Businesses today must be more “social” when to comes to doing business. Customers want to interact with people and they want to get to know the businesses that they are dealing with on a social level. Any business who does not do this is only hurting themselves at the end of the day. This is a vital part of doing business today in an era of technology.

Mark Zuckerberg,CEO of Facebook explained it best in this video clip:

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

We all want to feel connected to someone and something. So it’s only natural that this is spilling over into the business world. Why do you think more and more businesses are creating pages on Facebook, Google+ and other platforms? It’s because there is something very powerful about being social.

Ask yourself how social you are with your target audience and current customers? What can you do to become more social?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Kim Beasley

If you are looking for a way to keep communications open between you and your customers, then choosing to invest in social media may be the answer you are looking for. Social media has become a vital way for individuals and businesses to generate awareness and increase promotional opportunities. If you want to implement it into your online presence, there are several tips that you should keep in mind that will assist you with your efforts.

Start by creating profiles on the major social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Each of these will allow you to communicate with your target customers in different ways:

• Twitter is more of an instantaneous way to reach your customers. It allows you to quickly connect and build your circle of influence.
• Facebook has basically two ways you can connect with your customers: with your personal page upon approval and with fan pages that allow instantaneous connection.
• LinkedIn is more of a corporate environment and connecting with your customers may take longer. It is worthwhile, especially if you want to connect to businesses that are more corporate-minded.

You can keep your social media communications open through the process of sharing information and creating a FAQ section on your website to answer questions regarding your industry. By doing this, you can create an information portal and it can help you become an expert in your industry. Encouraging your readers and followers to post comments, suggestions, and other relevant information is a way for you to add to your information portal. In doing so, your customers will be much more involved and dedicated if they feel they are an important part of the process.

Another component of social media is marketing, which is a great way to connect with your customers whether it is online or offline. Many business owners have chosen to hold contests to attract their target customers while others have used social media to find joint venture partners to combine marketing efforts. Some examples of marketing techniques are:

• Twitter allows you to host on a weekly chat that is industry-specific where you can connect with others and encourage them to participate.
• Facebook allows you to purchase ads or sponsor content that will appear on your target customer’s sidebar. It will also allow you to point your ads to your fan page to grow your fans. Incorporate the “Like” button for your fan page into your website.
• LinkedIn allows you to ask questions or answer questions. When you answer questions that are industry-specific, it gives you a way to get your name in front of your target customers.

If your followers see that you encourage and foster interaction, then they will most likely give greater value to the information and follow it more closely. Your readers will also take action to recommend you and your content to their friends and followers.

Finally, with all of your activity on social media, don’t forget to measure your return on investment (ROI). By measuring your ROI, you will be able to determine what social media efforts work best to keep the lines of communication open between you and your target customers.

Stalking someone via social media has become an all to common situation and is know as cyber stalking. Many social media users don’t even know that they are being stalked until it’s too late.  Understanding the difference between stalking and simply following someone for educational reasons is something that this article will share.

Understanding social media or cyber stalking is important and the list below will help you become more familiar which how social media or cyber stalkers behave:

• Follows everything and/or documents everything that a particular person does or says online
• Can’t go a day without contact with a particular person
• Makes sure that you are in constant contact with a particular person
• Gets upset if this particular person shows any favoritism to another person online or offline
• Posts information or spread rumors about a particular person on the internet, in a public place, or by word of mouth
• Gives unwanted gifts to a particular person
• Makes frequent unrequited contact with a particular person and gets upset when they don’t respond

The list could go on and on but this gives you a general idea about stalking and can help you identify if you are being stalked or if you are a stalker. Identifying either is important and if you realize that you are being stalked or that you are a stalker, GET HELP.

For those being stalked, you can contact your local police enforcement unit to alert them to the fact that you are being stalked. Make sure that you have documentation about being stalked. Also make sure that you confide in a close friend that you trust so that you can have a supporter through the entire process. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, regarding stalking laws…

While the federal government, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories have enacted criminal laws to address stalking, the legal definition for stalking varies across jurisdictions. State laws vary regarding the element of victim fear and emotional distress, as well as the requisite intent of the stalker. Some state laws specify that the victim must have been frightened by the stalking, while others require only that the stalking behavior would have caused a reasonable person to experience fear. In addition states vary regarding what level of fear is required. Some state laws require prosecutors to establish fear of death or serious bodily harm, while others require only that prosecutors establish that the victim suffered emotional distress. Interstate stalking is defined by federal law 18 U.S.C. § 2261A.

For those who are the stalker, know that it is wrong and that laws are in place or being put in place to deal with those who stalk others via social media. Whether you think it is all innocent or not, cyber stalking or social media stalking is wrong.

Resources:

• Article: Are You Being Stalked?
• Article: Cyberstalking
• PDF: Stalking Victimization in the United States
• Article: Facebook Testing a “Stalker Button”

SPECIAL QUESTION: Is social media making it easier for cyber stalkers to stalk someone (i.e., Foursquare of Facebook checkins)? Please share your thoughts.

I ventured into using my mobile phone to capture video and I was excited. It was so much fun and then I decided to upload my video to Facebook and realized that my video format was 3GPP. After researching, I realize that this is a new video format for 3G phones. Not good if you need to upload to Facebook because Facebook doesn’t recognize this format.

So I researched and found a software program that allowed me to import my 3GPP videos and then convert them to AVI format which Facebook recognizes and uploads. You can find this free software download at What is 3GPP webpage. After downloading and installing the software I found it easy to use and straightforward.

So I have been giving thoughts to revamping the way I conduct my businesses and I decided it was time for me to do a Business Makeover. A Business Makeover would entail me revamping specific if not all areas of my businesses. I will be looking at what is making my business grow and what is causing my business to break.

To help me with my task of completing a Business Makeover, I’m enlisting the help of Mari Smith (@MariSmith on Twitter). Having her as a mentor will not only help me with my Business Makeover but it will help me to refine the way I think about doing business. You can find out more about Mari and how she can help your with your Business Makeover by visiting the following:

• Facebook Fortunes: Learn how to use Facebook to quickly grow your list and business.
• Facebook for Professionals: Learn how you can use Facebook professional to network, grow your business, and grow your exposure on Facebook.
• Facebook Masterclass: Exclusive program to lets you get hands-on experience with Mari in a group setting. You will learn how to put Facebook on steroids so that you can gain momentum with Facebook and also other Social Media to grow your business.

If you are thinking about getting involved in either of these opportunities, I would suggest that you visit Mari Smith – Relationship Marketing Specialist.