Google+ Not Quite Ready for Small Businesses…Here’s What You Can Do While Waiting

As many anxiously anticipate what Google+ can do for social networking and what it will mean for the rest of the social networking crowd (Facebook and Twitter, are you watching?), numerous individuals are already signing up with businesses close on their heels. However, a recent article in the Los Angeles Times suggests that Google is not quite ready for businesses to sign on to this service.

In fact, by all accounts, it sounds as though businesses will get their own special service later this year as the brains behind Google are working fast and furiously to build out something unique and separate from the personal social networking. Not a bad idea as the current social networking channels often make it a challenge to figure out how to keep the personal from the professional on social networking pages. While Facebook allows users to set up business fan pages, these are still linked to personal profiles, making it difficult to present a separation for the small business owner who likes to create a social networking presence. Here’s hoping Google+ is Google’s real success story unlike its past attempts at social networking.

Other Professional Social Media Channels

In the meantime, small businesses still have a lot of ground to cover in the social networking arena from which to share their messages and interact with their target audiences and customer bases. In fact, there are dozens and dozens of sites to consider. Here are some of the big names and what you can do with them:

• LinkedIn: Known as a great professional networking site, more businesses now understand the need to create business profiles for their executives and staff to build business-to-business relationships, attract great talent, and generate new growth opportunities.
• YouTube: While this site is known for some hilarious and often controversial postings, more businesses are recognizing it as a way to put a multimedia spin on their business offering as they reach out to their audience. For example, a client now uses it to help their small business clients interact with other business experts for such services as CEO coaching, business coaching, one-to-one coaching, and advisory boards.
• 43 Things: This site offers businesses a way to share goals, objectives, and plans for your business with colleagues, peers, customers, and even investors. It is helping businesses network for a wider audience, fund new ideas, and generate publicity.

Your Social Networking Roadmap

How are you currently using social media and social networking? Do you need help in generating a plan? Leave your questions below and we would be happy to suggest ways in which you can take advantage of these and future social networking channels for greater business and brand exposure for your intended audience.




             

Using Social Media Carefully: Keeping Companies and Brands on Good Terms

Social media becomes a sensitive subject when people use it in a negative way to post offensive material or make disparaging comments. Even worse is when these negative posts become connected to the company they work for or are about the firm they represent.

Bad News

Not many people are likely to forget the two Domino’s Pizza workers who made a mockery of their employer or those from Taco Bell who posted pictures of rats in the restaurant. Other companies fear that their intellectual property and proprietary information may end up on Facebook or YouTube.

From people exhibiting a lifestyle that contrasts with the values and ideals of their employers to those who tweet about things that show their organization in a racist light like the recent Albuquerque police officer, social media must be used carefully and a way that leaves the company in a good light. Despite the Albuquerque police officer being punished for his offensive Tweets, he carried on and is now involved in an investigation, involving pistol whipping. Taken together, social media may not be working in the favor of the local police department.

Good News

But, for seemingly every example of one bad apple in the social media barrel, there are examples that illustrate the benefits of bringing employees and social media together. A Dutch study noted that innovation improved with employees that were given access to and full use of social media tools.

Numerous employees around the world have used their personal social networking sites to praise their employers or help with viral marketing initiatives, noting that social media, when used correctly, can also help and organization and make employees feel involved in creating positive change.

Smart News

What an organization may need to think about is a social media policy that provides a framework from which to show their employees how they think social media should be used when they are representing themselves as part of a company or brand. Companies must tread carefully in terms of balancing employees’ rights to free speech with concern over intellectual property rights and potential defamation of the company’s reputation.

New legal studies are asking companies to tread lightly with employees who might use their personal Facebook and Twitter pages to complain about their jobs. Employees have to vent and as long as nothing inflammatory or defaming is said, it is important to let them have their space.  However, important areas to address immediately are posting that have racially charged rants, company secrets, or other types of inside information.

Your News

What has been your experience with social media and your employees? Do you have a strategy that works? Let us know by adding your comment below.




                 

Developing a Social Media Policy That Fits Your Needs, Culture, and Strategy

Recently, the Albuquerque Fire Department (AFD) announced that they are preparing to unveil a new social media policy. According to the article, the fire department said it will restrict vulgar posts pictures that could be tied back to the department even if it is posted on a social networking site that an employee uses for their own personal use.

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As the articled quoted AFD Deputy Chief Tige Watson, “Anything you taken in the scope of your employment with the Albuquerque Fired Department will be considered our property.” This illustrates the growing recognition that the Internet and social media often greatly influences the reputation and brand of a company – in good ways and in very bad ways. Therefore, whether large or small, it may good to create a formal social media policy for your company.

Social Media Policy Must Have’s

While most must have’s in a social media policy seem like common sense, this does not mean that every employee would be capable of using good judgment, especially with social media tools that they use on their personal time. For example, many people have been fired for posting they were at the beach when, in actual fact, they should have not shared that information because they just called in sick to work.

Hence, the must have’s must help employees get a better understanding of the overall guidelines and parameters of how they should be using social media if they are connected to an employer regardless of whether they are using social media for work purposes or not:

• Provide clear examples of how to use social media in a positive way and what constitutes punishment or firing in terms of doing something that could damage the company’s reputation. 
• Explain what type of information and content is off limits in terms of confidentiality.
• List laws and an easy to understand explanation of what is considered to be content that could involve defamation, discrimination, harassment, and copyright infringement.
• Link all social media policy to the policies already in the employee handbook so employees make connections between the two in terms of their roles, responsibility, and performance. 

Guide Tips for Social Media Policy Development

Compare some of the great information found online about this hot topic, including numerous articles and guides that are readily available. This will help you gather a number of ideas to help customize your own social media policy. Here are some basic tips:

• Write an overall social media policy guide for employees that covers the basics on online etiquette and connection to the company. Tie all information to the company’s culture and current policies on public interaction.
• Add on specific social media policies for specific social networking or media channels as they are necessary. There is no point in including a particular channel if it is not used or your firm is too small to need multiple policies.
• Consider what other companies have done by using the Social Media Governance website to benchmark the best practices of other company social media policies.

How have you used social media policy to shape how your employees use social media and social networking channels? What have you found successful or challenging? If you need help in developing a Social Media Marketing program for your firm, I hope you will consider allowing Flyline Search Marketing to serve your firm. Please share your thoughts below.

              

Ready, Aim, Pitch! How to Sell the Idea of Internet Marketing to Your Bosses

If you’re the type of person who recognizes the incredible benefit that online marketing can have for a company and you work for a small Albuquerque business that doesn’t have an online presence, you may be in a very good position to make the kind of suggestion that could prove very profitable for the business. And, in doing so, you could make yourself an invaluable asset.

The first question, as always, is how to breach the issue with your company higher-ups. The reality is if they haven’t already recognized the growth potential inherent in having an online presence on their own, they’ll probably require some convincing. Here are a few tips on how you can sell launching an internet marketing plan to your boss (or bosses).

Show them what other companies in the same industry are doing. If that’s not enough to make them realize they’re being left behind in the dust, you may have to go for the jugular by finding examples of competitor companies that have made headway in conquering cyberspace. Break down the strides they’ve made. This may be painful news to deliver, but it’s also a necessary tact that should work. If it doesn’t, you may have to go for the sales pitch.

Don’t just bring up the idea. Pitch it good and hard. Go all out by putting together an official presentation that contains facts, figures, and projections. Ask for an appointment with your higher-ups or the company CEO so that you can present your idea directly to the people who call the shots.

It’s not good enough to just casually bring up the notion of launching an internet marketing campaign in the course of a staff meeting. First of all, you run the risk of being rejected before you’ve had a chance to really make your argument. Besides, projects like these don’t get green-lit without someone putting together a plan and presenting all of the pros and cons as well as budgetary and profit projections.

Offer to form an “exploratory committee” consisting of just yourself. This offer should only be made if the people in charge are reticent to give you a definitive answer. It’s far preferable to receive approval to test the waters rather than being rejected outright with a firm “no.” 

Taking this approach will require you to put in a lot more work than you were probably thinking you’d have to – but, by doing so, you’ll only serve to raise your own stock with the company.

For more information on what you’ll need to get your online marketing campaign off the ground, contact Flyline Search Marketing, a group of local experts who can deliver the nitty-gritty on what your company will need to succeed in cyberspace.

                  

Enabling Citizens to Fight Crime with Social Media

 

The city of Albuquerque is in the news again, and, once again, it is the efforts that police are taking to use social media as a tool in fighting crime that is attracting a lot of buzz. There’s so much buzz, in fact, that other states like California, Georgia, Minnesota, and Washington are following in hot pursuit. So, what’s all of this hubbub about?

In what could be seen as one of the most inventive and positive uses of social media ever, the Albuquerque Police Department has launched an effort to keep citizens and businesses updated on the status of ongoing crime investigations. Standing in stark contrast to the typical way that police departments operate – by maintaining a policy of not sharing certain information with the public about current investigations – Albuquerque hopes that its efforts will go a long way in making up for unfortunate cutbacks to the city’s police force. 

Some of the proposed uses of an integration of law enforcement with social media includes:

• Raising awareness about theft rings by informing businesses and individuals of what to look for to ensure they don’t fall victim.

• Gathering tips to help solve open cases, such as receiving anonymous tips.   

• Obtaining critical information about the location of fugitives. Police are well aware that, sometimes, people feel much more comfortable providing information through private social media instead of picking up the phone or visiting the police in person.

This latest development stands as testament to the impact that social media is having on our society, and only hints at the possibilities that could be developed further down the road. In its reach, social media has had an impact on society that hasn’t really been seen (or heard) since the invention of radio. 

 

Once you stop to consider the implications, you might just decide your next stop is a social media presence for your business. Contact Albuquerque Internet Marketing for more information on how you can tap into and take advantage of this vital pipeline.

                    

Social Media Marketing Trends to Avoid: The Facebook Web Page

There’s an online trend that’s making the rounds with businesses these days. Instead of having a website, many small, medium, and even large companies are substituting actual websites with Facebook pages. 

This was something that was seen – and continues to be seen – on the far less relevant MySpace, a trend that’s making its way over to Facebook now that it’s become the clear social media platform of choice. Essentially, this is accomplished by businesses registering a unique URL (or using their already existing one) to drive users directly to their social media profiles.

But, is this necessarily the best idea? The answer, in a word, is no. A business should never use a Facebook page, MySpace profile, YouTube channel, Twitter account, or any other social media site as their primary web presence. Even though doing so seems to make a lot of sense on the surface, there are reasons aplenty why this is just a bad idea.

Using a Facebook page or other social media site as the destination of your URL is a bit like decorating the outside of your home with wallpaper – an exterior decoration idea that may appeal to a small percentage of the reading audience, but then you also have to remember that there are people in this world who enjoy a good plate of liver. In other words, it’s a good thing there’s no accounting for taste. But the fact remains that most people driving past (or surfing the Internet and stumbling across your website and find it to be nothing more than a Facebook profile) will have the immediate impression of it being a cheap, gaudy substitute.

Apart from surface appearances, using a social media profile as your website can also negatively impact  your business through its limited functionality. If you take a look at Facebook, for instance, there really is nothing you as a business owner can do beyond posting images, videos, links, and notes that’ll make it a truly interactive experience for the customer.

While this may seem like a lot, there’s far more you can do with a website – even a minimalistic, bare bones one – than you can with a Facebook page. More importantly, your customers won’t have a hard time navigating through your website to find the information they’re looking for. With Facebook, everything is listed in chronological order and that can be awfully frustrating to a visitor, especially if you’re constantly updating your page or there’s a lot of activity on there from followers.

Social media marketing through various platforms like the aforementioned Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is absolutely essential for businesses looking to reach a wider customer base. But without an existing website to link back to – your online “HQ” – those efforts at reaching out could be returning very little result, if any.

Building a website and creating a Facebook account are two vastly different undertakings that are often the deciding point for many who just don’t have the know-how to do the former. If your social media strategy is languishing from a missing or woefully out of date website, contact Flyline Search Marketing – experts in website design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and pay-per-click advertising – who can get you on the road to an effective social marketing campaign.

                 

April In New Mexico - 5 Great Things To Do

Red Rock Country Near Abiquii

April In New Mexico

Who else besides me is ready for Spring? I can't think of a better time of year in New Mexico than April. The warm temperatures have already returned to Albuquerque and are slowly working their way up to the northern part of the state. After those long, cold, dark months of Winter, I always get excited at the thought of Spring. 

For me, April means it's time to go fishing. All I can think of is packing up the car and the family and driving up to Coopers El Vado Ranch for some early season action. The drive up is half the fun. We always stop in at the Casino in Espanola for breakfast on the drive up. Ok, we also play the slots to, but, honestly it's really all about the breakfast and spending some quality time hanging with the family. Then it's down to Walmart for some grocery shopping. Well, when you get up to El Vado you aren't going to find a store right around the corner. If you want to eat, you either bring it with you, catch it in the river, or drive 30 miles to Chama and have High Country cook it for you.


When you travel up to Northern New Mexico, there are quite a few place you really need to visit.




Wolf Creek Pass - Scenic Overlook

1) You need to take a day and drive up through the Cumbres mountains and visit the Wolf Creek Pass scenic Overlook. What an incredible view you will encounter. The drive will take you approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours from El Vado Ranch. Trust me when I tell you the drive is absolutely worth the effort. If you really want a challenge, take your bike with you. The last time we went over the pass, there were a number of cyclists who are pedaling their way to the top. I felt really bad when I pushed down on the gas pedal of my FX-4 and passed them on my way up. :-) I ride also so it's ok for me to poke fun at my pedaling breathren.








Springs Resort

2) Another very short drive from El Vado Ranch is an overnight stay opportunity called Pagosa Springs, Colorado. When you go to Pagosa Springs, you really should consider staying at the Springs resort. If you do, be sure to take your bathing suit. That's right, even in April you can enjoy the wonderful natural hot springs at the resort. Talk about relaxing in the mountains! The hotel is extremely affordable and I promise you will enjoy the warmth of the natural hot spring tubs and the incredible view of the surrounding mountains. One thing is for sure, the air temperatures in Pagosa Springs tend to run on the cooler side in April. Today (April 18th) the temperature is supposed to reach 65 degrees this afternoon. That my friends is awesome Spring weather at the altitudes you are at in the Pagosa area.

San Juan River

3) Since I have you in the car and driving around the countryside, here is another stop you should consider adding to your April visit to the northern New Mexico mountains. Keep in mind that I was born and raised on the Chama river. I spent my early childhood hanging out with my adopted big brother David Cooper. David owns and runs the El Vado Ranch and lives just a few short miles from the El Vado Lake dam. Fishing the Chama and hanging out with Coop are still my favorite April, May, June, July, August and September activities. Ok, I would go there year around if my wife would allow it. That said, there is one more piece of river that you may want to take a day and check out while you are up there. The San Juan river is roughly 2 - 3 hour drive from El Vado Ranch. The river is loaded with trout and has it's own unique restrictions so check in with the local fly shops in the area to ensure you have everything you need.

Cumbres & Toltec Railroad

4) Another unique opportunity for you to consider while you are staying at El Vado Ranch, is to drive into Chama, New Mexico for the day. First have lunch or dinner at the High Country restaurant. I honestly have never had a bad meal there. The town is about 35 miles from the ranch and is a very easy drive. While there, stop by the old train station and check out the Narrow Gauge steam engines. These engines still run and during the Summer, you can actually ride from Chama to Alamosa, Colorado across the Cumbres mountain range. The train runs through some of the most beautiful countryside you can imagine. If you are in the Chama are in April, you probably won't be able to ride the train at that time. The reason the train isn't running in April is because the mountain pass the train must travel through is still absolutely covered up with snow. Haven't checked the reports lately, but, normally Cumbres pass will still have several feet of snow at this time of year. Once the snow melts, the train will begin it's daily trek Alamosa.

Rio Grande Gorge

5) Located about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from Coopers El Vado Ranch is the Rio Grande Gorge. When you arrived your breath will be taken away by the incredible beauty of the Rio Grande River many, many feet below you and by the bridge you have to cross to get to the Taos side of the river. If you are a real thrill seeker, park your car at the bridge and walk out to the center. The view down to the river is pretty awesome, but, for some a very nerve racking experience. The most adventurous amoung us make the hike to the bottom and camp out overnight. Now that will bring you close to nature and give you a real appreciation for how our fore fathers lived.