How Much Does Free Cost?

January 13, 2010 by Kathy Drewien · Comments
Filed under: WordPress - Blog Tips, Plugins & How-To

WordPress is free. Facebook is free. Twitter is free. If I can do or get it for free why should I pay you?

The most frequently asked question I hear — often not verbalized aloud.

There are a host of responses. Here are a few…

As easy as some aspects of WP are, there’s no way somebody could set up a site like this without a good knowledge of html to start with. The navigation links, tables, bookmarks and IDX would drive anyone else insane. -Linda Slocum

Social media is not free or easy, but if you employ the right people who can utilize these tools effectively, it can be an efficient choice to augment your other efforts. We should focus less on selling people on shiny new tools and more on building strategic plans and how tools can help us achieve the goals we have established. -Cara Keithley

I tell clients that I conservatively think I spent well over 500 man-hours learning Social Media and that was just to get started. I probably spend 2 hours a day learning each and every day… so at their salary, what is all that time worth? Funny how it makes the large number I just slid across the table seem not so large anymore. -brandmarken

If you want to trust your brand with someone who’s spammed their way to 100k Twitter followers in the last 6 months, then you weren’t the right client for me anyway. On the other hand if you’re serious about exploring the possibility of entering the social media space and are willing to dedicate the resources to ensure success, then we’ve got something to talk about. -Scott Schablow

Social Media isn’t free–depending upon the goals and size of the brand, executing Social Media strategies and programs may require monitoring, research, third-party software and services, development, planning, and resources to work effectively. – Augie Ray

Those “inexpensive” efforts take specialized knowledge and a lot more time to manage and execute. Things like public relations, guerrilla marketing, event marketing, and viral have always been more labor intensive and require a special kind of daily hands-on management. Same with social media. -Michelle Tripp

Wondering… How do you, as a buyer, determine the value of a service? Is it monetary? Time saved? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo credit:eelssej / CC BY 2.0

How To Send Facebook Page Updates

November 23, 2009 by Kathy Drewien · Comments
Filed under: Tips & Tricks - Sites, Software, Shortcuts

So how do you send Facebook page updates?

It’s pretty easy.

Just click on the “Edit Page” link on the sidebar. On the right hand side under “Promote Your Page” you will see a link which says “Send an Update to Fans”.

Sheesh! Hide and seek at it’s best.

h/t Nick O’Neill

How To Start Your Own Business

October 20, 2009 by Kathy Drewien · Comments
Filed under: Small Business Owners - Running the Show

open-for-business We live in extraordinary times. The Internet changed the game and social media brought the game to a whole new level. There has never been so many tools available at our fingertips. Geography is no longer a restriction. The list could go on and on. The point is, it has never been easier to start your own business. Here are some initial steps for building a strategic foundation.

1. Pick a name that works. Something simple, memorable and available.

2. Design a simple website. Make sure to use a decent content management system (CMS). The structure and features of a CMS are going to be important someday. Trust me.

3. Setup a twitter account . Use your name. Even if you doubt the value of twitter, go ahead and create a twitter account anyway.

4. Get a nice logo. Make sure you get the vector file (Illustrator or EPS file) as part of the final deliverable.

5. Setup a Facebook business page (known as a “fan” page). Add a simple description of your business, link back to your main website. Facebook doesn’t allow simple/vanity URLs until you establish a required number of fans. So, setup a sub-domain and redirect it to your Facebook page.

6. Kick off a blog. You can use one of the free hosting tools (like WordPress.com), but do NOT make it yourcompany.wordpress.com. You want to control all the SEO authority for your blog and channel it towards your main website.

7. Write a blog article that describes how you got to this point. What problem you’re hoping to solve. Why you picked this problem.

8. Setup Google Alerts for at least the following: your company name, link:yourdomain.com, your name.

9. Update (or create) your LinkedIn profile Mention your new business, and add a link to your website.

10. Get business cards printed. Don’t go overboard, but don’t use a free option. You need them when people ask you for one at conferences and meetings and such.

11. Use the Twitter Grader search feature to find high-impact twitter users in your industry. Start following them. Listen. Share. Connect.

12. Create a StumbleUpon account. Spend 10 minutes a day stumbling and voting things up/down. Don’t submit your own stuff — just start contributing.

13. Subscribe to the LinkedIn Answers category that best fits your area of interest. Answer one question a day. Don’t self-promote. You’re seeking to build credibility and trust.

14. Find the bloggers that are writing about your topic area. Subscribe to their feed, and read their stuff regularly. Leave valuable comments and participate in the conversation.

15. Start building contacts on Facebook. Organize your contacts into groups. This will come in handy later.

16. Grade your website on Website Grader . Fix the basic things.

17. Get Some Analytics: Install web analytics software and start watching your traffic.

What have I missed? List other steps in the comments.

Photo Credit via Flickr: mrk1 / CC BY 2.0