Your Competition Loves Your Insanity

Shock, amazement and alarm. These are the three words that best describe my reaction to hearing CEOs say, "I've been in business for 15 years. We are more experienced than the new guys getting into our industry. New business has to keep coming in. They need us. I don't have to have my people tweet or link up."

 If you've found yourself over the last few nanosecond years saying or thinking the above, let's talk about scheduling your brain surgery. Your prescription is to start clearing the memories of days gone by when you were the only game in town. Your competition is loving you keep your head in the sand. They'll even bring an umbrella to make you more comfortable.

Doing business the same way in 2012 as you did five years ago - let alone in the 90's - qualifies as "insanity. Insanity has been described as doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. There's no such thing as "business as usual." People who've never had to market or sell before are being forced to do so. To keep your current business, as well as generate business today, a variety of alternatives to traditional marketing and sales efforts need to be aggressively embraced.

 

One of these approaches is using Social Media. In particular, I am talking about utilizing LinkedIn (LI). Why LinkedIn? Simply put, because business today is all about relationships. LI is the premier business networking site that exponentially helps people build and sustain relationships - locally and globally based on the six degrees of separation concept.

LI succeeds because you don't know who all the people you know . . . know. For example, at a neighborhood dinner party I was having a conversation about wanting to meet a particular individual. My wife overheard, and replied, "I know him!" I of course asked, "How do you know him?" She answered, "Because he's dating one of my friends." This simplistic example, under my own roof, if you will, suggests the power LinkedIn brings to you through second and third tier referrals and connections.

 

When you get the hang of LI's powerful search features, you are able to connect with thousands upon thousands of contacts through your contacts' networks. This shocking and amazing online tool enables you to build both your reach and your expertise in a way that turns into real business profits.

 

My mantra is "business people need to learn how to use LinkedIn." If you don't, you can be sure your competitors are. Don't be caught in the "insanity squared" trap -- that would be working harder at ignoring today's social media queues while expecting a different result.

 

 

Rick Itzkowich, “Rick I The LinkedIn Guy” is a genuine people connector. He bridges the two worlds of face-to-face networking and online networking. He understands and practices networking like few others do. As a successful entrepreneur, Rick creates turnkey products that meet today’s demand for tools to increase your business.

Social Media Sensation: Creating Buzz for Your Bottom Line

Social media is becoming a key ingredient in the marketing recipe for your business. There are opportunities and measurable results for businesses of all sizes, and companies are taking notice. According to current research, social media marketing is set to increase at an annual rate of 34% over the next five years, outpacing all other forms of online marketing. In fact, the expected growth rate for social media marketing is nearly double the average growth rate for all online mediums. There's a reason so many companies are increasing their social media budgets - it's proven to be a very effective tool for reaching customers on a new level. Having an active social media presence can help your bottom line, and there are a host of other benefits:

• Interact with your customers directly: Social media gives you a chance not only to engage your customers one-on-one, but you can also hear what they say about your company online. Make sure you take advantage of that opportunity, but don't react harshly to criticism you may see. Every action you take online will be seen and remembered. A great reputation can be spoiled with one misguided post made in the heat of the moment. Build trust for yourself and your brand by consistently adding valuable content, and handle your following with a PR-friendly voice.

• Own your company's social presence: If you don’t already have your own Twitter and Facebook accounts, get them before someone else does. If people make their first contact with your brand online, be sure that you have control over the message. 

• Look like you're "with it": On Facebook alone, there are over 400 million users spending over 500 billion minutes per month on the site, and those numbers are consistently growing. Your target audience is becoming more and more likely to have social media use as an integral part of their daily lives. Customers are twice as likely to do business with someone they identify with. If you're not on Facebook, your customers might wonder if you really "get it".

• Get great feedback on your business: Better than the results of any survey you could send out to your clients is listening to their reactions online following the release of a new product. With social media, you don't have to solicit for responses - something that can often result in misleading data. If you're engaged in social media forums, you'll have your fingers on the pulse of what is really going on with your business, and how people are reacting to it.

• Establish yourself as an expert in your field: Your company profile is a fantastic opportunity to post about your company's activities, as well as relevant news and trends occurring within your industry. By gaining lots of followers and displaying your expertise, people will begin to identify you as a "guru" in your field. This will ultimately lead to people being more likely to trust you (and therefore do business with you!).

Christine McDannell is Co-Founder and President at Social Starfish. Find out more at www.socialstarfish.com  Christine will be presenting at NAWBO-IE's January 19, 2012 meeting.

4 Tips for Marketing “Write” on Social Media

Let’s face it: we’re living in a society of likes, links, friends, fans, followers and tweets. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then clearly there’s no wi-fi connection in the cave where you are living. And you’re certainly not running a successful business from there, so come out and get social.

According to Nielsen’s Social Media Report Q3 2011, nearly four in five active internet users visit social networks and blogs.

A study done by AOL and Nielsen found 27 million pieces of online content are shared daily in the U.S. The key to using social media effectively for your business is providing content of value. Your clients and potential customers want information they can use and share with others. Being the provider of the information, your credibility gets a huge boost and could ultimately lead to new sales or repeat business. That being said, your ability to write well is tied directly to your social media marketing success.

Here are four tips to help you write to win on social media.

1.     Write a hot headline. So you’ve got great information to share, but if you don’t get the reader’s attention, who cares? A compelling headline is your chance to hook ‘em, so pique their interest with keywords they are interested in and power words that get them motivated. Be careful not to be misleading, though. Make sure your content delivers what your headline says. Jazzy tip: Need inspiration? Check out the tabloids. Hate them or love them, they have the best headlines.

2.     Write in a conversational tone. As tempted as you may be to post pages from a technical report full of jargon (yawn) or that perfectly scripted corporate sales presentation, don’t do it. Social media is about being social, being a part of the conversation. Jazzy tip: Read your writing out loud before you hit the share or tweet button.

3.     Write information that is “scannable.” People do not read at length on social media. More often than not, they scan. So write in a way that readers can easily skim your content. Rather than a long article, present your information in chunks of text that are more manageable to read and easy for readers to digest quickly. Try writing short sentences and paragraphs, and use bulleted lists and subheads to help identify key information. Jazzy tip: Include links to more detailed information and articles, such as a link to your blog.

4.     Write and then Edit! Edit! Edit! Just because it’s online content doesn’t mean you can forego the all-important step of editing. If you don’t take the time to check spelling and punctuation, prospects may not take the time to get to know your company. On Twitter you only get 140 characters to get your message across, so eliminate delete unnecessary words. Jazzy tip: When crafting your tweet, edit down to 120 characters, leaving enough room to be re-tweeted.

Bonus tip: Add images or video. On Facebook in particular, image posts receive 54% more engagement than text-only posts.

For more tips on writing for social media and to learn the dos and don’ts, register for Writing Your Way to Results” a half-day workshop presented by Joan Burke Stanford of Jazzy Pen Communications and Carolyn Ortman of CKO Marketing Group. This exciting, info packed workshop delves deep into writing content that takes your marketing efforts to the next level. Visit www.writingforresults.ezregister.com

Joan Burke Stanford, founder of Jazzy Pen Communications, is more than a professional writer/editor. She’s a communications stylist who ensures that business owners rock the marketing runway with their best words forward. She writes the content they need to get the results they want. For a jazzy article, blog post, newsletter, tagline or other communications project, visit www.jazzypen.com