Back to basics: the art of saying thank you

Thank you isn't just a salutation , it's an expression of gratitude that leaves the recipient feeling worthy, appreciated and eager to earn another.  Psychologically speaking, thanking your employees does the aforementioned and improves productivity.  Read some of the following statistics and see if you can find examples in your business that reaffirm one of them.

Why social networking? does it work?

Absolutely! Pay attention to the news and watch for what they call, teasers.  Those are 10 second quips about stories that are coming up after the commercial break.  They are designed to keep you interested. You may walk away and get another cup of coffee, but if the teaser is done well, you will be back in your seat before they come back from break.  That's what businesses are using social media for.  You have more potential viewers than any news broadcast in the world.  Chicago news is viewable from the region, Miami news is viewable from their region.  Of course if you used to live in one of those area's you can watch their broadcast online. You always have your 24 hours news channels but those become redundant after an hour.  

With social media you need to tease your audience.  Who are your patrons?  A restaurant may want to talk about a tantalizing new menu item:  "Try our mouth-watering 12oz New York Strip with the famous Gorgonzola sauce poured over caramelized onions (attach a link preferably to something with a picture and more text about the menu item) "  Wanna see what the steak looks like, click.  Wanna read more about the menu item, click.  Interested in knowing more about the restaurant, click.  

This works for more than just restaurants.  Recently I was approached to assist a cleaning and restoration business.  This business has a permanent page and a blog that was already created.  I started by taking information from the current sites. For example, with the current state of the economy, more and more homes are in foreclosure.  While not everyone is in dire straights, foreclosed homes are very tempting.  The first thing that may cross your mind is location, the bank that owns the property, etc... Do you think about what condition the property is in?  Do you think about the fact that you may get it for half of what it's worth but you'll have a months worth of cleaning to do. I had the owner write a blog about what it took to clean such a property and created teasers from it.  People clicked.  Even if you are not in that situation, you may still be intrigued and this drives you to the site, where if it's well laid out, can cause you to stay on the page and look into further services that you may be interested in.  

This works in politics, nonprofits and even clothing stores.  Something interesting is going on everyday in your world to someone somewhere.  Using social media is the most cost effective way to get that out there. 

SocialDZine was created out of a love for social networking. 

I began this with a simple webpage idea and a facebook account.  I taught myself how to create a site with a CMS (Content Management System).  I then started learning about the power of networking.  Not just joining Facebook and Twitter, but the local Chamber of Commerce.  After a few visits and some follow up emails, people recognized me.  Few months later, people started recognizing me from the photo on my networks. 

Today I maintain 8 networks all from one application. 

I spend most of my time researching the latest and greatest all for my clients benefit. 

The most important part of it all is that I love it!  I'm happiest conversing, researching and implementing new ideas.  It's what I do best.  So if you are struggling with creating your social network, website, etc... let me create it for you, maintain it or teach you how.

Laurie Anne Griffith

Social Designer