Joshua Guffey

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Designing an ad? Maybe you’re working on a marketing piece?

Consider your customer first.

Don’t start with the mode of delivery.
Don’t start with the graphics.
Don’t even start with the message.

Consider your customer’s problem first and deeply.

• What are the specifics of their problem?
• See it how they see it. Feel it.
• What if it were YOUR problem?
• How does this make things different?
• What else do you see about the solution when it’s YOUR problem?

All business basically revolves around providing solutions for a specific set of people with specific problems. If you want to be successful, your problem is to solve a lot other people’s problems, effectively, and at a fair price.

“Your problem” is your customer’s problem

Many people think their problem is to “get more customers, and get them to spend more”. This isn’t their problem at all.

When marketing is truly responding to an expressed need, it feels great for everyone and the customer WANTS to buy the solution.  This type of sale leaves everyone feeling satisfied and appreciative.

What have I left out? Leave a comment to fill in what I may have missed or share it with the world using the buttons below.  Thanks a trillion!

It’s a shame that more businesses don’t use Twitter as an avenue for customer service. It’s ridiculously well suited to providing instantaneous feedback from your customers and potential customers. And it’s free.

Most small biz’s are still using it like broadcast media, which it isn’t. Their paradigm hasn’t shifted yet. They haven’t seen the true value and potential in engaging in NEW ways via these ‘new’ channels.

That said, I recognize that everyone has to start somewhere. There’s no shame in that. Just get started, make a real effort to use it to better serve your people while adding value to the connection. Be honest and human. Bring a lighter side to your interactions while remaining accountable and casually professional. People like it when you’re human.

I don’t usually like to drop links in comments cuz it always sets off my own spam radar, but I’m going to make an exception here because if you’re one of those businesses looking to implement social strategy it may be overwhelming and confusing. I hope this post I wrote helps. It’s titled “Are social networks good for your business?” and it goes into some things to consider when you’re starting out. It’s at: http://www.joshuaguffey.com/are-social-networks-good-for-your-business/

Here’s to your bravery!

-J

Originally posted as a comment
by joshuaguffey
on Mashable – The Social Media Guide using DISQUS.

Social Network Connections

When you’re new to Social Networks

If you’re getting started in social media from a business standpoint
you may feel inclined to join Facebook, Twitter and every other
social network you find and become active on each. This impulse is
good and I would argue that doing so will help you to stay current,
relevant and accessible for your customers and in your industry;
however, I would offer a few words of caution and some direction for
what may not yet have revealed itself to be an rather ambitious task.

Many people think of these networks as “So I put up my profile and a
picture and then friend a bunch of people to get exposure.” Umm, no.

Consider that each of these networks are really new forms of
communication. They go both ways. Yes they are powerful. Yes you could
get great exposure. And yes they can even be fun ways of growing your
business. But remember, if you are to use them effectively, they are
also work. I know many of you shuddered just reading that. Sorry to
burst your bubble.

Think about it…every new network is a new point of contact, a new
‘inbox’ to manage. And each social network comes with it’s own
technical learning curve. So without totally frightening you away from
social media as a new channel for communication between you, your
current and potential clients and your industry as a whole, I’d like
to offer a few suggestions about how to begin; because I do believe
that in most cases the benefits outway the hurdles.

Focus your social efforts:

Don’t try to learn more than one major social network at once. Give
yourself enough time to learn one well enough to maintain it and to
move forward with it before you take on another. This may be a month
or two for you or it may be a longer or shorter process. You’ll know
when you’ve got it handled. You’ll be engaged and responsive on that
network. You’ll be in relevant conversations and you’ll be expanding
your connections all the time. Just don’t be ‘that guy’.

Engaging in multiple social networks simultaneously can be a bit
overwhelming, especially if you’re just learning the ’social ropes’.
There’s a new language to learn, etiquette to grasp and mental
bandwith to appropriate.

Here I’m mostly referring to Facebook and Twitter. Yes they’re both
very big, very busy and potentially a great place for you to setup and
begin building a reputation, a sense of ‘authority’ (I’m not super
fond of this term as it seems to be used frequently in a matter as to
suggest deception or subverting the natural process of becoming
recognized in a giving space, but you get the point) and also a sense
of connection with an interested community. Notice I didn’t say
audience; that isn’t what social media is about. It’s about actual
interaction. Forget that and you’re in trouble.

I would go ahead and grab your username at each major site so as to
secure brand integrity, but I wouldn’t actually become active on each
until I’m ready to integrate a new inbox and a new community of
individuals into my social media efforts.

I know that I just got finished saying essentially “don’t do this
unless you’re going to do it right” and now I seem to be contradicting
myself, but there’s actually a really simple solution. What I would
suggest is that on whichever social networks you’ve decided are less
relevant for your intial social media expansion (more on this in
another post) simply make a statement that tell people where you ARE
focused right now.

Your “Sorry, I’m out” message

It may read something like this:

“Thank you for visiting me (or your business name) on Facebook. It’s
important to me that I’m able to respond to you so I’m choosing to
focus only on Twitter at this time. I’d love to connect with you there
(I’m @JoshuaGuffey) or feel free to send me an email. Thank you!”

It doesn’t have to be long, elaborate or particularly elequant. Just
tell them what’s up and where to find you and express an honest
appreciation. I’ll get more into choosing a network to focus on later.

Until then, you can go grab your name in the places you think you
might setup shop and write a little blurb directing people to
somewhere to connect. Even if that’s just email address or blog. At
least you’re being straight-forward and making an effort.

Add your thoughts!
I’m sure there are important points that I missed.
What would you like to add to the comments section?

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/marc_smith/

As you know, Google Buzz hasn’t even been out a week yet and it’s been big news…and yet not.

What I like about Google Buzz

• My Gmail contacts are already there.
• Since this is a Google service connected to Gmail, it’s likely that it’ll
  draw more of my non-Twitter friends into a social media space…where I live.
• Inevitable integration with Google’s gamut of innovative and powerful products.
• Nearby feature which is pretty good (like Tweetie for iPhone does)
• Integration of tweets into my buzzstream.
  • I’m already on Twitter & Facebook. I don’t need a new place to consider posting to. It’s nice to be able to buzz without ‘going there’ on my iPhone or MacBook. Then I get updates via email. And if I want to see what’s happening outside of ‘my’ conversations I drop into Buzz and look around.

What I don’t like about Google Buzz

• If I comment on anything Mashable posts, my iPhone buzzes like mad
  for hours. This is fixed easily enough by ‘muting’ the gmail conversation.
• The eery feeling I get that Google is going to release something so
  integrated and so powerful into the mobile space that I will love my iPhone a little less.

What I’d like to see Google Buzz do

• Location based check-ins. Of the major players in this arena I prefer
  Foursquare, but I don’t like the way they format links in my Twitter.
  And I’m over the ‘game’ aspect of it. Google’s got great positioning
  to enter the local check-in game. (maps/local+reviews+buzz=useful!)
• A Google Buzz widget that I can install on my website so that peeps
  can Buzz me from there.
• Easier integration of pics and other multimedia using iPhone
• Functional @mentions and some type of tagging, perhaps #hashtags
• Local, regional, national and global trends.
• Aardvark integration (they bought Aardvark this past week)
• Google Talk integration to take a thread to private chat
• Integration with analytics like bit.ly’s stats but better, perhaps
  with Google Analytics
• Filters as powerful as Gmail’s filters
• Integration with Google Voice (click to call). Permissions would be
  highly important here.
• Alerts like ‘Google Alerts’ but applied like a persistent Twitter Search.
  So you know when your company’s name is mentioned or when people
  buzz about your product or industry.

What did I forget? Please add your thoughts to the conversation in the blog comments.