Communicate!

Helping you win loyal friends through your communications

Remember Me? (Free Tools to Help You Track Relationships)

by 4 Comments

When you’re building relationships with donors, clients, customers, or business partners, a good memory helps.  But research shows that we can only really keep track of 150 relationships on our own.  Beyond that, we need tools.

You can turn tools you have, right there on your desktop or on the web, into your relationship management system.  All it takes is time.

Microsoft Outlook

You probably already know you can store addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, web page URL’s, and the company and job title of each person you know in Microsoft Outlook.  But did you ever:

  • Use the Search function to find all the people in your Contacts who work at a particular company, or who have a specific title, or whose email address ends with @NameOfTheirOrganization?
  • Add photos so that you recognize them on sight?
  • Use the notes section to store research you did on them?
  • Check your email to and from that person to remind you what you talked about last?
  • Search the Calendar to see when you met with them last?
  • Use the Tasks section of Outlook to remind yourself to talk with them again, or send them something, or do something for them, by a certain date?

Google

If you live in the Googleverse, you can do a lot of the same things that an Outlook user can do, and more.

  • Aside from the usual Contacts information, you can record birthdays, nicknames, how their name is pronounced, and the names of their spouses, children, and other relationships–including the name of the person who referred you to them.
  • Instantly see whether you are on Google+ together, and the Circles to which you have assigned them.  Easily click over to Google+ to see what they’ve posted there.
  • Follow people’s YouTube channels if they have them.
  • Set up a Google search for that person’s name so that anything that appears on the web about them will show up in your Gmail box.
  • Easily share documents with that person without worrying about whether the email bounced, using Google Drive.

LinkedIn

On LinkedIn, other people do a lot of your work for you.  If you connect with me on LinkedIn, you will find not only my contact information but my Twitter handle and my website information, too.

I put those up.  I also posted:

  • Summary of who I am and what I do
  • Experience
  • Projects I have worked on (with links to the end results, and the names of people who worked on them with me)
  • Professional courses I have taken
  • Languages I speak
  • Skills & expertise
  • Honors & awards
  • Education
  • Interests
  • Organizations

People have recommended me, and I have recommended them, and both types of recommendations are right there on my profile.  LinkedIn will also show you the LinkedIn groups I belong to, the people I follow, and the people who have connected with me.  Now you know more about me than my mother does!

But how am I related to you?  Next to the Contact Info tab on my profile is a tab marked Relationship.  There, you can write notes about me,  set your self a reminder in relation to me, write down how we met and who introduced us.

Use whichever of these tools feels most natural to you, and you’ll never have to wonder again.

The Magic Formula for Choosing Social Media

by 6 Comments

I’ve told you before: the first thing your organization does online should not be social media.  And I’ve told you that the best answer to “Which social media should we use?” is “It depends”: where are the people you’re trying to reach?

But you have already done the work.  You’ve made your website attractive and useful, cleaned up your database, and started sending regular email to the people on your list.  You’ve found your supporters online.  You’ve created a strategy and started small, with one platform.  Now what?

You’re sure there’s a secret to social media for a small organization with limited time and money.  You twist my arm and ask, “What’s the magic formula?”

Listen closely: Facebook plus one.

Why You Need to Be on Facebook

For now, Facebook is still an essential part of your social media.  Yes, I know: it’s frustrating that people can “like” you on Facebook and still not see your posts in their news feed.

But there is nowhere online that you will find more people, and a broader range of people.

  • Grandparents are joining Facebook every day to see photos of their grandchildren.
  • Adults keep up with their friends on Facebook, even after they’ve moved to a different city or country.
  • Teenagers are still joining Facebook.

It may not be cool, but it’s a “have to have.”  My best guess is that it will continue to be the common denominator of social media for years.

Why You Need Something Else

Even if a lot of supporters are there, you should make sure not to put all your eggs in the Facebook basket.  It’s not free media any more.  You need a budget to pay for ads AND an expert to help you advertise effectively.  And it’s only going to get more expensive.

Plus, there may come a tipping point.  When enough people drift away from Facebook, a lot of people may decide to do so all at once.  You should be collecting their email addresses, so you don’t lose them altogether–but many people prefer to hear about you through social media.  When they go looking for an alternative to Facebook, you want them to find you there.

Which “Something Else” is for You?

Think of three lines on a graph.  One: the social media platforms your audience uses.  Two: the one you find most comfortable.  Three: the platform that lets you use what you have–whether that’s writing, photography, or video.  Ideally, when you use Facebook plus one, that one is where those lines come together.

Twitter is growing fast. It forces you to be brief, but that’s good: you will catch people’s attention better that way. It’s ideal for sharing links to useful information, including your blog posts, and it’s recently become better for sharing pictures.

YouTube is the world’s biggest search engine, after Google.  If you have great video and would like to be found, YouTube is the place to go.

Google+ has also been growing. Unlike Facebook, everything you post shows up for everyone who likes you there (or “adds you to their circles,” in Google+ lingo).  Two big cautions, however: a lot of people are still not on Google+, and there are rumors that Google plans to make big changes to it soon.

Pinterest is clearly the best way to reach a female audience with photos.  Instagram reaches a more mixed audience, and people say it’s easier to use, especially from your mobile phone.

LinkedIn is the only social media platform that reaches more men than women.  LinkedIn Groups are a great vehicle for establishing your expertise in the field.

There are many other options, and feel free to choose the one that suits you best.  You may also want to create accounts on social media you’re not planning to use for a while, just to reserve the name you want (and not let some other group create confusion by claiming it).

You’re best off concentrating on Facebook and just one other form of social media, if you really want to work your magic.

 

 

The Joy of LinkedIn Groups

by 5 Comments

If you think LinkedIn is only for seeking jobs or recruiting new employees, think again.  LinkedIn Groups is the social part of this social medium.  It’s the most fun you can have while networking, without leaving your desk.

Here’s what you do to enjoy LinkedIn Groups:

  1. Look for groups that share an interest with you and join them.  (For instance, I joined Social Media for Nonprofit Organizations.)
  2. Set up LinkedIn to send you a daily digest of the group by email.
  3. When you get the email, check the titles of the day’s posts.  Click on the ones that pertain to your business or your mission, or sometimes, just the ones that sound intriguing.
  4. Read the post.  Then–important!–read other people’s comments.
  5. Like posts and comments you think are especially good.  (This will show up in the activity feed on LinkedIn, so even people who aren’t in that group will see that you are taking part.)
  6. When you have something to add, write a comment of your own.  Aim to enrich the discussion with information or insights that you know especially well.
  7. When people like your comments or posts, invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn, and continue the conversation.

If you get to the point where you want to host the party instead of just showing up, start your own discussions in that Group.  But make sure you are asking a question that will actually spur discussion!

Results?  By identifying people who share your interests, and by making yourself respected for your expert and helpful advice, you will find potential clients, business partners, employers, and colleagues.  You will also acquire a group of advisors who give you their knowledge for free.

Come join me in LinkedIn Groups, and when you do, say hello!

 

Yes, I’d like weekly email from Communicate!

Get more advice

Yes! Please send me tips from Communicate! Consulting.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.