Folk Media » Social Media 101

Personal Branding: 5 Tweaks You Can Make To Stand Out Online

Joel Mark Witt — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:00:51 +0000

Personal branding includes finding ways to stand out among the crowd. I already wrote about becoming a rockstar. Here are five quick ways to stand out online in a sea of other voices.

1) Promote other people

I hear the fastest way to a man’s heart is his stomach. (For all the women out there who would like to cook for me, the previous statement is indeed true :-)

Well in the same way…

…The fastest way to a blogger’s heart is making comments and helping to promote their blog. If you do this consistently, you will be seen as an ally. You will stand out from the crowd. Read about my concept of having a Target 10 here.

2) Make and post videos

There are a lot of people who simply will not get in front of a camera. Do it and you’ll instantly stand out from them online.

3) Know thy customer or audience

The more you know your customer the better. You need to cater your content to your community.

4) Post every day

I can barely find enough good information. I can find plenty of information – just nothing good. And the ones who do have good stuff post once a week or less. I forget about them.

Don’t fall into this trap. I used to tell people that posting to their blog was sufficient. I’ve completely changed my opinion on this and now say that unless you are posting at least once each weekday – you aren’t serious about growing your business online.

Post each day. Make a schedule so that you can determine what you will write about ahead of time so you don’t get writer’s block.

5) Write How To content

Another thing people want is specific how to content. If you post one “how to” article each day (and it’s good), then you WILL stand out online. And please don’t mess around with ambiguous or cute titles. Be freaking direct please.

Today’s Action Steps

First, if you found this article helpful – please share it with people who would benefit from reading it.

Second, write down in the comments the technique that you will implement today. Sketch out how you will stand out online.

Now go take action.

Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by TMAB2003

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How To Have A Primary Goal For Your Website

Joel Mark Witt — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:30:16 +0000

Why you need to have website goals

You’ve got to have a primary purpose for your small business website. Most other small businesses in your industry don’t have goals set up. on their web pages and this can be a HUGE advantage for you if you know what to do differently.

The big mistake your competition is probably making (and how to avoid it)

Visit any website of your competition and notice what they do. About 90% of them will have a static site with a few facts and figures about their products or services. Some have some nice graphics and a good looking design. Most will have some form of contact information.

But only about 5% of businesses will ask visitors to join an email list or enter contact information. This brings me to the topic of primary goals…

Your primary goal on your business website is to get a visitor to give you their email address.
Secondary goal is to get them to buy something.

Do you notice how I stress the idea of getting a visitor’s contact information first? This is critical. The web has BILLIONS of pages and businesses and resources. You need to capture the contact info of any visitors when you can. Usually this is the first and only time they visit your website.

How to change the goals of your site

Here are a few quick tips to changing how you use your website.

First, think carefully about how you will capture prospects when they arrive at your site. I would recommend signing up for an email service provider and placing an opt in form on your web pages.

Your goal is not to get the visitor to say “wow – look at this great design.” It is to get them to take action.

Spend some time figuring out what your main goal is. Then target all your communication, design and other elements to get people to act on that goal.

Today’s action step

Spend 10 minutes going through your current site. Pay attention to the “goals” you currently have in place and ask yourself if these goals on the website line up with your current goals in your business.

If not – then what can you change to make your website perform better?

Now go take action.

*Photo by euart

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Uncle Rico’s Guide to Social Media Success: Diversify Your Assets

Eric Alpin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:46:20 +0000

If you’ve ever watched Napoleon Dynamite, you know that Uncle Rico is famous for his ideas. In 1982, Uncle Rico planned to play pro football (and he would have had the coach put him in during the fourth quarter of the state championship) but he also thinks he can sell nylon polymer and female enhancement drugs for some hefty profits. Without a doubt, Uncle Rico doesn’t put all of his eggs in one basket. Well, neither should you.

[If you've never had a chance to check out the movie, watch the clip below to get a taste of Uncle Rico.]

Some companies take only one approach to social media, whether it’s blogging, Facebook, or Twitter. Sure, having a Twitter or Facebook account is better than nothing but it’s not the desired plan. It’s important to diversify your strategy. If you want to have a solid plan for the future, be sure to invest your time into a diverse social media strategy, including blogs, social networking sites, and email marketing.

Why Diversify?

Good question and the quick answer is that it will meet the needs of your potential customers. Normally I’m not the type of person to recommend doing many things at once but when it comes to managing social media profiles, it’s good to have a few.

Not every potential customer is going to be on Twitter or Facebook. If you have a profile on each site, you can theoretically reach double the amount of customers. Who doesn’t want to do that?

Instead of attempting to have a client create a Twitter account just to follow your updates, why don’t you meet them on Facebook?

Meet your customers where they are and they will listen to what you have to say.

Do It Well

Although he had a good idea to diversify, one of Uncle Rico’s many faults was the fact that he didn’t do anything well. Take note; this is not what you want to do with your social media profiles. Don’t become complacent with your Facebook or Twitter account. If you’re going to be present on Facebook, make it known that you’re there. If you’re going to tweet, distribute content that is worth following.

No one wants to know an Uncle Rico so make sure that you “do” social networking like the best of ‘em.

Displacing Your Doubt

If you’re about to jump into social media or only have one active profile, you’re probably thinking that I’m crazy. And you have every right to think that. In all honesty, I don’t have any solid proof or numbers to show you. I can’t convince you with tangible data that says, “You need to have multiple social media profiles to be successful.” And, to tell you the truth, I would think I’m crazy, too.

Fortunately for you, I’m not crazy.

The doubt that you’re feeling is natural. You’ve been ingrained to resist change and new ideas. You’re constantly bombarded with messages telling you that change is bad, safety is the way to go, and risks should be minimal. However, that’s not the case and in life and it’s not the case with social media.

In order to keep up with today’s shifting culture – a culture that is focused on individuals and not corporations – you need to make an impact with your clients and customers. Where are your clients and customers? The Internet. How do you capture their attention and make them lifelong consumers of your goods? Meet them where they are and do it well. That’s it. If you meet a need, they’ll come back for more and right now, there are millions of people on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube that need your product. You just need to find them.

My challenge to you is to subside your doubt and implement multiple social media profiles and to do them well. If you aren’t effective with your profiles, take a step back, re-order, and try again.

Don’t be like Uncle Rico. Don’t be a living-in-the-past, doubtful, and selfish social media manager. Serve your customers and meet them where they are. If you try it, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.

.

Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by scifisuzi

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3 Articles to Help You Better Understand Social Media

Eric Alpin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:24:45 +0000

Have you heard the big news? Yes, it’s really true – social media is tough to understand and grasp. In fact, it’s even difficult for the “experts” to keep up with the advancements, new applications, and theories that are popping up around us.

What can I say? Social media is confusing.

Well, I’m here to help you in your journey to understand social media a little better. I’ve found five articles that have been published in the past few days that will help you grasp the concept of social media on a more fundamental level. Sure, it might take some time to fully put these concepts into practice, and to grasp their power, but your exposure to them will help you exponentially in the long run.

The Social Media “Pro vs. Con” Argument

Engagement: Are Social Media Better at Destroying Value Than Creating It?

One of the toughest things to understand about social media is the classic “Pro vs. Con” argument. You’ve probably heard it before. It goes something like this…

“Social media creates a better connection with my customers but it also makes me vulnerable to critics and negative publicity.”

Yes, that’s true. The key isn’t weighing the positive benefits over the negative implications that social media can bring. It’s choosing which one you’re going to have for your business – positive PR or negative consequences – and getting there.

The article above states both sides of the argument but the author is quite bias toward the positive end of things. Even still, it gives great information and allows for any one to understand the argument pressing between businesses and social media experts.

Social Media in Small Doses

3-2-1: My Quick Social Media Strategy

If you’ve ever researched social media strategy or what kind of actions to take to develop a high quality social media profile, you’ve probably been overwhelmed at your findings. Most “experts” advise that a person needs to make social media presence their full-time job.

Unless you were hired as a social media marketer, that most likely isn’t going to be the case. You aren’t going to have the time or resources to spend all day behind Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. You probably wouldn’t mind it but you’ve got a laundry list of other tasks to get done throughout the day.

If you’ve looking for a quick and effective approach to social media, the 3-2-1 social media strategy is a great place to start. It lays a foundatoin for understanding social media presence and it gives you solid action steps developing a good name for your company or brand.

The Elusiveness of Trust

25 Simple Ways to Earn Trust In Social Media

Trust is important no matter what you’re doing in life but it is especially important as you engage your social media followers and friends. If your potential customers don’t trust you, they won’t buy your product, visit your website, or pass your information on to friends. See? Trust is super important in the social media world.

Believe it or not, trust is easier to build than you think. Using the 25 ways outlined in the article, you should be able to build trust almost immediately with the people you encounter both online and offline.

Trust is the key to social media success. It is the foundation of everything – conversation, action, connections, purchases – and needs to be a priority for you and your company.

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The Memorial Day Non Jerk Guide To Social Media

Joel Mark Witt — Mon, 31 May 2010 10:30:17 +0000

Here’s some Memorial Day advice….

Don’t be a jerk today.

I know how you are. You show up at a Memorial Day cookout and start shouting about your job or your small business. You start handing out business cards to strangers and telling people how wonderful your company is at doing XYZ.

Stop it.

This is a holiday and you are at a party. A cookout. Don’t be a jerk.

Wait! You don’t run around spewing your own self promotion today? My bad.

I’ve seen you do it with social media, so I figured that’s what you always do.

Of course I’m being a bit “tongue in cheek” here

The truth is, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube are more like giant cookouts than anything else.

You need to act the same way online as you would during a cookout.

Do people “sell” at cookouts? Sure they do. But 95% of the time it’s AFTER they have actually met the person and spent a few minutes getting to know them. The 5% who don’t are considered jerks.

Also for those that do it right it’s not a hard sell. Most of the time it’s something like this…

John: I can’t seem to get my pool clean. My wife is bugging me to drain it – but I wish there was an easier solution.

Susan: You know I own a landscaping business and it looks like your problem is the tree cover. All those leaves and sticks keep dropping in. I have a report I wrote about how to keep your trees trimmed if you’d like to read it.

John: That would be great. Do you have it here?

Susan: No. (smiles) Didn’t bring it to a cookout. But give me your email and I’ll send it to you.

John: Thanks.

Obviously this is a condensed version of what the real conversation would be. But you get the idea.

In this example Susan is seen as a trusted advisor/friend – not a salesperson. She is offering John something that will solve a problem with his swimming pool that also happens to relate to her business. She isn’t pushy, she isn’t slimy she is HELPFUL.

And what did she have to do to achieve this? ACT HUMAN.

Now all Susan has to do is figure out a way to do the same thing online. She can offer people advice and value in return for their email address. This is a perfect example of how online and social media marketing should work.

Today’s Action Step

I know this is a holiday in the United States. So here’s your action step. While you are hanging out with friends and family today spend some time thinking of ways you can offer something for free that will help people solve an immediate problem. This is your ticket to attracting more customers and clients.

Happy Memorial Day.

Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by AblazeTheMage

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How To Choose A Good Online Profile Photo

Joel Mark Witt — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:30:29 +0000

Profile photos are everywhere online. We see them on Twitter, Facebook Linkedin and other social media sites. By participating in social media you will need a good profile photo.

Your profile photo is literally your online face

Most profile photos are of faces and in reality this is your “face” online. It’s the way you present yourself. The type of shot – how close it is – and the background all communicate important aspects of your character, your personal brand and the business you represent.

What is a good profile photo?

A good profile photo shows you. It’s best to put your “best face forward.” Using a clear head shot is one of the best strategies. It’s the same as walking into a room of strangers. If you smile, look confident and appear easy going you’ll get better results.

Steps to a good profile photo

Here are a few tips on choosing the right profile photo.

Eye contact

Make eye contact with the camera lens. You can tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes.

Just your face

For most online profiles it is a waste to select a full body shot. Social media sites shrink down the image to a thumbnail size which will make it very difficult for others to see your face. Instead – simply crop in on your face.

Square formatting

Don’t forget that most social networks will automatically crop your photo from a rectangle to a square. If your photos doesn’t have enough space around the edges parts of your face can get cut off.

Today’s 10 minute action step: Find your perfect online profile photo

Spend the next 10 minutes going through your digital photos. Find the ones that will crop down nicely to a square, show off a big smile and eye contact. Remember – this is your first online impression.

Now go take action. .

*Photo By madmolecule

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3 Quick Steps To Attract More Customers Online

Joel Mark Witt — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:30:59 +0000

Here are three quick tips that will help you attract more customers online.

1. Capturing emails

Email is king for the online marketing world. I’m a huge fan of using social media like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube. But email still beats these with it’s direct outbound communication. If you are not collecting visitors’ emails – why not?

I’ve written about how to create an email marketing strategy here.

2. Dish up some social proof

Social proof is basically using the presence and words of other people to lend you credibility. This is done through testimonials, blog comments, and other things people say about you.

Blogs make this easy to get feedback using the comment feature. I’d recommend using Wordpress to power your blog and a nifty little commenting tool Disqus to power your comments. The idea is to invite feedback on your site. Invite prospects to ask questions, leave feedback and provide testimonials.

One trick to doing this is to have a group of established customers “seed” the conversation. Personally ask your current customers to comment on blog posts which shows social proof. No one wants to be the first to comment.

3. Create more content

Finally, create good content that attracts website visitors. The goal is to have a way to capture email addresses and show social proof first, then start bringing customers to your door.

Good content can include text, photos, audio or video. Focus on helping people and solving their problems. By solving your prospect’s problems you are demonstrating that you are a person and business that cares about helping THEM.

Now go take action and start attracting more customers this week for your business.

*Photo by ecstaticist

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Social Media: Your Questions Answered Teleseminar

Joel Mark Witt — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:00:42 +0000

We are taking all your social media questions live. Now is your chance to ask about Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogs and more.

Have you ever wished you could just ask someone a specific question you have about Facebook? Or do you feel like you could get somewhere with Twitter if someone could help you work through a specific problem you are having?

This week we are answering all your social media questions. We’ll spend a few minutes reviewing all the topics from previous teleseminars and then simply open up for questions.

On this call we have only 100 spots and expect to fill up fast. It is critical that you register for this free teleseminar now.

[This teleseminar has ended. Be sure to subscribe to the Folk Media newsletter to get alerts of coming events.]

*Photo by DraconisVH

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Social Media Strategy: Relationships

Joel Mark Witt — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:30:28 +0000

As I’ve mentioned before, when you engage people natural relationships form. Forming relationships is very important, but there needs to be a good balance. If you use social media for the sole purpose of making friends, you aren’t doing your business any good. If you use social media only to meet people so you can market to them, you aren’t building a community of friendly customers and prospects.

You have a business and you’re looking for prospects and customers. But you need to be willing to develop relationships beyond the prospect level without neglecting your core reason for doing all this in the first place… lead generation and finding new customers.

Here are a few tips to navigate the choppy social media relationship waters.

Be real

You can’t connect with people by hiding behind an anonymous blog persona. I see many business people hide themselves online. Some folks post no profile pictures, they don’t use their real name and don’t include a physical address or email. The best they offer website visitors is an impersonal contact form.

You can do better than this. Be a real person – online.

Be available

Once you present yourself as a flesh and blood homo sapien it is important to make yourself approachable. You can do this by asking for blog comments and feedback. Invite people to email or message you via social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Also be willing to grant interviews (no matter how small) and advice and support to anyone that asks.

Be upfront about your intentions

Make it clear that you are online to do business. I do this with Folk Media. I hope that we are giving you as a reader so much value from all the free trainings, teleseminars, resources and advice that you buy our stuff.

Do the same in your business. Make it clear that you are there as a real person and you are available for a professional relationship. But also make it clear that you are running a business. People will appreciate the fact that you shoot straight and don’t cloak your intentions.

The key to online social media relationships is to make it easy for people to reach out and connect with you. Of course, you’ll have to reach out to others as well. But follow these tips above and you will have a much easier time building online business relationships.

Today’s Action step: put a face to your business

Take a few moments to evaluate your online profiles and business presence. Is it clear that humans are behind what you do? Does your business have a personality or is your website another corporate looking faceless site?

Be sure to make it easy for people to call, email and visit you. Upload a few real photos of real people that work with you. Make it clear that you want professional relationships with your prospects.

Now go take action.

*Photo by Beatnic

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Social Media Strategy: Engagement

Joel Mark Witt — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:30:20 +0000

After you establish a presence on various social media sites – your next step is to engage with people.

Engagement is the obvious next step

Engagement seems like it would be obvious but it’s not. A lot of small businesses set up Facebook pages and Twitter accounts but never interact with people through these platforms. It’s like showing up at a party then sitting in the corner not talking to anyone all night. By engaging people you will build up your credibility and attract prospects and customers.

Engagement is more than talking

Engagement is more than just talking about what YOU are doing in your business. You’re goal is to develop a tribe of people who know, like and trust you. You’ll need to spend the time getting to know people.

First, shift your mindset from PROSPECT to FRIENDSHIP. The worst thing you can do is see every single person online as a potential customer.

I can remember being involved with a network marketing company over a decade ago. I wasn’t very successful at it because my mindset was all wrong. I viewed every person I met as a potential sales recruit for my company. I was only looking at what I could GET from people.

Fast forward to today. I now look at people and ask “what can I GIVE this person to add value to them?”

Don’t get me wrong. I’m running a business and I’d love for you to buy our products and services.

BUT – my personal goal is to engage with people no matter who they are. I’d encourage you to do the same.

Practical steps to engagement

Here are a few simple tips to get you started:

Ask people to comment on your blog posts
Comment on other people’s blog posts
reply to Twitter messages with advice or questions
Post polls, surveys and questions on your Facebook page
Ask questions via Twitter and other networks

Today’s 10 minute action step: make a blog comment

Take 10 minutes right now and find a blog to comment on. Read a post, formulate a clear thought that adds value to the conversation and comment. That’s it.

Now go take action.

*Photo By Zeno

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