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Social Media Strategist, Direct and Network Marketing Expert Trainer, Speaker, Author, Doug Firebaugh formed PassionFire in 1998, and does business in over 30 countries. The mission is simple: To educate and instruct the Direct Marketer to ignite a Success Inferno in their business and life. The approach to training is fresh, and unique, and is all part of the SuccessFire Personal TranFormation System(sm) that has been developed. We believe in the philosophy that we were created by God to Succeed, not survive, to live a life of Victory, and not a life of victim-hood. PassionFire has been blessed to do business with folks that represent over 500 direct marketing companies, including folks from the U.S., Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australia, Canada, among other countries..
Date / Time: 5/1/2009 4:54 AM UTC
Lived in a hotel and on a plane.
BUT! we are at home and life back to normal.
Sort of.
I consult a lot. I am blessed to have a thriving consulting/speaking business. But during the course of working and helping companies and entrepreneurs with their social media strategic planning as well as home business, I have found that there are 7 Reasons why social media is not working for a lot of people, and you may be one of them.
They are not in any particular order, but here are 7 Reasons why that social media may not be working for you like it should be in your marketing efforts.
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1) No Target to Shoot For.
Many folks have not target or goal that they are looking to hit. That is crazy. You need to have a set target and defined destination that you are looking to go.
It may be as simple as finding 2 new leads a day or expanding your communication with your clients like Southwest Airlines has done. But whatever it is, WRITE DOWN the target and then start moving towards the bull eye.
2) Expecting Miracles when a Message would do.
It is about your Message, not Miracles. I am a HUGE believer in Miracles, but in social media, it takes time for the Blueprint you have to take effect.
Miracles in 72 hours? Not gonna happen. But a strong message in 72 Minutes?
THAT is doable and a great start to a turn around miracle.
3) Connecting- but Lack of Personal Connection.
Connection in social media is important. But PERSONAL CONNECTION is IMPERATIVE. You must create that Connection that moves past the surface and create conversations that start to build a Trust bridge.
That will do more for your follower count and friends than just about anything.
4) Providing Constant Volume but not Consistent Value.
Your messages, notes, posts, tweets, videos, and podcasts need to be Constant and regularly distributed, but without Consistent Value-people will quit reading them. I have not posted in over a week. Why? I could not provide the quality of content that I feel I must send out as I was so busy speaking and consulting. so I refused to lower the standards set - even if I had a little time to send out something just to send it out.
It is the same with you. EVEN-if you send out maintenance or utility posts, make sure they carry the Value to the prospect or reader-that will be appreciated and forwarded- not deleted and forgotten.
5) Trying to be Too many Places with Too Little Time.
Pick a social site and build there. My focus has always been pick 5 sites and stay there. Automate everything else. You have ping.fm, and hellotxt.com, and other broadcast sites. Pick one of them, and then you can be on 75 sites or more daily.
But do it SMART.
Automate the sites with your messages and posts that you are not building relationships currently on, and build the relationships on the other social sites you are.
Some people do not like broadcast social sites, but if you are a marketer, you better use them if you are going to create results over time.
6) Trying to be SEEN when You should be Helping Others to be Known.
You need to be a promoter on social sites. A promoter of great material, and great value. I sent out over 10 links today of things that rocked. Most of the folks I did not personally know who they were, but knew others could benefit. What about you? Do you run across things that really impact you? Let others know about it.
Become a Power Promoter and promote others and not just yourself. It works better that way. If you let others know about great Value and Content of others, you will be SEEN, HEARD, and KNOWN quickly.\
Trust me. It works.
7) Ambushing the Conversation instead of Amplifying the Connection.
Happened today. Someone connected with me about something I sent out, and the next thing I knew, I was being pitched a financial deal that I was shaking my head on. They were relentless, and after I politely cut them off, they said to me, “I knew this social media stuff was a bunch of hooey. It does not work and people are full of it if they think it does.”
Au contraire.
It DOES work as long as you do not hijack and ambush the conversation with what YOU can GET- and instead focus on what you can GIVE to folks that will help them.
If you do that, what you have to offer they will embrace.
We have been blessed to build a 6 Figure revenue stream on facebook alone- not counting anything else–totally under the radar –quietly–and without hype or ambushing anyone.
You can too- if you do not make these 7 mistakes that a lot of people are in their social media marketing business.
blessings…doug firebaugh
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Date / Time: 4/11/2009 8:22 PM UTC
Many people in social media market products, messages, ideas, books, CDs, trainings, ebooks, audio books, member sites, health products, travel products, legal products, and many other things.
We all are marketing something.
And in every business strategy, there is some form of a process.
A process is a step by step PATH that you can follow and it produces the RESULTS or destination that you are looking for. Many folks in social media follow a process whether on twitter, facebook, youtube, flicker, and any other social site. Just check their online tutorial. It shows you for the most part, a step by step process on how to use the social site.
But what about Marketing?
Most people that are marketing in social media have a message that they are marketing.
Timothy Carter does.
Carrie Wilkerson does.
Chris Brogan does.
Seth Godin does.
Joel Comm does.
Marco Carbajo does.
John Fogg does.
Chris Widener does. They all have a message and want that message to get out as all have great messages.
Yes, I have a message as well, and it is about Home Business and Social Media Marketing Success as part of it.
Ok. Let’s get REAL.
A message without an audience is nothing more than a great conversation with yourself.
You MUST get it out and in front of people. THAT is how you create a business. Exposure-Exposure- Exposure.
How can you create Exposure for your Message or Products that will MOVE PEOPLE to want to know more and to possibly purchase your program, product, or message?
A billionaire told me this once: “The average marketer moves products. The highly successful wealthy marketer MOVES PEOPLE.”
Amen!
HOW can you start a “People Moving Process” that will help insure your marketing efforts are not in vain?
We developed a while back the “4 Is of Social Media Marketing.” The last 3 years we have been blessed to increase our online revenues by an incredible seven figure amount — by using this process in social media, and in other online marketing efforts. We cannot go into detail the minute details of the process due to lack of time, but we can overview this powerful process.
What are the 4 I’s?
1) INFORM.
The marketing process starts with informing folks of your message or products. This is a result of creating an exposure of YOU and your message. You first must connect with people, and build that bridge of trust, and then you can start informing them of your message of VALUE.
You can do this with many vehicles, including free ebooks, white papers, articles, and podcasts.
You can inform people how your message will help transform their life and future. You can see people like Zna Trainer doing this with some amazing health tips she sends out and info as well as Timothy Carter. And you can see GREAT information on many social sites and blogs as well.
Giving out HOT information for all to use freely is one of the great secrets of social media marketing. Lose control of your information and watch it virally market like crazy. Inform people of who you are, why they should listen to you, and what you or your product can do for their life to take it to a radical new level.
Once again, do this with videos, blog posts, mp3s, notes, tweets, pictures, direct messages, social email, free ebooks, and other social tools for exposure.
2) IMPACT.
Your message must IMPACT people.
It must MOVE THEM on the inside so they will take action on the outside. (READ THAT AGAIN!)
This is how you get people to move towards you to learn more about your product or message.
Stir them Emotionally with NEW information that they can apply, or move them with:
a) HOPE of solving a problem.
b) A HOW TO they have been looking for and seeking.
c) NEW POSSIBILITIES for their life.
e) LITTLE KNOWN INFORMATION but applicable and highly useful information.
d) A DISCOVERY of a new website, new podcast, or video that will MOVE THEM emotionally and give them something that they find valuable.
Become KNOWN that YOU are a deliverer of Practical, Powerful, and Unique information, that points to your message or product. Example: if you market a nutritional product- give out GREAT nutritional tips that will help people via blog posts, articles, videos, or any other media that works for your message.
I call it “Sample Results.” Give them some “samples” of results they can achieve by listening to you and purchasing your products. You do this with great, valuable information they can use.
STIR THEIR EMOTIONS with IMPACT. If you do this, your power to move people will explode.
3) INVITE.
There is a powerful tactic that is all part of social media marketing. We call it the “TIO Factor.”
TAKE IT OFFLINE.
To really market to people in social media, you must Take It Offline. You want to establish a more personal and trust soaked relationship. You rarely can do that by just being online.
You do this, by inviting people to special conference calls, training webinars, live online seminars, and local meetups. This is where you can EXPAND YOUR MESSAGE and EXPLODE your INFLUENCE on a more personal and face to face basis.
Whether facebook or LinkedIn, you can invite people to offline events that will create a more intimate and powerful CONNECTION with them, and you provide even MORE POWERFUL and USEFUL information to the prospect base on the call or webinar.
This will POSITION YOU as someone that is worthy of being listened to, and will dramatically increase your perceived expertise in your industry. And You can do the offline event yourself, or do it with multiple guest speakers. Adam Urbanski is a master at this. You can find his events with 4 or 5 people that are the speakers or trainers that bring amazing value to anyone that attends his online events.
Take It offline to MOVE PEOPLE even closer to you and your message/product.
4) IMPROVE.
This is THE PEOPLE MOVER.
Show people how YOU, YOUR MESSAGE, or YOUR PRODUCTS can IMPROVE, INCREASE, MULTIPLY, or ENLARGE people’s lives and interests, and they will beat a path to your door, and multiply your message all over the internet.
To IMPROVE someone’s business, life, health, knowledge, faith, Success, or income - will dramatically MOVE PEOPLE towards you which will MOVE PRODUCTS for you. (Did you GET THAT?)
Quit just trying to move products in social media. That is how people that mostly fail do it.
MOVE PEOPLE and LOTS OF THEM on the inside and outside through the 4 I’s. This is a powerful social media marketing secret that can help you create results that most only dream of.
FREE Social Media ebook for Home Business Professionals.
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Date / Time: 3/24/2009 4:16 AM UTC
Unless you have lived in a cave the last 4 years, you have probably heard of this. It is a rocking hot social networking site that seems to be almost everywhere today. On the news. On the radio. On the minds of millions of folks a day.
And there are many different types of people on facebook. I am going to do a post on that soon. But these great folks all participate in what I call the “10 Social Media Laws of facebook.”
Mari Smith would be proud.
Ok- I know that you may be asking,” A LAW about facebook?” Yes, 10 of them for marketing and business success in what you so. I am a marketer and have been for 20 years. Built a training and consulting business that does business in over 20 countries, because of social media and the internet. And there are marketing laws that all marketers and business professionals must follow if they are going to have Success in the marketplace.
It is the same for Facebook. If you are an Entrepreneur, or a business professional, you may want to consider these as they will make a difference in what you do on facebook.
1) The Law of Visibility on Facebook.
You MUST be visible on facebook of you are going to get your message out. You must spend time on facebook and get to know people. You must put yourself together a “facebook blueprint” and work it. How many hours a week are you going to be seen on FB? How many times are you going to befriend someone this week? How many times are you going to upload photos this week? All of these things put you in the ‘Visibility Zone” on facebook, and on the radar as far as people on facebook. Be SEEN and be THERE on a daily basis. Chris Brogan and Robert Scoble are.
2) The Law of the Powerful Facebook Profile.
Why would people want to get to know you? One of the first things they check out is your facebook profile. What does it say- but better yet- what does it DO? Does it make people curious and want to get to know you? Does it make them think? Does it make them smile? Does it make them see that you have Value for their life and can help change it?
Powerful facebook profiles are NOT based on what is said in your profile- but what it DOES.
Does it direct them to DO something? Does it tell them you are person they MUST know? Or someone that has a nice picture and a nice profile- with no magnetism? Put yourself OUT THERE and tell the world WHY they need you as a friend, and get them to take action towards YOU. Nancy Perez and Carrie Wilkerson do.
3) The Law of the Facebook WALL.
You MUST use your Wall to market or message. many folks regard their Wall as a communication utility like email. It is not that. You already have a facebook email. The Wall is for you to BUILD- BRICK BY BRICK- MESSAGE BY MESSAGE- NOTE BY NOTE- VIDEO BY VIDEO- your Brand on Facebook. Every time something happens with you- it goes on your Wall. Don’t stare at the wall- CLIMB THE SUCKER and make your message the PEAK of the page- and keep yourself out there with the Wall. And answer the messages on your Wall. Thank people for sharing with you their visit or message. This will show up on THEIR wall. This will set you apart from most on facebook. The Wall is simply a BILLBOARD of what you are doing and your friends are doing on Facebook. Use it often and wisely. Matt Bacak and Adam Urbanski do.
4) The Law of Your Facebook Network.
You are part of a local facebook network and you have access to that network to befriend them. I live in Birmingham Michigan, and the network i am a part of is the Detroit network. There are 640,926 people in my network that I could potentially MEET LIVE in a local place and get to know them and connect with them. You have local folks as well. Where do you find your network?
Click on “settings” and then click on “network.” You will find it there. This is a GOLD MINE of people in your local area to CONNECT and Construct new trust bridges that may lead to business down the road. Timothy Carter and Valerie Maltoni do.
5) The Law of the Facebook Notifications.
This is an overlooked and rarely talked about utility. Notifications are part of your “facebook email system.” Go to “email” at the top of your Facebook profile page, and then click on “notifications.”This is list of who is thinking about you, talking about you, including you in tags, and generally is pointing to you. This is a GOLD MINE of people that have PROVEN they are behind you and willing to make you a part of their Facebook experience. Pay attention to the facebook notifications. Thank them for their thoughts of you on their Wall and let them know you appreciate it. Include them as well on your tags and other activity on facebook. The notifications are GOLD and is a prospecting Vault of Leads. make sure you stay CONNECTED to them. Coach Deb Micek and Scott Monty do .
6) The Law of Facebook Link Love.
The Link application on Facebookis a HOT commodity. It allows you to post a link that you like and then sends it out on the news feed that is on your home page. It picks up the image that you want on the link page, and allows it to be a LIVE link. Send out other people’s LINK and givem some LOVE. Do NOT just send out your own links. Let others do that. Find interesting links of others and send them out.
WHY? EXPOSURE for you. You will be given credit for the link. People LOVE link love. If you send out a LOT of other people’s links on facebook, they will start sending out YOUR links. Been there done that. Joel Comm and Yanik Silver do.
7) The Law of Facebook Groups.
Join groups. Join a LOT of Groups. Start your OWN groups. The join MORE groups. Why? EXPOSURE. CONNECTION to other Group members. AUTHORITY. Start your own and be a Leader. REACH.Groups extend your reach into Facebook. MULTIPLIED PROSPECTS. There are more people in a group — then on a profile page.
Duh. Build a list in your own group and then you can become an admin and email messages to them. Make them messages of VALUE and interest. Kevin Nations does.
The Law of Facebook Events.
Attend events. Attend Events. and then attend MORE events. Why? It allows you to leave a message on the events page wall, and create exposure. I attend at least 2 facebookevents every week- to learn- and to network. Events can be found on the new Facebook page in the upper right under “Upcoming“-these are the events that are upcoming. One unique twist. You have birthdays under the “upcoming” tag- and you can send presents to folks. THIS will get their attention as it shows up on their wall and the news feed as well. Attend as many events as you can. make them worth your while- learn and grow from them. BUT–always leave a RSVP message about attending or not- with an encouraging message. This will show your professionalism, and caring.
Event UP! This will do you wll on facebook. Put the term “events” in the search box, and it will find every event that is going on in your network of friends- a GOLD MINE of new possibilties of business. Become a master of events!
9) The Law of Facebook Multimedia- Videos and Photos.
People LOVE photos and videos. They are the most looked at and watched pages on facebook. Make some videos and upload them. Upload some photographs. Not only will the be seen on your wall and the facebook news feed, but also will allow you to “tag” others on these. This means that you can pick out people you have befriended and let them know you are thinking of them. And when you tag someone- it shows up on THEIR wall. Not isn’t THAT cool? It is called EXPOSURE! Larry Hochman andDiane Hochman rule with facebook Videos.
10) The Law of the Facebook NEWS FEED.
This is the big kahuna of Exposure on facebook. This gets you out to ALL of your friends and creates a massive exposure vehicle that can keep your brand in front and recognized. You also will be many times on the “featured” part of the new news feed on the right. This gives you HUGE exposure. Whatever you do, like change your status, upload a video, write and publish a note, or just comment on another person’s message on the facebook news feed- it SHOWS UP in the news Feed. Be seen- and be seen often if you are trying to brand yourself on facebook.
Yes, you need to establish relationships, and build community. But if you are going to MARKET on facebook-then you need to at least get a guideline of what and how to do it. The 10 Social Media Laws of Facebook hopefully gave you some idea in your social media marketing.
Social Media FREE ebook for Home business pros
Social media Training
Date / Time: 3/5/2009 6:02 AM UTC
The base of Social Media Marketing is about Conversation.
No Doubt. But the platform the base is hosted on I believe is CONNECTION. Conversation does not happen without Connection, and without a reaching out on someones part.
Connection is the START of where it all happens in Social Media.
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First comes the Catalyst, then the Connection, then the Conversation. Whether it is tweets on twitter, friends on facebook, and users on youtube - it still starts with Connection in the Social zone.
Are you Connecting on a regular basis? And if you are, how are you doing it
Connection, according to the dictionary, is “when 2 things come together and meet.”
Cool.
That works as far as social media. Connecting with folks that you have something in common with is all part of the social media marketing process. But if you think about it, there are different types or levels of Connection, and social media really demands a higher level of connection in marketing.
All Marketing is, (no matter if you are a traditional marketer, or a home based marketer, or an online marketer,) is the process of exposing your message or product to a prospect in some way. Yes, tht is a simple definition, but within it, you must CONNECT your message with someone. There must be a CATALYST to make it happen, like an advertisement, phone call, squeeze page, or an article online. But something MUST start the process of marketing.
Here is the process : Catalyst- Attention- Connection- Conversation- Collaboration.
Hence, the 4 levels of Connection in social media.
1) Attention.
This is the weakest form of Connection in socialville. No matter whether it is on LinkedIn, or Facebook, it is the weakest. This form of Connection many people make the mistake of thinking they have Connected here and immediately start bombarding folks with marketing messages. That is a HUGE no no. Attention means that you have Connected their eyes, mind, or curiosity with something, but it is NOT enough to start the marketing process effectively. Yes, you can start here, but rarely does it prove to be effective. This Connection is only where someone NOTICES you message.
2 Connection.
This is where a person in the marketing process, is hooked” by something in your message or offer. It could be a phrase, video, free giveaway, download, image, or color. But SOMETHING has not only gotten their attention, but has Connected their mind to a further look. the psychology of this is to switch in their curiosity, and desire for more information. They have “plugged in” enough to Connect to your message and consider it.
3) Conversation.
This is the third level of Connection, This is where the Conversation has moved beyond curiosity, and now has elevated to communication. They may want to know more about the message or product. They may want to know more about you. They may want to know more about the benefits and value of the product. But Conversation does take place and can take place many times over the course of time before you move to the 4th level of Connection.
4) Collaboration.
This is where you both agree that you will Collaborate in some way and is some fashion to work together. This may come in the form of a sale or purchase, an appointment, a referral, a new person in your business, a new customer, or even a partnership or Joint venture. Collaboration is something rhat has many possibilities.
The ultimate goal is marketing is to make something happen that creates a win/win situation for both the marketer and customer. And these 4 levels of Connection can create a LOT of profit if you are consistent and relentless. Many marketers never get past the Attention stage as they are more interested in RESULTS then a Relationship. They have it backwards. Relationship is a much better catalyzer of Results. Since you have taken the time to Connect on a higher level, they have learned to TRUST you, and trust more of what you suggest or say.
Do not make that mistake in social media marketing. Take it to the highest level every time, and see your results increase dramatically in your social media marketing zone.
blessings.. doug firebaugh
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Date / Time: 2/28/2009 10:38 PM UTC
Most do not. Most folks have no clue who is following them, let alone who is UNfollowing them.
Well, now our egos all can get bashed, trashed, and crashed with 2 twitter tools that will email you every time that someone UNfollows you on twitter.
How does that work?
Twitterless and Useqwitter.com
This seemed a little dark. I asked myself, “WHY would I want to know who is unfollowing me and why should i even care?”
THEN it hit me.
There are GREAT reasons to put up with the emails and find out who is unfollowing you and use that as data for your Social Media Branding purposes.
Some folks say that it is a waste of time, and some folks say it is critical info. I am in between. I think that it is not a waste of time if you are in marketing and use twitter as a marketing platform, but I do not think that it is critical either.
it is just a GPS system to let you know how you are doing on twitter as far as Branding and if you are headed in the right direction as far as Value in your message.
People will UNfollow you for a host of reasons, and mainly I believe they do NOT like your tweets. I have UNfollowed folks because i found their language unacceptable, their use of twitter for politics disturbing, and also too many tweets. One dude sent out in ONE day 133 tweets.
Crazy. ALL were selling something. Hasta la vista baby!
What would 3 reasons be to use twitterless and useQwitter?
1) To Tweak your Message.
If you are suddenly getting a rash of UNfollows then you need to check your message and what is says as that is clue to a tweak is needed. The email from twitterless and useQwitter will also send you the tweet that they UNfollowed you on.
2) To check demographics.
You may not so well in one demographic, and the sameUN follows are of that demo. if that is the case, them you need to possibly get another twitter account and market to that demo with a different message, or simply not market to them. Your call.
3) To see what tweets containing certain urls you do not need to send out anymore.
I sent out one tweet a while ago, and it was semi religious in nature, but not much. It was about Thanksgiving and we all had a lot to be thankful for, and to remember Who we are to be thankful for.
Whoa. over 50 people UNfollowed within an hour. Now i never really have marketed myself on twitter or gone after huge numbers (not yet anyway) - and 50 followers were a LOT at that time. So…ol Doug will re–tweak any semi religious tweets from now on as a lesson. as we all must respect where folks are concerning other faiths.
So, do YOU want to know who UNfollows you?
Why?
One person one time said that he did not care, as there were too many others out there to worry about whiney folks. He may be right. But in marketing, it can prove to be valuable info to some degree.
I want to know myself, as it is all part of of my Social Media marketing data.
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Date / Time: 2/28/2009 1:28 AM UTC
It is all about great, usable content and we get that. But recently there have been a lot of folks on Social Media that are saying that it is your NUMBERS of CONTACTS that matter.
The debate goes on and it appears that there are 2 sides to the question.
Which one are YOU on?
One side are the marketers that market on twitter, facebook,LinkedIn, youtube, and other social sites. They market their trainings and information products. (Full Disclosure - I market products on social sites.
The other side are the bloggers and creatives that want to give great content and revelation that folks can use and grow from. (Full disclosure - I provide content as well on many sites or social media and marketing from home professionals.)
Nothing wrong with either.
Marketers have a valid argument, as they bring new ideas and new products to the marketplace.
Creatives have a valid argument as well, as they bring new how tos and teachings to the marketplace.
One says that it is all about QUANTITY of followers and friends you have.
The other says that it is all about the QUALITY of Content you provide that will create the Numbers of followers and friends you have.
Both may be right as far as their focus. Marketers need numbers to market their wares and information. This us how marketing is done and has been that way for hundreds of years.
But things are changing. New Marketing is starting to take ahold in the marketplace and transform the process of marketing online. Information and Content are driving a LOT of the marketing efforts now. That is what we do as well. We market using creative content that folks seem to like, and then with their permission, we will send them some future information that may see benefit in maybe ordering.
Seth calls it “Permission Marketing” and that has been around for several years.
But seems that it has taken a while for folks to get it and understand the concepts of it. This is what is creating this great debate - Content or Contacts.
Here is my take-
FireRule of Social Media- HOT, USABLE, FRESH Content that is virally marketed will DRIVE the Number of Contacts you obtain quicker than just about anything. Folks are HUNGRY for answers, solutions, howtos, and information.
You need both.You need rocking Hot Content to brand your message and to get virally marketed, as well as a lot of folks to market it to. And you do this by building your list one follower and one friend at a time.
1. Give away a free ebook. Folks will give you a look and maybe become a friend or follower.
Free Social media ebook for Home business.
2. Give away a free download. Folks will give you a look and maybe even send it to their friends.
Free Video training download.
3. Have a HOT blog post or gift and put it on a pdf. It will be sent around and folks will follow you just from that gift.
103 Success Quotes FREE from Doug Firebaugh
It is not hard to do. Create Content that folks will want to use and apply to their life and business. But make sure that you do something that is CRITICAL to building the numbers of friends and followers.
ASK them to Follow you and Become friends with you. BE BOLD! Alex Mandossian in a recent email said he wanted Ten thousand followers on twitter and asked his subscribers to follow him. THAT is bold and that WORKS. (He has a great blog by the way.)
You will notice everywhere on this blog is “Follow Doug on twitter.”
That is NO mistake. I would like for YOU to follow me on twitter as I do send out some HOT findings (urls, blogs, videos, podcasts, etc) in the social sphere that we can all learn from.
And one More tip: Promote OTHERS in your efforts. Become a “powerful promoter” as Matt Bacakhas become and names himself as such. You will notice that I use a LOT of names and links in the posts that I send out. This is to let folks know of these folk’s work, as well as let the person know that I admire their work and learn from it. Like Chris Brogan, Scott Monty, Carrie Wilkerson, Robert Scoble, Tim Carter, Shama Hyder, Deb Micek… you get the idea.
This is how that you BLEND Content with Contacts.
I call it “Content Blending” and it WORKS great for social media marketers.
Add contacts to yourfacebooknotes, videos and insert them in blog posts, podcasts, video posts, and even keywords. John Fogg and Diane Hochman are brilliant at this, as well as Mari Smith and Adam Urbanski.
Blend names into your tweets using @theirname in your mesage-and also Retweet –put “RT” before your message or other folks tweets on twitter as that will be a way to promote them as well.
And also in groups, use other folks names in your communication as well as this will shw that you are connected to folks in that group as well.
Bottom Line – “Content Blending” will assist you in building your list, and answer the debate of whether Content or Contacts is more important. DOUBLE the power of BOTH by making sure that you have HOT content in all you do and then blend some contacts and promote others as you do it, and you will find your numbers of contacys rocking in your social media marketing efforts.
blessings..doug firebaugh
Home Business Marketers Social Media ebook
100 Year Old marketing formula
If i started Social Media Today
Date / Time: 2/27/2009 4:51 AM UTC
I know.
Comparing THE 10 Commandments to Social Media could be considered a bit of a stretch as I am a HUGE fan of THE 10 Commandments from the Good Book.
But WHAT IF- you could take a look at Social Media marketing and say,“Ok, if there WERE 10 Commandments, what would they be?” And let’s get creative here, and see what we can come up with that would make sense to the masses. Now again, this is PURELY an exercise of social media creativity along with some heavy duty research, but lets see what we can come up with.
Our team has been researching the past 5 months over 250 popular social sites, which also included news and personal blog sites, such as mashable.com, chrisbrogan.com, socialmediatoday.com, jasonfalls.com, scoblelizer.com, marketingprofs.com, hubspot.com, problogger.net, copyblogger.com, whyfacebook.com, conversationagent.com, techcrunch.com, joelcomm.com, jackhumphries.com, doshdosh.com , socialmedian.com, Briansolis.com, socialmediaclub.com, and many other sites that are too numerous to list here. We wanted to see what each were saying about Social Media. We have looked at the posts they have that were applicable, (most of them I have read before) and compared each post with commonalities of all of the rest of the posts on all the other sites.
We found some interesting things.
There were HUGE commonalities in a lot of the posts. We kept spreadsheets to see the common threads as far as word count, phrase usage, idea focus, tactic suggestions, applications mentioned, news items, story lines, new software, Social focus, among many other factors. We even looked at the keywords used on all the sites and what posts were showing up on the search engines, and what posts were most linked to. (We had help of course from a lot of folks for this project.)
Then we listened to what seemed like endless podcasts, and took notes on the talking points, as well as watched endless videos explaining social media, and put that data in the spreadsheets as well.
Then we looked at what was contained on the social sites themselves, like twitter.com, facebook, blogger.com, wordpress.com, myspace.com, LinkedIN.com, Activerain.com, stumbleupon.com,as well as many other social sites. We compared the trainings on social media with what we found on a lot of these other blogs, podcasts, and videos. Then we looked at the Search Engines (Google, yahoo, MSN, and Ask.com) It was really eye opening as there were some things that I saw that I was not aware of that people were writing about.
Then we put it all together and looked at the summary of the research, and saw a pattern that was quite evident in the data. We saw that there were what we call the 10 “Commandments,” “Focuses,” or “Concepts” that absolutely ran across the whole social media spectrum in some format or way- constant-and continuous by just about everyone that we researched. This gave us a starting platform that we felt was accurate- and scalable- to write from, with these ”Commandments.”
What are Commandments? They are not “suggestions.” These are MUST DOs in order to obtain a result or a position in the social media zone that you desire. In Social Media, most people want to create certain results in their efforts that can either be profitable, brand -able, or just enjoyable. These 10 things that we found in our research will help guide you and direct you to a stronger and more powerful social media experience or even more powerful results in your marketing.
NOTE: Social Media is NOT limited to the following 10 Concepts. But these are the 10 things that after researching, showed up stronger and more often in our data than any other concepts , ideas, or “Commandments” we found. These are what were talked about the most, focused on the most, and agreed on the most as critical for social media success for the average person.
Here they are:
1) Thou Shalt know that Social Media is not just about CONNECTION - but the Connection Network.
In Social Media, it is said to be all about CONNECTION- but in Social Media Marketing, it is more about what is CONNECTED to that Connection. It is called the Social Network. And that Network has proven to be Golden with many respects. This Social Network can open up doors and introductions for marketers, bloggers, and social participants to a vast group of people that were never available to them before. But of course, the quality of the Network is a factor as well.
It IS about CONNECTION- but more also about the Social Network the person you are connecting to has behind them. Consider every Social Connection a potential doorway. It’s what lies behind the door that makes Social Media work. The True Value for Marketing is what lies behind that door.
That is what drives the enormous numbers behind Social Media- the Second Layer of Connection that exists with people.
2) Thou shalt know that Conversation is the platform that all social media rests upon.
Whether it is called “Cafe Conversations,” or “Capsule Conversations,” Conversations are critical in Social Media. And that includes Talking AND Listening. You talk to folks in many ways, including blogging, tweets, writing on walls, personal videos, direct messages, joining in a conversation on a micro blog like tumblr, as well as social email and “audio utterz.”
But you LISTEN as well. You do this with tools that are available with many Social sites. You can listen to twitter with “twitter search.” You can search what people are talking about with many applications, including Twhirl and Tweetdeck. You can also use social search engines as well to Listen to what is being said. And you can also hire great companies that do that for you, like Radian6. But Conversation is about BOTH Talking and Listening. You MUST know what is being said out in the social sphere. And here is a tip: Make the person GLAD THEY TALKED WITH YOU. Make them the star of your conversation- not your ego. There are way too many one sided conversations out in Social Media. Keep the conversation focused on who you are ‘talking” to and encourage them, as well as guide them to larger possibilities.
Change the Size of their Conversations and you will change their life.
3) Thou Shalt know that VALUE is the Magnet in Social media, and reigns supremely.
Value is King in Social Media. But not just average Value or expected Value. I am talking about Unexpected Surprising Value. Value that is so much that people talk about it and virally market it like crazy. This is how a new “buzz” starts. By creating a Huge Value with a blog post, free giveaways, new ideas, new software applications, discovery of little known information , news stories, and “how to’s” and the list is almost endless of the Value you can bring.
The amount of Value you bring to Social Media will always equal the amount of Impact you have with people. And that Impact either moves people TOWARDS you, or keeps them where they are. Either they become your friend and “follow you,” or they do not see any reason to. That is up to the Value they perceive in what you send out as your message and intentions.
4) Thou Shalt Know the Three R’s of Social Media.
Social Media is pretty simple. It is mainly about 3 things:
Reaching Out. This is critical to Reach Out to people and let them know you want to Connect and befriend them.
Relationships. Once you have Reached Out, you start building a Relationship of Trust and Value.
Respect. Respect in Social Media is earned, not just given. And you earn that Respect with consistent and powerful content with Value, great conversations that move folks, Integrity and ethics above all, encouraging others, offering solutions, and helping people to larger and more powerful possibilities in their life and business.
5) Thou Shalt BRAND Your Message, Product, and Yourself Consistently, Visibly, and Uniquely.
Everyone talks Branding as that is a must to do in Social Media. But here is where it can get tricky. You brand multiple things all at once. YOU are the brand- sort of. The first thing you need to brand is your Image and who you are, and you do this with a picture or avatar of yourself that shows who you are on your profile. This can also include a corporate logo for a company as well. Chris Brogan has branded a picture of who he is on his blog. The second thing you need to brand is your Message. This is what you want to become known for, and people think about when they think of you. Scott Monty has branded Ford Motors as part of his brand effectively and powerfully. The third thing you want to brand is your product and what Value it has that makes it UNIQUE and One of a kind. The product can be information that you market, actual products that are shipped out, services like consulting or accounting, or any other type of product that you have to market that people will see a need for.
All a Brand is, is Image + Message + Impact + Consistent Visibility = Perception.
Your Image is what people SEE in their minds, Message is what people HEAR in their memory, Impact is what people FEEL in their hearts, and Visibility is what reminds people that you are there. Perception then becomes your Brand.
And here is what we have taught for nearly 20 years: Branding is not about just being remembered, or becoming known. It is about becoming totally UNFORGETTABLE. ™ THAT is a powerful brand.
6) Thou shalt Expand your Experience Through Social Site Applications.
Applications are developed softare and are what Social Sites have available that make your experience more fun, useful, and productive. The most applications are generally found on the most active sites and usually are free. Twtter has over 150 applications, facebook has hundreds of applications, as well as many other Social sites out there. Many applications are very useful and written by outside people for the Social sites.
Learn what applications are available on each site that you are a part of, and choose the ones that you believe will work for you the best and increase your exposure, conversations, and productivity.
7) Thou Shalt GIVE freely, and be willing to Lose Control of your Information.
Giving is what Social Media is all about. Many folks are talking about ‘Influence” and what it takes to create it in Social Media. That one is simple: GIVE.
GIVE stands for “Gain Influence Very Easily.” And when you give, and then give some more, the power of Influence that develops is amazing.
And losing control of your information is part of it as well. Most folks want to CONTROL their information, their marketing strategies, as well as their results. That is part of traditional marketing. But what if you could blend traditional with the non- traditional? Let some of your information go. Give it away freely and let it be virally marketed by others. Give a free ebook away. Give a free mp3 away. Give a free product away. Give a free download away. Give some of your best content away free. Control the rest. See what happens with both sides of the equation- controlled and Social Media. You will like what you find in the Social Media side.
The New Marketing Stars of tomorrow in Social Media will not come from those who are great marketers, but from those who have a LOT of people marketing FOR THEM- without asking them to. Would that be called Marketing Nirvana? That would be close to it. Be willing to Lose Control, and Gain a Massive Advantage.
8) Thou Shalt Build Relationships that are based on a Platform of TRUST.
Relationships are the building blocks of Social Media. Trust is the Concrete. You must build powerful relationships with people to market to them. But a wall that is built with bricks and no concrete will fall with the first strong wind.
Build TRUST and do it everyday. Be honest. Be a person of integrity. Be a person that people can feel good about and know you are there to help enlarge their life. Be a Leader that people are willing to follow. And build Trust in your message, actions, conversations, branding, videos, blog posts, and any other form of exposure that you take in Social Media.
The Rule of TRUST: Relationships are the tiles for the platform of Social Media. Trust is the glue.
9) Thou Shalt become Tribal, and enroll in groups, attend events, and empower the Community.
There is a reason it is called SOCIAL Media. being part of what is called a “tribe” or community is what Social Media is about. This is one of the CORE powers of web 2.0
Connecting, Relating, Reaching, and Conversations are ALL a part of building a Community in Social Media, as well as “Niche sites’ that can be that much more tribal. What you have in common with people helps build the Community.
What you bring to the table to grow that community is GOLD.
10) Thou Shalt Have a Host Mentality with a Permission Focus.
In Social Media, it is much like a party you hold in your living room. I did a post on that a while back called “Social Media is your Living Room.” If you were in your living room, you would be playing HOST and inviting people in, talking with them, being social, making recommendations and giving advice, showing photgraphs off or watching videos, and introducing the crowd to each other. That is much what Social Media is about- HOSTING.
With a small twist. You need to ASK PERMISSION to give them advice and make recommendations, as well as introduce them to the others in your living room. That is not hard to do. And if you have permission to do this, it is much easier to get them Comfortable with you, Connected with you, holding a Conversation with you, if it feels like your Living Room.
Play the Host, and ask Permission. That is being Powerful and Polite at the same time.
These are the 10 Commandments for Social Media Marketing. Yes, there are more than these, but these are what came up with the hard data we had, and formed the basis of this post, to help you improve and understand more Social Media and Social Media Marketing.
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Social Media ebook for Home Business Professionals
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