What to Write? What to Right? - part 2

Here I am with enough on my mind to barely fill an update, much less create a whole post.  Where do I  go for ideas?

My favorite place is LinkedIn Groups.   Second come newspapers and blogs.    And now I state why, with no class or holding back: " There is always someone out there saying something stupid that I have an innate need to refute! (and also the expertise)"   The controversy generates ideas and arguments and brings out the best of my writing abilities, as limited as they are.  A well formed argument becomes a stand alone post for my LinkedIn Profile.  Well written and complete, it can become a stand-alone post in the LinkedIN Group from where the idea came.  Posted as a response to the original article, a well formed argument can generate views, reviews and a hearty discussion, bringing up the volume of views garnered by your profile and  Social Media sites. 

Why post in LinkedIN Groups?  The articles are far reaching.   Every group member, whether connected or not can see the post.   -- and the posts are of natural interest to the group as you are of course, choosing a topic about your professional life that you are an expert on.   Groups attract a diligent readership since the group filters topics for you and give you a starting point.    They allow for comments and an exchange of ideas.   Group discussions are by default, interesting to your connections since they are posts are about your working professional life and areas of expertise.  

.....   and a good post is no more than 300 words long -   so how hard can this be?

#SocialMedia is about useful information exchange.  #LinkedInGroups

It’s 2014: Is Your Business Social Yet?

If you haven’t yet begun to implement social networking as a means of brand awareness and connecting with clients and prospects, it’s gotta’ be because:  a) you’ve been doing a stint in prison; or b) you’re afraid / resistant and you still don’t get how & why social media can be your business’ greatest asset.  Well, WAKE UP!! It’s 2014, and if you haven’t implemented a solid social media strategy for your business, you pretty much don’t exist!

There are all kinds out there now: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr (and all the wonderful blogging sites), Google+, Pinterest, Instagram and, well, I could go on for a while. So, for the purpose of brevity, I’ll just give you a quick rundown on why and how Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogging, if nothing else, are essential to the well-being of your business.

Let’s start with the basics about social media as a whole.  What do social media do for you? They keep your name in front of clients and prospects – on a regular basis. They're second to nothing else in terms of community building. They provide you with platforms through which you can easily and quickly maintain regular contact with your business connections. They allow you to effortlessly share and disseminate crucial information, via both text and images (not to mention video).  And last but not least, they promote brand awareness – in real time. 

Here, briefly, are some ways that social media can work for your business:

1.  Facebook – Facebook is the perfect place for you to connect with clients & prospects on a human level – a personal level. The first rule of using Facebook for business? Don’t try to blatantly advertise or sell your business on Facebook. That’s not what it’s about. You want to make lasting connections. You want to let people know what’s in it for them. Facebook allots you a forum within which you can mix the business and the personal. Let’s, for argument’s sake, say you’re in the real estate business. What can you post on Facebook? Photos and details of your listings, changes to mortgage lending rules, home improvement & décor ideas, links to informative industry related articles and videos, helpful hints & tips (for example, on how to ease the pain of moving), getting your home holiday ready, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Facebook also allows you to do really cool things, like form Groups (a home decorating group?) and create Pages (how about a Page for your listings?) that will take your business to the next level. Try to post on a regular basis – once twice a day – or at least several times a week. Keep your posts informative, engaging and entertaining to garner tons of “Friends” and “Likes” and “Shares”. And, most importantly – have fun on Facebook. It can be a great way to engage people and communicate!

2. Twitter – Twitter functions as an effective broadcast medium – you can think of it as a ‘micro-blog’. Twitter allots your customers/ clients a forum within which quick and easy access to your business is possible.  In business, communication with your clients is key – not only do you want to reach out to them, but they want take comfort in knowing that you are accessible to them NOW. And that’s what Twitter can do. Tweet about relevant industry news and information. Tweet links to important articles and news items that you know will be of benefit to your clients. Ask for feedback about new products and services via Twitter. It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s completely interactive and it’s always there – in real time.

3. LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the business connection place within the realm of social media. A LinkedIn profile not only lends credibility to you and your business, but much like Facebook, it becomes an integral means of communication and connecting with people – with business-minded professionals. It provides a platform within which you can promote your services as well as the services of others. And others, in turn, can promote you and your business. Use LinkedIn connections to find jobs, people and business opportunities. Use it to find quality employees for your expanding business. Follow other companies within your industry on LinkedIn to keep up to date on news, important information and available offers. Research companies and people with whom you are interested in doing business and ensure that your profile is complete so that others can research you. Take advantage of features like LinkedIn Answers, LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Direct Ads to position your brand in the forefront of people’s minds.

4. Blogging – Blogging is an innovative and creative way of giving people a glimpse into the confines of your business. Your blog is the voice of your brand.  What to blog about? That’s easy! You don’t have to be Ernest Hemingway or Mordecai Richler. As a professional with years of expertise and knowledge, you may not be aware of the depth of information that you have to offer your clients. What’s common knowledge and taken for granted by you is not necessarily available information to the average person. The blog is a place that is easily accessible to your clients, where you can disseminate this information. So go for it – showcase your knowledge – be a smartypants – and an industry leader through your blog!                                                                                   

There’s just SO much information I could share with you on how you can effectively use social networking to your business’ advantage. I could actually teach a whole day’s course on the subject. Hey, wait, I do teach a full day course on the subject. If you want to join, we’d love to see you. Here’s our link: http://escomputertraining.com/socialmedia

9 Easy Things You Can Do to Build Your Brand

Your brand is your business’ very identity. Increasing your brand’s visibility, therefore, is a fundamental component to your marketing strategy. You can spend millions of dollars a year – not to mention an obscene amount of time – propelling your brand to the forefront of the minds of consumers. But are you aware that, thanks to social media, there are a few very easy and non-time consuming ways you can build your brand? 

Without further ado, here, courtesy of branding guru and author, William Arruda, are 9 nine-minute things (along with my own commentary) you can do…      

1.       Build your Network.  It doesn’t have to take hours &hours out of your schedule – even if you just connect with one person a day on Facebook or LinkedIn (it could be someone in one of your LinkedIn groups – or a connection of one of your existing connections), you’ll be amazed at how quickly your network will grow. It is, after all, called “social networking” for a reason!

2.       Bolster relationships.  What good is having a broad network if you do nothing to maintain and nurture it? Stay in contact with your connections. Recommend & endorse connections on LinkedIn. “Like” other brands on Facebook. Send complimentary and/or congratulatory messages to people in your network on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You have to give to receive.

3.       Get a seal of approval. In the culture of social media, it’s about give and take. As you recommend and endorse others, don’t be afraid to request recommendations, endorsements, shares and “Likes” from people in your network. Enlist these from colleagues, satisfied clients and coworkers, past and present.

4.       Record it. Nothing wrong with blowin’ your own horn once in a while either! Document your outstanding accomplishments and achievements for all to see.

5.       Be current. One of the many fine attributes of social media is that they make it so simple to update your profiles as often as is necessary. Unlike websites, social media platforms take only seconds to update. So take advantage of that and ensure that all contact information and status postings are up to date.  And that goes for your photos as well!!

6.       Expand on your thought leadership. Start your own group on Facebook or LinkedIn. If you haven’t already (and shame on you if you haven’t), start a blog and post to it often. Comment on other people’s blogs and answer questions on LinkedIn and Facebook. Post timely and relevant content to Twitter. These are all ways you can showcase your smarts and industry knowledge. Oh, and don’t forget to link your blog to your other social media platforms.

7.       Be real in the virtual world. YouTube is a wonderful thing! Make use of it. Create a video – a bio of yourself or your business - or something that illustrates a facet of your business (a how-to or an informational piece). Go ahead – be a rock star in your own right!

8.       Build a home on the Web. “Link the different places you reside on the Web into one place, with sites like about.me, flavors.me, or vizify.com. Using these tools, you can actually set a site up in nine minutes! Then you can use your subsequent days' nine minutes refining and enhancing it.”

9.       Research. Social media make it easy-peasy! Get to know all you can about your clients, prospects, colleagues and, yes, even - or, especially – your competitors. LinkedIn and Facebook are great places to get some investigating done!

HOW SOCIAL PROOF DRIVES SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Social Proof is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of any social media marketing campaign.  What is social proof, you ask?  A term coined by social psychologist, Robert Cialdini (in his work, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion), social proof stems from the psychology of compliance.  Essentially, people tend to do what they see other people doing.  It’s basically the concept that, ‘If everyone else is doing it, then I should be doing it, too.’  It’s all about conformity.  If you’re walking down the street and come upon a crowd of people looking up at the sky, your automatic reaction will be to look up at the sky as well.    


Cialdini delves into what “psychological principles influence the tendency to comply with a request”.  He terms these principles “weapons of influence”.  Social proof is a weapon of influence.  And, this is where “compliance professionals” come into play.  Compliance professionals are “those whose business it is to persuade us”. 

Can it not be said, therefore, that you, as a business professional, using social media as a means of marketing your brand, are, in effect, a compliance professional?  Your main objective is to influence people to use your services – you want to promote your brand – get it out there so as many people as possible are aware of what you can do for them.  You use social media as a means of doing so, and social media relies upon social proof as its very foundation.

How important, then, do you think it is to be as interactive with others as possible on each of your social networking platforms?  If the key is to drive as much attention as you can to your Facebook page, your Twitter account, your LinkedIn profile and your Blog, then it’s essential that you focus on the ways that each of these sites allows you to amp up the social proof factor.

Case in point: Facebook.  If you don’t already have one, it’s high time that you create a Facebook Fan page for your business.  Facebook makes it very easy for you to use your Fan page as social proof through the use of widgets.  Facebook provides you with numerous social widgets that you can install right on your website, and these widgets can be very useful in terms of letting you know, for example, how many people “Like” your site, or how many people have shared your content on Facebook recently.  And, it gets better!  Facebook ingeniously tailors the widgets specifically to the people who are visiting your web page.  Bottom line:  the social proof that the widgets provide makes it much more likely that people will stay on the site longer or perhaps even subscribe to and/or “Like” it.
Twitter can also be used in terms of social proof.  It has the capability to display follower counts & activity feeds, as well as the number of times content is retweeted.

With respect to your blog posts, ensure that you include a comments section so that anyone who wants to, can post.  The more comments your blog posts garner, the more influential you become – you become an expert in your industry and before you know it, everyone is looking to your blogs for advice – they develop a sense of trust in you.  Setting up a comments section on Blogger is easy – simply click on the “Comments” tab, then select “Show” and click “Save Settings”.  When the comments are enabled, more settings will appear:  Who can comment – “Only Registered Users”; “Anyone” or “Only Members of this Blog” – the choice is yours, however, bear in mind that you want as much traffic as possible here.  Choose all of your settings accordingly.

On your LinkedIn profile, you can easily add a Polls application so that you simply ask a question and LinkedIn will distribute it to your connections and virtually millions of other professionals who are on LinkedIn.  And, you can even share your Poll via the Facebook and Twitter integrations, or even embed the voting module on your website or blog.

Remember, social proof is imperative to any social media marketing campaign.  As Copyblogger’s Brian Clark puts it:   “… given the way social proof drives social media, the way you frame your initial message is critical. You want the momentum of social proof aligned with where you want to go, not with where things are.”  

Just When You Thought LinkedIn Couldn’t Get Any Cooler: Targeted Status Updates Is Now Available to All!

With a gazillion cool features, LinkedIn is by far one of the finest tools for business networking.  And, just when you thought it couldn’t get any cooler – yet another brilliant feature:  Targeted Status Updates.  This feature essentially enhances the relevance of conversations between LinkedIn users and companies.  Originally launched in April, but only made available to a few companies, Targeted Status Updates is now open to all businesses that have LinkedIn Company Pages.  And, that’s over two million!

Targeted Status Updates facilitates the flow of pertinent information between users and the companies they follow.  In the words of LinkedIn project manager, Mike Grishaver, “...companies can now communicate with their followers in a very personalized way and provide content tailored to specific audiences.”

   

Now, when you follow a company on LinkedIn, information, news and updates (industry trends, job opportunities, product & service information, etc.) are sent to the activity stream.  And, the amount of relevant content that you receive is proportional to how much and how often you engage with a company. 

Businesses can target their status updates to users based on company size, industry, function, seniority and geography.  It streamlines the information that you receive and makes it much easier to follow companies.

Here’s how it works:

Log into your company’s LinkedIn page.  Type the content you want to share into the “Share an update” box.  Click on the dropdown menu beside “Share with: All followers”, then click on “Targeted audience”.

The next window you see will read, “Specify a target audience” at the top left.  Select the criteria for your target audience from the options listed across the top of the box:  “Company size”; “Industry”; “Function”; “Seniority” and “Geography”. 

It’s as simple as that!  Now, not only will your status update be visible on your company page, but it will appear on the homepages of followers whom you have targeted via the criteria you selected.

 

And, it doesn’t end there.  Analytics for each post are available following a twenty-four hour period.  The company page admin will be able to see these analytics, which include how many impressions the update received; how many clicks it garnered; how many times it was shared and the engagement percentage, underneath each post. Targeted Status Updates is a brilliant means of streamlining what and to whom you post on LinkedIn. 

According to an article on brandchannel.com, “LinkedIn found that 67% of members follow a company to gain industry insights, 61% for company news, and 49% for the peer community.” 

Targeted Status Updates is a brilliant means of streamlining what and to whom you post on LinkedIn.  Just another way that LinkedIn makes social media marketing a breeze!

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA ARE AFFECTING THE TRADITIONAL WEBSITE

I have heard a lot of people saying, over the past year or so, that they are spending more time and energy on their social media campaigns and less time on their websites.  Case in point:  several of my colleagues are using Facebook Business Pages as opposed to websites these days.  So, the question is:  Are social media displacing the traditional website we’ve all come to know and love?  

 

In our Social Networking for Business workshop, we advocate the use of social media in conjunction with what is already working for your business.  If you have a dynamite website set up for your business and it’s serving you well, why scrap it?  Your website stands for constancy and familiarity with your existing clients and it’s a great testament to what it is that you do, for prospective clients.  Plus, you can never have enough of an online presence if you want to maximize your SEO (search engine optimization).  But, what we definitely recommend is that no business be without a social media presence in today’s market.  That would just be counter-productive, especially given the ease with which social media can be used.

A social media campaign is absolutely essential to the success of a business’ growth right now.  The fact is, people are on social media sites like Facebook on a daily basis.  Facebook has become a primary source of information for a lot of us.  And, with Facebook’s user numbers expecting to shoot upwards of a billion before this year is up, if your business isn’t on Facebook, you stand to be in a position where you will not be as easily found when people are seeking information about the very products and services that you provide. 

The same goes for other social media platforms.  Each has its own special features that make it unique and essential from a business perspective.   I’ve discussed them all in detail throughout some of my other posts:  Twitter is great for getting short bursts of information out there in real time – updates, event information, links, etc.  Blogs are a wonderful way to position yourself as an expert in your industry – to share valuable information and your knowledge with people.  LinkedIn is the place to connect with like-minded business individuals and to network within a comprehensive business arena.

So, what are some of the fundamental differences between social media platforms and a website in terms of your business?  First and foremost, social media are just that – social.  A social media site is not a platform for overt advertising and hard-sell tactics.  Social media sites exist to help you connect with people – to inform and enlighten – to engage in two-way dialogue with clients and prospects.  A website, on the other hand, is a place where you can more aggressively peddle your wares, so to speak.  A website is static – updated and changed, for the most part, on a not-so-regular basis.  Social media business sites can be easily updated and altered on a daily basis, whenever necessary, in real time.  That’s important for any business.  Social media sites also provide you with an opportunity to take part in ‘live’ conversations with people through messaging and groups features. 

Bottom line, a social media presence is a necessity for your business in the current market.  Websites are still important, too.  And, no, it’s not redundant to incorporate both a social media presence and a website into your business’ marketing strategy.  It’s important, in fact, that the two co-exist and even feed off of each other to allow for maximized SEO and a well-structured presence on the web.

About the LinkedIn Breach....Change Your Password, but Enough with the Fretting

There are so many dumb ideas out there about computer security and account security.

Yesterday’s news of a LinkedIn security breaching (of ~6.5M accounts) at 4 p.m. created panic amongst many of the 120 Million+ users (roughly 5% of users).  A day later, I am wondering at the big deal.  If someone logs into my LinkedIn or Facebook account, they can make friends with people I don’t want to know, draw a mustache on my photo.  In reality, there is very little that they could do that you or I wouldn’t notice.  The damage is minimal.  – My advice on social media passwords:  Use one for the social media sites you use, write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a desk and have it safe so you can remember it.  (Most breaches are digital, and not a result of the guy next door rummaging through your belongings.)

As I said, the damage from the LinkedIn breach is minimal.

--Unless of course, you use the same password for bank accounts or confidential information.  These passwords are a different matter.  I will concede, these must be

- changed regularly,

- include numbers and letters,

- not be the name of your dog or honey

- not be an obvious piece of information about you

- be kept in a safe and secure place (not digitally on your laptop).

All in all, take the time to change your LinkedIn password.  Remember though, your life isn’t in jeopardy like the media may have portrayed it,  and cheers to smarter security!

5 Things You Can Do on Social Media to Find Your Dream Job

Technology and (most especially) social media have simplified our lives in too many ways to count.  And, finding a job is definitely not the same daunting task as it was even just 15 years ago.  There are a variety of ways technology has put things at our fingertips when it comes to the job search:  websites showcasing available employment opportunities; websites that help with resume writing; websites that offer job interview tips and, of course, social media sites that connect you to the whole world of the job hunt and open up an unprecedented wealth of opportunity!   

Here are a few tips for you to consider when using social media in the search for your dream job:

1.  Ensure You’re Up-to-Date and In the Know – Knowledge, as they say, is power.  Make sure that you’re up to date with all of your industry’s news, trends, info and goings-on.  Social media make it very easy for you to stay current.  Check out industry-related people and news via Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and LinkedIn.  Monitor and join discussions and groups and stay a part of the action.

2. Get Connected (and Recommended) on LinkedIn – Of all the social media platforms, you’re probably aware that LinkedIn is the most professionally relevant.  Unlike its social media peers, LinkedIn is all about connecting & keeping up with other professionals and businesses.  And, LinkedIn takes it one step further – it has its own “Jobs” tab and built-in job search functionality.  It’s like one-stop shopping for the job hunter!

Make the most of what LinkedIn has to offer by ensuring that your LinkedIn profile is at 100% completeness.  Think of your LinkedIn profile as your online resume and fill it in with as much detail as possible pertaining to your employment history, educational background, experience and skills.  Ensure that you request plenty of recommendations from past employers, co-workers and educators.  Use an abundance of keywords to better your chances of being found in a search for suitable candidates for employment.  LinkedIn really is unparalleled when it comes to looking for a good job in your industry – take advantage of what it offers and you’ll be employed in no time!

3. Mind Your Manners and Keep it Professional – Most people use Facebook and Twitter for personal use and entertainment – and that’s fine.  But, when you’re on the job hunt you want to mind what’s publicly viewable because anything in the public domain that your friends can see, your future employer will be able to see as well.  So, while you’re actively looking for a job, watch what you tweet and what you post on Facebook.  Check out your Facebook privacy settings and use them wisely.  If you blog – watch what you blog about and showcase your smarts rather than posting a scathing, sarcastic piece about something that really ticked you off last week.  And, that brings me to my next point…

4. Blog, blog and blog some more – If you haven’t already, start a blog and write on a weekly basis about something relevant to your industry.  As mentioned above, this is a great way to showcase your intelligence and industry know-how.  Make sure that all of your posts are grammatically correct and full of valuable information that positions you as the person in the know!  There are plenty of blogging sites out there: Wordpress, Tumblr and BlogSpot, just to name a few.  Take advantage and start writing now!

5. Arm Yourself with Info – Before you head off to a job interview or even prior to submitting an application, do your homework and arm yourself with plenty of background information on the company you’re applying to as well as the person with whom you will be interviewing.  You can search the company and its employees (especially the interviewer) on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn and if the business has a blog, read as many posts as you can to familiarize yourself with what they’re all about, their mission, etc. 

So much information, so little time!! That’s the value of social media.  They literally put the professional world at your fingertips and make it so easy for you to network to find that position you’ve dreamed of since graduation!

4 REASONS WHY IT’S CRUCIAL TO KNOW YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKING AUDIENCE

Social media is all about engagement and connecting with other people.  To successfully run any customer-facing business, the first rule is:  Know your clientele.  And, in social media speak, that means: Know your audience.

Why is this so important?  Because your audience (hopefully comprised in large part of your clients and prospects) is your sole reason for being active on social media sites from a business standpoint.   

Here are four definite advantages to knowing who your audience is and what they’re all about:

1. You’re Able to Better Focus – If you can focus intently on whom you are targeting, it makes it easy to create content that resounds immediately with these people.  And, that’s important because generating valuable content that allows you to engage the highest number of relevant people is the essence of your social media business strategy.  You want to capture their interest.  You want to keep their interest so that they’re coming back often to see your latest Facebook and blog posts.

2.  The Walls Come Down – You’re able to listen to what people have to say about your business – the positive as well as the negative – and respond in kind.  Social media is all about, well… being social.  And interactive.  Social networking affords you the opportunity to effortlessly communicate with your audience in an unprecedented manner.  Take advantage of that!  The more you interact with your audience, the better you come to know them.

3. You Can More Readily Respond to Specific Needs – Imagine being able to get to know clients so intimately through social media that you come to the point where you’re able to offer them what they require prior to them even inquiring.  You can make valuable suggestions to them and can tailor your services to fit them specifically simply because you have made the effort to communicate with them via social networking sites.  Ask lots of questions and interact often.  Soon, you’ll know what they need before they do!  The ultimate in customer service.

4. You Can Position Yourself as an Industry Leader – When the people in your audience (your clients and prospects) have industry related queries or need to be apprised of valuable information, you want to be the one they turn to, don’t you?  Make yourself readily available to people on your social networking sites – let it be known that you are the expert in your field!  Blog, blog, blog and then blog some more.  Blogging is a prime way of showcasing your wealth of industry knowledge.  And, don’t forget to post links to your blog posts on your other social networking sites – Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Get your messages heard by the people you want to reach – your audience.  And, get to know them as well as you can, so you can better serve them and become their go-to person.

For more information on social media and the importance of getting to know your audience through social networking, join one of our Social Networking for Business workshops.  For a schedule of upcoming workshops in your area, please visit: http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME WISELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

A very commonly asked question about using social media for business is:  “How much time does it take?”  Lots of people mistakenly believe that a good social media strategy for their business is a total time suck and not worth the effort.  Not so!  If you are one of the people living under that misconception and not taking advantage of what social media has to offer, you are missing out on important conversations and networking opportunities that can greatly benefit your business’ bottom line!                                                                    

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that it takes no time at all to implement, develop and maintain a viable social networking strategy, but I can tell you that it’s not as daunting an undertaking as you might think - the risk of missed opportunities far outweighs the risk of time lost.  And, you are in complete control of how much time you put into it.  Here are some tips to help you manage your time wisely on social media activities for your business:

First, focus on why you want to use social media.  Depending on industry and company mission, business owners use social media for different business purposes.  Do you want to use it for research? Networking? Sales?  Or, a combination of all of the aforementioned?

If research is your aim, you’ll want to source out blogs and relevant news sites that provide you with the quality information you require.  You can subscribe to their RSS feeds (news feeds) so that you can keep up with any updates posted that are of importance to you.  Imagine having all of that information literally at your fingertips?  If you ask me, it sounds like this will actually save you some time!!

If you want to use social media for networking, it’s imperative that you build a community or audience.  This is easy to do on sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  Once you have created your accounts (a snap), it’s just a matter of building your communities by posting on a regular basis (again, this does not take a whole lot of time) and interacting with your audience.  Depending on how much engagement you’re interested in, this can take anywhere from only minutes a day to a couple of hours – not necessarily any more than that, unless you so choose.

If your motivation is sales and marketing, it’s important that you get your brand name out there.  You’ll want to let people know what your brand is all about – what services and/or products you offer – how these services and products can benefit people.  Again, engagement with your audience via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Blogging will be key here.  Social media sites are currently the most innovative methods of marketing your brand’s products and services.  They provide an unprecedented means of getting the word out.

Secondly, it’s important to develop a strategy to manage your time wisely.  Once you gain perspective on your purpose for using social media for your business, it won’t be difficult to determine how much time per day or per week you’ll require.  Here are a few ideas that can help:                                          

-          Create a schedule.  Set some time aside each day (at least at first) to check your Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn accounts.  Take a few moments on each account to post something relevant and especially to respond to any inquiries or concerns that people in your communities may have.  Make it a point to join in on conversations/dialogue wherever you can contribute something meaningful.  (Remember, it’ll take a bit of time to build an audience.)   If you decide to blog, ensure that you post something at least once every other week or so.  Blog posts take on average anywhere between an hour to a few hours to research and compose, but unless you’re a very ambitious, avid blogger, a post a week or every other week should suffice.

-          Focus on activities that will have the most impact.  A crucial thing to remember here is that you have to be where your customers/clients are.  If you have identified that they are mostly on Facebook, then by all means, concentrate a good chunk of your social networking time there.   But, you don’t want to neglect the other networks, as they are all beneficial.

-          Although you want to garner a wide audience, it’s not necessary to overdo it.  You don’t have to be friends with or follow each and every person with whom you come into contact.  If a relationship will be mutually beneficial, you want to be connected to that person, if not, then don’t be afraid to be selective.  If you’re connected to absolutely everyone, you will be spending more time than you have to on social media.

-          By the same token, it’s imperative to stick to your purpose.  It’s easy to get sidetracked with irrelevant activity on social media (do you really have to watch that YouTube video right now??).  Stay focused on your business purpose and you will spend your time much more efficiently on social media.                       

                                                                 

If you use your time wisely and keep your focus in mind, you will find that you social media endeavors significantly pay off and that you actually enjoy your time spent with your connections. 

Need help putting together a social media strategy for your business?  We’d like to see you at our Social Media for Business workshop.  We can show you how to use your time wisely and effectively to make social media work for your business’ bottom line.  Please click on the link below for a schedule of workshops in your area.

http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20

‘CUSTOMER SERVICE MARKETING’ VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

With social media altering the way we do business and how we interact with clients/customers, the customer service aspect of business has become emphasized like never before.  Social media have brought customer   relationship management and customer service to the forefront and have rendered customer service a form of marketing unto itself.  Here’s how:

Social media have enhanced the customer experience by giving the customer a profound voice.  And, for most businesses, this has translated into having a favorable impact on overall sales and growth.  Social media are interactive and customers can communicate directly with businesses; whether it be to ask questions about products or services, file complaints or offer praise with respect to products & services. 

Direct dialogue is now possible via most mainstream social media platforms.  Within a business’ “online community”, the brand benefits via engagement with customers.  This is true both in terms of insight and ideas that can be garnered from customers as well as how brand loyalty is being constructed and promoted via word-of-mouth.  Listening to what customers are saying and responding promptly & directly to them is key.  Customer service becomes an effective form of marketing!

To implement customer service as a form of marketing for your business, ensure that you:

A)     Focus on conversation/engagement as being the core of your business – concentrate on the exchange of information and ideas with your customers – interact, listen and respond.

B)      Strive to excel at a more refined range of things – you can’t be “great” at everything and solve all of the world’s problems, but you can focus on the things that are most meaningful to your customers (things that you will come to identify through real dialogue with them).

C)       Break down the barriers that have traditionally segregated business and customer – make use of social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Blogging to get conversations started and to maintain & manage ongoing, solid relationships with your customers.

Need some help navigating these social networking sites?  Then our Social Networking for Business workshop is for you.  Please check out our schedule at: http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: AMP UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Most businesses are by now using social media as means of branding and driving sales.  When leveraged correctly, social media can make a substantial difference in your bottom line.  With 2012 all shiney and new, it’s the perfect time for you to consider amping up the social media strategy for your brand.  Here are some tips to help you do just that:  

1.       Define & Focus on your End Game – For anything to work well, it’s imperative to have a vision. Develop a plan that begins with your end game in mind.  Exactly what do you want to get out of your social media endeavors?  Increased sales?  Lead generation?  Lots of buzz?  Social media can be used in so many aspects of your marketing initiatives- i.e. product & service launches, customer engagement, reputation management and much more.  It’s essential to establish your vision prior to embarking on a social media strategy.  Coming up with a solid plan takes time and some research.  If you have already been using social media for your business, evaluate how you’re doing with the plan that you originally had in mind.  Are you achieving your goals?  If not, it’s time to re-focus and streamline your vision.

2.       Maintain your Voice – If you are using social media as a means of branding and getting your business’ message out there, make sure that you speak from the voice of that business.  If, for example, you’re posting Facebook and Twitter updates as a means of promoting your real estate business, it’s crucial that you post information relevant to real estate (i.e. new listings; before & after staging photos of homes; changes to mortgage rates, etc.) that your clients and prospects are going to be interested in reading. 

3.       Be Social – The above being said, it’s important to remember that social media is just that – a social platform within which to engage and interact with people.  Keep it business-minded, but keep it social.  Statistically, 78% of customers trust peer recommendations.  What does that say to you about being social?  You want to be accessible to clients and prospects – you want to keep them entertained and engaged.  Ensure that your social media platforms allow for dialogue, conversation and interactiveness.   Above all else, cater to your clients and prospects via social media – if they have questions, answer them; if they have complaints or concerns, address them - promptly.   Focus on their needs.

4.       Make a Name for your Business – The more you put your business out there on social media, the more relevant your business’ name becomes in its industry.  It’s essential to be as active as possible on social media – and social media by its very nature make it easy for you to do that.  Post regularly on Facebook and Twitter; create a Facebook business/fan page; start a blog and post on a regular basis; ensure that you have a fully complete LinkedIn account; conduct promotions that require online viral interaction, etc.  Your business needs to be out there in order to be found.  Also, ensure that your Facebook and Twitter names are easy for people to remember and relevant to the purpose of your business.

5.       Work your Social Media Profiles – It’s imperative that your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles accurately represent and accentuate your business.  Again, ensure that what you post is relevant, and also make sure that your profile photos are just as relevant.  You want your business to be highly identifiable on social media.  You can’t go wrong using your business logo as your profile photo – it’s what people will always identify with your business.

6.       Keep it Entertaining and Fun – This is what social media fosters.  This is one fundamental way that social media differs from traditional marketing strategies.  They allow for fun engagement.  You want clients and prospects becoming fans and liking your pages.  You don’t want to be boring them to tears.

With the New Year now upon us, it’s the perfect time to take a good look at your social media initiatives.  Whether you’re new to the social media game or want to give your strategy an overhaul, we can help.  Click on the following link to find to see our schedule of upcoming Social Networking for business workshops.  A great way to start off a prosperous New Year!

http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20

MEASURE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS

If you’re taking advantage of social media with respect to your business, why not measure the success of your programs and campaigns by looking at the numbers.  Here are a few concepts and tips put forth by pioneer social media strategist, J.D. Lasica:       

1. “Customer Engagement” – Number one because it’s  the single most important factor relating to successful social networking – without it, there is no social media campaign!  As social media is extremely interactive, customers are able to participate in conversations about your brand and this allows

you to accordingly improve upon your business, products and level of service. You can easily track customer engagement by studying the following:

·         Number of followers and / or retweets on Twitter

·         Number of friends and /or ‘like’s on Facebook

·         Number of comments as well as comment content on blog posts

·         Reviews and ratings

2. “Sales & Profits” – As important as customer interaction and goodwill are with respect to your social media programs and campaigns, one of your main objectives is invariably generation of sales.  Social media allows you to keep an eye on your ‘bottom line’ by:

·         Tracking sales from Google referrals

·         Tracking sales from paid searches

·         Tracking sales as a result of social network mentions              

3. “Search Marketing & Rankings” – One of the most desired results of your social media efforts is “search engine optimization” and your social media efforts should exponentially increase your brand’s visibility in online search results. You can increase and / or track these results in the following manner:

·         Use targeted keywords strategically on social networks

·         Use links from Twitter or even YouTube to achieve valuable search rankings within your brand search terms

·         Each time someone shares content from your website on a social networking site, you can get a link back along with a submission history

4. “Lead Generation” – Social media is quickly becoming a valuable resource for lead generation.  There are numerous tools that now enable you to track business prospects via “sophisticated filtering mechanisms”.  For example:

·         You can use LinkedIn to connect with potential contacts & existing clients and you can easily track the rate of invitations accepted as well as traffic with respect to follow-up communication that has been acted upon

·         You are provided an opportunity for your internal team to work in unison to optimize the usage of keywords and key phrases.  You know your efforts are successful when prospective clients come to you

It’s imperative in today’s market that your business be ‘social’ – and successfully so.  We can show you how to make to most of your social networking endeavors through our informative Social Networking for Business workshops.  For further information, please visit us at:

http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20 

3 STRATEGIC SOCIAL MEDIA MOVES TO SUCCESSFULLY MARKET YOUR BUSINESS

Over the past several years, social media marketing has become not only more sophisticated in itself, but integral to the success of the more sophisticated business. More and more businesses are becoming familiar with and are better understanding social media.  They are learning how to best leverage online resources to create networks and recognize that interaction and engagement are key with respect to social media marketing.  But, in order to take it to the next steps, it’s crucial that you implement more advanced social media strategies for your business!

So, you’re already aware of how to create an online presence and you already have an online community in place.  Now what?  Here are a couple of progressive social media marketing strategies shared by technology strategist, Samir Balwani, that will be sure to further enhance your business’s bottom line:

1. Include plenty of Photos & Video in your Message – You’ve heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”?  So true!  People are using the Internet prolifically to garner information on products and services, and that includes your customers and prospects.  They want to read all about what your business has to offer, but they also want to see photographs or videos depicting this information.  People are very visual creatures.  And, nothing completes your social networking profiles more than some visual aids.

2. Adjust Your Message to Fit the Platform – Within your social media campaign, you are no doubt making use of several of the different platforms at your disposal, namely: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Blogging.  It’s important, however, to ensure that, rather than deliver an identical message over the multiple platforms, you try to tailor your communication to each individual site.  Certain information and how it’s presented on your blog might be considered “spammy” on Facebook.  It’s crucial to customize each message to each site to ensure that your messages spread optimally.  And, customizing your messages on each site also saves your network of customers and potential customers from receiving the same communication over and over again.  You can effectively maximize your business’s potential by sending out messages customized to each social media platform.

3. Implement Strategic Sales Tactics – Strategic sales tactics can include offering discounts and conducting contests through your social media platforms.  You can effectively drive business by generating some excitement within your online community and discounts & contests are a great way to do this.  If you conduct a contest, for example, that requires those in your network to share virally with their networks (i.e. whoever garners the most comments or “likes”, etc., wins), your contest is sure to go viral and guess what that means for you and your brand!  And, don’t forget to give out exclusive discount coupons to your community.  In doing so, you’re literally rewarding existing and future customers, not to mention reiterating to them that you are a brand to engage with as well as a brand to buy from or do business with.

To learn more about strategic social media marketing, join one of our Social Media for Business workshops where we’ll teach you everything you need to know to enhance your social networking experience.  For a schedule of workshops in your area, please visit: http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20 

See you there!