Success Stories: 9 Questions with Alexis Lamster of Postling

success-stories-postlingPostling is a tool small businesses can use to market, listen, and respond to their customers using social media. It launched on August 1, 2009 and recently broke 10,000 users.  I talked with Alexis Lamster, Vice President of Customers, about what Postling has accomplished, what it hopes to accomplish, and why small businesses are their main target customer.

1.) Who is your target customer?

We strictly target small businesses. We are extremely passionate about small business and we really feel we are the only ones with this kind of platform who is targeting the smaller companies.  We have a few customers who aren’t small businesses, but we try to be very, very small business focused.…

What Are Your Social Media Goals?

socia-media-goalsI’ve been thinking about goals lately. Which means you should be too. Why? Because if you don’t know what you’re striving for, how will you ever reach it?

So ask yourself why you are reading my blog. Is it because your goal is to start a blog in order to grow your customer base? Is it to start a blog because you want to have another medium in which to introduce new products? You need to know what you want. And you need to know your strengths and limits in order to make that happen. Are you incredibly creative but can’t write to get your point across to save your life?…

What The Emmys Should Have Taught You About Social Media

social_media_and_communityI had another post planned for today, but last night, while watching the Emmys, I realized there was a lot to be learned from this classic awards show.

I have always been a lover of awards shows, the Emmys, Oscars, Golden Globes, etc. It is a mixture of the red carpet and the fact that I have three hobbies and two of them are watching TV and watching movies.  It was also something about the fact that the Emmys felt so exclusive, and I wanted to be a part of it.  But unless I moved to Hollywood and roomed with Courteney Cox, I was never going to be invited.…

What Every Small Business Owner Ought To Know About Facebook Marketing

Small-business-facebook-marketingOver the past few weeks I have been working with a company, helping to improve their website and get them familiarized with using social media to increase their sales and visibility. After setting up a Facebook page, the owner asked me three specific questions.

  1. What is the main benefit of having a lot of “likes” on Facebook?
  2. How can I utilize Facebook for marketing?
  3. How can I advertise my Facebook page so others can find me?

I thought these were excellent questions for any small business owner just starting out on Facebook to know. So I am sharing my email response, in the hopes that you find it helpful and it encourages you to jump on the Facebook bandwagon.

Mad Men Guide To Social Media

Like millions of others, I am swept up in the Mad Men phenomenon, watching with fascination as the advertising men (plus Peggy and Joan) drink whiskey, and then more whiskey, and then even some more.  After starting this blog, I began wondering how Don Draper would react if he was in the world of social media instead of advertising.  I think of social media in 2010 as the television advertising of the 60’s.  People are just starting to notice its power, and many are wondering if it is just a fad.

So instead of Don sitting at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, I’m going to pretend he’s in front of an iMac with his Twitter and Facebook open, and his blog in front of him. …

Success Stories: Eight Questions with Rachel Epperson, Owner of The Needle Shop

In this installment of Success Stories I talked with Rachel Epperson, owner of The Needle Shop located in the Chicago neighborhood of Bucktown.  Rachel uses Facebook, Yelp, and Flickr to promote her business.  She is also expanding into a blog later this month.  Read below to find out how she uses social media to grow her DIY sewing school and fabric store.

1.) Why did you first start utilizing social media for your business? How did your store change from before Facebook, Yelp, Flickr etc. to after you started using them?

I was on Facebook like everyone else and it came up a lot in class.  …

Why My Love For Blogging Is Your Gain

My-love-for-blogging-is-your-gainYesterday was my blogging month anniversary.  I know I spend a lot of time on this blog trying to convince other people to start their own blogs in order to increase their web presence, increase their SEO, and prove themselves an authority in their field.  I hope I have convinced a few.  Today I wanted to point out that I am doing exactly what I preach.  This blog is not just a blog, but a part of my overall social media writing business.  I write this blog to help small business owners, but also to do everything I stated above for my own small business.…