Social Media Education: 21st century perks and 21st century risks

Elizabeth — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:50:58 +0000

It’s true that more and more private information is being used and shared via the internet, and small businesses are no exception to the trend. Marshable Business offers up four tips to protect your small biz against cyber attacks: smart passwords, mobile devise education, risk management and perhaps the trickiest of them all, social media education

Cyber security expert Rick Doten tells Marshable,

“…companies should allow employees to post online about the company in a positive light, but cautions that employees who use social media too carelessly can give away sensitive details about a firm’s internal business.”

“If I see someone tweeting about a conference in Omaha, I can guess what’s happening there. Social media’s great from a competitive counter-intelligence point of view. I can learn a lot [by] following tweets.”

- 4 Tips to Protect Your Small Business Against Cyberattacks

Twelve Oaks Group realizes that not every company is at extreme risk of sharing counter-intel information via Facebook or Twitter, but it is important to think about what kind of company information is being represented on the internet. Companies that don’t have a Facebook and Twitter account still need to take into consideration how an employee might be representing their business online. In some cases, business that do not have a social media account will find that their business is listed on Facebook and may even have a few “likes”, but the rest of the pages are completely empty. While this does not necessarily pose as a counter-intel threat, it doesn’t help your business put its best foot forward either. Or perhaps you’ve got a product or service on the market that’s loved by customers –loved so much that one of those customers created an unofficial business page for you. Again, not necessarily a counter-intel threat, but it does pose a risk.

If used correctly, Facebook is a very effective tool in helping you connect with current and potential customers. Interested in getting your business on Facebook? Contact Twelve Oaks Group! We can help your business master the perks of Facebook –one of the best values in online advertising anywhere.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth McPhail grew up learning about the trials, tribulations, and perks of small family-owned business. She creates and maintains websites and blogs, and in her spare time can be found on the water boating!

Where is your business? Do you know?

Nathan — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:31:46 +0000

When people search for your business on the Internet, what do they find?
A yellow page listing?
A “random” link from an aggregate (like Manta)?
The website of one of your competitors?

Or do they find your web page?

People Judge You Based on Your Web Presence

When searching for a vendor to do business with, potential customers make “snap” judgements about your business based on what pops up about you on Google, Yahoo, Bing or some of the other search engines that are popular today.

Does your business even show up? If not, you have a problem obviously. If a search engine’s results aren’t accurate, a customer may never make that all-important call to YOU.

Is your website up-to-date? Does it accurately reflect what your business has to offer? If your website is out of date, has an old copyright notice, or has links that don’t work, potential customers may wonder if you’re even still in business. They will definitely feel as though you don’t care about them — a potential customer who’s searching for a company to do business with .

People Judge You Based on Your Website

Imagine a customer is comparing your website to that of one of your competitors, or even worse, a “big box” store. Take a moment right now and visit one of your competitor’s websites.

How does your site compare?

Does your website look professional, or does it look like something from the late 90s?
Are the graphics professionally done, or are they clip art you grabbed from another website?

What can a business do to improve its online image?

Fewer, but higher quality pages might be easier to manage.
Make certain you have *text* on your page — including your business name, address, telephone number, and most definitely information about the products and services your business offers.
Contact Twelve Oaks Group for a Free Consultation — Twelve Oaks will evaluate your current website and provide easy-to-follow recommendations, along with a proposal to re-design your current website quickly and affordably.

Nathan

Nathan Reed is a spastic online entrepreneur. Since 1997, Nathan has developed online solutions for non-profits, small business, and local governments. Nathan is the owner and founder of the Twelve Oaks Group.