 City officials in the small town of South Pittsburg, Tenn. recently drew a lot of criticism by voting in favor of an “all inclusive” social networking policy. The reason for the policy: City officials claim that their work has been hampered by criticism and lies on social media. Click here to read the story.
The new online policy doesn’t just apply to elected officials, appointed board members and employees, but it also applies to volunteers, vendors, contractors and anyone, in fact, who is associated with the town in an official capacity. Seeing that the town’s population is barely 3,000, that may well include just about everyone who lives there and who has a social media account. The policy says those persons can't post anything negative about the city, its employees or other associates. Anyone who violates the policy can be reprimanded. Critics say the policy violates their First Amendment rights, but supporters argue that it’s designed to stop people from making personal attacks or showing others in a negative light.
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 Click on image above to enlarge. Previously, I wrote an article for Expert Beacon about how to write a press release that will get your business noticed. I was also given the opportunity to write one on how to best use LinkedIn.
While some people see LinkedIn simply as a place to display their resume, today’s LinkedIn is much more than that. It’s a place to network, join groups, share information with those who have similar interests, meet new people, and publish posts to share your professional knowledge and expertise. Click here to read more about the do's and don'ts of using LinkedIn.  Many business owners appear to have an “If I build it, they not only will come,” but they will stick around attitude. Unfortunately, many small business owners fail to take several important steps that will mean the difference between getting new business and losing it.
Last year, Bloomberg reported that eight out of ten (80 percent) of small businesses fail. While financial difficulties appear to be the primary reason, it’s the smaller problems leading up to a businesses’ demise that result in their ultimate failure. One big sticking point for many businesses, big or small, is customer service. Just because you have a product or service to offer it doesn’t mean people will come-a- callin’ … and keep calling, until you answer. It may sound like a no-brainer to have someone available at all times to answer customer calls, but many small businesses don’t. In fact, some don’t even bother to use an answering machine. Instead, the phone rings and rings until a potential customer hangs up. That equates to lost advertising dollars. Before spending your money on an ad, invest in an answering machine.  Click on the image to enlarge. I have been fortunate to work with Expert Beacon for a while and provide the website with informative articles from many of my clients. Recently, I was asked to write one for myself on a subject near and dear to my heart -- public relations. The format provides a list of do's and don'ts. And while relatively simple, it's a good starting point for those who have never considered publicizing their company. Click here to read more.
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Garton-Miller Media is a full-service, South Florida-based public relations firm. Founder Susan R. Miller has 30 years of experience as a writer, journalist and PR professional. Categories
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