Tag: social media

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15
Mar

Off My Facebook

Written by Paul Hassing

Facebook: sliced bread or spookarama? I don’t like Facebook. It gives me the willies. I’m only on it because a neighbour plans a Facebook campaign to avert a skyscraper from our tiny street. I wonder what you think of Facebook. Best Friend I have one Facebook friend: my wife. Yet I’m getting invitations to reconnect with people I’ve not seen for years. And with whom I parted on less-than-ideal terms. I don’t wish to hook up with old flames. I’ve no time for school bullies. (Other than to exact revenge.) The colleagues I escaped by leaving various jobs haven’t improved with age. Nor do I wish to: Poke people. Build a mafia family. Tend an imaginary farm. Share drunken photos of myself with strangers. Missing Links? If Facebook were a country, it’d be the world’s third largest. (Thanks, Irma.) This is not a number to ignore lightly. But I know Carol agrees the commercial advantages of Facebook are, to put it very mildly, elusive. The only thing I like about Facebook is appearing on MYOB’s wall. The rest of it drives me up it! About Face But let’s be fair. I’m a big Twitter fan, yet millions think Twitter is useless drivel (because, at first glance, it seems exactly that). Yet, having mastered Twitter, I think the critics are wrong. So there’s every chance I’m wrong about Facebook. Face Off To me, Facebook seems populated by creeps; foul-mouthed infants; bored stay-at-home folk and ranting, flaming maniacs. None of whom can spell. Barely a week passes without some awful media report of an (allegedly) Facebook-related law suit, privacy invasion, hate crime, injury or even death. I got so spooked by Facebook, I designed this T-shirt. Am I completely missing the point? Facing Facts I expect a hearty debate here. If you feel I’m wrong, tell us how Facebook helps you or your business. If you think I’m right, how did you arrive at this position? Let’s turn my frown upside down and enjoy some Facetime! :( :) Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

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08
Mar

Two Years On

Written by Paul Hassing

Happy birthday to us! On 5 March 2009, we did our first two Small Business Owner blog posts. That means we’ve been at this caper for two whole years! Yay! Reflections In that time, our 200-odd posts have garnered 4650 comments. Of all these responses, we’ve only had to modify two to keep things cordial. Given the rabid tone of much online discussion (check YouTube if don’t believe me) I think this is an extraordinary achievement. Also remarkable is the generosity of you, the reader. The ideas and experiences you’ve brought to this forum have left me open mouthed with wonder and gratitude on countless occasions. Off & On Topic We’ve covered a broad spectrum of topics. Some have sunk like stones. Others have generated surprisingly intense debate. One clear trend is that any post about small pieces of paper is bound to go off. That, and anything to do with telcos. Checking over our first two posts, I see that many of the people who commented then are still with us today. It seems good friends last. Our subscription base, strangely, looks to have peaked at around 130. I imagine this is because people are already drowning in emails. If, however, you know of a more sinister reason, I’d love you to share it. Naomi and I are jolly keen to make this blog as interesting, useful and relevant as possible. Going Forward No retrospective would be complete without a genuflection of gratitude to our guest posters. These kind, clever cats injected fresh blood just when we needed it most. Naomi mentioned the other day that MYOB plans to keep this blog going for the foreseeable future. In the blindingly motile world of social media, this is a rare commitment. So, as Young Mister Grace would say, ‘You’ve all done very well!’ Thank you so much for your energy and support. Out Takes? Now that I’ve done my warm fuzzies, I’d like to ask what you get from this blog. It must be something, or you wouldn’t keep coming back. I’ve gained contacts, clients, gigs, ideas, insights and learnings. How about you? What have you gained? And what can I do to see you get more? In other words: Hip hip? Hooray! :) Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

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08
Feb

What’s in a name?

Written by leah klugt

Today we welcome back Leah Klugt from The Golden Goose. Leah recently transformed her business’ name and brand and kindly shares her experience and insights with you. Welcome back Leah! Naomi :) What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet – or would it? Brand Power - Demonstrated. It’s not often in the design world that you get to see direct results. Sure – we know our service works! We know that customers choose based on design. We know that a well branded business enables you to be easily recognised and remembered by your target client. I’ve taken the opportunity to use my own business as a case study for others – to prove it works. The Old Me I now shudder when I think about our previous name and branding. “Inkblot Design Studio”, ugh! How wrong it was for the type of business I run, and how wrong for the clients I get! When your business image doesn’t match your business’ personality – you have a brand problem that needs to be solved. As a graphic design and branding firm, it felt completely hypocritical for me to feel the way I did about my old branding and name. Particularly when coaching clients through the branding process! Where is the Passion? Another thing our old branding lacked was the brilliant passion that shone through the whole customer service experience. When you aren’t passionate about the image of your business – you aren’t proud either. This has a significant effect on how bold you are in your actions for your business. A striking business card on thick stock with an embossed logo mark on the front is going to get you going far more than something you printed out at home! Just Do It It got to the point that it was a “now or never” scenario. The studio had been alive and kicking for just over a year. It was like it had self-actualised over that year. Since I was so unsatisfied with the name and branding – why not change it? Why not give the business the vibrancy and passion it deserved? Why not hand some of this energy to our clients, and make them see the quality of the service they were receiving reflected in our branded materials? I didn’t want to wait any longer… I didn’t want to continue trading with the way I felt. This is where The Golden Goose Design Studio was born. The New Me The Golden Goose was like plastic surgery gone right! From ugly duckling to gorgeous swan (or goose!). From the decision to change the business name til the launch was less than 2 months. This included a complete name change, new business branding, new business newsletter, blog, website, complete new set of branded business materials and a complete overhaul of everything from business cards to the studio’s terms and conditions. When I decided to rename and rebrand my business I hadn’t in a million years dreamed of the work that would fall into my lap the following month. By accurately reflecting my business’ personality in both the name and the branding – I had completely changed people’s perspective of the business and were suddenly landing the better contracts that we were targeting. Not only had I changed other’s view on the business, but I had also changed mine. It now has the capacity to be the business I always knew it was. Exciting times! Have you ever renamed or rebranded your business? What affect did it have? Or is it still holding you back? Leah Klugt, The Golden Goose

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13
Jan

Meet Barry

Written by Paul Hassing

Barry’s 2:23 video turned a total stranger into a person of interest. I love flagging superior business communications. And I’ve been raving about the power of video for readers with the attention span of gnats. Last month I saw both these elements beautifully combined. When I woke in the morning, Barry Moltz was a stranger. By noon, that had changed forever. All because of his YouTube introduction. Stranger than Fiction It began on Twitter, when I RTed* a fascinating Penelope Trunk post. I saw this was generating hot debate, so I checked to see who else had RTed it. Four people appeared on my TweetDeck^ screen. I figured anyone who dug Penelope was bound to be interesting, so I followed all four. One was Barry Moltz. As often happens with seasoned Twitter users, Barry followed me back and DMed† me: Paul- Thanks for the Follow. Here is a short vid that tells more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8WZ5aTxs4Y Tell me how I can help! I rarely reply to these DMs as they’re often automatically generated. But Barry had taken the time to use my name. And you know how powerful that is. He also mentioned a video. I thought, ‘I’m too lazy to read who he is, but I could watch a video.’ Then I saw the short in short vid and thought, ‘What the hell? Let’s check it out.’ Fast Impression I was immediately impressed by Barry’s video because: He looked at the camera. His voice and body language were engaging. He had a nice office. The production values (i.e. sound, light, focus) were very good. Lasting Impressions I continued to like Barry’s video because he: Admitted that his first business failed. Mentioned his wife. Listed his services without being boring or pushy. Held up his three[!] books. Joked about how he couldn’t read the one in Korean. Described his hobbies (with passion). Used cute props to reinforce his points. Gave a sense of his success without being up himself. Did the whole video in one take. Kept it short. Room for Improvement? On closer inspection, I sense Barry may have used autocue. This is absolutely fine. But if I found that he did the whole thing off the cuff, I’d be even more impressed. My only (tiny) quibbles are that: The video runs half a second too long and the final frame is unflattering. In his DM, Barry could’ve condensed his long YouTube URL (e.g. with bitly). Mind you, this analysis comes from a bloke who can barely video bats, dogs and birds. I Want One! I wish I had a tenth of Barry’s presence. I wish I had the gumption to make a video just like his. I keep reading that video is the future, and I believe it. I believe it, because it worked on me: a writer! The important question now is: Did Barry do it for you? :) * Retweeted. ^ Free application for easier Twitter use. † Sent me a Direct Message. Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

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25
Nov

Two-Speed Shuffle

Written by Paul Hassing

How do YOU feel today? Research released last week^ suggests our economy has stalled. Other commentators say it’s running at two speeds. My client portfolio is definitely doing the latter: half have gone from sluggish to flat out like two lizards drinking. How about yours? Economy Mining’s up. Retail’s down. Employment is mixed and shares are all over the joint. For some reason, many of my clients are leaping like the locusts that hit Melbourne last fortnight. I’m frantically busy with job ads, blog posts, a BIG website, a media release, a book blurb and even [GASP!] a printed magazine advertisement constructed from paper*. I worked all last weekend and the one before. In my pipeline are newsletters, product sheets, LinkedIn profiles and two more websites. Last week I had my first face-to-face prospect meeting for months. I got the gig and went home with a bucket of work. While I’m rapt to be one of the minority businesses enjoying strong growth, I don’t know why I’m succeeding. Property The top is slow. The bottom’s OK. And interest rate rises seem to be ‘crimping optimism’. I’ve wanted to write honest real estate ads for many years. But my various overtures have come to naught. Last week I was referred to a realtor seeking a writer and photographer. I may be able to do both jobs. So why all this sudden movement at the station? Media My Twitter friends are talking less about pets, kids, partners and gadgets and more about their latest prospect, article, client, meeting or project. Some are so busy, they’re hardly tweeting at all. I’m not seeing the same optimism in traditional communication channels. Could it be the recovery is manifesting earlier with socially mediated business people? According to the research, companies with a website are doing and feeling better than those without. Could social media be inoculating and supercharging firms who embrace it? You With such unusual and fragmented signals, I’m naturally keen to make sense of it all and discern the bigger picture. So what’s happening in your neck of the woods? Are you: Ploughing or sowing? Reaping or growing? Catching or throwing? Crying or crowing? Fading or glowing? How are you? I really wanna know. :) ^ MYOB Business Monitor (download PDF here). * (archaic) a cellulose-based communication product derived from trees. Paul Hassing, Founder & Senior Writer, The Feisty Empire

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30
Mar

Trust Me, I’m a Hoax Speaker

Written by graeme bowman

The quality of our guest bloggers continues to blow me away. Today we welcome the very talented and very funny Graeme Bowman, corporate comedian, MC and hoax speaker. What's a hoax speaker, you may ask? Guess you'll just have to read on :). How many times have you clambered onto an elephant in a Thai river and had a sudden urge to pretend you were an American? Well, it happened to me – once. I’d just landed at the steamy airport and been shoved into – not a shiny limo as expected – but a crowded, decaying bus. A hasty, whispered question to the local host revealed that the other passengers would be in my audience the following day, an audience anticipating an illuminating address from US finance guru, Dr George Connor, and no contact whatsoever with an Aussie corporate comedian called Graeme Bowman. Armed with this information, I sat by myself, very still and quiet, trying to look like a window fitting. A few minutes to the hotel, I thought, then I could slink away undetected. But our friendly host had other ideas – let’s visit a few tourist spots along the way, including the popular ‘elephant-up-the-creek’ ride. And so, inevitably, I found myself sitting next to a fellow passenger on the back of an Asian aquatic pachyderm, chatting about the long, draining flight from LA, and the price of fish in Boston. Such is the life of a hoax speaker. This is not my first on-the-job encounter with elephants. Sometimes a client asks me to help them deal with the ‘elephant in the room’ – or the ‘skeleton in the closet’. It’s often easier for an organisation to raise a difficult issue via an external speaker/MC/facilitator, especially if it’s encased in a quirky, humorous concept like a hoax. I make a living turning ho-hum into ha-ha at conferences, product launches, VIP client events and awards dinners. An unusual business perhaps, bit with many of the same challenges you face: get the work, do the work, cope with the GFC. A big part of my marketing strategy has been built around the maxim, ‘influence those who influence others’. That’s why, over the years, I’ve painstakingly developed good relationships with agents, speakers bureaus and professional conference and event organisers – their influence is enormous. Who are the influencers you should be targetting? I also work at keeping my name out there in cyberspace (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, Google Adwords) so that when a potential client is ready to buy, there’s a fair chance they’ll stumble across my profile. It’s all about finding good ways to attract attention. Speaking of good ways to attract attention, a few days ago we all marvelled at the birth of an elephant that experts thought had already died. This resilient baby – very much alive – pulled off an amazing ‘hoax’. Bravo! But this feat didn’t surprise me at all. After all, hoaxes and elephants sometimes go together. Trust me. Graeme Bowman, Corporate Comedian, MC and Hoax Speaker

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