by pescatello

I just finished reading “Delivering Happiness” – Tony Hsieh’s story of how Zappos, the large online shoe store, is pretty amazing. I was lucky enough to get the book for free. The Delivering Happiness campaign were giving the books away for free off of Twitter and I couldn’t resist.

One of the biggest messages I got from “Delivering Happiness“ is how to build community. The author Tony talks a lot on how he built different communities throughout the process of Zappos and some of the relationships were pretty  intimate. Building community helped the company weather different phases of the companies’ growth, as well as provide a place for people to be themselves and encourage a great customer service model. I love how they (Zappos) are know to upgrade a customer’s shipment from ground to overnight delivery, just randomly. They’ve also been known to randomly send flowers to customers too!

Overall “Delivering Happiness” was an inspirational book and it got me thinking how much community plays a role in how we live and work. How can we build more community with our clients, colleagues and all those in-between ?

Recently, Keith Ferrazzi made a few suggestions on his blog on relationship/community building:

*Host a monthly dinner or happy hour

*First thing every day after you turn off your computer, ping one friend and one acquaintance.

These are simple yet powerful ideas. When you reach out to people, there’s this amazing energy that builds and grows. People feel special and want to return it. Bringing people together can be as easy as inviting them into your home, at a bar or restaurant or even a walk or hike.

One experiment I’ve decided to try is personally writing a note to past clients and colleagues, 5 times a week. Many of my clients aren’t in the Portland areas, so a note seemed like a great way to reach out! I decided to send a funny or cute note and in the note, I don’t talk about my business. I ask them how they are doing and ask specific questions about their lives, about their family, their business, etc. It feels really amazing to do this every week. And the response I’ve gotten has been great.

What’s one thing you can do to build your community? What’s working for you now?

Related Posts:

• Consumer Shopping Trends & Habits for 2011

If you are active on BizNik in the Portland area, you’ve probably seen some good articles and activity from Kaya Singer. Kaya has a very unique background, she’s owned a pottery business, been a family therapist and is now a small business coach. She has recently launched her book, The Entrepreneur’s Handbook to Money & Freedom.

It’s impressive how active Kaya is in communicating with businesses through Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Read below and learn how powerful online communication can be for a business coach.

kaya_orange-tree1

What’s your business?

Awakening Business Solutions – I offer tools, process and coaching programs to solo business owners to help them overcome obstacles and develop a business mind-set.

When did you start using social media? What made you decide to try it?

I began social media as soon as it was available. I was on e-mail before most people. Communication is my focus and I loved the immediacy and the ability to create community with people world-wide.

How has social media affected your business?

It has allowed me to market to people world-wide and develop strong communities and relationships with people I would never have met. It has allowed me to put articles all over the world and make a huge difference in people’s lives.

What is one tool that you use the most?

Not just one. My LinkedIn group – Awakening Women in Business, my blog, Facebook, Twitter, BizNik, EZine articles and I am getting ready to move forward developing a membership site.

Have a social media story you’d like to share?

I was part of an e-mail group called “Powerful Women Entrepreneurs“. There were hundreds of women and it ran as a Yahoo group. The woman who facilitated it decided to suddenly quit so there was no place for all these women to go.  On a whim- one morning when I was on LinkedIn, I began “Awake Women in Business” and I invited all the women from the other group. Many of them came and then I also invited  other women I knew and posted it on Facebook and Twitter. It was active and involved almost immediately!  I love it as I am a natural facilitator, and it is a way to build community with women in business. It is also giving me some training for my new membership site that is coming soon.  I love working with women too so this also fulfills that need.

Related Posts:

• Local promotional products company builds community through Twitter

Setting up a Facebook Fan page is the best way to advertise your business, but I’ve found a lot of folks baffled about what to do with it.  Here are steps on how to set it up

facebook

1) Feed your blog postings into your Facebook page – this can be done by editing the Notes tab and adding your blog feed. Facebook will confirm with you if it’s done correctly and you simply confirm.

2) Add business apps, there are a ton to choose from here,  but don’t go overboard, pick a few that having meaning to your business.

3) Promoting your page – you can’t just friend someone the way you do from your personal profile. You can encourage folks to be fans of your page by spreading the word.  Find contacts from your profile that are business connections, in the industry, or who could benefit from what your company provides and invite them to become a fan. Send a personal note what your page offers. Also promote your page in other places such as Twitter, email sigs, business card, your website or blog.

4) Build a community around your page – start discussions by asking questions regarding your products or what they suggests should improve. Post on a regular basis, such as you would on a blog. Be patient, it won’t happen overnight, but it change slowly.

Want to take it to the next level? Read this report on developing a Facebook pan to attract a million fans!

Related Posts:

• How artists engage in social media and touch lives

I met Gary originally through Biznik.com and was happy to see his company on Twitter shortly after. In a world where everyone wants something customized, ImageWear Solutions provides a plethora of items, including many eco-friendly wares. Check out his site and read the interview below to learn how small businesses can build community through social media.

banner_alt3

What’s your business and who are your clients?

ImageWear Solutions is an advertising specialty distributor, which supplies company uniforms and corporate apparel, as well as a wide range of promotional products. We also offer custom embroidery and screen-printing services.

When did you start using social media and why?

We just started getting involved with social media a few months ago, because we like the sense of community that it offers.  It’s a great, affordable way to not only showcase the products and services that you offer, but also to showcase the character of your company.  I started my own business to not only be independent and hopefully profitable, but also to be able to use our resources to help build a better community.   Social media gives us a great outlet to support non-profits, the arts, environmental issues, as well as other small businesses. For us, it’s all about helping each other grow and blossom, then give something back. We can all make this a better world in which to live.
Have you seen an increase of business?

We have seen a slight spike, but most of all, we’ve met some really great people and feel like we’re more in tune and involved in the community than before.

What are you looking forward to social media changing in the future?

I’m hoping that it will continue to evolve and maintain the community spirit in which it was intended and also clean up the business landscape.  If you are honest and sincere, as a business owner, the word is going to spread allowing you to grow and offer more back to the community in which you live.   And if you’re not, well people can spot a phony pretty easily and yes, the word will spread like wild fire. There will be an increase of “get rich” schemers, as well as so-called social media “experts” hoping to part you from your hard earned money. There are scam artists everywhere. As a community, we have a responsibility to protect each other from the predators.

Have a social media story you’d like to share (how you connected with someone or how someone helped you?)

As I said before, we’ve met some really great people, including you via social media. One story does come to mind though. I came to know Kimberly LeRiche, who owns and operates JK Virtual Office Resources and her husband Jeff, the owner of OTC Sports on Twitter.  She has helped us greatly with understanding how social media can benefit our company.  One day she had re-tweeted a message by the Portland Police Bureau Sunshine Division (http://www.sunshinedivision.org/), who collects donations of food and clothing and distributes them to families in need.   We had never even heard of them before.  Well, we accumulate a great deal of new clothing samples through our dealings with various vendors.  We had clothing stashed in various locations and not really doing anyone any good at all.  So, we gathered them all together and donated some really nice, new clothing to the Sunshine Division.   So, through social media, we have found a great place to donate clothing that will benefit those in need. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Related Posts:

• Reaching out to small businesses -what’s the best way?