Monica O'Brien is the author of the book Social Pollination: Escape the Hype of Social Media and Join the Companies Winning At It. The book is a step-by-step guide for small and mid-sized businesses that want to find more customers effectively. Get the book:

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Solutions to 4 problems entrepreneurs face with new media

By Monica O'Brien on October 14th in Entrepreneurship 5 comments

If you are reading this blog post, you want to be among the 25% of small companies that are rocking their businesses with social media. You probably have a lot of questions about how to use these new media platforms to generate leads, which will turn into sales. Emphasis on the sales, right?

If you are like most entrepreneurs, there are four problems that will come up that might keep you from really getting rolling on social media: here they are, with ideas on how to solve them.

Time constraints

Social media is a deceptive little area of marketing that looks easy but is, in fact, very hard. The politics of social media are so hard that most social media people can’t stop talking about it, because it’s so interesting.
To keep up with social media is a full time job. You have to keep up with current technology trends, interact with people on a very genuine level, personalize everything, and build a relationship based on helping other people a lot before you can ever ask for anything in return.

It’s a lot less time consuming to put together an ad creative. It’s a lot easier to get other work done when you can put a message out there and nobody talks back, nobody asks a question, nobody criticizes your reasoning. So entrepreneurs optimize their time and choose the fastest way to get the message out there – which is not what social media looks like.

Solution: If you lack the time to use social media, hire someone else who really enjoys marketing to do your social media, PR, SEO, sales, etc. It’s crazy to not have marketing and sales talent, especially as a startup in this super competitive and volatile economic environment. Incorporating social media into your company is at least a part-time job, but it’s a necessary means of communication your team cannot ignore.

Current lead generation techniques already work

When entrepreneurs are in the middle of trying to keep a business running, improvement measures fall to the wayside. It’s possible that social media could double or triple a company’s lead generation efforts, like it has for countless companies, from Mint online financial software to Naked Pizza, a local organic restaurant chain.

There are two problems:

1) Social media is unproven, and may not replace current lead generation techniques
2) The company may not be equipped to handle double or triple the leads

Solutions: Keep your current lead generation techniques in place, while adding new entry points to your funnel. Visitors may come to your website through online advertising, sponsorship deals, or search engine traffic – add social media as another way to enter your sales pipeline. It’s pointless to abandon a process that already works, so let social media work with your current processes instead of competing against them.

Worry about satisfying the leads once you get them. According to the 37Signals book, Getting Real, one of the main bottlenecks in startups is trying to solve problems before you have them. So it’s okay to think ahead about how you might accommodate double or triple the business if you get it, but don’t let the possibilities stop you from getting out there in the first place.

Lack of measurement

A great fallacy about measurement is that it’s something that happens at the end. Like you collect the data, and then you analyze it.

In reality, social media measurement takes place before you even create your campaigns. Because you can’t run a campaign until you know how you will measure the results – you must put the measurement methodology in place when you design the campaign so you can collect the data in the first place.

Solution: Some companies leave measurement out all together, and get frustrated because all they see are the disappointing end results. Some companies think of measurement as an afterthought, and try to decipher a mess of charts and graphs before they finally give up because they didn’t collect the data they needed to begin with. Be the company that puts measurement at the forefront. Prove to yourself that social media works by letting the data speak for itself.

Unrealistic expectations

Social media does not work quickly. So many companies want to create a funny YouTube video and get a million hits on their website, but as these platforms become more competitive, the chances of your video standing out are even less.

To use social media effectively, you have to build a platform (which consists of relationships AND content) on every social media tool you use. This takes time, and you will not see results overnight.

Solution: Plan for 3 months without results. Think of when you first started the company – did you plan to be profitable right away? At some point you will hit the break-even with social media, but it does take time.

How to Find Passion in Your Career

By Monica O'Brien on October 13th in Uncategorized 6 comments

60 Days to Entrepreneurial FreedomShould you be an entrepreneur? In most instances, people mistake becoming an entrepreneur for finding what they are passionate about. The two are sometimes related, but they are different concepts. Finding your passion could mean you are happy working for other people, while entrepreneurship is about building a company, plain and simple.

You don’t have to build a company to find your passion. I repeat, you don’t have to build a company to find your passion. Here is how to find your passion, whether you want to be an entrepreneur or not:

Look to your childhood

I spent most of my free time as a child with my nose in a book. I also spent countless hours documenting my life (yeah, not a good read from the perspective of an 10 year old) and writing short stories. In fact, my dad recently sent me a copy of a published short story I wrote when I was 8. It’s awful. But it reminded me that I have always been passionate about reading and writing. Always. So passionate about writing that when people ask me how I keep writing on my blog, or how I can write a book, I have no advice, because I always write.

You are probably passionate about many things, but you will find your strengths by remembering what inspired you when you were young. What did you care about then? Ask your parents or siblings if you are stuck.

Reexamine your hobbies

One of the best sources for finding your passion is stuff you already do for free. And don’t stop at things you do – also keep in mind subjects you are constantly reading about, ideas you’ve dabbled with on a blog, and magazines you are subscribed to. But be careful – sometimes turning a hobby into a job doesn’t work out.

Find the good in your current job

Compartmentalize your job. Even if you hate your current job, there must be at least one thing you like about it. Maybe it’s something unrelated, like you work with your friends, or it’s only 15 minutes away, or you get free bagels and orange juice for breakfast – but that’s still something you should know about yourself.

When I completed my analysis, I learned that I love to be near home. I think about the jobs I’ve quit and it was mostly due to the commute. So now I know to never take a job unless I plan to move within 15 minutes of it.

Do this with all your jobs, and look for patterns. You could find some skill set that you’ve overlooked. At the least, you will better understand your priorities in life.

Volunteer

You can find your passion by process of elimination. So volunteer whenever you can – for unusual projects at your current job, with a local organization or charity, at your church, wherever. Internships and apprenticeships, and shadowing are also good ways to eliminate options.

Throw out the BS

It’s so easy to tell yourself you are not good enough to do something as a career. Question those negative thoughts. Why can’t you? I recently watched something on TV where this guy who weighed over 600 pounds lost all his weight and became a fitness trainer. Can you imagine?

Pump yourself up, do whatever you need to do to boost your self-esteem, and above all, don’t rule anything out because you don’t have the education, the skills, the know-how, the degree, the talent, or the look. Skills can be learned, attitude can’t; so having the right attitude probably counts more in whatever field you want to enter.

This is not to say you should never stop pursuing an impossible dream, but don’t rule it out before you even begin.

Research

Learn about careers you think you could be interested in. Ask around. Sometimes your friends can help you see yourself differently – the people close to you may see a great career path that you wouldn’t have come up with on your own.

Take an assessment

I don’t have all the answers for you. It’s impossible for me or anyone else to look into a crystal ball and tell you exactly what your passion is. But luckily, there are a few people I can recommend who can also help you find your passion. Two passion tests I really love are:

Find Your Career Path by JT O’Donnell


Find Your Career Path is about getting a career and work environment that is compatable with your strengths. The workbook is divided into four sections using the G.L.O.W. Method:

Part I: Gaining Perspective – a series of unique personality assessments to give you a better perspective of your strengths
Part II: Luminating Your Goal – a guide to determining a best fit career and workplace environment
Part III: Owning Your Actions – information on creating your resume, developing a career story, and taking the steps necessary to get your dream job
Part IV: Working It Daily – a worksheet that will help you stay committed to reaching your goals

Get the book here. Or you can learn how this book literally changed my life (umm, yeah, I don’t say that often, so you know I mean it) by reading my entire review.

Passion + Profits Test by Jonathan Mead

ppt-previewI love this test. Jonathan first takes you through what getting paid to exist means in a video presentation. Then he has you brainstorm potential passion businesses, and gives you a 25 question quiz to evaluate the validity of your potential business.

Get the Passion + Profits Test here (short email sign-up required).

13 Ways Entrepreneurs Abuse Social Media Tools

By Monica O'Brien on October 6th in Entrepreneurship 3 comments

60 Days to Entrepreneurial FreedomI’m departing from the normal format of this series to write about my experiences working with startups on social media. Because most entrepreneurs are independent, do-it-yourself types, they are not as accustomed to hiring or outsourcing projects. This is a mistake when it comes to social media, especially if you don’t use the tools in your personal life. I hope to build awareness about how important it is to get some help with social media, especially when your company is first starting out.

Some of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make with social media revolve around making decisions that aren’t consistent with having good business sense. Because social media tools are free, startups and small businesses tend to take the pasta approach: throwing noodles at a wall to see what sticks. Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid with social media:

Not developing a social media strategy

Because social media is the hottest trend in marketing, companies assume that all they have to do is set up a Twitter account and a Facebook fan page. This is the equivalent of pulling random magazines out of off the rack and purchasing full page color ad in each one, then throwing together a quick and dirty PowerPoint flyer to run. Just like any other communication medium, social media requires a well-thought out marketing strategy plan.

Perfecting a social media strategy

Even though a social media strategy is important, don’t wait for the strategy to set up your company’s accounts. Reserving your company’s name on various social media sites is of the utmost importance. Furthermore, because it takes time to build social media accounts, every minute you waste by not being there is followers you could be losing.

Thinking the tools are everything

Most social media talk revolves around tools – ie: 10 Ways to Get More Followers on Twitter. While it’s useful to get into the details and tactics of social media, a solid marketing strategy should work no matter the medium. The smartest companies will focus on strategy because in the world of Web 2.0, the tools are constantly changing.

Not using the tools correctly

It takes a long time to build credibility, especially as a company because individuals are taught to be wary of anything that looks like marketing or spamming. Unfortunately, it only takes one discrepancy to do damage to a company’s reputation. Err on the side of caution with each tool, and take time to listen to the conversations and learn the etiquette for each medium.

Not using the tools at all

Many corporate social media profiles make the company look like it went out of business, because the company doesn’t update regularly. Every tool holds opportunity for companies, so companies must be willing to experiment. Rest assured your competitors will be experimenting, so don’t let them set the tone or build equity without having your own presence.

Putting all eggs in one basket

It’s exciting to see extraordinary results on one form of social media, and tempting to invest all your resources into what’s working. Try to resist. With the speed at which technology changes, social media is starting to look similar to the fashion cycle: one day you’re in, the next day you’re out. Tools fall in and out of fashion all the time – remember Friendster, and more recently, MySpace? Companies that build a large equity on one tool will find themselves with nothing if the tool loses popularity.

Gathering followers rather than building a network

There are no shortcuts in social media, and the bottom line is companies have to build relationships with their customers before they can sell anything. Social media may seem free, but the hidden time costs to build relationships Social media is not a quick way to make more sales; in fact, social media actually adds cycle time to the sales process. Just like any other process, a company must consider how much of its resources to invest.

Putting the horse before the carriage

Another cliché is the company that doesn’t follow a logical process with social media and then wonders why it isn’t seeing results. Common sense comes in handy here. For example, consider a company that doesn’t currently have many customers, but creates a Facebook fan page and starts promoting it with Facebook ads. The keyword is “fan;” people who haven’t experienced the product are not likely to join a fan club for it. Make sure your company is following a logical customer acquisition process by thinking about social media from the user-perspective.

Pitching poorly

Every social media user has a very clear idea of what social media means to them, and how they want to be approached by companies on social media. Most companies don’t realize that they way they approach social media sends its own message to consumers.

Creating impersonal accounts

Users don’t follow companies; they follow engaging people who work at companies. Unless the tool is meant specifically for companies to use (ie: Facebook fan pages), every account should be an actual person who has a name and a title that clearly signifies him or her as a face of the company. This person should write with a conversational tone and respond to other participants in the conversation. Automated accounts or accounts that are updated with a stream of links do not produce results.

Controlling the message

Social media is not about controlling a message. In fact, the very nature of social media is such that no one person or organization can control the message. Because social media is a medium to share information through a network, companies must realize that once they put the message out there, they have no control anymore. Users can choose to edit the message, inject their own opinions into the message, share the message, or ignore the message. Furthermore, companies can’t even control where the message starts: a user can also create a message about a company without having any affiliation to them. Because of the nature of social media, companies that try to control the message will have difficulty reaping any of the benefits of the medium.

Not controlling the message

While companies should be careful about trying to exercise too much control over the message, there is also the opposite end of the spectrum to avoid. Companies often cite “control over message” as a reason not to participate in social media, but the truth is that companies have lost control of the message whether they participate or not. This is because, as mentioned earlier, users can create a message and drive the conversation surrounding that message.

So how can companies exercise some control over a message and still reap the benefits of social media (rapid diffusion of information through people sharing messages with their networks)? The answer is that companies need to participate in the conversation. Responding to complaints and stressing the benefits and what the company does well; these are all ways for companies to control the end-consumer’s perception of its products.

Abusing permission

Abusing permission is by far one of the worst mistakes a company can make with messaging. An example would be if a company collected emails from various blogs in a certain niche and started sending weekly newsletters. While this seems harmless on the surface, none of these bloggers signed up for the company’s weekly emails, and thus have not requested the information.

Abusing permission is a fast way for companies to lose credibility, damage relationships, and generally make a bad name for themselves in social media. So where do you draw the line with abusing permission?

Unfortunately, this question is similar to asking where comedians draw the line with potentially offensive jokes. The truth is that different users have different levels of tolerance. Just like a comedian might experiment with messaging based on the feedback he or she is receiving from the audience, your company must experiment with the right level of communication, erring on the side of unobtrusive.

Has your company made mistakes on social media? Have you had a bad experience with a company on social media? Let’s talk about it in the comments section.

Business Networking for Entrepreneurs

By Monica O'Brien on October 5th in Entrepreneurship 7 comments

60 Days to Entrepreneurial FreedomOver 70% of people get a job from networking. As a entrepreneur, you technically already have a job; but you will inevitably go to informational/networking meetings to sell an idea, convince clients to hire you, or secure funding. Here’s how to get started:

Action Item #1: Land the meeting

It’s not easy, but I get meetings with many CEOs and other executives in the Chicago area. When people ask me how, I tell them it’s a fairly basic process – I email people and convince them to meet with me. If I’m trying to reach the CEO, I sometimes schedule a call with one of his direct reports first. I sometimes send a couple of follow-up emails. I sometimes ask other people in my network for referrals.

Be persistent. There are many ways to ask for something, but the key to getting it is almost always persistence. Everyone calls once, some call twice, but the people who land the meetings are the ones who called for as long as it took.

Action Item #2: Ace the meeting

It is not as difficult as you would think to research a company or a person thanks to Google. I research all sorts of things, from industry statistics, to competitors, to website statistics, to hobbies of the person I’m meeting. I also read through press releases and media coverage (all found on the internet) to understand the history of the company, the pain points, and what the management team cares about. If you do your research beforehand, you can make a good impression at the meeting.

Based on your research, you should know how much you can actually contribute to the networking meeting, and how much information you will have to ask for. This will help you set expectations for yourself and the person you are meeting with.

It’s essential to set expectations for a networking meeting so you don’t waste someone’s time. I have gone to meetings where a CEO just wants to chat over beers, and I’ve gone to meetings where the CEO wants a PowerPoint deck of my ideas and how to implement them. If you set expectations well, you can avoid being under-prepared and making a bad impression.

Also, don’t forget to articulate your interest and your value. There are two things people want to see in a networking meeting: enthusiasm or passion, and what you bring to the table. Make sure that you incorporate both these answers into your story about your history and your goals.

Use language that ties both of your interest and your value to the company, the person you’re meeting with, and yourself. It’s a tough balance, so practicing beforehand helps!

Action Item #3: Follow up

Often, you will not get an immediate offer from a networking meeting. That doesn’t mean it was a waste. Instead, you’ve gotten a contact, information, or a referral. Or you found a way to help the person with one of these three things. Be open to what someone can help you with, and good things will come.

Because networking meetings are not for closing deals, you have to follow-up and check in on the person within a reasonable time frame. This reminds the person of what you discussed, what you want, and what value you have to them. I generally follow up with a thank you email to begin with, and then follow up once more within a month.

What’s your most outrageous networking story?

Entrepreneurship is about changing the game

By Monica O'Brien on October 2nd in Entrepreneurship 5 comments

60 Days to Entrepreneurial Freedom

One of the most famous dot com failures was a company called Kozmo. Kozmo entered the market in major cities with dense populations. If you wanted a small purchase, say a pack of Jolly Ranchers, you could get on the internet and enter your order at Kozmo.com. Kozmo would deliver your purchase by bike messenger within an hour, at a slightly marked up rate from what the item(s) would normally cost.

The company raised $250 million, entered 18 locations, and had over 1000 employees. The company thought that it could keep costs low by delivering only in areas with a high concentration of internet users. Though it seemed like a smart idea in theory, the company lost money on most of the sales it made, due to expensive city warehouses, inability to stock a large variety of items at wholesale rates, and the high cost of delivering small items in a short time window. The company went bankrupt in 2001.

The company suffered from a problem that most dot com companies suffered from – the internet was simply not a game changer for this type of business. There was a reason no one had entered the business earlier, using phones as the point of order instead of the internet. It was an expensive delivery business, and the business model was broken.

I did a call with the HR manager of a huge industrial supplies company in Chicago about using social media to recruit candidates. We talked for 30 minutes, and my conclusion at the end of the call was that social media was not a game changer for his company.

The company does not brand itself for strategic reasons, and its main method of recruiting is finding passive job candidates through data mining and calling them to see if they are interested in interviewing. The problem is that the company currently looks for smart people based on a resume, and by the time they find a good candidate it might be three months after the person applied.

I told him, “Social media is perfect for data mining, and with blogs and LinkedIn, the data is much more dynamic than a resume. The most you might want to do is add another step in your process – email or Twitter candidates as a first point of contact rather than call to qualify them and save time.”

It begs the question – is the internet and social media really a game changer for the company you want to start? The revolution you want to lead at work? It’s worth thinking it through:

Action Item #1: Identify the most important aspects of the business you want to get into.

When I wanted to get into the publishing business, I thought about what publishers truly do for first-time authors. I came up with three major things: give authors credibility, help with product design/marketing, and handle distribution. What matters for the industry you are trying to enter?

Action Item #2: Figure out how people typically do it.

Credibility in the book industry is not something a small press gains overnight, so instead I read everything I could about the marketing and distribution processes for books. This is an essential step for any business you start – how are people already doing it? The tried and true is that way for a reason – you can’t revolutionize the industry without understanding it first.

Action Item #3: Identify the real game changers.

The internet in itself is not a game changer. Social media is not a game changer for every industry. The question I had to ask myself was whether the internet and social media were game changers in the book industry.

For the book industry, the game changers are in the marketing and distribution of the book. Marketing can be done online and through direct mailings rather than through expensive traditional advertising, and online distribution is much easier to break into than bookstores. Furthermore, some credibility can be gained through consumers who purchase products online and care more about customer reviews than a brand name.

When you are looking at game changers, remember that it’s very difficult to change behavior. If you have to sell someone on the switch in behavior first – before they’ll even try your product – you have an uphill battle, not a game changer.

What are your thoughts on game changers? Share your action items on your blog or in the comments section. If you have additional thoughts about entrepreneurship, send me the link and I’ll share it on my blog.