When I couldn’t log onto the Bank of America website Friday to schedule my mortgage payment, my first thought (as it usually is in these kinds of situations) was to check Twitter to see if anyone else was having problems with the site. Well, I quickly realized that I was not alone in my frustration (and I also realized that people who can’t access their money can get VERY angry and say some of the most incredible things!).

To their credit, Bank of America did have a Twitter team responding to the issue. But here’s where the lesson is, so pay attention. The response team’s Twitter handle is @BofA_Help. So every time I searched “Bank of America” or even “bankofamerica” I wasn’t seeing them. All I saw was tweet after tweet berating the bank for it’s down site (and even a threat by one disgruntled customer to burn it down!). I searched BofA too, and somehow never saw their tweets in that search. My tweet about the downed site was actually more to point out what seemed like a huge lack of response:

It wasn’t until they responded to my tweet and included “I work for Bank of America” in their tweet that I knew they even existed. (A sidenote here: BofA Help team, please ask someone if you can take another photo for your profile where it doesn’t look like one of those family portraits where everyone is matchy-matchy. Honestly, until I looked closer, I thought it actually was someone’s family portrait.)

So the simple lesson, as I see it: make sure your company’s name is actually part of your Twitter handle. And if you can’t get a twitter name with your business name (or your name is so incredibly long that it would cut down on your RT-ability because it uses up too many of the 140 characters), you better make sure you know what people are searching for when they look for you…and include those words in your tweets on a regular basis! (But, really, it makes more sense to just make sure your biz name is part of your handle.) Seriously. If I had searched for “Bank of America” and seen tweets like this, it would’ve been a completely different view of the company:

According to the Associated Press, the site was officially down for four hours. But the stream of irritated tweets went on for what seemed like forever… And, unfortunately, if anyone else was searching Twitter like I do, they probably wondered if BofA was even listening.

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 beyond excited to tell you about a new ebook that I had the privilege of contributing to, along with several other amazing people. If I Would Have Known Just One Thing is the brainchild of Shane Mac (aka @shanemacsays). In this free ebook, 30 leaders share one thing they wish they would have known…anything from the one thing they wish they knew when they started in business, to one thing they wish they’d known during a specific experience in their careers.

As a storyteller, I connected with the vision of the concept and jumped at the chance to be part of it. I love the idea of 30 people from all walks of life sharing the lessons they’ve learned along whatever path they’ve been on; and I love the fact that no matter who you are or where you’re heading, there’s something of value to be found in other people’s stories. So you should definitely check out the ebook and tell your friends about it. It’s really easy to share the whole thing or tweet specific pages if you find one you think your friends would resonate with.

If you don’t know Shane Mac, you should. I met him through another Twitter friend, Andrew, aka @wordpost (another contributor to the ebook, and also a really cool guy), and both Shane and Andrew are the kind of people you find on Twitter who go beyond simply tweeting at people. They both engaged in conversations with me and have been a source of encouragement and help when I needed it.

So make sure you check out my story from the ebook, and pass the whole thing on to your friends!

Back when I was a kid, stay-at-home moms watched soap operas. They became wrapped up in the stories, became fans of the characters, and talked about what was happening in these other worlds with their friends. I even remember in the movie, “Mr. Mom,” that Michael Keaton’s character was sucked into this alternate reality as a means of escape when the job of full-time parenting, house cleaning, cooking, etc. became too much to handle. For all I know, there are still some moms who watch soap operas during the day, but I never hear any of my friends talking about them. It seems to me that today, Facebook is the new soap opera.

Moms who spend the day picking up toys, searching for the missing sock, feeding the kids, running errands, taxiing kids from activity to activity, and throwing something together for dinner still manage to find time for social networking. Especially on Facebook. I watch some of my friends on Facebook and am amazed at how many times a day they manage to squeeze in status updates, quick games of whatever farming, animal or jewel collecting challenges are at the top of the charts at the moment, and comments on other people’s posts. Especially when their own status updates also mention how many things they’re juggling between the kids, the house, the husband, etc. throughout the day.

While not all women are moms, it’s important to note that between 2009 and 2010, women on Facebook increased from 23.4 million users to 56 million (according to this report from iStrategyLabs). That’s a 139% increase! And MarketingVox wrote a piece back in 2009 on “Power Moms” claiming that “Power Moms – women between the ages of 25 and 54 with at least one child and who participate regularly in online activities – represent 19.2% of the active internet population in the US.” They also quoted Nielson’s report saying that “Newbie Moms” (who are more recent mothers between the ages of 25-34 who have one or two children at home) are 85% more likely to visit Facebook than the average internet user.

And those games on Facebook? You know, Farmville, Bejeweled, Happy Aquarium…and all those other (annoying) games that people play and clog up your feeds… Well, apparently the average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman. And 55% of all social gamers in the US are women. According to this report, 11% of those surveyed labeled themselves “homemakers.”

I juggle a family and a business (and try to occasionally clean my house), and I have to admit that I spend more time on Facebook than some of my other mom friends. But my excuse is that half the time it’s work-related! But I can honestly (and even proudly) say that I’ve never played any of the Facebook games.

So today, I don’t know anyone who can tell me what’s going on with All My Children or Days of Our Lives. But if you want to get the attention of a multitude of moms who are talking to all their other mom friends, Facebook is where the story is at these days.

(And if Mr. Mom was on Facebook, I’m sure he’d jump right in to Farmville. His most recent status update: 220, 221…whatever it takes.)

This post is as much for me as it is for you. Lately I’ve found myself in such a rush, trying to juggle projects, family, and everything else. And every once in a while I hear something or read something that makes me realize that I need to stop, look around at what’s going on, and listen to the people around me, because there are things to be learned that will benefit me personally and professionally. That happened to me today, and I had to stop and think. But that’s often a hard thing to do…especially the stopping part.

One thing that I know a lot of people struggle with in marketing is the urgency of the now. You need more customers now. You needed to fill that event registration list yesterday. You have a quota to meet tomorrow. And so you jump in and do whatever you can to reach and grab at whatever it is you need. It’s easy to just run with whatever you’ve got (or whatever you can whip up on the fly) because it has to be done NOW. But the reality is, stepping back, slowing down, and putting a strategic marketing plan in place first will actually be of benefit for you in the future.

So take a few minutes right now. Turn off your phone, close Facebook or Twitter, and get out a piece of paper. Start thinking about what you need to accomplish. Make yourself a simple list of the what, how, and who for your tasks. Write out a vision statement for what you’re aiming for, and then figure out the pieces and parts that need to be in place so you can develop a marketing plan that will hit your target. Obviously, there’s more to creating a marketing plan than these steps, but if you at least slow down and start from this point, you’ll be on your way to better clarity about what needs to be done.

For me, doing this kind of thing in a vacuum is fruitless. I need to bounce ideas off other people who understand what I’m trying to do and who can help me focus on the things that are important and help me see the things that just don’t matter. So if you need to find someone else to work through your process with, call or email that person today and get a meeting on the calendar. But take the time. Or rather, make the time. In fact, I’m going to end this post now so I can do the same thing…

Trying to prioritize and plan for the most effective use of your time and money can be one of the trickiest parts of running your business. When it comes to marketing your business, it’s even more important that you figure out the best places to invest your time and money in order to generate the best return.

Check out this tag cloud* from Hubspot’s State of Inbound Marketing Report:

How much time or money did you invest in these things? Especially take a look at the big ones: social media, website, marketing, blog, SEO, email.

Some companies, especially small businesses, still struggle to see the relevance of things like social media, blogging, and even SEO. But the reality is that these things were the “best marketing projects of 2009″ for 2,500 businesses who participated in this survey. So why couldn’t they be part of your “best marketing projects of 2010″?

If you’re still not sure how social media, blogging, and SEO can help grow your business, let me know. Whether you’re B2B or B2C, using social media, blogging, and updating your SEO will help drive new business your way. I’d love to help you figure that out. If you’ve already figured it out and have seen success with these things, share your story with us! It’s always great when we can learn from each other…

*If you’re wondering what a “tag cloud” is, here’s a definition.

So I sat down today to write a stellar post about something or other… (It will be stellar, when it gets finished!) The problem is that I got so distracted today by a bunch of tweets with links to compelling articles about writing. So rather than actually writing what I had been thinking about, I spent half the day reading what other people said about writing. And they had some good stuff to say. For example:

Chris Brogan wrote about “The Writing Practice“: I’m writing this to you while I’m waiting for someone to get some webinar software rebooted. I find time like this everywhere.

Copyblogger had a post, “How to Blog Like Shakespeare“: I want to be clear that writing for each of your audiences is not the same thing as trying to write for everybody. Writing for your different audiences isn’t the same thing as writing for Wikipedia.

And again, on Copyblogger, “37 Seconds to Great Storytelling“: We tell you about the power of stories quite a bit. And now we’re able to see what happens in our brains when we encounter a compelling story. But how do you learn to tell these types of stories? Often, just by studying great ones.

So, I have been stretched, encouraged, and challenged by these posts today. And, at the very least, I got this blog post written. Hopefully their words will encourage you as well. I know I have some writing to do…

[photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenorton/ / CC BY 2.0]

That’s the subtitle for the latest book from Seth Godin, Linchpin. I was fortunate enough to get a copy of this book before it’s actually released (because Seth offered a limited number of pre-orders in exchange for a donation to the Acumen Fund and a review of the book). I’ve been a fan of Seth’s writing since Purple Cow. His thoughts on marketing, business, and life have challenged me and people that I’ve worked with for several years. So naturally, I jumped at the chance to read this book early, and am humbled to share my thoughts on it.

So of course, Seth doesn’t just want me to blow smoke about how wonderful his book is. So I really tried to read it with a critical eye…but honestly, I just found myself scribbling note after note, marking up page after page, and tweeting quotes that really jumped out at me. At the heart of the book is the message that we are all geniuses with the potential to create great things–to be artists rather than cogs in a machine. Though I’ve been writing (and getting paid to do so) for more than eight years, I’ve never much thought of myself as an artist. Seth really challenged me to look at everything I do–even the stuff that doesn’t feel like creativity or art–and figure out how to do it differently, better. And the reality is, with Seth’s definition of artist, no matter what you do or who you are, you have the potential to be an artist:

“Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done.”

See, artists are the linchpin in an organization. They’re the ones who are indispensable because they “bring humanity and connection and art” to the organization.

The thing that stood out to me the most in Linchpin was the point that Seth made repeatedly about how our culture has been teaching us to be cogs and fit into the machines that are the factories (read: corporations). And while at one point in time our country was based on factory work and cogs fit very nicely, today what a company really needs in order to survive are the people who do not fit into a neat and orderly system–the people who are willing to create new ways of doing things, challenge the status quo, and shake things up.

Honestly, while I think everyone in business (and especially leadership) needs to read this book, an even more important audience would be all the school administrators who continue to crank out the same plans to create the same cogs to fit into machines that no longer exist. It’s a new world order, and in this world the linchpins will be the ones who rise to the top.

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.

Well, I haven’t been taking my own advice on this one, so I’m definitely looking in the mirror when I proclaim this Soapbox message. If you’re trying to communicate with an audience, whether you’re selling a product, a service, or just trying to build a network or following, the most important thing to do is Say Something! Now, I’m not saying that you should put mindless dribble on your blog, your Facebook page or your tweets, but your silence will quickly communicate something to your audience: you no longer exist.

I don’t know about you, but if a website isn’t updated since the last time I came, I am not as inclined to stay and look around. If I haven’t received an email from the company whose newsletter I signed up to get, I don’t wonder where they’ve gone… I’ve already forgotten they existed or that we once had a relationship in which they told me what was going on and I clicked on links in their email. Out of sight, out of mind, people.

So, you don’t need to spend hours coming up with the perfect blog post (at least not for every post!), and you don’t need to have the most clever or witty tweet or Facebook status update. But you need to stay connected. Share a revelation you had recently about life, business, the world, etc. Tell people what you’re reading at the moment and how it’s affecting you. Let people know that you’re super busy and probably won’t blog/tweet/whatever as often as you should, but that you’re going to do your best to remain connected. Just be sure that you say something. Something is better than nothing.