New Look – New Services – New Ideas

We have a new look, what do you think? We have gone for the sleek and sophisticated look (with a touch more pink – hear the groans of the men?!? ).  So why the new look?  Simply because we are expanding (and not just our waistlines either!) and we wanted to celebrate with a shiny new wardrobe.

We are now very proud to be able to offer more in the way of both graphic and web design.  More options in our branding and social media management department, even our ‘about’ page has got bigger, and now all with the added extra of being able to provide you and/or your business with web hosting.  Yes you have heard me correctly, SBM is now a web host!

As we continue to grow we hope that you will follow us on our journey, why not follow us on Twitter @SquashBoxMedia for all the latest gossip (and ramblings).

Also, mark your diary for 10th August 2009 – Our Summer Bonanza!  We will be having a whole week dedicated to offers, freebies and special deals, we will be getting into the summer spirit with some games too, of course, all of our games will have prizes!

So keep watching this space, SBM welcomes YOU!

Twitter Account Hacked – The Positives!

So the ongoing saga of our poor Twitter account continues, well it did.  Today is D Day, the day it stops, because today is the day I deleted our old account.  That’s it, all over and done with.

I can hear some of you gasping already.  Why would I want to keep a new account with 600 less followers than my old account?  It really is as simple as this, new start!

Both our old ‘followers’ and ‘following’ list was out of date.  There were users on their that I had not either spoken to in ages or I had never spoken too.  Now, by starting again, I can hand pick who I want to follow and am delighted that my fave ‘tweeps’ are following me back.  Not to mention all the new people I have met so far this week (and it’s only Tuesday!)

So If your Twitter account becomes compromised in some way and you have to start again, do not be too despondent.  Here are the ‘positives’ that you can draw out of the situation.

Fresh Start
Seeing your follower account go back  to zero is very disheartening, but now you can see very clearly who is following you and why as your followers base starts to build again.

Spring Clean
Now you have your new account, why not spring clean your ‘followed’ list?  Do you really need to follow all of them? Surely not

New Contacts
I have been lucky to have found some new contacts that I hadn’t found before since the having my new account.

Support
The followers that follow you over to your new account are the ones you know will support you.  These are your ‘true followers’ and it is great to sometimes be able to see the diamonds from the coal.

No Spammers
The spammer follower has now dramatically decreased, this, can only be a good thing.

So although it may be daunting starting again with a new account, there are many positives to be taken out of it.  Make the most of this new start!

Twitter Hijack/Hacked Account – What To Do If It Happens To YOU!

As social media managers we use Twitter 24/7.  We use it on behalf of clients and we use it for our own company.  We have damage limitation procedures in place just in case anything untoward were to happen to any of our clients accounts, but imagine our surprise (and anger) when our own company Twitter account was hacked at 4pm (UK time) this afternoon.

Luckily, being in the job we are, we knew exactly what to do and how to limit the impact.  We already had procedures in place so that within just 2 hours we had a new account running and had kept in contact with our followers, informed twitter and started the ball rolling back into the Twitterverse.

Here is how you can help yourself if your Twitter account is compromised in some way.

1 – DON’T PANIC!  I know this is an easy thing to say and believe me it is hard not to panic, but don’t, just follow our steps to get your Twitter account up and running again (and to reclaim your sanity!)

2 – Announce on Twitter through your status update that you have been hacked/hijacked/impersonated/compromised and ask everyone on your list to retweet (RT) the message for you.

3 – Inform @twitter (Twitter support) and @ev (CEO of Twitter) of the situation.

4 – Go to http://twitter.zendesk.com/requests/new and submit a help request.  Use as much detail as you can about what has happened and press ‘Submit’.

5 – Start a new Twitter account as a temporary account that you can use (all will become clear on why you need this in a mo!) and follow everyone on your old account ‘following’ list.  Make sure you choose a very obscure password!

6 – Wait for the barrage of emails that you will receive from Twitter, most of these will be automated, however one will be asking you for more information so make sure you keep that one and reply to it as soon as possible.

7 – Ask your followers to retweet your new account name.

8 – Wait for the final reply from Twitter (final, at the moment that is) that will tell you that they may close your account whilst they investigate your situation.  Now you see why we say open a second account!

9 – Keep tweeting about what has happened so that all your followers know what has happened to you and so that they are aware that you have moved account.

10 – Keep track your old account, watch what happens your old accounts timeline,  keep an eye on your inbox and make sure you use all available channels to you to spread the word of what has happened.

Whatever happens to your old account and however long it takes Twitter to get it sorted, you know you have done everything you can to keep your profile up and running.  All your followers know what has happened, Twitter knows and more importantly you have regained control.  Don’t let the spammers and the hackers get away with it!

To keep in contact with us while our old account is being investigated after we became hacked, please follow @SallyWalker – see you on the flip side!

The Social Media Economy

Social media and the global economy – the parallels are striking and significant.

Now that the global economy appears to be on the upward curve of a major economic “downturn” it is obvious why things have failed. Hindsight is a marvellous thing but too often we don’t learn from what hindsight has shown us.

Perhaps, more importantly, we also don’t learn from those with the foresight to realise when things are about to go south. There were those who had been forecasting a major financial crash and there are those that have been forecasting problems ahead with the social media “industry”.

Social media has seen the expansion of the biggest online bubble since the whole dotcom boom and it was not hard to see that this level of growth was unsustainable.

Just like our economies, social media services have their own “interest rates”. The more compelling a service (just like a savings account) the more we invest our time in it and, consequently, the more “interest” is paid. If a service becomes less interesting we invest less and, as it can no longer support the same levels of excitement, the “interest rate” falls.

The relative rates between services and the cross over of features/interoperability can be seen as the social media equivalent of the exchange rate between currencies. The exchange rates between services will be in a constant state of flux depending on what facilities they offer and the perception the users have based on comparisons with similar offerings.

As far as ‘mainstream’ usage is concerned, Facebook is the equivalent of the US dollar against which all other services are judged. While those in other markets may not feel that the Facebook dollar is the most relevant currency, the market needs a point of reference and that falls to the service with which ‘Joe Public’ is most familiar.

Just as “real world” companies had been surviving on debt the social media sphere has existed on “borrowing” ideas from somewhere else, mimicking the functionality of other services. As there are only a finite number of ways you can communicate with someone else over the internet we obviously can’t go on with this borrowing. The credit (ideas) either runs out or no-one wants to lend to you. This is when we get the creation of walled gardens – businesses doing their own thing in isolation: a retreat from the global sense of openness that social media tried to instil in all of us.

Aggregators and other services quickly became a repository for rehashes of information held in other places – trading (and potentially profiting) on the returns made elsewhere – money for (essentially) nothing and, perhaps, can be seen as the social media equivalent of the fat cat bankers although, at present, there doesn’t appear to be the financial reward.

In the past 6 months it has been interesting to see that – like a number of banks – various social media services have ‘folded’; social media became too disjointed. The mistakes have been recognised in hindsight and measures taken before the whole industry collapsed like the proverbial house of cards.

So You Want To Be A LinkedIn RockStar?

LinkedIn is one of my personal favourite networking sites simply because it does ‘what it says on the tin’ and it keeps you ‘Linked In’ with friends, clients, customers, colleagues, managers and more.  It is a superb way to show the world who you are and what you are doing at the moment in your professional life.  It can also be used to show potential employees or business partners what you could do, and that is the key.  LinkedIn strengthens and extends your existing network of trusted contacts whilst also being a networking tool that helps you discover inside connections to global businesses who might just be looking for someone like you!

To use LinkedIn effectively you need to follow some basic principles and here is my guide to using LinkedIn to it’s full potential (whilst still using the free version) and becoming a LinkedIn Rockstar.

Remember The Old Saying ‘It’s Quality NOT Quantity!

Showing you have 5423458 connections on LinkedIn does not make you any more professional than someone that has only 30 connections, because those 30 connections could be all people who are personally willing to ‘recommend’ you because you have worked with them in the past.  It is far better to invite people you actually know (or at least are known to you within your own network) than add strangers, this builds a stronger base for your network so that in time you can have more than 30 followers, but your core followers will become your tool for searching for new contacts.

Complete Your Profile

On your ‘edit your profile page’ there will be a small gizmo on the right hand side that tells you how complete your profile is, make sure you fill in all the required boxes on your profile and ask for as many recommendations as you can.  LinkedIn will tell you what you can do to make your profile 100% complete by showing you ‘Profile Tips’ which are also on the right hand side of your ‘edit profile’ page.

Profile Photo

It is far better to show a photo of yourself that shows your true personality than a logo or a ‘corporate’ image.  A face can say a million words, show your potential connections who you are and what you are like easily by choosing a photo that ’speaks’ to them and tells them what you are like as a person.

Use Your Profile Status

Many people forget how important this is!  Your LinkedIn status is just as important as your Twitter or Facebook statuses.  Add your latest blog post, show the world your latest feature, share your new products, whatever you want to shout about, use your LinkedIn status!

Keeping Your Profile Current

Check your profile content weekly.  This may sound quite bizarre as you would not write a CV or resume every week, but it surprising how your work life and your job role can change within a few days.  If you have achieved a goal or started a new role, tell people about it by editing your profile and keeping it up to date.

Strange Requests Or Dodgy Dealings – Just Leave Them Alone!

If you receive a strange request from someone or you receive a message in your LinkedIn inbox that does not sit right with you and your principles, do not pass it on.  Do not get involved and certainly do not encourage these people, which are probably scammers or even worse.  If you pass these ‘dodgy dealings’ on to your network it really does not bode well for your professional profile because if you think that in some way these requests are ‘not right’ than imagine what your network will think when you pass them on, it will look like you advocate them.

Connection Spring Cleaning

Sometimes, as with all walks of life, you find a bad contact within your network.  Someone who may be offering a service that you do not agree with or has proved themselves to be a spammer.  Disconnection is the only way, remove them from your connections and keep your network clean and tidy!

Join LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups are like mini communities found with in LinkedIn that each have an ‘interest’.  This could be ‘Twitter’ or ‘Designers’ or ‘WAHM’s’ or whatever.  Join these groups and get involved! Post discussions, answer questions and of course, connect!

Answers Section

Answering peoples questions in the ‘Answers Section’ will not only ‘hopefully’ raise your ‘expert’ level on LinkedIn but also it proves to potential clients and emloyers that you are able to share information to the masses, that you know what you are talking about and are willing to help others.

Out & About?  Use LinkedIn Mobile!

LinkedIn has it’s own mobile site that you can use whilst on the move, making it even easier to update your status or connect with new people.  Just point your mobile phone browser to:  http://m.linkedin.com – easy as that!

Use Your Profile Link

If you want to be seen, show people where you are!  Use your LinkedIn profile link on your website, emails, forums, social media sites, business cards, on your blog, in fact, link it everywhere!

——————————————————-
Author:  Sally Walker
Website:  http://www.squashboxmedia.com
Email:  sally@squashboxmedia.com
Twitter:  @SquashBoxMedia
LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/MrsSallyWalker

Common Sense Tips For Twitter Users

Twitter has become a worldwide social media and networking tool since it started 2006, if you have been living in a cave for the past 3 years have a peek here.  The problem is, that with so many ‘tweets’ (OK cave dwellers, tweets are short messages that you send via Twitter in 140 characters or less) and so many users it is often hard to see the great messages that pop up around all the strange tosh that is spouted (and I include myself in that!).

So here are my top ‘common sense’ tips for networking using the wonderful world of Twitter.

Firstly, let’s get the bad bits out of the way!

The Don’ts!

1) Celebrity Tweeters - Don’t go following every celebrity you see and tweet them when they come online just to say ‘hello’ and reply to every one of their tweets with ‘random’ replys. Not only does it make you look like a bit of a stalker it also unnecessary.  Celebs are real twitter users too, some are even human

2) Hashtags - Many people use hashtags (#tags) in their tweets to hopefully get their message seen by people searching on various topics (trends) that are in the current news.  However, this can cause serious problems, which Habitat UK found out only too well a couple of weeks ago. They were using hashtags relating to current topics such as the Iranian Election, iPhones, Masterchef competition and more, all completely unrelated to their products and services (more information on this story can be found here).  If you want/need to use hashtags, make sure that they relate to you and your business or profile in some way, or to conversation you are having.  There is no point having random trendy hashtags in your posts just to get in the searches, this just makes you a spammer.

3) Spam – While we are on the subject of spam (no not this kind of Spam ),  don’t do it, just don’t.  It’s annoying, people will block you and you will be a ‘Billy no mates’.  Spammers are the people whose stats look like this ‘178937 following – 3 followers – 0 updates’. You know the sort, we all have them follow us and we all block them because we know that at some point we are going to be told that their latest ‘innovation’ that costs ‘just £49.99′ will be the next best thing since sliced bread, however, we all know that these spammers are scammers!

4) Gain Followers Applications – Every now and again you will see a message pop up in your Twitter stream saying something like “I joined ‘add twitter app name here’ and now I have 40000 followers, you could too, sign up now!” – The problem with these applications is that not only do they spam your account (yes they actually use your account to spam from!) but you have to follow people in order to get followers and the people you are following/followers are probably not the people who care what you have to say or vice versa, not because of bad quality users but merely because of varying interests in topics.

5) Constantly Retweeting The Same Post – It’s not the best idea in the world to retweet the same message over and over (and over!) again. It does make you look like not only a bit of a spammer but also a bit of a plonker.  It is perfectly justifiable if you for example, you are in the UK and you are tweeting about a new blog post in the morning, then you retweet it again in the afternoon so the US users see your tweet and then perhaps once in the evening so the rest of the world users can see it, but retweeting 30 times about your cat falling off a chair, is not great!

So now that is all done and dusted, let’s get on to the good bits!

The Do’s!

1) Networking – Woohoo! Twitter is a great way to network, using tools like Twellow you can easily find people within your industry, people with the same interests and/or people geographically close to you.  Follow them and introduce yourself, build up a relationship by chatting with them, reading their website/blog and perhaps even offering to help out with projects.

2) Twitter Profile – Make sure you add a bio about yourself in your Twitter profile, it makes looking for contacts so much easier. People want to know all about you when they follow you, it is human nature, so give them an insight on what you do and where you are, makes networking quicker and easier.

3) Profile Background – You have this massive space on your profile background, make the most of it! Why not get yourself a custom Twitter background that has your information, links and contact details down the side.  It’s like having your own business card on your Twitter page.  We offer custom Twitter backgrounds here at SBM should you want one (Just thought I would crowbar that in!)

4) Global Chat - Many projects and collaborations have started by one Twitter user in one country chatting to another Twitter user half way across the world, it is instant, real time and FREE global chat.

5) Promote Yourself/Business – What better (and cheaper!) way for you to promote yourself, your products and services, your blog and your business than by using Twitter.  Go ahead, tell your followers your latest news, share your passion, let them know that you are great at what you do.

6) Ask for Help/Advice -Need a hand with something or have a question? Ask the world via Twitter, there is always someone who knows the answer!

7) Offer Help/Advice – Does someone want help with a project or need a question answered?  Then why not offer to help, this could also be the start of a great networking relationship too.

Make Someone Smile – OK I admit it, I have said in the past that random posts on Twitter are annoying, but sometimes, it’s good to send a message to someone with ‘giggle factor’  just to make them smile and brighten their day!

9) Finding Old Friends – Not heard from someone in a while? Are they on Twitter? Yes? Well there you go then, instant ‘friends reunited!’

10) Being Polite – Telling someone they are an &*@!%£^ @&%£!% is really not going to score you any brownie points with that person or the thousands of other users who have just seen your message on the main Twitter timeline!  Politeness and a warm friendly attitude is the best way to attract new followers and to join in with new networks and of course a great way to get you seen on the main Timeline too

There you go, these may be all ‘obvious’ tips but it is amazing how some people forget about common sense on Twitter

Happy Tweeting!

Is Branding Important For Small / Home Based Businesses?

Branding is one of the most important aspects of a business profile and it doesn’t involve a red hot iron being stamped on your rear either Your brand is YOU!

When most people think of a brand, they think of the logos of certain companies, you know the ones, you see a ‘tick’ or ‘correct mark’ what do you think? Nike. You see a red can of drink with white scroll text and what do you think? Coca Cola.  These are incredibly effective brands, however the reason they are effective is not just the logo, the secret is consistency.

Above is a sample of some of the world’s best known and easily identifiable brands.  Their logos are seen by millions of people, every day, all around the world.  You see their logos on their products, on advertising, in magazine articles, on the side of buses, websites, stationary and more.  Every time you see something that has their logo displayed that business is re-enforcing itself in your mind.  The more branding of that business you see, the more successful that business appears, plus it has the secondary effect of making both existing and potential clients and customers feel secure as they receive this ‘corporate image’ in their mind as a sign of professionalism.

But what if you are a small business owner, or maybe you are a Mum starting out your own home based company making chutney, does a small business still need branding? Yes!

Your customers want to see exactly who they are dealing with each and every time they contact you, whether that be via email, post, website or through social media profiles.  If your business image is consistent it will look professional, but getting it right matters.

You do not have to have bright and garish graphics to make a good logo, in fact you do not need graphics at all.  As you will see from the well known brands above, most of them are no more than 3 colours, some do not contain graphics. Let us take ‘Christian Dior’ as an example.

Christian Dior is a multi-million global brand.  The company branding is easily recognisable but look, no graphics.  It is simple text, yet we still all know by seeing it that this is ‘Christian Dior’ and we know from that logo that it screams ‘large business’ but why? Because of it’s consistency.  You see the same logo on clothes, perfume, advertisements, websites and more.  In fact every product and every service has that same logo displayed.

So how can a home made chutney, jams and preserves business (or any small business) use their brand to increase traffic to their company website or to give their business exposure, be consistant.  If you have a branding consultant / social media manager / social media coach, they will either guide and help you make a start on your branding yourself or actually manage your branding profile for you, which if you are a small business with fewer resources (and let’s face it, not as much cash flow as Christian Dior!) can be an excellent idea, even if it is on a part time basis paying by the hour.

I am your potential customer.  I am a busy working mum of 2 and I am looking for a good home made spiced fruit chutney.  I want to know that the chutney I am purchasing has been made using seasonal fruit and vegetables and I want my chutney to be made by the seller by hand, I do not want a product to be a ’supermakret’ brand made by machines on a production line.  All this information can be dealt with by my brain in a few seconds by looking at a logo and the branding of a business.  Pictures of fresh vegetables, the colours of nature and the earth, clear concise writing on labels, the use of the words ’seasonal, hand made or fresh’ and even irregular sized chutney jars all add to that ‘home made’ look rather than a supermarket brand.

So I find your online shop on the Internet and think ‘they look tasty!’ and I look around your website.  Your logo and branding is on every page of your website, when I email you to place an order, your signature contains your website address and maybe even matching email stationary or a virtual business card signature in your email.  If I place my order over the phone you answer the telephone with your company name.  When my order of this rather scrummy looking chutney arrives, it arrives with a compliment slip on it, with guess what, your logo, your brand, your business, YOU!  Your brand has sold me this chutney right from the start, your brand, no matter how small your business, is important and your brand is YOU, so let’s make the most of it!

Are Social Media/Community Managers Needed In Small/Home Based Businesses?

I often get annoyed by the way ’small businesses’ are labelled as such.  No matter if there is only you working for your company or you have a team of 1000 employees, the end game in both types of business is to make a profit and to be good at ‘what you do’.

Advertising for a small business owner can be hard, they may not have the financial cash flow available or the time to be able to spend on an advertising campaign, branding their company throughout their ‘windows of opportunity’ or even just to say ‘WE ARE HERE!’

A Social Media Manager (also known as a SMM/Community Manager) can be a life line to small businesses.  By hiring them on a part time basis and paying by the hour, a SMM soon becomes not only a source of ‘inside information’ but also an affordable way to keep your business (no matter how small) name in the fore front of exisiting and potential clients and customers minds.

SMM’s can be a valuable source of information, help and advice as well making sure that your company becomes a ‘brand’.  Making sure that no matter where your clients and customers look online to find you, your brand is consistant throughout all social media and community outlets.  SMM’s not only market your brand and your name but also listen to what is happening in the world around you.  What trends are starting/ending, what your customers are saying about you and are able to respond to clients questions and comments if required.

A good SMM will listen.  Listen to their client, listen to the social media trends and listen to competitors.  SMM’s become the eyes and ears of your business and are able to interact within ‘real time’ discussions, providing your customers with the latest up to the minute news regarding your business.

Imagine having an extra marketing, advertising and public relations department that you can call in, just when you need it, even if it is just for a couple of hours a week and then ask yourself do small businesses need a SMM?  Of course they do, maybe even more so than a large corporate company simply because they may have fewer resources available. A business is a business, no matter how big or small, no matter if it is a Mum working from home setting up her own home based business or if you are the CEO of a global corporate brand.  It is always good to have a little helping hand on your side.

Twitter Giveaway – Part 2!

Oh yes here is part 2! Well done to all the lovely peeps who won their twitter backgrounds, I hope you like them!

Want to win your very own piece of digital art in the form of an email tag?  Then make sure you enter our giveaway!

Email tags are a great way to show your personality in emails, on your blog/website or in forums.  They are pieces of digital art with your first name on, great if you belong to email groups or forums!

Below is my email tag that I use on personal emails and within email group chats.  You can certainly see my ‘rock chick’ personality shining through!  Of course, we can create any design for you to match your personality!

Want one?  Then help us spread the word about our new look website by simply tweeting (and it is different from last time, just to keep you on your toes!) “Have you seen SquashBox Media’s new look? Head over there & peek at www.squashboxmedia.com or follow @squashboxmedia for more info!“  As before first 5 people to tweet wins a personalised tag!

People who entered before can enter again, we don’t mind!

Twitter Giveaway – Part 1!

Noticed our new look? Like it? Well for all our lovely followers over on Twitter we have a freebie giveaway for you!  We want to spread the word about our new look and what better way to do it then by starting a Twitter Giveaway!

Part 1 of our giveaway is for the first 5 people who tweet “Check out SquashBox Media’s new look at www.squashboxmedia.com – @SquashBoxMedia has a new ‘Twitter Giveaway’ too!” will receive a custom made Twitter background made for them by us here at SBM.

Once you have tweeted, simply email us at info@squashboxmedia.com and if you are one of the first 5 to email us, then you win!

And if you are not following us on Twitter, why not?   Follow us @SquashBoxMedia

Remember this is only Part 1 of the giveaway, there will more later today!

Easy Peasy eh?  Good luck!