James Blog

Is Social Media right for your Business?

    I just had a phone call to interview me about the use of Social Media for our business, and this got me thinking about the benefits and reasons that it makes sense to embrace Media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, blogging and other forms of media.

    After answering a couple of questions, I realised that Social Media, like this blog or the Jenlist Facebook page, actually target an audience that are interested in what you have to say or offer. That's one of the great things about inviting people to "like" your Facebook page, or follow your blog or Twitter feeds. People have a choice. If they choose to follow you then they are interested in the things you have to say or the products and services you may be offering.

It's about giving people choice. Then the challenge is to keep your followers and readers interested in the things you want to say.

How does this work in retail? I believe Facebook is a great place to start and  thousands of retailers have a unique opportunity to get their customers to follow them on Facebook. My idea is that you should have a "live" computer in store, and ask people to like you on Facebook while they are shopping in your store. You can offer an incentive, to sweeten the deal, like a free gift or a 10% discount on toady's purchase. Something simple makes sense.

Then what? Posting to Facebook is easy, and with practice you soon learn that the time to do so is relatively little. I think it is wise to keep your posts as relevant and focussed as possible.

What to Post?  Posting something like "we are open 7 Days" or Come in and browse our range" has little effect and creates no interest. Better you try and focus on a red hot special, or remind your customers that it is a $30 Million dollar Lotto night. Maybe you have just got a new product or range in and would like to share that with your customers. Being a local retailer means you can also use local events to make your posts interesting and relevant. Maybe a staff members birthday, or information about an upcoming event in the community. What about sporting results of the local Football team you sponsor?

One thing is for sure, if you think it is time to start using Social Media in your business, you're right !

The Power of Community and Social Networks

   I was recently lucky to attend the Illawarra Newsagents Association Awards event and Christmas luncheon this month.

In attendance were about 60 people representing the local newsagents in and around Wollongong, as well as industry partners.

During the day, I was chatting with Deidre from Corrimal East Newsagency. She was telling me an extraodinary story that recenlty took place.. Her husband, Allan recently had a heart attack... all good, fully recovered, but he was off work for 6 weeks.

Patrick, their son, who also works in the business does not have a driver's licence, but as they say in the movies, the show must go on, so the paper deliveries needed to be done. With no drivers licence, this created a dilemma, one that Patrick quickly found a solution to.

Patrick posted on his FaceBook page a request for a delivery driver to assist. He stated on the site that the job was demanding, early morning work, the conditions good and the pay was zero! 

Well, thanks to the power of a wonderful community and the reach or FaceBook, Patrick soon had a number of local volunteers willing to assist... all for no pay. I fact, the community got behind Patrick, Deidre and Allan in such a way, they needed to draw up a roster for the willing drivers that donated their time and effort to make sure the paper deliveries continued.

This is testament to the fact that the local newsagent is alive and well, invloved and supported by their local community.

Social Networking with Strangers

It seems that Social Networking is not just about staying in touch with your friends or family, but is turning into an effective way to meet new people without the stress of introductions. Young and old alike are starting to embrace the benefits of "breaking the ice" over a first meeting by using social networking to initiate a conversation and get to know someone prior to meeting in person.

I watched an episode of Modern Family last night where the 13 year old daughter was "dating" using SMS, and had not really had a personal conversation with the boy she liked. Taking this one step further now are many social networking Apps designed for people to use location based introductions. Known as Geolocation phone applications, these APPS use a smart phones GPS to allow users to locate and meet strangers (new friends) based on their local vicinity.

There are a number of APPS designed for meeting people. Some of the APPS are targeted at specific groups of people, while others cover a broader spectrum. Some of the more popular APPS are Blendr, Grindr, Roamz and FourSquare.

Why are such APPS finding a strong following, when there is an inherent risk associated with people misrepresenting themselves? It seems people are willing to take that risk to find friends in a society that is busier, time poor and believe it or not, somewhat less sociable.

It may all seem a little strange to most of us over the age of say 23, but the younger generation see nothing wrong with using their smart phones and social networking to form friendships and relationships. I guess the Smart Phone APPS are simply and extension of internet dating sites, but with a more immediate result based on location. After all, they can find one and other on a Smart Phone APP, then meet in person almost immediately and make decisions about how to take the friendship from there. It's a bit like 'speed dating" in just about any social location or environment.

Not for me, but if that's the way society is heading, then it is not all that bad.