Friday 2.0 is hosting the first ‘Blog-Off’ Competition for blog owners in Central Virginia and Roanoke. 

77% of active internet users read blogs. 900,000 is the average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period, according to Business Week.

LYNCHBURG, Virginia. – May 5, 2009 – A ‘Blog-Off” competition will be held on May 22nd at The Muse Coffee in Wyndhurst at 9:00 in the morning. Local business networking group, Friday 2.0, has put together a panel of four judges to evaluate the main criteria that makes an effective blog. Submission deadline is May 15th.

Lynchburg Blog-Off

The purpose of the event is to evaluate the effectiveness of local bloggers, while educating local business owners that those who fail to embrace social media technologies for business will be left behind. Through the month of May each judge will get a chance to share their criteria for blog sexiness, usability, search engine optimization and community engagement.

In a Coleman-Parkes Research study, companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

The panel of judges include ShoutOut LLC’s director of marketing, Andrew Potter, Marketing-Helper.com’s Jennifer Bailey, BrowseLynchburg.com’s Phil Tucker, and Nannette Saunders from RE/Max. 

“More and more companies are using social media and blogging to position themselves as industry leaders in their fields,” said Marketing-Helper.com owner Jennifer Bailey. “A lot of companies are afraid of this thing called social media, but the truth is that if we can learn how to adapt in an effective way then we can not only cut our marketing costs but increase sales leads.”

Those interested in learning more about the competition can visit The Blog-Off Fact Sheet >

About Friday 2.0
Friday 2.0 is a local Virginia networking group who meets on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at The Muse coffee shop in Wyndhurst. Friday 2.0’s goal is to get educated about social media tools and opportunities. The most passionate and curious professionals attend this un-meeting as a way to connect with like-minded individuals and discuss the topics and trends relevant to technology, social media and the future of social media. Everyone from the freshly-minted twitter-er, to the tech-advanced executive managing 500 people are encouraged to attend and participate. All voices are equal and welcome at Friday 2.0! Join our Facebook Friday 2.0 Group.

Other Resources:
Coleman-Parkes Research Findings
Definitions of Social Media

There is a lot of talk about our social responsibility to social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. 

…what do you mean, “Social responsibility?” Don’t I only have a responsibility to MY organization, MY cause, and MY paycheck? 

And even I never really got past the fiscal goals of social media (costs less, increases sales), until I talked to @joegerstandt and @appomattox_news over the weekend at the Social Media Seminar. 

“The way we approach leadership is shifting and that part of the future and part of the crossroads we are at now is that we are shifting away from relying on the “experts” at the top of the organizational charts and relying more on groups of people coming together regardless of title to share ideas, information, perspectives and to drive positive change.” (via @joegerstand on the Social Media River)

Imagine if you could double your donor base in a year? Imagine how many people you could reach with your cause message if you had 1,000 twitter followers… who all had 1,000 followers. Imagine if you could rally all of those people and their friends around your cause and your message to drive that positive change you have been working so hard for? 

GuideStar gives us some more practical reasons, here.

It is no wonder that women are at the forefront of social media. Women are social beings – made for relationships! And social media is just another way for us to expand those relationships.

Traditionally men are the early adopters of new technologies, but studies show that women far outpace the men in social media. (Business Week Article)

Why Women? 

Social media is less of a “technology” and more of a “social gateway” … while women don’t necessarily run the behind the scenes of social media applications like twitter, digg and linkedin – they certainly know how to use them to put on a good show. 

Social Media Phenomenon + Women = Influence that we cannot ignore!

Whether is for your job, your cause, your church or your family… social media can give us influence.

What Women?

Who is using social media? My mom is… to keep up with her kids! My sister is… to communicate with her friends across her college campus.

Me and my old babysitter. One day I got a facebook invite from a couple who used to babysit me when I had curly blonde hair. I remembered them because they used to do ‘Wheres Waldo‘ puzzles with my brothers and I.

But more importantly…

Lynchburg Bridal Expo is getting people signed up for their event through Facebook.

Dayna Palmer created a group for lynchburg women business owners on Facebook.

Linda Settles, author, blogs and uses facebook to build interest for her new book.

Amy Clark established Momadvice.com – well researched and in-depth articles on frugal living, saving money, work at home opportunities, recipes and tips.

Allison Worthington – uses facebook and blogging titled “mrsfussypants.com: we cant both look good, its me or the house.”

There was a high school girl named Sarah Sowerwine who started a Breast Cancer awareness cause page on facebook that now has over 30 thousand members.

A woman named Christa Laukevicz started a cause on facebook called ‘Prevent Child Abuse America’ and has over 2 million members and 30 thousand dollars donated!
…

Now that we know social media can help us increase our influence, then we know it is powerful enough to also help us find solutions for immediate problems.

I will admit, I do like to waste my time. Sometimes I waste it on YouTube, or Facebook… looking through humorous bumper stickers. I waste mine – and other people’s time – on twitter, talking about useless facts and details of my life. 

But I don’t waste time on Myspace. 

I would like to do a survey on the type of consumers that still use myspace (besides the registered… and unregistered… sex offenders who, according to the lawyer I listened to at Wired Wednesday, pose as teens.)

Who are they? Mostly Generation X and younger (mostly younger). Kids who want to get online for entertainment purposes? 

I used to waste my time on Myspace

And goshdarnit I cannot seem to delete my myspace profile. I remember in the very beginning when everyone thought Tom was Jesus and the t-shirts came out and everyone made it a priority to have the best-looking background theme. Unfortunately… Myspace hasn’t developed into its potential.  

Myspace hasn’t graduated to become a business network

There are two types of internetworks: social networks, and business networks. Many networks aren’t even put in one category over the other… because they serve both purposes. 

For example… LinkedIn is considered a business network. But while Facebook used to be considered a social network, it is quickly graduating to combine business and personal relationships. 

I always tell people that each social network has a different purpose… Facebook is for friends and family, Linkedin is for businesses, and twitter combines them all. But the networks are changing. 

Facebook is BETTER anyway

Easier to use. Cleaner. Prettier. Better applications. Does nobody disagree? 

…

Other thoughts?

Pete Hollier of The Wizards Blog, posted some statistics and surveys indicating that the majority of North American companies believer that their companies can’t survive without social media. 

A recap: 

• 60% of American citizens used Social Media.
• 93% indicated business should have a Social Media presence
• 85% indicated businesses should interact via Social Networks with their customers

Consumers surveyed indicated businesses should use Social Media to:

• Solve Problems – 43%
• Obtain user feedback on product and services – 41%
• Enable consumers to interact with the company brand – 37%
• Market to consumers – 25%

Barriers to initiating Social Media Programs:

• Lack of understanding by Senior Management 58%
• Negative impact on employee productivity 49%
• Fear of unknown technology 58%

Companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

Within the survey completed for Avande were some general statements which must be considered:

• 52% of respondents stated “Companies that fail to embrace social media technologies for business purposes will be left behind “
• 78% of respondents stated “As we enter a possible economic downturn we need to focus on new ways of communicating with customers which add real value.”
• 77% of respondents stated “If they did not initiate a Social Media Program Social Media would enter the company by stealth”

First, of course, you have to have a niche. Anytime I want to create a new product I always find a need that is not being filled. That’s where I find my niche. 

For example, social media 101 was created for small business professionals who are familiar with social media but need help juggling the many social media tools available to effectively create new leads. 

So I guess part of finding a niche is also finding a good product. 

In the real estate boom a few years back I knew a realtor who only sold historic homes because he was a history buff who was familiar with the age of the home based on the architecture and type of wood used.

Once you have the essentials what are the first steps in creating a profitable niche blog?

1. A good domain name

2. An attractive, clean blog theme (we always use wordpress)

3. Valuable content that uses good key words so search engines will find you

4. A promotional plan that allows and tracks convergence

Join me for an SM101 conference call this Friday at 2:30 p.m. to discuss in more detail how you create a profitable niche blog. Sign up for SM101 here >

‘10 Twitter Agendas – What’s Yours’? was published by @snowvandermore. 

She did a good job of summing up the different kinds of tweeple. But, truthfully, she did a better job of making fun of everyone (other than herself) than really defining a purpose for Twitter. 

She pointed on the people who are just on Twitter to get a date, versus the twitter giants who have a million and one followers, news publishers who tell us what is going on in the world, and my favorite the “Combo Meal” which she defines as “achieving total Twitter nirvana” which is basically a mix of all the different Twitter agendas pumped into one 140 character message. 

A lot of what she said was true… most Twitter users fall into this category: “You establish a comfortable group with whom you have regular conversations, albeit in 140 character segments. It’s fun, entertaining and you manage to pump up each others’ egos one tweet at a time. They read and comment on your tweets and blog posts, and vice-versa. You feed off of one another and there is little risk involved.”

Who is she forgetting? 

Those of us who strive to use twitter in the most effective way possible for its “social media optimization” purpose of “generating publicity through online communities.” We are out there to build relationships, yes, but in a more profound way: achieving success with the holistic method of combining our personal lives with our business lives with every other vision and passion that drives us.

Twitter is a place to bring all worlds together – while having an agenda! 

For those of us who fall into the “forgotten” category there is risk involved. Relationships. But its worth it. 

I don’t have to convince small businesses that the economy is hurting… we all feel it. I can’t say how many companies I have talked to recently who are suffering from the recession (yes, I said the ‘R’ word). Those I know who are self-employed are having trouble making ends meet, and those I know who are not employed can’t get a job anywhere. And to top that off – we are expecting a tax increase on small business in the next year. Holy Moly, Batman.

A changing market is nothing new, though. Right? We all should know that. But because this market has changed so drastically fast, nobody was prepared for it. 

The Solution:

Drastically change our approach. Whether it is a new product or a new way of marketing… we can’t just wait around until things “get back to normal” – who says they ever will? 

Social Media can rapidly change your customer base in weeks. With the right social media mix (called social media optimization) you can cut marketing costs and increase sales. 

Wanna know how? Take a look at our Social Media 101 program… I hope to help as many people as possible. 

Remember the term “information superhighway” in the 90’s when the World Wide Web exploded? The Internet was defined as an electronic “cyberspace” of infinite data that could connect the world together. 

It still is. But now it is less of a theory… we are actually doing it. 

The scale is tipping from a place for just information to a world of social interaction and connections. We have a global village at our disposal where 6 degrees of separation is turning into instant connections with new and extended networks. 

And while these infoways (information highways) are being built to connect our infinite cybervillages, average Joe who is still here on earth is left to try and comprehend it all… 

The truth is I can preach social media all day to every business in town… but it comes down to the ultimate question that I get almost daily: 

“Is it worth my time?”

The answer that small business owners want to hear is, “Yes, it will lower your marketing cost and bring you instant new clientele.” 

The answer that I have to give is still “yes” – but I have to add, “If you do it right.” 

The truth is that I know entrepreneurs and small business owners who use social media in a way that it has brought them extensive new business opportunity and continues to do so… but those are the catalysts and pioneers for this new industry called social media. They are the forerunners who spent unlimited hours testing the infoways and finding the right combinations to create cybervillages. 

You aren’t meant to be an expert in the social media field. But you can continue to be an expert in your own field, and use social media experts to make a smooth transition from traditional marketing to the infinite possibilities of publicity that the internet offers. 

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is a defined by Wikipedia as “a set of methods for generating publicity through social media, online communities and community websites.”

Stay tuned for information about Which social media tools are better for small businesses, and why?