Social Media

Experience is a riverbed,
Its source hidden, forever flowing:
Its entrance, the root of the world,
The Way moves within it:
Draw upon it; it will not run dry.

via TAO TE CHING – Chapter 06. Experience – ZENGUIDE.COM.

I’ve been thinking recently of the concept of how Twitter and Facebook, sometimes derided as a narcisstic form of communication, offer us flowing streams of observation. Many voices contribute to the stream, and it is always changing, yet always there.

Like a river. Like the Tao.

So now, if we wish it, our life streams can be mirrored in social media. Daily experiences come and go and are recorded. Inspiration, observation and education can easily be shared with others.

This flow has changed the way we experience our glories, laughs and disappointments. Within hours of losing my job last spring, I had many statements of sympathy and support. Plus a network of resources and friends to call on who were not at my last job. It gave me great strength and was empowering.

This week I offered support to friend who lost her mom, another who has family members facing cancer and learned about a benefit for a musician in Chicago I hadn’t met. And was able to help share information on how to share with victims of an earthquake. This did not feel self-centered to me, this feels like community. And it feels strong.

Yes, social media is a great marketing tool, and yes, there are some people who make money at it. But that’s not the point.

The point is creating a real community. The point is the flow of life, not money. The point is being together and helping each other out. The point is to enjoy the river’s flow and if you’re brave enough — dive in. Be embraced by the stream and let it support you. We are all in this together.

May we each be granted the gift of attention.

Find fans and friends for your business

You may already be a Facebook fiend or perhaps you have have just heard about it. But did you know that you can now build a page for your business? enIt’s a great way to expand your marketing campaign, drive traffic to your website, increase page visibility on search engines and enable your clients and friends to spread your marketing message.

Best of all, it’s free!

Your business page will collect fans who spread the word about your business to their friends on Facebook and elsewhere the web.

Sirius Media created one recently and keep it fresh with interesting design finds, marketing discoveries, promotions and updates about our work. It’s been fun!

Visit the Sirius Media page on Facebook and see how we are using it >>

You can start building your business page today.

All it takes is some thought, planning and investing a little bit of time to get going.

1 Before you build your business page, gather some information to include on the page: company logo, a link to your website, address, hours, phone numbers, email address, business services offered, and areas of specialty.

2 Sign up for a Facebook account (or use your existing account) then click the link that says “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business” on the home page or at the bottom of the left hand column on your page. You will be directed to a series of pages to fill in business information gathered in step 1.

3 When the site is ready for content, what do you post? Try to keep information fresh, fun and relevant to your specialty. Here are some ideas:

• Photos of products or services (viewing photos is the #1 online activity in social media!)
• New services or products
• Sales and promotions
• Design updates, whether interior, web or print.
• Community or instore events
• Day to day work updates, comments, insights
• Useful information others might enjoy

4 Once you have the page built, the logos posted, and a few words to share, invite Facebook friends to come be fans of your business page. Post photos, links or videos often  to keep them returning to your page and encourage them to share your page with others. That’s how you build some buzz. Use facebook buttons and links on your website and in your email marketing to build the following for your new business page.

5 As soon as you reach 25 fans, sign up for your customized user name at www.facebook.com/username. You’ll be able to signup for a custom url using a name you choose, like www.facebook.com/SiriusMedia, unless it has been claimed already. Don’t let someone beat you to your chosen identity. Claim your online brand on facebook as soon as you can.

If you need help, or don’t have time, just remember that Sirius Media provides Social Media services to get your business going with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or any other social site. We can help you figure out what to say, how often and to whom. We’ll help create your page, upload your logo and images, help with starter messages and provide guidelines for future updates.

After Presentation Camp this week, I’ve been poking around SlideShare, a repository for powerpoint presentations.

One of the speakers had mentioned this slide set and I saw it on the top ten list. It is an excellent presentation about how social media has grown and changed the way we communicate.

It is also a great example of one-bullet-point-per-photograph presentation style that is very effective and keeps the focus on the speaker while engaging the audience. It takes a lot of work to find so many engaging photos, but it sure intrigues and entertains the audience. Since the slides are simple, it also keeps the pace quick and flowing.

It is designed by Marta Kagan of brand agency Espresso, whose blog the Secret Diary of a Marketing Genius has lots of great insights. Excellent work, Marta!