Asheville Social Media School – Questions and Answers Class #1

1. Is it okay to tweet about your business? It is definitely okay to tweet about your business as it is a part of your life. I tell my clients to do approximately 75% business and 25% personal if it is a business account, and approx. 40% business and 60% personal if it is a personal account. Be not afraid to sell and promote yourself. If you do not do this, who will?

2. How does someone write a tweet that references other tweets and/or other users? There are buttons that appear when you hover over them to the right of each tweet where you can retweet what that person has written. You write other users on Twitter by writing their name in the update box like “@GSocialMedia Hi Gary, we would love to talk to you about social media” and then hit the update button. This would be a public message. You can only send a private direct message to people who are following you. You can do this from the update box by using a “D” before the tweet like “D @GSocialMedia We need to talk” and hit the update button. Always make sure that you have a space after the name and a space before if there is any type of writing prior. You can also use a Twitter management platform like Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to manage your Twitter account better.

3. How does someone answer a question on a tweet? There is a reply button that appears when you hover to the right side of the tweet that was sent to you.

4. What kind of commitment is needed to effectively tweet? If you prepare correctly, you can effectively tweet in 5 minutes a day. Do not make it a burden commitment. Learn the ropes, have fun, and make it a part of your daily life.

5. How can I get people to connect with me in person after they friend/follow me on Twitter? You have to build the relationship comfortably to bring people to that point. It takes planting the seed, watering it and helping it grow. It is not a “get rich quick” scheme where you meet people on Twitter and they run to you.

6. Is there a particular form of social media more effective than others? I promote a balance of social media platforms which connect with the many groups of media networkers. Each platform has its own specific purpose.

7. What about identity theft with social media? Identity theft is always an issue. Limit the ultra-personal information shared.

8. What phone do you have for social media? I use a Blackberry for my social media and networking. (and I love it)

9. Pros and Cons of different phones when doing social media? Most use Blackberry for business and IPhone for biz mixed with more apps and some fun.

10. Will future meetings be more focused on the nuts and bolts techniques for Facebook and Twitter? Yes, this next meeting on March 23rd will deal with Twitter and Facebook for beginners and some pro tips as well.

11. Benefits / Negatives of Blog vs. Newsletter? A blog is online permanently with your content always available and working for you constantly. Newsletters are great for establishing following and keeping fans via the email platform. Even if people send out a newsletter, I recommend that they take the articles and post them to a blog after.

12. Blog or Newsletter more beneficial for which type of business? Both are used for their specific purposes and niche. Blog takes the priority with me because it is online forever, visitors can see your other content and other sidebar info that you wish to keep in front of them.

13. What is the main difference in Facebook and Twitter? Facebook is used for a closer relationship with more personal information. Twitter is used to get straight to the point and make smaller comments. Twitter technically took the “Status Updates” model from Facebook and made a platform of “greener” communication.

14. Why should I do Twitter? Think of Twitter as a social club where there are millions of people who are members. If you want to make connections, get business exposure, reach out… Twitter is the hottest platform on the market today.

15. How does my business become a fan of other businesses on Facebook? Only people (or personal pages) can become fans of business fan pages on Facebook.

16. What percentage of “no shows” can you expect from Facebook event invitations that RSVP? This could vary. Some people just RSVP yes so they can get some picture and profile exposure. Of the serious people, it could be anywhere from 25-75%. A follow up a few days before the event could prove to be very helpful.

17. When I am on a site and it has a button for Facebook, is there a way to have it post to my group directly instead of profile? No, you have to copy the URL and paste it to your Facebook group page.

18. On Facebook, how do I control the stupid stuff that I have to read? (Example: Jerry is preparing dessert) You don’t control it. You are exposed to the people that you are connected with. There was a button that said “less of these” that will show you less of another users updates, but as of now all I see is just the “Hide” button.

19. Our company has employees in 7 States and the Caribbean. What is the best way to engage employees in all locations, destinations and departments in social media to reach company goals? Both train and assign one person in each State, or each facility to be in charge of the social media. When corporations handle the social media from out of State, it sometimes becomes very impersonal and unsociable. You want to have someone close to the action promoting these individual places. I can help. Please send me to the Caribbean first and I will get them started. Thanks!!