Monday, January 28, 2019

I'm beginning to feel a bit like Susan Bradley . . .

If you're new to the Small Business IT world, you may not have bumped into Susan Bradley's content. If you HAVE been around much as all, you are pretty much guaranteed to have found her blog. Why? Well, she answers so many questions, that her blog turns out to be the answer for many technical questions.

Susan's Blog
https://blogs.msmvps.com/bradley/
I first met Susan way back in 2003. She was wearing a shirt that said, "I'm blogging this." My response (luckily, inside my own head) was, "What's blogging?"

Then I started really digging into Small Business Server . . . and Susan's blog was listed in almost any Google search related to SMB or SBS. Really. Everywhere.

Anyway, one time Susan told me that she started her blog in part because it was an easy way to store answers to all the questions that came up. Every time she solved a problem, she blogged about it. And then when she had that problem again, she could just go to her blog and search for it.

[Genius level side note: Keep tweaking the tags and keywords on your blog post until a search gets you the results you want. After all, you control the blog. Once you master this for your own purposes, you will also have improved Google's indexing of your blog!]

Anyway . . .

This morning, for the first time, I started to feel a bit like Susan: I used my own site to find a "How-To" I'd written with regard to fixing something on YouTube.

I knew I'd covered this exact issue in the recent YouTube class I taught inside the Small Biz Thoughts Community. So I jumped in there and instantly found what I was looking for. It was quite gratifying.

Don't get me wrong: I'm still a million steps behind Susan. But her story about using her own blog as a resource popped into my head, so I thought I'd give her a shout-out.

In case you haven't checked out my Blog Roll, it's over on the right side of my blog. Just scroll down. Susan's blog has been on my blog roll since the first day I set up this blog. Others have come and gone. But Susan is a resource I've relied on since I started learning about the world of SMB IT consulting.

:-)


SMB Books, Audio Programs, and More 

100% Small Business I.T. Focused 
- Technical - Business - Marketing - 
- Managed Services - Cloud Computing - 
- Network Migrations - Sales - 

All these resources and more. 

SMB Books is THE resources for the small business IT consultant who wants to move up to the next level. 

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Free German Edition of Managed Services in a Month

After many trials and tribulations, the German language edition of Managed Service Provider in 1 Monat is available!

I am eternally grateful to my readers in other countries who have purchased my books in English. Of course, many people in Germany speak English extremely well. But my bet is that they would German if it were available.

We shall see.

I want to give away 100 copies of this book in PDF format to folks with a .de domain email. Send me an email to request your copy. karlp at smallbizthoughts.com.

The only thing I ask is your feedback, so I can improve the edition. My writing style and attitude may not translate well. And, who knows, there may yet be errors in the book.

If you also want to review it on Amazon, I'd appreciate that, too. But it's certainly not a requirement.

The process of creating this book in German was very long and drawn out. I have taken some classes, but certainly am not fluent in German.

I hired a native German speaker with some technical background to create the translation. Unfortunately, he developed a very serious health problem and had to back out of the project. So then I have to find someone else and start over.

I like Upwork, but their search engine is not very good for things like this. You basically have to find a few people who might be right and then figure out the list of skills you need so you can post a job. Then prospects show up.

After that, I hired someone to proofread the book, also a native German speaker. Then, I facilitated some communications between those two to work out differences in how things should be translated.

Finally, I had to find a layout artist who could work with my digital printer's requirements and templates. And back to the proofreader.

Anyway, a year after the English print edition was completed, the German edition is now available.

If you wish to buy the paperback edition, it is available on Amazon.de or SMB Books.

Thank you all. Tell your friends.

:-)

Friday, January 25, 2019

SOP: How to Stand Up At a Client's Office

I sometimes mention my four-step process for standing up at a client's office. I casually mentioned this in a class I was teaching Tuesday when someone asked me where they could find the article or blog post on this. And I realized: I don't think I've actually posted it before.


Here's the setup:

1) You are at a client's office

2) You have performed some work (Doesn't matter what)

3) You wish to stand up and move away from the client's desk

In my company, there is a four step process for this:

1) Verify that you can open a file on the server (or cloud storage)

2) Verify that you can print

3) Verify that you can send/receive email

4) Verify that you can access the Internet

THEN you are authorized to stand up.

I know this seems like overkill to some of you. BUT this SOP has saved us countless hours of hassles, rework, and even driving back to a client's office once we've left. Here's why.

As mentioned above, it doesn't matter why you sat down. Once you sit at a client's computer, anything that goes wrong is your fault. So, if their printer wasn't working but they didn't know it, and you sat down to adjust their monitor, the client will think you did something to break the printer.

90% of the time, issues that you find in these circumstances are very minor. But every once in a while, you find a real problem they were not aware of. This process takes all of about sixty seconds, but it eliminates 99.99% of all gotchas.

How many times have you said, or heard someone else say, "This can't be related to that?" But then it turns out that This is related to That!

Remember, coincidences DO happen. The internet might go down just as you stand up from a client machine. Outlook might have an issue. The printer has one page's worth of toner left.

This SOP is really one of those tiny quality control processes you can build into your standard routine. The phrase I used with technicians to give more force was, "You are not authorized to stand up until you . . .."

Just like the workman who puts little booties on before walking into your house, it's the little things that make your company shine.

Branding is Everything You Do.

:-)



SMB Books, Audio Programs, and More 

100% Small Business I.T. Focused 
- Technical - Business - Marketing - 
- Managed Services - Cloud Computing - 
- Network Migrations - Sales - 

All these resources and more. 

SMB Books is THE resources for the small business IT consultant who wants to move up to the next level. 

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

SBT Community Monthly Meeting - Send Your Questions and Join Me Friday

Small Biz Thoughts Community Members:

SBT Community Monthly Meeting - Send Your Questions and Join Me Friday


One of the benefits of your membership is the monthly get-together Community Meeting.

Please note that there is one link and one password for the entire year - 2019. This get-together repeats every month on the Final Friday at 9:00 AM Pacific / Noon Eastern.

Prepare your questions! Please email questions to [email protected]. We will answer email questions first and then answer live questions.

More info in the What's New blog.

All meetings are recorded and will be posted in the Webinars section of the Small Biz Thoughts Community.

Dates for 2019:
January 25 - 9:00 AM Pacific Time
February 22
March 29
April 26
May 31
June 28
July 26
August 30
September 27
October 25
November 29
December 27


Basic Agenda:

  • What's New
  • Announcements
  • Featured Content
  • Questions / Answers

-- -- --

Other New Stuff This Week in the Small Biz Thoughts Community

Be Your Brand – The Not-So-Subtle Art of Controlling Every Aspect of Your Business
Recorded webinar by Karl W. Palachuk

This presentation is about much more than “branding” in a classic sense. It’s about everything you do! Handouts include an assessment of your SOPs, and a one-year project to implement 50 new SOPs in your business in the next year.

--

Manuel Updates the Service Delivery Backlog and Metrics Training

Lots of Members downloaded Manuel’s Service Delivery Backlog and Metrics Training, posted January 4th. And after some quick feedback, Manuel made some changes and fixed a few things.

--

Massive Coaching Mastermind – Sacramento – March

I am hosting an all-day Massive Coaching Mastermind event at the end of March in Sacramento, CA.
Travel on March 28th. Mastermind all day Friday, March 29th. Price includes two hotel nights – March 28th and 29th – and all meals Friday.

--

My Favorite Marketing Techniques
Recorded Webinar

Will be posted Wed the 23rd.

--

Awesome Employee Onboarding Mini Class
Part 2 of 3 is live Wednesday 9 AM.

Members can access for free!

:-)

Friday, January 18, 2019

Join Me - Coaching Mastermind - March in Sacramento

I am hosting an all-day Massive Coaching Mastermind event at the end of March in Sacramento, CA.

Here's the basic timing:

Fly / Travel on Thursday, March 28th
We'll gather for drinks and networking Thursday evening

Mastermind Breakfast on Friday, March 29th
Meet / Mastermind 9AM to 9PM (includes all meals)

Price includes two hotel nights - March 28th and 29th - and all meals Friday. So plan to travel Thursday and then you're on your own when you wake up Saturday. Weather is normally around 70 degree Fahrenheit in Sacramento at that time.

If you want to bring your family and wander off to Napa wine country, Yosemite, San Francisco, or other Northern California adventures, the weather should be perfect. Or, if you prefer the snow, Tahoe is a short drive up the hill.

This event is strictly limited to TEN participants.

Non-members will pay $1999 each. This includes one year membership in the Small Biz Thoughts Community.

Members pay only $999 each.

Your satisfaction is guaranteed! If you don't get enough value from this event to improve your business significantly, I'll refund your money.

I've lined up some amazing speakers/trainers to help you spend the whole day grabbing a hold of your business and moving it up a notch. Then we're going to focus on YOUR business and help you brainstorm ways to solve your biggest challenges.

This is an all-day working day for your business.

Members: Find the discount code in the "Classes and Seminars" area in the Community. Members Click Here.

Everyone: Register Here


* Price does not include airfare, additional hotel nights, hotel upgrades, guests, spouses, family accommodations, bail, or other expenses.



- - - - -

Thanks (as always) for your support.

If you have questions, email me at [email protected]

:-)

Check Out the All New Book:

Cloud Services in A Month
by Karl W. Palachuk

396 pages - plus lots of juicy downloads


Paperback - Ebook

A great resource for managed service providers or anyone who wants make money selling and bundling cloud services.

Featuring all the details you need to create and sell YOUR custom Cloud Five-Pack (TM)

Learn More!

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Community Meetings Scheduled - Atlanta and Chicago

I posted up a question on Facebook and LinkedIn . . . and got a great response.

So we're going to try a couple of live in-person meetings of the Small Biz Thoughts Community.

Of course anyone can attend. But these meetings will be FREE to members of the SBT Community.


Because we have so many amazing Community Leaders, we have the ability to provide unique content that is not available anywhere else.

Only $99  for non-members! (Free to members)

We are not holding “Roadshows” in 2019. Instead, we are holding a handful of Community Meetings. These are meetings filled with content and 100% focused on improving your IT Consulting business.

Each meeting starts with a keynote presentation by me. After that, we will enjoy content from several special guests, including Amy Babinchak, Harry Brelsford, Jennifer Fields, Amy Luby, Manuel Palachuk, Erick Simpson, and others.

This is a great collection of speakers and training you won’t find anywhere else.

Welcome Video:


Topic:
Making Money in 2019

Pick a city to attend. If you’re a member, pick more than one!

Members – Please register so we have an accurate count. You’ll find a code in the SBT Community Forums (Karl’s Korner / Freebies, Deals, etc.) that takes the price from $99 to Free.


Presentations Include


  • Amy Babinchak – Technical Skillsets You Need for the 2020’s
  • Harry Brelsford – Five Steps to Implementing Analytics in an MSP Practice
  • Jennifer Fields – Power Marketing – List Building, Telemarketing, and Implementation
  • Manuel Palachuk – Agile – The New Method and Metrics For Service Delivery
  • . . . plus Erick Simpson, Amy Luby, and other influential community leaders

See specific cities for specific presenters and topics.


Atlanta – March 5th – Register here



Chicago – April 29th – Register here



-- -- --

We're using the SMB Roadshow web site for agendas, speaker info, etc.

For more information on the Small Biz Thoughts Community, please visit bit.ly/sbtinfo

###

Monday, January 14, 2019

State of the Nation Address for SMB IT - Wednesday Jan 16th

My how time flies.

Join me Wednesday for my 10th Annual State of the Nation Address for SMB IT Professionals.

January 16th, 2019
9:00 AM Pacific Time

Note: This call was recorded. View here.

Register here.
Free of course.

No politics. Just a quick look at 2018, 2019, and some advice for moving ahead.

We have several hundred people registered already. In fact, I just upgraded my webinar package so no one gets locked out.

Just added: We are also going to live stream this webinar on Facebook. To view it there, just go to the Small Biz Thoughts page at https://www.facebook.com/SmallBizThoughts/.

Note, however, that this is my first time streaming a live webinar to Facebook. So if there are any problems, I won't pay any attention to that. I'll be focused on the live Zoom webinar.


In case you missed the first nine years . . . This is a webinar focused on YOU and on our industry.

I give my summary of the year just passed and my ideas for what we face in the year ahead.

After that, I present a 100% business-focused discussion of the challenges and opportunities in the year to come.

2018 was a great year for small business IT. On one hand, 2019 started with some economic turbulence. On the other hand, there's a vast amount of opportunity in emerging technologies.

As I look forward to the year ahead, I am committed to helping IT service providers build successful businesses that look to the future of technology and guarantee their success moving forward.

I've mentioned in recent presentations that I wish was ten years old again. There's more opportunity in technology today than at any time in the last hundred years! To take advantage of it, you need to embrace some new business techniques and abandon some strategies that have been very successful in the past.

It's time to leave the past in the past.

I am going to focus on the most important things you need to do to build a profitable business - and lock in a very successful 2019!

Join Me!

10th Annual State of the Nation Address for SMB IT Professionals
January 16th, 2019
9:00 AM Pacific Time

Register Now!

:-)

Saturday, January 12, 2019

What's Covered by Managed Services?

One of the never-ending questions about Managed Services is: What's Covered?

Let me start by being very clear about what's NOT covered: "All You Can Eat." That term - that concept - is the worst thing you can promise. Ultimately, AYCE is undeliverable. It's stupid at best and dishonest at worst.

At least once a year, someone emails me with a horrible story in which a client has taken advantage of them due to their AYCE policy. I feel in my bones that I'm just about to get another one as IT service providers are asked by their clients to install free upgrades from Windows 7 to Windows 10 on old, crappy machines that should have been retired five years ago. And they'll be asked to do it for FREE because there's an all you can eat contract.

All a client can eat is all the profit of your company.

I really need to do a separate blog post on this, but for now, please believe me. If you offer All You Can Eat, you will regret it one day.

So what IS covered?

Here's the phrase I have always used in my companies:

Managed Services covers the maintenance of the operating system and software.

This phrase is elegant, it is precise, and it is succinct. Managed service is fundamentally a process for maintaining client systems. It is not intended to include projects or project labor.

That simple phrase - "Managed Services covers the maintenance of the operating system and software" - is easy to remember. It's also easy to teach to your clients, prospects, and employees. And it also makes clear what is not covered: Hardware and non-maintenance labor.

You can choose to cover hardware under specific circumstances. Again, that's a topic for another blog post.

The key phrase to remember what's not covered is: Adds-Moves-Changes. The example I give to everyone is very simple.

If you want me to install a program on your machine, that is an addition. Therefore, the labor is billable. As soon as it's installed and working, then it's covered by managed service. After that, if it stops working, we will fix it for no additional charge.

The exception, of course, is specialty software that is either a major line-of-business application or something you had programmed specifically for your company. Those programs are not "off the shelf" and must be under a maintenance contract in order for us to include them in managed service.

Write that down: Add, Move, Change. It could literally be the difference between profit and loss for your managed service business.

Next question: What about clients who always need X hours per month? Can we include that?

Well, yes, of course. But you need to be careful. We have had clients with huge turnover due to the nature of their business (e.g., a call center). Because we know they will use up a certain number of hours per month adding and removing users, we pre-sold them blocks of time. You could add "up to x hours" labor to the monthly bill and just increase your recurring revenue. As long as it works for both you and the client, it's good.

In general, I like the monthly bill to be as consistent as possible. Another goal of managed services is to make the invoicing as predictable as possible for both you and the client.

Deep in my heart, I believe that most people who call themselves managed service providers are not providing managed services. They are using the terminology because it has become so common. But they are rolling out marginal or even unprofitable programs - and calling it managed service.

You do not have to use my exact phrase above. But I think you'll make more money if you do. Whatever phrase you use, you need to draw a big, dark line that separates billable from non-billable work.

:-)


Check Out the Managed Services Operations Manual

Four Volume Set
The Managed Services Operations Manual

by Karl W. Palachuk

Over 1,100 pages - plus lots of juicy downloads


Paperbacks - Ebooks - Audio Books

Standard operating procedures, policies, and practical advice for IT consulting companies of all sizes.

From the author of Managed Services in a Month.

Learn More!

Friday, January 11, 2019

SMB Techfest: Join Me and Former Microsoft Global CIO Jim Dubois

Join me in Anaheim at the big Q1 SMB TechFest.

Thursday Jan 17, 2019
8:00am - 6:00pm

Onsite in Sunny California
EXPO CENTER
1960 S. Anaheim Way Anaheim, CA



SMB TechFest Industry conference is only 1 week away.   You need to attend.  Here are 5 important reasons why:


  • Stay Current.  No matter how experienced you are at your business, you need to stay ahead.  Working in your business can often be isolating, and without exposure to industry leaders, you will miss new ideas and trends that impact future results.  Come to learn as your business is worth it. 


  • Networking with peers.  We provide the networking you need.  Competitors become valuable resources for referrals and best-practices.  Avoiding peers will actually limit your own success.  


  • Encounter new vendors and suppliers.  Too often people shy away from the exhibit hall.  They fear that they will have to talk to sales people, but these industry suppliers are the best people for you to engage to learn more about the current business climate.  Discovering innovative products and services for your business is necessary to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.  


  • Position yourself as an expert.  When you attend, you develop a reputation as an expert to your peers and your clients.  Those who are actively engaged are often asked to speak at the events and to write articles for their industry publications.  Don’t be left out, join other thought leaders.   


  • Have fun.  Being in business should be rewarding and fun.  All work and no play gets old fast.  This event will add  enjoyment and career growth by mixing while you learn and promote yourself.  Enjoy complimentary Beer/Wine and great food at the event.  Never underestimate the power of a little fun mixed with industry people!


You can attend FREE with this link: http://www.SMBTechFest.com/karl

- - - - -

Be my VIP guest and see me live at SMB TechFest.  SMB TechFest Q1 is coming up on January 17th.  See me present along with other industry experts in sessions to grow your business.  Also, engage in the IT Mixer, Expo Hall, and prizes included in this exclusive no-cost VIP pass for you. 

SMB TechFest Highlights Watch the 2 minute video

New Theme this Year!The Sky is the Limit


 Highlighted Speaker Topics

Build A Vast Executive Network
Panel: Sales Strategies for 2019
Panel: Optimize Your Service Team
Power Talk series
And More 


Meet Former Microsoft Global CIO Jim Dubois

And hear Key Insights and Industry Directions 


Rated a Top 50 Channel Conference

Expand your solutions at the Expo Hall
Network with 250+ partners and Technical Professionals
Win Prizes
Hosted Bar and appetizers
Parking Included
Includes breakfast, lunch and more
Great for Partners & IT Pros of all industry focus
Always a high-value packed agenda


One Day
Thursday Jan 17, 2019
8:00am - 6:00pm

Onsite in Sunny California
EXPO CENTER
1960 S. Anaheim Way Anaheim, CA

I'll see you there!

:-)


Monday, January 07, 2019

What's Your Business Worth? Sell My MSP has a handy dandy tool for you

What's Your Business Worth?

Find out - no strings attached!


Right now MSP valuations are off the charts. So if you've been speculating about what your business might be worth, Amy Babinchak and Rayanne Buchianico can help you out.

Over at their site - Sell My MSP - they have a handy tool where you can enter in a few pieces of data and get instant results. They also have refreshed process so they can serve more people quicker. This self-serve tool is a free, no strings attached, simply way for people to figure out what their MSP might be worth.

It’s also a good introduction for anyone thinking of selling today or down the line. You could even use it as a check-up to see if what your building is making process in the right direction.

https://www.sellmymsp.com/what-might-my-business-be-worth/


As Amy describes it: "It’s a weighted calculation collapsed from the terribly complex traditional business evaluation. It was designed by the brilliant Rayanne."

Check it out today. No charge. www.sellmymsp.com

:-)


SMB Books, Audio Programs, and More 

100% Small Business I.T. Focused 
- Technical - Business - Marketing - 
- Managed Services - Cloud Computing - 
- Network Migrations - Sales - 

All these resources and more. 

SMB Books is THE resources for the small business IT consultant who wants to move up to the next level. 

Wednesday, January 02, 2019

Managing Your Service Board - Class starts Jan. 8th

Managing Your Service Board - Setup, Core SOPs, and Daily Procedures

5-Week class starts January 8th

- Five Tuesdays -January 8 - February 5 , 2019 - Register Now

- All classes start a 9:00 AM Pacific

This course covers the most important pieces of making your PSA (Professional Services Administration) service board work effectively. Your PSA is the brain center of your entire operation.

Most Managed Service Providers don't use their PSA systems efficiently. In fact, most of them only use 10-20% of the capabilities of their PSA. This costs you money because you have the tool to run everything in your business more effectively. But if you don't put the right information into the tool, then you can't get the reports you need to improve your business.

This course covers the daily operation of a managed service business - or any IT shop with a service board and a one or more technicians who execute the service. It assumes you have a service board or PSA (Professional Services Administration) and a service manager.

Whether you sell “break fix” or flat fee services, a service board will take your company to the next level – if you use it right. In addition to covering setup and core standard operating procedures, we'll get into the "nitty gritty" of running a service board and managing the service department.


Which PSA?

I used ConnectWise for four years in my business. Then I switched to Autotask and used that for five years. Eventually, I moved to LogicNow (SolarWinds MSP) and used that for four years.

On top of all that, I've worked closely with coaching client who have used all of these products. This course is intended to apply to all PSAs. I will point out areas where differences are most obvious.


You will learn

  • How tickets should flow into, through, and off of the service board
  • How to set up the core components of a service board
    • Priorities
    • Statuses
    • Workflows
    • Time Estimates
  • The most important processes and procedures for making the board work effectively once it's set up
  • Introducing new processes to you employees
  • Getting clients to understand the new processes
  • Time tracking the right way
  • The most important reports you need to run
    • Every Day
    • Every Week
    • Every Month
    • When it's time for client renewals
  • Avoiding the biggest pitfalls with service board management
  • Building an Action Plan that works


Additional Topics include:


  • Welcome to the Service Department
  • After Hours Work
  • On Call and Night Staff
  • Managing Internal Administrative Tasks
  • Assign Techs or Rotate Them?
  • Approved Tools
  • Employees in The Tech Department
  • Technician Daily Time Management -- includes daily work flow
  • Time Tracking for Employees
  • The Tech on Call for The Day - Managing Daily Workflow
  • How to Maximize Billability of Technicians
  • Email Rules and Etiquette for the Consultant
  • Technician Supplies
  • Final Friday Training
  • Troubleshooting Guidelines
  • Troubleshooting and Repair Logs
  • Service Delivery Policies and Procedures
  • The First Client Visit
  • Guide to a Service Call
  • The Network Documentation Binder - NDB
  • Response Times - Guarantees and Delivery
  • Time Entry and Note Entry in Service Tickets
  • Information Sharing
  • Service Board Backlog Management
  • Daily Monitoring of Client Machines
  • Patch Management Philosophy and Procedures
  • Setting Up Alerts in Your PSA and RMM
  • New PC Checklists
  • Server Down Procedures
  • Third Party Tech Support - Documenting Calls
  • Third Party Tech Support - Rules of Engagement
  • Document Pouches
  • Service Focus: Monthly Maintenance
  • Why We Do Monthly Maintenance
  • Scheduling Monthly Maintenance and On Site Visits
  • Checklist for Major Scheduled Maintenance
  • The Monthly Maintenance Checklist
  • Monthly Single Checklist
  • Outsourcing (some) of Your Monthly Maintenance
  • Backup Monitoring, Testing, and Management
  • Disaster Recovery - An Overview

Delivered by Karl W. Palachuk, blogger and author of the very popular "SOP Friday" posts.

Includes five weeks of webinars with related handouts, assignments, and "office hours" with the instructor. All classes are recorded for download.

This course is intended for business owners and managers. It is particularly useful for the Service Manager or Operations Manager.

Only $259
Register Now
:-)

Check Out the #1 Best-Selling book on Managed Services ever!

Managed Services in A Month
by Karl W. Palachuk

3nd Edition - Newly Revised and Updated with TEN new chapters


Paperback - Ebook - Audio Book

Unlike some books with old copyrights that sell for $60 or more, this book is 100% up to date and is only $29.95.

Now includes information on making cloud services part of your managed service offering!

Learn More!

Social Media Tune-Up Checklist

Just in time for the New Year!

Here's a checklist you can use to make sure you've tuned up your social media presence. Many of us tend to set up these accounts and then ignore them for a long time.

Social Media Tune-Up Checklist

Copyright © 2019 Karl W. Palachuk

Note: The complete checklist is below. Small Biz Thoughts Community Members can download an editable Word docx version of this checklist. See the Checklists category or What's New area.

Any time is a good time to review your social media presence and make sure it’s working hard for you.

It’s very important that you consider two factors before you spend time tuning up your social media:

1. (For each service) What role will this social media service play in our marketing for the next twelve months?

2. (For each service) How frequently do we plan to post on this service? Who is responsible for this?

Use this list as a starting point. If you have specific things you do with social media, make sure appropriate updates are added to the list.


Facebook – Personal Profile
Cover Photo
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Profile Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Profile Overall
o Verify that it’s up to date and reflects your current branding
Going Forward . . .
o What “voice” do you want to project on Facebook?
o How will you achieve this with your personal profile?


Facebook – Business Pages and Groups (for each)
Cover Photo
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Page “Profile” Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Page Information Overall
o Verify that it’s up to date and reflects your current branding
Going Forward . . .
o What “voice” do you want to project on this Facebook page/group?
Advertising the Page/Group
o How will you drive traffic to this group/n this Facebook page/group?
o What and how will you advertise TO this page/group?


LinkedIn
Background Graphic
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Page “Profile” Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Profile Information Overall
o Verify that it’s up to date and reflects your current branding
Going Forward . . .
o What “voice” do you want to project on this LinkedIn group?
LinkedIn Group
o Consider starting a group focused on your prospects and clients
o Whether starting a new group or tuning up an old one, determine how you will use that group to make more sales
o What and how will you advertise TO this group?


YouTube Channel
Background Graphic
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
“Profile” Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Channel Information Overall
o Verify that it’s up to date and reflects your current branding
Going Forward . . .
o What “voice” do you want to project on your YouTube channel?
Review Playlists
o Do you have Playlists that have become old, irrelevant, or neglected?
o Do you need to create one or more new playlists with specific goals?
Review or Create Welcome Videos
o If you have welcome videos, make sure they are up to date and relevant
o If you do not have welcome videos, make them!


Twitter
Background Graphic
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
“Profile” Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Channel Information Overall
o Verify that it’s up to date and reflects your current branding
Going Forward . . .
o What “voice” do you want to project on your YouTube channel?


Pinterest
Background Setting
o Is it representative of the “branding” you want?
o Set to recent activity vs. latest pins
Profile Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Review Boards
o Do you have too many boards?
o Do you have unused/neglected boards?
Overall . . .
o Does your Pinterest serve your brand? If not, how can you tune it up?


Google+ / Google Profile
Unfortunately, Google will create a “plus” account for every email you have ever used with any Google-own property. This includes YouTube, Feedburner, Blogger, Gmail, reCaptcha, Smarty Pins, Android, Chrome, Waze, Nexus, and many more.
So the first job is to pick one Google+ account and pay attention to that.
. . . although you might also just make sure none of the others has been taken over by hackers.
Profile Picture
o This one is particularly important since it will appear on many Google properties
o Verify that your profile background is new and appropriate
Community Memberships
o Make sure you only belong to communities you want to.
o Accept pending invitations to communities if relevant
Follow and unfollow people
o As long as you’re on the page, go ahead and tune up your following
Settings Tab
o Again, as long as you’re there, verify that settings are correct for privacy, connections to sites, and so forth

Instagram
Profile Picture
o Is it good? Do you need to update it for the new year?
Update bio, email, etc.


Your Personal or Company Blog
Yes – Your personal or business blog is part of your social media. This is especially true if you’re using tools to cross-post and promote to and from your blog.
Background Graphic / Template
o Do you have a good, modern template? In addition to having the right graphics, it needs to look good on a phone and tablet.
o Layout settings
o Template or Theme
Profile Picture
o If it’s not controlled on the blog itself, it might be at gravatar.com or another avatar system.
Is your blog up to date and does it look “live” to visitors?


Hootsuite or Other Social Media Aggregator
Have you connected all the social media accounts you want?
o After going through the lists above, are there social media accounts you want to add to this list?
Is the right amount of activity scheduled to post for the next several weeks?


. . . And While You’re At It . . .
Connect all relevant accounts
o Whenever you’re editing a profile on any social media, go ahead and connect it to other social media so you can easily crow-post as needed.
Collect stats on all accounts
o For many social media, this is easier on the computer than on the phone
o Followers / Following / Total Posts / Posts within a time span / etc.
Add or remove folks you’re following
o As long as you’re logged in, you might as well increase following/followers. Remember, some people only follow you if you follow them.

-- -- --

There you go! That should keep someone in your company busy for a few hours.

Enjoy!
:-)

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