Facebook: sliced bread or spookarama?

I don’t like Facebook.

It gives me the willies.

I’m only on it because a neighbour plans a Facebook campaign to avert a skyscraper from our tiny street.

I wonder what you think of Facebook.

Best Friend

I have one Facebook friend: my wife.

Yet I’m getting invitations to reconnect with people I’ve not seen for years.

And with whom I parted on less-than-ideal terms.

I don’t wish to hook up with old flames.

I’ve no time for school bullies. (Other than to exact revenge.)

The colleagues I escaped by leaving various jobs haven’t improved with age.

Nor do I wish to:

• Poke people.
• Build a mafia family.
• Tend an imaginary farm.
• Share drunken photos of myself with strangers.

Missing Links?

If Facebook were a country, it’d be the world’s third largest. (Thanks, Irma.)

This is not a number to ignore lightly.

But I know Carol agrees the commercial advantages of Facebook are, to put it very mildly,

elusive.

The only thing I like about Facebook is appearing on MYOB’s wall.

The rest of it drives me up it!

About Face

But let’s be fair.

I’m a big Twitter fan, yet millions think Twitter is useless drivel (because, at first glance, it seems exactly that).

Yet, having mastered Twitter, I think the critics are wrong.

So there’s every chance I’m wrong about Facebook.

Face Off

To me, Facebook seems populated by creeps; foul-mouthed infants; bored stay-at-home folk and ranting, flaming maniacs.

None of whom can spell.

Barely a week passes without some awful media report of an (allegedly) Facebook-related law suit, privacy invasion, hate crime, injury or even death.

I got so spooked by Facebook, I designed this T-shirt.

Am I completely missing the point?

Facing Facts

I expect a hearty debate here.

If you feel I’m wrong, tell us how Facebook helps you or your business.

If you think I’m right, how did you arrive at this position?

Let’s turn my frown upside down and enjoy some

Facetime!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                    Happy birthday to us!

On 5 March 2009, we did our first two Small Business Owner blog posts.

That means we’ve been at this caper for two whole years!

Yay!

Reflections

In that time, our 200-odd posts have garnered 4650 comments.

Of all these responses, we’ve only had to modify two to keep things cordial.

Given the rabid tone of much online discussion (check YouTube if don’t believe me) I think this is an extraordinary achievement.

Also remarkable is the generosity of you, the reader.

The ideas and experiences you’ve brought to this forum have left me open mouthed with wonder and gratitude on countless occasions.

Off & On Topic

We’ve covered a broad spectrum of topics.

Some have sunk like stones.

Others have generated surprisingly intense debate.

One clear trend is that any post about small pieces of paper is bound to go off.

That, and anything to do with telcos.

Checking over our first two posts, I see that many of the people who commented then are still with us today.

It seems good friends last.

Our subscription base, strangely, looks to have peaked at around 130. I imagine this is because people are already drowning in emails.

If, however, you know of a more sinister reason, I’d love you to share it.

Naomi and I are jolly keen to make this blog as interesting, useful and relevant as possible.

Going Forward

No retrospective would be complete without a genuflection of gratitude to our guest posters.

These kind, clever cats injected fresh blood just when we needed it most.

Naomi mentioned the other day that MYOB plans to keep this blog going for the foreseeable future.

In the blindingly motile world of social media, this is a rare commitment.

So, as Young Mister Grace would say, ‘You’ve all done very well!’

Thank you so much for your energy and support.

Out Takes?

Now that I’ve done my warm fuzzies, I’d like to ask what you get from this blog.

It must be something, or you wouldn’t keep coming back.

I’ve gained contacts, clients, gigs, ideas, insights and learnings.

How about you?

What have you gained?

And what can I do to see you get more?

In other words:

Hip hip?

Hooray!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

Today we welcome back Leah Klugt from The Golden Goose. Leah recently transformed her business’ name and brand and kindly shares her experience and insights with you. Welcome back Leah!  Naomi 

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet – or would it?

Brand Power – Demonstrated.

It’s not often in the design world that you get to see direct results. Sure –  we know our service works! We know that customers choose based on design. We know that a well branded business enables you to be easily recognised and remembered by your target client.

I’ve taken the opportunity to use my own business as a case study for others –  to prove it works.

The Old Me

I now shudder when I think about our previous name and branding. “Inkblot Design Studio”, ugh! How wrong it was for the type of business I run, and how wrong for the clients I get!

When your business image doesn’t match your business’ personality –  you have a brand problem that needs to be solved.

As a graphic design and branding firm, it felt completely hypocritical for me to feel the way I did about my old branding and name. Particularly when coaching clients through the branding process!

Where is the Passion?

Another thing our old branding lacked was the brilliant passion that shone through the whole customer service experience.

When you aren’t passionate about the image of your business –  you aren’t proud either. This has a significant effect on how bold you are in your actions for your business.

A striking business card on thick stock with an embossed logo mark on the front is going to get you going far more than something you printed out at home!

Just Do It

It got to the point that it was a “now or never” scenario. The studio had been alive and kicking for just over a year. It was like it had self-actualised over that year.

Since I was so unsatisfied with the name and branding –  why not change it? Why not give the business the vibrancy and passion it deserved? Why not hand some of this energy to our clients, and make them see the quality of the service they were receiving reflected in our branded materials?

I didn’t want to wait any longer…  I didn’t want to continue trading with the way I felt.

This is where The Golden Goose Design Studio was born.

The New Me

The Golden Goose was like plastic surgery gone right! From ugly duckling to gorgeous swan (or goose!).

From the decision to change the business name til the launch was less than 2 months. This included a complete name change, new business branding, new business newsletter, blog, website, complete new set of branded business materials and a complete overhaul of everything from business cards to the studio’s terms and conditions.

When I decided to rename and rebrand my business I hadn’t in a million years dreamed of the work that would fall into my lap the following month.

By accurately reflecting my business’ personality in both the name and the branding –  I had completely changed people’s perspective of the business and were suddenly landing the better contracts that we were targeting.

Not only had I changed other’s view on the business, but I had also changed mine. It now has the capacity to be the business I always knew it was.

Exciting times!

Have you ever renamed or rebranded your business? What affect did it have? Or is it still holding you back?

Leah Klugt, The Golden Goose

                   Barry’s 2:23 video turned a total stranger into a person of interest.

I love flagging superior business communications.

And I’ve been raving about the power of video for readers with the attention span of gnats.

Last month I saw both these elements beautifully combined.

When I woke in the morning, Barry Moltz was a stranger.

By noon, that had changed forever.

All because of his YouTube introduction.

Stranger than Fiction

It began on Twitter, when I RTed* a fascinating Penelope Trunk post.

I saw this was generating hot debate, so I checked to see who else had RTed it.

Four people appeared on my TweetDeck^ screen.

I figured anyone who dug Penelope was bound to be interesting, so I followed all four.

One was Barry Moltz.

As often happens with seasoned Twitter users, Barry followed me back and DMed^† me:

Paul- Thanks for the Follow. Here is a short vid that tells more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8WZ5aTxs4Y Tell me how I can help!

I rarely reply to these DMs as they’re often automatically generated.

But Barry had taken the time to use my name. And you know how powerful that is.

He also mentioned a video.

I thought, ‘I’m too lazy to read who he is, but I could watch a video.’

Then I saw the short in short vid and thought, ‘What the hell? Let’s check it out.’

Fast Impression

I was immediately impressed by Barry’s video because:

• He looked at the camera.
• His voice and body language were engaging.
• He had a nice office.
• The production values (i.e. sound, light, focus) were very good.

Lasting Impressions

I continued to like Barry’s video because he:

• Admitted that his first business failed.
• Mentioned his wife.
• Listed his services without being boring or pushy.
• Held up his three[!] books.
• Joked about how he couldn’t read the one in Korean.
• Described his hobbies (with passion).
• Used cute props to reinforce his points.
• Gave a sense of his success without being up himself.
• Did the whole video in one take.
• Kept it short.

Room for Improvement?

On closer inspection, I sense Barry may have used autocue. This is absolutely fine. But if I found that he did the whole thing off the cuff, I’d be even more impressed.

My only (tiny) quibbles are that:

• The video runs half a second too long and the final frame is unflattering.
• In his DM, Barry could’ve condensed his long YouTube URL (e.g. with bitly).

Mind you, this analysis comes from a bloke who can barely video bats, dogs and birds.

I Want One!

I wish I had a tenth of Barry’s presence.

I wish I had the gumption to make a video just like his.

I keep reading that video is the future, and I believe it.

I believe it, because it worked on me: a writer!

The important question now is:

Did Barry do it for you?

* Retweeted.

^ Free application for easier Twitter use.

^† Sent me a Direct Message.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

                                                How do YOU feel today?

Research released last week^ suggests our economy has stalled.

Other commentators say it’s running at two speeds.

My client portfolio is definitely doing the latter: half have gone from sluggish to flat out like two lizards drinking.

How about yours?

Economy

Mining’s up. Retail’s down. Employment is mixed and shares are all over the joint.

For some reason, many of my clients are leaping like the locusts that hit Melbourne last fortnight.

I’m frantically busy with job ads, blog posts, a BIG website, a media release, a book blurb and even [GASP!] a printed magazine advertisement constructed from paper*.

I worked all last weekend and the one before. In my pipeline are newsletters, product sheets, LinkedIn profiles and two more websites.

Last week I had my first face-to-face prospect meeting for months. I got the gig and went home with a bucket of work.

While I’m rapt to be one of the minority businesses enjoying strong growth, I don’t know why I’m succeeding.

Property

The top is slow. The bottom’s OK. And interest rate rises seem to be ‘crimping optimism’.

I’ve wanted to write honest real estate ads for many years. But my various overtures have come to naught.

Last week I was referred to a realtor seeking a writer and photographer. I may be able to do both jobs.

So why all this sudden movement at the station?

Media

My Twitter friends are talking less about pets, kids, partners and gadgets and more about their latest prospect, article, client, meeting or project.

Some are so busy, they’re hardly tweeting at all.

I’m not seeing the same optimism in traditional communication channels.

Could it be the recovery is manifesting earlier with socially mediated business people?

According to the research, companies with a website are doing and feeling better than those without.

Could social media be inoculating and supercharging firms who embrace it?

You

With such unusual and fragmented signals, I’m naturally keen to make sense of it all and discern the bigger picture.

So what’s happening in your neck of the woods?

Are you:

• Ploughing or sowing?
• Reaping or growing?
• Catching or throwing?
• Crying or crowing?
• Fading or glowing?

How are you?

I really wanna know.

^ MYOB Business Monitor (download PDF here).

* (archaic) a cellulose-based communication product derived from trees.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

The quality of our guest bloggers continues to blow me away. Today we welcome the very talented and very funny Graeme Bowman, corporate comedian, MC and hoax speaker. What’s a hoax speaker, you may ask? Guess you’ll just have to read on .

How many times have you clambered onto an elephant in a Thai river and had a sudden urge to pretend you were an American?

Well, it happened to me – once. I’d just landed at the steamy airport and been shoved into – not a shiny limo as expected – but a crowded, decaying bus.

A hasty, whispered question to the local host revealed that the other passengers would be in my audience the following day, an audience anticipating an illuminating address from US finance guru, Dr George Connor, and no contact whatsoever with an Aussie corporate comedian called Graeme Bowman.

Armed with this information, I sat by myself, very still and quiet, trying to look like a window fitting.  A few minutes to the hotel, I thought, then I could slink away undetected.

But our friendly host had other ideas – let’s visit a few tourist spots along the way, including the popular ‘elephant-up-the-creek’ ride. And so, inevitably, I found myself sitting next to a fellow passenger on the back of an Asian aquatic pachyderm, chatting about the long, draining flight from LA, and the price of fish in Boston. Such is the life of a hoax speaker.

This is not my first on-the-job encounter with elephants. Sometimes a client asks me to help them deal with the ‘elephant in the room’ – or the ‘skeleton in the closet’. It’s often easier for an organisation to raise a difficult issue via an external speaker/MC/facilitator, especially if it’s encased in a quirky, humorous concept like a hoax.

I make a living turning ho-hum into ha-ha at conferences, product launches, VIP client events and awards dinners. An unusual business perhaps, bit with many of the same challenges you face: get the work, do the work, cope with the GFC.

A big part of my marketing strategy has been built around the maxim, ‘influence those who influence others’. That’s why, over the years, I’ve painstakingly developed good relationships with agents, speakers bureaus and professional conference and event organisers ­– their influence is enormous. Who are the influencers you should be targetting?

I also work at keeping my name out there in cyberspace (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, Google Adwords) so that when a potential client is ready to buy, there’s a fair chance they’ll stumble across my profile. It’s all about finding good ways to attract attention.

Speaking of good ways to attract attention, a few days ago we all marvelled at the birth of an elephant that experts thought had already died. This resilient baby – very much alive – pulled off an amazing ‘hoax’. Bravo!

But this feat didn’t surprise me at all. After all, hoaxes and elephants sometimes go together. Trust me.

Graeme Bowman, Corporate Comedian, MC and Hoax Speaker

Having just clocked one year and 10,000 followers on Twitter, I felt I should report my learnings.

At first I thought I’d just cover basic stuff (e.g. who to follow, how to list, behaviours to avoid).

Then I realised Twitter ‘truths’ were far more important than Twitter ‘tips’.

It seems impossible such a simple (and apparently frivolous) application could impart wisdom, but there it is.

So here I go.

1.   Be yourself.

Genuine humans thrive in Twitter. Fakers, flooders and floggers (though infuriating) do get smacked down in due course.

This isn’t obvious to the casual observer, who understandably concludes Twitter is crap.

Yet when you open yourself to a community and reveal true elements of your life and loves, everyone enjoys the exchange.

Being yourself is also easier than maintaining a fake persona. As Mark Twain said: ‘When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything’.

2.   Be open.

I began Twitter to get more copywriting clients. I achieved that and gained a suite of handy contacts, fascinating colleagues and loyal friends from sectors, countries and professions I never thought I’d encounter.

Because I was open to these people, they named me in magazines, featured me on blogs, recommended me to others and sent me a truckload of free ideas and information.

This rich, unexpected education has been amazing. I’ve seen and done things way beyond my expertise and comfort zone.

I feel stronger, safer and more mature as a result.

3.  Choose quality.

A thousand nameless fans aren’t as fun, useful or interesting as one genuine contact. Yes, I have 10,000 followers. No, I can’t interact meaningfully with them all.

I can, however, pick the gems from the dross and build real relationships with a few dozen kind, clever cats.

4.   Be generous.

I’ve long been a fan of the saying ‘you can’t give good away’. Seth Godin says likewise in his latest freebook. Twitter has shown me time and again this is true.

Online, the Law of Mutual Reciprocity is SO powerful, it needs BIG metaphor:

It’s like spitting out the window of a 300 km/h bullet train. Before you can blink, it comes back at you in a thousand irresistible fragments. Try it! (Online, I mean.)

5.   Focus.

If you straddle several chairs you’ll probably fall between them. It’s the same with social media.

You can’t possibly be good at LinkedIn and Facebook and blogging and YouTube and Flickr and Twitter and all the others.

You’ll never see the sun!

Instead, check them all out, choose the one or two that feel right for you (and your clients) and spend time being open, genuine and generous there.

Twitter and blogging are my faves. The concerted effort I invest in these is well worth it.

That’s my story, anyway. How about you?

Are you Twitter friend or foe?

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

You can’t eat Twitter followers ... can you?

The other weekend, a barbecue gave me a reality check.

I found that all the social media in the world can’t beat yarning with ten real people.

A short chat unexpectedly led to a new client, immediate work and welcome payment.

Once again I’ve learnt lessons.

1.  Ivory Towers are Hard to Climb

In studying Web 2.0 for over a year, I associated chiefly with others who were on a similar path.

I thus formed the opinion that everyone knew the nature, purpose and importance of corporate blogs.

So, when asked at the BBQ what I’d been up to, I proudly listed my blogging endeavours.

The following silence was long and profound.

Finally someone asked: ‘What’s a blog?’

Nodding heads confirmed that I’d been preaching to the uninitiated.

I was stunned. These people were my age. How could they not know?!

2.  Face to Face Beats Virtual

It later transpired that one person did know what I was talking about.

He had a corporate blog and he wanted it optimised.

As he was a good mate of a good mate, I’d assumed he knew all about my blogging service.

Further, I’d laid it out in posts, summarised it in a PDF and emailed it to every corner of the cosmos.

But, surprise surprise, he was unaware of my social media adventures.

This plum prospect had been under my nose for months.

3.  Nobody is an Island

It may seem romantic to play the gifted, eccentric writer, ensconced in his garret, producing flawless works of beauty while the rest of humanity moils below.

In reality, it’s stupid and vain.

I now realise my flight to social media (to the exclusion of human interaction) meant putting all my eggs in one virtual basket.

Though I’m not a very social person, avoiding the human touch altogether seems bad for business.

Questions

The fact you’re reading this blog suggests you’re hip to the social media groove.

I’d therefore like to know:

• Have you replaced client face time with Facebook time?
• For generating business, do virtual interactions beat real ones?
• Could those who don’t know or care about blogs actually be right?
• Have you ever found a great new client at a BBQ or similar social event?

 Serve it up!

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire 

Bloggers are starting to call the tune. So let's dance!

Content Beats SEO

Search engine optimisation (SEO) can improve your website traffic.

But each time Google changes its ‘secret recipe’ (algorithms), you may lose benefits.

Content which solves customer problems is emerging as a cheaper, more reliable alternative to SEO. And the best way to create such content is blogging.

Free Blogging Resource

I’ve spent years getting a grip on blogging.

By writing a blog to help you write a blog to help your clients, I believe we’ll all live long and prosper.

Below is a sample post from my new blog: Practical Social Media Tips.

See what you reckon.

Your Emails are Blog Posts

Many of my clients understand that they need to blog. Yet they’re thwarted by two mind blocks:

1. What will I write about?
2. How will I find the time?

What they don’t realise is that their blog posts may already be written – in their emails!

Let’s say you make uber-hi-tech vacuum cleaners.

One day, a frantic customer asks how to extract a hamster from the hypohepozappofilter without damaging either.

As a caring, conscientious manufacturer, you (or your tech person) take the time to write and send clear instructions to resolve this problem.

Six months later, you’re about to clean out your email Sent Folder.

DON’T TOUCH THAT FILE!

Your hamster extraction email needs only a brief ‘top and tail’ edit to become a blog post.

And while this problem may not be common, anyone who does suffer it in future will be mighty grateful the answer is already online.

They can search your blog and fix their issue, without the hassle and embarrassment of contacting you.

And you don’t have to waste time considering the situation and writing the solution all over again.

If you don’t keep an email Sent Folder, start today.

If you do, cast your eye over it.

I’ll bet London to a brick you and your staff have written heaps of content that’s begging to be posted on your blog.

I’m not fond of the word ‘leverage’.

But when it means wringing the last atom of utility from a piece of work you’ve already done by reusing it in elegant new ways, I’m a fan!

I’m sorry if you’ve already seen this post.

If not, what did you think? Could this sort of thing help you get with the social media program?

Times are changing. Fast.

To keep in step with clients, you need to know the score.

Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire 

Is Twitter relevant to your small business? Guest blogger Joanna Maxwell shares her experiences with the popular microblogging tool and explains how it’s helped her business.

It seems you can’t turn around these days without tripping over a reference to Twitter. Most people have at least a hazy idea that it has something to do with ‘microblogging in maximum 140 characters’.

I started my social media adventures with Facebook (which I only joined because my favourite online scrabble game went there).

After a while I got interested in social media for my own business and now I’m on Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn, Squidoo, Ning and more…

Twitter in particular has brought me contacts, ideas and information…it’s like a river flowing past my door, that I can dip into whenever I like.

I became so fascinated that I recently wrote an article for the Australian Financial Review BOSS magazine called ‘Beyond Twitter’, May 2009 issue. 

So how do you get started on Twitter? Here’s five tips:

1. Joining is easy at the twitter website. Be careful when you choose a username, because it will appear on every post you make and can’t be changed. If you are joining for business reasons, choose your business name or at least something that won’t embarass you later! (I am on Twitter as @workincolour).

2. Follow a couple of people to start with. This means you will see a stream of their posts and also posts from others that they have retweeted (like forwarding). If any of these look interesting, follow them too. Feel free to follow me.

3. You can search for people here, or search for subjects that interest you here.

4. Stuck? Watch the ‘get started’ video here or find answers to FAQs. One of the best websites about social media is http://mashable.com/.

5. Once you have the look, download a twitter organiser like Tweetdeck which means you can highlight your favourite people and have easier access to all the twitter functions.

The best way to get the hang of Twitter is to jump in and see what you find.

Hope to see you in the twitterverse!

Joanna Maxwell, Owner, WorkInColour

Connect with Joanna on Twitter and LinkedIn