social business tip: size matters!

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Tamara Rasberry

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve clicked on someone’s Facebook page only to be disappointed in their choice of cover photo. I’ve been disappointed not because the photos were particularly unattractive or inappropriate but because they aren’t the right size.

In most cases, you can’t just drop your blog or website header image into Facebook as your cover photo and have it work. Too many times, I’ve seen words or images cut off and for the life of me I cannot fathom why someone would deem that an appropriate representation of their brand. I don’t know about you but it turns me off to the point that I don’t even want to take the time to look at what they’re talking about. If you can’t take the time to make sure your cover photo, the first impression of you that I’m getting from your page, looks right, why should I (or anyone else) bother going any further?

Facebook offers this advice for selecting an appropriately sized cover photo –

What are the dimensions for my Page’s cover photo?
Cover photos are 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall. If you upload an image that’s smaller than these dimensions, it will get stretched to this larger size. The image you upload must be at least 399 pixels wide.

To get the fastest load times for your Page, upload an sRGB JPG file that’s 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and less than 100 kilobytes. For images with your logo or text-based content, you may get a higher quality result by using a PNG file.

Of course your Facebook Page cover photo isn’t the only place where size matters. LunaMetrics was kind enough to compile ‘The Ultimate Complete Final Social Media Sizing Cheat Sheet‘ to help us get the most bang for our photo-sizing buck across multiple social networking platforms. Now go out and resize those images!

social business tip: let the real you shine through!

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

Entrepreneurs who are active on social networks and/or write blogs often worry about the fine line between transparency and TMI. When it comes to sharing information with your audience the question arises, “what is too much and what is just enough?”.

While you will of course want to provide your audience with valuable content, you should not be afraid of allowing your personality to shine through. Your personality and your spin on topics is what makes you different and will hopefully be what keeps your audience coming back, and if you are selling a product or service, it will hopefully help close the deal.

I recently read a post on Big Feet Marketing – Why You Should Stop Trying to Write Unique, Original Content. This post really spoke to me because when you think about it, as the saying goes, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” There’s almost always going to be someone who is doing or saying something similar to what you are doing or saying. What is going to make you stand out is being true to yourself, your point of view, your spin on things, your sense of humor, etc. Don’t whitewash your content because you are afraid that people won’t take you seriously unless your blog posts, tweets or Facebook posts are “strictly business.”

Be yourself. Let the real you shine through (within reason) and it will help people to see you as more than a talking head. You know what they say, “people do business with people the like” and people like people who are real. So go out there and be transparent!

Have you dealt with this issue? Do you have any questions about maintaining an appropriate level of transparency online? Please share your experience/questions in the comments section.

YOU are your brand. Represent!

social business tip: get visual!

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

When people think about getting social with their business, they usually think about Facebook and Twitter. Sometimes they think about LinkedIn or a niche-focused network. Rarely do people come to me asking about YouTube or Flickr, both of which offer great opportunities to promote your business.

YouTube, the video uploading site which boasts over three billion, yes BILLION, views per day, gives you a perfect opportunity to share information about what’s going on with your business. You can provide tips (for example, I could be recording this on YouTube instead of typing it ) share events, interviews or any number of things. Be sure to use appropriate categories and tags to get the most traction.

Flickr is a photo sharing site that you can use to share photos of products, event photos, staff photos, etc. As with YouTube, you will want to be sure to use appropriate categories and tags. If you plan to use either or both of these sites for business, be sure to choose a name for your channel (YouTube) or photostream (Flickr) that reflects your business. Not only do you want people to be able to find you easily, but you want to project the right image.

Text based networks are GREAT, but photo/video based ones can be just as great and can attract a different audience. Not only can you share your videos and photos, but you can also connect with others and build community, just as you do with your other social networks. Try it; you might like it.

Need help setting up a YouTube or Flickr account? Contact me.

social business tip: be responsive

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

One of my greatest pet peeves in both my personal and professional lives is a person or business that is unresponsive. When I ask a question, I expect a response. Period.

I recently asked a local business via Twitter what their store hours are. I asked this because I was considering going there and most likely spending some money if I saw something that I liked. After a few days, I have yet to receive a response. Missed opportunity!

Prior to this incident, I asked this question on the ms. rasberry inc. Facebook page, “When you contact a small business online, what is your response time expectation?” The majority of respondents answered that they expect a response within one business day. On Twitter, I asked “If I ask a business a question via Twitter and several days have passed without a response, am I wrong to not do business with them?” The responses were all that I would not be wrong at all. One person even said that she expects a response from a business within two hours!

I realize that it’s not always possible, especially for a small business, to respond to online inquiries immediately or within a few hours, but you should always respond within one business day and you should most definitely NEVER let a question or comment go without a response at all. Not only can not responding lead to lost business opportunities (i.e. money!) but it can also lead customers or potential customers to not want to do business with you or worse yet, to bad mouth your business.

Technology, social media in particular, has allowed for a breakdown of the traditional barriers between businesses and customers or potential customers. It allows for two-way conversations and community building. It has also significantly changed the expectations for customer service. If a business is on Twitter or Facebook the response time expectation is much higher. You must also think beyond direct inquiries when it comes to being responsive. It’s important to pay attention to not only what is being said to your company, but also what is being said about it and to respond accordingly. Conversation monitoring is critical!

Don’t make the mistake of losing customers because of a lack of response. If your company does not have the bandwidth to be responsive within a reasonable amount of time, then you should rethink whether being on a social network is right for your business. Or you should hire me and I’ll take care of it for you!

insight: why I have only one twitter account

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

there's only one of me; so there's only one of me on twitter.

I recently asked the question on the ms. rasberry inc. Facebook page “Do you have separate Facebook and/or Twitter accounts for business and personal use?” I was the only person that responded that I have one account for each. Am I an anomaly?

When I first became acquainted with the wonder that is Twitter, I had one account and it was private. I hadn’t quite yet figured out how I was going to leverage this tool and felt like I didn’t want any and everyone accessing my tweets. I soon discovered how boring that makes it. Additionally, it’s more difficult to engage the masses and I had to log onto Twitter.com to approve follow requests which was annoying. So I unlocked my account and life in the Twitterverse became a lot more interesting.

Soon thereafter, I decided that I should have multiple accounts to share different content. At one point, I had a whopping total of FOUR Twitter accounts. Several months ago, I decided to consolidate and maintain only one account. You may be thinking, “don’t you want to maintain separation between your personal and professional lives and varied interests?” My answer to that is “No; I don’t. Not anymore.” After all, I have nothing to hide.

When it comes to branding, I am my brand. ms. rasberry inc. is ME. So I have no issue with my Twitter account reflecting that. Having separate accounts gives comfort to some; but I began to realize that it was somewhat disingenuous. It allowed me to pick and choose who saw what to the nth degree. Having separate accounts began to feel to me like wearing a mask and I didn’t want to do it anymore. So I stopped.

Will having one account work for you? Maybe; maybe not. As an individual, you have to consider your overall situation (work, family, etc.). As a business owner, you have to consider your business goals and intended audience. In either case, ask yourself Who am I tweeting to? What am I tweeting about? Is there any conflicting interest? I no longer have the added weight of being associated with an employer who might take offense at something I say. I also don’t tweet highly sexual content or profanity laced tirades. For people who have those concerns, having separate accounts may be their best bet. Another option is to have a private (locked) account that allows you control over who follows you. I know several people who don’t necessarily tweet anything outlandish, but in this day and age of potential (and current) employers checking social profiles, I suppose they figure it’s better to be safe than sorry. I can respect that. It’s just not for me. I highly recommend that business owners not have locked accounts though, at least not your “business” account if you have separate ones. You want people to be able to access your content readily.

A while ago I wrote a post on tattoos and not wanting to work for any employer that would have an issue with me having one. I could say the same thing about anyone who will make a biased judgment against me based on a snapshot of my Twitter feed at any given time. For example, I participated in a lengthy discourse about Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler) leaving Law&Order:SVU. If you saw my Twitter feed during that exchange you would know that I think the show will fail without him. Would you make a decision on my qualifications or services based on that? I sure hope not. However; if you did, I probably wouldn’t want to work with you anyway. Unless, of course, the bias was in my favor.

I discuss a range of topics, so my Twitter account will give you an idea of how I think and what interests me. It’s still not the complete picture though, which I’m sure can be said for anyone. My Twitter bio tells you what I do. Have specific questions about me, my business/services? Just ask. I’ll be more than happy to answer. Yes; I can manage your social outposts. Yes; I can build a WordPress site for you. Yes; I can write articles or blog posts for you. I will tweet about those things; but I will also tweet about my favorite artists, events I’m attending, etc. I will also tweet about my makeup/image consulting sessions. I’m multi-faceted and so are my tweets. Who says business and pleasure can’t peacefully coexist? Certainly not I. Follow me @msrasberryinc and join the conversation.

Do you have separate business/personal/other Twitter accounts? Why or why not?

social business tip: make your business obvious

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

um, what is it that you do?

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I see someone who is trying to use their Twitter account for business, yet you can’t tell what it is that they do.

True story: I came across an account that had a logo as the avatar. Mistake number 1: People do business with people, not logos. Your logo doesn’t mean anything to me unless you are a huge brand like Nike or Pepsi. Show me who you are.

Next, the bio gave no indication as to what type of business it was. Mistake number 2: All Twitter accounts should include bios, but especially so if you are trying to attract business. People won’t want to hire you if they don’t know what you’re about.

At this point, I was more than confused, but there was a website address attached to the account, so I thought “Eureka! If I go to the website, I will be able to find out what this company does.” No such luck. Mistake number 3: The link took me to a business blog that hadn’t been updated in several weeks, but worse yet, there was no ‘about’ page. At all. Nothing. I searched for it – it wasn’t there.

The Twitter account was fairly active, but the tweets didn’t give any real indication to the business type either. Color me perplexed. I thought to myself, how does this person expect to use their Twitter account to attract business if you can’t tell what their business is? After all, why would you use your business logo as your avatar, unless you want to increase awareness of your business?

Moral of the story: Make your business obvious. If you are using Twitter, or any other social platform, for business, don’t make people have to guess and search for the service(s) that you offer. Any website link attached to your accounts should lead to relevant information. Your social outposts will be the first point of contact for many potential clients. Let them see you shine.

If you need help establishing a social presence for your business, contact me. I’d be happy to help!

social business tip: don’t play hard to get

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

One of the worst mistakes that a business can make is being difficult to reach. Make it easy for clients and potential clients to contact you by placing your contact information, including your social outposts, at every touch point. Include your Twitter, Facebook, etc. accounts on your website, in your email signature, on marketing materials – anywhere that your audience (clients and customers) will look.

Don’t forget to include a contact number also. Contact forms are wholly impersonal and for all your audience knows, they could be going into the great online abyss.

Playing hard to get may work for some personal interactions, but when it comes to business – be accessible!

social business tip: you don’t have to be everywhere!

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

Often when I am speaking with a potential client, they bring up every type of social platform that they’ve ever heard of and want to know how to start using them. The more important question is “Should you start using them?” Of course I believe strongly that every business should have a social presence; but where the time and effort is spent is important.

When determining a social strategy, I take into account the audience and the business goals. Building brand awareness is not necessarily best done by trying to be everywhere. It’s not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. It’s important to have an understanding of which tools would be most effective for each individual/business/organization.

Considering taking your business social but not sure where or how to start? I can help!

business tip: self-promotion. just do it.

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

I’m in the business of building brand awareness; however, I’m horrible at promoting myself. I can give anyone else 101+ ways to best promote themselves and/or their business, but when it comes to self-promotion – *crickets.* Crazy, right?

As it turns out, I am not alone in this deficiency. I found out via the wonder that is Twitter that several people with whom I am acquainted – talented, intelligent people like myself – suffer from this same affliction. It comes as second nature to us to offer a kind word or a recommendation for someone else to help them build their business; but we lack that same tenacity when it comes to pushing ourselves and our own endeavors.

One of my Twitter favorites, @ColinStorm, noted that it feels good to help others and that it most certainly does; however, we need our bottom lines to look good just as much as we need to feel good, no? We certainly want, need and deserve to be successful as much as the next person and the lack of effective self-promotion is not the best means of getting there. Of that, I’m sure. Undoubtedly, you have to have the talent to back up the promotion, but that’s not the issue here.

So what is it about me, Colin, another Twitter fave, @Nakeva, and others that makes it so difficult for us to promote our own brands, in other words, ourselves? I don’t believe that we lack faith in our knowledge, skills and abilities. I know I don’t. I’ve always been intrigued by psychology and the workings of the mind, so I’m leaning towards a particular personality type/trait being the culprit. I don’t know about them, but I have NEVER been comfortable with talking about myself. Ever. It also annoys me to see people always pushing their products. Honestly, it makes me less likely to purchase if I feel you are constantly hitting me over the head with your service/webinar/e-book/salad tongs, whatever the case may be. I don’t want anyone to see me as one of those people. However; those people are probably making more money than I because of this, so I need to get the hell over it!

There’s a thin line between necessary self-promotion and narcissism and I will be careful not to step over it, but I will be taking this game to the next level. Of course I will also continue to promote others because that’s just what I do. If I believe in your talent, I want to see you succeed and will assist in any way that I can. I hope you would do the same for me.

Do you find yourself promoting others more than you promote yourself or are you a queen/king of self-promotion? Tell me about your experience.

using social media for social good

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Tamara Rasberry

I love helping people and I love social media, so I jumped at the opportunity to be involved with the 2011 DC Twestival which brings the two together. I’ve joined a team of similarly dedicated social media enthusiasts to help put together a fun and fantastic fundraising event. My role on the team is to manage the DC Twestival blog. As a writer, I anticipated this being a great role for me; however, due to circumstances beyond my control, I’ve spent more time waiting than writing. I hate waiting. This is not about me, though. It’s about a bigger mission – DC Twestival.

You may be wondering, “What the heck is a Twestival?” Well, the name is derived from Twitter festival; but more specifically, it’s an event that is designed to utilize social media in order to raise awareness and funds for charitable organizations. This year’s DC Twestival benefits FAIR Fund, an organization committed to ending human trafficking, particularly of youth. As the mother of two daughters, this issue speaks to my heart. People tend to think of human trafficking as an “elsewhere” problem, but it’s very much a problem in the United States as well. All too often we hear of young girls going missing and many of them have been taken by pimps and abusers and forced into prostitution and servitude. The majority of human trafficking is for the purpose of sex. We must do something to stop this! After a lengthy process, FAIR Fund was selected as the DC Twestival beneficiary. I’m glad to be a part of it because it is most definitely a much needed organization.

This year’s event takes place on March 24 at DC venue, Shadowroom. If you’re in the DC area, come out and help support a worthy cause. It’ll be fun and, as if you needed anymore prompting, I’ll be there! Tickets on sale here.

Check out this video on DC Twestival and FAIR Fund.