Mobile Phones and Presentations Don't Mix..or do they...

A couple of years ago Nick Poole of Latimer Hinks presentated a talk on New Employment Legistation to an audience of around 30.

Nick normally requests that attendees "turn off their mobiles" so that there is no interruption to the presentation. On this occasion he forgot. Halfway through the presentation a jarring mobile phone jingle was heard -Bat out of Hell i think it was!

The phone owner then proceeded to take the call - he was seated in the centre of the room! All other attendees looked on, stunned at what was happening. The guy was around 50 years old so his blatant disregard for the speaker or the audience could not be blamed on immaturity. The phone was eventually escorted from the room by another partner of Latimer Hinks.

Now, scroll forward to the present. I have attended presentations where the audience were asked to "leave mobiles on - we wouldn't want you missing that all important sales call!"

I agree that mobiles should be kept active but silent. The mobile phone is now basically a hand held PA to us - they have demands, deadlines, alarms to remind you that they are there to look after you and your business!

So when your mobile vibrates with an urgent phone call, take it - but make sure you leave the room as you do!!

If we move on to social media, live video streaming, twitter interaction - then we;re opening up another can of worms!!

Take a look at this article from Connectegrity - How Social Media is Changing Business Etiquette

Interesting stuff, but i think i must be "old school" as i consider the use of texting, tweeting etc during a presentation to be bad manners and extremely rude.

Social Media - How it can Work for You

I've just returned from a presentation for the ASSIST group by Jonathan Wheatley of MC Ware entitled - Social Media - How it can Work for You.


The presentation was targeted to small owner/managed businesses just starting out into the daunting world of social media and the social media "language".

For help understanding "some of this language" please check out my post In Plain English

The slides of the presentation (when i receive copies i will post a link) showed logos of social networking sites as well as a screen shot of what to expect once you have joined these sites. I thought this was a great way to introduce (to some attendees) this "alien" world.


Alien? ...it may be, but one of the greatest benefits of these sites is that they are FREE to use, so use them! Start a blog, post links from the blog to your website, post links/information/videos/images to Facebook, bookmark your webpages/blogs to bookmarking sites such as Digg, Reddit etc. Most importantly, regularly update. The more effort you put in the bigger the long term benefits.


LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger, Google Buzz, Squidoo, Gather, Digg, Reddit, Stumble were a few of the sites covered.


As a result of the presentation I have given myself some homework - Squidoo, Google Buzz (soon to be launched) and Gather are social media sites which I have not yet looked into. This is my homework, if they are useful i will let you know

ASSIST - Social Networking & How it can Work for You

I believe i've mentioned before (a few posts earlier...) that I am on the committee of ASSIST (a support and networking group for professional ladies in the Tees Valley area).

For March, our event is entitled Social Networking and How it can Work for You

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs…..Social Networking is changing the way we market/promote business and we want ASSIST members to be aware and partcipate in these changes.

Jonathan Wheatley Managing Director of MC Ware Ltd & HD Forensics (sponsors of ASSIST), will give a short presentation on the benefits of Social Networking.
Jonathan will explain how social networking can help:

· build loyal customers with online communities
· market your product/service
· find partners to enhance your product/service and enhanced creditability
· find employees

The morning will start, as usual with a networking game to break the ice. ASSIST believe the networking game to be a unique selling point of the group. Many members have commented on how the games enable you to feel more comfortable and lessed "stressed" in a networking environment.

If you are a professional lady from the Tees Valley area and are interested in attending simply visit ASSIST and register. Places are limited

Using Social Media to Increase Awareness

Yesterday I attended a presentation on Social Marketing by James McRoy of The Images Group.

Many of us are aware of/members of social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, You Tube etc - BUT do we know how they can be used to improve the profile of your business, generate sales, create awareness and direct traffic to your website.

James took us through a speedy overview on the power of social marketing on the internet.
Social marketing:

• Drives traffic
• Increases depth of a website visit
• Boosts conversion and ROI
• Turns the customer/Client into a sales person (they share your promotions with their networks)
• Enables you to stand out from the competition
• Provides interactivity for Clients
• Can be tracked and monitored for effectiveness (check googleanalytics for your website)

Here at Latimer Hinks we engage in a variety of social marketing activities. Our website includes social bookmarking buttons and an RSS feed.

We blog, have a Facebook and LinkedIn presence (but not a Facebook Business Page), we bookmark. We have also recently joined Twitter.

I'm not quite sure how successful Twitter is going to be for Latimer Hinks but we have had a few hits from Twitter directed to our website.

James McCoy gave a few tips on using Twitter. Here are a few of them as well as links to Tweet related sites.

• Twitter Search an easy to understand video about Twitter Search from Common Craft (excellent videos)
• Search Twitter - type in the box what you wish to search for and hey presto loads of Tweets appear!You can also search by using # then whatever you wish to search for
• Here you can search for people
• Tweetlater - productivity tools for Tweeple, many of which are free to use.
• Tweetburner - you're only allowed 140 characters per tweet. Tweetburner will shorten these urls for you, quite handy!
• AdCause - you can also advertise on Twitter from only $1

James also suggested that Tweets be limited, 30 per hour is far too many and you could have your account suspended.

Don't keep trying to sell, sell, sell - give something back to the Tweet community.

Join as a personal Tweeter as well as a Business Tweeter (you are allowed more than one account). Try to keep your business Tweet name as close to your business name as possible. Perhaps you have diffreent products to promote - open a tweet account for all of them!

Obviously social marketing is time consuming, BUT the majority of sites/applications are free to use. Develop a strategy (trial and error) and if it works, stick with it!

Happy Tweeting - why not come along and follow my tweets.

Social Media Risks + Benefits

Web 2 - definition

Web 2 is basically a massive networking utility which enables you to share and take information from all over the world.

Ten years ago you may have been aware of everything that mattered.
Five years ago, you had to be really selective about what you took in.
Today, it's impossible.

Users must be selective about what they "take in". Businesses must be selective about what information is freely available about them.

Social media networks can be abused as Virgin Atlantic recently found via Facebook use. As a result 13 Virgin Atlantic staff were sacked (thanks to Out-law.com)

Virgin Atlantic considered the behaviour "totally inappropriate" and that the posting of the comments broke its staff policies.

Used correctly Facebook and similar sites can be used promote your business effectively - and at no cost (apart from time). A MUST in todays economic climate.

So, how do businesses protect themselves.

In order to combat this behaviour from employees it is time to ensure that staff internet policies are "Facebook ready". Ensure you have correct policies on place to protect your business and your reputation.


You may want to read previous posts by Social Networking Guineapig -
Social Networking Sites + Employment, do they mix?
Blogging - the Risks

Promoting Business Through Social Networking

Return Of The King Social Network
Originally uploaded by Walter Rafelsberger

Increasingly, businesses are turning to social networking websites to find new customers.

The current financial climate sees businesses "cutting back" and are now looking for alternative ways to market the individual, as well as the firm.

Social networking is the solution - it provides a low cost/economical way of reaching potential Clients and target markets.

Latimer Hinks Solicitors actively encourage social networking and are members of sites such as:

LinkedIn, Women into the Network, Facebook.

These sites have added bonuses. LinkedIn provides a "question" section where you can ask LinkedIn users for advice. I have asked questions and have been overwhelmed with responses from all over the world. I posted a blog a while back on How to get the Most out of LinkedIn, take a look, it's well worth the time.

Women Into the Network, this group also organises "get togethers", presentations, information days etc. You get to meet the people you have been networking with "in the flesh". As well as this you can post press releases, events etc all free of charge. These are also sent directly to members inboxes! How's that for reducing promotional costs!

Facebook - I think that the majority of people already know about Facebook. I use it to "push" press releases and blog entries which then directs traffic to the Latimer Hinks website.

The website is4profit has written the published the following article:

Market Slowdown Firms find Customers via Social networking

So, if you are trying to beat the recession and need to look for alternative methods of promotion have a go at social networking! All it costs is your time...

The Power of Social Networking - $700,000 in 4 days

money
Originally uploaded by Dmitry Kolchev

Social Networking can be an extremely powerful tool for businesses. It's becoming an important part of everyday life, and this is set to continue. Facebook, LinkedIn, Bebo etc will have to work hard to retain their position in this fast paced industry as new Social Networking sites evolve.

I have recently used Social Networking sites to promote Judith's Divorce Blog and Social Networking Guineapig's entries into the North East Digital Awards - we should see in a months time how effective this has been.

The Latimer Hinks Charity Ball has also been promoted via this method - and it's working. Businesses have contacted Latimer Hinks to offer prizes, free services etc - and of course social media promotion will be of great benefit to the charities.

Although the above efforts have been relatively successful they pale into insignificance when you read about 19 year old Michael Treinen who is fighting for his life. He needs a $500,000 bone marrow transplant. With only a few days to raise money to cover the costs, the Treinan family turned to email, asking friends and family to donate $20 within three days and forward the email to 20 friends.

Four Days; $700,000 Social Networking Works.

This is such a powerful "spirit lifting" story that i just had to share it -you can count on friends, and friends arethe basis for the majority of Social Networking sites - this is why they are so successful!

Christmas Party Pitfalls

Around 80% of British bosses will not organise an office party this Christmas, in part due to legal hangovers from fighting and flirting at past events.

You could say Christmas is cancelled!

Nick Poole, a partner at Latimer Hinks has put together a guide to avoiding common legal pitfalls. Avoiding the Legal Hangover of the Office Party

As Nick mentions, new media and social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace provide the opportunity for members to make comments/gossip/post pictures. Employees should be warned in advance that this type of networking with regard to the Christmas Party will be frowned upon.

So my additional advice is...

be on the watch for colleagues who take lots of pictures and encourage you to do silly things like pull faces, pose in awkward positions and dance with your arms wrapped around your boss’s neck. The subsequent circulation of such images via internet sites such as Flickr and Facebook might leave you extremely embarrassed.

Social Networking Sites + Employment - do they mix?

You've probably seen/heard the news recently that social networking sites are costing UK businesses upwards of £130 million per day. It is suggested that 233 million hours are lost to people using work hours to surf social networking sites.

Many firms are now using social media as a tool to communicate and build business.

The times are changing and employers should consider how social networking sites can be used to their advantage. Networking sites can be a great way to keep up with an extended network of friends, acquaintances workplace colleagues, customers, and fellow-professionals.

Staff of Deloitte, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers activley encourage their staff to use networking sites. The ability to reach out to the right person for expertise and knowledge is one of the primary values of any knowledge-based worker.

A "network " of people can be built around anything, including law firms. We need to adapt to this phenomonal new media and focus on how it can help rather than disregarding their use because others use them in an unprofessional or non business related way.

To prove a point:

Law firm Allen & Overy recently had to repeal their ban on Facebook after their IT department was bombarded with complaints from staff members. Staff at the firm are now allowed to go onto the site as long as they do not view videos, which may compromise the performance of Allen & Overy’s IT systems.

US law firms as ever have welcomed social networking - eight of the largest law firms have a Facebook network:

• Skadden, Arps 335 Members


• Baker & McKenzie 557 Members


• Jones Day 220 Members


• Latham & Watkins 291 Members


• Sidley Austin 107 Members Mayer Brown No Network


• White & Case 287 Members Weil, Gotshal No Network


• Shearman & Sterling 137 members


• Kirkland & Ellis 160 Members

Latimer Hinks have a Facebook and LinkedIn prescence. I feel the business related social networking is definitely the way forward.

You may find these articles of interest:

• Why lawyers can't ignore Facebook for networking


• compelling information for law firm marketers about FaceBook


• How Social Networks are Disrupting Everything you Know About Business - Valeria Maltoni explains how social networks are becoming the glue which holds real-life and online lives together (from US perspective)


• Social Networking for Businesses and Associations - What is social networking? Why does this matter? Isn't "social networking" just for high school kids? How can my organization get closer to customers or members using social networking?


• Who said the Internet was getting Boring? How much of an influence and social networking sites having on corporate life.
  
  Facebook Stats:


• There are over 150,000 registrants daily. That's 1 million a week since January.


• Average visitor stays 20 minutes.


• Most growth is among people over age 25. 47,000 Facebook groups.