Social Media for Business

Mar 05

What I Learned from Maxine Clarks

Sharing new concepts learned at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration – Part 2

Maxine Clark and AnaRC

I was impressed by Maxine as a woman, a business owner, a social media example to follow and more. Let me go straight to the point and share with you all I learned from the CEO of Build-a-Bear Workshop:

Follow your passion. Maxine lost her Teddy Bear at the age of 10 and she was proud to announce that she’s found that bear millions of times. This is equivalent to the number of teddy bears sold at the Build-a-Bear Workshop since the day she started the company.

How many of us can make a business out of a need? a passion? a lost Teddy?

picture credit to buildabear.com

Those of in Social Media can learn so much from this lesson. Is our passion clear to our audience? Are we adding value? Are we fulfilling a need? Is our blog/business only focused on me, myself and I? Transcending from the “me” approach to the “client center” approach is the real secret of turning one’s passion into a business.

Make a business plan. The passion was the source of Maxine’s inspiration but her pragmatic approach was what made it happen. She had over 15 years of experience in the retail business and a very elaborate business plan before she started her company. She had also saved some money and done a fare amount of research.

I personally loved this. So many of us in social media are sold the “get rich fast scheme” we have an unrealistic Silicon Valley dream that success will come by magic when we least expect it and we’ll be BRF (beautiful, rich and famous) forever and ever Amen. Yeah right! there’s actually more possibilities that you’ll win the lotto than for that to happen.

So stop buying those “Make money while you dream” ebooks and follow Maxine’s advice: “buy a Business Plan software” It is a tedious exercise but trust me, once you have it ready (or at least started) you’ll have the most liberating feeling you can imagine.

Focus on your employees. Train for top customer experience! One of the moms noted how stellar was the customer service at the BuildaBear Workshop. They are always willing to help and make your child feel the center of the store. Maxine answered with her recruiting strategy. The core competency she looks for in candidates is that of “caring” if they genuinely care, the rest can be done with training. Then the competency development is customer centered. All about their experience and how to make it even better the next time.

Do you make your customer feel that he/she is the only one you have at the moment? Do you take more than you can handle for the sake of money or ego (or to make sure the competition won’t take it) and then under-deliver? Have you given careful thought about the core competencies your business needs? Do you train and empower your staff or do you compete with them?

Give back. As a social entrepreneur, this was my favorite part. Maxine actually gave before she even made profit. Giving back has been part of her business model and culture from the get go. Maxine and her husband just opened up a health center “Casa de la Salud” to improve the health conditions of Hispanic families in her area. You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear that.

Do you give back to your community? Do you share your assets? Remember that they don’t need to be money. It can be knowledge, time, friendship….

Listen to your customer. I was moved by the way Maxine read letters from her clients to the audience. It was actually part of the presentation. Her customers are able to reach her directly and influence her. One mom asked a question on Facebook. That question not only was heard, but also ended up turning into a new line of products the company will offer. How cool is that? The other thing that really moved me was the fact that Maxine has chosen to manage her own accounts. This includes Twitter! and she added: “That’s why you’ll see my tweets come out at 3:00 am”

We were so impressed by her that even Chris Brogan called Maxine “Your Highness” to show his admiration. I have taken so many notes that I can go on writing but I learned even more from the way she engaged with her customer’s letters, Facebook messages and tweets even during her presentation.

Thank you Maxine for sharing your success with us all.

Feb 18

Social Media Will Continue to Grow in 2010

Social Media, Social Media for Business 7 Comments »

picture credit to hosterio.com

More and more companies are using social media to boost their popularity and reach a wider audience. Until this year, a large number of companies refused to use social media, seeing it as more of a venue for chatter than a place to promote. However, with four out of every five Internet users spending time monthly on social media sites, businesses big and small are starting to realize that they have to be on social media if they want the greatest impact.

Do you run a business? Are you fully utilizing social media to grow your business and increase your client base? If not, you’re missing out on a lot!

Consider these areas that social media can help you:

Lets you interact with customers and present a more personal side to your business. This is a great way to create a bond with your potential clients.
Gives you first rate access to information on what your target audience is looking for. Find out just what your clients are interested in and then give it to them.
Generate leads for your business by doing searches and interacting with people who need help. If you offer something as a freebie, you’ll get plenty of people to sign up for your email list, as well.
Create a buzz around a new product or service. Social media is an excellent way to let the world know about your upcoming project and build up a buzz.
Gain worldwide exposure for virtually free. You’ll put in the time, of course, or hire someone to do the social networking for you, but the actual social media requires no monetary investment.
Get ahead of the competition. If you start using social media now, you can still be one of the first to use it, since many businesses have yet to implement a social media marketing plan.
Provide great customer service. An excellent way to show your customers that you care, that you’re there for them after the sale. Remember, happy customers = healthy business.
Build up a quality network of connections. By gaining plenty of contacts, you’ll have more people to turn to when you need someone to collaborate with and they can also help spread the word about your services or products.

Your business can benefit drastically from using social media. Get started by reading through some of the blog posts here, by getting out there and making an impression on potential clients. If you don’t start now, you won’t be able to join the ranks of businesses jumping into social media this year, something that is predicted to continue rising over the coming few years.

Tagged with: Social Media for Business

Jan 29

I only want your business if

Large Business, Mid-Size Business, Small Business, Social Media for Business 3 Comments »

At this point of my business, I’m in a position where I can hand pick my clients. I feel really blessed for this and only hope that it lasts looooooong, looooong, loooooong. It’s maybe the fruit of dedication and proven knowledge but I also think social media is the right business today because of the momentum. I expect a huge increase in 2010 and it will become steady by 2012. Hoping to have Web 3.0 by then so we can all move on and revolutionize everything all over again. How fun is that?

Back to the title of this post, I’ve had to say no a little too much these last couple of weeks to some projects. Some clients have understood my “no” while others have taken this personal. I feel that if I list my reasons objectively here, it will heal some bad feelings and at the same time, it will give potential clients a clear understanding of how to get a “yes”

I want your business if:

1) You are as passionate about your business as much as I’m passionate about mine

2) You are willing to learn Social Media (regardless of your high position, busy schedule & fears)

3) Your project is inline with my areas of expertise

4) You have a genuine commitment to make this project successful and not just because your boss asked you to do this or because your competitor is doing it

5) Your project does not require a full-time presence on site (this is often the case during a big brand scandal or disaster management)

6) You are willing to work ethically and with transparency (I will not spam for a million dollars)

7) Your field/industry is new to my company and can add value to my portfolio

Your project is innovative, creative and fun

9) Your project adds a value or a service to your users

10) Your project matches with one of my communities (moms, Latino(a)s, entrepreneurs, consultants, small businesses, work-life enthusiasts, developers, young families, women, faithful, multicultural, and so forth)

11) You’ve been a client before

12) Your project will share revenue with a non-for-profit organization

This doesn’t mean that if you are not in one of the above categories you cannot give it a try. Just don’t take it personal when I say no and move on. I’ll write another post about how to select the right social media company in the next days. Slowly, this industry is taking shape and formalizing among professionals. So the jungle era of social media is coming to an end and that is good for all of us. You can find a good group of service providers who have proven results and a healthy portfolio to share.

Tagged with: accept social media projects • Social Media for Business