Our fun list of social media sites just keeps growing and growing. We’ve got Pins of the week, Tweets of the week and now, Vines of the week! Vine is a super cool app for iPhones that allows you to take 6 second videos. Of course, I had to take a few Vine videos while making my leopard print spots for this week’s Soap Challenge:
Meet the Top Tweet
Or, this blog post could be titled: How I met the founder of Twitter and all I did was talk about my kid.
I went on my first business trip last week since having the baby. I was very nervous about leaving but I knew Jamisen was in great hands with his Dad, allowing me to really focus on my business conference (during the day; the evenings and mornings were tough without my lil’ guy). But, it was a great conference and a fantastic foray back into business travel. With the founder of Twitter, Magic Johnson and the founder of Paul Mitchell Haircare products as speakers (plus many many other amazing business talks), I had a jam packed three days of learning.
The founder of Twitter, Biz Stone, (that’s me and him above) kicked off the event with his first-hand account of building Twitter. He was super funny, approachable and down to earth. An example of his humor? He told the story about how, early in Twitter’s infancy, people kept complaining to him that “Twitter wasn’t useful”. He quipped “Well, neither is ice cream. So what? We’re makin’ someting. We’re liking it. Why do you have to keep calling us and saying it’s ‘not useful.’ Quit calling us. ”
Tweets ‘Ya Missed
Just in case you don’t follow me on Twitter, I read a bunch of articles almost daily (reading is my favorite hobby besides soapmaking) and tweet out the ones I think could be helpful to other people. Since a lot of them are small business related, I thought you might enjoy a recap of last week. [Read more…]
Business Advice from Twitter?
Yes, it really is possible to get great business advice … from Twitter. When I tell people that I am very active on Twitter and invest at least 30 minutes per day writing Tweets, reading Tweets and responding to other people’s Tweets, they are shocked that I would invest that much time into Twitter.
Twitter is perceived by many as just noise. I often hear “Why do I care what you ate for breakfast?” or “I don’t have anything to say“. I disagree. Everyone has something to share with the world – whether it’s your passion to your hobby to your job – you have a message. And Twitter is one way to get that out.
For example, Erin Baker tweets what she eats. (Recent Tweet: Another 6am flight today, I was prepared w/thermal of tea & had a banana & Morning Glory Breakfast Cookie. Preparation is key! YOU? GO!) Her goal is to help eradicate childhood obesity. Educating people about appropriate nutrition (by using herself as the guinea pig) helps in this cause. My passion is soap, helping small business, fun consumer products and fitness. So, if you read my Tweets, they read a bit like Business 101 + Rockin’ Cool Soap & Craft Projects + fun product finds + “I worked out today” reminders.
If you’re not following me on Twitter, you can follow me here. These are the business-related tweets I’ve sent in the last week:
10 lessons learned from starting a business in a recession (Re: being cheap – I’m ‘frugal’ even in good times!) http://ow.ly/1Amr8
Should you join a business group? Peer to peer networking + support = greater chance for success http://nyti.ms/cQGiuH
Before starting a new venture, consider a feasibility study:http://ow.ly/1Almn
Yikes – commercial wire transfer fraud on the rise (and biz owners aren’t protected). A scare-your-pants-off story: http://ow.ly/1Bku8
“Trend is short, style is forever.” Branding & business tips from the founder of FUBU: for us, by us. http://ow.ly/1A3LA
How to use social media to enhance customer engagement (totally agree about the CEO & frequent posting opinion):http://ow.ly/1AW5m
You’ve got a great idea, you invest in it and then a huge competitor shows up with a similar one. What to do? Eek: http://ow.ly/1A3Jg
This year, the IRS has entrepreneurs in their sights this year:http://ow.ly/1AtvN
It’s like Mastermind, Lite. How to start a supper club:http://ow.ly/1A3GY
Hints for doing business overseas (including: you must have someone on the ground): http://ow.ly/1ySnV
Tips to improve relationships in every area of your life (including “Fake it ’til you make it is so ’80s”): http://ow.ly/1ySWL
Spent his son’s college money starting a company … and! it pays off. Supposedly, they’re coming to #Bellingham too! http://ow.ly/1xDOT
How the media is using social media to enhance their stories, their ability to find ‘news’ and better interact: http://ow.ly/1xuah
IRS auditing small business more than the big ones:http://ow.ly/1xsII
Young women starting their one businesses in droves for the money but also for social entrepreneurship http://ow.ly/1xsF7
Tweeting, Blogging, Posting & Poking
I just finished my talk to the Social Media Conference NW attendees on practical strategies for fitting social media into your life if you’re a busy parent, entrepreneur or student. It all boils down to having a plan. These are my SACRED rules for social media engagement (based on the school of hard knocks and learning from some great teachers along the way):
Strategy – This is the most important rule. Before jumping into social media, it’s important to look at all the social media options out there and decide where to best focus your attention and energy. At Bramble Berry, our five pillars for social media are our YouTube channel, our Teach Soap instructional forum, our blog, Twitter and our Facebook Fan page. While we have a small presence on several other social media outlets, we put the bulk of our efforts into our top five prospects because that’s where we’ve determined more of our customers and potential customers are most likely to interact with us on.
Note: Since this blog post was written, we’ve added our Tumblr page, Instagram, Google+ page and commenting on other blogs as part of our efforts to be in our amazing soaping community.
Authenticity – Social media platforms are all about engagement and to engage, you’ve got to be yourself. It’s like when you go to a business meeting. You dress up. You put your best foot forward but your personality will eventually shine through, no matter who slicked back your hair is and how buttoned up your outfit. After you’ve figured out what your strategy is around social media, say it with your voice, your personality. Be authentic. People can smell fakes a mile away. People crave authentic connection so be real, be yourself, and don’t be fake.
Content – This dovetails with strategy. I developed a simple formula for Bramble Berry for how I wanted my blog and twitter stream to work. For example, my blog is 50% product and project related, 25% personal and 25% business advice. Once you figure out what mediums to engage in, the next step is determine what you are going to say. And different mediums have different levels of engagement and messages. For example, I can tweet 12 times a day easily but if I updated my Facebook account that much, I’d be overwhelming people for sure.
Routine – Like raising children, consistency is everything with social media platforms. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to tweet 1 time per day and blog 1 time per week. Do it faithfully, week in and week out. Small amounts of consistent effort produce regular readers, fans and customers.
Etiquette – This is the internet. It lives forever. Don’t tweet about inside jokes. Don’t use slang. Refrain from LOL language. You want every single person, no matter how ‘in the know’, to read your streams and understand them No swearing. No drunk tweeting. Don’t get in fights over the internet. It’s not worth it.
Dialogue – Remember, this is a conversation. This is you enjoying talking to people, sharing what you’re an expert in and hoping that they want to talk to you in return. It’s you monitoring the conversation through BufferApp and Google Alerts and responding back as well as you proactively seeking out customer’s blogs and other industry blogs to read and comment on.
Whatever you’re doing, at whatever stage, just add one more tweet, blog or an additional medium to your social media repertoire. Keep it consistent and you’ll be amazed at how your traffic and traction grows over the next year.
Tweet Ya’ Later
Reading @MichaelHyatton presentation tools:http://bit.ly/6ywQm I’m checking out all his links but probably won’t go Mac.
Sweat wicking sheets – there’s a market for everything: http://ow.ly/MLMV
Blurring the lines between public and private lives – libel in the age of Twitter:http://is.gd/5spZT(via @queenoftheclick)
Entrepreneurial success should not come at the expense of having a healthy personal life:http://ow.ly/MLTtGreat advice.
Reading @indiebusinessblog about effective tips for being your own media:http://bit.ly/5qg9bx
RT @elfindustrial: Yikes – I would hate to be this man – the man who turned down the Snuggie:http://ow.ly/N7KD
“Etsy saved my life but this is the hardest job I’ve ever had” – On Qutting Your Day Job:http://bit.ly/5bdVI7
Totally agree about the point of analysis paralysis being a common trap:http://ow.ly/M2iQ
Zero Dollars, A Little Talent & 30 Days – a free e-book on starting an online business:http://ow.ly/M26M
Opening a specialty niche store in a recession – there’s never a better time:http://ow.ly/M1JF
Reading about @incmagazine Entrepreneur of the Year:http://ow.ly/KmOZ
Debunking the myth that women ‘eat 7 pounds of lipstick in their lifetime’. It’s bullocks: http://bit.ly/88v
Our soapmaking iPhone App is getting an update – a much requested NOTES section. Yay! http://bit.ly/6KOe4N
How to avoid being blindsided by ‘idea aura’ (or what we call ‘Look! A shiny penny!’ in our office) http://ow.ly/M2oQ
Opening a specialty niche store in a recession – there’s never a better time: http://ow.ly/M1JF
“A lonely sort of joy in pressing on the thorn.” On the soul of entrepreneurship – resilience: http://ow.ly/KnUw
“Many times, people overlook their own hobbies and don’t realize that there’s a business there waiting to be built.” http://ow.ly/KnQF
Reading a column on the DIY Economy by Friedman in the NYTimes: http://bit.ly/4ocKhg
Why introverts make good managers: http://ow.ly/Knz4
10 Rules for being a start up (including: no one will give you money): http://ow.ly/L84T
If you want more random business advice, personal ramblings and periodic Bramble Berry updates, follow me on Twitter here.
Tweets Ya’ Missed
I was in Seattle yesterday working with my Board of Directors on plans for the new year. While I was down there, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting with the Editor of Seattle Business Monthly, Leslie, to talk about Bramble Berry’s social media strategy. We have a comprehensive plan and it was exciting to talk to the premier business magazine in the NW about how we implement it.
In SoapyNews, If you’re looking to have a custom soap mold made, my younger brother has you covered with prices starting at $250. For details, click here.
Business-y tweets you missed last week on Twitter if you don’t follow me:
Reading about a soaper’s experiment using Pomace versus Virgin Olive Oil: http://bit.ly/2YA3Vx (I love using Pomace!)
Checking out Gold School’s Picks for Dad for Christmas:http://ow.ly/Ak1L
RT @frugalluxuries: The 19 blogs Inc. thinks you should readhttp://ad.vu/y3y9
Life is short. My extensive research indicates that we are all going to die anyway. Tips on building self-confidence: http://ow.ly/zf57
RT @BobPritchett: Wow… 1 stubborn designer = Apple one-button mouse. A committee of collaborative designers = this:http://bit.ly/4w419e
Tips for finding ‘megatrends’: http://www.imediaconnection…
10 Things Social Media Cannot Do, including substituting for a marketing strategy: http://ow.ly/z2Gn
Cupcakes are still hot in Harlem (and for that matter, everywhere!):http://ow.ly/yU8e
RT @BobPritchett: I love color palette tools; they live where science and art intersect. Colorotate is really cool: http://bit.ly/t51Tl
Look for opportunities; leadership without a secret code – interview with Harvard’s President: http://ow.ly/zf5W
Clementine Cupcake is our newest Limited Edition fragrance – so yummy! http://bit.ly/7boc6
Lessons from entrepreneurs who beat the statistics:http://ow.ly/yGrh
Big isn’t always beautiful; Starbucks goes small and indie:http://ow.ly/yGxm
“The fish stinks from the head” – thoughts on building an empire with disparate restaurant brands: http://ow.ly/yFIG
The dark side of positive leadership traits – everyone’s got one:http://ow.ly/ypJl
What Did You Miss This Week?
If you don’t follow me on Twitter,you might not have seen these business related articles I posted about this week. There are some gems in there; enjoy!
37% – 48% of entrepreneurial propensity is genetic: http://ow.ly/wfvl
Blog post: Looking for a mentor? Check out, “How To Find A Mentor”: http://bit.ly/2k0BlH.
What every small business should know about pricing their products: http://ow.ly/w5hX
What you can learn about your small business from The Food Network: http://ow.ly/w4f3
If women-owned businesses were a country, they would be the 5th largest GDP in world. http://ow.ly/weUa
Free help for entrepreneurs – advice coupled with pragmatic reality checks: http://ow.ly/vs02
Incredible article about a young man with cancer who convinced world-class musicians to record an album with him: http://ow.ly/wcFh
Have Kids? Use Twitter.
Everywhere I go, I tweet. It’s no secret that I like to use Twitter to keep in touch with my customers and follow other CEO’s. Whenever I’m tweeting, I inevitably get some version of the following:
“What’s Twitter?”
“Well, it’s a micro-blogging concept where you update people on what you are doing in 140 characters or less.”
(dubious look) “Oh really? What are you saying right now?”
“Well, right now, I’m tweeting that I’m at an interesting lecture on improving communication patterns in Seattle.”
(confused and amazed look)
“Really!? Why would ANYONE want to know that?”
Why, indeed. That is the question on everyone’s minds when they first hear about Twitter but like it or not, transparency is the new way to thrive in business. But, even if you’re not into transparency for your business, if you don’t want to share your eating, work out and personal habits with thousands of followers, there is another important reason you should be on Twitter, Facebook and yes, venture a toe into the skeevy MySpace.
Your kids are on it. And, I guarantee that they’re not being monitored by an authority figure.
I use a location-aware Twitter client called “Twinkle” I like it because I can always see what people are saying wherever I am at. I travel 30-50% of my work time and so it’s nice to see what people in Palm Springs are tweeting about the surrounding areas (road closures, sales, restaurant tips etc…). When I’m in Bellingham, it’s fun to see which areas of the city report what sort of weather reports and restaurant specials.
Lately though, I’ve had some disturbing “location aware tweets” while traveling. This service pulls all the tweets in a 50 mile radius whether I’m “following” (subscribing to someone’s twitter stream feed) or not. And lately, this location-aware feed has been pulling a very precocious 14 year olds ramblings. Rarely, she’s tame (“Headed to soccer! Over and out!”) but mostly, she’s bored and trolling for trouble. A recent tweet had her posting a semi-nude photo of herself and saying “Borrrrred. Chat?”
Though my husband and I have not been blessed with children yet, my spidey-mom senses flare at this dangerous use of Twitter and more importantly, this girl’s obliviousness to the ugliness the world can hold. Where are her parents? You want to know where they are? They’re the ones that say to me “Why would anyone want to be on Twitter?! What a waste of time!” Nose up. Sniff sniff
Guess what? Your daughter is on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace and just like she needs you to set ground rules and boundaries for how she acts at home, she needs you in these new mediums as well. If you won’t get with the program for social networking because you don’t want to take your business into the age of transparency, please, please, please learn how to use these mediums so you can help guide your teens on utilizing them in appropriate, safe and healthy ways that improve their lives, not potentially destroy them.
As for the underage “sexter”, I can only hope that the pedophiles in her area haven’t figured out how to use Twitter. If they have, with no parents to protect and guide her, it won’t end well.
People I Follow on Twitter
I follow over 100 people on Twitter – some for their blogging expertise, others for their marketing knowledge, a few because they’re funny and some just because I like their perspective on life. About 20% of the people I follow on Twitter are bath and body industry related. If you’re in the handcrafted bath and body microbusiness niche, I recomend that you follow them as well:
- http://twitter.com/BellaLucce
- http://twitter.com/saponifier
- http://twitter.com/drflower
- http://twitter.com/nahiacreations
- http://twitter.com/CountryMeadow
- http://twitter.com/soapylove
- http://twitter.com/essentialU
- http://twitter.com/fetosoap
- http://twitter.com/MarrWilliams
- http://twitter.com/packagingdiva
- http://twitter.com/indiebusiness
- http://twitter.com/TheBathProject
- http://twitter.com/TheSoapGuild
The #MotrinMom Fiasco
Do you Twitter? If you don’t, you should. If you don’t know what Twitter is and don’t know why you care, check out the post that Michael Hyatt from Thomas Nelson Publishers wrote wrote about it and then go set yourself up. Our Twitter name is “Brambleberry.” We’d be delighted if you joined our merry group of Soapy Twitter Friends.
If there was any doubt about the validity of Twitter as a the next form of crowd consensus and movement, the #MotrinMom debacle from today pretty much crushed it. Don’t know about the MotrinMom debacle? It’s okay. As of a few hours ago, Motrin didn’t either.
The details aren’t all that important (but if you really care, there’s a round up here or here). The outrage will be lost in the shuffle and the next headline will replace the indignation that slingwearin’ happy mammas are feeling right now. And eventually, everyone will go back to buying Motrin.
But for now, there’s a lesson in this debacle for anyone running a business: Brand Management Matters. Do you know what people are saying about you online? Are you monitoring MySpace, Facebook and Twitter for mentions of your name?
If you don’t have an official (and ominous sounding) Brand Management Strategy, take these simple steps right now and start being proactive about protecting your reputation:
1. Start a Twitter account. It’s painless. It’s free. And, it can be a great connector, should you choose to use it.
2. Monitor your brand on Twitter here. Don’t get all uppity and defensive if someone has an issue. Take care of it openly, honestly and with an attitude of humble servitude. If you’re not willing to check your ego at the door, forget I said anything about brand management and go back to your comfy hiding space under your big rock.
3. Monitor your brand with Google. Set up a Google Alert. Better yet, set it up for your name, your business name and any major competitors you’d like to track.
That’s it. You just started an official Brand Management Strategy. It’s painless. It’s easy. And, it’s done. When you are graciously given an opportunity to improve on your customer service, think of it as a gift and a blessing. After all, before tonight, you wouldn’t have even known anyone was saying anything about you. And now, you have a chance to correct it before it becomes the next #MotrinMom debacle.
(You did do everything I just suggested, right?)