Category Archives: Business

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Social Media For Business: Time to Set Some Rules

People are often surprised that my position exists in a dental company. I am the Social Media Strategist for a company with over 300 supported dental offices. That’s right dentists! Why on earth do dentists need social media? How does a large company use social media? The obvious answer would be for marketing. But the truth is, we use it for much more than that. Research shows that 94% of corporations use social media. Companies use it for customer service, public relations, and even recruiting. Unlike traditional media, social media is a living breathing evolving set of tools that allow people to communicate with each other and with the world.

You know the stats – Facebook has over 1 billion active users, Twitter has 500 million users and Google+ 343 million active users. LinkedIn has 200 million users. There are more channels than that and the numbers are staggering.

So even if you aren’t active on social media, someone close to you is…

Are your employees Hacktivists? Or merely ranting on social?
photo credit: david_shankbone via photopin cc

When another person rants on Facebook about a horrible experience with your company, social media can amplify that message. When one person tweets about a great experience with your company, social media can amplify that message too! That is the power of Social Media.

Social media touches nearly every part of our lives these days. People use it daily whether using their desktops or laptops, or their mobile devices. People use it anytime and everywhere. That is why, some employers worried about productivity, simply block access to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, on computers on the company network. This, however, does not stop workers from accessing social media through their smartphones.

What’s a company to do?

THE ANSWER: CREATE A SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY

There is very little you can do to stop people from using social on their phones or in their personal time, so rather than coming up with a 50 page handbook, it would be best to come up with a one to two page summary that gives your organization a view of what they should and could be doing online.

Your social media policy should:

Be tailored for your organization. No one size fits all because each organization has different needs, uses and risks.

Apply Common Sense. Don’t restrict your employees’ social media activity. Stress that the use of social media at work is a PRIVILEGE, and with that privilege comes responsibility.

Be specific about what is or is not permitted. List consequences if policy is violated. Note: Policy should not be TOO BROAD (you cannot, for example, prohibit employees from posting pictures of the company, store brand or product. You cannot say, you are prohibited from depicting the brand in any way etc)

The policy should comply with and be implemented in accordance with local requirements, including privacy laws (Understand the law – like copyright, privacy, slander, libel, provisions of NLRA (national labor relations act)
Remember, having a dedicated and well communicated social media policy will help guide employees in their use of social media in the workplace. Set expectations from the get go; communicate that social media should not affect their overall productivity.

Social Media Tips for Doctors and Dentists

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You’ve probably heard that Mark Zuckerberg’s father is a dentist. It’s true. Dr. Edward Zuckerberg is a dentist in Westchester, New York. In a 2011 article on Salon.com, he shared that he uses he uses Facebook to promote his dental practice and spends about an hour a day on the site. As a medical practitioner, whether you are a dentist or chiropractor, shouldn’t be using social media channels too?

Photo courtesy of Deadstar via photopin.com

Yes. Doctors and dentists should and can use social media because that’s where patients and potential patients are. Of course, there are both potential positive outcomes and pitfalls to doctor-patient relationships when using social media and that’s why your involvement must be cautious and considered.

How can doctors and dentists use social media, you ask? Well… first, it can be used as part of the marketing mix and second, it can be used as a tool to enhance customer service. You can use social media to:

Connect with Patients
Reach out to potential patients
Create brand awareness

Remember any online marketing efforts must compliment offline marketing efforts. Just because you are active on your Facebook page doesn’t mean you should give up getting involved in your local community events.

Image courtesy of Matt Hamm via PhotoPin

Here are some useful Social Media Tips for dentists and doctors:
Develop a social media policy. Here are two articles about Best Practices for developing Social Media Policies from Social Media Today and Social Media.Biz

Stay professional. Remember, just like in real life, watch what you say in public. If it isn’t something you’d say in person, don’t post it.

Determine what level of personal information you want to share. It’s good for patients to see the human side of their healthcare providers, but do you really want them to know that you went partying last night?

Be mindful of HIPAA regulations. Do not post any medical information about patients, do not dispense specific medical advice or make any diagnoses online.

Feel free to answer general patient questions. Social media can be a powerful tool to help patients get the care they need.

Finally, use common sense.

CREDITS

Doctor Image. Photo Credit: deadstar 2.1 via photopin cc

Illustration. Photo credit: Matt Hamm via photopin cc

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Connect, Teach and Share at OC Social Media Summit Today

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The 1st Orange County Social Media Summit is taking place today, Friday, May 18th, 2012 at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest. Nearly 600 people are expected to attend the day-long event focused on Social Media. Topics covered feature everything from blogging, to making videos to posting tweets and Facebook updates.

I caught up with one of the organizers of the event, Rochelle Veturis Coles @rochelleveturis and asked her a few questions:

MT: What made you decide to organize the Social Media Summit?
RVC: “We wanted to give some of our wonderful social media friends the opportunity to share their skills and talents with the community – because they do it so well, and so effortlessly. I learn a lot from the people on stage, and thought it was time to share them with the world.”

MT: Who are the people behind the OCSMS?
RVC: “My sister @HaleyVeturis and I are the volunteer co-producers of the event. Headliner @TedNguyen is not only speaking, but co-hosting and leading the social good and media relations efforts, as well. The Saddleback Church Communications team has been a huge help and support with the graphics, signage, multi-media components and production of the event. Irvine-based ProGroup donated printing of the programs and the Step and Repeat. Our wonderful keynotes have served as an advisory board – and all speakers, spotlights, and panelists, have been gracious enough to help promote. It’s been a team effort, and we appreciate and thank each and every individual who has contributed to making this occasion an all out success.”

MT: What ONE thing do you want attendees to leave knowing?
RVC: “They can do this. They are special, loved, and unique. There is no one like them and tapping into that uniqueness is going to set them free in the socialmediasphere. If they need help, they can contact anyone on stage – we love new media and are passionate about seeing others “get it,” and succeed.”

Follow along on Twitter hashtag #ocsms. Or catch the LIVE WEBCAST here.

Shop Till You Drop – new discount fashion stores court social media influencers

5 Things I Learned from Chef Zov Karamardian

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Over the last two years, I was a social media consultant to award-winning restaurateur and chef Zov Karamardian and her group of restaurants. Zov’s is a veritable Orange County institution with locations in Tustin, Irvine, Newport Coast and most recently, John Wayne Airport. Almost bi-weekly, I visited with Zov and we chatted about what was going on in the restaurants, general news and most importantly, we tackled whatever questions she had about social media. Chef Zov is quite plugged in to the social media and tech scene. Her questions ranged from “How do you post a tweet?” to “ What kind of content do our followers most like to receive?”

Many people are surprised to find out that Chef Zov herself tweets, posts on Facebook and writes her blogs. But her energy, creativity and zest for life are truly amazing. While I may have taught her and her team a few things about social media, I definitely came away learning a few things myself.

Food Network Stars Chef Anne Burrell, Michael Symon and Chef Zov Karamardian

Here are the Five Things I learned from Zov:

1.When You Do What You Love, It’s More than a Job

Zov found out early on that her passion in life involved food. “I knew that food was going to be my career at the age of 14. Running restaurants were not in my radar, but everything just evolved,” reveals Zov.

2. Family Comes First

Zov wouldn’t be Zov without her family and her restaurants wouldn’t be as successful without the support of her husband Gary, and children Armen and Taleene, who all have a part in the business.

According to Zov, “ Family is number one in my life…. Yes, I waited until my son and daughter were of driving age before I started working outside of the home. I consciously made a promise to myself, that I would not work unless it was a (matter of) survival. I did not feel I needed to work for material things, as long as we were able to pay our bills I did not feel I needed to work. Raising kids is an investment. You will reap the benefits later in life. It is a wonderful thing.”

When asked what her secret is to working with family, she replied: “The secret to working with family is that each family member has a certain strength, each have to work with that strengths and we own our strengths and capitalize on it. We do not cross each other’s boundaries. That is the only way it will work.”

3. Surround Yourself With Positive People

To be sure, the Karamardian clan are a positive and supportive bunch. At one restaurant event, a photo exhibit by ….., I had the privilege of meeting Zov’s extended family and they were such a great group of people.

It is no wonder that Zov says, “… That is my mantra…..Positive people will always want you to succeed. Successful people will also want you to succeed. Napoleon said “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve”.  ”

4. Don’t Stop Learning

A signature event usually held at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin is the Lunch and Learn series. Conceived by Zov. it pairs a guest speaker and great prix fixe meal. The Lunch and Learns are usually inspired by things that Zov is interested in: from alternative health to publishing to social media.

During our coaching sessions, Zov would take written notes in a notebook so that she could refer to them when she needed to. She is an astute student and perhaps the most tech savvy grandma of 4.

“What are your learning right now?” I recently asked her via email and she replied: “I am learning every single day. I am now learning anything that is electronic. iPad, iPhone Apps, Social Media, you name it!!! Twitter, Facebook, etc — believe me it is not easy, it takes a lot of time, but I am determined to master all of them.”

5. Take Risks

There are risks to starting, owning and running a business. It takes a special kind of person to keep at it and succeed.

Says Zov, “The biggest risk that I have ever taken was opening my restaurant. I have never worked a day in any restaurant in my life, never seen restaurant kitchen.. but I believed in myself. All the odds were against me, but family, being positive, and working hard always pays off.”

Marcie Taylor

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Category Archives: Business

Irvine Chamber Presents Mayor’s Luncheon

My Storify: Was Small Business Saturday a Success?