Week 9 Can you win being personal and professional?

I would definitely say yes you can with only a few reservations. He is my story

In the residential construction market, I've noticed a huge shift in consumer’s behavior which previously focused on price, quality and project completion. But in today’s world of identity theft, malware and material scams these security concerns have driven consumers to rethink what is important when hiring a service professional .  One way a client can offset this concern is by going out on the web and discovering which service professionals  provide more insight into who they are not just what they do. Many review based social media sites have built large platforms online in an effort to bridge the gap for consumers in an effort to answer these questions. So, if you’re a business professional and would like to express yourself online I suggest that you do it and definitely build your profile, but with a few reservations. The big question is “how much is too much” or counterproductive and inappropriate to actually divulge online in order to respond to this growing market? I suggest that whatever you do, be crystal clear. In college we learn many principles, one is that ambiguity rarely pays off.

A great starting point is the process of  building trust with clients which requires you to post quality content (online) simply and succinctly.  I’m personal in my posts but that doesn't  mean you have to get emotional, bias, or caviler to drive a casual point. Think of it in terms of would you post a thought that your competitor could easily go negative with and twist to drive a client away from your firm instead of supporting you.

Also, keep the personality (online or in the field) to what is relevant within the scope of your professional conversation or content; only sprinkled a dash of humanity  and perhaps a pinch of humorous character in as you write or present.

In conclusion,  what is too personal and how can potential clients misinterpret it? If you come across as to helpful or available that can actually work to your disadvantage. It says that you are not as interested as being profitable and probably unscheduled for future work. It’s never a good sign to be in business and have time to kill so don’t. Be busy, because you really are (or at least get that way). Just remember, what you say online should be an extension of who you are professionally and partly private. Beyond that your risking alienating a perfectly good client that your competitor is now serving which is never any fun and unnecessary. 

Week 8 The Two Polar Website Comparison

http://www.runyonsurfaceprep.com

http://www.contecnorthamerica.com

BLOG post part #1

Q1. See what visual social media they are using?

Runyon is using Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, and blogging w/ Word Press.

Contec USA is using absolutely nothing for social media (except for a financing link).

Q2. how they are using it?

Runyon Surface Preparation uses their Facebook page for sales and rental purposes. They provide brief descriptions and images of equipment along with links to larger images with comment fields for feedback. The Twitter links are being used for coupon codes, training seminars and links to other social media sites such as their Word Press site. What is interesting about their Google + site is that it launches the user back to Facebook, Twitter, etc.  and forward to YouTube videos. Now if you go to YouTube directly, Runyon has a library of “How To” videos and I’m not sure that they are all from the same company. Perhaps they are reposted from other popular sites on line but support the theme of the business.

Contec USA has no social media links but does display multiple web site pages and imbedded videos to display their equipment for sale in action. The site is hard to find and there is only one link to an equipment financing and payment estimator that takes you off the page http://www.advantageleasing.com/financing/financing-for-contec-north-america-customers

Q3.Is it effective?( Some businesses work best when they have visual support. Does visual media work for the type of business you have started)?

I have posted videos on YouTube in order to demonstrate our processes. I believe it’s easier to show what we do sometimes as opposed to articulate it over the phone or face to face. My hopes are to purchase an audio preamp for my DSLR camera and begin to post the most frequently asked questions about our business in a Vblog format.

BLOG Post #2--start a business account and Link it to your Business Facebook page

Tumblr.

Week Eight- Let's Get Visual

The visual networks - are they right for you and your brand?

Visual networking has played a large role in our branding. We offer a service that cannot always be described over the phone or properly understood by still images alone.  For example, if I were to try to explain to you (over the phone) how we remove and feather out “ high areas of concrete in your home” with our 150 pound 6 segment metal bond trapezoid shoe grinder that requires 240 volt single phase with a 30 amp breakers”--you might think I’m trying to con you or make you feel mechanically inadequate. And when you bring up the potential dust factor (from this type of work) I would simply state that our machines are coupled to a high velocity two stage vacuums with an aftermarket separator.  Impressive enough? Or, you could watch my two minute video and visually see all the equipment in action which sells itself. Therefore I ask which makes better sense, A or B?

 Compare the 4 most widely used visual platforms.

 Facebook is fairly good for us (time invested)not because it brings in clients but creditability and links. For example, once other  like companies discover us (outside our territory) they can endorse us and our service by providing insight, stories, and like accomplishments from the field. This plays a supportive role to us.

YouTube is absolutely awesome for us because of how it organizes our video content and how it helps drive traffic to our site.

LinkedIn is helpful as another supportive role in social networking by in letting me know professionally how my contacts are doing—such as promotions, awards, and transfers etc.

Instagram will probably become more important to me as a business owner primarily because of their new mobile app and its opportunity for me (to upload video files from a job site and for our clients to view our content).

Which would work the best for your product or service?

YouTube is by far the leader when it comes to me investing time, energy and effort to promoting our brand on the web. My next big step is to begin working Google Plus—Google Doc’s suite, in an effort to connect more broadly with our clients, vendors and sub contractors.

Week 7 Twitter

-Which search words you used to find your connections? Did you have to play around with more than one key term to start seeing the right results? Who did you end up finding?

I used the title “Concrete Surface Prep” and “Wood flooring Design” to help begin my search.  In that process I did have to sift through many different versions of Concrete prep and wood flooring design in order to narrow down my search for relevancy, but I did locate some individuals with whom I crossed paths on Google searches before and “liked” them.

-What lists did you create and why? How does creating a list on Twitter help you stay organized or reach a goal?

I created a Concrete list and a Wood flooring list because I work in that industry. The concrete list I created deals with a much needed service that (in my opinion) is an under served market within the residential community.

In addition to the Concrete Prep, I also choose the search title Wood flooring Design. This is the work I originally started  years ago and still offer as part of our services today. The Twitter list should provide a means to organize specific industry individuals that may be able to help us promote, collaborate, or comment on our thoughts and actions as community professionals.

Week 7 Scheduled Posts

I choose the topics concrete preparation, interview, and how to respond to online reviews because they are essential components that accurately describe to a perspective client who we are, what we do, and what is in it for them if they choose to contract with us. 

Concrete preparation and adhesive are two key elements of a successful wood flooring installation. In many cases these are the least explained and misunderstood steps when choosing to have an engineered wood floor glued down over concrete.

The interview with Thumbtack shows who we are and exactly where we are coming from. Most clients who have had workers inside their home for days at a time tend to care more about who these workers are and the tone they will set throughout the duration of the project. For example, our last review on Angie’s List stated not only did Eric and his crew provide great service but they were also a joy to be around (please don’t miss that).

And Speaking about Angie’s List and other review based online companies, It is critical that all reviews be met with a PR response (for either good or bad). Why? Many reputable competitors in our field have been crushed by a misunderstanding that lead to a little overreacting and then to outright war. And guess who loses every time? Yes, you guessed it, the service professional. It literally takes about 8-10 positive reviews to wash away the tears of one that fell short (especially when it’s not your fault). 

Week 6: Growing Your Business With Facebook

On my Business Facebook page, I have a list of several "likes" ranging from material suppliers, instruments, associations, and review based social media sites that I follow and do business with. The relationship I have with Gallehers (supplier) lets people know where to see physical samples and make purchases. Angie's List, Thumbtack, and Houzz are review based company's that allow members to post reviews which are accessible to future consumers. Personally for me, the flooring industry is an interesting and rewarding field to enter, but at times challenging to market outside of the big review companies. For example, if you were to land on my Facebook page you would see a beautiful stained maple wood flooring covering a large front entry of a home we installed a few years ago.  Nice, but you can't retire on just one successful project. For us, we are always reaching out, meeting professionals (in our field), and selling our services to those who can refer us. My hope is to market this Facebook site more effectively, and reach a broader audience to attract quality work. In theory, one way to achieve this is to “like” other professional installation companies and comment on their achievements with the hopes that they will comment on my site. Another more certain possibility is to pay for advertising in hopes to attract other local Facebook users into using our services. This is really an expensive proposition just to get my foot in the door, but it may become a necessary if work becomes slow in the market place.

Week 5: Post reach and Post engagement

Define the difference between post reach and post engagement.

In order to analyze statistical data, it is important to first understand what the metrics are. In marketing terms,  metrics is data (numbers) that can help a company understand how much money they have spent in order to generate “X” amount of sales. For example, 10% of our net sales over the last 10 years has gone into advertising (on an average). However, that number has dramatically been reduced due to rechanneling our efforts into building strong social media profiles on various different sites such as Angie’s List, Thumbtack and Houzz.

            a). The term post reach essentially measures the total size of the Facebook  audience that see you , while the term:               

b).Post engagement is when people do something with your content: like, comment, or share your post.

So why is knowing the difference important?

In business, my first mistake came from believing that activity (creditable reach) always meant that results would follow. An analogy to this would be that marketers understand that that their job is to push a company’s (financially stagnant) parked car and bump start it (anyone with a dead battery in their car and a stick shift knows what this effort means).  Post engagement is the measurable activity (the metrics data) that shows you how the Facebook client is responding to the offer (information).

After defining the terms, describe how can a business can use Facebook Insights to better serve their customers?

It’s my hope that these analytic tools are sophisticated enough (in real time) to provide accurate trend data throughout a marketing campaign which could essentially be worked and reworked midstream to provide a better end result.