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Ulistic interviewed by Liam Lahey @partnerpedia
By Stuart Crawford | February 8, 2010
By Liam Lahey
Ulistic Internet Consulting, armed with decades of experience and a healthy dose of creativity, is focused on clearing the fog around social media, online applications and services, particularly for small to midsized businesses (SMBs).
The Calgary, Alta.-based firm’s co-founder and partner, Stuart R. Crawford (@stuartrcrawford), recently told Partnerpedia ‘times have changed’ and promises @Ulistic, co-founder David West; bring a ‘fresh approach to doing business online’. On Feb. 5, Partnerpedia interviewed Crawford via Twitter:
Thanks for tuning in to Partnerpedia Twitterviews (#PP1on1), our inaugural Twitter Q&A with a Partnerpedia community member. Today our guest is Stuart R. Crawford (@stuartrcrawford), co-founder/partner of Ulistic Internet Consulting.
Q1 Stuart: you blog & use many social sites incl. Partnerpedia. How do you budget the time to be active on all & manage @Ulistic?
SRC Thanks for the opportunity. We only have 168 hours per week; we need to still serve our clients and take care of business. How I managed my time is critical to the success of my online activities. I really focus on using real life scenarios. When I blog, I bulk blog usually on Sunday and then release throughout the week or do short blogs during the week.
Q2 You blogged small biz are skeptical of so-called ‘social media experts’. Where does a biz owner go to learn about social media?
SRC There are a number of so-called experts in every field. I would be cautious of those calling themselves experts. Do your research, find out who your colleagues are using, find out who is the leader. The best person is normally the one who people recommend, who have loyal followers and who participates in activities such as this.
Q3 What are the top challenges for biz when it comes to using social tools? Where among their priorities does social media rank?
SRC Small biz is still struggling with social media. Social media has matured beyond the “I am going for coffee” messaging. There are a number of different strategies. Blogging, LinkedIn, and Partnerpedia are critical spokes in the wheel. I recommend all firms have a blog and then use other tools to help get the message out. But it has to be educational.
Q4 What are some things you & @Ulistic do/suggest to aid tech partners with respect to marketing?
SRC At the end of the day it is all about keeping in constant communication with your clients or your partners. For tech companies that service end clients or partners it is all about education and being the source of info.
Q5 How do you define Search Engine Optimization to your customers? How important is it to doing business online?
SRC SEO is critical. There are a number of tech partner sites out there who pay $250 a month and getting nothing from it. It is like putting a billboard on a deserted highway. If your site can’t be found using the terms people search with; your site is simply, totally useless. This is the critical mistake all businesses make, especially IT firms.
Q6 You wrote about location-based apps such as FourSquare & Yelp recently. How important are these apps w/ respect to biz going fwd?
SRC Location-based services are the new frontier in my opinion. It is a great way to see what your friends are doing and who is where, but for retail businesses or even regular businesses. These services are great to push out ads or even to have your raving fans promote your products, solutions and special offers. It is the next big wave.
Q7 How safe is it to run one’s biz using free online tools & social sites with respect to that business’ data?
SRC Online services come with certain risk, but so is your in-house exchange servers and remote access solutions. It really comes down to culture from the social media side. With Google Apps and services like that, @ulistic leverages online services throughout our entire business. We understand how it works; the rewards outweigh the risks.
Q8 Most biz use email to conduct daily affairs. Will email be as important a tool as social sites to connect w/ customers & partners over time?
SRC There are a number of emerging technologies including text messaging. I believe in order to serve our clients we need to be present on multiple lines of communication. This includes email, Twitter, fax, telephone, etc.
Q9 Is it wise to allow employees to use social sites while on the job? If yes, to what extent and why allow it?
SRC Absolutely, it is wise! This is how the world is starting to communicate. If you are not on social media services, my bet is your competitor is going to be.
Q10 How should a biz owner deal with negative comments about their biz on social sites, if it happens?
SRC Reputation management is key. Just like an upset client, in must be dealt with. My blog at StuartCrawford.com has a great story about Domino’s Pizza and how they dealt with a upset customer who tweeted out a negative comment. They sent out a YouTube video apologizing for the failure in service.
Q11 What do you say to a client if/when they say to you they don’t understand the value of using Twitter in a business context?
SRC I sit down with small business owners almost daily and have them give me a few names of key people and tell them to just follow them. This way they can learn and see what those they follow are using Twitter. I recommend lurk first and tweet later. There are many people just listening on Twitter and never say a thing.
Q12 How often do you do blog consulting? Have you encountered a biz where you advised against blogging or using other social tools?
SRC I consult daily with IT partners and small business owners every day on blogging, SEO and social media. There are some examples on why people shouldn’t blog. But those are few and far between. Even a company like an oil company can use social media to keep in touch with those who are impacted by their operations.
Q13 Thanks for joining us today Stuart. Any final comments you’d like to add before we sign off?
SRC Thanks. Social Media and doing business online is critical to business today. Have someone in your corner to help you. If I can help you, please feel free to contact me at Ulistic.com.
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