How To Secure Your Business, Your Career and Your Future…Using Social Media

It’s a tough world right now. Business are struggling, people are losing jobs and in general livelyhoods are being disrupted by this confluence of a bad economy and new technology.

Here’s what we do know…

1. Business that are considered leaders in a market or niche will survive and may even thrive.
2. Companies that have a steady stream of new, low cost, quality leads will always have new revenue to count on.
3. Executives and business owners that are considered authorities in their field will always be in demand.

As a business owner or executive you have more control over these things than you ever did. Social media is accessible to anyone. Their is no economic barrier, most of the ways to participate are free or low cost. The barriers to success are education, passion and persistence.

I’m always amazed when I meet a struggling business owner that tells me they don’t have time for social media marketing. Or an executive that lost a job, or is worried about losing a job in this economy but does not try to find ways to make themselves more important to their industry and company.

The fact of the matter is you can create a secure future for your business and your career if you put the effort and time into learning new marketing tools. Just start learning about, and doing these things and you can not only survive, but thrive:

• Start blogging and commenting on other thought leader blogs immediately. You can literally set up a blog in 15 minutes. If you have been working at something for any amount of time you have knowledge and a point of view. Share it and get others to participate. This will make you a perceived authority in your market. Potential customers and employers really like that because it takes the “risk” out of buying into you. Once your blog is set up, start commenting on other important blogs in your market or niche. Make sure you set up profiles where you can so people can look you up when they want to see your picture or get to know you after you comment. Copyblogger has some great tips on what to write in your blog.
• Write one 500-600 word article a week and publish it to article directories like ezine articles. These articles will be picked up by websites that are looking for content to publish. The article pages on the directories are also indexed by search engines…so make sure you use one anchor text link in each article and put a two sentence bio at the bottom of each article with a link to your website. You get two for one here, SEO for your site and you build authority in your market. All the directories have great tutorials about how to write an article.
• Over time you can learn about and implement many other social media strategies like Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, video distribution…the list is endless. But don’t get overwhelmed.

If you are not blogging and writing articles, just get started now. That alone will get you noticed and put you ahead of most of your competition. Be consistent and persistent because it will take a few months to start to get noticed.

What do you think? Can you do this?

How To Win Friends To Influence People

Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People is one of the bestselling self-help books ever published, the reason is it works. Relationships are the single most powerful element to success in business and life…online and offline.

As the web gets more social, winning friends online can make you immensely influential. It all goes back to that basic truth about building authority:

What others say about you is more important than what you say about yourself.

So, the goal in your social media marketing program is to make friends with influential people in your niche or industry who trust, like and talk about your business and expertise. Make friends with social media power users in your niche/market who can promote your content on Digg, Reddit, and Delicious. Make friends with people on Twitter who can retweet your content to their followers. Once that happens, other followers will start doing the same, and the benefits of authority really start to compound.

Key here is to target your activity in social media…go deep within a community versus covering lots of ground but not really getting to know anyone in the community (especially the people who run the community). Spend time searching the major social networks as well as local blogs and social networks to identify a handful of active communities you can participate in. You can search by geography as well as market niche and interest.

Start targeting influential communities and participate. Listen and try to give something to the community before you start to sell anything. Take conversations offline at the right time so you can discuss how your can help each other grow your respective businesses. That’s how this stuff works….

Facebook Marketing: 5 Surefire Ways to Give Your Page Clear Visibility

Facebook has gone from a small, Internet-based college directory to an International business platform.  Facebook is a network that gives you the insight into your target community, more so than any other social media site on the web. That being said, what good are all of these features if your businesses page is going unnoticed?

As your social media expert, and friend, I am here to unwrap your lonely Facebook page and give you the necessary tools and advice to frame your market and form a solid community around your business.

Here is the top 5 Surefire ways to get your page out there and get your business on the Facebook radar:

• Utilize Facebook Apps. One of the best “perks” to having a Facebook page, over a Facebook group, is the availability of all the applications you can use to better your page’s visibility and community. The “Business” section of the applications page has some great tools to add to your page. For Contractors, I highly recommend the “testimonials” application and for small businesses, I recommend using “Static FBML” to create a landing page, or other customizable tabs, for potential fans to go to.

• Advertise. Whether you put a button on your blog/website or run a paid advertisement for your page on Facebook, make sure you are making your presence known. I put a link to both of our Facebook pages in my email signature, and I also advertise it in the blogs and forums I frequently participate in.  Remember: every little bit helps, so don’t hesitate to try something and see if it works.

• Post, Share and Comment. Don’t abandon your page! Being an admin on a Facebook page is like taking care of a newborn baby, it needs love and frequent attention in order to grow. Post article links, pictures, information, etc. about 3 times a day.  If someone posts a comment, you should be very proud of yourself, but don’t stop there. Keep the person engaged by responding in a timely manner to let them know that you are listening.

• Use Other Facebook Pages to Network. Many of our fans, and leads to our website, have come from postings in other Facebook pages. Do a search and find some popular, frequented pages and start hanging out there.  Introduce yourself and mention the name of your business and many people will check your page out. The more you frequent these groups, the more relationships and credibility you will build, and thus, more fans you will produce.

• If your friends really love you, they will become fans. Facebook is the mecca of viral marketing for your business. Every time you join, post, or reference a page, all of your friends see it on their “Live Feed.” Ask your friends to become fans of your page. It is ok if they are not involved in the same industries and niches you are. In fact, this allows your page to reach people that you might have never found on your own. So ask your friends to give you a hand…you can buy them a drink at happy hour to thank them.

I have found that Facebook is a tough place to get noticed (probably because of the millions of people surfing the site), but if you have patience and a strategy, you will be seeing serious traffic and increased conversion rates within 6 months.

So go out there and make Facebook your marketing platform, but before you do that…how about you become a fan of two more pages? We promise to return the favor!

Become a fan of GenNext Media and Surefire Social Marketing on Facebook!

How To Create An Economic Advantage Using Social Media Marketing

As we discuss in Digital Forensics, listening to your customers and observing your competitors can give you a big edge when it comes to business marketing using social media and the distributed web. Done right, your will get to the point where you are learning a ton about how you can improve your product, delivery and messaging.

If your at the point where you have a good pulse on your customers from listening and participating in blog and forum discussions, then it may be time to consider embracing this information and taking action to further your brand objectives. By incorporating some of this rich customer information and  feedback into your marketing campaigns or product design or service offering, you can gain brand advocates and improve your brand/business positioning.

Getting started is simple:

1. Figure out the best way to solicit ideas from customers. Where appropriate, use the blogs you are following and participating in to propose ideas/solutions you would like to test and solicit comments. Another great way to do this is using Yahoo Answers, LinkedIn Answers and other sites like them to ask questions directly and get a read on who is asking questions similar to yours. Don’t be afraid that competitors will be getting this information as well. They key is acting on the information, and the next three steps will put you way ahead of them.

2. Vet feedback. Not all information you get back will be good information or necessarily reflect the underline idea you are testing. Spend time sorting through the feedback and continue to clarify and hone the ideas in the communities you are participating in until you feel comfortable that you have a solid idea.

3. Structure internal communication and process to best incorporate these customer ideas. Ideas without follow through will not get your new customers or market share. You now have the knowledge, the key is working this information into your internal workflow so that you incorporate these new ideas into your business.

4. Communicate the changes and improvements you will be making to your communities. Use the communities that your developed your new product or service ideas with to become brand advocates. They are already pre-sold on what your product strategy is…find ways to empower them to let others know.

Implementing this strategy will create huge economic advantages for your business. By identifying and executing new ideas that will expand your customer base, and have them purchase more products from you more frequently, your business can expand margins because capital investment to implement these ideas is not high (in most cases).

Go try it and tell us what you think.

Social Media Is Only Part Of The Story

Let’s not get confused about what the new marketing ecosystem is all about. Social media is a big part of the story but not the only part. If fact, I fear a huge backlash coming from overuse and over simplification of this “new marketing normal” that some are defining as just social media.

What really is happening on the web is an atomization process. We call it the “distributed web”. Social media plays a big role in that but so does the hundreds of niche ad networks, article directories, web 2.0 sites and communities, video portals…you get the point.

If your business marketing strategy is just focused on social media you will be missing a large part of the opporutnity for your business. Moreover, you marketing plan will be so much more powerful if it is put together in a cohesive strategy.

Don’t settle! Tell the company trying to sell you the Facebook Page for $300 no! That’s not the way you are going to succeed in this new marketing world. It’s not easy, but take the time to learn what is happening and build a comprehensive marketing plan for your company to dominate your market using all the tools that make sense for your objectives.

What to do next?

Start with researching your market. Find out where your target customers are going and hanging out. How and where is your competition meeting them in the distributed web? Don’t skip this step! You will need to prioritize where you focus because the opportunities are limitless. Once you have focus, you can develop a winning strategy and plan.

Check out our business marketing research book Digital Forensics. The cool thing about this new digital age is your customers and competitors leave a digital footprint that you can reverse engineer to better understand your market. We will show you how…and it’s FREE!

Business Marketing In The Coming Decade: Frustration Or Opportunity

In between skiing the moguls last week I was thinking a lot about what this next decade will look like for business marketers. We wrote the “Disrupted” book to give you a road map of what to expect with the profound changes taking place right now because of technology and new applications. This is all happening faster than we could have ever expected…and you have a choice to make.

That’s right. The ball is in your court, but you need to decide if you’re business is going to look at this change as an opportunity, or become bogged down with anxiety and frustration. Seth Godin had a great post on this a few days ago. He framed this in big, drastic terms because the stakes are so high. “The revolution is in full swing and an entire generation is eager to change everything because of it”.

Let’s get started in this first week of the new decade. No better time than right now to get your business and team on-board for the marketing revolution!

Where to start?

1. Embrace change- Learn, experiment and test new things. This is not a one time thing…you will need to build this into your business process and culture because this change is happening over years and is not stopping.
2. Lead by example- Some of this new stuff is hard. Just mention blogging to your staff and watch them squirm. Participating in the community and becoming a trusted source takes time and a new kind of professionalism that needs to come from the top.
3. Measure everything- Huge economic advantage will go to the businesses that understand this revolution and know how to optimize it for their purposes. You can’t optimize unless you are measuring.

Get help if you need it. Things are moving very quickly and it is hard to keep up unless you are following technology and case studies very closely.

Here’s to the next decade!

What are you thinking?

2010 Business Marketing Strategy: Allow Your Comments to be Heard All Over the Web!

As we ring in 2010, I feel that it is as important time to be making goals for your business, as well as your personal life. I am not referring to the far-fetched “impossible to reach” goals, but ones that you can actually fulfill with a sense of accomplishment.

Forget all the tips, tricks and tools bombarding your social marketing strategy and focus on the big picture of what you are trying to achieve: visibility.

Think about it, if no one knows what your business is all about, then what is the point of wasting your valuable time on a marketing plan? My advice for the New Year is to increase your visibility on the Internet by following your industry…But where do you find these people? I thought you would never ask…

The answer is simple. Blog commenting and forum posting is the BEST way to follow thought leaders in your market and appeal to your customers at the exact same time.

Do some keyword searches for your niche market and see what blogs seem to have a large, active audience. Now, all you have to do is read, listen and make your comments heard. Here are some ways to get noticed and convert your posts into new leads:

• Stay on Top. Treat your blog commenting as if your were ordering tickets for your favorite band off of TicketMaster. The earlier you are, the better seats you’ll get. It is the same with blog participation. In order to make a informative, eye-catching, unique post, you must be one of the first ones on the board. Visit your most popular industry blogs during the time they generally post their information. If you check early and often, you should have no problem being one of the first ones there.

• Make a Disagreement. By no means should you enter a blog looking for controversy, but it is important to remember to stick to your values and opinions. If you disagree with a particular post, don’t be afraid to express your feelings. By stating a disagreement, you establish respect and provoke emotion…the key to successful business marketing.

• Inflict Humor. Recently, as I was going through my daily networking plan and posting to industry blogs and forums. I accidentally made the mistake of posting my comment in the wrong thread, and was not able to erase it. This thread was one of the most popular hangouts for participants. I was bombarded by negative comments: being accused of spamming, not abiding by the forum rules, etc. I replied with one simple comment, “Oops! Sorry about that everyone! I can’t get anything past you,” and much to my chagrin, I received nothing but positive praise, more connections and increased traffic to my site. So, when in doubt, use your sense of humor, and a little charm, to make an impact.  You will build a solid rapport and establish credibility.

Use these tips as a guideline for all of your online comments and posts. Remember to stay true to yourself, and don’t be afraid to travel outside of your comfort zone. 2010 is the year of change…so start now!

Social Media Training and Analysis: Social Marketing Success in Only Two Easy Steps

Proper business marketing requires having a system for your content development and proper keyword use. Read below for some valuable tips.

Content Development

If you want a successful small business, you will need to have a set of certain marketing strategies in place. The first part of your marketing plan should focus on content development. Is it fresh and relevant to what people are looking for today? There are sources you can check, like Twitter and Twitturly.com in order to find out the latest trends charted for the day. Use these sources to incorporate imperative information into your content. It is important to follow the trends so that you are always on the forefront of what people are searching for. Are you offering something for free? Use your social media tools to give away such things like free information and reports, or coupons and special discounts. Items like these are great at grabbing the user’s attention, building your credibility, and leading to a sale.

When you are distributing your content on the web, the first thing to take note of is that your copy is search engine optimized. Your content needs to be written in a very specific manner so that Google can easily find your relevant article when keywords are typed into the search engines. When the keywords are strategically placed, your content will be among the top of the list and ensuring you more website traffic.

It should be noted that this web marketing strategy can be abused and therefore, work against you. Search engines are more advanced than they were several years ago, and merely stuffing the content with your keywords in inappropriate places will not get you more website traffic. The spiders that search for relevant content are able to find informative and well written articles while sifting out the ones that are simply packed with keywords but provide no substantial information.

Keywords

If you are looking for the right keywords to add into your content, you first need to do some research. Do a search to find out what other web surfers are using in order to find information on your page. This also works for phrases you want to include in your content. When you collect a list of relevant keywords, you can then implement them into your copy. Take note that they need to go in specific places: title, teaser, subheads, and sprinkled throughout the meat of the content. However, be careful not to go overboard on the density and get banned as a spammer. You need to make sure the keywords fit seamlessly into the copy without compromising the integrity of the information.

This system of online marketing is incredibly solid. If you follow these steps and develop a system that works for you, you will be able to manipulate the social media tools to work to your greatest advantage. It requires research and skillful writing, but when done correctly will increase your internet visibility and thus get your more traffic to your site.

Chris Marentis is a serial entrepreneur and recognized Internet Marketing expert having served as SVP at AOL and CEO of Clearspring Technologies. For more information on Online Marketing and Advertising, go to GenNext Media LLC. today.

How Well Is Your Business Adapting To Social Media: 4 Ways To Measure

How is your business marketing working for you right now?

If you are reading this blog you know that marketing as we know it has changed forever. New technology, new applications combined with a tough economy to completely change the game. This coming year will be the new beginning for many businesses…or the beginning of the end for some.

Why? Huge economic advantage awaits companies that can lower their average cost per lead and increase their average revenue per customer. New mareketing techniques in the distributed web, including social media marketing, will be a big driver.

The question is how is your business doing?

The begining of a new year is a great time to reflect on these areas of your business and set new goals for 2010:

1. Are you listening? Does your business have an active, pro-active strategy and plan to make sure you are observing all the relevant conversations occurring across the web? Winners in the new marketing paradigm will understand their customers and competitors better than anyone else.
2. Are you adding value? How well are is your business creating valuable content to educate and nurture your prospects so you can grab and hold their attention?
3. Are you participating? Being regularly involved in conversations makes you known, and if done well, liked in the community you are working within.
4. Measuring and monitoring! This ties it all together. Measuring key metrics like where your traffic is coming from and what are the conversion metrics. How is your list growing for various social networks as well as your overall database. If you are not growing, something is not working.

Gone are the days when you created a print or TV ad, agreed on a media plan, and ran it though the year. This requires and active, daily presence by your business. You need a strategy and plan to make it work.

What do you think?

Major Trends For Small Business Marketing In 2010

Small business owners are getting ready to take Internet marketing to the next level as they see the economy starting to turn.

According to an Ad-ology Research study, small business owners are planning to engage customers in new ways in 2010. Armed with web 2.0 and social media marketing applications, they are looking to find ways to break through the clutter of the marketplace and generate leads and sales.

In this study, 28% of small business respondents say they will spend at least the same or more on online video, an increase of 75% over last year’s plan. Social media wins big with 25% saying they will commit more resources to social media; and 21% say the same for mobile advertising.

Outlook Improving

Well over half of small business owners (57%) say sales in 2009 were equal to or higher than sales in 2008, down from 60% who said the same last year. Looking ahead to 2010, 86% expect sales to be equal to or higher than 2009 figures, up from 83% last year.

More important, concerns about the economy have eased since last year: 22% say they are fearful about the economy, compared with 25% last year; 48% say they are concerned about the economy, compared with 58% last year; 17% say they are “cautiously optimistic.”

Internet Marketing

Small businesses have lot’s of room to grow in their Internet marketing strategies and use. The good news is they see light at the end of the recession tunnel and are looking to grow their businesses. Online marketing is seen as a key new opporutnity.

Nearly one-half of small businesses (46%) say they do not currently have an active company website. Of those with active sites, the primary functions are to inform customers about products/services, provide general information, and offer special promotions. Many small businesses really have not integrated Internet marketing into a comprehensive interactive marketing platform….yet! In our view, winners over the next year will gain a huge economic advantage by using the social web to bring down average costs per lead.

The survey results also indicate email marketing and business websites remain the most popular online marketing tools for small business owners.

In 2010, many small businesses plan to spend the same or more on the following online activities:

• 57% on email programs to current clients.
• 57% developing a company website.
• 55% on email programs to potential clients.

Here’s a chart reflecting plans to spend more or less (time or money) on online marketing in 2010.

Interest In Social Media Marketing For 2010 Is High

Plans for incorporating social media and web 2.0 marketing strategies into the mix show a notable increase over last year.  In the survey, 28% say they will spend more or about the same time or money on online video in 2010, an increase of 12 percentage points from last year, and 21% say the same for mobile advertising, up 10 points from the previous year.

But…Small businesses are confused about how and why to use it!

Overall interest in using social media in 2010 is nearly the same as in 2009, as 58% agree that social media is a good way to both increase business and know what people are saying about a business. However, some 46% say they wish they knew more about social media, and 27% think only young people use social media.

Small business leaders say Facebook and LinkedIn are more effective than other sites. We note this could be self fulfilling if they do not know the other local or vertical market social sites that are available or how to use the larger ones properly. Among those who say social media is “very or somewhat beneficial” to business:

• 33% say Facebook is more effective than others.
• 21% say LinkedIn is.
• 19% say Twitter.
• 17% say MySpace.
• 15% say YouTube.

As the chart below reflects, among small business owners who use social networking, the top benefits cited include generating leads (50%), keeping up with the industry (45%), and monitoring online conversations (44%).

Overall, this study reinforces the momentum behind social media marketing for small business. But also points out the confusion and complexity that small businesses face implementing new media marketing programs.

What do you think? Does this sound right?

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