When you build up the traffic on your web site, it’s time to consider selling ads to related companies. Here’s a good article explaining the basics.
Social Media – It’s Only Networking
Micro View
If I attend a professional association dinner, I’m going to introduce myself as Your Computer Lady but I’m going to talk sports, make a joke about the rubber chicken, ask about Ron’s daughters or listen to the horror story about the building project in Tucson that one of my architect friends is working on. If someone asks me a computer question, I’ll give them an answer. Hopefully the person sitting beside them will listen in and think, “Oh, that’s a good answer. Pamela’s knows a thing or two about computers.” Down the road when either of those people have a computer project, they’ll think of me and give me a call.
Macro View
I set up a LinkedIn account. I introduce myself as Your Computer Lady but I’m going to talk about sports, make a joke about the rubber chicken, ask about Ron’s daughters, … …
Clear away the hype and fear of doing something new and social media is just plain old networking. You’re doing it on a grander scale (8 people at the dinner table vs 58 LinkedIn direct connections or 252,600+ with 3 levels of connection) but it is still networking.
Just like networking at an organization, networking online takes a little time. Joining a new organization means you’re seeing more new faces. You’re taking time to build the relationships. You’re gathering business cards and inputting them into your contact management system. But after those basics are done, maintaining the relationships is relatively easy and doesn’t require a lot of time. But you have to be consistent. If you only show up every six months, you’re always at square one. Once you’ve set up your online account and filled out your profile, started connecting with friends, you can switch to maintenance mode too. Show up once a week and respond to invitations, send some messages, add some info.
You want to use social media for the same reasons you network at a meeting. Get your name out there! Be viewed as an expert! We live in a big, high technology, information-explosion world. We want to – need to – connect with people. Social media gives your company the ability to do that. You can humanize your company. You can reach out person-to-person.
As Jennifer Maggiore of Maggiore Consulting pointed out, “There’s no penalty for being early to the game. But there is a big penalty for being late!” eMarketer reports that there was an 11% increase in the use of social media in 2008. 41% of all Internet users visited a social media site at least monthly. They predict that 79 million people (40% of all Internet users) will put content at least once a month on a social media site in 2009.
Your firm can start small. Encourage your employees to participate. All of the Fortune 500 firms have social media activities. 499 of them have vice president level and above participants. But any employee can assist the cause. Whole Foods has tweeters from several stores in addition to their central page. Build your presence. There are firms like Maggiore’s that specialize in social media. If you need to get to more in depth, locate your target audience or increase your presence quickly – you want to contact a specialist. This is an emerging technology. A guide can get you to the destination faster.
If you’re early to the game though, you can take your time.
1. Choose one, maybe 2, networks to join and build.
2. Get that network to the maintenance stage before you take on another one.
3. Tie your networks together. A post on my blog shows up on my LinkedIn page. A Twitter message shows on my Facebook wall.
4. Measure your activity and success. There are tools like TwitterGrader that help you measure what you’re accomplishing.
My recommendation is to start with LinkedIn. It’s a pure business site that is simple to use. You can make good connections. Then add Twitter. Those little 140 character messages have potential. Check out twitter.com/JetBlue, /Whole Foods or /ScottsdalePD to see some business results. Yes, you can follow John McCain now too. Then expand into Facebook, Yelp or some of the other sites.
The Arizona Small Business Association is doing a series of social media classes in April and May. Check their web site for details.
Connect with me:
www.LinkedIn.com/in/YourComputerLady
@PamelaBir at Twitter
Pamela Bir on Facebook
How to Write Good Content
PLEASE read this article! The question I’m asked most often about websites and social media is “What do I write about?” This article gives you a step-by-step guide! Read it over. Give me a call about we can have an editorial content meeting to kick around ideas! Then we’ll fill out your Marketing Calendar and you are good to go!
The Secret Reason People Aren’t Liking Your Facebook Page
The Role of Social Media in Building Trust and Credibility for Financial Advisors
“In today’s digital age, social media has become a powerful tool for businesses and professionals across various industries. For financial advisors, leveraging social media effectively can significantly enhance their reputation and help build trust with current and potential clients.”
What are LinkedIn Impressions, and Why are They Important?
Whether you’re trying to attract job applicants, increase brand awareness, or boost sales, LinkedIn is an important place to start. After all, it’s the most professionally-focused social media platform, and nearly everyone is looking for information relevant to their industry.
With so many people vying for the attention of fellow professionals, how can you and your brand stand out? The answer to this question is by getting the right quantity of quality LinkedIn impressions.
What is an impression on LinkedIn, though? In short, impressions are a measure of success in the world of social media.
Should You Market During the Summer?
A client last week told me they didn’t want to do their July eNews because “It’s summer. It’s hot. People are busy. Sales are slow.”… … … I couldn’t convince them to change their decision but I hope I can convince you not to follow their example. Stopping your advertising in slow times whether it’s a Depression, Recession, or July in Arizona is the wrong decision. Of course, have a budget. Watch your costs. Look for good value. But don’t stop advertising your business.
Read this marketing story from the Depression era and think
about the impact it is still having today in
2017!
Get Past the Gatekeeper Using LinkedIn
One of the struggles all marketing people face is getting past the gatekeeper to introduce yourself and talk to your prospect. LinkedIn offers some solutions.
Connect
First send a connection invitation. Write a custom message instead of the blah LI message. “We are both active in the ____ industry. I’d like to connect with you to share news and information.” The connection email is to CONNECT, not to SELL.
Once you’re connected, your prospect will see your posts in their feed. Make solid, valuable posts to build your credibility.
Direct Message
You can message your prospect via LinkedIn. Share a white paper, an interesting article or something of value to your prospect. Again, this is the time to connect with them, not make a sales presentation.
Groups
Look for the groups your prospect belongs to. Join those groups. Watch to see how involved your prospect is. Respond to their comments or posts. Talk about issues they are interested in. Make posts to build your expertise and credibility in the industry.
As you gradually build rapport with your prospect, the opportunity will come for a call or meeting to move your relationship to the next level.
Groups can be very powerful. More than one prospect will see your activities!!
Call Pamela today to make a plan to utilize LinkedIn for your marketing.
10 Steps for Creating a Content Calendar for Your Brand
Click the image for a larger view.
“Have you worked out your content calendar for the year ahead yet?
I mean, we’re now three months in, so you’d want to have a plan in place. But with various elements competing for your attention, it also makes sense if you haven’t had a chance to lock it all in.
This could help. The team from Giraffe Social Media have put together a handy overview of how to create an effective social media content calendar, which could help you get your planning on track.”
The 7 C’s of Social Media Marketing
“Looking for a simple way to structure your social media and digital content strategy?
This could help. The team from Adnorml have put together a “7 C’s” approach to social media management, which covers all the key elements using phonetic cues.
And while it doesn’t go into depth, each of these points will provide more insight for your approach, which could help you maximize your opportunities.”
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