Social media is growing at an impressive rate.
Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2025 3:32 am
It seems like every week a new app, website or platform is created that connects friends quiver, often times businesses will make the mistake of grabbing hold of the latest social media tool and swinging wildly. According to Steven Strauss, small business expert and author of “The Small Business Bible,” 53% of small businesses still struggle to use social media effectively.
Back in 2008, while working for a mid-size PR agency based in Washington D.C., Twitter was not yet a year argentina whatsapp number database old, but was gaining popularity. Our CEO came out of his office and stopped at my desk. “Eli,” he said, “I need you to go online and create a Twitter account for our company and start tweeting.” I stared back at him blankly. I had signed up for a personal Twitter account and was still just dipping my toes in the water of a platform, whose potential had yet to become clear to me. The CEO’s view of this tool that he barely understood was that he needed to be using it to remain current. In the end, he was right – Twitter became and still is a powerful tool for marketing your company and brand. But at the time, it was too new to be used effectively.
Info & Image from a Staples Small Business Survey.
Facebook, began as an exclusively college and individual focused networking site. Overtime, it has developed into a sounding board for individuals, companies, brands, non-profits and various causes and groups. But had a company found a way into Facebook in the early days, and started friend requesting users at random, they’d have come under a lot of attacks and likely lost potential customers rather than gained any. Facebook needed time to evolve, and once it became global and open, companies were able to fold it into their everyday marketing tactics.
So, how do you know when a new social media tool is ready to use and how do you approach it?
1. Wait: Give it time for the initial excitement over the new social app or site to die down. You want to allow time to evaluate if the tool has staying power or if it will simply be a flash in the pan. Lauren Simonds wrote a recent article on Time.com about business growth and social media including information from Steven Strauss. Simonds states every business should start small: “Run a poll on your website and find out where your customers congregate: Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter—or maybe even YouTube. Pick one, and focus on it until you’ve mastered that platform. Then, if your customer base warrants it, you can consider expanding to another platform.”Have you ever considered how your energy affects everyone around you? Think about it from the vantage of being the CEO of a company. When you walk in the door, all eyes are on you and your employees’ antennae are up looking for any sign of something being not quite right. No pressure, eh?
When you’re the boss, there are going to be many times when you’ve gotta put on your “game face” because your energy affects everyone and everything.
In the last 12 years at VerticalResponse, I’ve had some leaders with great energy, and some that could suck the life out of the Energizer Bunny. Whether you’re the CEO or a manager leading a team, here are some pointers to make sure you bring your can-do attitude because if you don’t, your team won’t, either:
All Eyes Are On You
Like I said, even a casual walk around the office can put people in a tizzy if you’re giving off bad vibes and exuding a “stay the ‘f’ away from me because I’m having a real sh*& day” attitude. You might not be aware of it, but like a dog with a bone, your team has a laser-like focus to detect this stuff and they’ll either call you on it or–most likely–just talk amongst themselves.
The same goes for bad-mouthing other executives or team members. Don’t poison your own well. Your employees have to work for–and with–these folks, so if you’ve got a beef with someone, keep it under wraps or between yourself and the person.
Back in 2008, while working for a mid-size PR agency based in Washington D.C., Twitter was not yet a year argentina whatsapp number database old, but was gaining popularity. Our CEO came out of his office and stopped at my desk. “Eli,” he said, “I need you to go online and create a Twitter account for our company and start tweeting.” I stared back at him blankly. I had signed up for a personal Twitter account and was still just dipping my toes in the water of a platform, whose potential had yet to become clear to me. The CEO’s view of this tool that he barely understood was that he needed to be using it to remain current. In the end, he was right – Twitter became and still is a powerful tool for marketing your company and brand. But at the time, it was too new to be used effectively.
Info & Image from a Staples Small Business Survey.
Facebook, began as an exclusively college and individual focused networking site. Overtime, it has developed into a sounding board for individuals, companies, brands, non-profits and various causes and groups. But had a company found a way into Facebook in the early days, and started friend requesting users at random, they’d have come under a lot of attacks and likely lost potential customers rather than gained any. Facebook needed time to evolve, and once it became global and open, companies were able to fold it into their everyday marketing tactics.
So, how do you know when a new social media tool is ready to use and how do you approach it?
1. Wait: Give it time for the initial excitement over the new social app or site to die down. You want to allow time to evaluate if the tool has staying power or if it will simply be a flash in the pan. Lauren Simonds wrote a recent article on Time.com about business growth and social media including information from Steven Strauss. Simonds states every business should start small: “Run a poll on your website and find out where your customers congregate: Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter—or maybe even YouTube. Pick one, and focus on it until you’ve mastered that platform. Then, if your customer base warrants it, you can consider expanding to another platform.”Have you ever considered how your energy affects everyone around you? Think about it from the vantage of being the CEO of a company. When you walk in the door, all eyes are on you and your employees’ antennae are up looking for any sign of something being not quite right. No pressure, eh?
When you’re the boss, there are going to be many times when you’ve gotta put on your “game face” because your energy affects everyone and everything.
In the last 12 years at VerticalResponse, I’ve had some leaders with great energy, and some that could suck the life out of the Energizer Bunny. Whether you’re the CEO or a manager leading a team, here are some pointers to make sure you bring your can-do attitude because if you don’t, your team won’t, either:
All Eyes Are On You
Like I said, even a casual walk around the office can put people in a tizzy if you’re giving off bad vibes and exuding a “stay the ‘f’ away from me because I’m having a real sh*& day” attitude. You might not be aware of it, but like a dog with a bone, your team has a laser-like focus to detect this stuff and they’ll either call you on it or–most likely–just talk amongst themselves.
The same goes for bad-mouthing other executives or team members. Don’t poison your own well. Your employees have to work for–and with–these folks, so if you’ve got a beef with someone, keep it under wraps or between yourself and the person.