In this edition of Startup Daddy, I talk about changes Facebook made this week, and Facebook Social Plugins. They are big changes that impact not only traffic to your website, but the way you can market your business.

If you have a Facebook Fan Page for your business or yourself, you need to know that Facebook changed the “Become a Fan” button, to “Like.”  The other thing Facebook did, which is significantly more important, is that they just took their Like button, and put it all over the internet.

Facebook provides a tool that outputs the code you can place on your website to include a “Like” button.  After you install the code, this is what it looks like on your site:

When someone clicks the Like button, this is what it looks like on Facebook:

After listening, follow the link below to learn how to implement the Facebook Like button on your site.

I also talk about a non-profit I have become involved with, called the Mikey Network.  The Mikey Network  works to create public awareness and provide education about heart healthy lifestyles. They are committed to placing public access defibrillators, which they call “MIKEYs” in as many high-risk locations as possible.  This is a great cause and it’s near and dear to me personally, as my Uncle’s company started this non-profit.  Please help me support the Mikey Network.

Links to things I talked about in this episode:

The Facebook’s page for their Facebook Social Plugins

Chris Penn’s post on the Blue Sky Factory Blog: How to implement 2 Facebook Social Plugins in less than 5 minutes.

Facebook Fan Page for the Mikey Network- Please Join!

My Fundraising Page to make a donation to support the Mikey Network’s sponsorship of the Cardiac Health Foundation WALK OF LIFE.  Anything helps!

Download the Mp3 for this episode

In addition to any questions or comments about the episode, if you make a donation on my fundraising page, please leave a comment here so I can give you a shoutout in the next episode.

Thank you!

Download the Mp3

In this episode of Startup Daddy, I interview Scott Stratten, president of Unmarketing, and author of a soon to be released book: UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging (affiliate link).

Scott has a successful company, popular marketing blog, busy speaking schedule, and a book deal with a major publisher.  I figure that’s someone you could learn from.  He’s also one of us.  He’s a dad juggling the challenges of raising his young son and growing a business.

So we sat down at the coffee shop he calls his office to talk.  Here are some of the things we talk about:

• Twitter
• Ways small businesses and solo entrepreneurs can find the time for social media
• Picking the right social media platform
• Using public speaking to grow your business
• The book he has coming out in Fall

You can connect with Scott on his blog, UnMarketing, or on Twitter as @unmarketing.

You can pre-order his book now: UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging (That’s an Amazon affiliate link but you can find it on all the major online bookstores, or buy it in a real brick and mortar store when it comes out in August).

I participated in Podcamp Toronto this weekend, and I was thinking about how to share my experience with you in a way that would benefit you most.  So I won’t post the slides from my presentation, and I’m not going to write about how attending and presenting at conferences is one of the best ways a small business owner can network with peers and keep up with the latest techniques and trends in your market.  Well I will, but later.  First, I wanted to share an observation that will make you some more money.  Sound good?

Grass roots marketing; sponsoring local events and organizations and participating in your community in a sincere and genuine way, is great business.  Businesses from General Motors to your local mom and pop get this, and if you’re not doing these things you need to get it too.  I’ll use Podcamp Toronto as an example, but you can apply it to any community, with any number of local events and conferences right where you live.

People do business with other people they know and trust.  People recommend businesses for the same reason.  Being there before the sale, doesn’t mean shouting your message at people so when they are in the position of needing your services, they remember you.  Participating in events, whether local, regional, or national is a great way to be there before the sale.  Conferences are a great place to meet people in your industry, but have you attended any for your customer’s industry?  If it is outside your area of expertise, have you considered sponsoring such an event?

In only four years, Podcamp Toronto has grown from a couple hundred attendees the first year to just under 1000 this year. Phenomenal growth yes, but the size of an event that you would expect to be on GM’s radar? It is on GM’s radar.  Chevrolet was not only a Gold Sponsor of the event, but Christopher Barger, the Director of Global Communications Technology for General Motors, came to make a presentation.  Chris and George, the PR guy for General Motors of Canada were at the event, participating in sessions and engaging in conversations.  If a large corporation like GM, understands that there is a huge benefit to having their guys engaging with peers and sharing knowledge, small business like us, better realize these benefits too.

Of course there were a number of national and local Toronto businesses who also sponsored the event. Most events and conferences have different levels of sponsorship so that you can find something that fits.  I get bootstrapping.  You don’t necessarily need to spend a lot of money to do this.  Sometimes, you don’t have to spend any.  You could be an event volunteer or your business could provide products or services to the event for free.  By choosing an organization in your community or a business group that you can relate to, you will naturally connect with the people you meet.  You will engage and participate and enjoy it.  You will get to know people, and they will get to know you.  And that’s a lucky thing, because people do business with other people they know and trust.

If your company has ever sponsored an event or volunteered, what were your experiences?

photo credits: InspirationDC ,karen_blanchard@sbcglobal.net

In this episode of Startup Daddy I talk about creating a professional looking presence on social media sites like Facebook and Youtube.

Facebook has over 400 million active users.  More than half log in every day and the average user spends about an hour per day there. See why you should be there?

In this episode, I talk about some if the little things you can do to make sure your presence on sites like Facebook and Youtube is professional looking.  You need to stand out, and look like the kind of company that cares about the details.

Helpful links:

- Link on Facebook, to create a Fan Page

- Good step-by-step guide to creating a Facebook Fan Page. (Skip down to step 1, and be watchful of the ads)

- 5 Elements of a Successful Facebook Fan Page

- Tutorial for creating a custom landing page for your Fan Page. (Good tutorial. I only used the top line of code for the image, and then entered my own text. I ignored from “<?php ” on).  You will need a basic understanding of HTML in order to use a custom image and link back to the wall. Otherwise, you can just use the setting in Facebook to have people go to your “Info” page first instead of the wall.

- To make a custom Youtube channel background or Twitter profile background, you will need image editing software like Photoshop.  Basically, you make an image with specific dimensions, and them you upload that image to the site. Google comes in real handy here.

- Google search results for “custom youtube channel background”

- If you don’t have Photoshop or an equivalent, there are sites that will let you customize one online, like Twitterbackgrounds.com. (I haven’t used this site)

- Memory Deck’s Youtube Channel

- Facebook Fan Page for Memory Deck (Friend us up!)

This weekend is Podcamp Toronto!

Podcamp Toronto site

What I’ll be talking about

I want to welcome all the new listeners.  As always, if you like what you heard, please subscribe to the show in iTunes and leave a review for the show. Thanks!

I observed a couple of great examples of customer service and community building recently that I want to share with you.  I believe that customer service and community building are the same thing, by the way.  Whether your business is on-line or off, you better be viewing your customers as a community.  They honor you by choosing you, and you’d be an idiot not to value and nurture that relationship.

Doing it right by doing it wrong

I read Chris Brogan’s blog a lot.  I learn by watching successful people.  I learn not just from what they say and write, but by observing how they do and react to certain things.  You should too.

A few days ago, Chris posted a video review of a book.  He recorded the video while driving.  This was not the smartest thing to do, and he heard about it in the comments. There were about 25 comments and almost all of them were critical of his decision.  Even the ones that praised the review, had to comment about the driving while vlogging thing.

I liked how he handled the criticism.  He didn’t get defensive or delete or edit any of the comments.  He recorded a follow up video to try to reassure those concerned about safety that he believed what he did was safe. Then he said something that stuck with me. “If you’re still not pleased, it’s okay. I do lots of things you don’t like.”

Nurturing your community does not mean being who they want you to be.  Real leaders get this.  As long as you deliver value, your community (your customers) will be okay with disagreeing with you from time to time.  Be respectful but stand your ground. They might just respect you more for it.

Small gestures of courtesy are HUGE in business

I had been thinking about buying another copy of Gary Vaynerchuk‘s Crush It! for a friend.  It’s a great book for entrepreneurs, and I will do a review soon.  I follow Gary on Twitter and on Halloween I happened to catch a tweet from him announcing a deal. Buy the book that day, send him a copy of the receipt, and he’ll kick in something cool.  This was my perfect definition of marketing: Existing desire meets call to action.

I followed his link and bought the book. Not because of the offer but because I wanted a copy anyway.  His link reminded me of that, and provided an easy way for me to buy it.  I did send him a copy of my Amazon receipt, and got the book a few days later.  A few days after that, I got an email from someone at Gary’s company, telling me that Gary is getting a package together to send out soon, and thanking me for my support.  I completely forgot about the offer to kick in something extra.

Why I think this was awesome.  The offer from Gary was opened ended and seemed off the cuff. Anyone who took action because of this offer, was probably wondering about it at this point.  The email checking in with me was not a mass email sent to a list, but a reply to the email I sent them.  It did not matter to me that it was not from Gary. I’m not naive. He is way to busy not to have people taking care of some of the communication for him. Instead of having an assistant pretend to be him, he has an assistant being an assistant. How refreshing!

You want to build community and give great customer service? First, decide who you are as a company, or a personal brand, and BE THAT.  Don’t change your message with every complaint.  Do the little things that are really just common courtesy.  Treat customers like the individuals they are.  Automation is fine (and necessary) to scale your efforts but if done properly, it never makes your customers feel they are numbers on a list.  It really comes down to authenticity.

I’m Lucky.  I’m Old.  At least that’s what my 6 year old told me recently.  I’m 41, so I am lucky enough to have grown up in a world without the internet which helps me appreciate it.  It also helps me factor in how technology is perceived differently among different generations.  I read a blog post recently that got me thinking a lot about this.

Most of us view the way technology has forever changed the way we communicate as a big advancement and a good thing.  Many would argue though, that it has promoted isolation and gives a false sense of community where people stay alone, communicating through tools instead of directly with one another.  Think about it.  How many of the people you connect with on a given day do you actually see face to face? I’ll bet it’s less than 10%. For some with huge followings on Twitter and Facebook, it’s less than 1%.

So what does this mean?

If you are marketing your business or selling anything, it means a lot.  If you are in your twenties and are just entering the workforce you never knew the world before the internet or cellphones and text messaging.  You are probably very comfortable sharing the minutia of your personal life with people you have never met via Twitter and Facebook. I know this is a generalization, but follow me here. It’s important, because it impacts your perspective, your point of reference.

If you are older it matters too.  Maybe even more. You may be charged with managing younger workers and at the very least you will be getting pitched ideas and opportunities from twenty-somethings.  There is a big difference between being aware that there was a world before, and having lived in it.  I know that my grandmother grew up in a world before television, but I have no personal reference about what that experience felt like.  How she learned, received news, was entertained, was so much different than my experience.

Feelings and emotions are everything with sales and marketing.  We make decisions based on emotions not facts.  The single most important factor in marketing is making an emotional connection to your target audience.  Don’t you agree?  If you are not a member of your target audience you need to keep these differences in mind.

Awareness makes us better

If marketing or sales is on your radar, you know that companies are using social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote their brands, and in some cases carry entire marketing and sales campaigns.  It is very tempting to jump on to these sites because the cost is so low and the payoff can be so big.  But before you consider this for your business or consider pitching this path to your next prospect, make sure to factor in your audience’s point of view.

Be sure you have some specific goals and specific reasons for doing it.  Setting up a Facebook fan page for your business because “everyone is doing it” is probably not going to do much for you.  Your specific reason may be broad like, “Connecting with my customers and prospects on a more personal level,” or “maintaining a listening station so I am aware what people are saying about my business.”  Do some thinking before hand, though.

Are you a forty-something pitching a twenty-something?  The inverse? Are your prospects Millennials or Baby Boomers?  Don’t count out social media for older folks either.  More and more seniors are wading into Facebook, etc., because it is the best and sometimes only way to keep up with the grand kids.  I predict you are going to see this demographic exploding onto the social scene.  Don’t just assume because they are there, they “get it.”

We all need to keep generational differences in mind when we are crafting our message and communicating.   In the end, it’s really about creating and enriching relationships, right?  We want to get the most from our relationships with our friends, employees, bosses, prospects, right?

In this episode of Startup Daddy, I give some tips about setting up your home office and get you started with branding by talking about getting a Business Identity Package for your new business.

Creating a Logo and making sure all of the things that project the image for your company- Logo, Website, Letterhead, Business Cards, etc.) all have the same over all look and feel, are essential in establishing the identity of your business and the foundation of establishing your brand.  In this episode, I reveal a cheap and easy way to get a professional designer to create your logo and all of the other things you will need.

Links to sites I talk about in this podcast:

99 Designs

Elance.com

Download the Mp3

Please take a brief 3 Question Survey about my upcoming Business Startup Course

Have a question or comment?  Please use the form below.

Having done both (more than once), I am going to make the argument that choosing a name for your business is even more difficult than choosing a name for your child. While you don’t have to factor in things like people in your past that had that name, in-laws, and what will happen to your business on the playground, with your child, once you decide that you like the name, you’re done. No so with your business.

With a business you need to go much further. You need to find out if there are other businesses with that name, and if so, if they are in your industry. Is the trademark available? Is the domain name available? Does it mean the same thing to others as it does to you? The list goes on. There are businesses out there thriving on this very concept. Day in and day out, they help people name their companies. There are also companies that will help you name your child, but that is another story entirely.

These services are not for us though. We are not that decisionally challenged. We would never entrust such an important, personal decision to strangers. Besides, we are on a budget, right? So here are are some tips and advice about naming your business.

CHOOSE A NAME WITH MEANING

Unless you have a HUGE advertising budget, you want to stay away from names that do not mean anything, and do not indicate what the business does. Google, Yahoo!, EBay, and Amazon, spent millions before most people knew they existed, or what they did.

Using your family name in the name of your business is fine, but only if you never intend to sell it to anyone outside your family. You want to avoid anything too generic as well. Accurate Business Accounting, may tell your potential customer exactly what you do, but it does not distinguish you from your competitors. If they see your brochure, or an advertisement with that name, it is not likely they’ll remember you. You need to strike a balance between creative and descriptive, so when people hear the name, they remember it and they have at least a vague idea about what you do.

THINK BIG FROM THE BEGINNING

You may also want to avoid any regional references in your name. Be optimistic. You’re going to take over the world right? A multi-national distributor of widgets with the name West Coast Widgets, just doesn’t work. 5th Street Bakery might seem like a great idea in the beginning, but what happens when you want to open the other 10 locations? What if you move?

IS THE NAME AVAILABLE?

Your State

The first place to check is with your state’s Secretary of State and Corporation Commission. You can usually do this online. You will want to check if there are any other registered entities (corporations, LLCs, etc.) or DBAs (Doing Business As) that are already using that name.

Trademark

This is a big one. Once you decide on a name you like, you need to check if other businesses are already using the name. There are many ways to do this, but the best first step is going to be to Google it. Throw the name into Google, and see what comes up. If there are businesses there, but not with the exact name, and not in your industry, you may still be in luck.

Check the trademark availability at the US Patent and Trademark Office website. Even if you are not planning to register the trademark right away, you want to make sure it is available. I recommend registering your trademark as soon as the budget allows. Remember, you’re going to take over the world! If you register yourself, it will cost about $325. All of the information is available at the USPTO website. A lawyer will cost more, but will save you time and possible delays if you do something wrong. Here is a resource that will prepare and file your trademark application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for $169 + standard government filing fee of $325.

Domain Name
This is your website address. Once you are confident you have a unique name, you get the joy of checking if the Domain Name is available. There are many domain registrars out there and each has a search function. GoDaddy.com has a good search function because it gives you possible alternates if the name is not available. Be prepared to discover your name has already been taken. Don’t get discouraged, get creative.

Avoid using an alternate spelling of your name, because you’ll probably end up sending business to whoever owns the right spelling. You can try adding something to the beginning or end of a name though, or a logical abbreviation. If you are going to incorporate, try adding inc to the end. If you are going to form an LLC, try adding that. (My next post will talk about business entities) Of course this only works if the people who have the name you want, are doing something completely different with the website.

This is what brainstorming is for. If you expect people to input the name directly into a web browser, don’t get cute with the spelling. Remember that most people will find you online either by reading the name from a business card, brochure or an advertisement, or using a search engine. This is why a creative prefix, suffix, or abbreviation is much better than an alternate (wrong) spelling.

If you are going to do business in the “real world” your domain name should be your business name. If you are starting an internet business, there are different approaches to picking a name. One is a branded name- something memorable that hopefully, indicates something about your business. The other is a keyword rich domain name, optimized for search engines. I chose to combine these two approaches for this site. Startupdaddy.com (my branded name) redirects to home-based-business-startups.com (comprised of keywords and optimized for search engine rank).

DON’T FORGET TO CONSIDER OTHER CULTURES & LANGUAGES

A classic example of a name becoming a problem later, was the Ford NOVA. This car sold very well domestically, but not so great in Mexico or Latin America. This is because in Spanish, “No Va” means “Doesn’t Go.” Food for thought.

Test Your Name

This is important, so do some testing. At the very least, run the name by everyone you know. If you want to provide your product or service to customers with diverse cultural backgrounds, run the name by people who speak different languages. To get more sophisticated, you can use surveys or a pay-per-click advertising campaign to see if your name accomplishes what you want it to.

Whatever you do, don’t settle. Don’t pick a name just because the domain name is available. Remember, if you are lucky, you’ll be living with this name for a very, very, long time.