The results of 15 minutes media's Professional Social Media Use Survey are in. Read our summary about the results in our post Survey says... Your thoughts on social media for business. We'd love to hear what you think, so please enter your comments below. We will try to answer any question posted.

Congratulations to our 10 winners of the $25 giftcard. We appreciate your participation in the survey.

Let's keep the conversation going. Share your thoughts about the results. Do you agree or disagree with the responses?

The results of 15 minutes media's Professional Social Media Use Survey are in and the responses are revealing.

For the past two weeks, we've been asking businesses of all sizes about their use of and thoughts about social media. Eighty individuals participated in the survey from a wide variety of industries including educational institutions, communications and marketing companies, a hair salon, musicians, a comedy venue, a wholesale florist, medical practices, a wedding facility, a clothing company, a law firm and more.

We're excited to share the results with you. Please feel free to comment and share your own thoughts about using social media for marketing. You can skip ahead to the results or read through my summary below.

Many of you posted excellent questions. We intend to address each of these questions in upcoming blog posts. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting informative articles, how-to guides, videos and learning opportunities to help you create an effective social media strategy and the tools to track it. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.

THE RESULTS

When asked to describe their current use of social media use, no one responded "I do not currently use social media for my business and do not plan to in the future." By now, everyone seems to understand that social media is a necessary addition to the marketing mix.

Interestingly, despite the fact that 87.5% of respondents are already using social media for business and 10% consider themselves an expert, only one person said they feel completely on top of their game. Daily management and content development proved to be the most overwhelming aspects of social media for our respondents. I can certainly understand. Most of us have limited resources. Spending hours a day on Twitter just is not an option. That's why it's so important to have a solid social media strategy. Choosing the right tools and planning how you will use them in advance will help you stay on top of your social media effectively and productively.

View the full results here.

While many of the responses were in line with our expectations, I was surprised to see how many businesses are actively using social media without any strategy or measurement tools in place. While I give kudos to any organization using social media tools, it's easy to see why so many people are frustrated. Without a plan, there is no clear direction. Coming up with content on the fly and keeping track of networks will quickly become overwhelming.

Measurement is just as important. Most business owners meticulously track sales numbers, expenses and the effects of their offline marketing, but when it comes to social media, very few business owners know if it's actually working. How do you measure success or return on investment or effort if you have no reporting tools in place? Measuring specific results will also help you to determine the strengths and weaknesses of your strategy and allow you to refine it accordingly.

We help many of our clients understand how to make social media work for them. While each client is unique, there are some general guidelines and rules. We will share tips as well as step-by-step instructions in the coming weeks. If you would like a more personalized approach, please give us a call at 718-768-3844 to get started.

Let's keep the conversation going. Share your experiences with social media in the comments.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter and "Like" us on Facebook. 

When I first joined 15 minutes media as an employee in July, I was excited about all the new opportunities and responsibilities I would be granted as an official member of the team. Most recently, I was thrilled, flattered, proud, and admittedly surprised when I was entrusted with as crucial a role as the project manager for an upcoming project. Amanda smiled, reminding me that this was one of the benefits of working with a small company. Indeed, one of many!

In spite of my excitement, those positive emotions were also tainted by the notion that I hadn’t done this before. Or, at least initially, I didn’t think so. After thinking it over, however, I realized that project management is something we do essentially everyday. With every responsibility, task, or objective we take on in life, we plan, organize, meet deadlines, assess risks, and manage assets towards the successful completion of one of life’s many little projects. This was even more evident to me in looking back on my (increasingly distant) college experience, where my professors or supervisors gave me one deadline for a paper or group project with the expectation that I or we would figure out all the details in between. Success often required me to be a very disciplined, organized, and detail oriented individual. What’s so different?

Naturally, most people are probably better at managing certain aspects of their lives and careers over others, and I am certainly no exception. Still, I move forward with confidence because I am passionate about this opportunity, and the vision behind our client’s endeavor. I can’t share much information about the project now, but I trust it will be a very engaging and exciting process adding this new skill to my repertoire. I hope you will join me along the journey in my first blog series detailing my first experiences as a project manager!

For those of us who receive the "Daily Deal" emails from Groupon, part of the appeal is the focus on local business. I'm always thrilled to see a deal for something I've always wanted, but never knew existed just a few subway stops away.

Yesterday, however, Groupon offered its first national deal. For $25, you could get $50 worth of merch at Gap. And people responded. By noon, users were clicking "Buy" to the tune of 10 per second.

But was it really good for business? So, far, the jury's still out over whether the deal will have much impact for Gap. But, regardless of whether Groupon took its typical 50% cut (company policy prohibits them from disclosing the profit margins of the deal) it certainly threw them in the spotlight.

I doubt Groupon will stray too far from local business, but they will likely receive a boost in brand recognition and profits as a result of all the attention. Heck, I'm writing about them here, aren't I?

Some interesting articles:

eConsultancy: Groupon Goes National With Gap

TechCrunch: Groupon Launches National Deal With Gap, Selling 10 Groupons A Second

What do you think about Groupon going national?

Whether you're a small business, an artist, musician, freelancer, consultant, or even an employee interested in social media for business, we want to hear from you.

We're asking for your questions, needs, barriers and concerns so that we can be a better digital marketing firm. We'll even send you our findings, if you like. Plus, 10 lucky folks will win a $25 gift card to either Starbucks, Amazon, or iTunes. Think you can spare 10 minutes for that? We'd be real grateful.

It's Friday... the 13th. Here's another week of my favorite tweets from the 15 minutes media team!

Today's post is an open letter to photographers written by my fabulous cousin, Becca. Creative freelancers of all kinds, take note. These issues are relevant for you as well.

Dear Wedding Photographers,

I think you're swell but, as a whole, your websites suck.

First of all, turn the freaking music off. Seriously. I'm probably looking at your site at work and it's hard to find the off button and I probably don't like the music you picked nor do I care since I didn't come to you for music. Don't do it — it's downright annoying!

Secondly, it should not take 100 years for your site or gallery to load. The best way to ensure this is to NOT USE FLASH! And while we're on the subject of the gallery, how to move from one picture to another should be obvious to my grandmother and I should be able to peruse the thumbnails. I should also be able to use the keyboard or the scroller on my mouse to move through the pictures (which is another reason NOT TO USE FLASH!) Also, I'm pretty sure 75% of you all have the exact same Flash site re-branded. Stop it. Want something inexpensive? Try WordPress with a custom template design. [Editor's note: We can help! Just Contact Us to find out how.] And do NOT have your gallery or site pop-up! EVER!

Thirdly, don't have your blog header take up the entire screen. I get confused and think there are no posts or something. And if you don't have a blog with most of your current wedding previews, make one.

Fourthly, tell me how much you cost. I don't care if you do "custom" packages, tell me how much your typical package is and what it includes.

Fifth, I'm probably going to post the photos on facebook. If you have a problem with this, the best way to handle it is to give me lo-res versions of all pictures with your watermark. Then everyone is happy.

Lastly, tell me WHERE YOU LIVE. I totally get that you want to travel and stuff but I'm not looking to pay for that so make it really obvious where you live and shoot weddings generally. Don't make me look up your area code on google. Instead how about say "Chicago Wedding Photographer" instead of just "Wedding Photographer."

Seriously I love you guys but weddings are stressful and photography is expensive, so make it a bit easier on us! True I'm already married and had an awesome photographer (with a great website!) but since I have three good friends getting married next year, I now have to look at all the sites again… and it's annoying. It is also true that I develop web sites for a living and am probably more critical than most but really I'm trying to help!

Sincerely,
Becca

Becca is a software developer who enjoys playing guitar, writing songs and playing with her pug Maverick!  She and her husband had a kick ass Rock 'n Roll Wedding in May. This letter was originally published on offbeatbride.com.

15 minutes media can help all you creative professionals out there guilty of breaking these rules! Just contact us! We'd be happy to give you a free consultation.

Happy August, everyone! Here are some of my favorite tweets from the 15 minutes media team this week!

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the 2nd Annual CSS Summit, my first ever VIRTUAL conference (AKA Web Conference), hosted by Environments for Humans. It was an 8-hour day packed with presentations from some really interesting folks on timely topics of web design, standards and development. I learned a lot and met some really great people while lounging in my PJs. I’d like to focus for now, though, on the concept of a virtual conference. As a first-timer, I was sold. Not only was it fun, but the benefits of the virtual format were plentiful and definitely outweighed the disadvantages. At least for me.

OK, on to the meaty stuff. Here’s my list of Pros, Cons, and Recommendations:

Pros

No traveling means fewer and lower costs plus greater accessibility.
The ability to host a conference without requiring travel is probably the most obvious benefit to this format. Not only does it cut down on rental fees, but it also means the conference is available to an international audience as well as those who are unable to travel. Tickets can also be sold at a significantly lower cost which will bring in a larger audience. Also, while some people participated individually, their were also “Meeting Rooms”, in which a room full of people could attend the conference together at a group rate. This would be helpful if you have companies/orgs sending whole departments to the conference.

Unlimited Capacity
Obviously if you don’t have to rent a location, you don’t have to worry about space constraints, which means you can sell as many tickets as people are willing to buy!

Record-ability
Let’s face it, people get restless after spending several hours at a conference. Sometimes their attention wanes during presentations they were initially excited about. Offering a chance for them to come back to the presentations in full at a later time is invaluable.

Chatting is Encouraged
One of my favorite aspects of the CSS Summit was the ability to communicate with fellow attendees via chat. Not only did I make some professional contacts, but I also got to see real-time responses to the content and participate in relevant conversations. Plus their were plenty of hilarious voices and inside jokes that only helped to develop a sense of community and rapport.

And of course, Dogs are Allowed!
My Chihuahua snoozed on my lap the whole time.

Cons

Technical Difficulties
Technical problems can really ruin the experience. Since the whole conference is dependent on sound and video quality streaming smoothly over the internet, even the smallest disturbances can cause big problems. Just be sure to have techy folks on hand for speedy fixes when necessary.

Chatting is encouraged
Okay, I know I said this was a pro, but it’s also a con. The real-time chatting can become distracting and take away from the presentations at times. However, it also can also raise questions/issues/concerns related to the content that may not have been addressed otherwise.

No traveling
Again, a pro is also a con. Part of the appeal of traditional conferences is the opportunity to travel to exotic places. I suppose you could still travel if you want, plus you could choose your OWN destination!

Sore butts
Sitting on my couch for 8 hours was not a very butt-friendly thing to do. At least at traditional conferences, you’re getting up and walking around in between presentations.

Recommendations for Enhancing the Overall Experience

Please keep in mind that this was my first and only experience with this format and it was hosted on the Adobe Connect web conferencing platform. Some of these suggestions may be available on other platforms.

Virtual business card exchange or attendee profiles
Networking opportunities are an extremely valuable aspect of traditional conferences. While the virtual chat can be a useful networking tool, only the loudest people participate. I would have liked the ability to browse through profiles of attendees. I may have been more inclined to introduce myself to those who might make good networking contacts.

Visual indicator for questions in the chat
The chat was great for directing questions at the presenters. However, it was difficult to visually separate general chat from content questions very easily. Plus the presenters seemed to have a difficult time scrolling through the chatter to find questions. It would help if there was either a pre-defined hashtag (our group started using #Q: before a question for the presenter) or some other type of visual indicator such as a different color or an icon, etc...

Half-Day conferences or lots of breaks
A whole day sitting on my butt staring at my computer with little opportunity to get up, stretch, or even get food or go to the bathroom without missing part of the presentation was a big drawback for me. It would have been nice to have at least a half hour break for food and maybe a 5 - 10 minute break in between presenters. Just play some good music.

Afterparty chat (preferably with beer and cookies)
At the end of the day I really wanted to go enjoy happy hour with some of my fellow attendees. While this isn’t really possible, it might be fun to have an organized and hosted afterparty chat available to those who want to process what they’ve learned throughout the day and network a little bit. It would be reminiscent of chat rooms from the early days of the social web. How nostalgic!

Have you ever been to a virtual conference? Share your pros, cons and suggestions in the comments!

Social media has reached an impressive state of being. No matter what business you’re in, your audience is more immediately reachable than ever before. And they’re eager for delicious content. My 93-year-old grandmother even asked if I thought she should join Facebook. And she was serious. Do you know what that means? It means any business NOT currently investing in this awesome opportunity is at an enormous disadvantage.

But what exactly does it mean? I could sit here and lecture you on the importance of your social media strategy and explain how your social identity can impact sales and demonstrate how Facebook and Twitter are only the beginning, but you probably already know all that. So, instead, I’m going to persuade you not to entrust some restless ex-student, whose propensity for cyber-stalking and micro-blogging keeps him up at night, with the ever-important role of Social Media Marketing Manager. Especially in the form of an unpaid (or under-paid) internship.

In a recent bout of curiosity while browsing craigslist ads for social media interns, I was appalled to find so many companies willing to give near complete control over their social identities to college students or recent grads. I thought,

WOW! it must be a great time to be 21 and unemployed if you can so easily become the most influential voice for a company you’ve never heard of without any real experience or qualifications beyond being “on Facebook multiple times per day”!  Who cares if it’s an unpaid internship!

Okay, people, I know the ocean of social media can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate, but just because you don’t fully understand the inner workings of Facebook or Twitter, doesn’t mean you should trust a more digitally savvy college student to speak for your company on a daily basis! Remember the most important word in the phrase “Social Media Marketing” is MARKETING. Not social. Social media is an incredibly valuable MARKETING platform.

Whoever fills the role of social media frontman for your business is going to have a lot of power over your audience. The masses will associate that voice with everything you stand for. Do you really want to give that much power to an intern whose investment in your company has not yet been tested?

It might be helpful to envision a miniature Spiderman sitting atop your shoulder whispering proverbial wisdom of the comic age into your ear:

With great power comes great responsibility.

• Responsibility to uphold the values of your company 24/7/365.
• Responsibility to develop long-term relationships with the right kind of audience.
• Responsibility to know who that audience is, where to find them, and how best to communicate with them.
• Responsibility to inspire trust and brand loyalty in the hearts and minds of that audience.
• Responsibility to commit to the long-term goals of your business and build momentum over time.

Is all that responsibility worth nothing? I think not. In fact, I think it may possibly be one of the most valuable positions in your company.

I’m not saying an intern can’t be a trusted resource while setting up on various social networks. They do spend a lot of time swimming in that ocean. But, if you find yourself dreaming of a cheap (or free) web savvy intern taming those pesky anxieties that creep out of the corners of your mind at the very thought of managing your social identity, take a few deep breaths and think hard about your real needs before placing that ad for a social media internship.

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P.S. I did a quick search and The Red Hat Society (of which my grandmother is an active member) has over 5,000 likes on Facebook! I’m beginning to think I was wrong in telling her to steer clear due to the steep learning curve. I just didn’t want her to fret about it all, but perhaps I’ll give her a ring and ask her to friend me.

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Your Business Online is a new series exploring critical and timely issues pertaining to the life of your business online.