Renee Warren

It has to be said; big box stores are still at large. They dominate urban landscapes, offer competitive pricing, great deals, low to high quality products and services, but they still cannot and will not replace the mom and pop shops. Home cooked food, detailed hand made products, service with a real smile, all the things that your friendly neighbourhood and locally owned Bob and Martha stores provide.

History repeats itself. Before the Walmart’s of today, business was social. Owners interacted and knew their customers by name. The butcher knew what cuts of meats their customers liked, the dry cleaners knew whether or not certain customers wanted their clothes folded or on hangers, and if there wasn’t something a store carried, it would surely appear on the next visit. Shop owners were once your next door neighbour, your ‘buddy’, your weekly friendly face.

It was once all about knowing your customers needs and creating a personal experience. We are slowly and surely heading back that way. Looking at the statistics, big companies are still laying off thousands of people each month. On a brighter side, more people are seeing the value in starting their own businesses. Most recently, the biggest employment rate and job creation has been through entrepreneurship and small business ownership. It could be said that it is easier to start a business now then it was 10 years ago. Perhaps this has influenced and helped people make that leap to entrepreneurship.

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1. Talk about the Audience’s concerns

2. Use the KISS Principal (Keep it Simple Stupid)

3.  Anticipate what your audience is thinking

4.  Learn to pause (John Maxwell also does this VERY well)

5.  Master body Language

To see the rest of the article click here:  Five Ways to Talk Like Obama.  BNET news put this out today

I thought it was very insightful and helpful.

It is not easy finding your space in the social media sphere.  With the likes of people like Ashton Kutcher and The Real Shaq, it is hard to determine whether or not using platforms like Twitter for your small business has any worthwhile importance.  (For more information on Ashton Kutcher and the First Tweeter to get 1 Million followers, click here). 

For Twitter:
It really all depends on your goal in using social media.  If you are out there to get as many people to follow you as possible, then you would be ill-advised to use social media for your business.   However, this does have some benefits.  I sometimes ask open questions on Twitter and get decent replies.  People will direct me to other blogs, websites, and Tweeters for my answer.  It all helps.  But WHO follows you often has a huge impact on what sort of replies and ‘advice’ you’ll get.  Who YOU chose to follow also shapes your Twitter success.  I suggest you use Tweetdeck to organize your columns into strategic groups. This way you can keep track of what is happening in all your communities of interest.  You can organize your groups anyway you chose.  

Barrier to Entry:
 It is not tough to get in, but it is tough to build a decent community and gain credibility.  The biggest barrier:  INVESTMENT OF TIME.  In order to stay on top, in the know, and on-the-scene, your social media campaign(s) must be updated everyday!  Yes….E V E R Y D A Y.  (I am a hypocrite as it has been 9 days since I made my last blog post.  Don’t do what I do).  However, when it comes to Twitter and Facebook, you only need 20 minutes a day to start.  10 minutes to check out what is happening in the Twittersphere and 10 minutes to update your status and RSVP to events on Facebook. Easy as pie. 

Part 2…coming soon.

Until Then:
If you want more information on how to develop a simple Social Media Startegy for your business, contact me at renee@reneewarren.com

Is me!  You can see my cookie story here.

This is a fantastic small business with a great idea:  Custom make your own cookies.

If you havent already checked out the new custom bake shop Sweet Flour on Bloor Street in Toronto, it’s time you do.  All I can say is Mmmmmmm.

Happy Cookie Making.

I will be speaking to the Post-Graduate Humber College Marketing Management and International Marketing class on Social Media and Small Business on Monday April 13th at 9am.  The Humber Et Cetera will be covering the event.