Frequently, when I ask newly minted business small business owners what they do, I’m left wishing I didn’t even ask in the first place.

But once I remember I was once a new business owner, I cut them some slack. When I first started my business, Synergetic Business Solutions (SBS), several years ago, I thought we were going to offer a variety of different business services. However, as time passed, SBS’ broad service offerings became more focused and gravitated towards a niche of digital marketing.

While it seems more disillusioning than liberating, my clients owned my brand and derived a positive brand experience with digital marketing. From there, this began a process of rebranding the business to align with customer objectives, a process that is still in the works.

On a more personal note, as some of you know, I recently updated my personal website. Prior to the update, the following image was prominently displayed on my homepage:

I created the original www.coreyaxelrod.com website two years ago, and this image was a fixture from day one. However, as time passed, I’ve focused on pursuing a number of different passions of mine, including presenting about the challenges of growing up bilingual and between the Deaf and Hearing cultures. As a result, I’ve updated my website to ensure content is fresh and aligns appropriately with my ‘personal brand.’

The moral of the story: sometimes you may not know upfront exactly what your brand may stand for, but that’s perfectly okay as long as you have focused passion and ambition. The important thing is for small business owners to be flexible with the brand, and to communicate clearly to customers what the brand stands for.

With this in mind, your website is often your customers’ first experience with your brand, and as a result, it is important to design your website correctly to ensure you answer their questions and effectively promote your products and services. I realize not all small business owners are savvy when it comes to building or updating websites, but it is important to remember there are plenty of resources available and a commitment of time and money in communicating your brand effectively can generate thousands of dollars in potential revenue.

The post Knowing and Communicating your Brand – Vital to Success first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

The million dollar question small business owners in start-up mode continuously ask: what social media channel(s) should my business be on?

There are many different options, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. There is no right answer; however, there is one rule to follow: don’t let this decision overwhelm you.

Oftentimes, I see small business owners committing to more than what is feasible, desirable, or necessary. As small business owners focus on growing their business, their responsibilities naturally gravitate from solely focusing on product or service delivery. This can be a scary proposition, especially when navigating uncharted territories.

As part of the growing list of responsibilities, many small business owners take on the responsibility of engaging with prospective and current customers on social media. Instead of joining one channel, small businesses join multiple channels to ‘touch as many potential customers’ as possible with the hopes of generating more revenue.

Engaging more customers should be a good thing; however, when a small business owner’s commitment to multiple channels on social media compromises product or service delivery, the process needs to be reevaluated. Unfortunately, one of the the ‘quickest and easiest’ solutions is to seek the services of an independent contractor or outside company specializing in social media.

This may seem like a good idea; however, I want to throw caution to the wind here.

When starting up, small business owners should be hesitant and reluctant to work with an independent contractor or company for social media. I don’t doubt their knowledge, but I question whether they will ‘live and breathe’ what you’re doing on a daily basis. Do they understand and appreciate the challenges that you, as a small business owner, face on a daily basis? Further, will they be best equipped to answer your customers’ questions or concerns?

I personally wouldn’t simply hand over the keys to one of the most important aspects of your business to someone who doesn’t ‘live and breathe’ what you do, especially as this is a strategic initiative that can directly impact your business’ livelihood.

Instead, I would identify the platform that would generate the small business the most return on your investment, and from there, become an expert at said platform so you, the small business owner, can engage with your customers. From there, if you identify further opportunities to engage customers on additional platform(s) and it won’t jeopardize your commitment to your primary platform and not hinder other business functions, expand your social media reach and master additional platform(s).

The concept truly applies that a team is as strong as its weakest member. If you’re not fully committed on all of your social media platform(s), it’s time to recommit and start from scratch. Every touch point your customer interacts with your brand is critical to your small business’ success, regardless of whether you are in start-up mode or not.

Make your customers’ time worth it, and make yours worth it, as well.

The post Social Media for Small Business in Start-up Mode first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

“There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”
-Mark Twain

Surveys about people’s fears commonly show fear of public speaking at the top of the list, even ahead of death. The mere thought of being the center of attention can be uncomfortable and scary to a number of people; however, it is important to recognize fears are a byproduct of the brain preparing the body to protect itself.

If the thought of speaking leaves you nervous or terrified, then consider five effective tips and tricks others have shared with me over the years to help you nail your next presentation.

1) Gain Allies in the Audience

Each individual presenter is different in their pre-game routine. I prefer to be social with the individuals within my audience, especially if I am new to the group. Building this rapport can be beneficial, especially when engaging the audience during a presentation. It is much easier to ask participants questions when you know their names, or at least when you have some ‘background’ knowledge on select participants.

2) Simplicity is Key

Just last week, I was at a conference where a presenter had a beautifully designed Prezi presentation. However, the presenter did not have a wireless presentation remote, and subsequently had to say ‘next’ three to six times per slide. To make matters worse, there were approximately 35-40 slides during the hour long presentation. Needless to say, the presenter quickly lost the audience.

Another rule of thumb I follow is that I don’t put anything on a slide that would be easier for my audience to read on paper. I remember after a presentation at the National Association of the Deaf Conference, I received an email from Ken Herron, my former VP of Marketing at Purple Communications, saying he was “surprised that it was so text heavy.” Ken was right – my powerpoint wasn’t the framework it needed to be to ‘guide’ my workshop attendees.

3) Relate to Audiences with a Quick, Concise Introduction

Great content on its own is not enough to establish credibility with your audience. Give your audience a reason to listen during your introduction – if the audience realizes you have gone through the process first-hand, they’ll quickly relate to you. Regardless of the audience you are speaking to, an introduction quickly touching on personal experiences or a personal story are effective approaches.

4) Establish Control

After introducing myself and the topic discussed, I let the audience know how I plan to engage with them. Each presenter has their own style, and I prefer not to give my audience the free will to ask questions when they want. Instead, I request participants to hold all questions until the end of the presentation unless they need clarification or further explanation pertaining to a concept discussed.

5) Control Intellectual Property

With the advent of Slideshare and other Web 2.0 based slide hosting services, it has become much easier to share powerpoint presentations with workshop attendees. However, I advise against doing so for several reasons, including to control intellectual property. Instead, I give attendees a watered-down version, or a ‘basic shell’ of my presentation as I often have a number of slides that are proprietary and I don’t give those to anyone. One may think attendees are disappointed, but I’ve found many are pleased they don’t have to sift through multiple slides just to find information they were looking for.

Now get out their share your story and prepared to be amazed!

The post Presentation Tips and Tricks That Work first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

I found a link yesterday to an interview I had with author Karen Putz. During the interview, Karen asked me what advice I would give a deaf or hard of hearing person who was looking for a career like mine. At the time, I was just starting my digital marketing company, Synergetic Business Solutions (SBS), and was fresh out of my MBA program.

The best advice I can give a deaf/HH person who is looking for a career like mine is to reach out to someone who has ‘been there, done that.’ I wish I did this because I would have learned more about marketing before getting into the space. I feel as if I went into my MBA without much experience and really could have used a true mentor in the space. While I am happy where I am today, I believe I may have done things differently that could have advanced me further in my career.

Looking at the answer I gave, I found it quite intriguing I seemed to believe having a mentor was the be-all and end-all to success.

As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. If I could write a letter to my younger self, I would share it is more important to have faith that everything will work out and things happen for a reason. Even though I’m still only several years into my career, I’m no longer ‘wet behind the ears.’ I learned it is important to simply trust the process.

But what does it really mean to trust the process?

I believe the answer to this question is quite complex, yet so simple. It is the ability to have faith that there are circumstances of life that will unfold in the way it will, and you’re simply along for the ride. One cannot control the unknown, but shall embrace the process wholly and completely.

Since the time of my interview with Karen, much has happened. I lost my father and grandmother, two of the most important people in my life.

Through my difficult losses, I gained clarity and a better understanding that things do happen for a reason. I strongly believe it weren’t for my father and grandmother, I would never have moved back to Chicago from Rochester, NY. I likely would not have met many wonderful people during my journey in growing SBS, as well as finding the opportunity to work as an account executive with Communication Service for the Deaf.

While I miss my father and grandmother dearly, I’m grateful I’m able to trust the process and that I’m in it for the ‘ride of my life!’

The post Trust the Process first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

Growing up, my father would ask me to interpret for him when he met with our local insurance agent. My father was profoundly deaf, and while fluent in English and fully capable of communicating in writing, American Sign Language (ASL), not English, was his native language, and his preferred language for discussing business.

Unfortunately, even today, deaf parents being forced to use their own children as interpreters when professionals don’t provide them, is an all too common trend. Would you want to rely on a 12-year old with hearing aids [due to his own moderately severe hearing loss] to understand your customer, and be understood by him/her?

I am proud of the trust my late father put in me, but this was a horrific FAIL by our insurance agent. By not hiring a certified sign language interpreter, our agent lost thousands of dollars in business when my father left him for another agent who had the business sense to use an interpreter.

Your ability to service your customers depends directly on your ability to understand their specific needs and communicate how your products and services address those needs. You already know customers will not buy from you if they don’t trust you. You may not know that they will never trust you if they can’t freely communicate with you!

Think of the incredible investment you make in your sales, marketing, and communications efforts. Don’t throw away this investment, especially when it is easier now than ever to communicate with your deaf and hard of hearing customers.

Unfortunately, in many industries, including insurance, companies are not familiar with how to effectively communicate with prospective and existing customers who happen to be deaf and hard of hearing.

There are many different degrees of hearing loss so always ASK your deaf and hard of hearing customers for their preferred language/communications method.

The communications disconnect is most severe with the estimated two million people in the U.S. who use ASL to communicate. Unless you happen to be fluent in ASL, you will require a certified sign language interpreter to effectively and clearly communicate with people who use ASL.

What about lip-reading you ask? Lip-reading is unreliable as only 30% of spoken English is distinguishable on the mouth and lips. How successful do you think you will be if your customers consistently miss 70% of everything you say to them?

Another option, the “paper and pen” method, is not comparable to using a sign language interpreter. This is because ASL is a visual-spatial language with its own grammatical structure; for example, the English phrase “I give to you” is one word, or sign, in ASL. Additionally, as ASL is often deaf and hard of hearing individuals’ first language, this makes English a second/foreign language to many of these individuals.

Recent advances in technology provide you with some great options to communicate with deaf and hard of hearing individuals. When calling deaf and hard of hearing individuals who use ASL, they may use video and text relay services so you can understand them. Some people may also use captioning services to see and capture everything you are saying.

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is another emerging technology gaining traction among deaf and hard of hearing consumers, and is a service we provide to businesses here at Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD). VRI is a sign language interpreting service where a remote sign language interpreter is available with short notice 24 hours a day, seven days a week through video communications software on an Internet-connected device with speakers and a video camera.

VRI is a great complement to CSD’s on-site interpreter services due to its convenient, instant availability and placement at any location, as well as its short time minimums. The service works equally well for one-on-one discussions and group meetings. While a live interpreter is always best, VRI is a great solution to discuss with your deaf and hard of hearing customers who use ASL.

Had VRI been available and used by our insurance agent, I would have been out of my interpreting job for my father, and my insurance agent would have kept our family as a customer!

As technologies emerge and eliminate communication barriers, we can only think to the future. This is why I was delighted when offered a position with CSD – I knew I would be a part of an organization focused on improving the quality of lives for people who are deaf and hard of hearing by driving positive change and innovation. On a daily basis, I’m given the opportunity to ensure the community I am a part of has access to communication, and I welcome you to join me in ensuring your deaf and hard of hearing clientele has full access to communication.

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted on InsuranceFiles.com. For the original post, visit http://www.insurancefiles.com/blog/losing-deaf-customers-revenues/.

The post Are you losing out on deaf customers and their revenues? first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

I trust you will evaluate the thoughts I share and recognize the value in them. I’ve sat on these thoughts for a very long time, and for the first time, publicly shared some of these thoughts during my ‘Online Advertising And Marketing: A Powerful Tool’ workshop at the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference this recent July in Louisville, Kentucky. During my workshop, I mentioned the deaf community needed to reach out to the hearing community. An attendee of my workshop, Ted Holcomb, took note and mentioned this in his latest blog post, ‘Will Deaf Community Take Responsibility?’

In wanting to respond to his thoughts, I decided this would be the appropriate outlet for me to continue the discussion initiated at the NAD Conference.

To borrow a line from Trudy Suggs, my goal is for you, the reader, to be open to “uncomfortable topics, uncomfortable truths, and uncomfortable analyses—whether they apply to you or not.”

I’m a firm believer the best way to advocate is to look within and analyze how the outside world perceives you as a being, collective group of individuals or culture, and then shape messages to respond accordingly.

I say this because upon reading Ted Holcomb’s post, I squirmed a bit. Not because I disagreed with what he had to say, but because he brought up valid questions that were thought provoking and encouraged a healthy discussion.

In replying to this post, I’d like to do so in the context of one of the areas I know best: marketing.

Small business owners have often asked me this question: what do I need to do to get over the hump? My answer has often been straightforward – you need to understand your market and market to them effectively and efficiently.

Yes, it’s that simple!

Unfortunately, businesses are often stuck in a rut and follow their business and marketing plans point for point. This is a double-edged sword as technology and the overall business landscape are continually evolving, making an already difficult venture even more difficult. As a result, regardless of whether one knows their business inside and out, the onus is on decision makers to review and adjust strategic initiatives accordingly.

This merely prefaces one of the main points of this article – to be successful, you as a business owner or marketer need to market your messages effectively to the masses, including people who may not necessarily serve as a customer, but as an influencer.

I’m not saying you should generalize your messages to resonate with every single individual – that’s merely impossible – instead, what I am saying is to make sure everyone has access to your messages.

So for example, if you are a deaf business owner serving primarily deaf customers, you should be making sure any videos (i.e. Vlogs) you make are captioned. You may be thinking… well my everyday customer is a deaf individual. So what?

While there is nothing wrong with a business serving a niche client base by selling products for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, there is something to be said if your marketing collateral is not accessible to all within this market segment. If you’re not captioning your videos, I would like to point out you probably just lost out on the 80-85 percent of the market segment you aimed to serve. This is because these individuals often are not culturally deaf and consequently do not know or are not fluent in ASL.

At the same time, you also possibly missed out on a great opportunity to educate the general masses about your products and services. These individuals may end up becoming customers and/or can serve as brand advocates/influencers. It’s very likely they may know someone who could use your products or services.

In essence, you cannot expect to successfully market your company if your messages are not equally accessible to all.

One can look at Russ and Melody Stein of Mozzeria in San Francisco, California. I personally had a chance to talk with the both of them when I was at their restaurant several months ago. The two of them reiterated the point of not only needing to understand the market they serve, but also not limiting themselves because of their deafness.

The two garnered positive PR from both deaf and mainstream media, a feat that doesn’t surprise me. While there is the bit to be said about the owners being deaf, there is much more to Mozzeria than the deaf owners. It’s the food, oven, ambiance, service and much more that make Mozzeria what it is. Russ and Melody Stein understood this and decided to capitalize on the unique dining experience they offer patrons.

Making business accessible to all individuals is a sensible, pragmatic approach to business. It is not impossible for businesses to do, but yet, many businesses often do not realize the wealth of opportunities they are presented with.

To see how easily one can make an influence on the general public, one can look at the impact Adam Jarashow and Megan Malzkuhn made when launching the #captionTHIS social media movement for online accessibility. One can also look at a much more recent example, Adrean Clark’s petition to President Obama to officially recognize American Sign Language as a community language and a language of instruction in schools. These are two prime examples of the deaf community banding together to push a social agenda.

Simply put, the words were heard, felt and understood through accessible communication that reached out to not only within the community, but also transcended beyond.

Now let’s think back to your business and think about how you can maximize your business’ return on investment (ROI).

The obvious solution is to maximize your marketing communications effectiveness and efficiency. One way to do this is to add captioning to all videos. In turn, you will attract a larger population of people. If everything else holds constant, you’ll be generating incremental income that you can in turn reinvest in the deaf community. With this said, I would like to challenge those who preach about needing to up the standards of deaf economics to step up to the plate and lead by example.

If a small company like DeafTechNews, one that was started and is currently run by an RIT student, can afford to outsource captioning services to CaptionASL, why don’t bigger companies and organizations caption their videos?

It shouldn’t be considered an expense of time and money, but rather an investment.

Anyways, back to the point of Mozzeria – not only has their business thrived, but they’ve also been able to give back to the deaf community in numerous ways, including employing deaf individuals. The #captionTHIS social media movement for online accessibility and ASL petition are proof of concepts that deaf people are capable of not only being heard, but understood.

They serve as the reason you should not be afraid to reach out of your comfort zone – you may have an ally who believes in you and wants to support your journey.

The post Breaking Down Barriers of Success first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

I had the privilege of being interviewed by Deaf Social Media about my experiences with Synergetic Business Solutions. Below is the transcript of the interview (can also be found here):

DSM: Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Synergetic Business Solutions.

Corey: I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. After graduating from John Hersey High School, I attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and earned my bachelor’s degree in business management and master’s degree in business administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing and sales management. After working for several years out of Rochester, NY, I decided to return to my roots in Chicago and focus full-time on Synergetic Business Solutions.

As the owner of Synergetic Business Solutions, I work with my team to tailor marketing strategies to help businesses connect with their customers. The focus is on integrating different components of businesses to increase profitability and efficiency. These include, but are not limited to the following: social media and search engine marketing, online advertising and branding.

DSM: How did you get started running your own digital marketing agency?

Corey: The decision to start my own digital marketing agency was quite simple – I saw a need and decided to tackle this by offering services I had a passion for. This need was explicit within the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and I was strongly encouraged to initially offer my services on a consultative basis. Since starting the business, we’ve created more than 15 multi-channel integrated marketing campaigns for a portfolio of business-to-business and business-to-consumer clients. I’m truly excited to see where the company will go in the future!

DSM: What are some areas in social media that you noticed most companies have been struggling with these days?

Corey: Engagement is critical. A number of companies struggle with this concept. It’s not about putting out information that is interesting to the person posting on social media, but rather posting content that is relevant and interesting to the target audience. Essentially, your customers are your brand. If you fail to deliver content they want along with the product or services they want, they may quickly go elsewhere.

DSM: What will it take to become a “Best in Class” digital marketer?

Corey: This is a great question! I think that in order to become a ‘Best in Class’ marketer, one needs to be able to be a Jack of all trades. While digital marketing is constantly changing, one should understand the intangibles associated with marketing and evolve with the emerging trends. All components of digital marketing work together and if one does not understand how one component affects the other, they can severely hinder their organization’s success.

DSM: NFL’s regular season’s starting tomorrow, how do you think your Bears would do this year?

Corey: I should have known you would ask me this question! I really think that if Brian Urlacher is healthy, the Bears have a chance to go deep into the playoffs. You heard it here first – Super Bowl Champions!

Thank you Deaf Social Media for this opportunity!

The post Exclusive Interview with Deaf Social Media first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

Last Wednesday I had the privilege of being on the LinkedIn Lady radio show. While regular host Carol McManus (@linkedinlady) was away at a conference, a friend and former colleague, Ken Herron (@KenHerron), was the guest host. I couldn’t turn down Ken’s request that I be his special guest on the show.

Ken and I talked in lengths about how small businesses need to incorporate social media as part of their integrated marketing mix, and I’m writing this blog post as a summation of the conversation we had during the show.

Ken opened the discussion by asking me which social media platform a small business should be on. Unfortunately, there is no right answer. Social media is not about you or your business, it’s about your customers, audience, and whoever you are trying to reach. Simply put, you go where your customers are. If your customers are on Facebook, you should be on Facebook. If they’re on Twitter or Pinterest, you should be as well.

Communicate with your customers to find out which networks they are on, as well as the type of content they want from you on social media. This will enhance engagement, a process critical to your success on social media.

The next portion of the show focused on standing out from the competition on social media. While one can go the route of focusing on the ‘trends’ (YouTube or other video platforms) or on ‘conventional’ social media platforms by going with Facebook and Twitter, my professional recommendation is to be on multiple platforms and simultaneously utilize video. Part of video’s appeal for social media is that it lets your potential customers see, hear, and “touch/feel” your business. These are all important ways that people can learn about you and your business. From there, you can take your videos and cross-promote these videos on other social media platforms. It’s essentially about tying all the social media platforms together while maximizing the tangible components of your brand.

With your presence on social media, it is always important to measure success. My definition of success is not measured by the number of followers I have. Instead, it’s how many people I engage with on a daily basis. It’s how many people are retweeting what I’m saying or responding to a tweet I’ve sent out.

Success on social media does not come overnight, instead, it’s a process that requires commitment and dedication to the craft, at least fifteen minutes twice a day to grow your business by interacting with your customers online. Small business owners are their own brand, and they should share their expertise with customers regardless of the social media platform they are on.

One way to measure impact on social media is by looking at one’s Klout score – Klout basically takes different components of your digital influence and tells you how much of an influence you have on your audiences. There’s a lot of back and forth between supporters and naysayers, but the algorithms Klout uses provides insight into your online presence.

While there are no magic tricks to improving your Klout score, there are a number of ways small business owners can be effective on social media. The first is to take their time to learn the different platforms. Take whatever time you need to learn a given social network before worrying about being on multiple sites. The savvy will come, just be patient and learn all the different ways to maximize the effectiveness of the network.

This experience can be enhanced by joining Twitter chats and reading blogs to learn from social media experts. Twitter chats are beneficial to users worldwide as they are a two-way street: either you learn or strut your stuff by sharing what you know. Twitter chats are essentially what you make out of them, and can help increase your company’s visibility. Here’s a list of 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers: http://mashable.com/2012/04/11/twitter-chats-social-media-marketers/. Continuing on with the train of thought of learning, reading blogs are another critical component of being successful on social media. Below is a link to a list of some of my favorite social media blogs: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-10-social-media-blogs-the-2012-winners/.

Before we concluded, Ken and I quickly touched on GM pulling their advertising money from Facebook and the implications this has on online advertising from here on out. The one important nugget I’ve taken away from all of this is that you need to ask yourself the question of whether paid advertising will work for your business to reach your customers, regardless of whether it is through Facebook, Google AdWords, etc. You cannot answer this question without trying, and it is worth your time, money, and effort to determine if paid advertising is worthwhile for your business. GM determined that it was best not to pay the $10 million towards Facebook and instead continue to grow the presence of their branded pages on Facebook, an initiative they’ve poured more than $30 million into during the last year. GM found something that worked better for them and it’s important that you do the analysis and allocate monies/time towards something that will maximize the effectiveness of every dollar invested.

To listen to the free LinkedIn Lady Show podcast featuring Ken Herron and Corey Axelrod, visit iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-linkedin-lady-show/id433664232.

The post LinkedIn Lady Show Guest Appearance: Streamline Small Business with Social Media first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

Many small business owners I’ve come across are either too busy for social media or do not fully understand how to leverage the resourcefulness of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, et al.  As a result, the responsibility is passed on to an intern or a specialist (secretary or receptionist). While I understand that it can be difficult to maintain a presence on all social media platforms, let alone one or two platforms, I continue to stress to small business owners that they need to be on social media and letting others represent the brand can be a costly mistake. This is for a number of reasons, much of which I will discuss in this blog post.

While I have spent many hours working and furthering my knowledge of social media platforms, I’ll admit I am not an expert in social media. I don’t believe its feasibly possible as social media is constantly changing. Nonetheless, I will say I’m a small business owner interested in the intricacies of social media and how it can help further your brand.

Social media is simply a tool that not many small businesses have latched on yet, and it’s a shame as it gives you the ability to directly talk with your customers and communities on a daily basis. Like I said previously, social media is constantly evolving. However, the basic fundamentals aren’t. Because they remain constant, here are a few lessons I’ve learned over the years to apply to your social media endeavors.

1) Your customers know best

Social media is not about you or your business, it’s about your customers, audience, and whoever you are trying to reach.

Simply put, you go where your customers are. If your customers are on Facebook, you should be on Facebook. If they’re on Twitter or Pinterest, you should be as well.

This is because the fundamentals of social media are the same as Marketing. You need to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think like them. In my particular business, I do a bit of networking through LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. The reason I know this is because I’ve asked my customers which social media platforms they are on, and I did this through e-mail or by talking to them in person or on the phone. I want to know to best engage my customers and have them remember me for the next time they need services I offer. Through these conversations with my customers, I’ve learned how my customers want me to engage with them (i.e. sharing tips for how to use Twitter). This should be the same for you and your business.

2) Social media is not your free silver bullet

There are two misconceptions when it comes to social media: the first being that it’s free and the second being that it’s a one-stop solution for all marketing needs.

While you can sign up for social media pages and not have to pay a dime, social media is far from free. Being successful on social media requires an ongoing investment of time, energy, and effort when it comes to creating interesting content, listening to conversations, and responding.

It is also important to know that its often to take a slow and steady approach when it comes to social media. Instead of joining multiple platforms simultaneously, examine what you have learned from your clients and see which platforms best align with your goals and objectives.

3) Follower counts does not equal success

Just because Google has more than three million followers on Twitter does not mean this is how you need to measure success. You may not even have 500 followers, let alone 100, and that’s simply okay. As a small business, you cannot get caught up in the numbers game. Instead, you need to focus on engaging your audience as this will lead to organic growth. This is the best type of growth because these targeted individuals are devoted and enthusiastic, and are more willing than others to share with their friends and family the positive things they hear and see.

4) Learn from social media experts

There are many companies and brands that are doing excellent things with social media. There’s no reason you can’t learn from them. The cardinal rule you must remember is that it is not wise to copy what other companies are doing. Ethically, it’s simply not good business. Additionally, what works for another company does not always work for everyone.

Nonetheless, it’s always critical to learn from others about the type of interactions that work best. Following is a link to some of the best blogs you should follow where experts impart best practices for social media:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/top-10-social-media-blogs-the-2012-winners/.

5) Get help, but remain a part of the community

As a small business owner, you have to take care of multiple aspects of a business yourself (marketing, sales, billing, legal, etc.) and don’t have the “luxury” of spending a lot of time on social media. The one biggest mistake I see small business owners make is they relinquish full control of their marketing communications to someone who does not live and breathe the business. You are a huge part of your brand, and it is important you communicate your brand directly and are largely responsible for establishing the relationship with your community and networks.

I understand the need to get help – do so in a fashion that allows you to work alongside someone who can teach you about social media rather than letting them take over for you. The best thing you can do is get in there and try, it’s all about starting somewhere and building your community organically.

The post Five Effective Social Media Strategies for Small Businesses first appeared on Corey Axelrod.

Yesterday made for an an interesting day for Facebook. First, technical glitches delayed the start of Facebook’s trading by half an hour and then the company didn’t perform as well as expected in the stock market as it closed at $38.23, a 23 cent uptick and an increase of six-tenths of one percent.

I believe the reason the stock did not perform up to expectations is deeply entwined within investors’ fears of companies pulling their advertising money from Facebook, much like General Motors (GM) did earlier this week.

GM spent an average of $30 million yearly to build and maintain their pages on Facebook compared to $10 million for advertising on Facebook. Now that GM has pulled the money from Facebook, Facebook won’t see a piece of the pie. If other companies follow suit, this will be an issue severely hindering Facebook’s growth projections and is another issue Facebook faces, especially as they have not found a way to capitalize on mobile advertising.

While Facebook attempts to figure out what is wrong with the system they have in place for advertising and why GM pulled out, my inclination is Facebook will start charging companies of all kinds to have brand pages on Facebook. This is something I believe should have been done a long time ago regardless of the risks associated with charging for ‘real estate’ on Facebook. Facebook is losing money from GM and needs to find a way to minimize investors’ concerns.

The Axelrod proposed plan for branded pages on Facebook:

Companies should be charged for their usage of branded pages. This rate should be a fee combining companies’ levels of engagement with fans and the amount of pages companies have on Facebook.

The reason I propose this combination is because Facebook needs to focus on giving businesses an incentive to interact with their customers. The longer people stay on Facebook, the better it is for brands and Facebook. For the latter, the longer people stay on Facebook, deductive reasoning suggests a higher propensity of clicks on ads. Nonetheless, as I’m not privy to internal information, this is something Facebook needs to analyze.

In the midst of all of this, the one thing Facebook should keep in mind is that they cannot jeopardize their small business segment. It’s a fickle balance between making money from branded pages and advertising. Hence, this is where the levels of engagement factor comes in – the more companies engage with their fans on their branded pages, the more they should pay. As these calculations can be derived from branded pages’ insights, this tiered plan should be a formidable approach that can help offset Facebook’s losses in advertising and ensure Facebook continues to get its piece of the pie.

The post GM Pulling Ads from Facebook: Implications first appeared on Corey Axelrod.