Tweeting from experience: Alex Harrison

Baltimore's own 3 Ride is an avid user of social media. The shop was established in 2001.

In the past two weeks, I’ve talked to Duffy Leidner and Will Hardison, each new business owners who are using social media as their primary means of marketing. However, this week I got a chance to talk with someone who’s had extended experience with social media as a strong marketing tool.

Alex Harrison worked for Baltimore’s own 3 Ride, a local skate and snow shop established in 2001. Seeing as 3 Ride’s market is within the same vein as Leidner’s and Hardison’s, I got some insight as to how effective social media could be for them over an extended period of time.

When Harrison began working at 3 Ride, the shop had only a Web site and a blog, but Harrison was able to talk them into building a Facebook page as well.

“Facebook is obviously way more effective as far as keeping people updated,” he said. “and people can be interactive with the shop very easily in a casual manner on it.”

Currently, 3 Ride has 364 “fans,” and is still expanding daily. The number doesn’t seem large, but it’s a matter of quality over quantity. The majority of 3 Ride’s fans came to them, and directly reflect the shop’s age demographics (16-25 said Harrison).

“The skate team and friends of the shop were friends with 3 Ride on Facebook and MySpace first, and you know how it works,” Harrison said. “It just expands from there like a web of goodness.”

The shop updates Facebook multiple times per day, with promotions, videos, new merchandise and sales. However, 3 Ride also recently jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, and according to Harrison, the instant communication it provides has proved to be well worth the time investment.

“MySpace and Facebook were used all the time, but it just got more intense when Twitter came out,” he said. ” [Employee] Carrington uses it now. He posts pics whenever new stuff comes in and Twitter puts it out there like PLOW!”

And with a few years of putting social media to work, Harrison recommends it as a useful business tool with a bright future.

“It’s here to stay of course. It’s super beneficial because it’s free and easy,” he said.” And now it’s easier then ever to [post] pictures and stuff. A free way to advertise? Sounds good to me.”

Check out 3 Ride:

• Web site/blog
• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace

Is social media really as effective as everyone makes it out to be?

I realize that I’ve been on somewhat of a social media kick lately, but it’s because more and more businesses seem to be using some form of it these days. After all, it’s free, so what’s there to lose?

According to some, much more than we think.

I stumbled across an article titled Three Reasons Retailers Should NOT Use Social Media, and found myself surprised at the author’s following three points:

1. No budget.
2. No plan.
3. No content.

Now, let’s look closer at each of his points:

No budget: In regards to this point, the author argues that social media is not actually free. As he states, time is money, and it takes time to update Twitter pages and Facebook profiles. I guess he’s right, especially for someone who is tackling all business responsibilities alone. Trying to get a business off the ground while keeping your social media sites constantly fresh can be a costly feat.

No plan: “Without objectives and a clear sense of the steps required to succeed, social media can be highly ineffective and even detrimental.” Very true. A small business has to have a specific plan or focus when using social media. Weight has to be placed on building honest relationships with clients rather than just the quantity of them. Just because a business has 5,000 followers on Twitter, doesn’t mean that all 5,000 of those people are genuinely interested. Business owners need to pick the form of social media that best suits their needs instead of jumping aboard every last medium.

No content: The content has to have real value to someone, and as the author states, it should probably be the targeted market. This couldn’t be more true. As a user of Twitter, I follow a few companies or organizations that don’t seem to grasp this concept. I honestly don’t care about the latest episode of Dancing with the Stars, or what the latest news is – I follow specific people to get that. Social media should reflect the content that businesses wish to get across to its targeted markets. Otherwise, it’s useless.

In conclusion, social media can actually be ineffective if used irresponsibly. However, as I argued the past two weeks, it can also be very useful in the right hands. While some businesses are choosing to use it for the sake of jumping on the bandwagon, many others are using it for all the right reasons.

Duffy Leidner: Marketing with social media

Photo Credit: Andrew Wagner

At only 18 years old, Duffy Leidner wouldn’t seem to be someone with much business experience. But by taking advantage of his resources, Leidner has proven to be a motivated and successful individual.

His company, called Stilted, is a skateboard and snowboard inspired clothing company he recently started with a few close friends. Everything is done out of his house (where he lives with his mother, Robin, and sister, Brooke) from design, inventory, etc.

Already, Stilted has amassed considerable popularity through Leidner’s simple business tactic: social networking.

“Facebook, MySpace and all are where the people are,” he says. “We come to them where they feel comfortable.”

With so many people on social networks, it’s become easy for small or new companies to communicate with consumers and attract new ones. Leidner says that aside from his initial word-of-mouth methods, social media has been his primary, and most successful, form of marketing. For someone still in the first years of college, in a time where money is tight for business, Leidner knows the importance of using his free resources,

It began with a MySpace account, and has since spread to Facebook, YouTube and blogs.  Leidner believes that aside from the lack of cost and ease of access, these networks are beneficial by creating a more personable relationship between business and consumer.

“Something about the internet makes people more open,” he says. “People aren’t scared to voice their opinions online. We get a lot of feedback, both positive and negative about stuff, and they tell us how they feel about the products.”

Leidner tries to update his sites often, but admits that it can become inconsistent. The fluctuation of activity from his consumers influences how often he updates each site. For the most part, Facebook stays the most active as it is the most used form of social media among his targeted market.

But Leidner has his fingers crossed that it’s not just a passing trend.

“A lot of younger people are on Facebook, and that’s basically who we’re going after; people around my own age. I just hope it keeps staying as popular as it is. That, and that I won’t ever have to pay for it.”

Check out Stilted:

• Facebook Group
• Website/Blog
• MySpace

Expert Q&A: Social Media for Small Business

After talking to Will Hardison last week, I really got to thinking about the benefits of social media for new businesses. In today’s world, it seems as though everyone has a Facebook profile and a Twitter account. It has become so easy to instantly communicate with people all across the globe, making it irresponsible for new business owners to not take advantage of the trend.

I found an interview on American Banking News with Steve Nielsen, founder and CEO of the social network PartnerUp, who provides further insight into how vital social media is to new businesses.

First of all, Nielsen points out the the benefit of real time communication social media provides. Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow businesses to receive and reply to feedback with existing and potential consumers in not only efficient ways, but also for free (for the most part). As most forms of social media are free, business owners can’t help but try it out. Specifically, these networks become very helpful in  spreading the word of promotions, special deals and instant updates.

Another key point Nielsen makes is for businesses to choose an outlet of social media that best suits its interests. Of course, Facebook and Twitter can be helpful to any business, but other sites can specifically tailor to a company’s desired image, needs and so on. Looking back at Will Hardison’s company, Fourcast, he chose to create a profile on Vital BMX; a popular social network in the BMX community. He also chose to create a YouTube account, so existing and potential consumers could see team riders in action, actively participating in the sport.

Overall, social media outlets are key in spreading news and peaking interest for businesses whether new or old. The instant communication proves invaluable itself, and the seemingly endless choices of networks which tailor to any new business’ makes it even more worthwhile.

In the end, social media is not only a useful option for new businesses, it’s a necessary one.

Will Hardison: Founder of Fourcast

Will Hardison, 25, is the founder of a new BMX apparel company out of Indianapolis, Ind. His clothing company, Fourcast, grew out of his desire to produce a footwear line nearly three years ago. However, after a few prototypes, Hardison realized the direction he was headed was just too expensive, leaving him to put the company on hold altogether.

That was until this past summer.

“I was wearing one of the shirts around a local mall and got a handful of compliments on it. Even from a few managers of lifestyle stores,” says Hardison. “It sparked my interest in doing more of an apparel line.”

With two up-and-coming riders on his team, clean designs, a professional looking website and a grassroots approach to things, it seems as though Fourcast has all the workings to be a successful BMX company. As of now, Hardison runs the company entirely out of his home, complete with a bedroom turned office and another turned stockroom.

For him, the current state of the economy is easier to forget than to fret over.

“I pretty much ignore the state of the economy. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad idea,” he says. “Instead of going huge with trade show booths and forcing stores to buy our product, we’re creating a huge underground grassroots movement that we hope will persuade stores to call us asking to carry our brand.”

Currently, Fourcast relies heavily on social media as a means of marketing. Every morning Hardison wakes up at 6:30 a.m. to update and keep up with Facebook, Twitter, the blog and email. Already, the company has nearly 2,000 followers on Twitter, a Facebook fan page, a YouTube channel and a profile on Vital BMX (a popular BMX social network).

Aside from his new company, Hardison also owns a creative agency, designing and developing websites for other companies. Even being armed with a strong business sense already, he admits that splitting time between the two has both its ups and downs.

“Since I own both companies, its not hard to focus on both. I just have to make sure that all of the tasks for both companies are done for the day before I turn the computers off,” he says. “Sometimes it doesn’t happen because you just never know what will happen during the course of a given day.”

For Fourcast’s future, Hardison says he hopes to sponsor a BMX team of  household names, ultimately helping turn the company into a household name itself. As for now, he plans to continue adding new apparel and riders, and focus his attention on providing innovative products no one else in BMX is offering.

Learn more about Fourcast:

• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Vital BMX
• YouTube Channel