Social Media: Business or Personal?

I have been discovering social media this year. I joined Facebook and reconnected with a lot of former and current friends and then I joined Twitter (@KimGuymon). I'm no expert on social media but I really feel like it's the year of Social Media Marketing and that businesses should decide if it's for them or not. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter all have their virtues when it comes to keeping in contact with friends and customers. You just need to clearly define your goals before you start so that you can stay on track.

When I joined Facebook, I decided that most of my friends there will be personal friends so my Facebook updates are almost all personal thoughts, activities and feelings. I have some business friends, too, but Facebook is more personal than business.

When I joined Twitter, I decided to make it more business than personal. The people I follow and those following me are more in it for the business side of my life than the personal one. Consequently, my tweets are nearly 100% about what I'm doing with my business life. Now, my tweets feed into my Facebook page so my FB friends get a mix, but I know they'll forgive me.

This blog works on the same principle. This blog is all business. If I post something personal, I tie it in with my business most of the time.

Clearly defining what you're doing where is important in social media. I honestly don't appreciate following a business at Twitter only to have them continually tweet about their personal lives. I have actually un-followed people because they were doing that. I don't mind the occasional personal tweet, but what you had for lunch, how high your child's fever is or what color your new shoes are isn't why I'm following you - especially if your Twitter name is your business name.

There are advantages to tweeting business stuff - a tweet is short. You can tweet out what's new in your online store, a coupon, or what you're currently working on in your business.

Facebook gives you more opportunity to express yourself with longer posts. And, you can set up a page for your business and invite your customers who are also your FB friends to become fans. Then their friends see that they've become fans of your business and will hopefully come check you out.

BUT, because of the short nature of the posts you can do at both Twitter and Facebook, you don't have much room to mix business and personal messages together.

A blog gives you a longer format to express your opinion. You can mix a personal story in a post about your new page kit and have it be totally relevant to your business blog. Our industry is very personal and our customers want to know more about us. But, you still need to be conservative in what you post - don't air your dirty laundry and think it won't potentially come back to bite you. Many in our industry have said too much at times and sometimes their fan base turned on them and used some of their personal lives for public ridicule.

So, if you're participating in social media, evaluate your goals for each form and then be mindful of those goals as you post.

Twitter

Do you Twitter? You can follow me HERE. Almost all my Tweets are specific to owning a buisness. I'll tweet a bit about the show while I'm there next month. And, you can follow PMA on Twitter in a variety of ways.

Below are some PMA Twitter accounts to start with:

• www.twitter.com/PMAMembers - PMA Membership Info
• www.twitter.com/PMAPress - PMA Press announcements
• www.twitter.com/PMAMagazine - PMA magazine information
• www.twitter.com/DIMAInfo - DIMA information
• www.twitter.com/sportsphoto - SPAA - sports photography info
• www.twitter.com/PSPASchoolPhoto - PSPA School Photography Info
• www.twitter.com/PMAtradeshows - PMA Exhibitor info

Follow PMA editors as they cover the show:

• www.twitter.com/garypageau
• www.twitter.com/bethduiser
• www.twitter.com/jenkruger
• www.twitter.com/amandayeager

To follow PMA "photographically", try the PMA Flickr account:

• PMA 09 group photo pool: www.flickr.com/groups/pma09/
• PMA photostream: www.flickr.com/photos/pmaphotos/

To watch PMA videos, visit the PMA YouTube channel or PMA TV:

You Tube:www.youtube.com/user/PMAShow PMA TV: www.pmai.tv

PhotoBiz

Since many scrappers have now gone BEYOND the point and shoot digital camera and moved on to the DSLR's, I am seeing what seems to be an epidemic of photography business owners among scrapbookers. It reminds me a bit of the scrapbook industry 10 years ago - everyone who liked to scrap wanted to open a store.

I really kind of cringe a little when I see messages like I saw on a forum last week that said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Hey, my husband ordered me my first DSLR and I'm ready to open my photography business! Where would I take classes to learn how to use my camera?" YIKES! Those messages scare me. Just because you have a DSLR - even a killer one - doesn't mean you're ready to open a business. It's sort of like the woman who loves to cook and cooks well thinking that's all the skill she needs to run a restaurant. Not to mention you seriously need to be able to use more than your auto settings on your camera to take good photos. And, Photoshop can't perform miracles.

So, before you run off and start posing teens by dumpsters in alleys (seriously, what's up with that?), here are some things to consider:

• Do you have a business plan?
  
• How much will you charge for what kind of sessions?
• What's your specialty or niche
• Do you have the other equipment that other pros have? Lights? Backdrops? Lenses?
• Where will you consult with clients? Your home? Starbucks? Their home?
  
• Do you have a portfolio with a good variety of photos you have taken?
  
• Do you have a professional website that has REAL information on it? I hate websites full of pretty photos but not one indication of hours or package prices.
  
• Do you have a nice place to have prints made that DOESN'T have "-mart" in it's name?
• Do you have the correct business licenses? You need to be legal - collect taxes, etc.
  
• Can you deal with a bride who hates every photo you took of her big day? This isn't always a glamorous industry - sometimes people FREAK OUT at you because they were thinking "traditional" and you were thinking "edgy" and you can never recreate the day. For every happy client there will be 3 willing to string you up for being the worst photographer ever (in their minds). Can you take the criticism?
  
• Do you have the correct insurance? There is liability here that you may not think about - see the tip before this if you need an example. People love to sue!
• Do you have a contract to sign that is clear and legally binding/protecting?

Owning ANY business is more than just the fun, artistic, creative side you see. Behind that is hours of work and months or years of marketing. Those types of things are what I call the "un-fun" parts of being a business owner - but they are the MOST IMPORTANT parts that will make or break your business.

I haven't read this book, but I would suggest you get something like the Fab Job Guide to Opening your Own Photography Business for starters. It seems like it's very elementary and if you've never owned a business before, it's probably what you need.

Check out ScrapBiz in Scrapbook Business Magazine

You can read a preview of our class on pages 64-66 HERE.

Thank you to PSRO for allowing me to contribute to the article. BTW, my class is filling up and my tour has good group going already. The class is going to be lots of fun! You'll walk away with some fresh ideas and free samples! I've got some great tech ideas rounded up and you'll be able to see products in action that will help you freshen up your scrapbook store if you want to add tech and digital scrapbooking to it! We are taking you WAY BEYOND the tired idea that you should sell digital scrapbook CD's in your store. That's not the way to do it - that's the "I just sell stuff" approach which is SO 20th century. We are taking a different stance that can actually help you be profitable beyond selling a CD of software and never seeing your customers again when they embrace digital. We are going to show you how to reach out to those 21st century scrapbooking customers and help them with their memory preservations needs, too!

Support ScrapBiz in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Hey blog readers!

Could you help me out and vote for ScrapBiz at StartUpNation? Thanks!

Support ScrapBiz in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Join a Facebook Group

Are you a scrapbook business owner? ScrapBiz has sponsored a group at Facebook just for you! It's called Scrapbook Business Owners and we would love to have you join us! It's a closed group - just request to join and you'll be granted access.

Would you like some Cheese with that Whine?

Once again, I am forwarded a "poor me" email from a scrapbook industry retailer. This retailer/wholesaler needs to generate a lot of quick cash in order to survive the next three weeks. They are calling on their "friends"to save their business because they aren't ready to "throw in the towel, yet". Huh? Why is poor planning on your part the responsibility of your customers?

It was about 700 words of whining and crying about how terrible this is for them and several reminders that it's "tough for everyone" right now... but, you've got to save us. What about your customers who have lost their jobs or their homes? They could use some "saving" right now, too.

I WILL give them that they offer the customer something in return, a discount on their purchases. BUT, then they remind their customers that it's the "total AFTER the discount, not the total BEFORE the discount that matters" and "don't count shipping because we lose money on that anyway". In other words, "here's a discount for you, but ignore it and buy more".

Here's the kicker - they are offering a discount on FUTURE merchandise if you buy now. That seems a bit like cashing your paycheck at the Money Tree and wondering why you can never get ahead. So, if they are bleeding cash NOW, and essentially selling future merchandise at half price, will they ever catch up? When the new inventory arrives, will they have to beg again and offer a further discount for the NEXT load of new stuff? It seems to me that they are just digging themselves a great big hole to fall into.

Today, they sent a further email saying they are at "80% of their goal". Do they have a big red chart they are coloring in like a charity drive or something? They reminded customers how important this is to THEM to survive.

My point here is; DON'T DUMP YOUR SORROWS ON YOUR CUSTOMERS! THEY. DON'T. CARE! They might care a little, but, honestly, the relationship between a retailer and their customer is pretty one-sided. Customers will stay only as long as they feel they are getting something from you. Once they decide you aren't worth the trouble or you annoy them or someone else offers something better, even your best friend will take her purse and go. It's not personal, it's business. Too many retailers in our industry think it's personal, but it's not, it's business.