Survey on Social Media Marketing for Business

If like me you use social media technologies to help market yourself or your business please take 5 minutes to complete this short survey on Survey Monkey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NLGSocialMediaSurvey

Here is a little back ground knowledge that I have sent to others not on our course and I hope you will be kind enough to forward my link to any companies you work for or friends you may know that are in small business of any kind.

By doing so you will be helping me gather data for my BA (Hons) Professional Practice final Inquiry. The data collected will be analysed and presented within a slide share tool to help inform other small businesses of the positive reasons to actively participate in using social media to market a business and some of the simple ways to get started.
The survey is anonymous and confidential and requires you to answer only 24 simple questions with mainly multiple choice answers.

Please feel free to add more information and advice at the end of the survey and if you would like a copy of the final professional artefact please do not hesitate to contact me direct.
To clarify; when the term social media is used I am referring to web based and mobile technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube & Blogs that allow interactive dialogue between organizations, communities and individuals.
Many thanks for your time and contribution


https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NLGSocialMediaSurvey

My 1st thoughts on the Professional Artifact

The 2nd campus session was about the professional artifact and after a very interesting morning I feel I am in a good position to think about my professional artifact and the form it should take. 

To clarify what the professional artifact is and should be I will start by defining the critical review. 

The Critical Review is a piece of academic writing that describes the process and is the whole story. It has a beginning, middle and an end with a social science structure. Think of it as a report / review of what you know and have learnt. Remember it is the whole story.

To be clear of the difference here is a summery of the professional artifact.

The Professional Artifact is a different expression of the same answer. It is a way of creatively and imaginatively revealing your knowledge. It is connected to your question and is not the start of a new inquiry. It is the end of the story and should be use full in your field of work and to your community in practice. Remember it is equally as important as the critical review and should not be thought of as an add on.

With all of this in mind here is my idea for my professional artifact!

I propose to create a slide share show incorporating my new found knowledge of the use of social media technologies for small businesses. It will encompass the answer to my inquiry question “Expanding my performing arts business - using social media tools” I hope to use my new knowledge to inform others of the tools available, the benefits and advantages, along with the best way to operate and the key dos and don’ts to help others succeed. I will use graphics and illustrations as well as informative text and this could well be distributed by social media in the future.

Can't Blog, Don’t Blog, SHOULD Blog!

Can't Blog, Don’t Blog, SHOULD Blog!

I have been very neglecting of my blog this term but after a chat with Adesola and the attendees of Wednesdays 2nd campus session I have been enlightened to its full potential and necessity once again.

Its not that I don’t want to blog its more that time doesn’t really seem to allow and like many of you will agree there seems to be more beneficial ways to spend the little time I have on other aspects of the course.

Do not be fooled; We are and must remember taking part in a course where by we can learn a lot from our peers and their opinions and knowledge through interaction. It is of utmost importance that we use our blogs to achieve and learn from each other as well as sharing experiences and solving problems TOGETHER.

Many of us may be put off blogging as we compare our thoughts to our peers and their lengthy complexed blogs that YES I certainly find very interesting all be it a little intimidating. 

My experiences and thoughts are also of interest to others and I personally must begin to realise that anything I have to share may well be something that is of useful content to another and more importantly will allow my advisor to keep track of my progress and learning on this course.

With all this in mind I will SHARE our group ideas on what to blog and why

Write about experiences - 

*Conversations you have had 

*Articles you have read and your thoughts 

*Who and when you have interacted with another pupil or someone in your community of practice and the information you gained. 

Write about the course - 

*Where you are in the process

*Updates on your topic and inquiry

*Critical reviews of your work

Write about needing and giving help -

*Any questions or queries you may have

*Advise for other modules

*Complications you have overcome

Here are a few blog titles that Paula suggested and I think they are a great place to start if you, like me have fallen out of love with blogging

* Commentary on discussions you have had with others

* Commentary on conversations you have had with professional externals

* Thoughts about your artifact

* Summary of your main project findings so far (100 words or less)

* Critical reflection on your learning so far

* Thoughts and plans for your oral presentation

REMEMBER your blogs don't have to be very long and they certainly don't all have to be full of academic content. They just have to be current, up to date and interesting to you and hopefully others.

The last thing I need to say about blogging is that we DO get marked on our participation and interaction so it is important that we all help each other by reading, writing and COMMENTING 

Happy Blogging fellow BAPPs x

Critical Reflection and Summary: Digital Portfolio

This ‘Portfolio’ will clearly guide the reader through my learning journey, pinpointing the things that have helped establish my professional inquiry questions, ethical considerations and evaluations.

I first felt it necessary to consider my job title within my chosen profession.  After a successful transition from performer to small business owner I felt uncertain as to my exact role and job description.  Within my Professional Practice Blog are my thoughts and findings along with my concluding job title which will also be my awards title ‘Performing Arts Management’ 

Once I had established my awards title and area into which I was to inquire I immediately joined a like minded ‘Special Interest Group’ (SIG) Facebook SIG  I started to interact with their questions and thoughts as well as proposing my own ideas to the group on management and leadership Arts management discussion board  The SIG challenged us all to think beyond our own pre conceptions and helped me personally develop a deeper understanding of my role within my company Manic Stage Productions 

I began to develop a set of Relevant questions which were to become the starting point to discovering what my final inquiry question would be and the area it would cover.  These initial questions formed new, more specific questions that I then asked my business partner to answer Business partner questions  This in turn helped me to narrow down my search for the ultimate question!

As well as using techniques and tools to develop my line of inquiry, I began to look at other areas surrounding my professional practice, such as professional ethics and codes of professional practice within my chosen work place.  This Code of practice article clearly states and explains the importance of each point of the code of practice and I found it extremely helpful when writing my final version for my own business. Code of practice for management 

I was also interested to read the alternative article Code specific to employees  This too seemed just as important for me to consider as an employer of a number of freelance professional performers and teachers.  I was compelled to write my own code of practice for my employees as I felt it would clearly state what is expected from them and clarify their role within the company Code of practice for artists 

Finally I actively began to use the suggested tools to gather, analyse and evaluate data, both from existing literature and from primary sources.  I found many interesting sources, articles and blogs and wrote about my findings and thoughts in a critical Literature review on my blog.  Each piece of independent literature relates to my pending inquiry and has again evolved my understanding and thinking.  

There are many other important discussions taking place in my professional field and although not linked directly to my pursued line of inquiry, still made very interesting reading. I have filed them all on my Delicious account.

We were encouraged to pilot the four tools of professional inquiry i] interview ii] survey iii] focus group iv] observation and I blogged about my results and experience with each here Tools of inquiry blog I received feedback from my SIG that gave me the confidence to create and implement a survey on my actual business connections to find out their opinions on a number of aspects of my company that they did and did not use.  Here is a link to that questionnaire at Survey monkey 

Overall module WBS 3835 has been essential in my personal development as a professional practitioner and has certainly given me the tools, knowledge and understanding to move confidently forward on to my professional inquiry and to achieving an award in BA (Hons) Professional Practice (Performing Arts Management).

6b - Findings and thoughts on the tools of inquiry

Having successfully piloted each of the tools of inquiry I have gained a greater understanding and respect for each.  However I have concluded that not all of the tools will be of use to my inquiry alone.  Observation alone would not add to or answer my inquiry question.  A well structured survey could produce interesting quantitative and some qualitative data but would I need to interview individuals to get full informative answers. Here are my findings and thoughts on the tools of inquiry

• Observation

Using observation was interesting and thought provoking.  It certainly enlightened me when I observed one of my companies dance teachers in action.  It allowed me to access once again their ability and competence within a lesson situation and the observation allowed me to reflect on my companies representation by others.  I would certainly use observation in the future to keep a close eye on the professional practice of the company representatives.  I feel this is a key management tool and may well help with aspects of my inquiry when I begin to access and evaluate the components of Manic Stage Productions.  As my inquiry is about development and expansion, observation will help to highlight both the areas for concern and the future success of the organisation.

• Interview

The interview I had with my business partner Matthew Newman was very informative.  I was able to ask him to elaborate on answers  and really get to know his opinions and views.  I had given him the questions via email sometime before we met as I felt this would allow him to think about what he wanted to say in response, giving me the most information possible.  The only negative I found with the interview was that it was hard to pin point a time that we were both available to undertake the interview in person.  I would possibly consider skype or telephone as an option within my inquiry.  I appreciate that time is of the essence and as I intend to interview a performing arts manager who successfully expanded their business, I realise that I may not be able to pin them down for a face to face interview.  In future I will record each interview as it will be easier to correctly quote and document the information.  I am fully aware that the individual will need to consent to this.

• Focus Groups

I was able to conduct a small focus group with a handful of my dancers before a rehearsal and I think it is a very useful tool of inquiry.  We discussed the 5 corporate shows we sell and their opinions on how well they thought they were marketed and their thoughts on how to move forward and expand to a larger audience.  Some very interesting points were made and the interactive dynamics of the focus group was encouraging.  All members had a similar view and together the ideas and suggestions grew through encouraging interaction.  I will certainly consider this approach within my inquiry yet I am aware that it is often difficult to get a large number of people together due to busy schedules and time management.  My only other concern is the ability to conduct a focus group ethically, I wonder if everyone in my pilot group spoke truthfully about their opinions on Manic Stage Productions. 

• Questionnaires

Questionnaires will be integral to my inquiry, they will enable me to gather information from a large group of people in a relatively easy and non-time consuming way.  I learnt a great deal from my pilot survey and think it is very important to ensure that the correct questions are asked and that they are asked in the correct order.  I will be surveying both my employees and business contacts to access the current situation and presences of Manic Stage Productions in the local area and beyond.  Anonymity is most certainly an option for each participant as it will be key to its success in allowing each person to be truthful and opinionated, both positively and negatively.  The results will be easy to analyse and evaluate for my inquiry, hopefully providing interesting informative findings for me to use in deciding which areas to expand in.

My Delicious

http://www.delicious.com/nicole_louise1

Task 6c - Literature Review

The 1st piece of literature I am to review was a piece I found on the internet called ‘New Species’ by Martin Pople - Course Coordinator, FdA Arts Management and Director, Bath Spa Live, Bath Spa University. It appears on the website Uk Performing Arts

Link - http://www.ukperformingarts.co.uk/management/new_species.asp 

I felt compelled to start my literature review here as the piece discusses the concept that Arts Management has become a newly recognised role within the performing arts industry.  Within the article many people are quote their views on the skills they feel are required and the characteristics they associate with arts management success.

I was interested to read each individuals thoughts on this interesting debate and hoped they would provide me with a deeper knowledge and understanding of my desired role and lead me to explore other avenues.

I was not disappointed, the piece focused on the agreement that ‘Arts management is something unique’ (Martin Pople) and that it is a sought after recognised role leading to becoming a producer.  I feel this to be a little misleading and I would possibly disagree that all Arts Managers are on route to becoming producers. For instance, within smaller companies some might say that the arts manager and the skills they require are just another role of the producer and vise- versa.

Pople quotes many peoples opinions on the qualities needed for this particular career.  First is an anonymous quote and its suggestion of ‘extraordinary and variable span of skills, involving art and arts criticism, politics, psychology, information science, economics, sociology and education.'  I feel this sounds quite intimidating and although most likely to be true are these skills the most important and should an arts manager start with this knowledge or hope to develop it?  I would be very interested to know the role this individual has within the industry, their own experience of management and the the arts.  Also everyone has the right to remain anonymous but does this choice effect the value of his opinion?

Pople then moves on to quote Peter Bendixen, Minister of Culture in Schleswig-Holstein who seems to base his opinion less on academic skills and more on creative skills “social competence, cultural imagination and knowledge of the arts'.  I realise that some might find this a little broad but I do feel that Bendixen is a little closer to pin pointing the inital skills one should possess when considering performing arts management and then learn to develop the other aspects previously mentioned by the unknown.

All of the views speak of both the need for managerial skills and arts based skills / knowledge.  The question “Can you be an Arts Manager without skills or experience in either one of these areas?” (Martin Pople) is of great interest to me.

Many of the skills they refer to within the article I am pleased to. Say I have already established or am well on the way to acquiring. 

• making value judgements
• working with peers and public
• good personal management
• developing and monitoring plans
• prudent management of resources
• attending to the tasks and issues related to specific contexts and situations

My background is dance so it was no surprise to find that the view I related most to was that of Jeanette Siddall, ACE's Director of Dance. 'The individual manager is faced with a complex array of quasi-commercial tasks in the relatively chaotic, creative atmosphere that prevails in many organisations. The apparently conflicting demands of accountability and creativity have to be reconciled.'  Pople summarises by saying ‘it's about managing creativity and creatives’.  

Moving on to the next person quoted within Poples article Chris Smith, Minister for Culture and Director of the Clore Leadership Programme.  I would be interested to hear a response from the Chief Executive of BP that Smith talks of when saying ‘the Chief Executive of BP will not have a deep interest in oil and petrol per se - they are simply the means whereby his company makes money’. He clearly suggests that the arts manager was doing his job for the love and not the money.  I find myself drawn to agreeing with his proposed opinion yet one can not predict this to be true of the BP Chief Executive with out  it being confirmed by that said person.  

All I know is that the statement made by Pople ‘For anyone involved in working in the arts there are no clear career paths. Remuneration, job security, terms and conditions in the arts - in comparison to other sectors of the economy - are frankly poor and are not likely to get any better. But if you are doing what you love and truly care about, this will give you greater job satisfaction than many others’.  This seems to ring true with most if not all of my artistic friends pursuing a career within all aspects of the performing arts and suggests that arts and performing arts managers should be passionate and enthusiastic about both management and artistic awareness.

Overall the article was informative and well written, all be it slightly biased on the part of the arts manager.  But I felt it generated strong questions that would help me within my chosen professional practice.  The final sentence in particular inspired me and led me to my second piece of literature ‘realise your own artistic ambitions - and if you have ambitions, then think big’.

The 1st article and its final words ‘Think Big’ lead me to my second piece of literature that I found on entrepreneur.com called ‘Think Big’ by Robert Kiyosaki

Link - http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2006/november/169174.html#disqus_thread 

Kiyosaki (2006) writes an interesting and detailed account of his views and understanding on how to achieve business success by thinking big ‘Think expansion’

In this article Kiyosaki explains how from a young age he was taught about ‘leverage and expansion’ by the man he calls ‘My rich dad, the father of my best friend Mike’  His childhood stories compare his own fathers working life to his best friends dad and are both endearing and enlightening.

Once he has set the scene and drawn the reader into the belief that ‘entrepreneurial spirit’ is a rare but motivational way to be. He informs the reader about the ‘Cashflow Quadrant‘ which uses letters to highlight where your individual cashflow comes from - ‘paychecks or passive income.’  Kiyosaki then regularly refers to this to assert his points on expansion.  ‘And this is where most S-quadrant business owners stop: They keep their businesses small. When Kroc developed a franchise system for the small business, he expanded the hamburger business into the B quadrant.’

His ideas are maintained throughout and they are written in a very descriptive and simple way, helping to inspire the reader to believe they can achieve.

Kiyosaki goes on to explain the importance of the BI triangle ‘Many entrepreneurs fail simply because one or more of the eight pieces of the B-I Triangle is weak or nonexistent. Whenever I look at a struggling business, I use the B-I Triangle as an analytical reference.’  He implies that most successful businesses follow this BI concept ‘When you study most successful businesses, you will most likely find a complete and vibrant B-I Triangle in action’  His choice of words ‘many,’ ‘most likely’ only claim that his assumptions are true, yet we are certainly encouraged to believe that we the reader would benefit from the implementation of this magic triangle!

He argues his point well ‘Most of us can cook a better hamburger than McDonald's. But few of us can build a better business system than McDonald's’  I think his use of McDonald’s within this article is a great choice as everyone has heard of this big business and almost everyone will have eaten their at some point.  This helps the reader to connect with the ideas written.  

I conclude that Kiyosaki has written an inspirational piece simply stating a couple of interesting theories that small business owners like myself may very well learn from and expand their ideas with.  

Although he plugs his book ‘In my book Before You Quit Your Job, written for entrepreneurs, I write extensively about the B-I Triangle.’ I am in no way led to believe this article was a way of promoting this as he freely gives away enough information to the reader.  I however think his book may well be a very interesting read. 

Task 4c - Developing questions with my professional associate

My previous questions were the key questions that initially sprung to mind once I had established my professional practice and awards title Performing Arts Management.  The questions were all relevant to my established business and moving it forward which made me realise that I wanted to inquire about Manic Stage Productions and it’s development.  If this were to be the case I needed to think further and consider my business partners views, thoughts and opinions.  My next step in developing lines of professional inquiry was to simply speak to Matt (my business partner) and ask him to answer a new set of questions that would hopefully lead me to the ultimate inquiry question.

1. When is the right time to expand a small business? 

I am unsure as to when is the exact right time to expand, but I believe the company would feel a strain on their resources and have established the business to a point possibly beyond their expectations. You should have made a net profit and should always look at ways of expanding the business to create a bigger profit. 

2. What should you consider before expanding a small business? Whether what you're planning will benefit your business and if there is a need to expand. How bigger an expansion should be considered and the pros and cons of the development.

3. How do you fulfill a small businesses full potential? Make sure you promote your business and market it in the necessary ways. If something's not working don't be afraid to fix it or get rid of it. Always try to aim high and think big.

4. What avenues should you consider when expanding a small business? Whether you are going in the right direction, what direction you wish to move in and if you have the correct resources to do so.

5. Which 3 objectives do you focus on to expand a small business? Create a business plan, List pros and cons and Understand how to do it correctly.

6. Are we ready to expand our small business? Yes we are, we have exceeded our expectations so far and have learnt and researched other avenues for us to take safely and without forfeiting our companies reputation. It is an exciting time all be it a little nerve racking. But I am positive that we have built a strong business relationship that will help us move things forward.

Matts answers proved invaluable and highlighted two things. i] That we were at a point where expansion seemed feasible, even necessary   ii] That despite our obvious need and want for expansion, we were both inexperienced in this process and lacked essential knowledge. 

I was more certain than ever that the avenue I was most interested in inquiring about was finding the answers to small business expansion.  The do’s and don’ts, what you should consider and the many ways of achieving proposed goals.

More questions began to emerge....

How am I going to expand my business? 

What goals and targets should I set?

Should I draft up a business plan? 

Strategic planning is another way of looking at this objective – I want to look at where we are now, where we want to be and how we are going to get there .... what resources you need to achieve this and the time scale in which things should be achieved.

All of the above questions, answers and further reflection made it hard to pin point one specific inquiry question as they were all very much interlinked. Was it possible that my Inquiry question could effectively cover every point I wished to consider?  Could I simply conduct an investigative inquiry on ‘Expanding my Performing Arts Business’