Magic Phone Lessons Learned

Last month, our team came up with what we thought would be a fun contest to help promote our client, Spirit Telecom, a telecommunications company based in Columbia, S.C. While you might not think of that as the most social media savvy of subjects, we’ve prided ourselves in our ability to come up with some really interesting ideas that have increased their visibility online.

For our latest promotion, we decided to take the idea of silly/fun hashtags (a way to categorize tweets on Twitter) that often pop up and turn that concept into a contest, as well. Since they’re a telecommunications company, we thought what if we asked people who they would call – past or present, living or dead – if they had a magic phone. We turned #magicphone into the hashtag.

A blog post on the company’s site noted that at two random times during a 24-hour period we would choose the person who had tweeted #magicphone closest to that time and award them a Kindle, thus, the contest.

Well, as you may or may not have seen, #magicphone really took off. However, after a staff post-mortem of the promotion and conversations with several Twitter buddies, we realize we may have created an unintended annoying side effect especially for locals in Charleston (where #magicphone got started): filling up your Twitter account with a lot of #magicphone posts.

So we wanted to issue a #magicphone apology on behalf of Step Ahead, Inc. We realize now that the way we chose to select the winner (by selecting a random time) encouraged people to spam #magicphone over and over in the hopes they would land on the right time. Creating a bunch of spammy repeating posts was certainly not our goal.

We wanted people, if they were interested, to tweet it once or twice, tag two others, and be done with it. But instead, lots of people just posted the same tweet over and over and over again. If you were following multiple people doing that, your Twitter account quickly filled up with #magicphone.

Sooo…. we’ve decided that for future promotions like this we’ll allow folks to enter once per day only via Twitter and hopefully reduce the spammy tweets so it’s a bit more manageable – and fun, like we intended. We’re all learning as we navigate the ever-changing world of social media and we feel like every time we do a promotion and tweak and refine, we’re helping our clients have the best social media presence they can have.

Overall, though, Magic Phone was a success, sending more than 4500 people to our client’s Web site and exposing them to their products. Heck, I even got Trista Sutter (oh come on, you know she was The Bachelorette!) to tweet it!

I hope that helps make up for our mistake, Charleston Twitterers. Please know we did not intend to be annoying and never want to aggravate our best Twitter buddies.

So if you see #magicphone again, don’t worry. Hopefully, you’ll only see it a couple of times and you can choose to participate or not without a disruption to your Twitter day.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Get FourSquare and Get Busy

Could FourSquare be the next social media darling for business? Could Twitter possibly be de-throned? We think so.

FourSquare is a location-based application that you run on your smart phone that allows users to “check-in” when they are out and about. Headed to Publix? Check-in. Out with the guys at the neighborhood pub? Check-in. It definitely appeals to the exploratory and competitive nature of people. It’s like a combination game + communication tool.

FourSquare not only sends out a message on Twitter every time someone checks into a new location, it rewards users by declaring the most frequent traveler to a particular location the “mayor” and awards fun “badges” for checking in often. Additionally, FourSquare allows users to see which of your friends have checked in recently near your current location.

Some smart business owners are beginning to see the benefits already, especially restaurants, retailers, attractions, etc., of driving traffic to their business. With a few simple techniques, you too can use FourSquare to your advantage. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

1. Reward the Mayor – Offer the current “mayor” of your business a perk of holding that position. Maybe it’s a free dessert with every entrée they purchase or half price on all haircuts. To retain their position they will have to come in often, spend money and hopefully bring friends. And maybe others will “check in” more often to try to become the new mayor.
2. Encourage New Clients – The first time a customer “checks in” to your location, offer them a deal or special as a thank you for stopping by.  Something like a free coffee refill the first time they try a new café would encourage new business.
3. Build Traffic – Need your booth to look busy at the next big trade show? Enter everyone who stops by and “checks in” into a drawing for a great prize.
4. Work Together – Gather a few local organizations and create a Scavenger Hunt for the FourSquare crowd. People enjoy using technology to have a good time, and bonus if there’s a prize at the end! You may even get a little local attention!
5. Work the Tips – Use the tips section of the FourSquare app to announce specials and promotions. Users feel like they are being let in on a special deal.

The best part is that FourSquare now supports these “check in” offers. They want you to use their service to build your business, so they’ve invited you to submit your special offers to them and they’ll show them to people who “check in” near you. Here’s a great example from a Coffee House in North Carolina who’s offering a special to anyone who checks in at their location.

If you have a business and still have questions visit FourSquare’s Business page or give us a call to help you make the most of FourSquare.

What creative way could you use FourSquare to promote your company?

January Social Media Star: Meghan Miller

The television news business is ever changing. The industry has gone from news on only three networks to 24-hour news channels to the reach and speed of the Internet and social media. Meghan Miller, the Web producer for WMBF News, the NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach, saw the power and importance of social media in TV news early on, and has been using it ever since to keep a step ahead.

We picked Meghan as January’s social media star, because she’s on the front lines of journalism embracing all that social media can do for this industry. She “gets” it where so many media outlets continue to struggle.

Meghan started the WMBF Facebook page in August 2008 with only 10 fans, but has grown the page to over 10,000! Daily, she manages multiple social media accounts for WMBF, including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and, one you may not have heard about, Bubbletweet. Here is what Meghan had to say about social media:

What was the first social media technology you used?
Facebook. Over the years, it’s slowly become the No. 1 way I can keep a personal connection with my family and friends back in my hometown of York, Pa.

What is your favorite social media tool?
Definitely Twitter. Believe it or not, I was actually against getting a Twitter account, because I didn’t see the point in posting to the world what I was doing 24/7. Now it’s one of the first things I check on my Blackberry when I wake up – to see who’s doing what and what topics are making news in the Web world.

How have you used social media for your business/company and how has it benefited?
In all honesty, it’s one of the most important tools I use as both a journalist and as a Web producer. Social networking takes news to a whole new extreme – it allows us to see who’s doing what, what issues are important to our viewers, and really allows us to make those important connections with those who keep close tabs on our news product.

Our Facebook fan page has just exceeded 10,000 fans – many of which were gained in 2009. That’s an outlet where we can interact with our fans with a “Question of the Day” and post controversial news stories that we know will draw a response from the public. It also allows us to strengthen the push-pull from social networking sites to WMBFNews.com.

Twitter is another – I can’t tell you how many news stories we’ve broken because of Twitter and how many relationships we’ve built with legislators, community leaders, businesses and organizations because of the exchange of a few tweets. If we can’t pull any news stories off of Twitter, it at least helps us get our brains pumping to come up with new, fresh news content for our shows.
On the flip side, we can keep better track of our competition this way.

How have you seen TV news change since you started in the profession with regard to social media?
It has exploded! I can remember when we had 20 fans on our WMBF News Facebook Fan Page and 100 friends on our MySpace page. We’ve been nursing our social networking sites since we first launched in August 2008 and now depend on it for comments on controversial stories that really affect our viewers or our market drivers. Now, you’ll see a “Facebook Question of the Day” on each of our newscasts – and a big push to become a fan of WMBF News either on Twitter or Facebook.

What role do you see social media playing in TV news in the future?
I see it as a way to gather news stories, build the WMBF News brand, draw people into our product, interact with the community and share breaking news when it happens, as it happens.

How much time would you say you spend a day engaging social media?
Ha – it feels like 24 hours a day! It’s hard to gauge because my TweetDeck is always open, I’m always fiddling with UberTwitter on my phone when I’m away from my desk and always checking out Facebook. It’s a part of the job!

How do you incorporate it into your day so it’s not a time waster?
It’s hard! I make sure that when I’m at work – that’s what I’m on Twitter or Facebook for – just work. When I go on dinner break, am heading out to do a story or am on my own time, that’s when I hop on my personal Facebook and Twitter accounts.

What’s your best tip for using social media for business?
Use it as just another tool to better your product and your overall image. Don’t ignore the fact that your viewers or clients are interacting with you on a “virtual” level – it’s the perfect time to draw people in! Engage, interact and don’t ignore!

Is there a social media tool/technique that you think is underutilized that you would like people to know about?
This is where I plug BubbleTweet, I do believe! I think BubbleTweet is an AWESOME alternative to Tweets if you have a webcam. It’s been a cool way to take people behind the scenes during a newscast, break news stories on a more personal and visual level and to show people that the news is more than just TV.

Where can people find you online and via social media?
www.twitter.com/wmbfmegmiller
http://www.facebook.com/meghanmillerwmbf

On Down the Road: What’s in Store for Social Media in 2010

As we head into this new decade I can only hope it means social media will come into its hey day – that would be just glorious for a social media nerd like me. I could stop explaining why Twitter isn’t just about the minutia of my day and that no Facebook isn’t just a bunch of teenagers. Ah, but perhaps that is too much to dream of.

Instead, I thought I’d take a realistic look at what this social media nerd thinks is in store for us this year as it relates to business.

1) Real Time Web

Have you noticed tweets and Facebook posts now when you search on Google? That’s because the search giant is rolling out their new real time search features in which they have integrated tweets and public Facebook posts (so be careful what you set as public in your Facebook privacy settings).

What does that mean for business? A LOT! Guess what? Now whatever anyone posts about you just might show up when someone types in your name or a description of your product. That means you not only need to be on the defensive, monitoring what’s being said about you at all times so you can react, you also need to be on the offensive. That means a good quality Twitter account & Facebook page for your company with the right key words, consistently updated, quality content and good interaction. That ups the odds you’ll show up high in Google as well (maybe even above the person dissing you ).

A Twitter account we manage for a group of Myrtle Beach hotels recently showed up on page one of Google for the term “myrtle beach”. Do you have any idea what people pay to be there? A lot!

2) Localization

I recently read where CNN bought Outside.IN, a site that finds and reproduces local news, and sites like FourSquare.com, which is kind of like a city guide for your phone that connects you to your friends, are also becoming more popular. People want to find what’s relevant to them and a lot of time that means what’s local to them. Watch for more sites and tools to spring up that help people understand, sort and find what’s around them.

3) Geo-”stuff”

That leads me to geo “stuff” (sorry don’t know the proper words for all the geo stuff ). That’s certainly another way for people to pull in information that relates to where they are physically. Your iPhone knows where you are and offers results tailored to that location from movie times, to weather, to directions. Twitter may even add that feature, allowing businesses to “tweet” you or even text you with relevant coupons or ads for things nearby. Can you imagine walking by Starbucks and getting a coupon for $1 off your Frappucino on your phone. I’m all over that!

4) Third Party Review Sites Beyond Travel and Retail

The hospitality industry has started to live and die by sites like TripAdvisor and IGoYouGo as people weigh in on hotels and destinations and many people make their decisions based on these reviews. Retailers, like Amazon, who has really set themselves apart with their review system, are also used to this mode of operation. But now, people are reviewing stuff like their doctors, their plumbers, their hair stylists on sites like Yelp.

Watch out businesses. You’d better provide good customer service or trust me, someone will be talking about it online. Suzy not happy with her haircut? Bet she’s going to tell everyone somewhere online and the party responsible to boot. And things spread much more quickly online than they used to when co-workers chatted about it around the water cooler. Watch what’s being said about you and react when appropriate (ie offer Suzy a new “do” ).

5) Businesses “Get” Social Media

Ok, notice I said “get” not “embrace”. I don’t think we’re there yet. But here at my firm, we’re seeing a lot of people we’ve been telling about this stuff for several years finally come around and say “OK, you were right – help!” I think businesses will continue to realize that others are successfully using these tools for branding, PR and, what do you know, to actually make money! And they’ll decide they need to be there too.

Please, please, please though, don’t just farm it out to your IT person. Better your PR person, but they’re already swamped too and probably don’t have the time to do it properly. Either hire someone part time or full time to run your social media (who KNOWS what they’re doing – tough to find) or hire a firm (who KNOWS what they’re doing – also tough to find!) and let them manage it for you.

Those are my picks for the coming year.  What did I miss? What else is coming for social media? Please get in on the discussion. I want to know what I DON’T know about! Oh, and happy New Year!

Don’t Knock It Until You Try It

I’m beginning to think Twitter is something you either love, hate or just plain don’t understand. I often find myself trying to dispel the myth that it’s simply people writing about what they ate for lunch, what kind of creamer they’re using in their third cup of coffee or that they’re on their way to the kids’ soccer game. Well, yes, if that’s all Twitter was, I wouldn’t want to be part of it either.

“Twitter haters see no point in tweeting” was the headline for an Aug. 25 article in USA Today. Interestingly, the first comment in the story is from a man who has never used Twitter, but says it bugs him. Another woman quoted in the story has no interest in tweets that “share the most mundane details of life.”

Texas-based Pear Analytics, which does data analysis for marketing, studied 2,000 tweets from the public Twitter timeline over a two-week period from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Central time). The tweets went into six categories: news, spam, self-promotion, pointless babble, conversational and pass-along value.

Even though pointless babble was 40.55%, conversational tweets accounted for 37.55%. Coming in third was pass-along value at a lower 8.7%. You can read more about the study and get the firm’s white paper on its blog.

I spend a great deal of time on Twitter each day, checking out things for clients or just monitoring my own Twitter account. Yes, Twitter has its share of “turkey and cheese on rye” kind of tweets. But I gloss over those and direct my attention to people I know have something entertaining, informative or useful to share. I’ve come across plenty of good Web sites, tidbits and articles I wouldn’t have seen without Twitter. I’ve checked out products, companies, shopping deals and parenting tips all thanks to Twitter.

It’s a matter of filter. Look at who you follow. If the person is tweeting about lunch and other mundane details, it’s quite simple: don’t follow that person. And you can always unfollow someone who seemed interesting at first and later takes a nosedive into mundane.

Also, choose to follow like-minded people. If you have no interest in sports, don’t follow people who are talking about sports – to you, that’s “pointless babble.” If you don’t have children, don’t follow people who tweet about their kids or give parenting advice – to you, that’s “pointless babble.”

If you find tweeters who share your interests, opinions and hobbies, chances are you’ll find more conversations and pass-along value and less pointless babble.

OK, gotta run. I’m having ham and cheddar on wheat.

Twitter Refresher

Lyn gives the hosts of the Two Girls and a Guy Morning show a refresher course on Twitter. Listen.

Twitter to Challenge Google for Search (no, really!)

Finally, some big news about Twitter which doesn’t involve the company being bought by Google Microsoft Yahoo Apple whoever this week. Instead, at a Cnet panel last week Santosh Jayaram, Vice President, Business Operations, mentioned that Twitter will begin crawling the links in tweets, and then indexing those pages.

As Techcrunch rightly points out, this isn’t a matter of Twitter trying to beat Google at their main strength, traditional search, it is instead a brand new paradigm, with the promise of human-influenced, real-time search results.

Little is known about the details but there were comments made about weighting links based on influence (a la Google’s Page Rank system), but no word on how that would be done yet.

One thing is certain though, this finally offers Twitter the chance to prove its real worth. All those big companies sniffing around for the past few weeks weren’t doing so as a result of the buzz around Twitter (despite Oprah’s growing disinterest after an initial flurry of tweets, the number of new users continues to climb), but for the oodles of data Twitter has unprecedented access to. As with Google’s purchase of Urchin a few years ago, seeing how real people behave online is inherently valuable.

How Will It Work?

Short answer: we’ll have to wait and see. Longer answer: I’m not sure, but I’d like to see something like this. A real-time search engine,which would compliment Google rather than replace it, where real people invisibly influence the search results.

For example, a current Twitter search for ‘obama‘ has thousands upon thousands of results with dozens more each few seconds. Great if you want to know what people are saying, not so useful if you want to discover what exactly they are reacting to, as you have to wade through page after page to see all the links.

Or ‘manny ramirez‘ – you’ll see lots of comments about his drug violation, and many of them also have links. The trouble is that with URL shortening, you can see what looks like 10 different links all going to the same article.

Wouldn’t it be great to have this page split into two columns, one with comments and another with the most popular linked-to articles/websites?

Of course, it will also become subject to the scourge of the internet – spammers – but that is where the relative influence of the writer comes in.

It’s easy to forget now, but before Google search engines were filled with spam. Yes, it still appears throughout the search results now,even on Google, but nothing like it was back in 1997/8, and that is largely because of Google’s PageRank system. For a detailed mathematical explanation see here, but basically Google used links to a webpage as a way of measuring its popularity,but with the very important caveat that not all links are equal.

If I run a golf course for example, a link from PGA.com would be far more valuable than a link from your old Geocities page – PGA.com is a popular site, and in a related field. A similar thing could be done for Twitter search, a link from ESPN columnist and professional RedSox fan Bill Simmons to a Manny Ramirez article would be worth more than one from Oprah, even though she has more followers.

And of course, Twitter search wouldn’t have to be limited to websites either. As with Google’s move towards universal search, it could easily incorporate videos, mp3s, photos, and anything else that people are discussing or linking to.

Something like this could be hugely useful, if implemented correctly. Despite Google’s success, the missing piece in their search has always been a human element. In fact they incorporate the Open Directory Project listings into their search algorithm as a way of helping to inject some personal judgment.

A search engine that shows exactly what is happening around the world right now, as discussed by real people? I can’t wait!

So what do you think? Am I missing the point? Is this another potential ‘Google-killer’ that will die on the vine? Please share your thoughts or comments.

March Social Media Star: Leah England

If you own a dog, you’ll want to meet our March Social Media Star: Leah England, founder and publisher of Lowcountry Dog magazine. Leah has created a fabulous publication that serves as a great resource for anyone living in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as a dog owner.

We picked Leah, because she has recently taken the magazine’s print presence online, as well, and is quickly becoming known as the expert for all things doggies in and around Charleston. She’s on Facebook, Twittering about the latest pet events and news, blogging about the pet world and has become the go to resource. And all this is helping grow her audience both online and in print. So with that, meet Leah!

What was the first social media technology you used?
LinkedIn. Ironically, though, I use it the least now.

What is your favorite social media tool?
Twitter and Facebook are neck and neck. With MySpace in second place, and LinkedIn in third.

How have you used social media to spread the word about Lowcountry Dog (LCD) and how has it benefited?
It’s amazing how social media enables me to interact instantly with LCD readers. It’s like having a constant focus group right in my living room. I ask LCD readers for their content ideas, what issues matter most to them, what they love most about LCD and what I should do more or less of. And the best thing is, they talk to me – like a real person! Not some elusive publisher holding a charette, but someone with whom they can have an open and honest discussion.

This year I’m heavily promoting the annual LCD model contest, held at PetFest, through social media. Even though we’ve always had a good turnout, I’m really pumped to see how things go this year!

I also promote LCD advertisers when it is relevant and newsworthy. If a groomer is offering a discount, a kennel has new online reservations and Web cams, or a retail store is hosting a meet and greet for a rescue – it all gets posted! So social media is giving me another opportunity to help pet-related businesses connect with their demographic.

How much time would you say you spend a day engaging social media?
2-3 hours. Weekday only. You’ve got to set some limits.

How do you incorporate it into your day so it’s not a time waster?
I schedule my social media activity. Morning, mid-day and late afternoon. I think it’s good to space things out, not only for yourself so you can get other things done, but also so you have the chance to catch different people at different times.

What’s your best tip for using social media for business?
The conversation should flow both ways. Don’t just constantly shove yourself down your followers’ throats. Ask questions. Respond to your followers’ posts. Post truly beneficial, entertaining and useful information. Be gracious. Be authentic. If you use a lot of auto-responders and post one-sided information, people can smell it a mile away. Social media is one of those things where what you get out of it directly correlates with what you put in it.

Is there a social media tool/technique that you think is underutilized that you would like people to know about?
I’ve only been using social media for about three months, so I’m not an expert. There’s a lot I feel I don’t use enough. I’m excited to begin using Flickr as a visual social networking tool and to start a Squidoo lens for Lowcountry Dogs!

Where can people find you online?
www.lowcountrydog.com
www.lowcountrydog.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/leahengland

Skittles: Innocent Candy or Evil Spammer?

Another week, another blow up in the Twitterverse. And this time it’s all down to a small, sugary treat.

If you haven’t yet visited skittles.com, do so now. They have replaced a traditional website with a small navigation box which overlays a search for #skittles on Twitter, the Facebook Fan page, Flickr-hosted photos and a Youtube channel. The Social Web’s dream, right? Well, maybe.

I first came across it on Saturday evening and thought it was pretty cool, and more than a little daring too. Giving over complete control to the world? Huge potential for that to backfire. Still, a fun idea, and a lot more interesting than most product websites.

Well, as with so much on the internet, it didn’t take long for the backlash to begin.

• Many pointed out that the concept was kinda-sorta ‘borrowed’ (wholesale) from Modernista, an advertising agency in Boston who had done the same thing last March.
• Others complained about having to be an adult to see the site, as Tim Allick puts it, “Can’t believe that #skittles website bans KIDS! Doesn’t send them to a safe page, just tells ‘em to go away. How is this smart marketing?”. (He does have a point. It’s a kids candy after all. )
• The Wall St Journal chimed in with a round-up of comments, most of them negative.
• Joanne Jacobs wrote  a blog condemning the whole exercise as a failure – just one day after the site launch – ‘Why the Skittles social media campaign failed’: ” Skittles has failed in its social media campaign because all it has done is hold a mirror up to conversations, without providing any content of its own, any context for remotely valuable conversation, and any rationale for productive engagement.”
• A poll by PR Sarah Evans, shows that 60% of respondents wouldn’t be swayed by the new site to buy more Skittles.
• Etc, etc, and etc

Sigh. Sometimes it all seems so predictable. The constant flow of negativity. The need to show that ‘I’m not taken in by their sneaky advertising’. Jumping on the ‘this is just a rip-off’ and ‘besides, it doesn’t work anyway’-bandwagons.

Come on people! Where’s the joy? Where’s the ‘Yes, we can’-spirit we keep reading about!?

My 6 year old has recently begun spotting website addresses on things that I ignore – mcdonalds.com, orville.com, quakerkidsdoinggood.com – pretty much *everything* has a website now, and they’re all the same. A nice Flash intro. Maybe a game or something. A code you can enter to unlock the hidden area. Yawn.

At least Skittles.com didn’t do that.

So, personally, I’m sticking with my initial reaction, “It’s kind of cool”.

They may not have been first, but they were the first Big Name Brand to do it, and that’s something. It may not convince 60% of people to buy more, but that still leaves a lot that might. It has generated a ton of publicity, and got them over half a million fans on Facebook. And it’s different and interesting.

Unlike so much of the commentary around it.

February Social Media Star: Traci Bisson

February’s social media star is Traci Bisson of Bisson Barcelona, LLC, an image management, high-visibility public relations and social marketing firm, and The Mom Entrepreneur. I personally think Traci is brilliant in how she’s harnessed social media to build The Mom Entrepreneur support group, which is an online group of mom entrepreneurs who provide support, advice, etc. to one another.

Traci came up with the idea of the Mom Entrepreneur Co-op Shop, a site that offers discounts from businesses owned by moms in the group. She’s promoted it on the popular Help a Reporter Out email, via a Twitter party, traditional media relations and more, and it’s been successful for many moms in the group.

Here is our interview with Traci:

Tell us what you do:

I support mom entrepreneurs by offering tips, advice and resources for balancing motherhood and running a business. This is done through our suite of blogs, online support group, co-op shop and PR and marketing services.

How did you come up with the idea for the Mom Entrepreneur?

I searched for years to find a group that offered support for mom entrepreneurs. When I could not find anything, I eventually gave up. I started searching again in early 2008. I finally decided to create the support group and searched for mom entrepreneurs to join and network with me.
What was the first social media technology you used?

It was probably Blogger blogs. Then I tried the Wordpress blogs. Very soon after that came LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace then Twitter.

What is your favorite social media tool?

My favorite is probably Twitter, but hellotxt.com is a close second. I also really like trackable links at BUDurl.com.
How has social media benefited your business?

Social media has allowed me to connect with mom entrepreneurs all around the world. This is a target market I understand very well thanks to the connections I have been able to make. As I learned more about the industry, my PR services became very attractive to companies looking to target this influential market.
How much time would you say you spend a day engaging social media?

Too much time…it is kind of scary how addictive social media can be. You have so much information at your finger tips and endless learning opportunities. I have spent many a late night connected to my computer.
How do you incorporate it into your day?

I usually engage in social media research after hours and after the kids are in bed. You can start down one avenue and then begin exploring several at the same time. I find that it needs my undivided attention.
What’s your best tip for using social media for business?

When you have a clear understanding of who your target market is and you connect through social media and networks that reach your market, the results can be very good. Use social media to build relationships and form strong connections. Only then will you be able to sell your product and/or services to a network of people who trust you and your advice.

Is there a social media tool/technique that you think is underutilized that you would like people to know about?

Honestly, I think the concept of social media is underutilized. People are still nervous to venture into this world because it can be very overwhelming. Twitter I feel is an easy social outlet to begin with and probably underutilized. Google alerts also seems to be another great tool that should be used by all business professionals to keep tabs on themselves in the media.

Where can people find you online?

TheMomEntrepreneur.com and BissonBarcelona.com

Anything else you’d like to add?

When you decide to engage in social media, make sure you remain focused on your target market. It is easy to get excited about everything that is out there and create profiles in many different places. Do not spread yourself too thin. Pick a few social media sites that target your market, and manage and grow your network through these sites initially. Once you are more comfortable, then you can venture out to explore what else you should be connected to. Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tracibisson for other tips and suggestions.

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