Its true that social media is changing the way that we sell our products, ideas and services. Businesses who are not using social media tools like facebook and twitter are going to miss the boat, waving to the passengers as they venture off into the deep blue sea of relationship marketing. 

But social media is not a strategy unto itself. 

To dive into the vast ocean of niche markets and consumers waiting for your product, you must use social media in COMBINATION with other forms of more “traditional” marketing. 

But… I thought social media was the cost effective, non-traditional way to market your business? 

It is… but marketing still doesn’t come free. It is certainly cutting out the middle man, putting advertising back into the hands of business owners. Its CLOSER to free. 

But remember:

1. Not everyone is using social media.
2. Not everyone is using social media … effectively. 

If you use social media alone you will miss a HUGE percentage of consumers. 

Why else should I combine traditional marketing with social media?

This is nothing new! The model for any marketing campaign is called “The Marketing Mix.” Why do you think it has ALWAYS been called a MIX? Because you have to combine methods. 

“All of our campaigns involve a combination of traditional marketing, plus social media,” said IBM VP Sandy Carter. “We actually don’t believe in a solid social media campaign. We always combine it.”

Some Examples and Suggestions: 

1. Combine an in-person event with an online discussion forum so participants can connect before and after the event. This is what I call “Social Media in Real Life.”

2. Use your business cards to find potential clients on Facebook. You are already connected in person, so connect online. 

3. Use real postcards or greeting cards for your clients, in combination with social media tools. 

4. Seek news coverage for your blog. 

What are your ideas or experiences? Post them here!

Search Engine Optimization, that is. If you own or update a blog or website, then you need to know the basics of optimizing a page for search engines to find. 

Most people think that the index (or home) page of your website is the most important. Well, I won’t argue with that completely – but when it comes to using your website as a marketing piece, it needs to be more than a business card. By optimizing each article or page on your website individually, you will help Google list your website in organic search results when people are looking for YOU. 

Here are a few tips to help Google find your website: 

1. Your website or blog is built with clean code. Pretend YOU are a search engine spider. What do you look for on a website? Do you want the content to be easy to find and easy to read? So do search spiders! Search engines want your website code to be clean enough that they can find the content within the jargon. 

2. Do your search engine research. Without giving away all the goods, I would say start with Google Suggest and Google Insight, and see what some popular trends and topics are. Then go into your search engine key word tool and find the exact phrases that will key Google to display your website. 

3. Use your keywords in the correct formula to get Google to notice you. Its easy. Use the key phrase in the title of your page, in the first paragraph, and the last paragraph. There are lots of other rules that will help you out, but that will get you started.

Friday 2.0 is hosting the first ‘Blog-Off’ Competition for blog owners in Central Virginia and Roanoke. 

77% of active internet users read blogs. 900,000 is the average number of blog posts in a 24 hour period, according to Business Week.

LYNCHBURG, Virginia. – May 5, 2009 – A ‘Blog-Off” competition will be held on May 22nd at The Muse Coffee in Wyndhurst at 9:00 in the morning. Local business networking group, Friday 2.0, has put together a panel of four judges to evaluate the main criteria that makes an effective blog. Submission deadline is May 15th.

Lynchburg Blog-Off

The purpose of the event is to evaluate the effectiveness of local bloggers, while educating local business owners that those who fail to embrace social media technologies for business will be left behind. Through the month of May each judge will get a chance to share their criteria for blog sexiness, usability, search engine optimization and community engagement.

In a Coleman-Parkes Research study, companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

The panel of judges include ShoutOut LLC’s director of marketing, Andrew Potter, Marketing-Helper.com’s Jennifer Bailey, BrowseLynchburg.com’s Phil Tucker, and Nannette Saunders from RE/Max. 

“More and more companies are using social media and blogging to position themselves as industry leaders in their fields,” said Marketing-Helper.com owner Jennifer Bailey. “A lot of companies are afraid of this thing called social media, but the truth is that if we can learn how to adapt in an effective way then we can not only cut our marketing costs but increase sales leads.”

Those interested in learning more about the competition can visit The Blog-Off Fact Sheet >

About Friday 2.0
Friday 2.0 is a local Virginia networking group who meets on Friday mornings at 9:00 a.m. at The Muse coffee shop in Wyndhurst. Friday 2.0’s goal is to get educated about social media tools and opportunities. The most passionate and curious professionals attend this un-meeting as a way to connect with like-minded individuals and discuss the topics and trends relevant to technology, social media and the future of social media. Everyone from the freshly-minted twitter-er, to the tech-advanced executive managing 500 people are encouraged to attend and participate. All voices are equal and welcome at Friday 2.0! Join our Facebook Friday 2.0 Group.

Other Resources:
Coleman-Parkes Research Findings
Definitions of Social Media

If you aren’t a web designer, know nothing about HTML, or just haven’t been using WordPress very long… then it may not be a good idea for you to use a custom WordPress theme. Unless you follow some simple rules:

1. Hire an expert. Ok… I am not trying to promote myself here. But seriously, if you are going to use custom themes, plugins, bells & whistles… but don’t know how to maneuver WordPress CMS… then don’t touch it. Ask an expert to do it. Many experts will let you hire them on retainer so they can this “stuff” for you when you need it.

I get calls all the time… “Help! I broke my site!” 

A lot of you don’t have time to learn to fix it. So hire someone who can do it in a flash. 

2. Learn to use WordPress CMS. CMS means content management system. And really, its easy. You can never be prepared for every emergency that might happen – but if you know the basics, you can save a lot of money on retaining that expert. This means knowing some simple HTML, too. And knowing how to maneuver an FTP program like Dreamweaver or just SmartFTP. 

3. Check your site after every edit. EVERY. EDIT. If you make some changes to the image on your post… save it, then check it before doing any other edits. If you make some edits to a sidebar widget, check it every time you update. If you mess with the plugins, check it after each plugin update.

Some things to watch out for:

• Some plugins don’t work together and can break your site. 
• Some custom themes require a lot of FTP file editing.
• If you change from one theme to another – check all of your pages, some of the code might change. 
• Some themes have special “featured” articles on the homepage that use TimThumb and you will need to learn to use custom fields.

It is no wonder that women are at the forefront of social media. Women are social beings – made for relationships! And social media is just another way for us to expand those relationships.

Traditionally men are the early adopters of new technologies, but studies show that women far outpace the men in social media. (Business Week Article)

Why Women? 

Social media is less of a “technology” and more of a “social gateway” … while women don’t necessarily run the behind the scenes of social media applications like twitter, digg and linkedin – they certainly know how to use them to put on a good show. 

Social Media Phenomenon + Women = Influence that we cannot ignore!

Whether is for your job, your cause, your church or your family… social media can give us influence.

What Women?

Who is using social media? My mom is… to keep up with her kids! My sister is… to communicate with her friends across her college campus.

Me and my old babysitter. One day I got a facebook invite from a couple who used to babysit me when I had curly blonde hair. I remembered them because they used to do ‘Wheres Waldo‘ puzzles with my brothers and I.

But more importantly…

Lynchburg Bridal Expo is getting people signed up for their event through Facebook.

Dayna Palmer created a group for lynchburg women business owners on Facebook.

Linda Settles, author, blogs and uses facebook to build interest for her new book.

Amy Clark established Momadvice.com – well researched and in-depth articles on frugal living, saving money, work at home opportunities, recipes and tips.

Allison Worthington – uses facebook and blogging titled “mrsfussypants.com: we cant both look good, its me or the house.”

There was a high school girl named Sarah Sowerwine who started a Breast Cancer awareness cause page on facebook that now has over 30 thousand members.

A woman named Christa Laukevicz started a cause on facebook called ‘Prevent Child Abuse America’ and has over 2 million members and 30 thousand dollars donated!
…

Now that we know social media can help us increase our influence, then we know it is powerful enough to also help us find solutions for immediate problems.

I will admit, I do like to waste my time. Sometimes I waste it on YouTube, or Facebook… looking through humorous bumper stickers. I waste mine – and other people’s time – on twitter, talking about useless facts and details of my life. 

But I don’t waste time on Myspace. 

I would like to do a survey on the type of consumers that still use myspace (besides the registered… and unregistered… sex offenders who, according to the lawyer I listened to at Wired Wednesday, pose as teens.)

Who are they? Mostly Generation X and younger (mostly younger). Kids who want to get online for entertainment purposes? 

I used to waste my time on Myspace

And goshdarnit I cannot seem to delete my myspace profile. I remember in the very beginning when everyone thought Tom was Jesus and the t-shirts came out and everyone made it a priority to have the best-looking background theme. Unfortunately… Myspace hasn’t developed into its potential.  

Myspace hasn’t graduated to become a business network

There are two types of internetworks: social networks, and business networks. Many networks aren’t even put in one category over the other… because they serve both purposes. 

For example… LinkedIn is considered a business network. But while Facebook used to be considered a social network, it is quickly graduating to combine business and personal relationships. 

I always tell people that each social network has a different purpose… Facebook is for friends and family, Linkedin is for businesses, and twitter combines them all. But the networks are changing. 

Facebook is BETTER anyway

Easier to use. Cleaner. Prettier. Better applications. Does nobody disagree? 

…

Other thoughts?

Pete Hollier of The Wizards Blog, posted some statistics and surveys indicating that the majority of North American companies believer that their companies can’t survive without social media. 

A recap: 

• 60% of American citizens used Social Media.
• 93% indicated business should have a Social Media presence
• 85% indicated businesses should interact via Social Networks with their customers

Consumers surveyed indicated businesses should use Social Media to:

• Solve Problems – 43%
• Obtain user feedback on product and services – 41%
• Enable consumers to interact with the company brand – 37%
• Market to consumers – 25%

Barriers to initiating Social Media Programs:

• Lack of understanding by Senior Management 58%
• Negative impact on employee productivity 49%
• Fear of unknown technology 58%

Companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

• Improved Feedback 78%
• Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%
• Improved Customer support 71%
• Increased Sales 40%
• Improved public perception of company 75%

Within the survey completed for Avande were some general statements which must be considered:

• 52% of respondents stated “Companies that fail to embrace social media technologies for business purposes will be left behind “
• 78% of respondents stated “As we enter a possible economic downturn we need to focus on new ways of communicating with customers which add real value.”
• 77% of respondents stated “If they did not initiate a Social Media Program Social Media would enter the company by stealth”

I don’t have to convince small businesses that the economy is hurting… we all feel it. I can’t say how many companies I have talked to recently who are suffering from the recession (yes, I said the ‘R’ word). Those I know who are self-employed are having trouble making ends meet, and those I know who are not employed can’t get a job anywhere. And to top that off – we are expecting a tax increase on small business in the next year. Holy Moly, Batman.

A changing market is nothing new, though. Right? We all should know that. But because this market has changed so drastically fast, nobody was prepared for it. 

The Solution:

Drastically change our approach. Whether it is a new product or a new way of marketing… we can’t just wait around until things “get back to normal” – who says they ever will? 

Social Media can rapidly change your customer base in weeks. With the right social media mix (called social media optimization) you can cut marketing costs and increase sales. 

Wanna know how? Take a look at our Social Media 101 program… I hope to help as many people as possible.