The thing about having a business online, when you're past a certain age (we'll say 50), is trying to keep up with all the changes that so drastically effect your business.
For some of us, just keeping up with technology is a feat. On a recent trip to Best Buy, my husband and I probably looked like we had just come out of a time tunnel. Pointing while ooo'ing and ahh'ing, we'd only been there a year ago but the changes in basic personal technology, were astounding. The new version of my 7 year old Canon, is now the size of a credit card and don't even get me started on TV's! We thought we were quite the up to date couple with our Galaxy phones and Samsung flat screens (do they even say that anymore?). I will admit that our stereo system is the envy of anyone who loves the 1980's...but other than that, we really thought we were keeping up. A little note on customer service and Best Buy here...as one who has shopped with them from the beginning, I was a little miffed when the sales guy told me that my Best Buy customer info had been deleted because we hadn't been there in 6 months! Isn't customer service about appreciating those customers who have been with you for years? But that tell does tell you a thing or two about how quickly people upgrade their items...and honestly, that's a little scary (not to mention, wasteful).
Anyway, back to business...recent changes to G+, reflect an ongoing trend...social is now supposed to be, you guessed it, "Social". More interaction and ongoing conversations, less memes & more meat, less shameless self promotion and more true info, although I'm not sure that some people really want to learn, so that could be a problem...but you get my point.
This comes at a perfect time for me as I've always been uncomfortable with shameless self promotion anyway and I love to learn...the trick however, will be teaching this old brain new tricks.
My advice to everyone is read, read and then read some more. Figure out what is best for your business and focus on it, instead of posting items (or whatever product you're selling) willy nilly, to anywhere that will let you.
Get to know some of your fellow sellers and be supportive of other businesses.
Spend a little more time curating boards or collections of your interests and not just your business interests...even I get tired of seeing "Vintage" in front of everything.
If you're on G+ and trying to get used to the changes...remember, the laptop became the new PC and now Mobile is the new laptop. Whether we use Mobile for all of it's capabilities or not, our customers do.
We have some good posts and comments in our Vintage & Antiques Community that address the new changes on G+ and I highly recommend this post
The Future of Google+ from Martin Shervington.
If you're one of my vintage readers, think of it as upcycling...taking what is old in our minds and turning it into something new, all the while keeping that old charm:).
Have a great weekend and as always, thanks for reading!
Pam
Good post. Like your analogy on all these changes as "upcycling" for the brain.
ReplyDeleteI firmly agree that making friends, supporting one another and sharing ideas is crucial for the smaller one man (or woman) operations. It is also good for the mind and soul.
Thank you Margaret..."brain upcycling", we could start a whole new hashtag hoopla:)
DeleteIf there's any place that can make me feel out of it, it's a Best Buy store! And the employees look around at each other as if to say, "OK which one of us wants to take that one?" What I'm really glad to see in your post is your comment about supporting one another and that's a skill in which you are a master. I'm much more inclined to shop from someone who is willing to share wonderful things from multiple sources. I hope that you and all the other great shops we have here on G+ have the best holiday season ever!
ReplyDeletelol Ann, that's exactly what I was thinking when we were in there!
DeleteThank you so much - your kindness combined with your wonderful blog posts and photos, make sharing and supporting an easy thing to do:)