Brett Dewey Consulting - Musings On Modern Media

SLAMMED on Cyber Monday

Published on November 27, 2012, by Brett Dewey in E-Mail Marketing, ECommerce.

No one was going to let me forget that yesterday was “Cyber Monday”. I don’t have statistics yet but I’d bet on it being the busiest e-mail marketing day of the year. Just take a peek at my inbox:

The good news is these are all companies with whom I’ve either intentionally subscribed to their email or done business with in the past. So I seem to have avoided the unwanted spam problem of years gone by.

With so much focus on the single-day shopping individual messages can get lost… I’m much more a fan of consistant year-round email marketing than the one-day SLAM! Overwhelmed by an inbox full of emails with “Cyber Monday” headlines shoppers might just avoid their inbox all together. Or worse, unsubscribe!

In the not-too-distant past terms like “Cyber Monday” and “Black Friday” were more behind the scenes – for marketers and retailers planning their holiday sales season. In recent years the media has dragged them out into the light and made these into our de-facto national commerce holidays.

I hope the ‘meaning’ of One-Day shopping holidays will dissipate as retailers start things a bit earlier in November, and the ‘deals’ continue into December.

We could all do with a little less mania… and 50-75% off sounds good any day.

No Comments.

Tags: ecommerce, email marketing, marketing

Electric Cars and the Wayback Machine

Published on January 27, 2012, by Brett Dewey in Behind the scenes, Blogging.

I’m not a car guy, but back in 1997 I fell head over heels for the all-electric EV1. Recent conversations about the excellent Nissan Leaf had me digging around for pictures from my EV1 Days. When I found a huge stack of photos I remembered WHY I took them.

Until then had never really posed for a photo with a car… but this was so cool, so potentially world-changing, and so many people were interested (they literally stopped me everywhere to ask about the car) I decided to build a website for the purest of reasons… to tell people about my experience. I built it on an old Earthlink domain… (hey, it was 1998!) It is long since gone and I don’t have the files to recreate it, BUT…

If you want to find a lost website, or see how one looked years ago… check out the valuable resource of the Internet Archive’s WAYBACK MACHINE!… That’s where I found it.

Imagine it’s 1998 and you’ve left the comfort of your AOL account and are viewing the page on your new Netscape World Wide Web Browser…

Come back to 1998...

This is where my career on the web began, with a passion for the electric car… GM took my EV1 and all the others back in 1999… but I have the photos, and thanks to the Internet Archive, the website to prove it happened.

Here are a few of the photos I scanned:

The first time I ever posed for a photo with a car.

Look Ma, No Tailpipe!

No Comments.

Can I Make Money on Social Media?

Published on June 20, 2011, by Brett Dewey in Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media Strategy, Twitter, Video Smart Tips.

Can I make money on Social Media?

The quick answer is “NO.” Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN etc in and of themselves are not monetized. You can have millions of fans/followers/likes and not earn a cent.

But Social Media is a great tool for building reputation, relationship and getting the word out about new products and services. Use Social Media to drive traffic to the places where you do make money.

Here are 3 ways you can make money using social media:

1) Use your facebook page or Twitter account to share links to your incredible content on your site or blog. And make money on your content through Advertising (using affiliate programs Like Commision Junction and ShareASale or PPC ads like Google Adwords

2) Use your social media to inform and relate with customers and bring them to your E-Commerce enabled site where they’ll shop with confidence

3) Build your reputation and stay first in potential customers minds so when they’re ready they call your office or shop in your brick and mortar store.

No Comments.

Tags: blogs, Facebook, small business, social media, twitter

Do You Suffer from BBS? – Blank Blog Syndrome? (Video Smart Tip)

Published on June 14, 2011, by Brett Dewey in Blogging, Social Media Strategy, Video Smart Tips.

You know you need to blog for your small business – but how do you keep coming up with ideas? This Smart Tip will give you some ways to find inspiration:

Sure you can come up with a few topics to blog about. But everybody hits a dry stretch… what is new about your business? Your blog can be the content core of your Social Media marketing, and a blog that hasn’t been updated in ages sends a not-so-great-message about your company. So you have to update – but what is interesting? What would people want to know, share, comment on? Here are some ideas to find inspiration:

1) Industry Newsletters - what are your suppliers, peers, competitors, retailers, wholesalers, critics writing about. What trends, what events on the horizon? Read their news and give your take on it – how it affects your customers.

2) Google Alerts – An incredibly useful free tool from Google. Get an email alert whenever a keyword (or words) you select is in the news. Your company name, your competitor’s name, an industry event, product etc. You set the frequency, etc so you only get the alerts you want.

3) Subscribe to Other Blogs – like newsletters these can be a great source of industry news and trends plus commenting on others is good for inter-blog relationship building.

4) Your Own Social Media – what are you followers saying on Facebook and Twitter? One persons question can be expanded upon in your blog to be a valuable resource for many others.

No Comments.

Tags: blogs, social media, wordpress

Getting the most from your LinkedIn Profile

Published on June 10, 2011, by Brett Dewey in LinkedIn, Social Media Strategy.

It may not be in the news quite as much as Facebook and Twitter, but LinkedIn is an incredibly valuable tool to represent YOU and Your Business online. Many business people will check your LinkedIn profile before or after a meeting to help them get a better understanding of who you are as a professional.

Here are some tips to get the most out of your LinkedIn Profile:

PHOTO – not a logo, cartoon character or beach shot – show a close image of your face. You’re creating professional relationships with people you might actually meet – give them something to connect with. For bonus points get a professional headshot.

PROFESSIONAL HEADLINE – this appears below your name throughout LinkedIn. Along with your name and photo it’s the first thing people will learn about you. Be sure it reflects who you want to be seen as.

POSITIONS – This is the well-known resume section. Be honest, but succinct. A listing of past and current employment helps paints a picture of how you came to be who you are. And if the company has a LinkedIn Company Profile, be sure to connect with it.

COMPANY PROFILE – This is a seperate subject for a later post, but if you are self employed be sure to create your Company Profile – even if it’s just you. It’s another way to promote your company and for others can find and Follow you:

ADD SECTIONS (NEW!) – The Add Sections link lets you pick from a number of apps that help you make your profile rich. A visual Creative Portfolio, Certifications, Blog Link, Tweets, E-Booklist, RealEstatePro etc. Take a look and add the ones that serve your image best.

SUMMARY: This is your chance to tell people who you are, skills, priorities, values etc. It’s important that you start with the FIRST THING you want someone visiting your profile to know. Don’t tell your story in chronological order, get the to your message right away – because they may not read down 3 paragraphs…

Be professional, but don’t be afraid to be human too.
You want people to be comfortable with you. If you only provide dry resume information you are less likely to be memorable or make a connection. Throw in some conversational details – like favorite travel, books, hobbies…but don’t get too personal (relationship issues, politics, how many cats you have…)

APPLICATIONS click “add applications” – this feature can add some attention getting interesting content to your profile. All this goes toward making you a “REAL” person people want to network with. (note, some of this is being replaced by the new “Add Sections” above) I like:

ReadingList By Amazon – lets you post books you have read and want to read and post reviews. I mix in about 2/3 business related books and 1/3 entertainment/personal choices.
TripIt – especially good if you travel for business, shows you who else in your LinkedIn network is in the area you are traveling to.
Google Presentation – this App lets you put PowerPoint slideshows on your profile. Great for sales, portfolios, and otherwise including visuals about you and your work.

PUBLIC PROFILE Secure your LinkedIn URL (mine is http://www.linkedin.com/in/brettdewey) and include it in your email signature, on your website etc. Help others connect with you.

Once you are set up on LinkedIn…
You can improve your profile & grow your network with some of the following activities:

REVIEWS – Write positive (honest) reviews of people in your network, and ask the best ones for their reviews of your work (past or current) Do this a few at a time – so your profile is always building.

“People You Might Know” use this LinkedIn function and CONNECT with people. It’s always good to add even the tiniest personal note to the standard “I’d like to add you to my network” message

GROUPS – LinkedIn Groups is one of the most powerful aspects of the site. (see my video on LinkedIn Groups).

Search for groups you’d like to join – to either LEARN/DISCUSS with peers, or groups you could potentially market to.
Like any social media experience you should read/listen for a while to get a sense of the conversation. When you can give answers/help to discussions that feel appropriate, or ask questions to stimulate conversation (and get information!)
You can set groups to send you daily email summaries – so you are alerted if there’s a conversation you should be a part of.
You’ll also be able to connect with people who are in the same group as you… so it’s a valuable tool to grow your network with people that have similar professions/interests.

Like all things in Social Media, LinkedIn is growing in popularity and features. Don’t “set it and forget it” – check in often, make connections, participate in groups, and be on the lookout for new opportunities for you and your small business.

~ Brett

No Comments.

Tags: LinkedIn, small business, social media

Using LinkedIn GROUPS to Promote Your Small Business (Video Smart Tip)

Published on May 31, 2011, by Brett Dewey in LinkedIn, Social Media Strategy, Video Smart Tips.

Using LinkedIn to Promote Your Small Business
You’ve heard of LinkedIn, and know it’s a site for Business To Business social marketing – but how exactly can you use it to promote your small business?

First, when you join LinkedIn you should do two things:

1) Create a user profile and Network You join LinkedIn as an individual person – this is your professional presence on the site. By uploading your email address book or connecting to your Facebook profile you can quickly add other professionals you know to your Network.

2) Create your Company Profile . When you list your employer (your own small business) you can create a Company Profile – with your business’ name, logo, a brief description and some examples of what you do.

But THEN WHAT?

In today’s Smart Tip I encourage you to explore LinkedIn GROUPS.

You can search groups for subjects relating to aspects of your business, or view other people’s profiles to see what groups they’ve joined.

When you first join a group – listen for a while. Get a sense of what is and isn’t appropriate for the conversation there. An active Group can be a great way to learn ways to improve your business, ask questions and meet others who can give you tips.

In addition to being a resource for you, YOU can be a resource for others. Sharing your knowledge and expertise will only help establishing you as an authority to an audience of people who could use or refer your services to others.

~ Brett

No Comments.

Tags: LinkedIn, small business, social media

A (Tiny) Facebook Tip: Tell Your “Founded” Story

Published on May 23, 2011, by Brett Dewey in Facebook.

Trying to maximize the information you convey to visitors of your Facebook Page? This is a tiny tip, but gives you one more opportunity to communicate what you’re about.

Under “INFO” on your Facebook Page the “Founded” field is often populated with just the year i.e. “2006″

But that field has room for more than just a date - up to 237 characters – enough for a sentence or two. So, instead of just plugging in a year, tell a little story about how, when or why your business was founded.

Make it special to you and your business, something that tells the reader a little something extra about your business, and makes you stand out.

“The Cookie Truck was founded in 2009 to bring the very best in home-cooked gourmet cookies to busy people across the city.”

“Founded by my father in 1953, and improving the way you build ships in a bottle ever since!”

“Founded in Darwin, MN – Home of the world’s largest ball of twine!”

It’s a tiny tip, but they all add up to an interesting and memorable presence…

~ Brett

No Comments.

Tags: Facebook, small business

Social Media Time Management (Video Smart Tip)

Published on May 22, 2011, by Brett Dewey in Social Media Strategy, Video Smart Tips.

“Social Media Time Management” – From my video Smart Tips series.

Running your business is already a 24/7 job. You know a Social Media marketing campaign is going to help your company, but how can you fit running it into your already full days?

Consider the following tips as a way to manage the Social Media Marketing for your small business:

1) Set Aside a period of time to plan your Social Media for the week. Two hours should be plenty of time. As you do this more often you’ll be able to plan things even quicker. Write down the plan and share it with all the players (who’s tweeting, who’s blogging etc)

2) Pre-Write posts and Tweets. Sometimes the adventure of running your business can swallow up your day and you’ll realize you forgot to post, several days like that and you have no consistancy at all. But if you plan the content you are going to share with your followers during the week and use a service like HootSuite to schedule their rollout, you’ll be able to ensure you have an active social media account that’s on target, even when your day gets away from you. (but be careful about relying automation)

3) Set aside an hour a day to monitor and interact with your followers. An hour might be more than you need, but you’ll know better once you get going. By monitoring your accounts you’ll get an idea of what your customers are talking about – and by responding you engage with them and show your company cares.

Do you have any time management tips? I’d love to hear how you keep your Social Media Marketing campain active and efficient.

~ Brett Dewey

No Comments.

Tags: small business, social media

Past Musings…