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3 Things You Need to Know About Social Media Strategy

Jan 14th

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/social-media-strategy-needs/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/14/social-media-strategy-needs/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/strategy.jpg” alt=”strategy image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>B.L. Ochman is a Managing Director of Proof Digital Media; publisher of href=”http://www.whatsnextblog.com” >What’s Next Blog, and co-founder of pet site href=”http://www.pawfun.com” >Pawfun.com. Follower her on Twitter at href=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsnext” >@whatsnext.

Companies large and small are rushing to understand and get involved in social media. But most of the agencies and consultants who are being paid to establish social media campaigns for corporations are afraid to tell their clients three things they don’t want to hear.

1. Everyone Must Work Together />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/hands-in.jpg” alt=”hands in image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>In most big companies, IT, digital, marketing and sales not only don’t work together, they compete with each other. Until they start collaborating as a team, you will not succeed in social media.

For example, I recently handled social media advertising for a major retail chain’s holiday microsite. The promotion was conceived by the digital department and involved augmented reality. But the IT department refused to allow a link from the homepage to the microsite because the microsite’s design was done by an external agency.

Further, the marketing department refused to allow a dedicated e-mail to go out to the company’s mailing list, and when placed in the company’s normal promotional e-mail, the link to the microsite was lost in a sea of weekly specials.

These hurdles made it very hard to drive traffic to the microsite.

But more than that, this lack of internal collaboration and contact makes any kind of social media involvement virtually impossible.

A company that hasn’t learned to listen to its own employees, and encourage them to collaborate internally, is not likely to succeed in integrating social media tools into its marketing mix, no matter what agency or consultant they hire.

2. Top Management Must Be On Board />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/managers.jpg” alt=”managers image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>If the direction doesn’t come from the very top, managers, who have myriad reasons to fear change, will hang on to the status quo.

Despite the best intentions of agencies and consultants, social media integration is bound to meet huge resistance until top management says it’s OK to spend time and money to integrate it into the company’s marketing and culture.

Example: The marketing team of an international manufacturer of electronics wanted to know how the company could begin to use social media and we discussed the many possibilities.

Listening and responding to what customers are saying about the brand in social media can supply good intelligence and give the company a chance to interact with customers.

“Our management doesn’t want to listen to customers,” the PR director said. “They want to talk to them.”

However, that doesn’t work anymore. The status quo is dead. Any company that isn’t willing to listen to customers and be nimble and quick enough to respond, and, when necessary, change, will soon be unable to compete with smart, tech-savvy companies that can turn on a dime.

Willingness to change is the new bottom line for every business today. But top management has to buy in before change can begin.

3. Don’t Expect Overnight Success />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/point-a-b.jpg” alt=”point a to b” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>Sure there are videos that go viral, contests that attract a lot of buzz, and Facebook pages that get a lot of fans. But what comes after those efforts?

After the tools change (and they surely will) how will social media fit into the company’s overall strategy and help it reach long-term goals?

Example: Smart companies look at the long-term. href=”http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/” >The Fiskateers, now in its sixth year, is the brainchild of digital agency Brains on Fire, for their client Fiskars.

With the scissors brand losing market share to foreign knock-offs, the company enlisted several actual crafters to blog, attend events, and represent the brand to customers as part of a new community strategy.

“If you empower your customers to become your evangelists, you’d better be prepared to continue it,” says Brains on Fire’s Geno Church. “It’s permanent when you engage in this type of marketing.”

Once you have created the community, listen to it. Fiskars made several changes to its products based on what it discovered through its Fiskateers community. Doing so helped build customer trust and loyalty.

Where Should Your Company Start? />

Realizing that employing social media in the marketing mix is a long-term commitment to change, the best way to start is to pick manageable, measurable goals.

Pick a small number of social media goals for the coming year. Some possibilities:

- Turn the company newsletter into an internal blog and give all employees the ability to contribute /> – Establish a social media policy for employee participation in social media on company time and beyond /> – Let employees vote on the best ideas suggested by other employees /> – Resolve to respond to customer service issues within three hours, via social media

Don’t try to do all of these things at once. Pick the ones that are most likely to be possible for your company to start and sustain.

More business resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/”>The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/social-media-contest/”>5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/27/social-media-roi/”>HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/”>HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/business/”>business, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/marketing/”>MARKETING, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/strategy/”>strategy

business, Business Lists, contributor, List, Lists, Marketing, Social, social media, Social Media Lists, social networking, strategy

Want to Make Money on Twitter? Take a Look at How Dell Does It

Jan 14th

Posted by Jennifer Van Grove in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dollar.jpg” alt=”dollar image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/want-to-make-money-on-twitter-take-a-look-at-how-dell-does-it-jennifer-van-grove” >This post originally appeared on the rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.openforum.com” >American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Dell is a shining example of a brand that has managed to turn their Twitter presence into both a customer service and sales outlet. Dell may be a big corporation, but the story behind the $6.5 million they’ve raised from their Twitter presence is one that shines a light on a road to success that any company, regardless of size, can learn from and emulate.

I asked Dell’s Senior Manager for Corporate Affairs, Richard Binhammer — otherwise known as href=”http://twitter.com/richardatdell” >RichardatDell — to elaborate on Dell’s Twitter success. The following are principles extracted from that email interview.

1. The Right Motivation is Key />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/richard-dell-tweet.jpg” alt=”dell tweet”>

If you’re simply motivated to make money from Twitter, your heart is in the wrong place. Dell’s strategy is to turn Twitter into an opportunity to build better relationships with customers, which ultimately leads to stronger sales.

According to Binhammer, Dell didn’t initially approach Twitter with dollar signs in their minds, but instead as a listening outpost. “Dell first heard about Twitter at SXSW a few years back and got excited about the listening aspect of Twitter,” he said.

The businesses side of listening was an unintended but welcome bonus to their effective presence on Twitter.

“Dell’s goal has always been to be an online leader and connect with customers wherever they are. It starts with listening and connecting with customers across the Web. This has proven to be invaluable to our business through the years. We see social media connections as a means to further strengthen those direct customer relationships. The added revenue has been a welcome addition to being where our customers are and connecting with them.”

2. Approach Twitter With a Multifaceted Strategy />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/direct2dell-tweet.jpg” alt=”dell tweet”>

Dell’s Twitter presence isn’t limited to a single account or purpose. Instead Dell takes a multifaceted approach to Twitter and attempts to serve niche customer communities and interests all over the world.

If you’re just looking for deals, they’ve got an account for that ( href=”http://twitter.com/delloutlet” >@DellOutlet), if you just want breaking news there’s an account for that too ( href=”http://twitter.com/direct2dell” >@Direct2Dell), and the list goes on.

In Binhammer’s own words, this is how Dell approaches Twitter:

- Direct connections between Dell and customers – listen, learn and engage in direct connections with customers (There are ~ 100 Dell employees using Twitter to connect with customers).

- Subscribe to Dell info – customers can subscribe and get Dell news from our blogs/Ideastorm Twitter.

- Dell offers from businesses – some of our businesses, notably Dell Outlet, publish their latest offers on Twitter.

- More about Dell businesses on Twitter: href=”http://www.dell.com/twitter” >http://www.dell.com/twitter Here you will see various Dell business accounts such as: Small Business, Dell Canada, UK, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Dell Home Sales, Australia, Japan, China, New Zealand, DellOutletIreland and UK and more

If anything, Dell’s all-hands-on-deck approach to Twitter, demonstrates that you need to serve your customers how they want to be served.

For small businesses in particular, Binhammer recommends that you “Make it easy for your customer to talk to you. Do simple things to thank your customers for their business. Ask them for suggestions. Go where your customers congregate, whether it be Facebook or Twitter or elsewhere, and participate in those conversations. Also, listen to your customers in the blogosphere. What they have to say is vitally important to your business.”

3. Don’t Be a Spammer />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/no-spam.jpg” alt=”no spam image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by how many small and big businesses alike use Twitter as a one-way marketing channel with overly promotional tweets.

Spamming your customers on Twitter is a surefire way to get unfollowed and immediately ignored. Of course promoting sales and products is encouraged, but do so in a way that your customers can be receptive to. If you need help defining what that looks like, just ask your followers on Twitter for input.

Dell’s approach, as iterated above, is to serve customers’ interests. The dedicated Twitter account for deals means that they can promote Dell deals to only those customers who have opted in to the purely promotional tweets.

Binhammer advises, “Be yourself and avoid spamming. Making genuine, direct connections with your customers in meaningful ways can only help you deliver what customers want at the end of the day.”

More business resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/”>The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/social-media-contest/”>5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/27/social-media-roi/”>HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/09/social-media-connect-entrepreneurs/”>HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/”>HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/news-reader/”>HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry

Image courtesy of rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php”>iStockphoto, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=2162587″>NoDerog

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/471772-Australia” >Australia, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/business/”>business, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/dell/”>dell, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/marketing/”>MARKETING, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/money/”>money, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/small-business/”>small business, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/social-media/”>social media, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/strategy/”>strategy, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/twitter/”>twitter

business, Business Lists, dell, List, Lists, Marketing, Money, small business, Social, social media, Social Media Lists, social networking, strategy, twitter, Twitter Lists

10 Fun iPhone Apps for Beer Lovers

Jan 14th

Posted by Jeana Lee Tahnk in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iphone-beer.jpg” alt=”iphone beer image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Ales, stouts, porters, pilsners… so many beers, too little time. To help you navigate this vast and varied world of beer, you can always turn to your iPhone. There are plenty of beer apps available on iTunes — everything from beer games to reference guides — even apps that attempt to measure your levels of drunkenness.

iPhone wielding beer enthusiasts can rejoice over the following apps to satisfy your malty, hoppy and lager-induced desires. After all, there’s nothing like cracking open a frosty brew at the end of a long day –- or simulating it.

1. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibeer-5-drinks-more-gags/id283914070?mt=8″ >iBeer />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iBeer.jpg” alt=”ibeer image”>

iBeer is one of those fun apps that doesn’t really do anything but entertain. It simulates a pint of beer that you can jostle and drink. With five different beers to choose from, the visual of tipping the glass (iPhone) back and seeing the liquid disappear is strikingly real. The loud burp at the end is an added bonus. No beer-related apps list would be complete without this popular one.

Cost: $0.99

2. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gallaghers-beer-guide/id334678647?mt=8″ >Gallagher’s Beer Guide />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/GallaghersBeerGuide.jpg” alt=”beer guide image”>

This app is a fantastic resource for a beer novice or one who wants to learn more about different brews. Divided into 12 categories, including brown ales, stouts and porters, and IPAs, Gallagher’s Beer Guide provides you with information on taste characteristics, popular choices within each category, and related styles.

Cost: $0.99

3. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id328010253?mt=8″ >Guinness Pub Finder />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/GuinnessPubFinder.jpg” alt=”guinness image”>

There’s something unmistakably refreshing about a nice, cold Guinness. The dark, chocolaty and rich beer has its devout following, enough to spawn an iPhone app dedicated to finding exactly where this draught is served. Another fun feature of this app is its “Six Steps to Creating the Perfect Pint” lesson.

Note: Unfortunately, residents in AK, AZ, GA, HI, IN, KT, MO, OH, PA, TX and WV will find that this app does not work due to specific state laws related to alcohol advertising.

Cost: $1.99

4. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibeers-pro-2700-beers-at-your-fingertips/id295196547?mt=8″ >iBeers Pro />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iBeersPro.jpg” alt=”iBeers Pro image”>

With more than 2,700 varieties listed in this app, iBeers Pro is like a who’s who of beer. Each beer lists the country of origin, brewer, type of beer and bottle size, as well as user ratings and an ability to add it to your favorites list. This is a good app to have for adventurous beer drinkers who like to go beyond the brews they’re familiar with. This app also comes in a Lite version for $1.99 and the regular iBeers version for $2.99.

Cost: $3.99

5. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beercloud/id338600739?mt=8″ >BeerCloud />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/BeerCloud.jpg” alt=”BeerCloud Image”>

If $3.99 is a little too steep and you’d rather get the information for free, BeerCloud is a good alternative. Although not as comprehensive as iBeers Pro, BeerCloud does offer the ability to search for beers, as well as determine where, via GPS tracking, a particular beer of choice is available near you.

Cost: FREE

6. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beer-match-beer-food-cheese-pairings/id326255719?mt=8″ >Beer Match: Beer, Food & Cheese Pairings />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/BeerMatch.jpg” alt=”Beer Match Image”>

Do you know what kind of beer goes best with Cajun food? How about lamb chops? If not, Beer Match can help you. By pairing 31 styles of beer with more than 500 different kinds of foods (including cheeses), you can instantly find out if the pale ale or the stout is the better choice when planning your menu.

Cost: $0.99

7. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/drinkfit-beer-cocktail-liquor/id323133419?mt=8″ >Drink Fit />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/DrinkFit.jpg” alt=”Drink Fit Image”>

They don’t call it a beer belly for nothing. As tasty as it is, you can quickly pack on the pounds if beer is consumed in excess. Drink Fit is a great app that provides users with full nutritional information for more than 1,600 drinks (including beer, cocktails, wine) and also offers a “My Night” feature where users can tally their caloric consumption for one evening of drinking. It’s a great app for anyone who is conscious about their dietary intake.

Cost: $1.99

8. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-craft-beer/id340206461?mt=8″ >Find Craft Beer />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/FindCraftBeer.jpg” alt=”Find Craft Beer Image”>

If big name beers don’t do it for you and you seek more of an off-the-beaten path microbrew, then this is a perfect app. Find Craft Beer uses GPS tracking to locate brew pubs, breweries, beer bars, beer stores and homebrew stores near you. The settings function enables you to select from any or all of these types of locations to identify the nearest locale to get a tasty microbrew.

Cost: $0.99

9. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibrewmaster/id315820829?mt=8″ >iBrewMaster />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iBrewMaster.jpg” alt=”iBrewmaster image”>

For more ambitious beer drinkers who like to make their own brews, iBrewMaster is a comprehensive app that takes home brewers through the whole process. The app comes with 50 recipes and also enables users to keep thorough track of multiple batches that are being brewed at the same time.

Cost: $4.99

10. href=”http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/happy-houred/id326120518?mt=8″ >Happy Houred />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Happy-Houred.jpg” alt=”Happy Houred Image”>

Who doesn’t like a good Happy Hour? This app scours local bars in your area to find any happy hour specials near you. Happy Houred currently offers search functionality in approximately 700 cities in the U.S. but is predominantly user-generated, so new bars and happy hour specials are constantly being added.

Cost: FREE

More iPhone resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/06/iphone-apps-wine/”>5 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Wine Lovers /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/07/iphone-dating/”>10 Essential iPhone Apps to Avoid Dating Disasters /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/20/iphone-avoid-work-disasters/”>10 iPhone Apps to Avoid Work Disasters /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/10/iphone-apps-parents/”>20 Fantastic Free iPhone Apps for Parents /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/03/iphone-cat-lovers/”>9 Essential iPhone Apps for Cat Lovers /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/27/10-iphone-apps-dog-lovers/”>10 Best iPhone Apps for Dog Lovers

Image courtesy of rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php”>iStockphoto, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=1134574″>rjp85

Tags: href=”http://mashable.com/tag/beer/”>Beer, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/food/”>Food, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/guinness/”>Guinness, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/iphone/”>iphone, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/iphone-apps/”>iphone apps, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/list/”>List, href=”http://mashable.com/tag/lists/”>Lists

Beer, contributor, features, Food, Guinness, iphone, iPhone Apps, iPhone Resource Lists, List, Lists, Social, social networking

10 Musts for Marketing to Women on Facebook

Jan 13th

Posted by Brette Borow in Social

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href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/marketing-women-facebook/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/marketing-women-facebook/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/female-facebook.jpg” alt=”female facebook image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> href=”http://www.twitter.com/brette” >Brette Borow is the President and Founder of href=”http://GirlsGuideTo.com” >Girls Guide To, the “ladies only” guide to life, and spends most of her days engaging with the community’s over href=”http://facebook.com/GirlsGuideTo” >140,000 members.

There are over href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/03/women-rule-the-social-web/”>56 million women using Facebook in the United States, and for marketers this means one very important thing –- if you have a brand, product or company that targets women, Facebook is the place to be.

Unfortunately, unless you’re a brand that every woman knows or loves, then just being on Facebook is not enough. Facebook has done a great job of giving marketers a powerful tool with its Pages product, but like most things in life, it comes down to execution. To help, here is a list of 10 tips for marketing to women on Facebook.

1. Quality Counts />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/hide.jpg”>

The first thing I tell marketers, whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or a friend launching an online jewelry site, is to remember that women are bombarded by marketing messages all day, every day. On the surface, Facebook is no different than the “real world” –- constantly being pitched to and spammed is annoying. The main difference between Facebook and the “real world” is that on Facebook, fans can “hide” your marketing message much more easily than they can avoid the billboard on the way to work. As a result, you are going to have to try your best to connect with them. On Facebook, quality rises to the top more often than not.

2. Create an Emotional Connection />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dove.jpg”>

So quality rises to the top, but what does that mean? For starters lets take a look at what href=”http://facebook.com/dove” >Dove has done on Facebook. Dove is one of the few brands that seems to grasp the fact that on Facebook, content really is queen and that brands must deliberately create an emotional connection with their fans. This is a great strategy to emulate because in order to reach women on Facebook, you are going to have to connect with them by providing content that women can relate to. Something that ignites a reaction like “Wow, that’s me!” will encourage women not only to respond to your messages, but actually remember them. Making an emotional connection is one of the best ways to motivate women to use your brand or service.

3. Provide Utility />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/GGquote.jpg”>

Utility should be synonymous with your brand. It will allow you to create a relationship with your fans. Create a series of posts that your fans can look forward to on a daily or weekly basis — something they will feel a real connection to and will teach them something they can use. If you run a fashion web site, for example, provide a piece of advice from a designer every Friday –- it will make it much harder for your fans to block your updates if they have something to look forward to.

4. Give Fans a Voice />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/HM.jpg”>

Women like to be heard. Stand out from the crowd and engage us. By creating a two-way conversation, you are personalizing your brand and making it one that can be trusted.

Your Facebook Page is also one of the best “focus groups” on the web. Not sure if you should add a product to your line? Trying to decide which functionality to add to your iPhone app? Just ask your fans. A great example of this type of interaction is href=”http://facebook.com/HM” >H&M. They are constantly asking their fans what pieces they want to buy, what they would pay and what they want H&M to carry. This type of feedback is invaluable and brings the fan into the overall experience. Women can share their thoughts, and you can enjoy the free insight you’re receiving straight from your target consumer.

5. Listen! />

Not only do we like to be heard, we also like to know we’re actually being listened to. If a fan posts a question on your page, answer it. If she compliments your brand, thank her. And if she complains about it, address her concerns and reassure her that you’re working on fixing it. This is a great way to build trust and showcase the great customer service and support your company offers.

6. Complement Her Life, Don’t Complicate It />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cosmo.jpg”>

If you’re doing a giveaway, running a great promotion or launching a new product, you need to keep the process simple. href=”http://facebook.com/cosmopolitan” >Cosmopolitan Magazine, for example, constantly offers giveaways and discounts, but always do it in a clear and simple way. The lesson here is not to overthink your promotions. Your fans will look forward to the next time your brand has something new and exciting to share, as long as taking advantage of the offer is relatively pain-free.

7. Don’t Be Redundant />

Unlike Twitter, where most people are following a plethora of people and information is passing by at lightning speed, Facebook has a tendency to draw attention to “spammy posts.” Facebook users do not want to see the same message posted multiple times in their feed. So if you’re promoting something through your Fan Page be sure to reword it and provide additional value before you post it a second time.

8. Keep the Shopping Experience Seamless />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/the-limited.jpg”>

You need to remember that women tend to be the CPOs (Chief Purchasing Officers) in their households, and that they tend to ask friends for advice about brands and products. Women are more than happy to share a good deal when they find one.

href=”http://facebook.com/thelimited” >The Limited was one of the first brands to really grasp that Facebook represents a huge opportunity to reach their CPOs. They have started to embed actual retail offers into their newsfeed. But unlike other brands, they do not drive their traffic off of Facebook. Instead, their feed stories open up into widgets on Facebook that can handle the entire transaction right there. This clever use of technology is a prime example of ways that brands need to think outside of the box to reach their social shoppers.

9. Remember: She’s a Social Shopper />

Women also tend not to be shy about sharing their distaste about a brand or product or talking about their poor experience, so never take advantage of your fans. The last thing you want is your target demographic badmouthing your brand on a viral platform like Facebook.

Keep your offers and processes clear and honest and always respond to feedback and criticism.

10. Keep Your Fans in the Loop />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/lady-gaga.jpg”>

Fill your fans in on the positive but don’t be afraid to address the negative. As we all know, the web is transparent. Allow it to work in your favor. Just launched a new Android app? Let your fans be the first to know. Just got nominated for 6 Grammy Awards and want to share it with the world? Then do what href=”http://facebook.com/LadyGaga” >Lady Gaga did and let your fans know the moment you find out. In a transparent world, you can share your news with your fans, and the sooner the better.

Last but not least, if your company is experiencing difficulties like supply shortage or a down web site, be the first to let your customers know. Be upfront and straightforward. Your honesty will speak volumes about your brand.

More Facebook resources from Mashable

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/04/02/facebook-personal-brand/”>HOW TO: Build Your Personal Brand on Facebook /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/05/27/facebook-page-vs-group/”>Facebook Pages vs Facebook Groups: What’s the Difference? /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/12/facebook-privacy-detrimental/”>Why Facebook’s Privacy Changes are Detrimental to Users /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/06/facebook-blog-integration/”>HOW TO: Integrate Facebook With Your Blog /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/10/07/facebook-groups/”>HOW TO: Manage a Facebook Group

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336868-Android” >Android, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook

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Zen and the Art of Twitter: 4 Tips for Productive Tweeting

Jan 12th

Posted by Soren Gordhamer in Social

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src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/zen-rock.jpg” alt=”zen rock image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> href=”http://twitter.com/SorenG” >Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the href=”http://www.wisdom2summit.com/” >Wisdom 2.0 Conference, which brings together staff from tech companies with neuroscientists, Zen teachers, and others to explore living wisely in our modern age. Mashable readers can use code ‘Mashable‘ for a discount when href=”http://www.wisdom2summit.com/Register” >registering.

Tweeting is easy. Tweeting and using social media with balance and effectiveness — not so easy. Zen teachings have much to offer those of us who wish to make our time on social networks more rewarding and productive.

We all have days when we engage social media with a focus and sense of direction that enriches our work and life. We find useful content and have good communication with friends, while also attending to other tasks we need to accomplish. We have other days, however, when we lose focus, and get overwhelmed and lost on social media, and find ourselves at the end of the day usually with more stress, and wondering what we actually accomplished.

Below are the top four Zen lessons to help you get the most positivity and productivity out of your social media experience.

1. Approach With a Beginner’s Mind />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/meditation.jpg” alt=”meditation image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s, there are few.” – Zen Master Suzuki Roshi

It seems that more and more people are claiming to be experts of one kind or another, and many of them are using social media. In fact, recent reports suggest that there are now href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/27/social-media-experts-twitter/”>over 15,700 people claiming to be social media experts on Twitter.

There is nothing wrong with experts. I am sure many who claim to be are quite skilled and knowledgeable. However, the question is not only how much we know, but how much are we willing to learn from our time on social media?

The person who thinks he “knows” or is an “expert” is often less open to new learning. In the age of social media, things change so fast that what we knew about a subject yesterday may not apply to today. What matters is less about what we knew in the past, and much more about how open we are to learning today. This applies especially to social media.

Lesson: Rather than focus on what you know when engaging in social media, focus on what you can learn.

2. Give What You Want to Receive />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/passing-baton.jpg” alt=”baton image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Zen student asks, “I am very discouraged. What should I do?”” Zen teacher responds, “encourage others.”

There are countless ways that social media can help us with everything from our business to our social life. However, while there is much to gain from social media, we could also say there is much to give to social media too. From a Zen perspective, it is important to give what we wish to receive. Want to find more customers for your business on Twitter or Facebook? Help others find customers for their business. Feel like you deserve more praise online? Praise others more. Want more people responding to your tweets? Respond to their tweets more. Tired of reading meaningless tweets? Make the effort to post meaningful ones yourself.

If we approach social media focused exclusively on what we can gain or what we think we should get, we set up a division in our relationships, one that often ends up preventing us from receiving the very thing we seek. When we give what we want to receive, it changes the dynamic such that, ironically, we are more likely to get what we seek.

Lesson: Focus not only what you can gain but also what you can give.

3. Only Add Useful Content />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/speak-no-evil.jpg” alt=”speak no evil image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>“Do not speak unless you can improve on silence.” — Zen saying

The tools of social media give us countless ways to share content with people across the world. They do very little, however, to ensure that content is useful or purposeful. There is often the belief that to be active and effective on social media one has to post consistently, letting people know throughout the day what we are doing and thinking.

However, just as great music is in part the relationship between sound and silence, we could say that for Twitter and Facebook updates, what matters is not just the content of our posts, but also the amount of space between them. I am sure we all likely follow people on Twitter who may not tweet everyday, but when they do, we are excited to read what they post. It is the quality of their tweets that matters more than the quantity of them.

Lesson: Post not to fill empty space, but to add value.

4. See Differently />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/vision.jpg” alt=”vision image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>“Look out from the frameless window of a long pause. Let the images come to you rather than chasing outward after them…. If you want to see differently, you’ll have to look differently.” — Ji Aoi Isshi

A key element to Zen is to focus not only what exists in the external world, but to also be attentive to the internal lens from which we view it. If a cup is filled half way with water, one person could see it as half empty, another as half full. The cup, however, is what it is.

In the same way, we can have a million followers on Twitter, then look at href=”http://twitter.com/aplusk” >Ashton Kutcher who has over 4 million, and think, “I am way behind” and approach the service with the desire to “catch up.” Or we can have 20 followers, and think, “Cool, twenty people want to read my tweets,” and engage with Twitter from a positive state of mind. The number of followers we have often has little to do with the positive or negative attitude with which we approach the service. What matters is less about our number of followers, and much more about how we “see” or “look” — the mental approach we take.

Lesson: Focus more on the mental approach you take, and less on comparing yourself with others.

Conclusion />

Of course we are going to use social media, but the real challenge is doing so effectively. There is an old Zen story about a man riding a horse that is galloping very quickly. Seeing him, a woman asks, “Where are you going in such a hurry?” To which the man replies, “I have no idea. Ask the horse!” There are likely days that if someone asked us what we were doing, we might reply, “I have no idea. Ask Twitter and Facebook!”

When we let the horse, or social media, direct us, we get overwhelmed and unfocused, and our time is not spent well.

Twitter and Facebook are incredible tools, but making the most of our time on them requires paying attention to the mental approach we take. When we engage them with a beginner’s mind, a desire to give, a focus on adding useful content, and a positive state of mind, we will likely have more days guiding the horse than the opposite.

More social media resources from Mashable: />

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/the-tao-of-tweeting/”>The Tao of Tweeting /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/07/social-media-changed-us/”>How Social Media Has Changed Us /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/10/educators-social-technology/”>3 Ways Educators Are Embracing Social Technology /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/09/5-tips-online-friendships/”>5 Tips for Building Lasting Online Friendships /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/05/effective-online-networking/”>4 Steps for Effective Online Networking

[img credit: href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/euart/282104427/" >euart]

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

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The 10 Stages of Social Media Business Integration

Jan 11th

Posted by Brian Solis in Social

No comments

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/social-media-integration/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/stages.jpg” alt=”stages image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> href=”http://www.briansolis.com/” >Brian Solis is a principal at new media agency href=”http://www.future-works.com/” >FutureWorks. You can connect with him on href=”http://www.twitter.com/briansolis” >Twitter or href=”http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brian-Solis/180669933654″ >Facebook.

An overnight success ten years in the making, social media is as transformative as it is evolutionary. At last, 2010 is expected to be the year that social media goes mainstream for business. In speaking with many executives and entrepreneurs, I’ve noticed that the path towards new media enlightenment often hinges on corporate culture and specific marketplace conditions. Full social media integration often happens in stages — it’s an evolutionary process for companies and consumers alike.

Here are the ten most common stages that businesses experience as they travel the road to full social media integration.

Stage 1: Observe and Report />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/observing.jpg” alt=”observing image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>This is the entry point for businesses to better understand the behavior of an interactive marketplace.

Listening: Employ listening devices such as Google Alerts, Twitter Search, href=http://www.radian6.com >Radian6, and href=http://www.prnewswire.com/products-services/targeting-monitoring-measurement/social-media-monitoring/Social-Media-Monitoring.html >PR Newswire’s Social Media Metrics to track conversations and instances associated with key words.

Reporting: Distill existing social media conversations into an executive report. This early form of reporting is merely designed to provide decision makers with the information they’ll need for continued exploration of social media and its potential impact on business.

Stage 2: Setting the Stage + Dress Rehearsal />

Once the initial intelligence is gathered, businesses will set the stage for social media participation. This is an interesting phase, as it often joins Stage 1 as a more comprehensive first step. Instead of researching the best ways to engage, many businesses create accounts across multiple social networks and publish content without a plan or purpose.

However, those businesses that conduct research will find a rewarding array of options and opportunities to target.

Presence: Create official presences across one or more social networks, usually Twitter and possibly Facebook (Fan Pages), YouTube, and Flickr. Early on, this is often experimental, and less about strategic engagement.

Analysis: Review activity for frequency (the rate of mentions), the state of sentiment allocation, traffic, as well as the size of connections (friends, followers, fans, etc.). Provide managers with a limited glimpse into the effects of presence and participation.

Stage 3: Socializing Media />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/social-network.jpg” alt=”social network image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>The next stage in the evolution of a new media business is the proverbial step towards “joining the conversation.”

As companies take the stage, they will eventually pay attention to the reaction of the audience in order to respond and improve content, define future engagements, and humanize communication.

Conversation: Representative of an early form of participation, this stage usually evokes reactive engagement based on the nature of existing dialogue or mentions and also incorporates the proactive broadcasting of activity, events and announcements.

Rapid Response: Listen for potentially heated, viral, and emotional activity in order to extinguish a potential crisis or fan the flames of positive support.

Metrics: Document the aforementioned activity in order to demonstrate momentum. This is usually captured in the form of friends, fans, followers, conversations, sentiment, mentions, traffic, and reach.

Stage 4: Finding a Voice and a Sense of Purpose />

This is a powerful milestone in the maturation of new media and business. By not only listening, but hearing and observing the responses and mannerisms of those who define our markets, we can surface pain points, source ideas, foster innovation, earn inspiration, learn, and feel a little empathy in order to integrate a sense of purpose into our socialized media programs.

Research: Review activity for public sentiment, including negative and neutral commentary. Observe trends in responses and ultimately behavior. This allows for a poignant understanding of where to concentrate activity, at what level, and with what voice across marketing, sales, service, and PR.

Strategic Visibility: Introduce relevance and focus. You don’t have to be everywhere in order to create presence, just in the places where you would be missed. Understanding that the social web is far more extensive than Twitter, blogs, and Facebook, brand managers search across the entire web to locate where influential dialogue transpires.

Relevance: “Chatter” or aimless broadcasting is not as effective as strategic communications and engagement. This stage reflects the exploration of goals, objectives, and value implementation. Companies begin to learn that exchange is based on trust and loyalty.

Stage 5: Turning Words Into Actions />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/runner.jpg” alt=”runner image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Actions speak louder than words. Businesses must act. Once the door to social consciousness is opened, bring the spirit of your company through it to affect change.

Empathy: Social media personifies companies. It allows us to see who it is we’re hoping to reach, and what motivates them. Listening and observing is not enough. The ability to truly understand someone, their challenges, objectives, options, and experiences allows us to better connect with them.

Purpose: The shift from simple response to purposeful, strategic communication will be mutually beneficial. It is in this stage that we can truly produce captivating content and messages. In order to hold it, we have to give the audience something to believe in — something that moves them.

Stage 6: Humanizing the Brand and Defining the Experience />

As href=”http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/” >Doc Searls says, “There is no market for messages.” Indeed. Through the internalization of sentiment, brands will relearn how to speak. No longer will we focus on controlling the message from conception to documentation to distribution. We lose control as our messages are introduced into the real world. Our story migrates from consumer to consumer. This chain forms a powerful connection that reveals true reactions, perception, and perspectives.

The conversations that bind us form a human algorithm that serves as the pulse of awareness, trustworthiness, and emotion.

The Humanization of the Brand: Once we truly understand the people who influence our markets, we need to establish a persona worthy of attention and affinity. A socialized version of a branding style guide is necessary.

Experience: Our experience in dynamic social ecosystems teaches us that online activity must not only maintain a sense of purpose, it must also direct traffic and shape perceptions. We question our current online properties, landing pages, processes, and messages. We usually find that the existing architecture leads people from a very vibrant and interactive experience (social networks) to a static dead end (our web sites). As we attempt to redefine the experience of new customers, prospects and influencers, we essentially induce a brand makeover.

Stage 7: Community />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/community1.jpg” alt=”community image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>Community is an investment in the cultivation and fusion of affinity, interaction, advocacy and loyalty. Learned earlier in the stages of new media adoption, community isn’t established with the creation of a social profile. Community is earned and fortified through shared experiences. It takes commitment. As href=”http://twitter.com/kathySierra” >Kathy Sierra once said, “Trying to replace ‘brand’ with ‘conversation’ does a disservice to both brands & conversations.”

Community Building/Recruitment: While we are building community through engagement in each of the previous stages, we will proactively reach out to ideal participants and potential ambassadors. We become social architects, and build the roads necessary to lead customers to a rich and rewarding network, full of valuable information and connections.

Stage 8: Social Darwinism />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/business-evolution.jpg” alt=”business evolution image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/>Listening and responding is only as effective as its ability to inspire transformation, improvement, and adaptation from the inside out. Survival does not hinge solely on a company’s social media strategy. The social element is but one part of an overall integrated strategy. It’s how we learn and adapt that ensures our place within the evolution of our markets.

Social Media as embraced in the earlier stages is not scalable. The introduction of new roles will beget the restructuring of teams and workflow, which will ultimately necessitate organizational transformation to support effective engagement, production, and the ongoing evolution towards ensuring brand and product relevance.

Adaptation: In order to truly compete for the future, artful listening, community building, and advocacy must align with an organization’s ability to adapt and improve its products, services, and policies. In order for any team to collaborate well externally, it must first foster collaboration within. It is this interdepartmental cooperative exchange that provides a means for which to pursue sincere engagement over time.

Organizational Transformation: The internal reorganization of teams and processes to support a formal Social Customer Relationship Management (sCRM) program will become imperative. As social media chases ubiquity, we learn that influence isn’t relegated to one department or function within an organization. Any department affected by external activity will eventually socialize. Therefore, an integrated and interconnected network of brand ambassadors must work internally to ensure that the brand is responding to constructive instances, by department. However, at the departmental and brand level, successful social media marketing will require governance and accountability. Organizational transformation will gravitate towards a top-down hierarchy of policy, education, and empowerment across the entire organization.

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/chart1.jpg” alt=”chart image”>

Stage 9: The Socialization of Business Processes />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/social-crossword.jpg” alt=”social crossword image” class=”alignleft size-full wp-image-143936″/>Multiple disciplines and departments will socialize, and the assembly or adaptation of infrastructure is required to streamline and manage social workflow.

Social CRM (sCRM): Scalability, resources, and efficiencies will require support, resulting in a modified or completely new infrastructure that either augments or resembles a CRM-like workflow. Combining technology, principles, philosophies and processes, sCRM establishes a value chain that fosters relationships within traditional business dynamics. As an organization evolves through engagement, sCRM will transform into SRM — the recognition that all people, not just customers, are equal. It represents a wider scope of active listening and participation across the full spectrum of influence.

Stage 10: Business Performance Metrics />

Inevitably, we report to executives who may be uninterested in transparency or authenticity. Their goal, and job, is to steer the company toward greater profits. In order to measure the true effects of social media, we need the numbers behind the activity –- at every level.

While many experts argue that there is no need to measure social engagement (much the way that some companies don’t explicitly define the ROI of Superbowl ads or billboards), make no mistake: Social is measurable, and the process of mining data tied to our activity is extremely empowering. Our ambition to excel should be driven through the inclusion of business performance metrics, with or without an executive asking us to do so. It’s the difference between visibility and presence. And in the attention economy, presence is felt.

ROI: Without an understanding of the volume, locations, and nature of online interaction, the true impact of our digital footprint and its relationship to the bottom line of any business is impossible to assess. An immerssive view of our social media goals and objectives allows us to truly measure ROI. Stage 10 reveals the meaning and opportunity behind the numbers and allows us to identify opportunities for interaction, direction, and action.

Conclusion />

There is a great distance between where we are today, and where we need to be. Our work in 2010 will be dedicated to narrowing the social chasm.

The thing about social media is that it’s always new, and as such, these stages represent a moment in time. They will continue to evolve and expand with new technologies and experiences.

In the end, social media is a privilege and a tool — one more opportunity to run a more meaningful and relevant business.

More business resources from Mashable:

- href=”http://mashable.com/2010/01/09/social-media-connect-entrepreneurs/”>HOW TO: Use Social Media to Connect with Other Entrepreneurs /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/20/document-collaboration/”>9 Great Document Collaboration Tools for Teams /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/new-years-resolutions-smbs/”>5 New Year’s Resolutions for SMBs /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/news-reader/”>HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/09/30/small-business-strategies/”>5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Images courtesy of rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php”>iStockphoto, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=614972″>alexsl, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=2048062″>jpsdk, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=1678760″>mgkaya, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=1156476″>BartCo, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=570137″>photosbyjim, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=3447533″>3DStock, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=1306270″>mattjeacock

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook” >Facebook, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336659-Flickr” >Flickr, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/567989-Radian6″ >Radian6, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336651-Twitter” >Twitter, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336658-YouTube” >YouTube, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/499834-eXperience” >eXperience, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

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HOW TO: Use a Start Page to Stay Organized

Jan 11th

Posted by Barb Dybwad in Social

No comments

href=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/&service=bit.ly”> width=”51″ height=”61″ src=”http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://mashable.com/2010/01/11/start-page/” align=”right”/>

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/home-key.jpg” alt=”home key image” class=”alignright size-full wp-image-143936″/> rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/technology/article/how-to-use-a-start-page-to-stay-organized” >This post originally appeared on the rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.openforum.com” >American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

With so many online productivity tools at our disposal, there’s never been a better time to check up on what’s out there to help optimize your work flow. One such class of tools that can help set up a dashboard of critical “at a glance” information is the personalized start page.

There are a number of different choices in this category, but the general gist is that a start page enables you to “stick” bits of the web like news feeds, interactive widgets and other specific blocks of information into a one-stop-shop destination you can use as your first port of call when starting a work session.

Why Use a Start Page? />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/netvibes-page.jpg” alt=”netvibes page”>

Like an href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/news-reader/”>RSS reader, a start page can help you stay on top of a large volume of information. What sets a start page apart is the ability to integrate far more than just news feeds, including everything from e-mail, to your calendar, to the weather report, to the current time in other places around the world where you do business.

After taking some time to set up your page with relevant feeds and resources, it can be the optimal place to check first to get a sense of what’s going on in your work and your industry. By aggregating multiple widgets and bits of information into a single interface, a start page can serve as a central hub for the most important information that’s always one click away from your regular browsing habits.

Let’s take a look at how to choose and use a personalized dashboard.

How to Choose a Start Page />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/yahoo-google-start-pages.jpg” alt=”google yahoo image”>

Both Google and Yahoo offer personalized start pages, the former at href=”http://igoogle.com” >iGoogle and the latter with href=”http://my.yahoo.com” >My Yahoo. If you or your business already uses web products from either company, the offered integrations with your start page might make either an obvious choice (Google Apps users tend to mesh well with the iGoogle start page, for example).

Another brace of popular options are href=”http://netvibes.com” >Netvibes and href=”http://pageflakes.com” >Pageflakes, both of which offer full-featured start page alternatives to the big companies’ offerings. All four services offer the ability to add widgets to your pages that go beyond presenting mere news feeds (Google calls them “gadgets,” while Pageflakes refers to them as “Flakes”).

The best way to choose which start page fits is to give each one a quick try. Differences in layout, user interface, and style become apparent quickly, and you have the luxury of picking which one looks and “feels” right. Although the widget offerings tend to be fairly comparable between the platforms, you might want to spend some time browsing the available widget and gadget options as well to get a sense of which selections make the most sense for you and your business.

href=”http://alltop.com/” >Alltop is a nice, clean interface that provides just that, and you can set up your own customized dashboard of feeds and/or make use of the pre-collected packages which are organized by hundreds of topics, industries and niches for a quick and pre-curated view into a number of sectors.

How to Set Up and Use Your Start Page />

src=”http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/netvibes-setup.jpg” alt=”netvibes setup image”>

Once you’ve picked your poison, as it were, you’ll want to spend a bit of up-front time setting it up for optimal use. Of course, it’s always easy to change things around on the fly as well, so as new sources become critical and you discover new widgets, it’s a simple matter to incorporate them into your start page work flow.

Each start page offers the ability to create a tabbed interface. Working much like tabbed browsing, it allows you to set up and toggle between multiple pages for different purposes (Netvibes even allows you to href=”http://mashable.com/2009/05/27/netvibes-pages/”>create multiple instances, similar to having multiple Gmail accounts versus simply forwarding multiple addresses to one inbox). Depending on your needs, you’ll want to take stock of what realms you might want to have at your fingertips. If you’re a frequent traveler, you might want a Travel tab with weather conditions, time zones, flight statuses, and news in your frequently-visited spots. If you need to monitor what’s happening in several industries, you might create a tab for each of them with appropriate sources and widgets. Multiple tabs means your personal dashboard can even live right beside your work dashboard(s) as well.

Once you have an idea which buckets you’ll want to keep track of, start thinking about what are the most high priority sources and bits of information you’d like to collect for each page. Since you can arrange your pages in any manner you wish, you’ll want to set up the highest priority widgets towards the top of the page and fill in the lower parts of the page with some of the lesser priority items.

Feel free to go nuts hunting down new, interesting, and useful widgets and gadgets and giving them a try on your tabs and pages. It’s always easy to move, re-order, or even remove them if they end up being not as useful over time. Each service offers a directory of widgets, most with suggestions of the most popular or essential tools for your pages. From note-taking to e-mail, from stocks to eBay auctions, from your Netflix queue to integrated online storage, there’s a lot of functionality that can be brought into one at-your-fingertips’ interface.

One other consideration when setting up your start page is choosing a theme — much like you can customize the look and feel of your Gmail account or your WordPress blog, you can “skin” your start page with colors and graphics that appeal to you. You’ll also want to consider whether or not you might want to make use of a public component to your start page. Netvibes gives you a public section by default, and Pageflakes allows you to create “Pagecasts” that can be public to the world or shared privately with a group. Setting up a valuable public page could be a novel way to position yourself as a resource in your niche or industry.

These are just a few ideas to help you get started on the road to personalized start page mastery. With more features and widgets being developed over time, there promises to be no shortage of information and functionality to enhance your start page. Plus, since most widgets and gadgets use existing web markup and standards, you could even build your own widgets if you need customized, business-specific information on your dashboard. Enjoy your one stop information shop!

More small business resources from Mashable:

- href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/social-media-business-strategy/”>HOW TO: Implement a Social Media Business Strategy /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/20/document-collaboration/”>9 Great Document Collaboration Tools for Teams /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/28/new-years-resolutions-smbs/”>5 New Year’s Resolutions for SMBs /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/12/03/news-reader/”>HOW TO: Choose a News Reader for Keeping Tabs on Your Industry /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/11/26/mobile-productivity-tools/”>Top Mobile Productivity Tools for the Small Business /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/09/30/small-business-strategies/”>5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses /> – href=”http://mashable.com/2009/09/22/social-media-business/”>4 Ways Social Media is Changing Business

Image courtesy of rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/mashableoffer.php”>iStockphoto, rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.istockphoto.com/user_view.php?id=2177222″> smartstock

/>Reviews: href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336653-Gmail” >Gmail, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336661-Google” >Google, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/336657-WordPress” >WordPress, href=”http://www.blippr.com/apps/393797-iStockphoto” >iStockphoto

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