Social Media: Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.

The Big Ugly Blog Post

As I sit lethargically at my desk, admonishing fans and admirers in the wake of my victory over 1 1/2 pounds of Americana, I can’t help but reflect, as I often do…

I have just eaten the famous “Big Ugly”. A  1 1/2 pound behemoth of a hamburger made famous by “Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream” in Carmel. Rather than write a tell-all bestseller of  this momentous feat, I thought I would use the experience to talk about what my battle with the big ugly taught me about business, marketing, and life. Here’s what I learned in six minutes and fifty seconds:

1. In any endeavor, preparation is key….I wish I could say I waltzed into Bub’s and handled the Big Ugly like it was any other lunch, but that’s not true. I had to respect my opponent, and I prepared for our battle. I made sure everything I did  from the moment I woke up prepared me to reach peak hunger at precisely the time the burger was placed in front of me. I think the same is true in any endeavor, especially business. A lack of preparation is one of the main reasons business ventures fail. A great coach once said  ”luck is when preparation meets opportunity” and I think there’s a lot of truth to that.

2. Don’t ever, EVER let a daunting task scare you…I’ll be honest, when I first saw the Big Ugly in person, yeah, I got a little scared. But I wouldn’t let  fear determine the outcome of the Big Ugly challenge. I looked that plate-sized burger up and down, and said to myself “let’s dance.” If you can’t control fear, fear controls you. That is true whether you’re trying to eat a massive burger or deciding  to open the sporting goods store you always wanted.

3. Don’t pay attention to anyone who says you can’t…There were definitely some people in my ear trying to use their own experiences with the Big Ugly to scare me or throw me off (cough::Kelly::cough). But to no avail! In life, many people you meet tell you that you can’t do something. People told Henry Ford he would never develop a reliable V-8 engine.  People told Elvis he’s never make money singing.  People told Helen Keller’s parent’s she would never accomplish anything.In each case, the persistence of these individuals in the face of adversity is the stuff of which success stories are made.   Have you written your success story?

4. Once you commit, stand behind your commitment.…At Roundpeg, we have spent countless hours over the last 3 months talking about my Big Ugly Challenge. (Note from Lorraine, perhaps too many hours) .

By the time the moment actually came, I really had no choice BUT to finish the whole thing. Anything less would have been a complete and utter failure.

A great general once sailed accross the sea to conquer an enemy. Once his troops had all landed on shore, he ordered all the ships burned so there was no other choice but to win…or perish trying. So OF COURSE they won.

The same thing happened today at Bub’s. I’d talked a big game, and I had to back it up. Giving yourself no other option is a pretty motivational tactic.  (That being said….a contingency plan in case of an emergency isn’t the worst idea in business. We can help you with that.)

5. Define your goal, and don’t let anything distract you from accomplishing it…Walking in to Bub’s today, I knew what I had to do; and nothing was going to stop me. With the support of the Roundpeg crew, I charged through like a champion, never stopping-or, really, even breathing.  Finally, I accomplished the feat for which I may become most well known.  And it all began three months ago with a singular goal I was determined to achieve. The FIRST step toward success is always a goal. Always.

6. And finally…

You can’t go wrong wearing pants with an expandable waistband….No-brainer.

In conclusion, I’d like to thank all my fans for there encouragement and support. And in case you are curious,  I am officially announcing my retirement so  I can be inducted into the Adventures in Dining Hall of Fame.

Until next time…stay hungry, my friends.

Boys (and Girls) of Summer

This has been one wild and crazy summer at Roundpeg. I can’t believe it’s already August. In just a few days our interns will be back in school and things will change all over again as we move into the fall.

As my first summer (as a Vice President) at Roundpeg draws to a close, I wanted to look back at the last three months and reflect. I have learned so much about this job, myself, and the people I’m in the trenches with every day.

This summer started off with a bang. The company is growing so fast, we brought on an unprecedented four interns, each with their own unique talents:

Emily Beck was our PR intern, and a great counterbalance to all of our worrying all summer. In addition to interning here, Emily took several classes at IUPUI. Her ability to balance work and school really impressed me.

Heather Ousley, our graphic design intern, came onto the team as a highly sought-after free agent in the middle of the summer. Since joining Roundpeg, Heather has seamlessly integrated herself into the fiber of the company. She has done a fantastic job not only assisting Taylor with graphic design work, but also never being afraid to branch out and learn new things or ask questions.  (We are excited she will continue part time through the fall semester as well.)

Dan “Baby D” Lipson was a great addition to the team this year. Even though he’s only in high school, Dan was able to spearhead both video and Facebook fan page marketing efforts. We couldn’t have asked for a better “first high-school intern”.

And finally, my pride and joy, Kelly Rogers, was our marketing intern. Kelly showed up in May excited and willing to do whatever we asked, and hasn’t stopped since. She’s has take on each challenge with a positive attitude and even branched out and worked directly with our Vice President of PR, Allison, on public relations projects.

I would like to think we taught the interns a thing or two, but in the end, I think I learned much more from them than they learned from me. I learned how to teach, how to manage, and how to levy criticism with praise. I think Taylor and Allison learned some of the same things.  Neither Allison or I had much management experience before the summer, but Taylor-the consummate professional was always there to show me better ways to lead.

There were times this summer that things got crazy…really crazy. Whether it was the overwhelming amount of projects, technical failures, or growing pains which come with being part of a fast-rising company…everything brought us closer.

When my back was against the wall, Allison was at my door offering words of encouragement. When I got stressed out over a deadline, Taylor would never let me lose perspective. And that, folks, is the very definition of a team.

We’re wrapping up the summer next week with a company trip to Bub’s Burgers. Bub’s offers a one-pound burger  I will tackle in an attempt to become a Carmel legend. I’m looking forward to ending the summer with a bang. Whether it was Adventures in Dining, a Facebook fan contest, or designing a photo reenactment of Taylor’s close encounter at the State Fair, I’ll always look back fondly on this summer. And I hope the rest of the team will, too.

Does Your Small Business Have a Social Media Policy?

A few days ago, I shared some of the results from our social media survey. This particular post focused on the question as to whether a small business had a social media policy.

Reviewing the data, and checking out other companies policies got me thinking about the Roundpeg policy.  As every new employee, interns included, join the Roundpeg team, they are asked to set up a twitter and LinkedIn accounts.  Most of them already have Facebook pages.  And I really think Facebook is still personal, but as a B2B marketing firm, twitter and Linkedin are seriously business applications.

My primary guidance is to behave on line exactly the way you would at a networking event.  Be polite, friendly,helpful, informative, personable, and interesting.  Occasionally it is ok to try to sell something, but only after you have done all the other things listed above.

I found a wonderful example of a social media policy,  In this example example,the policy focuses less on what to say, and more on but what to do. I love the fact that customer satisfation strategies are included in the policy. This is a great example of how social media should shape business.

HEADSET BROS – SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

What about your firm?  Do you have a social media policy?

Intro to Biz Planning – Aug 11

Social Media Small Business Survey – Part Four

Many companies are afraid of social media. The inability to “control” the message frightens them.  In my opinion, not having a social media presence should frighten them more.

While some larger firms are trying to enforce “social media lock downs” banning access to social media sites, others are developing social media policies.   Everyone is ready to jump in with advice :

• Inc Magazine – Do You Need a Social Media Policy
• Mashable - 10 Must Haves for Your Social Media Policy
• Department of Defense –  Even the DOD has some guidelines.

I was curious if small businesses had social media policies.  As you can see from our survey results, the overwhelming majority of small businesses (less than 25 employees) do not have formalized policies.  And,  even in the 25+ category, almost half are still flying blind.

What about you?  Do you have a formal social media policy?

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If you haven’t taken the survey, we would love to add your information to the study.  Click here,  it will only take a few minutes.

We will be adding additional findings over the next few weeks so be sure to stop back, or you can sign up below to receive updates via email.

Small Business Social Media Survey – Part Three

Well we know small business owners are spending time on social media, (at least 30 minutes a day) but is it productive?

Are these business owners seeing a return on their investment?   The respondents to our survey say yes!!  75% of all the respondents reported social media has generated leads for their business.

How much? According to this survey social media is still a small part of the overall lead generation pool for most small business owners.

More than 70% of the business owners surveyed said social media generates 10% or less of their total business.  I hope to explore this in more detail in future studies to understand what types of strategies they are employing, and which community is most beneficial.

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If you haven’t taken the survey, we would love to add your information to the study.  Click here,  it will only take a few minutes.

We will be adding additional findings over the next few weeks so be sure to stop back, or you can sign up below to receive updates via email.

Social Media Small Business Survey – Part Two

Does gender or age play a role in how a business owners uses social media? According to our survey of small business owners, gender doesn’t seem to matter much.  While women seem to be more “social” using the tools to connect more often with friends, when it comes to business the usage patterns are almost identical.

Not surprising, age seems to impact how likely a business owner is to use social media in certain ways.

1. Business owners under 25 ( a relatively small group in this study) are clearly the most social
2. The  25 – 35 are the most active overall. Judging by their responses, social media appears to be an integral part of how they run their business.  This was the only group which seems to rely heavily on social media for their clients.
3. All age groups turn to social media for news and information, but the 26 – 35 year olds also see benefit in using it as a research tool

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If you haven’t taken the survey, we would love to add your information to the study.  Click here to take the study ( it will only take a few minutes).

We will be adding additional findings over the next few weeks so be sure to stop back, or you can sign up below to receive updates via email.

The Challenge is On…

As a business plan consultant, I routinely talk to small business owners about creating actionable goals.  To achieve these specific  and measurable targets you need to do more than just talk about them. You need to have a plan in place and actually measure your progress as you move toward the goal.  It really helps if you share the goal with others.

So, I am following my own advice!  At Roundpeg, we have a goal.  We want to have 1,000 fans of our Facebook Fan page by Aug 1. I laid out the challenge to my team at our staff meeting on Tuesday.  Together we came up with plan, which included inviting friends, developing a custom landing page, and  an incentive.  If we reach 1,000 fans by Aug 1, we will have a company pool party on Friday, Aug 6.

We are tracking our progress, studying which activities have the greatest impact, and updating our score daily.  While it is not the only thing we are working on ( that would be crazy) everyone knows where we are against the goal, and every member of the team is playing a role.

Interns Dan and Heather collaborated  on our new Welcome Page.  DJ TBreezy ( alias Taylor Brough) has the most Facebook friends, so he is in charge of personal invites.  Jay, Allison and Kelly are working on keeping the conversation going on Twitter and Facebook.  When Emily returns from vacation, she will be in charge of widening the PR circle.

And the good news… it’s working!  On Tuesday morning we had 86 fans.  just a few minutes ago I checked and we have 222 fans.  We still have a long way to go, but we have a plan, a common direction, and a way of measuring the success of our actions.

While this is a great study in goal setting, you may wonder, does it have a business application.  The answer is yes!  I have been researching Facebook as a tool for small business and there are some compelling reasons to get serious about Facebook.  While I personally prefer Twitter, I am seeing more and more postive information about Facebook, if it is used correctly:

• Studies show the average value of a Facebook fan is $139
• More than 90% of the business owners responding to our survey have a Facebook profile
• About 50% consider it their primary social media tool.

So we will be on Facebook.  Look for us there!  Become a fan, check out our blog posts, photos and contests.  But don’t forget to come back here as well.

Small Business Social Media Survey – Part One

Over the last few years I have done a lot of experimenting with social media.  I value many of the relationships I have developed as a result of my participation in various communities.  Beyond the “social” and personal aspects of the tools, I have also experienced some significant business benefits from my participation.

So as I try to improve how I use the tools, I am continuously looking for ideas on how others use the tools.   Since my world is small business, I have been looking for data specifically about small business owners.

I haven’t found much, so I created my own survey. While we are still collecting data we have seen some interesting information from the initial participants.

Over the next few weeks, I will share what we have learned.  Here is the first part. of the data:  Where are you spending time, and how much?

1. If small business owners are using social media, they are committing time to the process, with 64% indicating they are spending more than 30 minutes a day on social media.
2. So where are they hanging out? Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter were all quite common, with 3/4 of the respondents saying they have profiles on all three.
3. Most common – Profiles on LinkedIn just barely edged out profiles on Facebook with Twitter close behind
4. When asked which was their primary network, I wasn’t surprised to see Facebook top the charts.  Almost half of the respondents said Facebook was their  primary network.  The simple user interface, makes it easy to transition back and forth from business to personal.   And in the real world small business owners do that on a regular basis

If you haven’t taken the survey, we would love to add your information to the study.  Click here to take the study ( it will only take a few minutes).

We will be adding additional findings over the next few weeks so be sure to stop back, or you can sign up below to receive updates via email.

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