MBA Geek

I came across a great tweet today by @KellyShibari who posted a really great snapshot of the web stats of a website showing the effect of some Social Media promotion she did. Here’s the schematic:

Notice the stats for August are way higher than any of the other months. This was accomplished thanks to the work Kelly put in (which you can read all about on her post), but it’s a really good example of what can happen when you start using the tools at your disposal.

So, how can Social Media help a business? Well, building a business online is no different to opening a retail outlet. But when opening an outlet you get to choose where it’s going to be. Location is paramount to getting the traffic you need and that traffic is the lifeblood of your business. The situation online is totally different. All websites are born intrinsically equal; it doesn’t matter if you’re a purveyor of fine office furniture or if you sell real estate on the moon. Traffic is still the life blood of the business, but the rules are different. You need to pump effort into getting people to your site, building up relationships and making sure they come back. Social Networking gives you those tools, so make sure you get your hear around them today.

Interesting article about how the economy in the UK is shrinking at a slower rate than was expected. That must be good news right? Here’s a snippet from the article:

The 0.7% decline was a significant improvement on the 2.4% contraction in the previous quarter.

But the annual drop of 5.5% remains the biggest since records began in 1955.

It’s a bit too early to see whether this is an emerging trend of just a seasonal glitch. But, whether you’re in the business of selling wedding invitations, or producing fast cars, everyone needs this economy to start getting better.

(The comment on economies getting better being a good thing for everyone is really a global comment, not just one for the UK)

There’s been a lot written about social media and its impact on organisations today, but it’s easy to be caught up in the hype and dedicate a disproportional amount of effort into tapping into the medium. This may make sense of some businesses, but not all. For example, if you’re company selling a specialised form of rv warranty, then you may think that social media may be a good way to get in touch with your niche, but once you factor in that most of your audience prefer reading RV magazines, to spending time online, you have to start asking questions around the return on your investment.

The truth is, Social Media channels are really just one of a number of channels that exist today. They need to form part of your marketing plan, and not replace any previous campaigns you had without due consideration and careful thought. Look at where your audience is heading and that will give you an indication of to where you need to go. Social Media is becoming the place to be for many companies .. but not all of them. Which one are you>

A news article caught my attention today about the potential of industrial action by the employees of a company who handles gate operations. The strike would potentially affect thousands of people passing through that airport causing delays, cancellations and even missed holidays and trips. We’re not talking cargo here, immaterial things like pet supplies or car parts, but carrying paying passengers for the airlines. From one side, I can understand employees wanting to fight for what they believe is fair pay, but on the other hand, why should third parties be caught in the cross-fire?

In my opinion employees have the choice where they want to work, the salaries they’re employed at are the fruit of negotiation and free choice, so why should a union use innocent bystanders as hostages in their negotiations? I’s a cowardly tactic and I hope it bears little fruit.

If you’re reading this blog, I can only assume that you’re interested in blogging, and possibly other forms of user-generated content and social media. If so, and if you’re based in the Isle of Man, you might be interested in coming out to network with the Social Media Club who meets on the Third Thursday of every month. Here are the details:

Next week is the third Thursday of August and that means that the Isle of Man Social Media Club is getting together for lunch at Paparazzi in Douglas.

Maybe you are trying to figure out Twitter, of have just established a Facebook Fan Page. Or maybe you’re a seasoned blogger with a long history in Digg. Everyone is welcome to come out and chat about the online world and how it’s affecting how we live and do business.

We meet at 12.30. Everyone buys his own lunch and we are usually all back at our desks by 14.00. It doesn’t cost anything to join, (but the price of your meal) and there are no forms to fill out. All you need is an interest in social media and the online world.

Everyone’s welcome to come and while you won’t get any health insurance leads, you’ll certainly get some pointers on how best to use Social Media and get to meet people living in that space.

More details on the Facebook page

Every business usually looks for some celebrity to represent them. It links them to their audience and puts a human face on an otherwise anonymous organisation. However, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Take tonight, Iceland have just dropped Kerry Katona from their advertising campaigns. It’s related to allegations that she’s involved with drugs, an image that no reputable business would want to associate with.

It’s always important to try and match a celebrity with the product or brand they’re trying to promote. For example, if you’re a vacation south beach agency, you probably don’t want an older person to be promoting your brand. Likewise, if you’re selling dentures, you wouldn’t want a young sexy model, now would you?

In a nutshell, try to match the message to your audience