MyEntre.Net Iowa Small Business Blog - Social Media

If you use Twitter give Seesmic Desktop a test drive.

Chad Feldmann — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:32:00 -3650

After reading Chris Brogan's blog entry on Aug 12, titled My Twitter Presence, I realized that there were better tools for keeping track of Twitter and other Social Media than what I was currently using.

Great Video about B2B Marketing

Rob Williams — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:05:00 -3650

Finals!

Ronda Fraser — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:20:00 -3650

I want to let everyone that has been encouraging my and cheering me on that I have finally finished my bridal consultant program. I took my final exam and even though I didn't ace it, I did finish with a solid "A". I now if my degree in floral design and as a bridal consultant. I am very excited and ready to really get started here. I am going to take a short break and then buckle down. I appreciate all that you have all helped & encouraged me on.
Thank you! Ronda Fraser
Ronni's Florals and More

Funny & Creative ways to Utilize Twitter for Your Business

Rob Williams — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:11:00 -3650

So I’ve been following a couple of creative people on Twitter who are using it first for entertainment, second for business. With that said, I think they are on to something. Instead of pushing out boring content that consumers, by-and-large expect and ignore from businesses (i.e. special discounts, coupons, or other material incentive deals), some companies have created online characters for their brands. It could be risky, but it could also be great fun!

Consider one of the first companies that did this, Best Buy. Before Twitter was nearly as popular as it is now, they created an account that would serve the sole purpose of helping other people out through twitter with their technology problems. The account is named @TwelpForce, and you can still find them on Twitter working away. Guess how many followers? 26,048.

Some other companies have taken this idea even further, and they are really the types of accounts that I suggest you check out. Here is a short list:

@Askjeevesdotcom – Jeeves from Ask.Com
@NatHistoryWhale – Whale at the Natural History Museum
@DMThinker – The Thinking Rabbit in the Des Moines Pappajohn Sculpture Park
@DMNomade – The Man Sculpture next to the Thinking Rabbit in the Pappajohn Sculpture Park (they frequently talk back-and-forth)
@PaulLessing – The Founder of Lessing-Flynn in Des Moines (actually, it was Josh Fleming who got me thinking on this topic, @admavericks)

It just seems that for some specific types of businesses- this may be a winning idea. Perhaps not having a brand character is the way you want to go- what about adapting whatever your product does for twitter? For instance, there is @8ball_, a bot that will reply to you when you tweet it with a yes/no or random answer- much like the original Magic 8 Ball. This bot was not designed by the company who now makes Magic 8 Balls (I think Mattel), talk about a lost opportunity- this dummy account has managed to pickup a following of 3,227 people! What if Ohio Art (the makers of the classic Etch-a-Sketch game) created a twitter account that made ascii art with the 140 characters? I think that would get some attention…

Look at what some creative fans of the Fox TV Series “Bones” have done with the lead character- @DrTBrennan. Again, another missed opportunity to engage with consumers in an innovative way. I say all of this, yet I haven’t quite figured out if this other Fox character is an excited fan or someone working at Fox (I suppose that may be the point) @HomerSimpson – leaning toward fan what do you think?

Anyway, hopefully this gets your creative juices going- please post your ideas. Also, post any fun characters you have come across while playing on twitter! While not totally appropriate for this particular blog posting, I do find @DrunkHulk to be pretty funny. I’m not sure it would go well if some company like Smirnoff decided to create a @SallySmirnoff account or something, not that it hasn’t been done by others: @Captn_Morgan. If you do decide to create a brand character- make sure it has a real personality, don't try to force it like @MichelinManUSA.

"How to Start an Internet Business" class coming up

Jason Trout — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:07:00 -3650

Just wanted to let you all know about two upcoming classes for next week. Both are called "How to Start an Internet Business" and one is being held on Thu/Fri of next week and the other on Sat/Sun of next week. The class is designed to teach you everything you need to know to start an Internet business.

Class topics include:

The benefits of starting a web based business, including low start-up costs
The ability to launch a business while keeping your current job
A review of the four basic Internet business models including advertising based, retail, forum and service
Web design and the variety of web-hosting options that are available
Internet marketing strategies and techniques
The importance of testing your website and making incremental improvements
How to discover which keywords your site should target, public relations, blogging, and merchant affiliate programs
How to run your own e-mail newsletter

Time: 10:00am - 4:00pm (both sessions), with a one hour lunch break
Location: Steyer Opera House, Hotel Winneshiek, Decorah, IA.
Cost: $125

You can learn more here: http://www.StratusWebGroup.com/how-to-start-an-internet-business

If anyone has any questions, just shoot me an e-mail. Thanks!

The Simple Things

Kate Washut — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:41:00 -3650

In this world of short attention spans and technology that advances by the minute, innovation seemingly gets more and more difficult to attain. But every day I read about really amazing things being done by people who simply pay attention to what's going on around them.

A few months ago, I read an article in Inc. magazine that really struck me. I don't know why exactly because I read and hear about cool things all the time now thanks, in large part, to the Internet and, more specifically, iTunes podcasts and Twitter. This story I found particularly poignant, though. Perhaps because, as a small business owner trying to make my way through an uncertain economy, I could relate to it more than some of the other mind-blowing things I hear about.

The story is about a young man who, almost unknowingly, helped save his mom's small, independent bookstore in Portland, OR in December of 2008. Now, he may not have found the golden egg, ensuring Broadway Books will be handed down from mother to son to grandson and on and on, but he took something he did every day and gave this little bookstore life….for another year and a half anyway (the store is still open 7 days a week).

Using his Twitter account (@everydaydude) and his blog, he sent a simple message to his friends.

Well, you can probably deduce what happened from there and I want you to read the story for yourself so I won't bore you with it here. Suffice it to say that what Aaron Durand did was simple, but - to me anyway - amazing. While his actions were not exactly unintentional, he had no idea the effect it would produce. It may not have been an innovation that changes the world for generations to come, but it was innovation that changed the outlook of his family, and this little gem of a bookstore, for the better.

When I get down on myself thinking that I'm not creative or imaginative enough to do anything truly innovative that will set a new standard or affect people in a profoundly positive way, simple stories like this remind me that ordinary people do incredible things every day. And these things matter.

All it takes is to pay a little bit of attention to what's going on around you. And then do something with it.

Facebook's latest - a round up from F8

Dan Beenken — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:55:00 -3650

Facebook recently had their annual developer's conference, F8, where they unveil the latest in all things Facebookie. As you know I am not an IT geek, you may be wondering why I am blogging about something from the realms of potential geekery.

Top of the mind- First to purchase

Rob Williams — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:29:00 -3650

Sure we know teenagers are carrying one, but did you know that almost 75% of adults now carry cell phones? Personally, I think these statistics are even higher- do you know of anyone who does not have a cell phone (if you do PLEASE comment and tell us about it- why they don’t they carry!). For everyone out there who is thinking about how Facebook or Twitter may increase sales- don’t you dare overlook the power of the personal cell phone.

As a case-in-point and an example of how powerful cell phones can be, consider this. This morning at 10:15 a.m., I received a phone call from an unknown number. I’m not in the habit of answering cell phone calls from people I don’t know, so I let it go to voicemail. When I got off work and remembered, I checked my message and that’s what is prompting this blog.

My voicemail went something like this: ‘Good Morning Rob! We notice you haven’t stopped by Family Video in a while and we miss you! Please drop by and rent a movie for only a dollar on us. Also, we have added a free movie rental to your account if you come by in the next 12 days. We hope to see you soon! Thanks!’ The jovial voice on the voicemail coupled with the sweet deal actually made me pause for a good minute or so to wonder if there were any good movies coming out that I could rent. I wasn’t expecting to rent a movie- and to be honest, I won’t simply because I can pretty much rent whatever I want online from Netflix and watch instantly on my computer, but the idea was seeded and that’s sometimes all it takes.

Had the other voice taken a minute longer to list off all of the newest rentals in stock or on-demand online- they may have had me. Again, the message of the voicemail could in itself be a subject for another blog, but the important point remains. YOU have a way to connect directly to your best customers. Family Video requires that you create an account when you first rent a movie from them. The associates tell you this is for reminders about late rentals and to be fair- it is, however, it’s also an incredibly sound strategic marketing decision.

Many of us carry our cell phone on us every day at almost all times. For me, this is certainly the case- heck I even use it for my alarm in the morning so it sits next to me while I sleep! There has NEVER been this type of device that can connect you with your customers, on-demand 24-7, in the history of people! I have a good business owner friend who offers deals through Facebook to encourage shoppers to come in and buy. You know what could prove to be even more effective if used sparingly and correctly? A well timed and worded text message.

Consider this- your business is located in a college town and college students are your primary target market. Sure, Facebook is going to be a good way to market to your target customers- but, a text message at the right time (say around 3 when most classes are just getting out) is going to have a much larger impact. Why? Because you can target your message and deal to your specific customer, instead of becoming lost in the Facebook feed competing with hundreds of your potential client’s friends from within a social network where marketing is frequently drowned out. If you’re a small shop and know your customers, a personal phone call promising a 15% discount via a voicemail or direct appeal will carry even more weight. As an aside, if you’re a retailer, why not create a picture message with a direct appeal, something like:

Hi Rob! I know how much you love the latest technologies-
we just had this laptop come in. I’ll sell it to you for a 20%
discount. Come in and we’ll talk about it! Even if you don’t
want to buy this one- I’ve got to show you some of these
cool new features!

Again, it must be tailored and it must be personable- you are contacting your customer in a very intimate way that the big chains haven’t figured out how to do right yet (i.e. Family Video calling me at 10 a.m.- a well-timed text message after work would have been much more casual and would not have felt like an ad). Trust this, as soon as the chains catch on to the cell-phone trend, the game will be over and lost. In fact, I’ve been a client of Family Video for over five years, so I’m not going to get upset at one phone call. However, if Family Video makes a habit of calling me to offer deals, I will promptly cancel my account and go to a different store. If my local business owner text messages me with a message like what I put above, I’m going to check it out! Just some food for thought…

In closing, I want to leave you with this thought. In the next few years most people will be surfing the net on a mobile device. If you’re not thinking about this, especially you retailers out there, you’ve already lost the fight. For some other thoughts, learn more about location based mobile browsing [perhaps my next blog :)].

*Picture courtesy Wired Magazine, Full article here! Very fun article, especially if you're looking for a laptop for your kids.