As a Social Media Consultant, it is my job to help my clients understand the ins and outs of social media, the trends and the guide on how to use it effectively. Unlike most social media strategists, I do not believe that every business, association or non profit needs to be on all the social media channels. My main job is to help clients understand the differences between the characteristics of the different social media outlets and identifying which one is the best for them. Once hired, I also help clients identify if social media really is the right avenue for them.

Here is my checklist for why you shouldn’t be on social media:

1. You think Social Media should replace your marketing efforts.
2. You don’t believe in Social Media and still think it’s a FAD.
3. You don’t know what you’re social media strategy is.
4. You don’t know your online audience.
5. You are afraid of what people might say about your company and you would rather not know.
6. You are only interested in a one way communication channel.
7. You are looking for overnight results.
8. You are afraid of change and not willing to adapt to changes in social media channels.
9. You think that like a website, your social media presence can be static.
10. You are not willing to promote others via social media.

If you any one of the points outlined above describe you and your organization, re-evaluate why you’re using social media channels. Always have a strategy and know your audience before you portray your business on any social media site.

Need help identifying your strategy? Contact a Social Media strategist like yours truly by emailing info@lumenica.com or using our booking calendar below to book a session!

- Lumenica - illuminate your web presence !

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The good:

1. No commute: rush hour traffic, spending my life of I 495 and the toll road bye bye

2. Saving money on gas: I can’t believe this but I actually don’t have to get the tank full every week-what a concept.

3. Dress Code-casual: No more wearing the power suit spending half an hour infront of the mirror and wearing painful heels. Ouch!

4. Networking here I come: I can actually go to networking events refreshed and since I have more flexibility I can go to the breakfasts, power lunches and evening networking events.

The bad:

1. The wall and me: One of the things that have been the greatest challenge is my brain storming sessions, over the past few months my wall and I have had several brainstorming sessions, arguments and discussions.  There is a plus side to this-I always win the argument.

2. Distractions: There will always be a neighbor’s kid that’s crying too loud or a trash truck begging you for attention when all you want is some peace and quiet

3. The kitchen calls: whether it’s the dishes in the sink or the junk food you’ve hidden, somehow they all have a voice and call out to you while you work

4.  we are open 24/7: one of the worst things about working from home is that you forget to close shop.  You tend to work during the day, during dinner, while entertaining guests and sometimes in your sleep.

The Lessons Learnt:

Lesson 1: Wake up on time

Lesson 2: Get out of the PJs and into work clothes

Lesson 3: Hide the cookies

Lesson 4: Stick to a routine

Lesson 5: Choose a room that you use for work only

Lesson 6: close the door when you work and let everyone else in the house know a closed door means a closed door

Lesson 7: Learn to close business

Lesson 8: Learn to take breaks, if you work non-stop you will get unproductive

Lesson 9: Do not take any personal calls while working on business, unless they’re important

Lesson 10: Have a good support system – friends, family, mentors, other business owners, a good lawyer, a good accountant and anyone and everyone who can offer value to you and your business.  Keep them close!

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As a business consultant one of the most common things I urge businesses to do is to get feedback, know your customer, ask questions.  During a recent meeting, a client asked me to provide a list of common poll/survey applications that can be utilized.

Here is a list of the different tools I have tried out, got any others, add them to the list:

1  Linkedin Polls: I have personally used Linkedin polls and have found it easy to use and simple.  Easy to create.  Can be shared with with your network or selected professionals.  View real time results.  Get external link that can be distributed to anyone.

2  Poll Code: Free. You can customize with colors and fonts.  Quick post option for Myspace, Facebook and Wordpress.

3 FreeOnlineSurveys.com: Create email or web based surveys.  Free.  You can create upto 20 questions.  Data Analysis feature available.  You can insert videos from youtube or google video within survey.

4  Poll Daddy: Free. Real Time reporting. Embed pictures or html within poll/survey.  International language support.  Export data as XML, CSV, and receive results via email or RSS.  Works with blogger, TypePad, Wordpress etc.

5  Facebook Poll: I haven’t had any problems but I have heard some complaints.  Free. Application is easy to add.  Can be added to personal profile or business pages.  Allows you to add HTML tags to the polls.

6  Survey Monkey: Free version is quite powerful. Powerful designs available.  Different lay out options, Send automated responses to those who haven’t responded or left the survey incomplete.  Powerful reporting tool.  Highly recommend it for the analytic tools alone.

7  Constant Contact: Free 60 day trial.  Gives sample questions.  Survey wizard is quite powerful.  Customize poll with colors and your logo.  Can be embedded within website or blog.  Create custom invitation.  Send auto-reminders.  Analyze invitations and results.

8  Ace Polls: Free.  Can be added to website, blog, myspace, wordpress, email link etc.  Simple and easy to use.

9  Google Forms: Google Forms is a great way to collect information, I have utlized the online based system to gather information from clients or getting feedback specific to a client.  You can create a private poll or a public one and publish it on the web.  For more information about Google Forms and other Google Docs, read my post 10 ways to use Google Docs for Small Business.

10  Twt Poll: Another online based poll, great for social media usage.  You do need to have a twitter account to use the product.  Ability to customize the look and feel of the poll. To see more features, click here to see video.

Got any other suggestions? Email me at rabiyaj@lumenica.com or post a comment below.

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Scenario:

Pro: You feel like a smart business owner who just saved a few bucks

Con: You will most probably be stuck with a static website that you can’t update and possibly a useless worthless website.

So, how do you protect yourself?

No matter who is making the website for you, always always always ask for a contract, yes even your neighbor’s kid or friend.  This contract should write everything in detail and should include the following:

• Start of the contract- yes this is important, you want the web developer to meet your deadline, if any, to start creating the website
• Samples- prior to the website development, you should specify how many mock ups you would like to see of the website.
• The termination of contract policy- We never want to think that things can get nasty with anyone we are dealing with, but to save ourselves we should keep the termination policy in mind
• Communication clause- how will everything be communicated, will there be a form used, who will be your account manager, how soon can you expect a response?
• How will you be billed for website development and maintenance- will it be hourly, will be rounded up to the minute or hour, how often will you have to pay? All of these questions need to be answered in the contract. Make sure you understand the different billable things- website hosting, website development, domain name purchase, website maintenance
• Who will have the rights to the content- yes it is important to clarify this.
• Who will have the rights to the domain name – make sure you have those rights, life happens, you don’t want your web developer to be the only one with this vital information.
• What will happen if the company liquidates- yours and theirs, it is important to specify this in the contract
• What will the website designer create- make sure everything is listed
• What will the website designer not do- it’s important to clarify this beforehand to avoid frustrations in the future
• Make sure you have the capability of editing the website yourself.  Ask for a user manual, ask for access. You need to be in control
• Make sure there is a way to analyze the website – google analytics and other free services are out there, for FREE. Utilize them!

Having a good relationship with your web developer is important, being clear in communication is vital, being patient and offering as much information as you can helps web developers create a website to your liking. A smart business owner wants a good, easy to maintain website that they have control over and smart business owners have a thoroughly written contracts with their web developers to save their behind.

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