you want to post pictures, video or text? When thinking about what kind of content you would like to post, it is not only important to consider what kind, but also your time constraints. Writing a sentence or two about your business takes a lot less time than creating videos about it, even though video may be more beneficial to your business’ overall marketing plan.

Where to Start

A quick Google search will result in a plethora of websites all claiming to know what social networks various audiences are using, but the best way to know for sure is to test a network yourself.  Start with one or two social networks and give yourself time to build up your audience by engaging and posting quality content.

Research

Every business has a competitor. Look them up online – what social networks are they on? Which ones are getting the most engagement? How are they drawing engagement – what is their main source of content, pictures, video or something else? Also look at their website, is there anything that differentiates them from competitors, including you?

How do you know what social networks to test?

Think about it. Is your business visually based, i.e. a florist, makeup artist, cake decorator or photographer? If so then you want to start with visually-based social networks such as Instagram and Pinterest where you can post images of your work.

If your business has to do with writing, editing, or bookkeeping you might want to look at conversational social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn where you can post tips, articles and advice. 

And if your business is more hands-on or instructional, such as a life coach, chef or nutritionist than you may not only want to look at places like Twitter and Facebook where you can start a conversation and give advice, but you might want to also create videos on YouTube, Instagram, Vine and also pin them to Pinterest.

There are no fool-proof guidelines as to what social network will work for your business. Sometimes what works for one business, will not work for another – even if they are the same kind of business.  Remember – your audience is not the same as my audience. While finding the right audience has always been challenging, it’s never been easier to build one, as long as you’re willing spend the time, be patient, keep track of the results, and be persistent.

How did you find your target audience? Leave us a comment and tell us how and where you’ve targeted your audience(s) and how well it’s worked for you.

Social media means being social?

As business owners, you probably know there is a ton of value that can be gained by going to networking events. Going to your local chamber of commerce meetings, joining a small, but consistent weekly networking group, or going to conferences lets you meet all kinds of new people and learn new things.

Social media is meant to be social (shocking, I know!) and to REALLY get the most value out of it you need to have conversations, you need to share information, and you need to get beyond your own channels. You need to do what you do at in-person networking events, online.

Join groups

Join some groups that have your target audience in them. There are groups of every type and size on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.  Where is your audience spending their time? Are they in groups talking about local issues; are they in groups talking about certain industries?  Join some groups and be a helpful resource, be friendly, and then share interesting information from people in the groups with your audience.

Comment on what other people are saying

People love comments. I love comments (feel free to leave one here to make my day:-) ), and I bet you probably like getting comments too. Leaving comments on blog posts and social media updates from businesses run by your target audience or that your audience would follow, or by your target audience on their personal channels or responding to something someone said on Twitter is a great way to build relationships. The more you talk to someone, respond to things they say, and are friendly, the more they’ll pay attention to you and what you’re saying and want to share your message with their audience.

Share other people’s knowledge

People pay attention to those that are helping them spread their message. When you share content created by someone else you are doing two things at once. You’re sharing valuable content with your audience that you didn’t have to create (yay!) and you’re creating opportunity to be noticed by the person whose content you’re sharing (unless the content is from a really big site, then it may not be AS noticed). Share articles and posts (making sure to tag the original author) on all the different channels and see if the person who’s content you’re sharing doesn’t start noticing you more.

A free resource for you

If you’re wondering how to keep it all straight in your head, check out our newest free resource: our Daily Social Media Checklist. It will help keep you on track with what you should be doing on your own channels, as well as breaking out and spending time outside your own Facebook page and blog.

Are controversial pieces right for you and your audience?

I once read a blog post about the tactic of writing a contrary or controversial opinion about a topic. I can’t remember where I read it, but the idea stuck with me. It’s an interesting tactic, but there are some factors you have to consider before you take that step.

Writing a piece that expresses your opinion on something (particularly if it’s potentially controversial) is like diving into pitch black water. You don’t know what you’ll find. It could be tadpoles or it could be sharks. You might even find yourself in over your head. This is reality if you jump in the water of opinion/controversy. There’s no escaping it.

Before you decide to jump in, there are several things you should consider:

Not everyone will agree with you

No one has the luxury of everyone agreeing with them 100% of the time online or off. However, people are more apt to express their disagreement online. There is also the potential that some will be curt, rude, or even cruel. It’s not right, but it’s reality. If you aren’t ready to hear perspectives that are different (and often polar opposite) of your own, you should not use this tactic. If you aren’t ready to potentially incite strong feelings in people (and, subsequently, deal with their reactions), you should not use this tactic. If you want to avoid any possibility of confrontation, don’t use this tactic.

The topic and your opinion need to align with your brand

Writing an opinion piece on a personal blog isn’t too off-brand for most bloggers since they blog about topics they care about. However, for a business, it’s critical to think about how your audience may perceive the stance you take. You don’t want to inadvertently alienate the people who support your business. More than that, you want to be consistent with how you are perceived as a brand. If the topic isn’t relevant or goes too far off course, it may not be a good fit. This aspect isn’t straightforward, though. Sometimes, even as a brand, it is worth the gamble to get a message out there. If, as a brand, you don’t want to court controversy of any kind, this tactic probably isn’t right for you.

Know that anything or nothing may happen

You could end up with interview requests from media outlets, hundreds of comments, thousands of hits. Or you may feel like you’re screaming into a vacuum, wondering why the world doesn’t see how brilliant your views on this issue are. It’s hard to predict the impact that a piece will have. It’s easier not to try. If your goal is to share your message, go for it. If your goal is to change the world to your way of thinking, it’s a guarantee that you won’t succeed.

Be certain that you have all the relevant facts

Have you ever jumped up on your high horse with righteous indignation and then found out you didn’t have the whole story? I did this not too long ago. It wasn’t on my blog (whew), but I did post something to Facebook. I later found out that I was wrong. In this instance, I was glad to be wrong. However, if I had written out a big rant and hit publish on my blog, I would have been mortified. One of the worst hits to your credibility as a business would be to post a controversial opinion piece without adequate research. It can be easier to recover from the hit to your pride than to recover that lost credibility.

You need to have a thick skin

It can be intense to get comments and replies that criticize or disagree with your views. Are you emotionally and mentally prepared to understand that it is part of a larger conversation? Or will you begin to fear that people see you in a negative light or question your motives and message? Feeling passionate about a subject can create an emotional involvement that you might not have with other topics related to your area of expertise. It can also make it harder to take criticism of your logic or differing perspectives. Of everything on this list, this one is the second most important (brand consistency beats thick skin). It can be very stressful if your post gets picked up by a large audience when you aren’t prepared for the potential for feedback that goes against your views, even if it isn’t negative or critical.

Always take time to decompress

I rarely ever publish a post as soon as I’m through writing it. For one, I prefer to publish first thing in the morning and I don’t write first thing in the morning. While Lara tries to read all my posts before they’re published (as I do hers), we sometimes have to edit our own content due to time constraints. So, I walk away from my writing for a minimum of an hour (a day is much better if I have enough time) and then re-read for editing before I publish. If you feel like ranting about an issue, taking time to breathe and let it settle can help focus your words and message so that it has clarity and reason that can get lost in a passionate plea.

Not every business should or can get involved in controversial debates. Starting such a debate is even trickier. It’s essential to consider the ramifications before you decide to proceed. If even the worst-case scenarios don’t dissuade you, it might be worth trying. Just remember that once it’s out there, you can’t take it back.

Have you or would you ever consider writing a controversial piece for your business blog?

Spending time online is good for you

This post isn’t about using social media for your small business but instead about the overall attitude people have about technology and the amount of time we all spend online.

One of the things that I hear a LOT doing what I do is that people don’t want to use social media because they “prefer to spend time talking with people face to face” or that they don’t want to “waste their time online.”  It’s the kind of response that, while I do understand, makes me slightly crazy. 

I have never felt more genuinely connected to people and happy with the relationships in my life as I have since social media exploded.  While I completely agree that people need to put down their devices more, those who don’t want to use social media because they feel it isn’t as real as what they’re used to are missing out on amazing opportunities.

There are so many things that social media and new technology have done but here are a few things that I think are particularly incredible:

We can find people to “be with” when we’re lonely

I first really connected with people online as a new mom, a time that can be very lonely and isolating.  People who are stuck in their houses due to illness can find people to talk to.  People who are feeling suicidal can find a lifeline day or night.  The internet gives people access to others in times of need that simply wasn’t possible before.

I know there are also MANY issues with online bullying and people being meaner than ever online.  I just don’t want to overlook the fact that SO much good is also happening too.

We can work from home and still feel connected to a community

Every time I walk into a packed coffee shop full of people on laptops or clearly in the middle of meetings I think about how things have changed.  What we do wasn’t possible 10 years ago.  Now we can stay connected through our technology.  We can work anywhere.  We can have meetings and service clients from our living rooms through our computers. 

We can have a voice

We all have the power to get our content into a space that can be shared with the public.  We no longer have to hope to be picked up by media, we can become our own media.  It’s more work in many ways, but at the same time, it’s opportunity.  

We all have the opportunity to create a reputation and brand online - how awesome is that?

I watched this TED talk today and while it is more specifically about gaming, I think a lot of it really carried over to social media and the time people spend online.  I think in many many ways people’s lives are better for the changes.  Take 20 minutes and listen to what Jane McGonigal has to say about how games saved her life and then leave me a comment and tell me what you think.  

Before we connect, 3 things I need to know...

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of requests to connect online. I have been noticing this particularly on LinkedIn, but it’s been happening on all of the networks, and I love it. In the cases where I need to approve whether or not the person starts having access to my information, I always go and have a quick look to try to figure out who they are and what they do and whether or not it makes sense for us to be connected. In the ones where I don’t, I’ll often go and have a look to see if I should follow back.

As I’ve been doing that I’ve noticed a few things that always make me think someone probably isn’t worth connecting with. There are a few things I notice generally make me hesitate or decide not to connect.

1) Who are you?

When I connect with someone I want to see who they are. If they have a photo that isn’t of themselves or a blurry (I don’t like to connect with flowers or clouds) or really candid shot as their avatar (this is particularly true on a professional network like LinkedIn) I hesitate.

For example, which says “professional I’d like to hire” more to you?

I’ve used the first one as my Facebook profile photo and I still would now, I might use it on Twitter too.  But I would always use something more professional on LinkedIn or anywhere I am primarily trying to connect for business purposes.

I generally do connect with people who have casual photos unless there are other reasons not to connect as well, but I almost never bother with a generic image and never with someone who didn’t upload a photo at all.

2) Where are you from?

I think that people have a tendency to believe that they don’t want to pin themselves down to a geographical location (this is especially true if you’re hoping to sell online) so they don’t put a location in their profiles or they say “everywhere” or “the whole world.”

When I read that I feel like the chances you’re a spammy person are much higher.  I want to know where you’re from. That helps me make a decisions on whether or not to connect with you. In fact, there are a few cities where I will almost always connect with you based on just that!

When you’re precise about who you are, you come off as more trustworthy and authentic.

3) What have you got to say?

If you aren’t saying anything at all, I don’t really have a reason to follow you. Take a few minutes, at least once in awhile, to share some updates on your channels, to have conversations with others and to say hi to the people you’re trying to connect with.  It makes you seem more human and gives people a reason to want to get to know you more.

What about you? Leave a comment and tell me what makes you hesitate when you get a request to connect, or what you see that really makes you WANT to connect?