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!

Unlike a “social” network, LinkedIn is a “business network” that I like to refer to as an online resume.

LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals.

LinkedIn is just like any other marketing tool – you have to have a goal and a strategy to get there. It can be used to make new business connections and potential leads, to apply for job positions and to build business relationships in your target geography. 

Here are some tips on using LinkedIn effectively:

1. Create a strong profile. Make sure you fill in all the fields. 

2. Make connections to people you already know. The more connections you have, the more credible you look. 

3. Get References (give referrals to get referrals!).

2. Set a goal for your LinkedIn. What do you want to accomplish from using it? What types of people would you like to make connections with and what do you want from those connections? Maybe you need to make 5 new sales in the next 30 days from small business owners. Make that your goal! 

3. Target specific companies or people. Once you set your goal you should know who you need to target. Check out your connections’ connections! See who your 2nd and 3rd degree connections are and request an introduction.

Other Helpful Resources

• Five LinkedIn Tips
• How Many Connections is too many?

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

There is a lot of talk about our social responsibility to social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. 

…what do you mean, “Social responsibility?” Don’t I only have a responsibility to MY organization, MY cause, and MY paycheck? 

And even I never really got past the fiscal goals of social media (costs less, increases sales), until I talked to @joegerstandt and @appomattox_news over the weekend at the Social Media Seminar. 

“The way we approach leadership is shifting and that part of the future and part of the crossroads we are at now is that we are shifting away from relying on the “experts” at the top of the organizational charts and relying more on groups of people coming together regardless of title to share ideas, information, perspectives and to drive positive change.” (via @joegerstand on the Social Media River)

Imagine if you could double your donor base in a year? Imagine how many people you could reach with your cause message if you had 1,000 twitter followers… who all had 1,000 followers. Imagine if you could rally all of those people and their friends around your cause and your message to drive that positive change you have been working so hard for? 

GuideStar gives us some more practical reasons, here.

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”

How much time is needed to be effective at marketing yourself through social media? Where should I invest my time online? What social media tools should I be using and how often should I use them?

Your time is valuable. I am a master multitasker, and even I have a hard time deciding where to invest the time I do have. 

1. How much time is needed to be effective at social media? Think of social media as a marketing project. It’s not a hobby (thanks @awpotter I like that line). The first step in any advertising or public relations campaign is research, then planning, then implementation. The research and planning phases – which are the foundation of your campaign – are going to take more time to build than the actual implementation. So in the beginning – you could spend 10-50 hours launching your campaign. 

2. How much time do I need to spend on a weekly basis promoting my cause through social media? Once your campaign is launched, it is a process of learning. The first time you do something it always takes longer than the second, then third time, and eventually you have it down and you don’t have to think about it anymore. But that doesn’t answer the question, does it?

The answer varies depending on:

     A. Your purpose and goal

     B. How fast your typing is, how fast you are at writing, your internet connection speed… are you getting the point? 

Scenario: You are promoting your wedding cake business online. You already have a blog setup with a linkedin account, facebook as well as twitter. You are experienced in your field and excited about weddings. So, you write one blog a week with good information for brides, then you use that blog to promote what you do by searching for brides on facebook and sending twitters out daily. You also find some unique wedding website communities to contribute to, like offbeat bride and weddingwire. So, you spend an hour a week on your blog, a half hour a day on facebook and another 15 minutes a day on twitter. Then you spend an average of 2 + hours a week on other sites. Minimum Time per week = 7 hours (an hour every morning with a cup of coffee!)

3. What social media tools should I be using and how often should I use them? There are four basic tools every professional should be using: Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Each has a different purpose in gaining new leads, check out my training on becoming a trust agent. Your field is going to have additional tools available (like weddingwire for cake makers or photographers). But how much time you spend on each depends on your field and your purpose! Check out the scenario above. 

And to respond to Chris Brogan’s thoughts on being realistic about time, Chris points out that ever since the web happened our expectations about response time has changed. Chris says, “We can reinstate boundaries and manage expectations. Business has to move fast, but do we really want the future where we’re all tethered to Twitter?”

It’s true. Boundaries are important. Nobody can expect people to be as good as me at multitasking (hah!). But – it is also true that the internet and social media has changed our ability to response quickly. We can get emails, twitters and facebook responses on our mobile phones. We can hire virtual assistants to manage our LinkedIn accounts! 

As I have said before, Social Media has turned 6 degrees of separation into new and instant connections across the globe! So, set your boundaries, don’t overexpect people to revolve their valuable time around you – but also know that there are tools out there so we can capitalize on our God-given abilities and human beings to be the ultimate task-masters! 

Check out our social media 101 program that will help you get a hold on your marketing >

Racking your brain to come up with new topics for your blog? For small businesses this shouldn’t be hard. 

By rizalgeo from flickr

If you know what you are selling – whether products or services – you know better than anyone the barriers that you face to get your message across. 

So the first step? Write about what you know. You are the expert here, right?! 

Ok, but it gets a little more complex than just writing what you know. You also need to write what other people want to know. 

The best way to find what people are REALLY looking for is to do your research. Public Relations professionals have 4 categories of research required before planning any kind of marketing strategies including your company/ product/ services, the consumer, and the market. 

If you haven’t received your step-by-step guide to doing your research given in SM101, then here are some of the essentials:

1. Research your company name on twitter and google

2. Look at your competitors and industry leaders, what are they doing well and what can you do better?

3. Research the trends surrounding your product or services

4. Do your wordtracker SEO key word research

First, of course, you have to have a niche. Anytime I want to create a new product I always find a need that is not being filled. That’s where I find my niche. 

For example, social media 101 was created for small business professionals who are familiar with social media but need help juggling the many social media tools available to effectively create new leads. 

So I guess part of finding a niche is also finding a good product. 

In the real estate boom a few years back I knew a realtor who only sold historic homes because he was a history buff who was familiar with the age of the home based on the architecture and type of wood used.

Once you have the essentials what are the first steps in creating a profitable niche blog?

1. A good domain name

2. An attractive, clean blog theme (we always use wordpress)

3. Valuable content that uses good key words so search engines will find you

4. A promotional plan that allows and tracks convergence

Join me for an SM101 conference call this Friday at 2:30 p.m. to discuss in more detail how you create a profitable niche blog. Sign up for SM101 here >

If you are going to be involved in social media at all, you are probably asking yourself how to do this… juggle multiple social media sites at once, that is.

On the Social Media 101 group on LinkedIn, Linda Goin wrote:

I want to narrow down my involvement in social media, as I don’t have time to tap all the resources (LinkedIn being one of those neglected mediums). Any suggestions on how to handle (juggle) multiple social media sites?

At the Circus on Flickr from ecpica

There are SO MANY social media tools out there… facebook, linkedin, blogging, twitter, flickr. (Get a complete list of all web 2.0 projects at http://www.go2web20.net/)