What's all the chatter?

One of my favorite things about Twitter are the chat groups. On any given night, you can join dozens, or even hundreds, of other Twitterers in a lively discussion about a specific topic. Not only can you learn from others in the field, but you can establish yourself as a leader and expert while gaining new followers.

How does a Twitter chat work? The moderator of the group will post questions for everyone to tweet about during specific time. Everyone who participates in the chat tags their posts with the hashtag name of the group (i.e. #socialmedia). You can search for the group name and read all of the posts associated with the chat. You can even go back and read the transcripts of the chats if you miss it.

Here is a list of some of my favorite chat groups, along with the time they "meet."

#4change: monthly discussion of using social media for social change (second Thursday of each month from 5-7 p.m. EST)

#blogchat: bettering your blog (every Sunday from 9-10 p.m. EST)

#brandchat: discussion between experts, strategists and those interested in learning more about personal branding and managing their personal brand (every Wednesday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. EST)

#engage365: open to association and meeting industry members- focused on social media for events (every Friday from 1-2 p.m. EST)

#entprchat: weekly conversation on entertainment, fashion, public relations and management issues (every Tuesday from 8-9 p.m. EST)

#journchat: conversation between journalists, bloggers and public relations folks (every Monday from 8-11 p.m. EST)

#mrktchat: discussion regarding travel and tourism marketing (every Thursday from 5-6 p.m. EST)

#pr20chat: discussion of where public relations is heading (every Tuesday from 8-10 p.m. EST)

#sbbuzz: weekly chat about small business for small business owners, techies, social media mavens and folks who love them (every Tuesday from 8-10 p.m. EST)

#smallbizchat: helpful tips and advice geared toward small business startups and those who have been in business for less than five years (every Wednesday from 8-9 p.m. EST)

#smbiz: open chat session where small businesses of every kind can meet, network and ask all kinds of questions in any area (every Tuesday from 8-9 p.m. EST)

#smchat: exploring and driving the new media paradigm (every Wednesday from 1-2:30 p.m. EST)

#socialmedia: advancing the business of social media (every Tuesday from 12-1 p.m. EST)

#solopr: open discussion designed for independent public relations professionals (every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. EST).

Find a list of chats and search for transcripts of previous chats at what the hashtag.

Should you foursquare?

I have to admit I've been slow to jump on the foursquare bandwagon. Maybe it's the gypsy in me, but I don't want everyone to know where I am every second of the day.

It seems I may be the only one left not on board the foursquare ship. So, I thought I would do some research and see what the buzz is all about.

From foursquare.com:

Foursquare aims to encourage people to explore their neighborhoods and then reward people for doing so. We do this by combining our friend-finder and social city guide elements with game mechanics — our users earn points, win Mayorships and unlock badges for trying new places and revisiting old favorites.

As a business owner, you can use foursquare to engage your increasingly mobile customers with foursquare "Specials," which are discounts and prizes you can offer your loyal customers when they check in on foursquare at your venue. Don't forget to show extra love to your venue's Mayor! Additionally, if you offer foursquare Specials to your customers, you will be able to track how your venue is performing over time thanks to our robust set of venue analytics — for free!

Okay, I'm intrigued. I can see tons of opportunities and possibilities for brick-and-mortar businesses and even festivals and special events, pretty much any place that welcomes visitors. 

I'm going to play around with foursquare and do some more research and report back. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, does your business foursquare? Any advice or tips you want to share?

May's Big Challenge

It's almost May and have I gotten myself into something big. 


I registered for the "100 articles in 100 days" challenge on ezinearticles.com. Beginning May 1, I am committed to writing more than 100 articles (400 words or longer) and posting them on ezinearticles.com. 


It sounded like a good idea. Now, though, every fear has popped in my mind. Fears like, who wants to read my articles? and what if I don't have anything to say? That is why I am sharing this challenge with the world, so I can't back out. 


One hundred articles is a lot of writing. Is there anything you want to read about? Any topic you would like to see me cover?


I'll be posting links to my articles here and on my social networking sites. If you don't follow me already, please do so. I'd love your feedback and support.


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Would you be missed?

Would you? If you closed up shop today and went back to a "normal" 9-to-5 job, would your clients miss you? Would they even know you left? Would potential clients be upset they lost their chance to work with you?

Stop a minute and think about the impact you have on your clients and the industry you serve. Are you presenting yourself as a leader in your field, full of great ideas and providing valuable resources to everyone who comes your way? Are you making a difference in the lives of the people you meet, either online or in person?

Sure, the goal of every business is to make money- we have bills to pay after all, but what if our goal was to make a difference in the lives of every person we meet, no matter if they are clients or not? What if we made such strong connections with those we "talk" to that they would miss us if we were gone?

Shouldn't that be our ultimate goal?

How to write a SWOT analysis

Some people have a hard time admitting things they just aren't good at. For others, they can't see all of the wonderful skills they have. And no one wants to face the challenges and forces against them and their business.

That is why a SWOT analysis is so vital to any plan you develop for your business, especially marketing and public relations plans. As an entrepreneur, knowing where you excel and where you need support is essential to the success of your business.

So, what is a SWOT analysis?

Strengths (internal)

What are your strengths? What attributes do you offer your business that make it stand apart from other businesses? These are the things you need to focus on and spend most of your time doing.

Examples: sales presentations, networking, writing

Weaknesses (internal)

What are your weaknesses? Include tasks or skills you just don't like doing. Be honest here. If you aren't great at something, list it as a weakness so you are at least aware of things that could be harmful to your success. These are tasks or skills you should avoid doing, or find someone to handle these for you, if possible.

Examples: public speaking, cold calling, face-to-face sales pitches, graphic design, accounting/bookkeeping, social media

Opportunities (external)

These are outside forces that support your business or are helpful in achieving your success.

Examples: few competitors in market, increase in demand in market, recent legislation or funding in your business area

Threats (external)

Outside forces that endanger your business.

Examples: current economic situation (which could be an opportunity for some industries), competition, narrow niche market

A SWOT analysis provides a strategic look into forces that directly impact your business. Being aware of your position allows you to take action against that that hurt your business while focusing on your strengths and opportunities.

Growth of Social Media

Here is part of an article posted on Social Media Examiner. Click here to read the entire article. It is full of great information on the growth of social media.

A recent study, “The State of Small Business Report,” sponsored by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, points to economic struggles as the catalyst for social media’s rapid popularity.

The study results show that social media usage by small business owners increased from 12 percent to 24 percent in just the last year, and almost 1 out of 5 actively uses social media as part of his or her marketing strategy.

Here’s a breakdown of what the small businesses reported as the main uses of social media marketing:

• 75% have a company page on a social networking site
• 69% post status updates or articles of interest on social media sites
• 57% build a network through a site such as LinkedIn
• 54% monitor feedback about the business
• 39% maintain a blog
• 26% tweet about areas of expertise
• 16% use Twitter as a service channel

According to the study, different industries are adopting social media marketing at different rates, and while many industries have started using social media marketing in their efforts to reach more customers, many still have not positioned it as their top priority.

According to the survey, “Professional services firms, real estate businesses and entertainment/food/ lodging businesses rely more on email marketing than other types of small businesses.  Firms in the education/health/social services sector rely more on social media marketing and direct mail.  Not surprisingly, retailers depend more on print and broadcast advertising.”

The report also measured small businesses’ expectations of social media. While 58 percent feel that social media “met expectations,” 12 percent feel it has “exceeded expectations,” while 25 percent feel social media has “fallen short of expectations.”

Some of the reasons given for social media’s shortfalls were:

• 50% feel it has used up more time than expected
• 19% believe social media has lost them money
• 17% feel social media has allowed people to criticize their business

So, how has social media worked for your business? What is the most exciting part? What is the most frustrating part? How many hours a week are you spending on social media sites? How much success have you had integrating social media into your traditional marketing strategy? How do you determine success in social media?

Characters Wanted

Other than hockey, I don't watch a whole lot of television, but I do enjoy good action dramas that are smart, clever and entertaining. One of my favorite channels is USA Network. They have such great programs, like Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, Psych, Royal Pain, White Collar and Monk. Plus, they air tons of NCIS reruns. 


A couple of things stand out about all of the shows listed above: the tone of the show and the strong characters. They are all smart shows. They don't talk down to their audience. On Psych, they poke fun of "The Mentalist" for stealing the premise of their show and always include a pineapple in the background during each show. They don't take themselves to seriously. The main characters are good people trying to do good things in their own way. Each new show follows the same formula but it never seems stale or recycled. The network knows exactly who their viewers are and what they want. And they deliver.


I ran across an article with the network president. See if you can take away any tidbits of advice to use for your own business.

Today when considering scripts, Hammer and her team ask a routinized series of questions: 

Does the show have a fun sensibility? Does it have a "blue sky" tone of hopefulness? Does it revolve around an "aspirational," if quirky, lead character with a moral and ethical center? 

Potential shows are scored based on how closely they match these dictates; only high scorers make it on air. Before Hammer's arrival, USA was the television equivalent of a potluck supper, a hodgepodge of reruns and castoffs. 

Driven by her unique show-selection technique—a process she refers to as the "brand filter"—USA has been transformed into a cohesive collection of character-driven shows that are resonating with viewers, and advertisers are in hot pursuit. 

"The goal was to take a large, broad-based network and make it an exclusive club by creating connective tissue," Hammer says, describing the bond between characters on the screen and an audience of individual characters watching at home. 

The USA tag line describes its strategy: "Characters Welcome."

So, what is your "brand filter"? If your business has a tagline, does it accurately describe your business strategy? Do you offer a potluck supper of services? Do you have a series of questions, or filters, you can run potential clients, projects or services through to keep you on track? If you were a television network president, what "shows" in your business would you cancel?