It looks like social media (including blogs) isn’t just for friends and family. According to the below infographic, B2B is successfully using it as well for lead generation. But I suspect the devil is in the details – good content, whether it’s on Twitter or a blog – is still king.
How have you been using social for lead gen?
I have always despised motivational posters. They just seem schlocky and dumb. So when an acquaintance linked to a de-motivational poster I had to check out the website of the producer: Despair, Inc.
Wow. Despair “gets” social.
Despair, Inc. sells snark – de-motivational posters and funny t-shirts, glasses, etc. It could be just another funny t-shirt site, but their use of social takes it to a whole different level, making me want to come back and see what the Despair crew is up to next…. And tell others! If you’ve got a website, isn’t that exactly what you want to happen?
Not only does Despair crowd source slogans for their t-shirts and posters, but they’ve got a truly funny blog. Despair also has the requisite “like” buttons beneath each product – a great match for Facebook, which in my opinion is basically an entertainment site, and well-suited to sharing comedic photos. And yes, they use videos too, all in keeping with their brand of droll humor.
Well done, Despair!
If you’re a business owner with a website then you know you’ve got to blog. The big questions are: how? What to write about?
I’ve found that having a structure helps in any writing project (I usually start with whatever piece of the puzzle is easiest, and move on from there to get the creative juices flowing). So I was delighted when I found this “blueprint” for blog posts. Anything you’d add to it?
via Visual.ly
I never clicked with Google+. It seemed too similar to Facebook and I liked Facebook just fine. Let’s face it. Social media is a time suck, so I need a damn good reason if I’m going to get involved with a new platform. But I confess, I love Pinterest. It’s a visual delight, it’s easy, and it’s fun. I’ve been using it a bit to promote my novel, and was curious about how Pinterest did when it comes to driving traffic. Is Pinterest a worthy social media platform for the small business user? If this infographic is anything to go by, the answer may be “yes.”
Via Visual.ly
Courtesy of Visual.ly
Or is social media a form of online PR? Hm…
Are you blogging?
Looking for a way to make your posts sparkle?
Yeah, me too. And since I’m not particularly witty in 140 characters or less (or more), it’s nice when pictures can do the talking.
Blurb Mobile has some real possibilities in that regard for small business owners. It’s an app for the iPhone (or iWhatever) which allows you to take a string of photos, arrange them as you will, add captions or voice, and then post them from your phone to the Blurb site, Facebook, Twitter, and/or Tumblr.
You can find some very artistic story boards on the Blurb site, but even for the non-creative type, I can see small business uses for the app. A realtor could snap pics of a home they’re selling and post it via Blurb in minutes, with voice and/or captions. A business could post its special event – this would work particularly well, I think, with bars and other social venues. Or (ahem) for a writer creating a teaser for her upcoming work.
The basic app is free. The upgrade is on sale now for .99, regularly $1.99. Honestly, I suspect the basic app will do the job for most small business owners, but $1.99 still falls within the do-it-on-the-cheap theme of this blog.
As a side note, if you’re worried about your photographic skills, there are some excellent photo apps out there to give you an artistic boost. My favorites are Quick Lomo Pro and Camera +. The latter allows you to edit your pictures while they’re still on your iWhatevers, and has some groovy filters and settings if you’re feeling wild. I used Quick Lomo Pro for my little ghost “story,” using the Lomo Extreme setting to get that slightly unreal look.
