You constantly hear the news that social media is growing in incredibly large proportions, its popularity soaring to unbelievable heights, digging its way into every aspect of our lives.

I’d like to provide some numbers to the claims, and I found a great article by Cara Pring on The Social Skinny. Below are a few bullet points, but here’s the full article. Please go and read it, as it’s worth a look! http://thesocialskinny.com/100-more-social-media-statistics-for-2012/

Some General Social Media Statistics
• On average in one year, we will share 415 pieces of content on Facebook, we’ll spend an average of about 23 minutes a day on Twitter, tweeting a total of around 15,795 tweets, we’ll check in 563 times on Foursquare, upload 196 hours of video on YouTube, and send countless emails
• Social networking is still the fastest-growing active social media behavior online, increasing from 36% of global Internet users to 59% managing their profile on a monthly basis by the end of 2011
• There are now over 2.8 billion social media profiles, representing around half of all internet users worldwide.
• 4 out of 5 internet users visit social networks and blogs

Some Social Media For Business Statistics
• 36% of social media users post brand-related content
• 2 out of 3 social media users believe Twitter influences purchases
• 50% of people follow brands in social media
• 75% of companies now use Twitter as a marketing channel
• 40% of companies admit to having no training or governance of social media
• Posts from Facebook pages with 10,000 fans reach 30 percent to 40 percent of their fans, posts from pages with 100,000 fans reach 20 percent to 30 percent of their fans and posts from pages with 1,000,000 or more fans reach 10 percent of their fans

Some Facebook Statistics
• There are over one billion Facebook posts per day
• Facebook has 845 million active users
• There are 2.7 billion likes/comments per day

Some Twitter Statistics
• There are over 465 million Twitter accounts
• Twitter is growing at a rate of 11 accounts per second
• On a busy day, twitter sees about 175 million tweets
• 30% of twitter users have an income over $100,000

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With snowstorms at Christmas, heat waves during the summer, more and more demands on people’s time and less and less time to wrangle demands with, it’s no wonder people are preferring to find information and shop online. If you’d like to avail of the customers who are literally just clicks away, it may be time to bring your business to the social media world.

However, the social media world, in and of itself, is not a “set-it-and-forget-it” affair. An active presence is required, and some technological knowledge is required. Here are a couple of pointers to consider if you’re thinking about bringing your business online and why hiring a social media manager is better than not:

1. Got plan? You wouldn’t start marketing without some sort of marketing plan, even if it’s on the back of a napkin. Why would you do the same with social marketing? A plan and some goals can keep your eye on the prize and prevent you from chasing the next shiny thing and wind up with few results. Integrating social media into your marketing is key, and consistent, valuable and fresh content can keep people coming back for more.

2. Bye, kid. It’s no longer enough have your 24/7 texting niece post one or two things on Twitter; the market and demands for business have become matured into professionalism. A professional social media manager is not only accountable to you (and will keep out of your family business!), but will also help narrow down your goals and develop strategies to get to those goals. Since social media is a perennially changing animal, a social media manager is your all-day-all-night expert to getting your business the results you need.

3. Bye, marketing theory. As mentioned, social media changes quickly and constantly, and it’s best to throw out old marketing theories and messages. A good rule of thumb is the 90/10 rule, rather than the 80/20. 90% of your posts should be “A Tutorial On” rather than “Our New Product Is.” Don’t get me wrong; never lose sight of your goals, but this just isn’t the right arena for traditional marketing messages. A social media manager can guide you through this sometimes murky but always organic field to become a trusted expert rather than greasy advertiser.

4. Again, got time? Remember those old pictures of old folks sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair? I do. That isn’t us. Between family, friends, jobs, businesses and errands, we’re lucky if we can have a moment to ourselves. Social media managers dedicate their time to helping you and your business. There’s nothing worse than telling people to go to a profile that’s static and hasn’t been updated in a while; it’s tantamount to providing a resume with old information on it. Let social media managers take this off your plate so you can spend your time doing what you do best—running your business.

Want to hire me to be your social media manager? You can contact me here: info@marketing-methods.com.

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There’s a good, albeit somewhat irreverent and tongue-in-cheek article written by Tegan of EpicLaunch.com, entitled “5 Reasons Your Business Is Failing On Twitter.” Though it’s certainly written for a younger audience, it’s short, pithy and very applicable to small businesses. Read it here: http://epiclaunch.com/5-reasons-your-business-is-failing-on-twitter/

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We’ve heard, “the customer is always right” as a business adage. Here’s one for social media: “Content is king.” While that might be true, businesses may not always have the staff and resources to constantly stay in the game and produce original content.

What some business with limited resources have been doing to keep in the game, however, is propagate the flow simply by “passing on” content. Granted, this cannot be all the business does as some original content should and must be produced, but on a shoestring budget, it’s not a bad tactic to employ.

Here are some ways to get started creating and passing on content socially, adapted from Danielle MacInnis’s list. See her full article here—it is worth the read! http://www.daniellemacinnis.com/small-business-marketing/ten-tips-to-curating-content-as-a-small-business/

• What problems do your customers face? Start answering questions. Look for tools, tips and templates you can disseminate.
• Respond to thought leaders’ content with your take on it. Read any good books lately?
• Interview someone in your field. Disseminate the content.
• Are you speaking somewhere? Publish your speech or PowerPoint. Make sure your PowerPoint also works for a general audience!

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This one goes to my longtime friend, Pat, who also owns her own business. I love her dearly, and our friendship has withstood the test of time (which is why I can write this post. Thanks, Pat!) At drinks over the weekend, we were discussing getting her started on social media, and she wasn’t too keen on the idea of starting a blog. “What’s a blog for anyway?” she’d asked over a Long Island Ice tea.

“Blog” is actually short for “web log.” As of February 2011, Wikipedia stated that over 156 million blogs were available on the internet. “Web logs” started as online journals or diaries, entries with texts, images, or videos which could be published for the world to see or only for a few select people. The difference between a traditional website and a traditional blog is that a blog has a commenting function, so readers can reply to the entry.

Blogs, long the domain of gossip, personal rants and knitting projects, have evolved to become main cornerstones for small businesses marketing online. In some cases, blogs and websites fulfill the same purpose, and there are businesses out there with just a blog and no actual standalone website. Successful businesses have used it as their personal, dual-service marketplace: as a way to not just write about their thoughts on the company but to listen to their customers in order to anticipate their next wants and needs.

If I haven’t convinced you already, here are some quick points. Blogs are…

…free to low cost, and easy to use. WordPress and other software developments have made it so even the newest of the new into technology can have a blog within seconds. WordPress is absolutely free, but if you are serious about putting a professional look to your website, you may want to enlist professional help in order to keep it consistent with your product and other marketing. Still, at its most basic, blogs are at the fastest and most economical way to disseminate information and connect with customers.

…a great way to humanize your business. The fact that a person is taking the time to sit down and write will put a human face on your business. People are less apt to be harsh when they realize a person with thoughts, feelings, a family and daily struggles (in short, just like them) is sitting in the other end of the electronic divide. Blogs allow your personality to shine and to show your passion for your business.

…interactive. Reading and responding to comments after a post is a great way to really get under your customers’ skin. Pose a question. Ask them what they think. What they want. Then, be sure to respond, especially if the comment is negative. With so public opinion on businesses so low these days, it behooves you to be one of the standouts and answer each response as best you can. After all, someone took the time to read your post and write. Responding to them is not only a way of saying “Thank you,” but believe it or not, it’s a way for you to get new customers. For those concerned about spam, WordPress also provides you a way to moderate comments so spam can be removed quickly and easily.

…fantastic for building credibility. If you’re constantly “out there,” as the kids say, you are building credibility. If you consistently post and keep your blog fresh, then you’ll soon garner attention. This is how people become industry leaders and gain more followers or people reading their blog. This can translate into more customers and sales.

These are just a few among a multitude of reasons for starting a blog. I know one of the concerns with starting a blog is what to write about. This is a question solved with simple business or marketing theory. Put yourself in your potential and existing customers’ shoes. What do they care about? What would they want to hear? What content would be worth a visit to your blog?

I hope this article more or less addressed reservations you might have about blogs and inspired you to start one. I’ve done this, in truth, and wrestled with it for a bit. I realized, however, that I wanted to provide than just a service, and wanted to create a community and help other people. So I started a blog. (Epilogue: After much “discussion,” Pat started one too. I love you, Pat!)

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Sometimes one of the most difficult things for business owners who are new to the social media world is determining what sort of content to put up. That works for me, since one of my favorite things is ferret out various ideas that might be relevant to the business. Here are thirty-five content ideas for a catering company (and no, the alliteration wasn’t on purpose, but it works out!). Feel free to adjust and adapt to your own business.

1. How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business.
2. The Logistics of Home Catering
3. How to Bring a Food Product to Market
4. Organics in Catering: Ethics and Marketing
5. Picking Your Specialty in Catering
6. Five Dos and Don’ts with Catering a Kids’ Party
7. Ideas on Planning and Creating Catering Menus
8. Creative Ideas For Staffing Your Catering Business
9. The first five steps in running a catering business
10. 10 Catering Business Success Tips
11. The Backend: Accounting for Your Catering Business
12. “They Do It Better Than Me”: Four Ways of Beating Your Competition
13. Managing New FDA Rules in the Catering Businesses
14. The PR Disaster: How To Recover After Food Poisoning
15. Party Catering Business Basics – Party Catering Business Tips
16. Become a Caterer – Start a Catering Business
17. Best Practices in Managing Your Catering Crew
18. My friend, my nephew and a professional: Choices in menu and advertising design
19. Growing Your Catering Business: Five Fast Ways
20. 4 Business Cards Tips For Catering Business Owners
21. Where’s my beef? Ensuring a Better Supply Chain
22. Four Tips To Sourcing Your Food Locally
23. Catering Supplies: Tips From the Pros
24. An Out-of-The-Box Solution? Tips on Buying A Catering Business For Sale:
25. Tips And Strategies For Effective Cost Control In Your Catering Business
26. Open Forum: What are Your Questions About Catering?
27. Hiring Quality Staff for Your Catering Business
28. Stress Management Tips for Catering Business Owners
29. “I Wish I Knew” – The 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting A Catering Business
30. Scouting Out Your Competition: Tips and Tricks
31. Low-Cost Advertising Secrets for Catering Companies
32. The How To Catering Business Guide: 3 Must Follow Rules To Succeed In Catering
33. Specialty Caterers – Could This Be Your Entry Into the Catering Business?
34. Diversifying Your Menu: Yay or Nay?
35. Exploring The Mobile Catering Business

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This is a little more of a personal Tutorial Tuesday — we’re going to take a look at your privacy settings on Twitter. This is particularly helpful if you have a family-only account. Here’s the video:

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Yes, social media is great. In fact, it’s fantastic, and it’s why I got into this business. It’s also why I try to help people with it, as I think many businesses can benefit from it. It’s hot, sexy, cool, and lets you tap into various demographics, and while there might be signs of some slowdown, social media is here to stay.

However, just because social media is out there, that doesn’t mean that every single organization or business should use social media.

For instance, I was helping out a friend’s nonprofit, which looks at cleaning local waterways. While people of different ages visited the creek, this was a small town where not many people were wired. Sure, they checked their e-mail, but they were not as wired as Silicon Valley or New York. Most importantly, most of their funders were aged 70 and above, and preferred to speak to someone in person. They used Facebook primarily to talk to their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren.

There’s a fantastic article on PushingSocial.com, “Four Reasons Businesses Shouldn’t Use Social Media,” that provides a good insight on whether social media is for you. I’ve adapted them here as questions to provide you a quick metric. Answer all questions honestly! If you would like more details, you can peruse the article: http://pushingsocial.com/4-reasons-businesses-shouldn%E2%80%99t-use-social-media

1. Is your market or demographic actively using social media? What are they using it for?
2. Does your business have the resources and time to invest in social media?
3. Can traditional marketing methods provide you more ROI?
4. Social media, unlike traditional marketing, is more of a two-way street. Is your company’s or organization’s culture suitable for social scrutiny? Can it handle quick responses and answer tough questions?

As a social media marketer and manager, part of my job is to talk to you, find out your needs, resources and commitment and see if this is right for you. If it’s not, you may be better served elsewhere, and I’ll be honest about it. You should too.

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We started with “Web 2.0,” then “3.0.” Then we moved to “social media,” and “social marketing” not long after that. Now, we’re at “social business.” What should we really call it?

Although “social business” has been gaining traction lately, the debate still rages on. Some have commented that “social business” is a somewhat redundant term. Others have bemoaned the fact that being “social” is now a planned, choreographed affair of likes and followings as opposed to a natural, organic growth of discovery and purchase. Is social media just another tool for marketing or another entity on its own, to be studied and analyzed until “best practice” manuals begin coming out of our ears?

We’re working on these questions, I believe, and similar to the way Apple has unexpectedly dominated despite Windows’ long reign, the answers will soon surface.

In the meantime, the fabled Harvard Business Review provides more fuel to the fire, if you are interested: “On Social Media Becoming Social Business”. If you are on a mobile device, here is the URL: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/07/on_social_media_becoming_socia_html

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