Put TOM To Work For You—Top of Mind And How To Get There

TOM, or Top of Mind, is a marketing term used to identify whether or not your business is the first one people think of when they need the services you offer. Marketing, like the military, loves acronyms. We have a bundle. But all TOM means is that, when your customers need you, you'd better be there.

Top of Mind Recognition isn't complicated to achieve. The ingredients are straightforward. And the whole package is easy to assemble. Unfortunately, it can also be very expensive. Being TOM is much easier in a small market, and very, very expensive in a large market.

Top of Mind really has everything to do with your brand identity. You definitely want a good one. Without a great brand identity, you can't achieve TOM. You need a clear, concise and identifiable logo. A catchy tagline doesn't hurt. Be consistent with your advertising, because repetition is the key to unlocking TOM. It's also the key to creating a brand identity, which is one of the key ingredients that goes into this.

A brand identity can best be defined as your company's visual personality. It encompasses your logo, your company colors, your tagline, different advertising campaigns, your website design, your building's signage, vehicle wraps, etc. All of these elements need to be consistent. That way, when someone sees your ad in a magazine, and then sees your commercial on TV, and then sees your truck down the street at their neighbor's house, your company name and brand will be reinforced in this potential customer's mind. You see where we're going with this. Consistent message. Repeated again and again, in different ways with different media, at different times and at different locations. Pretty soon, your potential customers will be humming your tune.

Getting your business to achieve TOM can be a long-term and costly endeavor. But the payoff is that your business is the first one your potential customers think of when they need the services you offer.

Think of the local businesses with the catchiest jingles. Sure, they annoy you, but you remember them. Having a professional jingle written is an additional and often expensive cost, but putting an advertising message to music is a proven technique to help people remember. When you were learning the alphabet, you sang the "ABC" song. Same thing with a jingle. That jingle you've got stuck in your head right now? The one you heard on the radio on the way home from work, the one you're going to see on the commercial when you sit down to watch the local news? When you need the service they offer, whether it's a plumbing emergency or buying a new car or anything else, that jingle will stick in your head and that will be the first place you think of. Most jingles include the company's phone number or website address. And, unfortunately, the more annoying, the better. As long as it's catchy.

Whether you commission a jingle or not, your message needs to be everywhere. Here's where it gets a little bit more complex. You need to think like your potential customer, not like you. The overwhelming majority of ad campaigns fail because the campaigns end up advertising to the advertiser, not the customer. It doesn't matter what you like. It matters what your customer likes. And you need to discover what that is. And when you know who your customer is, you can get inside their heads and discover what else they like to do. Because human beings are complex. That complexity gives you lots of opportunity to surprise them. For instance, let's say you run a theater that shows live plays. You know that your audience likes some culture. You also know that, if they're coming downtown, they'll likely be going out to eat beforehand, and probably grabbing a drink afterwards. That's an example of what else they like to do. So go meet with the owners or managers of the surrounding restaurants and bars and talk to them about co-op advertising—you put posters or coasters or other types of items in their locations, they put ads in your programs. You just run the theater, but you've also created an event night for your patrons. You've gotten into their heads and discovered what else they like to do. And when all these businesses work together, everyone wins.

All marketing is local, no matter whether you're a national chain or the small Mom-and-Pop down the street. You're part of a community. Get involved. Sponsor teams, which allows you to get your logo on uniforms. Have your business join the local adopt-a-road program. You'll get a sign with your business name on it. Be a member of local business groups. Have booths at local festivals. Does your community have a farmer's market? Have a booth there. If you're a car dealer and want to sell more hybrids, a booth at the farmer's market is ideal. Have a few models in the parking lot to test drive. The point is, be where people aren't expecting you to be. Marketing wears people down. Being advertised to is offensive and is easily tuned out. Find something unique to do that gets your name in front of people. Don't copy your competition. Make your own statement. That's the whole idea, isn't it?

Being Top of Mind isn't difficult. It just takes time and investment. But the return on that investment is that you are the first business everyone thinks of. Being Top of Mind is not a bad place to be.

It's Not Me, It's You — How To Break Up With A Client

We've all had them—relationships that start out great, the sky's the limit, love is in the air and there's nothing but rainbows and happiness. Just so we're on the same page, I'm talking about a relationship with a client. I mean, the same thing can apply romantically, but that's a different blog.

You start your relationship casually, maybe a meeting over coffee or a casual hour chat at their place, a conference room, and then it moves into the head decision maker's office and you know things are getting serious. You're selling yourself harder than a hooker when the eunuch convention's in town and you make the deal. Whatever it is you're selling, whatever service you offer, they are chomping at the bit to make the deal with you. Life is amazing. You are winning in a Charlie Sheen way.

And then time passes. Something goes wrong. The original spark just isn't there anymore. They call you constantly, all hours of the day and night, and they want changes, lots of changes. They've decided they don't like the concept they just spent the past week gushing over. Eventually, they end up taking advantage of your goodwill and they aren't holding up their end of the bargain. You don't get paid, or there's a new condition for you to get paid. And then you now it's time. It's time for the "it's not me, it's you" conversation. Because it is them, isn't it? It's not you. You tried your hardest and worked your sorry little heart out and did everything you could to make the relationship work. But they took advantage of you.

So how do you break up with a client? I've had to do it several times. I've had to do with and without lawyers. It's a lot easier without lawyers.

1. HAVE A PRENUP
No matter how much in love you and the client are at the beginning of the relationship, something will eventually go wrong. The longer the relationship goes on, the more likely it is that something will break down. Create an agreement that clearly states your obligations, the client's obligations, any compensation involved, the length of the relationship, any specific payment terms... essentially, every single detail involved in your relationship. This is a great time to find a lawyer. If the type of work you do has similarities across the board, a standard contract or a standard set of terms and conditions that are part of a contract will ensure that all parties involved, no matter how much in love they are now, will clearly understand the repercussions of the inevitable breakup.

2. COMMUNICATE EARLY AND OFTEN
All relationship specialists say the same thing. If you don't communicate, your relationship is doomed. On a side note, aren't most relationship specialists on the tail end of bad relationships themselves? I digress. The key to successful business relationships comes from identifying potential issues before they become issues and solve them in an expeditious way. The goal with your business relationship is to not have it end. It's a helluva lot harder to build a new relationship than it is to nurture an existing one. That said, sometimes communication fails. Sometimes people are just nuts. Communication breaks down for a multitude of reasons. Do your best to make sure it doesn't. But recognize that sometimes it does.

3. BE VERY, VERY CLEAR IN YOUR BREAKUP CORRESPONDENCE
The best way to avoid any misunderstanding or lack of clarity in breaking up with a client is to be absolutely clear with the client that you are breaking up with them. You will be shocked at the level of simplicity you need to explain that the relationship has ended. Sometimes it will come as a surprise to the client that you're ending the relationship. Many clients (hell, many people) don't see their own behavior as problematic or confrontational or difficult. You are there to serve them, after all. If you're a good and decent person, with a solid work ethic and a genuine trust of human behavior, well, first of all, I have great pity for you and some sad news for you—you're one of the few who does. Okay, I'm the same way, and it takes a lot of problematic behavior for me to get to the point of firing a client. I bend over backwards to accommodate nearly every request. But I've also come to the point several times where I simply can't accommodate anymore. My correspondence to the client is always in writing, usually via email (as that is the main form of communication by which I engage my clients), but from time to time it will be via written letter, and sometimes, if I believe there's trouble or there's potential legal action, certified mail. I explain why I am ending the relationship, I explain clearly what time period is involved in the breakup, what physical or digital files (if any) will be provided, and what compensation is expected. I generally will sacrifice compensation if it means the relationship will end and I will be able to move on cleanly. That may not be your way, but it's my way. I always figure that if money isn't involved, there are a lot fewer lawyers involved. Every situation is different. Every client is different. I've had multiple types of situations and each has been unique.

4. BE VERY WARY OF TAKING THE CLIENT BACK
I don't know if it's just me or if it's every marketing professional, but I have never had a client I fired NOT come back to me. Every single one. Seriously. Most will simply contact me as if nothing has ever transpired between us. Some will acknowledge the past difficulties. For the most part, the initial peace offering is "just a little job" that needs to get done quickly. "You know what I like, I know you can do a good job." As a self-employed marketing professional who's just survived the worst recession we'll hopefully ever see, I've been hungry. Very hungry. I'm not proud of it, but I've taken those clients back. When you're looking at a stack of bills and can no longer answer your phone because all you'll be doing is talking to bill collectors, your pride suddenly doesn't have quite so much value. There's not much that can be said when you have, as Seinfeld put it, no hand. When you do eventually regain hand, it's important to re-examine that relationship as quickly as possible, and get rid of it again as quickly as possible.

Breaking up is hard to do, that much is true. But breaking up with a bad client, like a bad romantic relationship, leaves you feeling a sense freedom and empowerment that will hopefully translate into intelligent forethought and well-vetted clients in the future.

Oh, who are we kidding? We love getting hurt. Bad clients give us good stories.

What Obamacare Can Teach Us About What NOT To Do In A Marketing Campaign

Love it or hate it, agree with it or continue to vote against it, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is here to stay. At least until their ill-fated marketing blunders sink the program.

I'm about as liberal as it gets. Personally, I favor the Canadian system. I'm familiar with it, so it's not just a talking point. I have my own issues with Obamacare, but this is a marketing blog, not a soapbox.

We can learn some valuable marketing lessons from the ACA rollout. There was a lot that was done wrong. Here are the top three.

1. NEVER, EVER GO LIVE WITH A BROKEN WEBSITE
Your website is the central hub of any marketing strategy you're building. Even a social media campaign needs someplace to point. The Obamacare website was a complex, convoluted structure that fell victim to the oldest trick in the book—requirements that changed multiple times throughout the build, often changing the entire infrastructure. Everyone's familiar with the Healthcare.gov website jokes, the opposition's continued barrage of attacks, the Congressional hearings, the whole bit.

Here's the thing—the more complex the website, the more intense the testing needs to be. Any website needs to undergo something called User Acceptance Testing, or UAT. A website begins with a set of requirements—what the site needs to do. Most sites are fairly straightforward. A homepage, some product or service information, a contact page, etc. For more complicated sites, such as those involving data, (the capturing of customer information, the dispensation of customer information, product data, etc.), requires a much more involved set of requirements, and therefore a much more involved UAT process. We won't delve too deeply into web development here, but suffice it to say that you want to do at least the following when testing any site:

a) Test on multiple browsers. Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox are the most common and should suffice for most UAT. Make sure you test multiple versions of Internet Explorer (IE9, for example, can throw a wrench into the most well executed and seamlessly developed website).
b) Test on multiple operating systems. Test on both Mac and PC.
c) Allow for operator error. Your clients may not be the brightest bulbs in the box. Is the site foolproof? Is it easy to navigate? Can you find information within two clicks?
d) Try to break it. The more complicated the site, the more errors you should find. Do things the site isn't designed to do—how does it handle these requests?
e) Create informative error pages. The last thing a user of your site wants to see is some convoluted error message that may mean something to a developer but just looks like your site is broken otherwise.
f) If there is an error, provide a clear path out of it. For instance, if you have a user signup page that requires a specific format for information to be entered, clearly explain this or provide a contact phone number or email address that can help.
g) For the love of punk rock, ANSWER THE PHONE and answer your email. Promptly. If someone is on your website and wants to sign up, search for a product, etc., they want to do it now. Don't make them come back. Don't make them wait.

Your website is your virtual front door. Whether you're a retailer, Realtor®, or are simply providing a contact portal, this is your first impression. Never, ever go live with a website that doesn't work.

2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
One of the key provisions in Obamacare is the inclusion of a robust number of 18-34 year olds. There's a reason why everyone wants to market to this demographic. For the healthcare system to work, it needs to spread the risk across a large pool of healthy users.

These people are what I call The Unmarketable. It's not that they can't be influenced—you've got to know what you're doing. If you want their business, you've got to earn it. They have been sold to their entire lives, and they can see you coming a mile away. Here are the ground rules for marketing to the 18-34 demographic:

a) Don't try to be cool. Using popular catchphrases, current references, etc., will only make you look old. They know how to filter your pathetic attempt to sit at the cool table. Don't even try.
b) Don't talk down. One of the most common mistakes made when marketing this group is giving them the impression you think you're smarter than they are. You might be, but they hate that. Be direct. You're not talking to your insolent twenty-something. You're talking to a potential customer. Give them the respect you'd give any customer.
c) Celebrity endorsements can go very wrong. This is the era of five-second fame. Everyone is famous. If you latch on to some anti-celebrity, you have immediately put an expiration date on your campaign. Remember Gangham Style? Exactly.
d) Don't try to go viral. There are specific ingredients that go into a viral video, post, etc., You don't have them. You don't have access to them. Yes, it would incredible to have your commercial go viral and get twenty million views on YouTube. It would also be incredible to win the Powerball. Setting out to "go viral" is a waste of your time and resources.

There is no single way to market to The Unmarketables. There's no single venue, media outlet, or social media service that will hit everybody. The secret with this generation is that they're compartmentalized. The days of everyone watching a single TV network or visiting a single source for news online, or a single social media venue are gone. The "18-34 year old demographic" isn't a single entity. It consists of millions and millions of individuals. You need to know a whole lot more about your target audience than simply that they're between 18 and 34 years old. If you don't know them, they won't care one bit about you.

3. DON'T LET YOUR COMPETITION DEFINE YOUR STRATEGY
There's a reason you're in business. There's a reason your product or service can compete in the marketplace. And if you're in the marketplace, you've got competition. If you don't have competition, you will. One of the biggest mistakes the Obama administration made in selling Obamacare to the American people was letting the opposition (his competition) define the argument. It's your competition's job to point out why their product or service is superior to yours. That's what the free market system is all about. Your marketing strategy will not be successful if it's simply a reaction to your competition's marketing strategy. No one's interested in why Product A sucks. They want to know why Product B is great. Believe it or not, positive messaging is far more effective than negative messaging. The businesses that are #1 in their fields (Coke, McDonald's) don't spend their time focusing on their competition. The businesses that are #2 (Pepsi, Burger King), do spend their time focusing on their competition. That's one of the reasons these businesses are #2. Not sure how to do this? Here are the basics:

a) Have the best product or service. You can't survive in any industry for any length of time if your product breaks or your service is subpar. Wait, you don't think your product or service is part of your marketing campaign? Pumpkin, it's the centerpiece. You will go out of business if you don't focus on your core products and services. Simple as that.
b) Clearly and concisely explain why you are the best. Is it taste? Satisfaction? Quality parts or ingredients? What sets you apart?
c) Why is it necessary? Neither Coke nor McDonald's products are required to sustain life on earth. Why are they necessary, then? This is what they call in sales selling the sizzle, not the steak. What does your product or service provide, make easier, make better, or help satisfy?
d) Take the high road. You don't need to mention your competition in your marketing. It's your marketing, not theirs. Don't give your competition air time. It makes your business look petty. Product comparisons are for those in second place. First place doesn't need to compare.
e) Solve problems quickly and in public. Let's say your business prides itself on providing service within a 20-minute window. For one reason or another, your service tech was unable to arrive. Your customer complains on your Facebook or Twitter feed. The first reaction by most businesses is to remove the post. After all, who wants anything negative on their Facebook wall? Instead, engage the customer and MAKE THINGS RIGHT in the same post, in the shortest possible time. It doesn't matter that your service tech had a car accident. It doesn't matter that the snow hadn't been cleared off the roads. There are always things that are out of your control. The only thing you can control 100% of the time is how you respond. It's not personal. It's business. Give the client a gift card. Refund their service call. Give them a free service call. Whatever you do, do it in front of everyone.
f) Know the difference between slander and libel. In a nutshell, slander is saying "you suck", libel is writing "you suck". There are tons of legal gray areas, but that gives you the idea. Keep in mind that your competition may engage in nefarious tactics from time to time. We wise in your approach. Overreacting to some slight by your competition can make you look like a jerk. Underreacting to something that is potentially damaging can leave your business exposed to serious trouble. Know when something is business and when it's war. Take a look at my post about when to hire a lawyer. It'll help.

Remember that you need your clients more than they need you. The world will get by just fine without your product or service. When you're developing a marketing strategy, keep in mind that every aspect o your business is part of the strategy. You can have the most vibrant website, the most dependable product, but if your customer service staff is perpetually rude, you will go out of business. Your business is a series of links in a chain. That chain is your marketing strategy. A product that works, built from parts that are high grade, with an easy to engage sales interface, a customer service team that goes the extra mile, and truly dependable service is the centerpiece of your business. Your entire business is about marketing. Break a link, break the business. At least you won't be dragged before a Senate subcommittee.

What An Online Form Tells Your Customers

We've all seen them. The ubiquitous online contact form. On the surface, these forms seem to be a convenient way to collect and distribute initial contact data. If you've had a website with a contact feature for any length of time, you likely have one of these types of forms on your site.

From a website owner's perspective, these things are great. Deployed properly, they can help reduce spam email and triage client contact. Gathering a few important details (name, email, phone, etc.), can better prepare your team to speak with these new potential clients.

But from a customer's perspective, the view is different. Online forms can be seen as an impersonal form of contact. They get in the way. When a customer has a question or wants to contact you about the services you provide, the online form tells them the following:

1. You're too busy to talk to them. 
An online form that collects data becomes a black hole where a customer inputs their information and it disappears into the void. If your customer has a question or concern, or wants to hire your company, they want an answer. If the client is contacting you during normal business hours, the expectation is that you or someone else will be able to talk to them. If someone is sending you a contact email, they have reached the point in their purchasing decision where they're looking for specifics. Putting a form in their way stops the purchasing process in its tracks.

2. You don't trust them.
The use of CAPTCHA technology, those squiggly words and numbers that separate man from machine, are used to help limit the types of website attacks perpetrated by things called "spambots". These automated hacking tools scour the web to find open email addresses, and then inundate them with spam email. Spam email is a real threat—viruses are often embedded within them, so that when they're opened, nefarious things can happen. However, that's your problem, not your customers'. What you tell your customers when you force them to use this technology is that your comfort is more important than their ability to easily contact you.

There are a few simple ground rules for opening email. First, most commercial email hosts (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) have firewalls built in. They will detect what is likely spam and quarantine it for you. Your "junk" folder is a graveyard of these types of emails. It's important to check your junk folder often. Spam quarantine software isn't foolproof. And if your business is consumer-based, you will receive emails from people you don't know. Become email savvy. If someone tells you they want to send you $9 million from Nairobi, or wants to give you a way to meet local singles, or wants to give you free software, etc., those are bad. If an email seems like a legitimate contact, but has been quarantined, send a fresh email to the address to confirm. Or, if the contact has left a phone number, call them.

3. You're too big (or small) to help them.
This is another unintended consequence of an online contact form. Think about the last time you needed information from the IRS or the Social Security office, or a large bank. If you go through the online contact process, it's very similar to the chaos of an automated phone answering system. Press 1 for English, press 2 for Swahili... You have no idea where the form is going, when you'll be called back, or if you'll be called back. The same process works in the opposite direction. Many micro-businesses use this type of solution to help triage their incoming correspondence. There may not be anyone available to answer a direct email, or a phone call.

The general rule in website development for the past decade has been the use of these forms. Recently, however, many users are electing to abandon them. Why? Because they're not as secure as we've been led to believe, and they alienate customers.

What's the alternative? If you can't collect initial data from a client, how do you know what they need? Here are a few techniques that are so old-school that they're not even retro anymore. But they work.

1. Encourage phone contact.
Yep, the old standby. Giving your customers the clear and attractive option of calling you or your team directly, whenever they need you, sets you above your competition. We all get busy—a ringing phone can seem like a personal attack on your day. But a five minute phone conversation can not only solve a problem, it can reinforce a relationship. If a customer has a problem, solving it immediately will defuse the ticking time bomb. Forcing them to send you a form and then waiting for you to get around to answering them can bring even a tiny issue to a boiling point. Answer the phone promptly. If you can't, have a message on the phone that lets customers know how quickly you'll get back to them. And follow through. Most business phones have a flashing message light. Treat that light as if you were the bomb squad diffusing the big one. The faster the light goes out, the better the outcome.

Answering the phone and returning calls promptly (within the hour), is the basis of any successful marketing strategy. All the advertising in the world won't help you if you don't return a call. Just as a professional, friendly greeting by staff when a customer visits your store or office is the front line of your marketing plan, so too is answering calls.

Consider the value of a live operator. If your customers have to work their way through a maze of "press 1 for sales, press 2 for support", they will be discouraged. A voice on the other end, no matter how inconvenient for you, is convenient for them.

2. Provide direct email addresses.
Web development philosophy for years has been to mask or hide all open email addresses. This has been done, legitimately, for security purposes. However, the ability for your customers to contact someone directly via email outweighs any potential security or spam-related inconvenience you may face.

If you have multiple departments, provide a direct email to each. And then answer them, either by email or, preferably, by phone, and within a very limited time.

I appear to be brushing web security aside in this post. That's not the case. Having your email hacked is an inconvenience. Having your website hacked can be devastating. If your business relies on its website for any type of contact, you need to ensure your website hosting company is legitimate. Commercial hosting companies have server "farms" located across the globe, which can deflect web attacks by switching to a different location. Security for commercial web hosting companies is high and dependable—it has to be. The type of data stored on these servers is crucial. If you have a blog site, or if your website is inconsequential to your business, use one of the discount hosting companies. Security is important. It's also worth more than $3 per month. If you choose the right hosting company, it's not your problem.

The basics of marketing come down to this—when someone calls, answer. When someone has a problem, fix it. The basics of marketing have nothing to do with your logo or your website or your sign. It has to do with how you and your staff treat people.

The litmus test is this—would you want to do business with you?

The Pitfalls of Public Comments

Your friend on Facebook posts something about some topic. It doesn't have to be controversial. Maybe they've asked for advice on a specific product or service. You make a comment—something you'd say to your friend in private, maybe something rude or off-color. No harm no foul, right?

Let's do some math. I have a relatively small Facebook social circle—just 132 friends. I keep it small by choice, but the average Facebook user has about 500 friends. Depending on their age, they can have more—(younger skews bigger, older skews smaller).

One of my friends has 2,608 friends of his own. By making a comment on his post, my words and my thoughts have the potential to be shared with over 2,600 people, most of whom are strangers. Let's say I've made a derogatory remark about a person, a company, a product. It doesn't matter whether or not my post is factual. For many people, this one off-the-cuff post can mean the difference between using a particular service or buying a particular product. Social media is touted as being democratizing—it is, largely. But in any democracy, not only do we have rights, we have responsibilities.

Let's say that all 2,600 of this friend's friends read this post and my comment. Let's also say that four additional people, each with 500 friends of their own, commented on this post. Suddenly, my comments have reached nearly 5,000 people. That single comment that was made as either a joke or in the spirit of a private comment to a friend has exploded into a sphere of influence exponentially greater than I could ever have imagined.

As a business owner, you begin to see the impact a single negative comment can have. A majority of people, especially younger people, rely almost solely on social media for their product recommendations. As a platform for unfiltered, reliable feedback, it is unrivaled. But a single negative experience has the potential to spiral out of control. Before social media, word of mouth consisted of a small circle of people—physical influence was much smaller than virtual influence. And even if someone had a horrible experience with a company, they'd only share it with a small group over a short period of time. Social media (and the web in general) is permanent. It's the real permanent record your high school guidance counselor kept telling you about.

As a business owner who is also a member of society, your actions online can have far-reaching implications. Let's say you've made an off-color comment about some political or social issue. Using the same math, your single knee-jerk remark can define you to a huge number of people. Strangers. Customers. Potential employers. Your banker. You have no way of knowing.

The virulence of social media is akin to a pandemic. Once it begins, it's very hard to stop. Here are a few simple tips to help keep your business (and yourself) out of hot water online.

1. THINK BEFORE YOU POST. 
Use the "Rule of Mom". Would you say what you're about to say if your mother was sitting beside you? Unless your mother is known for her colorful language or off-color remarks, this litmus test will usually guide you.

2. DAMAGE CONTROL MEANS YOU'VE SCREWED UP.
If your business is in the position where it needs to do damage control, or you're getting overwhelmed by negative comments, it doesn't mean the Internet is out to get you. It means something's wrong in your organization. Do a process walk, which follows your business through every interaction to help determine where things are breaking down. Your goal is to identify customer touch points. The first place to look for the breakdown is where your customers interact with your organization. Once you've identified it, fix it.

3. IF YOU WANT TO SAY IT, SAY IT IN PERSON.
Here's a novel idea—pick up the phone. If you have virtual friends, they likely started as physical friends. A comment on a Facebook post, no matter how witty or insightful, pales next to actually picking up the phone and spending twenty minutes catching up. If you must remain digital, private message them or send an email or Skype with them.

4. BEWARE THE SHARE.
We've all seen them—the ubiquitous cartoons or witty graphics. As a business person, simply sharing something implies complicity. For instance, if you share something about drinking heavily, no matter how funny or cute, you have the potential to gain that reputation simply by association. You are what you share—it's the reason why most people share things. It defines your interests, is in tune with your sense of humor, etc. Even on your private social media pages, you never know who's watching. I have friends who are clients, and I have friends who are friends with clients. Chances are, you do, too.

5. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THAT...
Facebook has a great feature that allows you to confirm what is placed on your timeline. Sometimes the comments that damn you are not the ones you make yourself. We have different types of friends, probably from different phases of our lives. The person we are now may be very different from the person we were in college, or high school. You wouldn't bring your college drinking buddies to a client meeting. Be selective about what you let onto your timeline.

6. CLEAN HOUSE.
With all of this in mind, what do you have right now on your Facebook page? Take some time and go through your timeline. Look at your videos and photos. Is the beer pong shot from college really how you want to present yourself?

The goal with this post is not to sanitize you. Part of what makes social media as vibrant as it is, is the individuality of the pages and the posts. If the video of you doing belly shots in Vegas is something that defines you, that's great. But keep in mind that the video may be doing just that—defining you. Once you connect with other people, you have little control over what happens next. Being aware and being cautious may not make you the most interesting person on Facebook, but it will definitely help keep you in business.

The Three Bears Approach

The web is filled with marvelous and wondrous technology that changes and grows on a regular basis. How do you determine how much is too much for your clients?

Consider the Three Bears approach - you remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The first bowl of porridge was too hot, the second too cold... you get it. When you're building or upgrading your website, the Three Bears approach comes down to three options—is it too much, is it too little, or is it just right?

Your customer isn't always Goldilocks. Sometimes your customer is Papa Bear. Sometimes it's Mama Bear. Each have different needs—hot porridge and cold porridge. There's no single "just right" approach.

As with everything in your marketing plan, the question of how much is too much is answered by your customer. A tech-savvy, youth-targeted site requires all the bells and whistles. Your customer expects it, and your competition provides it. If your market is older, or your clients aren't techies, you may not need as much techno-pop.

Here are three questions to ask that will help determine the level of wow required on your website:

1. What type of site are you trying to build?
Most websites are informational—an online brochure. They're a way to provide a way for prospective customers to contact you and to learn about your services, skills and those special things that set you apart. We call those "static websites". They're not necessarily "static" in the sense that there's no motion on them. Slideshows, videos, etc., can and should be a part of them. But the information is relatively constant, and users are required to contact you or visit your location to complete the transaction.

Dynamic websites can include e-commerce sites (where you're selling products or services online), video upload sites, etc. These are more robust and are designed for continuous engagement with the user. Similar information to a static site is available, but the main thrust is some form of ongoing interaction.

2. Who is your customer?
Age is often the determining factor when asking this question, but not always. Younger customers are more likely to want to make a purchase online (if appropriate), but older customers (including senior citizens - surprise) will also use these types of sites. The more appropriate question to ask is, what does your customer expect to be able to do with the site? If you sell a product or service, does your customer expect to be able to order it online and have it delivered or confirmed without having to make a phone call? Or are customers using your site to gather additional data or comparison shop prior to making an in-person purchase or acquisition of services? Ask the question from your customer's point of view, not yours. You may not have considered selling goods online, but your customer may need that.

3. Who is your competition?
This is a trick question—your competition is everywhere. Don't just look at the shop down the street—look world-wide. The web has opened up competitive markets you may not know exist. Being aware of what your competition is doing will help you determine what you need to do. It can also give you research into new customers you may not have thought about. Competition isn't a bad thing. At least, if you stay competitive.

Building a website properly from the beginning will allow you to develop it for current-state as well as future-state. The web constantly changes. New technologies emerge and new standards are introduced. Examine your site regularly. Look at your competition. Ask your customers what they want to see. They'll be your best judge. And listen to them. Developing a higher-end website than you currently have may cause you to incur an expense, but not doing so means you're losing customers. And what's the cost of that?

The Rules of Social Media

Contrary to popular myth, even the Internet has rules. Social media is no exception. As a business operating a social media page, you have the ability to either effectively increase your market reach—or do irreparable harm. Here are the basics on the do's and don'ts of operating a business social media page.

1. KNOW YOUR MEDIA TYPE
Facebook is very different from Twitter. Pinterest and Google Plus are also unique. LinkedIn is a totally different animal. It's like talking to people from different parts of the country. There are ways of doing things and presenting information that varies between all social media venues. Twitter has a character limit - the most effective posts on Twitter are brief. Twitter users are used to brevity. They don't want you to be wordy. Facebook is more conversational. Facebook is relationship-based. Google Plus is similar. Pinterest is essentially a photo sharing showcase, so it's much more visual. LinkedIn is the professional social network—largely underutilized by businesses. There are literally thousands of social media venues. Each has its own vernacular. It's important to learn the dialect before you try to fit in.

2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
This is not only true for social media, but for marketing in general. Unless you know who you're talking to, what they're interested in, and what will turn them off, you can't create effective posts. What is of use to your audience? What will they be interested in seeing from you? They're choosing to follow you for a particular reason. Discover that reason and tailor your posts to them.

3. YOU'RE A GUEST IN THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED
Just like going to a dinner party, you are a guest in your potential audience's house. They've invited you in because they want to hear more from you. Just like going to a dinner party, you need to bring something. The proverbial bottle of wine in this case is information. You need to establish yourself as the recognized expert in whatever you do. How do you do that? It's different for each industry, and for each social media page. Don't be looking to sell, at least not all the time. Unlike traditional advertising, you don't need a constant call to action. Your social media page (if designed properly) will have all the information necessary for a follow up. Provide information your users can use. Get in, get out, and don't annoy your followers. Short, clear, insightful posts will make you sound like you know what you're talking about. Because you're the expert.

4. IT'S A SOCIAL NETWORK
The goal in using any type of social media is to increase your reach virally. This means that your user likes your post enough to share it. Once it appears on your user's social media feed, all of their connections can see what you have to say. If their friends like you, and they share something informative that you posted, you will be much more likely to be followed by your users' friends. This is the goal. Social media is about making connections in new and unique ways. While it is possible to sell products via social media (and many businesses do this), it's not the primary focus. Social media is and should be used largely as brand building. Your goal should be to remain at the top of mind of your users.

5. CHECK YOUR SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX
There is nothing more distracting than a business social media post that contains errors. If necessary, get someone to proofread your posts before making them public. You may not care about spelling—but your users do. This one is a simple fix at which many businesses, usually small businesses, fail.

6. CREATE A POST SCHEDULE
Unless your posts are based on events that are happening in real time (and this is a good use of social media—keeping up with things in real time), you can put together a post schedule in advance. Facebook allows you to schedule your posts in advance using their Activity Log feature. If you can make use of this, and most businesses can, do it. It keeps your social media in motion without having to dedicate resources to posting at a particular time. When creating a post schedule, look at what your users need. Is your business seasonal? Look at a calendar to see key dates when people will be most likely to be thinking about your services.

7. MORE IS NOT ALWAYS MORE
Think about the junk email you receive as a business owner. Deleting messages from the same sender multiple times a day is not only a time waster, but makes you less likely to ever consider using that vendor. The same is true with social media. You don't need to blast your message out ten times a day. A well-written, well-timed post 3 or 4 times per week can do more good for your business than a bunch of desperate messages throughout a day. In social media, it's about quality, not quantity.

8. PLAY NICE WITH THE OTHER KIDS
Never, ever insult a client on your social media feed. Never, ever complain that no one's coming in to your shop today. And if you receive any negative feedback on your social media page (which is one of the reasons why you are engaging in social media activity—you want your users to get involved), never, ever argue with them. You have the ability in a public forum to solve the problem. Recognize that you have an audience watching you. Most customers will remember the problems they had if you don't immediately make it right. It's always worth giving a little to make the customer feel they were heard. And don't take anything personally. This is business, not personal. Leave the attitude at home. And finally, no matter what, don't complain about your customers or your business on your personal social media. Once it's out in the world, you can't get it back.

Effectively managing your business social media can be a full time job. You don't have to have a presence on every single venue. Start with your customer—what do they want you to do?