Illustration borrowed from @tomjohnson

Nobody likes to only be spoken to. We all like to interact in a dialogue. We want to be invited into a conversation. We want to engage. So why is it that so many businesses just post statements or updates that don’t actually invite anyone to join in? Remember, you’re trying to keep people connected to you as long as possible so they can learn about your business, or product, or service. What reason do they have to stay and engage with you?

Here are a few ideas that you can use (specifically on Facebook) that will help get more people interacting with your page as opposed to merely viewing it:

• Ask questions. It’s so easy, in fact, because Facebook added a feature that lets you set up a poll or question where you can provide options for people to click their choice. You can ask questions that have the button options, or ask open-ended questions. But don’t just ask “What are you doing this weekend?” Ask something that’s somehow connected to you, your product, your company, or your target audience. For example, if you run an accounting firm, you might ask, “What’s the biggest frustration you have with filing your taxes?” [I'm sure you'd get a LOT of people with opinions on that one!] Check out a recent question we’ve asked on our FB page here.
• Do “fill-in-the-blank” posts. It’s like Madlibs [you remember those, right?!]. People love to get creative with things like that. In fact, I used a fill-in-the-blank post on my personal page last night because I just didn’t know how to describe the kind of day I had…instead I let people fill it in for me. I said “You know it’s been a _____ day when you wrap it up at 8:30pm with a tropical adult beverage.” The responses I got cracked me up, and got people talking to each other. Imagine how much fun you could have with some of those posts that fit into your company’s personality?
• Ask people’s opinions. We all have them. And we all like to share them–even when unsolicited! So when you’re rolling out a new product, or you have a debate brewing in the offices, invite your “fans” to contribute their $.02 to the matter. Granted, their opinion might not actually sway you one way or another when it comes to product development, and they may be a little disappointed if you don’t use their idea, but the fact that you ask them means a lot…

So next time you’re going to post something to your business page, stop and think: How will this invite people to engage with us?

I was thinking about the past year at VOD Communications, and realized that there’s a lot to be thankful for… Actually, there are a lot of people that I’m thankful for, and I wanted to take the time to thank them publicly for the part they’ve played in the story of VOD Comm. So, without further adieu, and in no particular order, here are some of the people and things I’m thankful for as 2010 winds to an end:

• Jay Howver, aka my husband, the father of my children, and my biggest supporter. Without his encouragement and his amazing willingness to be a dad, a cook, and even a house cleaner from time to time, I would never be able to pull off what I’m doing at VOD. This year especially, he’s done some great things, including learning to cook with a pressure cooker and a dutch oven. Needless to say, we’re eating well! It was also Jay’s great sense of hearing that led me to meet the next person on my list…

• Marson Maynor is an encourager, a sender of cards and good vibes, and a networker in the best sense of the word. I met Marson at a meetup luncheon he coordinated, specifically aimed at helping professionals find opportunities to meet and network with other local business people. Marson’s energy and enthusiasm is contagious, and he was the reason that I began to take networking seriously [in the offline world...which was pretty foreign to me before this year].

• Business Success Network, my local LeTip chapter that I joined after being invited by Marson. I had never heard of LeTip before, but since joining the group I’ve found new opportunities to grow my business, and I’ve had the chance to meet and learn from some pretty stellar business people. Doing a weekly 30-second “commercial” for my business has been a great exercise for me, and having a community of professionals who are looking out for me is a great asset. (Btw, if you’re interested in checking out LeTip, hit me up and I’ll help you find a great local chapter!)

• Philip Nowak is one of my favorite social media friends [online and offline]. I think I technically met Phil in 2009, but we’ve had a lot of opportunities to talk over this year and he is a man with a mission. Phil dreams big, which inspires me to do the same, and he challenges me to think about business in different ways. He is a social media geek, like me, and he really cares about people. I’m thankful to call him a real friend…not just a Twitter or Facebook friend.

• Jill Salzman is a rock star. Well, technically she’s the founder of The Momtrepreneur Exchange, which has about 1,400 mom entrepreneurs in local meetup groups across the country (and even in Australia!). Luckily for me, Jill lives near Chicago, and I got to meet her this summer at a momtrepreneur meetup. We instantly clicked… Her energy and drive kick me in the butt and get me going, and I think together we might just change the world! [See, I told you Phil's getting me to dream big!] At the very least, we’re going to kick off an event for mom entrepreneurs in 2011 and it will be fabulous!

• Nick Brewer is a photographer, musician, and IT geek who I met at an art show in which I had some writing featured early in 2010. After some random conversations over iChat, Nick offered to update my logo and also helped make my website better in exchange for some copywriting help with one of his side projects. Obviously, I was a big fan of the 2.0 version of the VOD logo, and the new look has helped set the stage for VOD in 2010.

There are so many other people who have been part of the VOD Communications story this year, and I’d never be able to say thank you enough to all these people.

I hope you take the opportunity to reflect on the people who contributed to your story in 2010, and I hope your story becomes even more epic in 2011…

[photo by annifer photography]

Recently I’ve been to a few restaurants where I’ve noticed signs pointing people to the restaurants’ social media presences. More and more local businesses are catching on to the importance of Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Foursquare, etc. And what’s even better is watching the interactions that are taking place between these restaurants and their customers (both online and off).

In Arlington Heights, IL (a suburb of Chicago), I go to a monthly networking group for Momtrepreneurs at Egg Harbor Cafe. It’s a great breakfast place with locations all around the Chicagoland area. However, with all the roosters and chickens making up the decor inside, I really didn’t expect to see this on their whiteboard:

I loved the creativity and had never seen anyone using their whiteboard at the front of the restaurant for promoting their social media worlds instead of their daily specials. And on their Facebook page are all kinds of fans commenting about the restaurant. (My personal favorite was from a woman who said, “wanted to share that my 3 year old son dreams about your banana bread French toast!”)

It was only a few weeks later that I was in Grand Rapids, MI, where I had dinner at a fabulous tapas restaurant, San Chez. As we waited for a table I noticed a couple signs on a little counter near the hostess stand. One mentioned the fact that they have “Tweet Ahead Seating” which I thought was genius. You just tweet at them with your name and number of people, and they’ll reply with a confirmation. Brilliant! They also had this sign on the table, recognizing the Mayor of their restaurant. It’s one thing to check into Foursquare and know you’re the Mayor of a location, but to actually walk into that place and see your name and Mayorship on display for everyone…come on! That’s just fun! On their website, they take their social media pretty seriously. They have an entire page devoted to all the places you can interact with them online for special offers, and even a free tapa if you check into Foursquare. (Hey, wait a minute…I’m sure I checked in there and I never got my free tapa!)

What I love about all these restaurants engaging with people online is the fact that dining out is a very communal experience. Most often you’re eating with friends or family, and there’s great food and conversation shared (and, if you’re lucky, some amazing Sangria…San Chez has a great recipe!). The fact that these (and many other) restaurants are trying to maintain the communal feeling with people after they’ve left the physical restaurant makes people feel even more connected to the experience they had at that place. It’s a beautiful thing to see social engagement taken to this level. I’m excited to see how other retailers and restaurants participate in the conversation…

Got a good story about a restaurant’s social media menu? I’d love to hear it…

I’m all about community. Finding people who share a passion or interest or goal, and then working together to explore and develop those things. And I’m all about stories. It’s our stories that connect us to one another…our experiences, our journeys, our lives that bring us together and help us navigate the paths of our lives.

I’m really excited that this week I found an exciting new community for entrepreneurs. Sprouter.com is a Twitter-esque network aimed at people who are working hard to build their own businesses and bring their ideas to life. Check it out and see if it’s a good place for you to find some inspiration and encouragement for your own start-up. (And find me on Sprouter here.)

If you’re not an entrepreneur, chances are that somewhere out there is a network aimed at something you’re passionate about. Check out Ning.com and search out the group that you want to be a part of. Ask around on Twitter or Facebook to see who might have suggestions for you. It’s important to find community, to be part of a group, and to have others to support you along the way to wherever you’re going.