Laser Burn Media

Posts Tagged ‘laser burn media’

Social Media: No Longer Optional

Friday, August 6th, 2010

It used to be that the Internet was used primarily to look up information. That’s changing. Today, an increasing number of people are using the Internet to connect with people. The Internet is no longer slow and accessible only through big, clunky computers. Today, the Internet is fast and accessible through any number of highly portable devices. People carry the Internet with them and it allows them to instantly connect with other people through a large number of social media platforms. The Internet is increasingly becoming more social.

Consider the following:

So why should you, as a business owner or marketer, care about all of this? Because it shows that people are increasingly integrating the Internet into their lives. They are now tapping their social networks for everything, from helping with purchasing decisions to finding a date for Saturday night, and everything in between. Businesses that can find a way to integrate themselves into their target audience’s social networks have a huge competitive advantage over those that do not. Inc.com recently ran an article spotlighting the importance of social media as a business tool. To quote directly from the article (full version can be found HERE)…

“When so many people are turning to the Internet to find soul mates, you can rest assured they are looking online for everything else – from their next pair of Oakleys to a new optometrist – and if you are a business seeking customers, you are well-advised to look online, too. You’ve heard it before: Social media is no longer an option; it’s a necessity.”

A business that doesn’t use Social Media to spread it’s message is wasting a huge opportunity. People are figuring out what to buy, where to hang out, and which service to try by tapping into their Social Media networks. So why are you still spending money on placing ads on TV, on billboards, and on the radio? By participating in Social Media, your business or brand has an opportunity to interact with current and potential customers. You can provide value to them by providing information when they’re looking for it, where they’re looking for it. You can gather their thoughts on your product, your competitors, and hear their concerns. You can then adjust and respond. Social Media allows to build meaningful, valuable relationships with your target audience where they are, where ever they are. No matter how big you make it, a billboard or newspaper ad can not do that.

Social Media isn’t some flashy new fad. It represents a shift in the way people gather information and interact with each other. Businesses who adapt themselves to become more social are going to have a huge advantage over the ones who choose to ignore the trend. As people increasingly use Social Media to help with purchasing decisions, the effectiveness of traditional media (print, television, radio) is going to decrease. Additionally, as fewer and fewer advertisers turn to traditional media to help share their message, these media companies will have to increase their prices for advertising just to remain profitable. So advertisers using traditional media will be spending more and getting less. Your customers and your competitors are embracing social media. Are you?

-Dan Cheek
LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467

Tags: laser burn media, Online Marketing, social media, traditional media
Posted in Social Media in Society | No Comments »

Why We Chose to Use Tumblr

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

If you’re reading this, you already know that we have a blog. We’ve incorporated our blog into this site, which also serves as our main website. Considering this, it may seem a bit confusing to some as to why, as of two days ago, we have also set up a Tumblr account for Laser Burn Media. We decided to do this for a couple of reasons, which I’ll share with you now.

First, let me briefly explain what Tumblr is, as there are still many people who aren’t all that familiar with it. Tumblr is a free blogging platform that is designed to allow users to quickly post almost anything, links, photos, video, and even full blown blog posts, from almost anywhere. While not nearly as functional as WordPress (which powers this website), Tumblr isn’t meant to be. It’s essentially an online notebook that is great for quickly and easily sharing whatever you want to share and it can be done quickly and with very few key strokes. But that’s just my definition. Here’s how Tumblr describes themselves…

“Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything. Post text, photos, quotes, links, music, and videos, from your browser, phone, desktop, email, or wherever you happen to be. You can customize everything, from colors, to your theme’s HTML.”

Right, so now that we all know what Tumblr is, let me now explain why we decided that in addition to this blog, Laser Burn Media also could benefit from a Tumblr blog. For starters, we really love the idea of being able to shoot out quick Tumblr posts from anywhere, even from our cellphones. This has a lot of benefits to both us and our clients. It can serve as a virtual notebook and scrapbook. If, while out and about, we see something interesting or suddenly get hit with an interesting idea, we can quickly shoot it to Tumblr. Our Tumblr account then feeds that post with our Twitter account, automatically. The ability to rapidly and easily share almost any type of information from anywhere has too many obvious benefits to ignore. And, as our Tumblr is our “notebook”, it’s quite possible that a short Tumblr post will turn into a full blown, fully fleshed out post on this blog.

Tumblr also allows us to interact with an entire community that we might not otherwise have contact with. In addition to being a blogging platform, Tumblr is also a social networking site. Users can interact with each other, follow fellow Tumblr blogs, and participate in a diverse community of online enthusiasts. As a business, having access to this community is something that is hugely valuable to us. We hope that our Tumblr blog will allow us to build our brand recognition, help us generate leads, and allow us to share industry information with other social media professionals. Simply put, Tumblr represents a community of users that we would be foolish to ignore.

Finally, there are real SEO (search engine optimization) benefits to having multiple sites all pointing to each other. When determining where your site will show up in a search results (ie #3 on page 1 of the results or #7 on page 72716), Google places a high value on the number of other, quality sites linking to your site. Google is also placing an increasingly higher value on links coming from social networking sites, as well. So having a Tumblr blog will potentially help us in both of those areas. Having multiple sites (this one, our Tumblr blog, our Twitter profile, and our Facebook page) creates a large “net” across the internet and since all the sites link to each other, it can help us drive traffic to the sites, build the ever-valuable back links, and potentially increase our relationship with our audience. The more people we interact with, the more likely we are to earn links to our sites, and the better our sites will then perform in search results. Or so the theory goes, anyway.

Tumblr is, by itself, a very powerful and incredibly useful social media and blogging platform. We believe that by combining that versatility, and the large community of users associated with it, with our other web properties will pay large dividends for our company. Additionally, by using both a full blown publishing platform (WordPress) and the quick and nimble Tumblr platform, we can create a deeper level of engagement with our audience, providing them with a wide range of content and have the ability to do so from almost anywhere. Tumblr adds an exciting and powerful tool to our toolbox that will allow us to do our job better. Considering all of this, setting up a Tumblr blog was something we couldn’t pass up.

If your business or brand would like help with increasing your presence on the web, providing you with a way to build and leverge powerful relationships with your target markets, please consider enlisting the services of Laser Burn Media. Our professionals will work with you to develop a custom solution to your online and social marketing needs. We specialize in working with small and medium sized businesses and can work with almost any budget. Best of all, we’ll sit down with you, answer all of your questions and address all of your concerns before we accept a dime from you. What do you have to lose?

-Dan Cheek
LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467

Tags: blog, laser burn media, seo, social media, tumblr, wordpress
Posted in Blogs and Blogging, Social Marketing Strategy | No Comments »

The Old Spice Online Marketing Campaign

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

I can honestly can say that “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” Old Spice commercials (created by the Wieden + Kennedy Ad Agency) are currently my favorite ads running on television. The ads are funny, visually impressive, and very memorable. Additionally, unlike other mens’ body spray commercials, they appeal to both men and women. Men find them funny, in the same league with some of the Budweiser commercials. And women like them because, well, the Old Spice guy is about as studly and awesome as humanly possible. So not only do a lot of men want to get the body spray, but women also want their men to use the spray. All in all, the Old Spice marketing campaign is brilliant.

But as successful as the television spots are, the social media campaign (also the brainchild of Wieden +Kennedy) that Old Spice has in place in even more impressive. The campaign revolves around a series of YouTube videos and is supported by Twitter and Facebook profiles. In addition to featuring all of the Old Spice television spots, the YouTube profile also has several dozen (over 100) short video responses, from the “Old Spice Guy”, answering questions submitted by real people. The Twitter profile is used primarily to interact with other Twitter users, again using the “Old Spice Guy” persona. Rounding out the campaign is the Facebook fan page, which features many of the YouTube videos and allows fans of the page to post questions to the Old Spice Guy. Old Spice links to all three social media profiles from its homepage, creating a seamless experience for its audience.

All of these efforts have resulted in the campaign going viral. For a time, “Old Spice” was a trending topic on Twitter. The YouTube spots have been viewed over ten million times so far and that number jumps up by a lot each day. Both the Twitter and Facebook profiles are also extremely popular. The Twitter account now has over 86,000 followers and the Facebook profile boasts over 650,000 fans. The Old Spice Guy (played by Isaiah Mustafa) has become a celebrity of sorts. The Internet is full of fan pages dedicated to him and a quick search through Twitter shows dozens of women sending him marriage proposals on a daily basis. Old Spice, once considered a product used primarily by old men, now has a young, sexy, and very hip personality. The brand is now more popular than ever, thanks in large part to the success of the Old Spice Guy.

So what can be learned from all of this? The first lesson is, obviously, that a well executed social media campaign can pay huge dividends. As a result of this campaign, Old Spice has moved from consumer product to pop-culture phenomenon. With the Old Spice Guy now a darling of both traditional and social media, the marketing potential for the brand is virtually unlimited. Another lesson is that marketers and brands can achieve powerful results when they implement a campaign that interacts with the target market, rather than simply spamming them with forgettable ads. Old Spice is well on its way to building and fostering a community around its brand. That provides a huge competitive advantage. Consumers are much less likely to switch brands or try a competitor when they have a relationship with a products. For proof of this, look no further than the Apple user community.

The Old Spice online marketing campaign, while not providing a direct boost to sales, has been incredibly successful at increasing brand awareness and has helped foster a growing community of consumers around the brand. If the company can exploit this success, they can achieve a sustainable market advantage over their competition, which is fierce. A properly planned and executed social marketing campaign can pay huge returns on investment. If your company or brand would like help in implementing a successful online marketing campaign, please take the time to consider enlisting the help of Laser Burn Media. Our online and social media professionals can help you reach and surpass your goals. All you have to do is ask.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467

Tags: laser burn media, old spice, Online Marketing, social media
Posted in Online Marketing, Social Marketing Strategy | No Comments »

Your Business is Already Online, Act Accordingly

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

When I meet with potential clients, one of their biggest concerns tends to be, “I’m not sure if my business is ready to go online.” I usually respond by telling them that, like it or not, their business is already online. If the business is open to the public, chances are it’s been added to FourSquare. People are also probably talking about the business on Twitter and Facebook. Additionally, let’s not forget about all the online consumer review sites. Your business is already online, I tell them, it’s time to start acting accordingly.

Social media and the Internet are increasingly playing a bigger and bigger part of our everyday lives. With the advent of smart phones, iPods, iPads, netbooks, and other highly portable, Internet capable devices, our society is more connected than ever before at any point in human history. This means that your customers, and potential customers, have access to more information to help make their purchase decisions. They can get recommendations from friends, product reviews, and compare the competition offerings and pricing all within a few minutes. This is the type of market your business is operating in.

So, with this in mind, how should your business respond? Simple: Embrace it. Embrace the fact that you are competing in a highly connected, highly social, highly digitized market place. Understand that a large portion of your customers probably use social media on a daily, possibly even hourly, basis. Get excited about the fact that if you provide outstanding customer service to one customer, that one customer has the potential to tell hundreds of her friends about how awesome your service is. Respect the fact that if you provide lousy service to even one of your customers, she will express her displeasure across her online social network and that news will travel at a speed that you can’t keep up with. And, most importantly, get excited about the amazing opportunities that your business has everyday as a result of all of this.

And just to drive the point home as to why embracing online and social media is so important, consider the following….

There are, literally, hundreds of thousands of other examples detailing how businesses are using social media to build sustainable competitive advantages, strengthen relationships with customers, suppliers, and vendors, and make their business more profitable. There is absolutely no reason why your business can’t be doing the exact same thing. Your customers are online, right now, talking about you. Your competitors are online, right now, doing their best to steal away your customers and market share. Your business is already online, it’s time to act accordingly.

The social marketing experts at Laser Burn Media, LLC are here to help. We can work with you to put the power of online and social media to work for you. We can work with any budget and can design a custom marketing solution for your business. And, as always, we will sit down and explain everything to you, answer all of your questions, and address any of your concerns before we accept one penny from you. We would be honored to be given the chance to earn your business and your trust.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467

Tags: business, laser burn media, online, social media
Posted in Online Marketing, Social Marketing Strategy | No Comments »

What is FourSquare?

Friday, June 25th, 2010

By now, many people have heard of and use FourSquare on a regular basis. However, unlike Facebook and Twitter, FourSquare hasn’t yet become a mainstream social media platform that is used by seemingly everyone. And there are still many people and businesses who have never heard of FourSquare and have no idea what it is, how it works, or the benefits that it offers. For those of you who don’t know what FourSquare is or how it can be used to help your business, read on.

So what is FourSquare? For the official explanation of FourSquare, I’ll quote directly from the FourSquare website….

“People use foursquare to “check-in”, which is a way of telling us your whereabouts. When you check-in someplace, we’ll tell your friends where they can find you and recommend places to go & things to do nearby. People check-in at all kind of places – cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices.

You’ll find that as your friends use foursquare to check-in, you’ll start learning more about the places they frequent. Not only is it a great way to meet up with nearby friends, but you’ll also start to learn about their favorite spots and the new places they discover.

Think of foursquare as an “urban mix tape.” We’ll help you make lists of your favorite things to do and let you share them with friends. Think beyond your standard review – we’re looking less for “The food here is top notch” and more for “Go to Dumont Burger and try the most amazing Mac and Cheese ever.” Foursquare will keep track of the things you’ve done, help you create To-Do lists and even suggest new experiences to seek out.

As you check-in around the city, you’ll start finding tips that other users have left behind. After checking-in at a restaurant, it’s not uncommon to unlock a tip suggesting the best thing on the menu. Checking-in at a bar will often offer advice on what your next stop should be. Every tip you create is discoverable by other users just by checking-in.”

In addition to this, there is also a few other features of FourSquare that add to the fun for users. The person who checks in to a particular place the most becomes the “mayor” of that spot. If someone else comes along and checks in more times than the current mayor, that new person then becomes the mayor, ousting the exiting mayor. This aspect of FourSquare encourages friendly competition amongst users. Additionally, users can unlock “badges” by checking in at different locations. For example, someone who checks into four or more bars in one night unlocks the “Crunked Badge”. And someone else who checks into the same place three times in one week unlocks the “Local” badge. In addition to alerting the users’ FourSquare friends about these accomplishments, FourSquare can also send out these announcements via Twitter and Facebook.

The potential for business owners using FourSquare is huge, as you can probably imagine. Many businesses, such as Starbucks, encourage their customers to use the service and award prizes (free coffee, free drinks, discounts, etc) to the current mayor of their location. Additionally, FourSquare also allows business owners to track who’s visiting their location, when, and how often. And since FourSquare allows users to make recommendations and leave “tips” for other users on where to go, businesses who embrace FourSquare stand to have a huge competitive advantage over those that do not.

If you own a bar, restaurant, hotel, or store of any kind, there’s a good chance that your business is already listed on FourSquare. Users can add locations simply by using their GPS enabled phone (Blackberry, iPhone, Droid, Palm, etc) and once the location has been added, anyone can check in, leave recommendations, and tips for other FourSquare users. And it’s also important to keep in mind that this information isn’t just being shared across FourSquare. Users can share this information with all of their Facebook and Twitter friends, as well. This means that every time someone checks into your business, that information is shared with potentially hundreds of other people.

So, as you can see, FourSquare has all sorts of benefits for business owners and provides a simple an powerful way for owners to increase awareness of their services and products, increase customer loyalty, and provide others with an easy way to recommend your business to all of their friends. So what are you waiting for? If you’d like help using FourSquare and other social media platforms to strengthen and grow your business, the experts at Laser Burn Media can help. We would be more than happy to work with your business to help you build a lasting competitive advantage and build stronger, more profitable relationships with your customers. All for now.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467

Tags: foursquare, laser burn media, social media
Posted in Social Marketing Strategy, Social Media in Society | No Comments »

Should Your Business Be Blogging?

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Today, most businesses understand that having an online presence is more of a necessity than a luxury. However, what’s less clear is exactly what type of online presence is the right way to go. Obviously, this depends heavily on the individual business, the competitive environment, and the online goals of the company. For some businesses, a blog is a great way to attract and engage an audience. And while a blog does take time and effort to establish and maintain, the benefits of a great blog often more than make up for the extra effort.

S0 why does blogging work so well for so many businesses? For many reasons, really. For starters, it’s a very easy way to engage with your target audience. With a blog, you can take direct control over your message and speak to your customers in your own voice. You can speak to them about things that you know they find important, the benefits of your product or service, announce upcoming events or specials, and build a unique and recognizable online identity. Additionally, you audience can interact with you via your blog. Readers can respond to what you write. They can ask questions, add commentary, provide their own opinions on the topic, and raise concerns that they might have with your business or your brand. Readers can also interact with each other, via comments. All of this combined is a great and highly effective way to develop a community around your brand and provides a way to better understand the people who are interested in your business.

Blogging is also a great way to build a reputation as an expert in your industry or profession. Well written blog posts that answer common customer questions, provide commentary on topical issues, and offer professional advice have the effect of establishing your brand as a trusted source of information. As an example, Whole Foods runs a very popular blog, known as the Whole Story. The company uses the blog to provide healthy recipes, highlight exclusive products offered at its stores, promote contests, and highlight in-store specials. The blog helps build Whole Food’s reputation as a socially responsible company with a focus on local, healthy foods. And if people trust Whole Foods enough to get recipes for Father’s Day, they probably also trust them enough to shop their stores, as well.

A blog is also a great way for your company to help potential clients in their search for information about products and service. Increasingly, people use the Internet to research products and brands that they’re interested in. Before buying a new car or a big-screen television, it’s commonplace for consumers to take to the web to gather information such as technical specifications, user reviews, price comparison, etc. Recognizing that potential clients use the Internet to seek out answers to their questions, The Michael F. Roe Law Firm has set up a blog, The Illinois Divorce Lawyer Blog, that provides information about divorce law. Obviously, someone going through the often unpleasant experience of a divorce is going to have lots of questions. By using a blog to answer common questions and provide insight and clarity into the process, the law firm establishes itself as a resource for potential clients. This has the effect of building the firms reputation, establishing it as an expert in the field, and providing a seamless way for consumers to transition from the pre-purchase phase into the purchasing phase of shopping.

So, as you can see from just those two examples, blogging for business is a great way to establish an online identity. Yes, it does require work to establish the blog and to write good content and deliver it on a consistent basis. However, as I’ve discussed, the benefits to such effort are often times well worth it. And if your company wants to get into blogging but doesn’t know where to start, the online experts at Laser Burn Media would be happy to help. We can answer your questions, help you establish a blog, and even help you publish your content. We can help deliver affordable and highly-effective blog solutions for your business.

All for now.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467

Tags: blog for business, blogging, laser burn media
Posted in Blogs and Blogging, Social Marketing Strategy | No Comments »

Word of Mouth Marketing is Social Marketing

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Guess what? Every day, people are talking about your business. That’s probably not news to you and you don’t need to read a blog post to figure that out. However, in my experience in working with small business owners, I find that while many of them are aware that these conversations are taking place, very few are actually participating in them. Why not? For many businesses, word of mouth marketing is the primary means of generating business. So, quite literally, the success of these businesses rise and fall with the conversations that people have about them every day.

Many business owners, when I first meet with them, will tell me that they don’t market their businesses. They’ll tell me that their business is fueled by referrals and word of mouth. I usually respond by informing them that, guess what, word of mouth marketing is still marketing. If someone tells their buddy to go shop at your store or to buy tour product or service, your business has just been marketed. And I usually then add that, if word of mouth marketing and referrals are so important to your business, doesn’t it make sense to perhaps want to take a more active role in the processes. If these conversations about your business are going to take place anyway, why not join in on them. Because, hey, who knows more about what you do than you?

Business owners will sometimes shoot back at me with, “So, what, I’m supposed to follow my customers around and wait for them to talk about my business and the butt in?” No, I tell them. You should probably not do that. However, are people talking about your business online? How many times in the past week has your business been mentioned on Twitter? How many times today has someone used FourSquare to “check in” to your business? What are people saying about your business on Facebook? If I Google your business, where will it show up in the search results? What kind of reviews are people leaving about your business online?

With today’s technology, people are constantly connected to their peer groups. Many people can access their Facebook account, Twitter account, FourSquare, and Google right from their phones. I’ve worked in retail. I’ve seen people consult their cellphones before deciding on a purchase. It happens. And,guess what, instead of just standing around watching it happen, you can be a part of the processes. You can answer questions, put customers in touch with one another, make recommendations. You can also ask you customers questions, get their feedback, and give them the opportunity to participate in a community of like-minded people. How powerful is that? What if you did that everyday for a week. How much more competitive, more dynamic, and more awesome would your business be?

If you would like to start participating in these conversations, in engaging with your customers and potential customers, we can help you. Laser Burn Media can help your business get to that level of success. Working with your budget and online marketing goals, we can customize a solution for your business. We work with businesses of all sizes and across many different industries. We will meet with you, answer your questions, and before we accept a penny, will make sure that we have a plan in place that you’re comfortable with, one that makes sense to you, and one that will help achieve your specific marketing goals. And then, maybe after we help you with all of that, you can give us a good recommendation. Because, hey, we use word of mouth marketing, too.

All for now.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
570-795-9467

Tags: laser burn media, Online Marketing, word of mouth
Posted in Online Marketing, Social Marketing Strategy | No Comments »

Is Your Business Social Media Ready?

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

You may be considering getting your business involved with social media. But is your business ready to be involved with social media? I ask this because in my experience, many business owners are very quick and eager to rush into social media before they are ready. This results is wasted time, wasted money, and wasted effort. While social media can be used to help strengthen almost any organization, success at this relies heavily on planning and preparation.

It’s very easy to create a Twitter account or to setup a Facebook page. However, what’s the next step? Jumping onto a social media platform without a plan is the equivalent of walking on stage without knowing what you’re going to say or talk about. This is not the best of ideas, obviously. You organization needs to have a clear and well thought out social media strategy in place before you request someone to be your fan or your follower. You need to understand what you’re going to say, who you’re going to say it too, and what your expectations and goals are for the social media campaign. The more planning and research you put into your social media campaign before you launch it, the better.

Here are some questions that you should ask yourself before your organization goes live with social media…

Why do I want to get involved with social media?
What are my tactical (1 year or less) and strategic (longer than a year) goals for this campaign?
Which social media platform(s) will allow me to communicate the best with my target audience?
How will I know if this campaign is working?
How much will this cost? (both in terms of time and money)
How will this social media campaign add value to my organization and to my customers?
Are my competitors using social media? And, if so, what strategy are they using?

These are just a few of the questions that you should ask, and answer, before you pull the trigger. If you can’t answer these questions, your organization is not ready to launch a social media campaign. It’s really that simple. It’s also entirely possible that after answering these questions, you may decide that social media isn’t something your organization needs right now. Just because other businesses, maybe even businesses that compete against yours, are using social media, it doesn’t mean that you have to. But unless you take the time to consider a social media campaign, and all that it involves, you won’t know for sure.

When I was in the Army, the mantra of “An ounce of sweat in training saves a gallon of blood in war” was drilled into my thought process. This same mantra can be used to help your organization get the most out of social media. Take the time to properly plan out your strategy. Consider your options and your alternatives. Understand what social media can, and can not, do for your business. If you do this, your chances of launching a successful social media campaign are much higher.

If your organization would like help with planning and/or executing a successful social media strategy, please consider enlisting the professionals at Laser Burn Media to assist you. We can work with almost any budget and organization and we would be honored to serve you. Please don’t hesitate to CONTACT US for more information.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com

Tags: dan cheek, laser burn media, Online Marketing, social media
Posted in Social Marketing Strategy | No Comments »

5 Ways Social Media Can Hurt Your Business

Monday, May 10th, 2010

As the co-founder and president of a social marketing firm, I probably should avoid writing blog titles like this. However, I’m going to do it anyway. Why? Because I think it’s an important side of social media that you may not hear much about. Especially from social media professionals. The truth is that social media is a very powerful thing and it can bite you if you don’t treat it with respect. Here are five ways that social media can hurt your business.

You ignore it. This is probably a bad idea. Contrary to what many business owners believe, just because you don’t set up an account on Twitter or Facebook doesn’t mean that your business isn’t on Twitter or Facebook. Or 4square. Or Myspace. Or on someone’s blog. Business journals are chock-full of articles detailing how this company or that company got blindsided by social media. Ask the people at Domino’s Pizza what happens when two idiot employees decide to post a video on YouTube. Ask them about the hellstorm that was ignited by social media and how they had to scramble to respond. If you ignore social media, be prepared to pay dearly.
You’re here, your customers are there. It doesn’t help you to have an account on a social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.), regardless of how popular that particular platform may be, if your customers aren’t using it. Not everyone has a Facebook account. Not everyone has a MySpace account. Some people have both, some have neither. The point is, if your trying to engage your customers in a sandbox that they don’t play in, you’re wasting your time and, worse, making your brand and your business look foolish and out of touch. Don’t do this.
You abuse it. Want a sure fire way to piss people off and ruin relationships? Send someone some spam. Your friends, fans, and followers are not a captive audience. If you engage in mindless self-promotion or employ spam-like tactics, you will lose people. People will stop caring about what you say and you will be ignored. You will then have to work very, very hard and spend lots and lots of money to undue the damage. Social media is kind of like a powerful pain medication. It can do wonders if used properly. And if you abuse it, it can kill you.
You suck at it. It’s very easy to set up an account on Facebook. It’s also not all that difficult to successfully use it to interact with and add value to your target audience. If you know what you’re doing. However, if you set up a blog and it sucks, be prepared for the consequences. At best, people will just think that you suck at blogging. At the worst, people will think that the quality of your blog or your tweets are indicative of your company in general. “Maybe if his tweets are this horrible, his pizza also sucks.” Some people, potentially many people, will think this.
You say what you’re thinking. This could be a good thing. Or, alternatively, it could be a very, very bad thing. Everything that you put out across social media is probably read by someone. Say the wrong thing to the right person (or persons) and you could very easily have a full blown mess on your hands. This sounds like common sense, but from my experience in working with businesses and individuals, I can assure you that it’s not. Often times, you don’t know you’ve said the wrong thing until after you see the reaction. Be very, very careful with your message and how/where/when/to whom you broadcast it.

Okay, so now you’ve all stopped reading and are frantically deleting your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Before you do this, however, try and take a few deep breaths. Yes, social media can, potentially, be very harmful to your business or your brand. But only if you put yourself in a position for it to harm you. Used intelligently, social media can take your business to levels it would be otherwise unable to reach. The difference between very good and very bad thing happening can be managed (though not always controlled) by you and the decisions you make about how to implement your social media strategy (or lack thereof).

Many businesses can, and do, use social media every day and they are very successful at it. If you understand social media and have a plan to implement it into your sales and marketing efforts, awesome. However, if you aren’t quite there yet and would like help, please consider allowing us to get your business to where it needs to be. Laser Burn Media has experience working with small and medium sized businesses and we can partner with you to use social media to grow and strengthen your brand. If you need help, just ask.

All for now.

-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com

Tags: dan cheek, laser burn media, Online Marketing, social marketing, social media
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