The Queen wants to know: where is your Facebook page?

You may already using Facebook for personal reasons to catch up with friends and family, find out how your old contemporaries are getting on in the world, or even to use… dare I say it – Farmville!

But have you thought about setting up a Facebook business page yet? If you haven’t, you could find yourself getting left behind. No doubt you heard the news this week that even The Queen now has an official Facebook page. Google most major companies and organisations nowadays and you’re highly likely to come across their Facebook page. In fact, Facebook is becoming a search engine in its own right with the potential to overtake Google.

 So why this rush to publicise yourself on Facebook?

The answer is simple – because that’s where most people are hanging out!

With a staggering 500 million users worldwide, Facebook is certainly taking over the world. So if you don’t have an official profile on Facebook, how can you expect to be found by your customers?

Setting up a Facebook page is quite simple – but the one of the most important things is to keep it up to date. Use it as an addition to your website to post news, offers and current information about your company and get people to interact with you. If your business is appropriate, maybe even run small competitions to get people talking about you.

What puts many people off setting up a Facebook page is the common myth that people could access your personal profile and perhaps see all sorts of things that compromise their business. The answer is: they can’t. Facebook users can “like” your business page without you having to be friends with them on your personal profile.

If you’d like help with setting up your Facebook page – talk to us today. We work in partnership with Get Into Social Media to run workshops and deskside training to help you make the most out of today’s highly effective marketing tools including Facebook and Twitter.

Women in Business – what needs to change for a happy work/life balance

The new Equality Act came into force today, that’s aimed at stopping discrimination in the workplace by limiting employer’s ability to make decisions based on someone’s age, disability and gender. This includes not being allowed to ask about a person’s health record during a job interview and some pretty hard-hitting laws on harrassment in the workplace.

Despite pay secrecy laws being relaxed,  the former Labour government’s plans to force firms to divulge information about pay differences between male and female workers are not included.

This is quite pertinent in a week where I’ve had several conversations with women about how hard they are finding it to juggle their lives – family, children, work, caring for their elderly relatives… it’s a constant challenge for many to keep all the balls in the air.

Why are women finding it so hard to manage their lives at the moment? One business associate of mine admitted to getting up at 6am and not stopping until midnight, only for the cycle to continue the same day after day. Running a business whilst keeping up with family and home commitments is a constant challenge.

I don’t hear these complaints from men – so is it that we don’t ask them for enough help, feel more guilty about not giving the children enough of our time or can’t manage our time? As my business contact said: “I feel I’m being pulled in all directions all of the time – everyone wants a piece of me.”

Another barrier women running their own business come across is antagonism, sometimes even agressiveness from some men – I’m not saying all men – some are very supportive. Two of my contacts have reported some uncomfortable situations when men have had no hesitation in shooting down their ideas or criticising them for being too pushy.

Very successful women are often pigeonholed as “grumpy” (for example Deborah Meaden from the apprentice) pushy, selfish or aggressive. Is it because success is unfeminine?

This is probably why women’s networking groups such as Athena and Ladies Who Latte are successful.

When it comes to women in business, sadly I feel we still have a long way to do in the equality stakes. Women are often juggling running their own business or working for someone else with picking the kids up from school or taking them to the doctor, looking after their elderly relatives, or doing the household chores. Many men still  just get on with their work. (Although there are exceptions I know)

Equality Acts are all very well, but what needs to change? Do women need to ask for or demand more help from their relatives? Cut out the guilt?  Stop trying to be all things to all people? Or do men still have a long way to go in their attitudes to women, particularly in the business world? Perhaps it is a bit of both.

But what’s true about the new Equality Act is that Lawyers certainly aren’t being discriminated against – as a Radio Four reporter pointed out, and a fair few of those are women.

Get Tweeting – beginners’ twitter workshops in Henley-on-Thames

Whenever I first mention Twitter, these are the kind of things many people say:

“But I don’t really care what other people had for breakfast… that’s all you say on Twitter isn’t it?”

“Twitter – isn’t that what Stephen Fry uses? I’m not interested in hearing what celebrities had for breakfast.”

“I don’t have time for things like Twitter” “I have a Facebook account, but I just don’t see how Twitter can be of any use – isn’t it people just chit chatting all day?”

By the time I have finished explaining how Twitter is NOT any of the above, I have usually persuaded them to come on our beginners’ course, Get Tweeting.

So if you’re one of those people who are still hesitating about how Twitter can help you, here are some details about our successful monthly workshops for beginners.

Get Tweeting – What’s it all about?

Imagine walking into a networking room and having access to not just 20 or 30, but thousands of people who want to do business with you. This may sound ridiculous, but this really is what using Twitter for business is all about.

The kind of people you choose to meet on Twitter (and yes you can choose) are just like you – small business owners who are looking to meet others to swap ideas, build strategic alliances, eye up the competition and do business with one another.

There is a whole world of opportunity out there on Twitter – but you’ve got to be in it to win it!

On our Get Tweeting course, we get down to the nitty gritty and show you exactly how to use Twitter to your best advantage. Our course is practical and hands-on – so you will be doing most of the work. By the end of the three hour course, you will have learnt how to use Twitter just about anywhere, how to build it into your daily routine without fuss and most importantly… how to find those networking contacts.

All you need to do is bring along your laptop and we’ll show you the rest. The course is also a great avenue for making new business contacts among your fellow delegates too.

So why not join us for our next Get Tweeting workshop on 22nd July from 9am-1pm at Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames.

 The cost of the course is ridiculously cheap at £70 including unlimited coffee, biccies and sweets – and we have a good laugh too.

Our June Twitter newbies are already reaping the benefits of this social media phenomenon that literally puts you in front of the people you want to know: your associates and customers.

Here’s what one of our delegates had to say after our last Get Tweeting workshop:

 “A friendly, hands on introduction to using Twitter for business. Opened my eyes to a host of new ideas for making contact with people having similar business interests”

Register for our next course on July 22nd here:

http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e2xrjyncee76e198

Who runs Get Tweeting?

 Our fun and interactive Twitter courses for complete beginners are run by experienced PR consultant Eveleen Hatch of Buzzword PR in partnership with Lisa Chaffey who runs the highly successful virtual assistant service, In a Pickle. We’re both experts in the world of social media, helping many of our clients to raise their online profile.

 

A Guide to health, wealth & happiness!

Last month, I was fortunate enough to meet a highly successful Henley businessman called David Reynolds after he enrolled on one of our Twitter courses. (Despite being semi-retired, he believes you can never stop learning!)
 
David has enjoyed a very successful career, including as Chief Executive of a leading UK insurance company.
 
After meeting up with him for a “Twitter refresher”, he very kindly gave me a copy of his book “The Power Secrets of the Rich and Successful”. It sounds like a bit of a ra ra title, but that’s down to his publishers who know more about how to sell a book than most of us.
 
David’s book is a very practical and personal guide to what we all yearn for in life: wealth, health and happiness.” I’ve found this book truly inspiring, so I wanted to share it with you. 
 
Some of the key messages I have interpreted from the book include such gems as:
 
·  Think and behave in a positive way and you’ll soon have a positive effect on your bank balance
·  Don’t sabotage your own efforts at success by procrastinating
·  Believe in yourself and others will
·  Help other people and they will be happy to  help you in return
·  Set clearly defined goals to help you achieve what you want in your business or personal life
 
Of course the book goes into much more detail than this and you are sure to pick up on certain aspects which apply to you personally.
 
I highly recommend you put it to the top of your reading list. David is extremely supportive of other people’s businesses (including mine) and this is why I’m recommending his book. You can order Power Secrets of the Rich and Successful via his website at www.powersecrets.co.uk or www.amazon.co.uk and he will happily sign it if you tell him you heard about it via this blog.

Follow @davereynolds07 on Twitter!

Are you social media savvy? A beginner’s guide

If you’re still trying to work out what Twitter, Facebook and updating your blog every five minutes has got to do with your business, here’s a simple guide from Buzzword PR to get you started.

There’s no denying that social media is here to stay and if you’re not using these online tools to grow your business, you’re missing out.  Using social media to market your business is not rocket science (despite what some people would have you believe), it’s common sense.

We know that everyone is pushed for time, but it’s just a question of doing a little bit every day. Five minutes is really all it takes.

 So where do you start?

1. Set up a Twitter Account. (http://www.twitter.com) Twitter is a micro-blogging site that seems to be taking over the world. People have written whole books on Twitter, so we could go on here all day! But basically “Tweets” are written in 140 characters or less. “Why is it useful for me?” I hear you ask. “No one wants to know what I ate for breakfast”.  People who say this are really missing the point. Instead, use Twitter to engage with people, just like you would in real-life networking situations. Provide your “followers” with helpful advice and website links, help them with their business ideas and resources and you’ll soon reap the benefits.  Once you’ve got going on Twitter, download an application like Tweetdeck which makes it easier to follow relevant people and re-tweet. Follow us on Twitter @buzzwordpr

2. If you don’t already have a Blog linked to your website, set up a free one just like this with Word Press (http://www.wordpress.com) and get blogging. A Blog is like an online diary, known in the trade as a weblog. Again, you don’t have to regale people with stories about what you ate for breakfast.  A blog is ideal for giving readers useful tips and ideas as well as publishing news about your company or just discussing a subject you feel passionate about.

3. Build your profile on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/).  LinkedIn is a great place to build your contacts and really get to know them as well as showcase your work experience, both past and present. Google loves LinkedIn, so if you complete your profile and collect lots of recommendations, you’ll soon be mentioned in the search engines.

4. Set up a Facebook Fan Page.  You may be using Facebook on a personal level, but are you using it for your business?   Facebook has over 350 million users worldwide and more than 20 million of those become fans of pages every day. That’s one hell of a lot of contacts to tap into! Your business Fan Page is like a mini website for your company, but one that you can update as often as you like. It also gives you the opportunity for two-way conversations through its discussions section and post links on other people’s pages. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buzzword-PR/113928228971?ref=ts)

5. Upload your photos onto Flickr. Flickr is another great place to showcase your business through photographs and it also gives you an opportunity to add descriptions. A great PR opportunity that’s not to be missed. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/buzzwordpr)

 Finally, don’t forget one of the most important aspects of all about these social media sites. They raise your profile on Google quite dramatically. Your “Tweets”,  blogs “ Linked-In network updates, Facebook Status updates and your Flickr photostream will soon appear on the search engines – as long as you are clever with your keywording and “tags”.

 You may be thinking, “I am just too busy to do all this – the thought of it makes me feel exhausted.” If this is the case, you can always ask Henley-on-Thames based PR consultants, Buzzword PR to help you set up and run your social media campaign.  Give us a call today on: 07815 002276 or email us at info@buzzwordpr.co.uk 

 Want to showcase all your social media profiles all in one place and provide all your relevant company and personal details in a simple, easy to use format?  Buzzword PR’s Social Media Press Kit allows your potential customers to click on your profiles instantly and link up with you.

For more information on how the Social Media Press Kit can help you, click on this video produced by my partnering firm in the United States, Richter 10.2, a leading social media PR consultancy who devised the SMPK:

http://www.whywebpr.com/smpk4/

View Buzzword PR’s own Social Media Press Kit here:

http://www.whywebpr.com/buzzwordpr 

Buzzword PR launches social media press kit – a breakthrough in communication

New from Buzzword PR – Your Social Media Toolkit!

Here at Buzzword PR, we’ve just launched a brand new product to help you exploit your own social media activity to the full.

Our new Social Media Press Kit is a dynamic marketing and communication tool that allows you to showcase your company and your social media accounts all in one place.

We’ve partnered with renowned US P.R. firm Richter 10.2 Media Group to deliver the Social Media Press Kit to businesses and executives in the UK. It can be used to showcase your company, your staff individually – or both!

The SMPK offers many ways to raise your profile online – it’s a superb little microsite that displays details about you and your company right to your target audience.  It’s also great for creating awareness and presence on the world’s most popular social and business networking sites. Use it as an instant communication tool to maintain constant rapport with your target demographic – from anywhere in the world.

Have a look at Buzzword PR’s SMPK here:

http://www.whywebpr.com/buzzwordpr

This natty little business tool is excellent value at £300 and can built in just 3-5 days. We can host it for you or it can be linked to your existing website. And if you don’t already have a website, it’s a very cost-effective way of getting one quickly.

If you’d like more information about this exciting new business tool, contact Buzzword PR, Henley-on-Thames on: 07815 002276 or email info@buzzwordpr.co.uk

14 Days of Love – Day Three

Ok, so you didn’t win the romantic dinner for two at Gordon Ramsey’s Claridges or the latest version of the I-touch. But there are still loads of brilliant prizes up for grabs for people willing to share the love.

On Day Three of the Best Of’s 14 Days of Love Campaign, the competition is really hotting up. A group of decorators on the Isle of Man are even wearing the love:

http://twitpic.com/1134zy

Buzzword PR is holding on tight to its position on the Love-O-meter today as the 8th favourite business in Henley-on-Thames and the second most loved copywriter in the United Kingdom!

If you want to share the love, today’s prize is a pair of tickets to a Premier League football match of your choice. Not only a great prize, but you even get to choose.

Here are more details of all the prizes on offer during the Best Of’s 14 Days of Love (and just as importantly, who won them!)

http://www.thebestof.co.uk/loveometer/WinnersAndPrizes.aspx

Tell your favourite business how much you love them – it’ll make all the difference. (And if your favourite’s Buzzword PR – all the better and thank you in advance!)