Women’s Independent Press

by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator
www.SBA.gov

Social media may have the lowest cost of entry of any marketing tool, but is not actually that easy to do well. In fact, a report by eMarketer found that small businesses are struggling to adopt social media, with only 24 percent of small firms having integrated social media in a structured way into their operations.
Knowing where to start is perhaps the number one obstacle holding many small business owners back. Knowing what to do when you get there is next.
So, whether you are new to social media or looking to go beyond using it in an ad hoc or informal way, here are 10 ways to make your small business social media activities rock.

1. Pick the Site(s) that Works for You
Social media sites are emerging on an almost weekly basis, and it’s easy to become distracted or lost in the speed of change. So where should you focus your efforts?
Speaking at last year’s National Small Business Week social media panel, Erica Ayotte, social media manager with Constant Contact, recommends businesses start with one channel to test and nurture it. Then try to diversify: “Spend a little time each week exploring new platforms and figure out if they might be for you.” Speaking at the same event, GrowBizMedia’s Rieva Lesonsky recommends that you “find out where your customers can be found, go there first, and then spread out from there… if you run a restaurant, yes, you probably should be on Twitter, but you should really be on Yelp first.”

2. Share Interesting and Visual Content
This is one area that really does take time. What’s interesting anyway?
Well, let’s start with the basics. If you have any news to share, and by news I mean “newsworthy” (i.e. something that impacts your customers directly) then go ahead and share it – things like holiday opening times, new offices, menu updates, charity events, etc.
Then add another tier – share quality content. Something you do well that will help you stand out in a crowd – blogs, white papers, tips, or quick “how to” videos (host them on YouTube or Hulu). Then use social media to amplify it. Feel free to share content from others (without breaking copyright) if it is relevant to your fans. Don’t be afraid to ask people what content they want you to share!
Another tier of content should focus on telling the big picture story of your business – showcase employees, community activities, or how customers are using your product or service. This is a great opportunity to be visual and stand-out in busy newsfeeds.
Remember, give it time. It takes time to figure out what works. For example, you might think about using polls and surveys to engage with followers, but if you are still growing your network, you might not get the right results – yet. So, keep trying new things until you find a sweet spot. And don’t forget, just because people may not be interacting with you yet, that doesn’t mean they aren’t listening, so keep the faith!

3. Listen
Great content drives engagement and grows social communities, but equally important is the art of listening. Think of social media as a form of conversation – it’s a two-way dialog. If you’re not prepared to listen to what is being said to you, about you, or with you, then you simply aren’t “being social.” In addition to listening to your consumers, carve out time to listen to influencers in your business, to your competitors, and to those who can help you perfect your social media strategy

4. Have an Authentic Voice
Again, “be social!” Drop the corporate marketing speak; people like dealing with people. So don’t be afraid to loosen up a little and when responding to problems or complaints; sign off with your first name.

5. Foster Fan-to-Fan Engagement
Some of the strongest social networking communities are based on supportive relationships and information sharing between fans. If you are posting interesting content, this will follow naturally as fans start to engage with others based on common interests. There are a few things you can do to encourage these relationships, many of them mentioned in this blog - listen to fans, chime in when you think you can add something, respond to comments, open the doors to shared experiences/needs, encourage fans to share photos and experiences and always communicate authentically (drop the corporate hat)

6. Don’t Overly Automate
While there are some great free tools that can help you automate your posts, don’t overly rely on these to get you through the day – it will show. Instead, set aside some time, 2-3 slots a day to post (note that the evening is a high volume time to post and get noticed), monitor and respond to fans.

7. Commit to Social Media
If you are truly going to succeed at social media, then you need to take it seriously and commit to it. For many small businesses, this means adopting a new paradigm. Don’t treat social media as an aside to be taken advantage of when you want to get the word out about your latest offer. Commit to a content strategy. Ensure all levels of the organization are on-board and are involved in your social media strategy. Don’t just assign daily responsibility for it to an office junior – this is the face of your business, after all, and it involves dialog with your customers (is a junior up to that?)

8. Treat Social Media as an Arm of Your Customer Service Operations
Social media is also an essential part of your customer service strategy. If you are on Facebook or Twitter, then you need to be prepared to monitor and respond to questions and complaints. These blogs offer more advice on this topic:

9. Don’t Forget Your Other Marketing Channels
Social media may be free, but it only works as part of a wider, integrated marketing strategy. It should never replace your website (which is the hub of all your marketing activity and the home of your online content). Email is also still important. You have a captive audience there; your message is delivered to their inboxes and allows for a deeper conversation.

10. Measure
Don’t forget to measure the impact of your social media efforts. Use third party apps or Facebook’s Insights tool to monitor click-through rates. Compare these across posts to see if there’s a trend as to the type of content that’s popular. Measure engagement by tracking how many likes and shares your posts get (measured by Facebook as “reach”). Use this data to inform and adjust your content strategy.
Caron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesley

By Joyce Faulkner
Contact me at:
joycekfaulkner@gmail.com
412.496.5034
www.joycefaulkner.com
At first it was just a vibration ― like a distant heartbeat, then the faint smell of smoke. Hedy opened her eyes. Someone stood at the foot of her bed.
“Mama?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Alicia Jennings’ cigarette glowed in the darkness.
“Why are you here? Is something wrong?” Hedy could just make out her mother’s features in the gloom.
“You know why I came back.”
“Tell him to leave me alone.” Hedy pulled the quilt up under her chin.
“Comes a time when you have to let go of the past, Hedy. Forgive and forget ― that’s what I say.”
“I don’t know how to do that.” Hedy avoided Alicia’s eyes. “I don’t think I can.”
“He’s your father. You owe him.”
“I do?”
“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady.”
Hedy sat up in bed. “How can you defend him after what he did to you? To us?”
“That was years ago ― he’s paid for that.”
“Maybe that’s not up to you to say, Mama. You don’t have to live with it every day.”
Alicia stubbed out her cigarette in a china dish on Hedy’s dresser. “He’s changed.”
“I hope so, for his sake.”
“You are hard hearted, Hedy ― just like he used to be.” Alicia lit another cigarette and exhaled.
“Don’t do this to me, Mama.” Hedy flinched. Smoke wasn’t her favorite thing. “Mama?”
Alicia was gone.
“For God’s sake, will this nightmare never end?” Every time her father’s case came up for review, Alicia came to plead for him.
Something sparkled in the mirror. Hedy threw on her robe and got up. It was the reflection of her mother’s lighter setting in the dresser. It was still warm.
Holding it against her cheek, she examined her own reflection. The shiny scar started below her right eye, snaked down her jaw, crossed her upper chest and sliced her forearm from elbow to wrist. Time and several surgeries had minimized the grotesquerie, but it was an ugly reminder of the things she learned at her father’s knee.
Sleep was no longer an option even though it was only six-thirty in the morning. She sighed and dropped the lighter into her robe pocket. In the living room, she curled up in front of the television under a blanket. Clay Jennings’s face flashed on the screen. The documentary on his case was on Court TV again. She clicked it off before they showed the famous photograph of Ronnie Kowalski carrying her out of the flames. Thirty-eight years since that night and it was still in her face.

She was kissing Ronnie Kowalski on the front porch swing when her father yelled from the back of the house, “YOU STUPID BITCH!”
Ronnie startled. “What the hell?”
She flushed. Couldn’t she have one nice evening without them embarrassing her?
“STAY BACK!” A loud crash drowned out Alicia’s voice.
“Should we do something?” Ronnie peered into the living room window. “Maybe they need help?”
“They’re fine ― just drunk.”

The doorbell woke her.
“Miz Jennings?” The white-suited man towered over her.
“What do you want?”
“I’m Gabriel Angelino?” His embossed business card included ‘Esquire’ after his name. “I represent Clay Jennings in his appeal?”
“There’s nothing I can do, Mr. Angelino.” She tried to close the door, but he blocked it with his briefcase.
“I need to talk with you, ma’am.”
Irritated, she sighed and let him in. Usually she wore thick make-up, but she was in her nightclothes and her cheeks were clean. His eyes lingered on her scar. She resisted covering her face with her hand. Like he didn’t know what happened. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Yes, ma’am. If you don’t mind.” He followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
“Tell them that they can do anything they want. I don’t care,” she said as she put on the kettle.
“I’m afraid that’s not good enough.” He set his briefcase on the table. “He’s not getting out until you forgive him. That’s policy.”
“I don’t hate my father, Mr. Angelino. I’m not even mad at him. I moved on years ago. Okay?”
The lawyer took a file out of his briefcase. “It doesn’t work that way. He’s done his mandatory stretch, but now he has to get pardons from all the parties. Your mother indicated her willingness to forgive him years ago. You are the only one standing in his way.”
#
Alicia’s scream raised goose bumps on Hedy’s neck.
“We need to help her,” Ronnie stood up.
Hedy gripped his arm. “I’ll go see what’s going on.”
“But what if she’s hurt?”
“Go home, Ronnie.” She gave him a push. “She won’t want you in there.”
He backed away. “What if you need me?” He called from the sidewalk.
“I won’t.” She turned and went inside.
Hedy poured hot water onto the tea bags inside each mug. “The state took care of all that right after it happened. It wasn’t up to me then, I don’t see why I have anything to say now.”
Angelino held up a death warrant. “Your father paid his debt to the state twenty-nine years ago when he was executed.”
“Closure.” Hedy served his tea and sat down across from him. “That’s what they said anyway ― but of course, whether he’s alive or whether he’s dead doesn’t change anything for me.”
“It was only the beginning for Mr. Jennings.” Angelino handed her the record of her father’s progress through the celestial courts. “As you can see, the clerk assigned him to me that same night. I presented his case a few days later and he moved to his current accommodations immediately after adjudication.”
She rubbed her eyes. “So, is it like a prison for ghosts?”
“You are dealing with a whole other organization now, Miz Jennings. Different rules, different punishments, different opportunities.”

The struggle in the kitchen escalated. Another crash. Scuffling. Screams, grunts ― and a strange gurgling sound. Heart pounding, Hedy burst through the door. Her mother writhed on the table trying to ward off the long butcher knife clutched in her father’s hand.
“NO!” Hedy froze in the doorway. “Stop it, Daddy!”
The knife sliced through Alicia’s fingers and hit the table beside her head. Something wet splattered Hedy’s cheeks. Stunned, she wiped her face with the back of her hand. Blood!
Without thinking, Hedy tackled him screaming. “You’re killing her, Daddy!”
“It’s her own damned fault.” Clay swung the knife in a wide arc, slashing Hedy’s cheek. “She made me do it.”
“Hedy,” Alicia moaned, pink bubbles frothing from her nostrils. “Go get help.”
“YOU STUPID BITCH.” Clay Jennings lifted the knife over his head, aiming at Alicia’s heart.
Hedy tried to push him away. “Don’t you hurt my Mama!”
Clay flung her against the wall and she fell hard against an overturned chair. Her feet slipping on the bloody linoleum, she struggled to get up.
Alicia’s scream was more of a wheeze. “Hedy, stay back!”
Clay Jennings plunged the knife into Alicia’s chest just as Hedy jumped between them.

“What happens next?”
“He’ll be reassigned to a new body if everyone agrees that he’s ready.”
“Ready?” Hedy frowned.
“He’s been through a lot.”
“Has he?”
Angelino tapped the paper. “He’s learned to accept responsibility for his choices. He understands that there are consequences even when a course of action is justified.”
“Oh yes, it was our fault. We got in his way. We made him angry.”
Gabriel Angelino raised an eyebrow.
She folded her arms across her chest. “You think I’m bitter, don’t you?”
He shrugged.
“I’m not.”
“Then why can’t you forgive him?”
“I don’t know how, Mr. Angelino. I don’t even know what forgiveness is.” She leaned her head on her hands.
“What do you think it is?” His voice was kind.
“At first, I thought it was letting go of the emotion. Moving on with my life. Not being angry ― but then that is about me. What good does that do him? He doesn’t get a pass just because I’m doing okay.”
Angelino’s nod was noncommittal.
“Then I thought that it was about putting things right — but there is no do-over here. My mother has been dead my whole adult life. I spent my twenties in hospitals ― first to fix my body, then to fix my mind. Then there were the trials, the appeals ― waiting for his execution. Getting over his execution.” She sniffed. “He can’t give me back my youth, Mr. Angelino ― or my mother.”
“No, he can’t.” Angelino sighed.
“Someone once told me there was peace to be found in amnesia. I tried everything from meditation to hypnosis — but how do I forget my mother’s face that night? How do I forget that blade slicing into me? Or the smell of the blood? Do you know what it’s like when someone you love wants you dead, Mr. Angelino?”
The tall man’s eyes were damp.
She blew her nose on a paper napkin. “Actually, I don’t want to forget. Those memories make me cautious ― wise.”
“Wisdom comes at a price,” Angelino agreed.
“And even if I DO forget, how does that help my father?”
“Has nothing to do with him, that’s for sure.”
#
The pain didn’t start right away. She lay on the kitchen floor ― numb, bleeding. She thought she heard Alicia’s last breath. Clay staggered around the room, sobbing. “Look what you made me do, you bitch.” He slapped Alicia’s cheeks, trying to revive her. “Don’t you dare die on me.”
Hedy gritted her teeth, hoping he would pass out before she did.
Dropping the knife, he dragged Alicia’s body off the table and fell to the floor with it, cradling her in his arms. “Don’t leave me, baby.”
In the distance, a siren distracted him. Through half closed eyes, Hedy watched him. Drunk, distraught and frightened, he arranged Alicia on the floor beside him ― straightening her legs, smoothing back her hair. On all fours, he crouched over her ― wailing. “ALICIA!”
The siren grew louder. Clay Jennings quieted, listening. Wiping his nose on the back of his hand, he lumbered to his feet and looked around. The evening newspaper was on the table, Alicia’s last cigarette smoldering in the ashtray beside it. He wadded up the top sheet ― then the second one.
Using the cigarette butt, he lit sheet after sheet and tossed them around the room until the thin curtains over the sink ignited. Still sobbing, he lay down beside Alicia.
Smoke filled the room quickly. Hedy closed her eyes, knowing that she was going to die soon. She felt the heat on her face and heard the flames crackling. Her father coughed. She opened her eyes. He got to his feet and stumbled out the back door, gasping for breath.
“Bastard,” she thought.
#
Angelino laid a thin white envelope on the table in front of her.
Hedy wiped her eyes. “What happens if he gets a new body? Will I have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder?”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
She bit her lip. “What’s to stop him?”
“Well, he’ll be a baby for one thing. Not much chance he’ll come track you down for many years to come.”
“Is that supposed to comfort me?”
“He won’t remember the incident after he moves on to his new family. Only the psychic growth from his years in purgatory will remain.”
“So he gets to forget?”
“He’s been punished ― twice.”
“When do I get paroled, Mr. Angelino? When do I get to sleep through the night without thinking about what he did to my mother? When do my scars go away?”
“I have no answers for you, Miz Jennings.” He pointed to the envelope in front of her. “You’ll do what you do. It’s no skin off my nose either way.”
She ran her finger across the surface of the letter. “What do I have to do? Sign a paper?”
Angelino grunted. “I hardly think that your signature means much one way or another. It’s what’s in your heart that matters.”
“Should I open it?”
He shrugged.
Trembling, she picked up the letter. She never spoke to her father after that horrible night. He never tried to contact her either — not while he was on death row and, unlike Alicia, no ghostly visits since. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he had to say for himself. She wasn’t sure she could bear it.
A single piece of paper was inside the envelope.
“HEDY.” Clay Jennings never wrote in cursive ― only thick, primitive printing. She didn’t doubt the note was from him.
“I FACE AN ETERNITY OF SUFFERING. ONLY YOU CAN GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE. HAVE MERCY ON ME, DAUGHTER.”
She looked up at Gabriel Angelino. “It’s not much, is it?”
“It took him a lifetime to write that.”
“Yes, he’s very proud.”
“Sometimes you have to consider what a person has to give.” Angelino’s voice was soft. “A half-empty container is empty long before a full one.”
A sob caught in her throat like a hiccup. “And you expect more of me, Mr. Angelino?”
“I think you expect more of yourself.”
“Ronnie Kowalski broke into that burning house to save me. He beat the flames out of my clothes with his bare hands. He was with me every day during my recovery. His scars are as deep as mine ― and try as I might, I can’t squeeze out one ounce of affection for him.” She held up the letter. “But this crazy son of a bitch who thinks he can reach into my heart and crush it whenever he wants, I adore. It doesn’t seem fair.”
“Sometimes there are no good choices, Hedy ― only a bunch of bad ones.”
She stiffened. It was the first time Angelino had used her given name. “And no matter what I choose, there will be a penalty.”
“Yes ― and a reward.”
She dug Alicia’s lighter out of the pocket of her robe. “Some rewards aren’t worth the pain, Mr. Angelino.” She held her father’s letter over the flame.
“What shall I tell him?” The tall man closed his briefcase and stood up.
“Tell him that I understand ― and that I’m sorry.”

By Patricia Thibault
Social Security District Manager in Pittsburgh, PA

For some, recent years have been made difficult by natural disasters. Fatal tornadoes in Oklahoma. Massive wildfires and strong earthquakes in Colorado and California. Landslides in Washington. Flooding in Texas, North Carolina and Florida. Hail storms in Tennessee. Hurricane Sandy along the Eastern seaboard. And now, we brace ourselves for yet another hurricane season.

In addition to the catastrophes caused by Mother Nature, there are man-made tragedies, such as the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado that killed 12 and injured 58; the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut , which left 26 children and staff members dead; and the Boston Marathon explosions, killing three and injuring more than 260.

When disasters strike, despite the immediate response by so many well-intentioned people and organizations, it’s often hard to know where to turn. But when it comes to the need for disability and survivors benefits, Social Security is always here to serve those who require our services.

Dependent survivors of wage earners, such as spouses, minor children, and in some cases parents or grandchildren, may be eligible for survivor benefits when the family’s provider dies. The sad fact is that about one in eight of today’s 20 year-old workers will die before reaching age 67. The good news is about 96 percent of people age 20 to 49 who work have survivors insurance protection if they die and leave behind young children and surviving spouses.

Social Security is here to help people inflicted with disabling conditions as well. In fact, disabled workers account for about 19 percent of all Social Security benefits paid. One in four of today’s 20 year-old workers will become disabled before reaching age 67.

Our emergency services reach more than the limited numbers of people who die or become disabled as a result of a tragedy. For example, if you are still receiving a paper check and the delivery of mail is interrupted due to severe weather, in many cases any Social Security office can issue an immediate replacement payment. To avoid this situation, however, switch to electronic payments as required by law. Even if your mailbox — or home — is destroyed due to an emergency, or you are evacuated or displaced, your payment will always arrive on time every time if you receive it electronically.

Sometimes, emergencies cause Social Security offices to close. If you want to check whether your local office is open, the best place to go is to Social Security’s Office Closings And Emergency Information page at www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency. This site is a great place to visit before you try to go to an office, especially when severe weather is affecting your area.

The emergency page also offers valuable FEMA advice that can help you prepare for or cope with emergency situations.

While we all hope and pray to avoid disasters, unfortunately, they are bound to occur. The best we can do is to be as prepared as possible to deal with them if they happen. And know that Social Security will be here for you when you need it.

Be prepared. Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/emergency