2009 AugustMirna Bard | Mirna Bard

August, 2009

Aligning Offline & Online Networking
Posted Aug 28th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Social Media, Social Networking With | No Comments

I recently did a two part podcast on BNI Podcast.com with Dr. Ivan Misner, the Father of Modern Networking and NY Times Bestselling author. We discussed aligning offline and online networking, both of which I consider to be very important for business. While I suggest you pop over to listen to the podcasts, here are the main points for those of you in a hurry.

In the podcasts, Ivan and I discussed the fact that you can keep track of and stay in touch with offline business contacts through LinkedIn and other social media networks. It works the other way around, as well. Often you get a chance to meet people that you know from online and this can be a great way to really cement the rapport you have from Facebook or Twitter. There is no reason why online and offline networking need to be two separate things . . . in fact, they work best together.

Many people are anxious about social media not because of the networking, but because of the technology side of things. They simply don’t feel comfortable with it, but the fact of the matter is, networking is networking, no matter where you do it. The same rules apply in both mediums and you’ll find that if you forget about the technology for a minute and focus on building relationships with the people you meet, you’ll be just fine.

A few of the networking rules that people tend to forget when forging relationships online include:

Listening – you can’t build a relationship without paying attention to other people, but there are a lot of people who simply don’t understand this and just blast their information and links out there without ever stopping to listen to what others are saying.

Planning – if you don’t know where you’re going, it’s going to be pretty difficult to get there! That means you need to think things through and lay out a plan that you can follow, with concrete goals. I actually discuss this in more detail on the podcast.

Interacting – you can’t jump into social media and then have nothing to do with anyone else. It’s not going to work! You need to be listening (first rule here) and then responding to what other people are saying. This is very important if you want to be successful.

We went over several other rules that you should be following if you are looking to be successful at networking, both online and off. There are many ways to break into social media networking and start building up relationships. Be consistent, listen to what everyone else is talking about and join them in conversation. Also, have a plan and follow it to really be successful.

And, don’t forget the VCP (Visibility – Credibility – Profitability) process that Ivan discusses! This definitely applies to all kinds of networking.

You can listen to the podcasts here, and I would love to hear what you think:
Offline & Online Networking – Part One
Offline & Online Networking – Part Two
Are You Making These 10 Social Media Business Blunders?
Posted Aug 26th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Networking With | 10 Comments

Small business owners are discovering the power of social to promote their products and services every day. While tweeting or stumbling can be an excellent method of getting your business name out there and gathering fans, it is really only powerful when used correctly.

Unfortunately, many small business owners are eager to take part in this free method of promotion but fail to understand exactly how to make use of it. Here are some of the most common blunders made in social media.

1. Bookmarking every single blog post. Stick to promoting the best content you have and people will pay a lot more attention. As a side note, you should be bookmarking other people’s great content, too, not just your own.

2. Asking for help to promote a website or blog post. This is usually done once the post has been submitted to every social bookmarking site under the sun. Again, stick to only your best posts or people will quickly become jaded.

3. Add everyone as a friend. Having the most friends doesn’t mean you’ll get more clients. It does mean you will sort through more spam and if you spam thousands of people, you could destroy your business reputation.

4. Advertising in blog comments. Everyone loves a comment on their blog, but when you leave a business ad instead of a legit comment; many blog owners will just delete it or mark it as spam.

5. No image branding. Not only is your profile picture important on social media sites, but some allow you to have a background image that can be put to good use, as well, such as Twitter. Make sure you use the opportunity.

6. Leaving holes in your profiles. Completing all your social media profiles with all the important information (hobbies, your business info., etc.) helps you attract like-minded members but it also shows people that you’re not only here to spam.

7. Not interacting. Social media, by its very definition, requires interaction. If you are just posting and ignoring everyone else, you will end up with fewer interested followers.
8. Taking on too much. There are hundreds of social media sites, but you won’t be able to effectively use them all, or even a percentage of them. Stick to just 2-3 quality sites or get some help.

9. Hard selling. Direct marketing can work in social media, but you need to create the relationships before you try and call on them. If you immediately start selling, no one is going to listen. You will be know as spammer and damage your reputation. Trust me, you cannot afford to do that with social media because the news spreads fast online.

10. Not measuring your results. You need to review your strategy and know what your goals are. Then through your metrics you have to see if you are meeting these goals. Otherwise, there really will be no reason to jump into social media.

Social media can make or break your business. With more and more consumers online these days, it is the perfect opportunity to present your small business as a human business and offer your services to a willing audience. Doing things the right way will pay off.

What other social media blunders you have seen businesses make?
Social Influence Marketing: A More Powerful Way to Talk to Customers
Posted Aug 20th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter With | 4 Comments

Razorfish recently came out with a report on social influence marketing, an interesting concept for companies and businesses that are looking to reach customers in a new and better way. There are many interesting points in the 58 page report, but it essentially boils down to communicating with your clients. Rather than pushing a brand at them, you are interacting with them and influencing them . . . something that most companies have not yet adopted.

Going Where Your Clients Are

These days, the vast majority of people use social media and that means if you want to influence them, you need to be where they are. Gone are the days of pushing products from afar, now you need to get up close and personal with clients. Top down branding is no longer the way to go, as customers aren’t getting their information from customers anymore.

An increasing number of people go through the internet to find out whether or not they should buy something. They listen to their online peers and this is where the social influencing comes in. Telling someone they should buy your product isn’t going to work. Showing people how your product can help them will provide results, however, because they are going to tell others and the news will spread rapidly about a great product. Many consumers are not even aware of the role they play in influencing the purchases of others, simply by commenting on products or services that they have used.

The report shows that despite the fact 62% of social media users say they don’t look for product recommendations on social media sites, there are still plenty of people offering their reviews. 42% say they share or recommend a product every few months, while a full 8% recommend products every few days.

What does this mean for businesses? Essentially, you need to be talking to your clients and making your brand more approachable. It’s a two way street now, with interaction on both sides making for the best relationships.

Finding the Influencers

With so much networking going on, just where are people gleaning their recommendations from most? While social media does play a part in customer decision making, more people claim that they listen to bloggers, particularly those who are established in the field. Knowing who is influencing your customers is important since you can then establish relationships with these people, mainly bloggers (key influencers) and friends on social media sites (social media influencers). To a lesser extent, friends and family (peer influencers) also help people make decisions.

Certain brand types are easier to use on social media. For example, a music label will find it far easier than a bank to discuss business with potential clients on Twitter. Surprisingly, two thirds of people surveyed for the Razorfish report had no opinion on brands in social media, meaning there is no widespread fear of companies entering the world of social networking.

Interestingly enough, more people trust television ads over social network product recommendations. This may be due to the fact that affiliate links are rampant and people feel that others are merely trying to earn a quick buck. Of course, friends and family come in as the most trustworthy when it comes to product recommendations.

Measuring Your Social Influence

Like anything in business, it’s important to track the effectiveness of your social marketing, but just how do you go about this? For most, this requires defining what you want to track, as well as what your success metrics are, more sales, more influential people talking about your business, etc. There are a number of ways to check how many people are discussing your services or product online, via Google Alerts, or several analytics programs.

The Future of Social Influence Marketing

We aren’t at the end of the possibilities that social media has for business. In fact, it’s just getting started. Interactive ads, for example, fit right into the idea of social media and relevancy is key. While traditional ads might not work within the social media structure, you can adapt and create a more powerful influence by providing relevant ads that integrate right into the networks that your future clients are currently using.

According to Razorfish, another development that we can expect to see, which is actually already in progress, is charging for social media advertising. This can be seen on YouTube these days, as the site adds pop up ads and links to the end of videos, all of which cost the advertiser.

That being said, social influencing is still very effective and far cheaper in most cases than offline marketing, so it is well worth moving into this arena. Anywhere you can interact with consumers and build trust, you will be able to create a loyal following. And these days, a loyal following can mean viral publicity, with everyone interconnected online.
10 Ways to Boost Twitter’s Effectiveness
Posted Aug 19th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Twitter With | 1 Comment

Twitter is pretty much the king of social media at the moment and while that may not last, you can certainly take advantage of it right now. So many people don’t realize how to use Twitter properly. They complain that it’s just a bunch of people who are talking about last night’s football game and don’t realize how this social network can actually be useful to business. Well, today I’m going to show you just how you can turn Twitter into a very useful tool for your business.

1. Follow the right people. If you’re following soccer moms, then you’ll be getting the latest on kiddie pools and ice cream flavors. Follow the leaders in your niche and you will not only pick up some great tips, but make valuable connections.

2. Interact with everyone. The best way to catch someone’s attention on Twitter is to respond to what they say. Don’t spam them, though, send meaningful comments or you’ll just be ignored.

3. Be selective. Many people use the “follow me, follow you” strategy where they simply follow anyone who follows them. Unfortunately, spammers are counting on you doing this and will load you up with useless ads or worse. Take the time to check each follower’s account before you follow back.

4. Set up a proper profile. Your profile is the first thing people check when they want to know more about you, so make sure you have filled it out and have an appropriate avatar or photo up. Don’t forget your business URL!

5. Promote other people. Amazing as it might sound, the best promotion for your business can be bragging on other people! When you talk someone else up, they’ll often return the favor.

6. Avoid banalities. It’s easy to start tweeting every little thing that happens in your life, but that isn’t necessarily a good idea. While you can be personable, it’s important to present a fairly professional side of yourself if you want to promote your business.

7. Don’t badmouth people. Many, many people on Twitter use it to criticize others. While constructive feedback is fine, constantly putting businesses or people down is a bad path to follow. You’ll end up losing followers and people will wonder how much you’ll complain about them if they hire you.

8. Promote yourself. Often we get so caught up in not spamming others, that we avoid promoting our own business! As long as you do it in a tasteful manner, there´s nothing wrong with dropping a link to your own site once in a while.

9. Avoid auto messaging. It’s easy to set things up so all your blog posts are automatically zapped to Twitter, but that will only lose you followers. Also, if people see only automatic posts when they check your profile they will probably not follow you in the first place.

10. Share your Twitter URL. Make sure everyone knows how to find you on Twitter! Add the link to your blog sidebar, include it in your email sig line and anywhere else people might see it. If you have something interesting to say in an article or on a blog, people are going to be more interested in following you on Twitter.

Twitter is a social networking site and that means you will have to put some real work into it, but the results are worth it. You really can boost your business and increase public interest in your company through social media and Twitter is a good place to start.
Google Caffeine: A Desperate Attempt at Competition or Something Worthwhile?
Posted Aug 17th, 2009 By Mirna Bard in Google, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) With | No Comments

The brand spanking new version of Google Caffeine is about to be launched, but the internet is already buzzing about it. Last week, a developer’s version was released and the testers have been reporting some excellent results. So just what can you expect from this new and improved search engine when it finally makes a full appearance?

Faster Searches

That’s right. Preliminary testing shows that the new Google search is roughly twice as fast as the current version. That’s excellent news for anyone who likes their info fast and let’s face it, who doesn’t? This could prompt searchers to refine their searches a little more, as well, resulting in more targeted results.

More Results

While Google has been the leader of indexing pages in the past, more recently it has fallen a bit behind. This may be because of so many sites winding up in the Sandbox or simply because Google is not that great at finding new pages on old websites. At any rate, Google Caffeine is showing up with hundreds of thousands of new results, indicating a drastic change in how its spiders check new pages.

This is great from the SEO side of things, since it means your site will be completely indexed faster.

Better Optimization

Keywords are extremely important in the new version of Google’s search engine. It looks like keywords used in titles are now particularly useful and that is great news for anyone who has been using proper SEO from the start. If you still haven’t optimized your business site, now is the time to get on that!

Google Caffeine isn’t just a slight upgrade to the current version, however. It is a full-blown, brand new way to search. From the looks of things, it is also going to change the way we do business and improve SEO.

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