Tag Archives: Social Media

Online Marketing, Social Media

Your Online Reputation

January 10, 2015 Stuart Springfield

How important is the reputation you are building online with social media? More important than you may realize…

“It’s 2014, and networking isn’t your grandfather’s game of handshakes and highballs anymore. Your online footprint matters as much as, if not more than, your real-life presence. Just as there are certain faux pas to avoid with in-person networking, you can botch online networking if you aren’t careful, says serial entrepreneur Matthew Toren. For example, you should expect potential business associates to look you up online, which allows them to find your social media accounts, blog posts and anything others have written about you. “If what they find doesn’t give them the right impression, you’re not likely to make the connection you want,” Toren says.

He recommends a tool such as BrandYourself to push negative search-engine results to the bottom and bring positive results to the top. What if your online reputation is truly stained? “It’s worth hiring a reputation management firm to clean it up,” Toren says. “It takes time, and it isn’t cheap, but it can be worth it.” More: 5 Online Faux Pas That Will Doom Your Networking Potential

Begin structuring your work week.
If you aren’t planning out your work weeks, then you probably aren’t making the best use of your time. You may find yourself spending long hours — longer than necessary — at your desk, says Adam Toren, co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com. While various gurus have developed competing systems for maximizing one’s efficiency, the common denominator, Toren says, is “a structured methodology to achieving goals.” How can you ease into it? “Start with a weekly planning session, then layer in maximizing the use of virtual assistants,” Toren says. “In a month’s time, commit to spending 10 minutes a week reflecting on the successes (and missed opportunities) of the past week. Before you know it, you’ll have an approach to addressing the work week.”

Dress like you mean business, even when working from home.
When working from home, it’s tempting to sit around in sweats for comfort, but you should resist the urge, says Jim Joseph, the North American president of New York-based communications agency Cohn & Wolfe. You don’t need to put on business formal, but you should look put-together in clothes that reflect your identity and what you do for a living. You will be glad you did when you make a run to the coffee shop or post office. Also, you never know when a potential client or collaborator might want to jump on Skype to chat, and you may not have time to make yourself presentable. More importantly, says Joseph, “Getting dressed puts you in a mindset of personal success. It helps motivate you to be productive and puts your head into play. If you sit around in your PJs all day, then you’ll be less likely to get into your game, and probably less likely to interact with all those people who may be able to help you.” More: Forget PJs, Dress Your Brand Even at Your Home Office

Do away with meetings.
All-hands meetings tend to be long and that time costs money. “To calculate the precise cost, multiply the hourly wage of each person present by the length of the gathering,” says Jacqueline Whitmore, an etiquette coach and the author of Poised for Success: Mastering the Four Qualities That Distinguish Outstanding Professionals (St. Martin’s Press, 2011). The good news is that many lengthy meetings are unnecessary. Your objectives can often be met “through e-mail, conference call, Skype or even a quick one-on-one discussion,” she says.

Craft a narrative to carry your message.
Many people have trouble with public speaking. One way to become an excellent public speaker is to avoid boring your audience by telling a story, says Stephen Key, an author, speaker and entrepreneur. No matter how dry your subject is, you can enliven your speech by giving it the form of a story. “Storytelling is an incredibly powerful medium,” Key says. “If you tell a story, it will be easier for people to focus on your message and your audience will have something to walk away with.” One of the differences between a story and a lecture is that a story has a discernible beginning, middle and end. Craft a narrative for your audience to follow, and use that narrative as the vehicle for your message. – BY BRIAN PATRICK EHA

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230624#ixzz2pO1K6YV5 ”

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Online Marketing, Social Media

5 Ways To Become A Social Media Rockstar

January 6, 2014 Stuart Springfield Leave a comment

Effective use of Social Media is absolutely essential and is often used improperly or under utilized. In order to have effective social media campaigns, follow the advice of the experts, like Ian Lurie, who is the CEO and founder of Portent, a Seattle-based internet marketing company.

Here’s what he says are the top 5 ways to become a social media rock star, in this article from Entrepreneur.com.

“Social-media success is often a long list of little things done right. While there is no shortcut to success, the below tips will help get your social-media campaign on the right track.

1. Be a good communicator.

Social media is really a crowd of people talking — usually to each other. So, you’ll need to figure out how to cut through the noise and really engage with people. Here are a few pointers:

Write well. I’m not just talking about punctuation and grammar. Write in a comfortable voice, not a formal one. Don’t use four words when one will do. Unless your social-media post (Facebook update or tweet) is time sensitive, set it aside for 10 minutes. Come back to it, take a second look and edit if needed, before hitting publish.

Use images when it makes sense. At my internet-marketing agency Portent, we’ve found that posts with images get about two to three times more interaction. That being said, don’t put images into your posts for the sake of having an image. Use them only when relevant.

Utilize video. Use platforms like YouTube or Vimeo to attract an audience. Just like images, make sure you’re sharing videos that make sense.

Take advantage of all social networks. While most people spend their time communicating on Twitter and Facebook, there are other networks that deserve attention. One being Google+. Yes, it’s still a small network, but it is gaining steam, and it integrates with every other Google service. Also, there is SlideShare, a community focused on slide presentations. This site can show your content to thousands. If you have a great video or article, convert it to a SlideShare presentation.

Respond immediately. If someone asks a question or proposes an alternate viewpoint, answer them quickly. This gives people the impression you care about their needs and are responsive.

Don’t get emotional. Don’t feed the trolls. As your social-media strategy grows, you may see some angry or insensitive replies. Don’t react angrily. Reply politely or not at all.

2. Buy advertising.

Don’t be shy about paying to promote posts on networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. On Facebook, your posts won’t even appear in all of your followers’ newsfeeds without paid promotion, so promote if you can afford it.

Always use the targeting tools these platforms provide to avoid aimlessly issuing a single ad at the maximum audience size. After all, the practice won’t hit the right audience and it could end up costing you. Instead, create multiple ads targeted toward specific demographics that are a great fit for your product or service. Test and see who provides the highest-quality followers.

3. Avoid me, me, me.

Don’t have every post be about yourself or your company. Instead, I recommend posting 80 percent non-promotional, 20 percent promotional. So what else can you share? Here are some ideas:

Answer questions. Search Twitter for questions by typing in a topic, a space and then a question mark. For example, “bicycle tires?” Sift through the result for great questions. Answer them directly or on other networks.

Also, try Google. Start typing in a question, and Google will show you a list of related ones. For example, if you sell rhubarb, type in Google search, “is rhubarb.” You’ll immediately see the question “is rhubarb poisonous?” Answer them via social media.

Curate content. Point out great information from other sources. This will help readers view you as a reliable resource.

Comment. Voice your opinion on relevant breaking news and explain why it’s important.

Related: 4 Ways to Turn Social-Media Fans Into Raving, Loyal Customers

4. Expand beyond your customers.

In social media, you want to attract an audience beyond potential customers. Focus on people who are compelled to respond — the “weird,” as Seth Godin calls them. Even if they never buy from you, they’ll tell others about you.

5. Flattery will get you everywhere.

Using tools like Followerwonk or Topsy will help you find the top people in your industry and major influencers. Then find the people who follow them and follow those folks, rather than the industry celebrities. They’re far more likely to respond.

If people post something you enjoy, make sure they know it with a retweet, like, favorite or share. If it’s really fantastic, consider posting a response on your own blog and link back to it. Over time, they’ll get to know you and will be more likely to spread your content.

Even with the above suggestions, there is no magic solution. For every story of a meteoric rise to the top, you’ll find 1,000 stories of slow, steady growth. Plan for that, manage expectations and capitalize.”

Ian Lurie

Ian Lurie is the CEO and founder of Portent, a Seattle-based internet marketing company.

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/229301#ixzz2pfe7b63h

Social Media can direct traffic to your blog, turning your blog posts into profit. Here’s the blog I use successfully and highly recommend.

Stuart Springfield