Home Wealth Project
Extensive Research On How To Build Wealth From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
11 Red Flags Startups Should Avoid When Hiring
Jan 10th
Getting to a point where it’s time to hire employees is a huge milestone for startups. But there are lots of things to consider when looking to hire someone to join your startup team, including whether or not that person’s goals are in line with the company goals and how good a fit the candidate is with the company culture. Ultimately, it might just be a matter of what your instinct is telling you about the candidate’s character and motivation.
We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, this question:
“What are some major red flags that startup management teams look for when hiring new employees?”
Here’s what the YEC community had to say about hiring for your startup:
1. Gut Check Test
“A candidate may meet all of the requirements on paper. They might present well in person. But, most importantly, do they pass your gut check test? Don’t let your urgency to hire cloud your vision. Including several stages of interviews during the hiring process will help you to get to know the candidate better to be able to determine if they will truly be a good fit.” ~ Abbie Davies, My First Yoga
2. Watch Out for Slow Responders
“In the early days of a startup, there is little redundancy. This means if an emergency hits you need all hands to help, regardless of what time it is. It’s hard to tell in an interview if someone will be there when servers go down at 3 a.m., but a great test is seeing how quickly candidates respond to your communications. If they really want to join your team, they’ll be all over them.” ~ Jason Evanish, Greenhorn Connect
3. Is it Just a ‘Job’ to Them?
“Some people looking to be hired just want a job and are not there to really contribute to your mission. Get to the root of why they want to work with your business and if there is a passion there. If there’s no passion you know all you need to about bringing that person onto your team. You need a solid group who like the idea, want to help it grow and also learn more along the way.” ~ Ashley Bodi, Business Beware
4. Did You Do Your Homework?
“I interview prospective employees on the phone first. One of the questions I ask is what they know about my company. Repeating sound bytes from my job posting will not cut it. If someone has learned nothing about my company before applying, I know that they are not the kind of person I want working with me. I need employees who make things happen–not ones who wait for things to happen to them.” ~ Vanessa Nornberg, Metal Mafia
5. A Lack of Personal Projects
“Whenever I’m considering a new hire, I go looking for any side projects that individual has worked on — blogs, open source projects and so on. Those sorts of projects tells me that a potential employee can work on her own without me staring over her shoulder. It also says that a person is a self-starter, which is a great indicator that she will do well in a startup situation.” ~ Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting
6. ‘I Don’t Like Being Micromanaged’
“This is an immediate red flag when brought up in an interview. Employees who generally use this line are those who don’t want to be managed by goals/results, and instead, wish to run with their own agendas or what “feels right” to them.” ~ Warren Jolly, Affiliate Media Inc.
7. Unclear Goals
“Always ask prospective employees about their goals. Not only will it tell you interesting things about their personality, you’ll also be able to determine whether this person will be a good fit for the company in the long run. If they don’t have any goals or their goals are unclear, proceed with caution. They may be taking the job for a paycheck instead of working with directed focus.” ~ Lisa Nicole Bell, Inspired Life Media Group
8. Concern With Hours
“It’s not that we all need to work 120 hour weeks. It’s not that you have to be in on Sunday. It’s not that you need to give up your girlfriend or gardening. It’s that there are no hours; a startup is a mission and a mission doesn’t have a daily start and end time. If something breaks at midnight, we fix it. If the sun begs an afternoon run, take that run. This isn’t a job. This is a lifestyle.” ~ Derek Shanahan, Foodtree
9. I Love the Startup World!
“Do they really? Why, what have they done, who do they know and how are they trying to get involved in the startup scene? Do they have a clue how different the role can be at a startup compared to a big company? Many people who “love” the startup world actually want a big corporate job but they heard tech startups were cool.” ~ Jared O’Toole, Under30Ceo.com
10. Is This Employee Too Entrepreneurial Minded?
“If you are hiring an employee, you’ll want to find someone who is on board for the long term. Startup management teams often can sniff out when a candidate is too entrepreneurial and has no intention of staying with your team for longer than a few months. Listen to your gut and if this person is the type who simply wants to work for themselves, don’t hire them.” ~ Matt Wilson, Under30CEO.com
11. Honesty and Integrity
“Skills and knowledge can be taught where as honesty and integrity are inherent to the personality of the applicant. Search for honesty and integrity first and then select the most skilled from that list. Not having honesty and integrity will cause problems and cost real dollars down the line.” ~ Lucas Sommer, Audimated
Red Flag Photo via Shutterstock
11 Red Flags Startups Should Avoid When Hiring
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
4 Rookie Mobile Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Dec 22nd
Mobile marketing. Sure, everyone’s talking about it. They’re busy talking about SoLoMo and how small business owners need to use mobile to target customers on the move. But with the rush to get in on this hot new medium, sometimes we let our excitement get the better of us and we don’t take time to plan our campaigns quite as well as we could. And then we make dumb mistakes.
Below are four rookie mobile marketing mistakes to avoid. We made them first so you don’t have to.
1. Using Mobile to Share Non-Mobile Content
You’ve read all about how to use text messages and quick response (QR) codes to target customers while they’re out in the wild or even just sitting on their couch at home. And that’s great–until you use these techniques to send users to content that is anything but mobile friendly. Perhaps it’s a video their phone can’t download or the desktop version of your website, which takes too long to load and far too much scrolling to use on their device. These types of mistakes leave customers feeling frustrated and almost ensure they never again try to load your website from a mobile device. They’re also a waste of time and resources on your part if you’re creating campaigns that don’t work, let alone convert.
If you’re going to use text message marketing to offer a discount or present a call to action for someone to visit your site, make sure the page you’re sending them to is mobile friendly. Ensure it will load on their device and present them with the proper experience. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels and their data plan.
2. Using QR Codes to Direct Customers Back to Your Site
For many of us, when we think “mobile marketing” we really think “QR codes.” A QR code is that barcode-like symbol that a user can scan with their smartphone to be taken to a page of your choosing. QR codes are great for sending users to mobile-friendly landing pages, informing them about specials and promotions, or providing an exclusive experience via their phone. When QR codes don’t work is when you use them to direct people back to your home page. Or, worse, when you try to put them in an email. (How do you scan a barcode while using your phone for email?)
If you’re going to invest in creating a QR code, don’t simply use the code to drive people back to your website. They could have gotten there on their own. Instead, pack that code with something valuable and unique. It could be an exclusive discount or special offer, time-sensitive information, an image they couldn’t get otherwise, a free download, etc. There has to be a “why” to make the experience worthwhile. Otherwise, you’re going to have a frustrated customer when they take the time to scan your QR code only to be given the same experience they receive every day.
3. Missing a Chance for Better Targeting
You can bet that not all of your customers are going to feel comfortable giving you access to their phone and opting into a mobile marketing campaign. And you know what? That’s OK, because it means you’ll be able to target your marketing to the type of user who is OK with a more personal interaction. To really leverage mobile marketing, find out more about the demographics of the people who do opt into this service and adapt your campaigns to specifically address them. This may including knowing what kind of offers they’re most interested in, the products they buy most, the price point they stay within, the types of deals they respond to, etc. If you don’t know offhand (and why would you?), your analytics will be able to give you this information.
As with anything, if you want customers to do something, you need to give them a reason. People will be more likely to sign up if you send them special discounts and offers that have been hand-crafted for them.
4. Not Optimizing Your Mobile Website
The mobile version of your website should be more than just a shrunken version of what your site looks like on a desktop computer. It should be optimized for a different experience and for a customer coming to you a different intent. We know that desktop users and users pulling you up via a mobile phone are coming for different purposes. They’re not just browsing on their phone; they’re on the hunt for specific information or content. For best performance, use your analytics to understand what your mobile users are after, the pages they request most often, and the mission they land on your site with. This will help you to optimize an experience that is relevant to their needs and that helps them achieve their goals faster. Give your mobile searchers what they want and very little noise.
Above are four very common mistakes SMBs (and even large brands!) make when entering the mobile landscape. But you don’t have to make them. Understand the intent of a mobile searcher, know the tools available to you, and then use them to create a unique experience.
4 Rookie Mobile Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
99 Marketing Traps And How To Avoid Them
Oct 27th
This Ebook Defines The 99 Most Common “traps” That Marketers Can So Easily Fall Into. The Book Explains Each Trap And How To Avoid It, Accompanied By A Relevant Quote From A Marketing Giant. Real-world Solutions To Today’s Marketing Challenges.
99 Marketing Traps And How To Avoid Them
Sales C S I – How To avoid paying your profits to Google!
Oct 4th
Discover how To optimize your online business, build your lists bigger and faster, and convert at least 15% More Sales – Guaranteed- from your existing PPC advertising and SEO budget… and stop paying an unfair share of your profits to Google!
Sales C S I – How To avoid paying your profits to Google!
6 Work Place Shoe Faux Pas To Avoid
Sep 29th
When there’s a chill in the air, work place fashion faux pas run rampant. Usually it’s because people cling onto their summer wardrobes or don’t know how to dress fashionably while also staying warm. Well we’re here to prove style and warmth aren’t mutually exclusive (but remember that Ugg boots and our approval are).
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Shoes are especially difficult to coordinate during fall and winter. Having tons of adorable sandals and even flats might not get you anywhere in the colder months — or will it? This article will discuss the major shoe faux pas for winter work wear and point out a few of the exceptions. Sit back and relax as we walk you through the fashion basics.
Men
That’s right, guys — you’re not off the hook! In fact, you may even have a harder time sporting the right footwear at work, and we’ve seen some tragic examples.
Faux Pas 1: Wearing sneakers or dress shoes. The latter doesn’t necessarily apply if you’re working in Miami, Oahu, or any spring break location, but if you’re in wintery areas, snow won’t show your leather dress shoes any mercy.
Dress shoes might not be a smart way to go, but sneakers are just unacceptable in the workplace. We know if one of your daily activities involves fighting off frostbite, it might be tempting to throw on some sneakers and socks and run to work Forrest Gump style just to keep your toes warm. Trust us: there’s a better way.
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When your commute involves potential snow sloshing, make sure you own a pair of sturdy but professional-looking boots. Which brings us to our next faux pas….
Faux Pas 2: Wearing rugged boots. So you’ve heeded our advice about the first faux pas, but your boots look straight out of a John Wayne movie or an episode of Ax Men. Don’t just pick up any pair of boots and call it a day; the pair has to be comfortable, sensible, and professional, which is a tricky trifecta to find. So tricky, in fact, that there’s a whole article in The New York Times about it.
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Once you’ve tracked down the perfect pair, make sure you use common sense about how to pair boots with suits. If your boots lean toward the casual side, wearing them with a sharp, perfectly tailored suit might look a little odd. Look in the mirror, and if you can play the what-doesn’t-belong-in-this-picture game, try again.
Faux Pas 3: Making waterproof too chic. If you’re panicked about Faux Pas 2, this will offer you a bit of relief. You don’t have to sacrifice all of your masculinity for the sake of workplace etiquette. It’s unnecessary to search far and wide for a professional boot that’s also waterproof (and also unadvisable).
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An Esquire writer recommends purchasing a pair of rubber Wellingtons. Now that’s not so bad, is it?
Women
Okay, ladies, it’s time to analyze your wardrobe and kick out some summer essentials. It’s tough to leave that adorable pair of flat sandals behind, but they’ll be there in spring!
Faux Pas 1: Wearing the wrong kind of tights with the wrong kind of shoes. In the past, it’s generally been considered a total no-no to wear pantyhose with open-toe shoes, which pretty much kills the attempt at making summer shoes work as winter shoes.
Generally, this is still the case, but some fashionistas are now saying it’s acceptable to wear this combo in certain circumstances. For example, wearing opaque tights looks exponentially better than nude tights, and wearing these opaque tights with peep-toe shoes or thick heels are your best bet.
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But Ladies, a recent Adecco survey found that 31% of the men and women polled found open-toe shoes to be inappropriate for the workplace in summer. We’re going to bet this opinion intensifies in winter.
On top of all this, wearing pantyhose with flats or summer sandals is a fashion crime akin to wearing a beer hat to a meeting. Just FYI.
Faux Pas 2: Trying to make flat sandals work for winter. Maybe you just bought the perfect pair of sandals a week before winter arrived, and you’re mourning the lack of time you spent showing them off. It happens. Don’t let your sorrow blind you! When it’s cold, flip flops and sandals just don’t cut it anymore. They leave your skin exposed and usually give off the summer vibe. Wearing sandals with your winter outfit is just like wearing boots with a short skirt. (Don’t get us started.)
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However, like every good rule, there are some exceptions. You can pull off heeled sandals with thicker straps that are made from wintery materials like leather, and you can attempt pairing them with opaque tights. This would be the only acceptable combination discussed in Faux Pas 1. This only works on a case-by-case basis, though, so take a look and use discretion. Also remember to check that open-toe shoes are acceptable in your workplace to begin with.
Faux Pas 3: Wearing white shoes, boots, or pantyhose. If you want to look like a Smurf or a Spice Girl, go for it. If not, it’s pretty difficult to pull this off. It can be done — anything is possible! — but as a general rule, avoid the tackiness of white shoe wear.
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The fashion value of white pantyhose is still debated, but regardless of its acceptance rate, white tights are seldom flattering and call nurse and school girl imagery to mind. It’s just not worth it.
It’s tough to keep warm and stylish, especially in the workplace, but these faux pas can be avoided. Keep in mind that styles are always changing, as well, which increases the difficulty. For example, we wanted to create an entire Faux Pas section about never wearing Crocs (especially the hideous ones with fur lining), but we realized they’ve come out with a few lines of shoes that actually look pretty decent.
If we can’t hate Crocs unconditionally, what can we hate?
View full post on Business Pundit
15 Ways to Avoid Bad Online Reviews
Sep 22nd
Imagine if there were a handful of things you could do right now to seriously mitigate the chances of your company falling victim to an online reputation management nightmare? Imagine if proactively putting in place a couple of systems would help you hear your customers in a way that is productive to the company, instead of potentially damaging?
Well, there are. And you can.
Below are 15 things you can do today to help prevent an online reputation disaster in the future.
- Build your reputation by dominating your Google 10. Blog, make videos, sponsor events, create a company Tumblr account, start a podcast, etc. This will help you control what’s ranking for your brand name and keep negative mentions lower on the Google totem pole.
- Let customers know how you prefer to be contacted. If they’re experiencing issues or concerns, should they reach out to you on Twitter, on Facebook, use your contact form, call you, etc.? Let them know the best way to resolve their issue so that they can use your company-approved method to get a response instead of ranting on Twitter or dissing you on Yelp.
- Add a complaint area on your website to help give customers guidance on how to get in touch with your company and keep them on the site.
- Follow up with customers immediately after the sale to collect feedback and tackle any issues head on.
- Find ways to constantly collect feedback – by holding focus groups, talking to customers at the register, calling loyal customers, etc. Once customers hand you this valuable feedback, use it and implement what they’re asking for.
- Be awesome at customer service.
- Be accessible and develop an active social media and online presence. I’m far more likely to angry-tweet about a company I don’t think is listening than someone who is active in the conversation.
- Use tools like Google Alerts, Twitter Search, Hootsuite and Trackur to help you monitor what’s being said about your brand.
- If you stumble across a negative mention of your company, become part of that conversation. Let that customer (and everyone watching) know that you want to make things right and offer a plan for how to move forward from this experience.
- Respond to negative reviews using humility and grace. Listen to what the negative comments really said and address concerns in a straightforward manner. Never get defensive.
- Avoid making the situation worse (see this Washington Post article for an example).
- Don’t write fake reviews or create fake accounts to tweet/post nice things about your brand. Your customers will always find out–and it won’t be pretty when they do.
- Proactively use Facebook and Twitter to build brand evangelists you can count on to defend you when sticky situations arise. It’s always better to have someone come to your rescue than for you to be the lone voice speaking on behalf of your brand.
- Repeat tip #13 for blog communities, professional sites, local-specific communities and special-interest sites.
- Develop a crisis plan so that if or when something does go wrong, you have a plan for how you’ll react. You don’t want to be scrambling while emotions are high. Know what steps you’ll take and who’ll do what before a problem arises.
It may look like a lot to do, but you’ll notice that everything on the list is really interconnected. That means doing one thing makes it that much easier for the rest to flow naturally. And really, isn’t your brand worth it?
15 Ways to Avoid Bad Online Reviews
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
5 More SEO Strategies for SMBs to Avoid
Jun 8th
Toward the end of last year I shared six common SEO mistakes that small business often fall victim to and how they could avoid them. As there are obviously more than six mistakes that often plague our websites, I thought today we’d dig into a few more. I mean, sure, let your competitors keep making the same old mistakes, but let’s make you better, right?
Right.
Below are five more search engine optimization strategies for small business owners to be aware of and avoid.
Targeting the keywords your competitors are: For a small business owner unsure of which keywords are important to their business or what phrases they should be optimizing their content for, it makes sense to go into your competitor’s Keyword tag and raid whatever they’ve got in there. And, to some degree, it’s not a bad idea. Being aware of what terms your competitors are going after can alert you to phrases you may not have considered or give you insight into their marketing strategy. However, that’s differently than blindly targeting all of their keywords you see. Just because someone in the same field is going after a particular term, doesn’t mean it will convert for you or that it makes sense to your business. It also doesn’t mean that term is working for them. Definitely do some competitive intelligence to see what they’re doing, but know why it is you’re targeting the terms you select. You can’t simply pick up someone’s SEO strategy just like you can’t copy their entire marketing plan.
Building links only to the homepage: When you’re thinking up link building strategies for your Web site, consider your whole Web site, not just your homepage. When a user does a Web search, you want them to find the most relevant page on your site. As your home page will tend to focus on more general topics and keywords that may not be the page you want a searcher to land on. If they’re looking for knee-high boots, you want them to land on your page specifically about knee-high boots, not a page that talks about boots, tops, accessories and luggage. In order for that to happen you need to build keyword-targeted links to that page so that Google knows that’s the most relevant page on your site for that search.
Reciprocal linking: I’m surprised this is still an issue in 2011, but I still see it getting small business owners in trouble. All those emails you receive as a business owner that go something like, “I’ll link to you if you link to me” should be immediately deleted. Right now. Reciprocal linking is not something your small business should get involved with – it’s detectable to the search engines and it’s often not going to provide a good user experience for your audience. It’s worth noting that linking to someone who also links to you, is not a bad practice. But participating in schemes for links is.
The index with useless pages: When you were a kid, you couldn’t wait to be a grown up. And when you’re a scrappy startup, you can’t wait to become a big brand. One way some small business owners will attempt to appear bigger is to create bigger sites by writing endless amounts of shallow content. This has never been a good strategy, however, with the release of Google’s Panda update, it’s an even worse idea. The Panda update released by Google did not take too kindly on sites that either have a large number of low quality pages or that had too many duplicate pages. When it comes to creating content, it’s really important to remember that it’s quality, not quantity that both users and Google are looking for. Do keyword research to find what users are looking for and then craft content that addresses those concerns in a thought-out and knowledgeable way. Don’t create pages just for the sake of it. Before it was just bad practice, now it can actually hurt your site.
Splitting your SEO efforts among multiple domains: As a small business owner, you’re typically going to be better served keeping all of your SEO efforts onto one domain. If you’re creating an event, a training seminar or some type of course, you don’t need to create another site to showcase those efforts. Instead, create a separate section on your existing site for that content to rest. Splitting up your efforts too much can distract from your ranking goals, diluting your link popularity, your focus, and your users.
Above are five more SEO mistakes small business owners should be on the lookout for to prevent making them on their own sites. What mistakes have you learned and grown for? You can share. This is a safe zone.
5 More SEO Strategies for SMBs to Avoid
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
The 7 Types Of People to Avoid In Social Media
Apr 19th
I love social media. As a marketer, a business owner, and a consumer, I love that social media introduces me to the people I need to network with and introduce myself to. To me, that’s its biggest asset – to connect me with the right people, at the right time, to make magic happen. But you can only do that if you’re not wasting your time and cluttering up your view with the wrong people. That’s why one of the most important things you can do in social media is to put steps in place to connect with the right people and avoid wasting your time talking to or seeing the updates of the wrong ones.
Who are the wrong people in social media? The people who you’d be much better off to avoid? In case you haven’t met them, let me introduce you to seven of my non-favorites.
The guy who wants to pick your brain: There’s nothing wrong with using social media as a way to learn more about other people, their business and to share knowledge. As I mentioned before, I actually think that’s the best part of social media. But there becomes a point when some will take advantage. When conversations go from being beneficial to everyone, to a public brain dumping session where you’re suddenly being asked, on repeat, to explain to someone how it is you do what you do…in detail. As a small business owner, you want to be really careful with these pick your brain requests and make sure you nip them in the bud as quickly as possible. Because they’re not beneficial and they won’t help you meet your connectors. Instead, you’ll spend your valuable time offering up free advice and getting nothing done.
The girl who takes herself too seriously: While I’ve found that most people in social media are genuinely nice and interested in having great conversations, some people take themselves just a bit too seriously. You’ll see them tweeting about nasty things about industry newbies and promoting themselves over everyone else. They think they ARE the industry they work in and they want everyone to know it. When you come across these people in the wild, don’t stop and interact with them. In fact, run the other way. These people typically only want to shout about how important and respected they are. They’re not here for everyone else.
The know-it-all: The trouble with the know-it-all isn’t that they annoy everyone by always thinking they’re right, but that they kill the conversation by cutting off debate when they come in shouting. They have a knack for locating great discussions and sharing opinions only to ruin it by jumping in and forcing their way of thinking of everyone else. They hop in and suddenly you notice the conversation stalls and people back away slowly not wanting to get involved or be part of what’s going on. These people represent the exact opposite of what social media is supposed to be about.
The guy always hawking something: This guy has a blog post he wants you to read. And an e-book. And he’s doing a training seminar next week. And he’s going to be on a marketing podcast very soon. How do you know this? You know because it’s all he talks about. He sent you an auto-DM when you followed him, he finds a way to insert it into everything conversation, he left a comment on your blog to tell you, etc. Stay away from the guy in social media who does nothing but hawk his own stuff. Yeah, we’re using these channels for marketing, but there’s a difference between being a marketer and being a shameless self-promoter. People tend not to enjoy speaking with the latter.
The girl who tweets about work…but doesn’t work: If someone is spending their entire day tweeting, chances are they’re not getting much work done, even if they’re tweeting that they’re hard at work. Be cautious of affiliating yourself with these people. It’s not that they’re bad people, but there’s nothing more dangerous than a person with too much time on their hands. It’s like that relative who keeps you out to dinner for four hours just because they have nowhere to be. If you value your time and your day, tread lightly.
The complainer: Somewhere along the line it became acceptable and even encouraged to use social media as your personal complaining zone. You’ve probably met these people. They’re the folks who always appear to be having a bad day and who spend all their social media interactions yelling and screaming and kicking their feet. Do yourself a favor and avoid these folks. They’re looking for the wrong kind of attention and I’ve found that too much exposure to negative people can ruin your mood and your day. Negatively attracts more negativity. Surround yourself with people who are excited about what they’re doing and the people they’re talking to. Because excitement is also contagious. And which would you rather catch?
The social media guru: Hey, don’t get me wrong. A lot of my friends are social media gurus. It’s not that they’re bad people, it’s just that they often don’t bring much value to your business. As a small business owner, you don’t need to be connecting with social media gurus on Twitter. Focus on connecting with your audience – your customers, potential partners, people in your area who would benefit from knowing about you. That is your audience. The social media experts who following 10,000 people are not. You only have so much attention to give out during the day, pick wisely where you’re spending it.
Those are the social media personalities I’d recommend you avoid. Which ones irk you?
The 7 Types Of People to Avoid In Social Media
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
50 Kit Home Owner Builder Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Apr 9th
Don’t let construction and design mistakes rob your kit home building project of time and money. 50 mistakes and tips. Bonus ebook: 80 Self Build Home Suppliers (Aus,Can,US,GB). 2nd Bonus ebook: Kit Home Groundwork: 5 crucial steps.
50 Kit Home Owner Builder Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
4 Reasons Your Brand Should Avoid Facebook
Feb 22nd
Last week on SmallBizTrends we discussed some of the new changes being made to Facebook brand pages designed to increase communication between brands and users. As a SMB owner myself, I was really pleased with the announced upgrades. I felt they addressed many of the long-standing frustrations I had and it was nice to see Facebook tackle so many of them at once. Now that Facebook has upgraded its platform for brands, that means you should absolutely head over there and create a page for your small business, right?
Well, not exactly.
Just because Facebook has made important upgrades to its platform, doesn’t mean it’s a place you need to be. Below are a few reasons you shouldn’t create a presence on Facebook. Feel free to replace Facebook with “Twitter”, “blogging” or “that other social media site” as you see fit. Because, really, the same rules apply.
You don’t have the resources to invest there
You’ve heard it a million times – the only thing worse than having no presence on a social media site is having a BAD one. And it’s the truth. Creating a Facebook brand page means making the choice to invest valuable time and resources into Facebook instead of putting them somewhere else. To create a strong Facebook presence you’ll need a person (or a group of people) that can create content, start conversations, respond to interactions, moderate activity and more. If you don’t have the time to participate in Facebook or you’re not interested in devoting the time to it, then don’t create the initial page. Because once it’s there, you have to manage it. Otherwise it collects dust and shows users that you’re really not paying attention.
Your audience isn’t there
It would not be wise to assume that your audience is on Facebook simply because marketers love talking about it. As a small business owner, it’s a waste of your time and money to invest in a site that’s not going to convert for you or that won’t help you to build awareness. You want to make smart choices when picking the right social network for your brand. To help you do that, it’s worth spending some time looking at your analytics, your referrer logs and even asking your customers which social networks they use before you simply hop on and create a presence. Otherwise you may be buying a dress for the wrong party.
Facebook doesn’t align with your business goals
Not every small business will benefit from creating a social media presence. If you’re the type of business that has to run everything through legal or corporate or PR before you publish it, then social media may become a bottleneck that your business could do without. Or perhaps you don’t want to interact with your customers. If that’s the case, then there might be a better way for you to get your message out then forcing someone in your company to be social. If social media doesn’t align with your business goals, then don’t feel pressured to set up shop.
You can’t keep up with it
It’s not just the daily interactions and updating that can take time away from a small business owner, you also have to factor in the time involved staying up-to-date with Facebook’s constant changes and updates. Creating a presence on Facebook means you have to be aware when Facebook removes a feature, only to put it back a few days later. You have to know what the best practices are today, compared to what they were a year ago. Because things change fast in social media. If you’re not watching, you may miss something and accidentally get your brand in trouble or miss out on a prime opportunity.
Obviously the rules above don’t apply to just Facebook. Before you invest in any social media or marketing channel for your business, you want to establish a clear reason for what you’re doing and an understanding of how you’ll use that site/platform to reach your goals. Don’t assume you need a Facebook page just because everyone is talking about it. Do your homework and have a purpose for being there.
4 Reasons Your Brand Should Avoid Facebook
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