The Easy Way to Increase Your Sales by 23,000%

Another ‘Free-conomics’ Success Story

With so many people from author Neil Gaiman to Nine Inch Nails (who released the best selling album of the year on a Creative Commons license ), now giving away free work to generate sales, the idea is no longer the novelty it once was. But for those who continue to doubt the power of the web, Monty Python give us what is surely one of the biggest indicators yet.

Apparently fed up of seeing their clips being pirated all over YouTube, they took an unusal step. They formed the Monty Python channel, collected all their stuff themselves, and simply gave it away. But not solely from the goodness of their hearts,

“We’re letting you see absolutely everything for free. So there! But we want something in return. None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.”

The channel has been a huge YouTube hit. with most clips having 100,000+ views in the first couple of months alone. The real success though is in how these free videos have led to real sales. Lots and lots of real sales. In fact a 23,000% increase in sales, and moving them to the number 2 spot on the Amazon tv bestsellers list!

I think that this shows us two things. Despite all the hype about pirating of music and movies, people are still willing to pay for what they like. As I was working yesterday I heard a song I liked on Pandora radio, so immediately hopped over to Amazon and bought it. It just needs to be made easy for people to do it, without tying them down to contracts, DRM-locked files and other hindrances.

It also demonstrates the amazing power of Youtube for getting your product seen. It seems such a regular part of daily life that it’s hard to believe YouTube is less than four years old, but in those 4 years great strides have been made. Widescreen, HD videos, with captions, links to buy and so on make Youtube one of the most valuable places to be seen on the web. Just ask the Monty Python guys, who are leading the way in making money by selling products which are available for free.

If that isn’t a web 2.0 success story, then I’m a dead parrot.

Free Speech on Twitter?

I was appalled when I came across this article about a PR pro who was given a tongue-lashing for a seemingly innocuous statement he made on Twitter.

Here is the story:

An employee of Ketchum, a big PR agency, whose Twitter handle is @keyinfluencer posted a tweet while visiting Memphis, where their client, FedEx, is based. See image of the tweet to the right.

He subsequently got reamed out by FedEx and of course his company for this “inappropriate” comment that demonstrated a “lapse in judgment.” Come on!!! The guy’s not allowed to say whether or not he likes the city where the client is based???

We live in America folks. We have free speech here. Let the man be heard.

I guess this really dives to the issue of using Twitter appropriately in a business setting, but I think the corporate world needs to realize this is not a medium they can control. It is not a press release and was never intended to be such. It’s a place where we can freely share our thoughts and that is why it is such a valuable for business. If it was all edited corporate-speak, no one would pay attention.

Sure, @keyinfluencer needs to remember that anything he tweets can be read by the world and have consequences as such, but I’m sure he knew that.

Poor guy had to apologize on his blog, apologize on Twitter and of course apologize to the client. Personally, I think his company should be grateful he has such a following and that he demonstrates they employ people so social media savvy.

And FedEx, put a smile on your face for all the pubilicity this generated and lighten up! Come take my class on Twitter for Business. I’ll bet you’ll learn a thing or two.

What do you think? Was his comment OK or not appropriate? I’d love to hear what everyone thinks!

Social Media Star: Stacey Crew

Meet our very first Step Ahead Social Media Star: Stacey Crew, organizing expert, author and speaker. Stacey, whom I met many years ago through a friend of mine and who is based in Charleston, S.C., helps moms-to-be, new moms and generally busy women organize their time and space. Her book, The Organized Mom, will hit bookstores nationally in 2009.

Stacey is very active on all the main tools, but has also networked herself well within niche social networks like Girlfriendology, The Integrated Mother, Posh Mama, Twitter Moms, and the Mom Bloggers Club where she has developed a following of moms who look for her seasoned advice on keeping our lives together! Here is what Stacey had to say about social media:

What was the first social media technology you used?
Facebook

What is your favorite social media tool?
Facebook, then Twitter

How has social media benefited your business?

Social media tools have helped me keep my followers informed of blog posts, Web site updates, and general information that I’d like to share—all in a very simple way! Anyone who has been following me, knows that getting a book published is a long process.

How much time would you say you spend a day engaging social media?
1 hour

How do you incorporate it into your day?

Sometimes I schedule it. For example, if I’ve made specific blog entries, I’ll post that on my Facebook page and on Twitter. Or if I’ve made changes/updates to my web site, I’ll do the same. Essentially, while working, I’m always connected to Facebook and Twitter, but try and use the time wisely so it’s not all of a sudden the end of the day and I haven’t completed my To Do List.

What’s your best social media tip?

Be yourself. People don’t want to feel like you’re all business or all personal, so find a balance. In my market (moms, essentially), I mention my kids and post pictures. Keep it real, but maintain your position as an expert in your field. It’s like walking a tight rope sometimes.

Is there a social media tool/technique that you think is

underutilized that you would like people to know about.

Well, I suspect the iPhone technology. I’m waiting for my new iPhone to arrive and once it does, I think I will be saying, “How did I ever live without it.” I’ll be providing tech tips on my web site for the iPhone and other technology and social media tools. We’ve entered a time when we can truly be more effective and efficient with technology.

Where can people find you online?
www.staceycrew.com, staceycrew.blogspot.com, Facebook and @staceycrew on Twitter.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Everyone should analyze how technology can and does work for them, whether it’s personally and/or professionally. Facebook is a great tool for staying in touch with both family and friends, but it also serves a purpose as a business tool. Twitter, on the other hand, is a fabulous tool for networking outside your local venue. If one is attempting to reach a national audience (like myself), Twitter can get you connected to people far and wide. Just remember to follow Twitter etiquette!

Introducing Step Ahead Social Media Stars

We meet a lot of people in our daily work, some who really get social media and, of course, others who don’t. But we are always happily surprised when we come across small business professionals who have really been successful in using social media and Web 2.0 tools to market themselves and drive business.

So we decided introduce a fun feature on our site where we highlight some folks we consider to be “social media stars” in the interest of inspiring all of us about the power of social media. Once a month, we’ll introduce you to a business person (on the small to medium size side) who has truly embraced these tools and ask them to share their experience and advice. Hopefully, we’ll all learn a thing or two!

Each person selected will receive the badge above to post on their Web site to show off their designation. If you’d like to be considered, please send me an email to lmettler@stepaheadinc.com explaining how you use social media for business and how it’s been successful for you.

First up for January is Stacey Crew, organizing expert, who blows me away with her super savvy online activity!

Welcome to the new look Step Ahead!

New year, new website.

If you’ve visited us in the past, you’ll notice we’ve undergone a complete overhaul here at Step Ahead. Gone is the old, static thing of the past, in comes the all-singing, all-dancing thing you see before you.

Why change?

Well, a few reasons. We’re very active on various forms of social media (Lyn & Simon on Twitter especially, but also Facebook, Youtube and more – see buttons on the top right), and our website just didn’t reflect that. Even the blog just linked out to a blogspot hosted account.

Secondly, maintaining the site was a real pain. All files had to be FTP’d and changed manually. That’s way more time-consuming than I realised.

Basically, we were stuck in the past while trying to live in the future (deep, eh!?).

Although we had planned on upgrading once we were up and running, there just never seemed to be enough time. But we have big plans for this year (more to come on that), so – with a little nudge from a few friends - we decided now’s the time.

How did we do it?

Well, we kind of cheated. A one-click WordPress (2.7 no less!) install with the good people at Dreamhost. A lovely new version of the Revolution 2 theme from Brian Gardner, and we were basically ready to go. Well, a couple of days importing old posts, fiddling with CSS and PHP, but nothing too heavy.

So, what do you think?

Local Social Media Pro Selected as National Blog Contributor

MT. PLEASANT, S.C.—Being a mom and working in social media are two of Lyn Mettler’s biggest passions, so her recent selection as a featured contributor to TwitterMoms.com, a social network of highly influential and “networked” moms who are very active bloggers and Twitterers, is a perfect match. Mettler, who is president of Step Ahead, Inc., a Mt Pleasant-based company that combines the best of traditional public relations with social media campaigns to maximize visibility for clients, was one of 15 featured contributors chosen from some 250 applicants. She will blog weekly about social media marketing within the community that currently boasts 5800 members.

Her first post discusses the much-talked about “phishing” and spamming episode on Twitter, which happened earlier in the week affecting many users, including some celebrity Twitterers. She offers tips for how to avoid such scams and what to do if you were affected. Twitter is an online service that allows individuals to converse socially within the confines of 140 characters per comment.

“I hope that I can create some interesting content that will engage this group of very Internet savvy moms,” says Mettler. “I know I’m in great company and I look forward to further sharing my love for all things social media.”

Step Ahead, Inc. is a Mt Pleasant-based company that combines the best of traditional public relations with social media campaigns that engage blogs, social networks, online video, Podcasting and more to help maximize visibility for companies and their products both online and off. To date, the company has worked with the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Charming Inns of Charleston, ClassifiedFlyerAds.com, Tiger Lily florist, Charleston Parks Conservancy, Golf Island, Myrtle Beach National, Coco’s Café, POSITUS consulting and others.

Step Ahead executives regularly speak about social media across the state, including events and luncheons for the South Carolina Public Relations Society of America state conference, Columbia chapter and Lowcountry chapter; Center for Women; Charleston Digital Corridor; Charleston Trident Association of Realtors and more. The company has also been featured in the Wall Street Journal, on MSNBC.com and in numerous local publications. Visit www.stepaheadwebstrategies.com or call (843) 388-8376 for more information.

Hackers target Twitter

What do Barack Obama, Britney Spears, and Bill O’Reillyall have in common? All were among the 33 celebrities who had their Twitter accounts hacked yesterday.

This followed hot on the heels of the weekend’s Twitter phishing attempts, and a number of reports of people being DM’d affiliate links and marketing tools.

What can you do?

• Treat your Twitter account like your email, don’t give out your password to third party sites.
• Change your password regularly.
• If you receive a spammy DM from a friend, check if they really sent it. It could be that their account is compromised without their knowledge.
• Beware of phishing. Check the URL of the site. Be sensible!

Lyn Joins TwitterMoms as Featured Contributor

I’m so excited that I was selected from some 250 applications to become one of 15 featured bloggers on TwitterMoms.com. TwitterMoms.com is a social network of highly influential and “networked” moms who are very active bloggers and Twitterers.

View my page on Twitter Moms: The Influential Moms Network

Twitter and being a mom definitely sum up two of my biggest passions in life and how great to be able to combine the two in a space with other like-minded individuals! Each of the selected contributors will blog on different topics and guess what mine is? You guessed it — social media!

So for my first post I tackled the infamous Twitter phishing incident and offer some tips on what to do if affected and how to avoid these types of scams to start with.

Were you “phished”? If so, weigh in on what happened and if you got it fixed. And feel free to join TwitterMoms. It’s a great network!