25Jun

Using Social Media With Your Business

When employing social media in your business, you may see that there are various different things to bear in mind. You can employ social media promotion to your utmost benefit as an Internet savvy businessperson, but to obtain maximum success, there are some ways you can make use of. Read more on Using Social Media With Your Business…

Sales View Comments

11Jun

Social Media and the Future of People’s Portable Mobility

You see this and a lot of ideas come to mind. When I think of social media and portable mobility – there’s a lot of crazy ideas popping into my head. Read more on Social Media and the Future of People’s Portable Mobility…

Social Media View Comments

26May

Social Media of the Future for Business!

The first “online” social networks developed through the phone system. My fascination with social media began in the 1980’s. As part of a group of hackers, known as phreakers – we took over networks to connect with others, including virtual seminars through company test lines. Read more on Social Media of the Future for Business!…

Business View Comments

26May

Better Networking – How To Spot a Mingler

There are so many great networking opportunities, but how are you using them to build relationships and connect professionally? Effective business networking is the bringing together of like minded individuals who, through relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another. Read more on Better Networking – How To Spot a Mingler…

Business View Comments

25Mar

Social Media Ethical Greatness

Talking about how we can use new media in a way that helps us to promote our offerings w/o needing to bash others. Let your true light shine through and earn that business! Read more on Social Media Ethical Greatness…

Networking View Comments

24Mar

How SocialMedia201 #sm201 Came To Be

I just had a great call with my friend Mike Whitmore of Fresh Consulting. We were talking about how awesome our event coming up next month will be and wanted to share how this idea came to be...

Social Media View Comments

Using Social Media With Your Business

When employing social media in your business, you may see that there are various different things to bear in mind. You can employ social media promotion to your utmost benefit as an Internet savvy businessperson, but to obtain maximum success, there are some ways you can make use of.

Spending time in thoroughly studying social media will aid you in perceiving the steps you must adopt for success. For instance:

  1. Be familiar with your target viewers. This constitutes one of the principal first steps you need to adopt. Who are you aiming at, what are their preferences, and what is their preferred networking mode? What forms of social media aids do your targets employ at present? Being aware of the reply to this indeed will enable you detect the optimum techniques that you can employ.
  2. Identify your competitors. It is vital to be aware of what your competition is undertaking. Do they enjoy a huge social media existence? By any means, do they at all enjoy any social media existence?
  3. What constitutes your objectives? It is imperative to have well defined roles in position at the very start if you intend to be triumphant in your social media endeavors. Be familiar with your objectives and then identify the precise ways to attain them.
  4. Recognize what tools you possess. We have stated that there are several social networking tools in existence. Which tools will you employ? Which ones will be of maximum advantage to you as also your business? Have you already subscribed to them? Are you aware of how to subscribe?

Can you recognize the means by which you can discern when exactly your social media promotional tactics have borne fruit? How will you evaluate your findings? How will you monitor your objectives? These are some extremely vital things you should be aware of.

It is essential to have a solid strategy lined up and in addition have a concrete plan for monitoring your goals to discern what is effective and what is not for you. Be aware of what your competition is engaging in so you can obtain better knowledge of how you could cause social media succeed for you as also what sort of competition you encounter. When you pursue these objectives, you will witness instant results in your promotional strategy.

Now that you possess the solutions to these queries and you perceive the correct steps you should follow, you can start to cause social media operate suitably for you. Employing social media in business simply calls for a little insight into social media as also the Web. As soon as you gain knowledge of how you could employ it in your business, you could gain tremendously.

Darren Williger is a hyperactive overachieving, over-caffeinated, meditating, low carbohydrate eating, wine making sales maker who writes for Top Sales Maker Social Media Brain and recommends the codes at Social Media Codes

Click here for more info

Social Media and the Future of People’s Portable Mobility

You see this and a lot of ideas come to mind. When I think of social media and portable mobility – there’s a lot of crazy ideas popping into my head.

So, the segway didn’t take off anywhere near the level of the hype it included but perhaps part of that was due to it’s being the first entry into more practical portabile mobility devices.

Today, these devices have been growing to be more of an actual reality in our lifes than just the amusement rides you can rent on a local tour. Combined with intelligent green technology driving most of these new inventions, and an already over-populated society, these may be making much more traction then previously witnessed.

From a social media perspective, there’s several possible applications of mobility.

First – think of how many people may not be able to enjoy the world as much as we all take for granted as they’re limited – these look a lot ready for the world than those slow looking rascals or whatever they’re called I’ll see when flipping channels at 3am – I digress…

Imagine a world where you could actually program your personal mobility device – which of course would be directly controlled by your iPhone, Pre, Android or whatever flavor smart PDA phone is in your arsenal. Restaurant choices? Why not take you towards it while you view the options – it’s better than standing still.

Museum tours – I liked the art exhibit concept – it would be neat to be able to check email and keep up with your e-universe while going directly to the particular parts of a gallery or section anywhere you would want to see. Picture going to a new city and quickly being able to take a tour of some key highlights you only read about on the flight in? There’s a lot of fun applications that come to mind when you look at this.

Would exercise become more or less a part of lifestyles when these become more a part of our lives? Perhaps these could take us to the gym or even better a fun outdoor group exercise event while we’re checking out the details and driving around.

Would we be dating on these devices? Would they create portable mobility rodeos? Would there be a cool portable weird device only lane on the highway? What type of lawsuit driven liability insanity will create industry havoc on these? I just think they’re cool. Maybe it’s the girls in the video keeping my attention – yep, hot girls and technology – damn you, creative advertisers you’ve done it to me again!

OK – if anything this will help to create giant groups of people who are paying attention to little of the world around them as they’re face down into their LCD’s and being essentially transported around with cool devices. I bet they then put up some popup LCD screens with hot women showing me the next latest gadget… Then I’ll blog about it.

I want a Starbuck’s robot – that can make me an Americano right now.

Click here for more info

Social Media of the Future for Business!

The first “online” social networks developed through the phone system. My fascination with social media began in the 1980’s. As part of a group of hackers, known as phreakers – we took over networks to connect with others, including virtual seminars through company test lines.

We would hack voice mail systems to leave recorded audio messages for others to retrieve, reminiscent of today’s podcasts. Let’s take a look into how this started…

Today, you can measure, manage, and maintain relationships with clients using the same tools were previously only available to giant corporations. Businesses have been rapidly embracing the delicate transition from disruptive through enabling technologies, leveraging social media more than ever. Companies not embracing these new social media tools will fall by the wayside.

When planning a professional social media campaign, it’s critical to 1st define your goals. You can use social media marketing successfully within several different aspects of business but you need a plan!  Take time to research different social media networks and consider which ones are most appropriate for what you are trying to accomplish. Take the time to learn who the players are and how people are engaging successfully in your chosen networks. For example:

  • Consider your target audience. This is an important factor to think about initially. Who are you targeting, what do they like and how do they prefer to network? What types of social media tools are your targets currently using? Knowing the answer to this will help you see the best methods that you can use.
  • Look at your competitors. It’s important to see what the competition is doing. Do Do they have any social media presence at all? If they have a large social media presence, what has been the most successful aspects of social media for them?
  • What are your goals? It’s very important to have clearly defined roles in place in the beginning if you plan to be successful with your social media attempts. By defining your goals in advance you can best be prepared to reach them.

Learn about social media tools. There are many different tools – from websites that will allow you to schedule and track metrics on tweets, to tracking sites that will show you where you are strong or in need of improvement in building up your clout, generosity, and overall social currency.

Different businesses benefit from using social media in customer service, sales prospecting and customer relations, marketing of new offerings, and more. It’s crucial to have a plan in place, and to keep it fluid – you will learn quickly and if you are prepared to move quickly can best engage and benefit from the dynamic that is social media. Understanding what your competitors are doing will give you a better understanding of how you can make social media work for you.

It’s time already to have social media working for you. Utilizing social media in business takes a thorough understanding of social media and business communications. Proper use of social media in business is the most powerful and least expensive tool you have!

Over the next several posts, I’ll be sharing more information about how social media for business has progressed throughout history and how to pay attention to trends impacting your professional future. I consider it an honor to share more with you!

(also posted on Social Media of the Future)

Click here for more info

Better Networking – How To Spot a Mingler

There are so many great networking opportunities, but how are you using them to build relationships and connect professionally?

Effective business networking is the bringing together of like minded individuals who, through relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.

Keep in mind that networking is about being sincere, building trust, and seeing how your relationship can genuinely help others.
  1. Always figure out before you even walk into a room, what your specific goals are in attending each networking meeting.  This helps you to pick groups or associations that will help you get what you are looking for.
  2. Ask open-ended questions during your networking conversations, questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how. Try to avoid questions that require a simple yes or no response. By using this line of questioning you can open us the discussion and show listeners that you are interested.
  3. Become a walking resource centre. When you become known as a strong resource, others remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you at their “top of mind”.
  4. Make sure you have your “elevator speech” prepared and know it like the back of your hand. An elevator speech is the commonly known as the response you would give in the amount of time it would take to reach the tenth floor in an elevator. Always rehearse your spiel and be genuine, so that you don’t sound automated when you relay it to someone who asks what you do.
  5. Always know what is going on in current affairs, if you don’t feel comfortable just rolling into a spiel when you first meet someone, have a back up topic to break the ice until you do.
  6. Never just throw your business card at someone the minute you meet them, you must get to know the person and their business as well as explaining your business before you even contemplate a business card exchange.  Some people will find you rude, pushy and unprofessional which will in turn reflect badly on your business.
  7. Always phone or email your new contacts and let them know that you enjoyed meeting them.  If possible mention things that you discussed on a more personal note (i.e. I hope you enjoyed that movie you were going to see that night.) people will come to know you as someone who listens, remembers them and they will form a trust with you.
  8. The most important thing to remember is to follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor their trust and your referrals will grow exponentially.

It’s important to pay attention to others’ needs and share our own when we’re looking to create new relationships. Take advantage of the chance to learn!

Click here for more info

Social Media Ethical Greatness

Talking about how we can use new media in a way that helps us to promote our offerings w/o needing to bash others. Let your true light shine through and earn that business!

Social networking involves the grouping of individuals into niche groups for communication online. Social networking may involve grouping communities together, or likeminded individuals, individuals from a certain region, or people with a shared interest. The internet is virtually filled with millions of individuals that are actively looking to meet other users of the internet and to develop business relationships and friendships with these people.

When it comes to online social networking, there are numerous different websites to choose from that can be broken into a few different categories. There are large scale general social networking websites like Myspace and Facebook, there are smaller scale general social networking websites like Orkut and Adult Friend Finder, and there are niche social networking websites, like Library Thing and Ravelry, which cater to specific interests or needs rather than meeting a general need.

Social networking websites are designed to function like a giant online community of people from all over the world on the internet. Social networking is all about socializing with users who have shared interests or characteristics in common. The best way to find these individuals through social networking is to create a profile that is honest and talks about who you are and what you enjoy in life. When other users on the social networking site see your profile, they will contact you if they have something in common with you, and you can begin to socialize.

The friends that you can make and socialize with on social networking sites are only one of the numerous benefits that you can enjoy on such websites. Another one of the excellent benefits that you can take advantage of is diversity, because they allow you to meet people from all over the world. Right now, people are accessing social networking sites from all over the globe, meaning that as a citizen of the United States, you can strike up friendships and even business partnerships with people from countries all over the globe.

Many online communities and social network sites facilitate friendships based on common characteristics and interests, such as same religion, same political views, same business interest or same hobbies. Not only will you be allowed to make more friends, but you can use social networking as a means to learn more about new cultures, new languages, new hobbies, new market places and so much more using these unique communities.

Social networking is an excellent way to meet new people for a variety of purposes. Whether you are looking to make new friends, to learn more about a hobby or a culture, or to build business relationships and reach out to new clients, there is a lot that social has to offer. Take advantage of this community by connecting on a social networking website and see what it has to offer you as you create a profile and begin meeting likeminded people from all over the world.

Ethical social media networking is one of the fastest growing marketing and social tools available to the whole world. Taking the higher ground of sharing what we do and how we provide value is a way to sell effectively in the new economy. To express true business value with social media is a method we’ve been embracing for years and now are able to leverage in ways unlike ever before!

Click here for more info

How SocialMedia201 #sm201 Came To Be

I just had a great call with my friend Mike Whitmore of Fresh Consulting. We were talking about how awesome Social Media 201 next month will be and wanted to share how the idea came to be.

As you saw, this idea which began as friends in a weekly masterminds call blossomed into this incredible event with sponsors including Microsoft and Comcast. This event will enlighten and entertain small business owners with the education and ammunition to conquer the new media marketsphere! Please take a serious look at Social Media 201 – You’ll be glad you did!

Owning your own business of any type is going to require some amount of networking. Networking is a method of building awareness of your business, among people who may be likely at one time or another to use your products, your services or to refer someone else to your business. Networking is all about getting to know other people, and locally your best bet in finding additional network contacts is going to be with other business owners.

You can find many types of networking opportunities around you. Every club and every association that you belong too is going to be a part of your network. From there, every person you come into contact with and every person you talk with is going to be part of your network.

Make a lasting impression
You can make a lasting impression on the people that you meet by talking about what you know best, and by talking about topics that are vital to your business. If you are not sure about a topic that is being approached during a conversation, ask questions. This will show you are part of the conversation and that you still want to know more. Just listening is going to keep you out of the conversation and will not make a lasting impression of you on any one.

Make your voice known
Join local chambers of commerce; join local men and women’s associations. Join the local PTA, the sports boards, and join clubs that interest you. If you don’t find a club locally that does interest you, create one and build your local network from that point. The more people that you can put yourself into contact with is going to increase awareness of yourself, of your business and what you have to offer. Even if you are selling online, you have to be proud of what you are doing, and talk about it as often as possible to build a network of people that will call on you when they need your products or services.

Once you have built a good network it is important that you maintain and set goals for yourself. As you have set goals, you need to keep them. This means, that if you strive to meet one new person a week, or to make it a point to call one person you know each week that is not a current customer, you are going to increase your business. Think about this, for every five calls you make, and only one turns into a sale, that is one more sale than what you had. Increase exposure for your business, and use this for your personal success.

Click here for more info

Using Social Media With Your Business

When employing social media in your business, you may see that there are various different things to bear in mind. You can employ social media promotion to your utmost benefit as an Internet savvy businessperson, but to obtain maximum success, there are some ways you can make use of.

Spending time in thoroughly studying social media will aid you in perceiving the steps you must adopt for success. For instance:

  1. Be familiar with your target viewers. This constitutes one of the principal first steps you need to adopt. Who are you aiming at, what are their preferences, and what is their preferred networking mode? What forms of social media aids do your targets employ at present? Being aware of the reply to this indeed will enable you detect the optimum techniques that you can employ.
  2. Identify your competitors. It is vital to be aware of what your competition is undertaking. Do they enjoy a huge social media existence? By any means, do they at all enjoy any social media existence?
  3. What constitutes your objectives? It is imperative to have well defined roles in position at the very start if you intend to be triumphant in your social media endeavors. Be familiar with your objectives and then identify the precise ways to attain them.
  4. Recognize what tools you possess. We have stated that there are several social networking tools in existence. Which tools will you employ? Which ones will be of maximum advantage to you as also your business? Have you already subscribed to them? Are you aware of how to subscribe?

Can you recognize the means by which you can discern when exactly your social media promotional tactics have borne fruit? How will you evaluate your findings? How will you monitor your objectives? These are some extremely vital things you should be aware of.

It is essential to have a solid strategy lined up and in addition have a concrete plan for monitoring your goals to discern what is effective and what is not for you. Be aware of what your competition is engaging in so you can obtain better knowledge of how you could cause social media succeed for you as also what sort of competition you encounter. When you pursue these objectives, you will witness instant results in your promotional strategy.

Now that you possess the solutions to these queries and you perceive the correct steps you should follow, you can start to cause social media operate suitably for you. Employing social media in business simply calls for a little insight into social media as also the Web. As soon as you gain knowledge of how you could employ it in your business, you could gain tremendously.

Darren Williger is a hyperactive overachieving, over-caffeinated, meditating, low carbohydrate eating, wine making sales maker who writes for Top Sales Maker Social Media Brain and recommends the codes at Social Media Codes

Click here for more info

Social Media and the Future of People’s Portable Mobility

You see this and a lot of ideas come to mind. When I think of social media and portable mobility – there’s a lot of crazy ideas popping into my head.

So, the segway didn’t take off anywhere near the level of the hype it included but perhaps part of that was due to it’s being the first entry into more practical portabile mobility devices.

Today, these devices have been growing to be more of an actual reality in our lifes than just the amusement rides you can rent on a local tour. Combined with intelligent green technology driving most of these new inventions, and an already over-populated society, these may be making much more traction then previously witnessed.

From a social media perspective, there’s several possible applications of mobility.

First – think of how many people may not be able to enjoy the world as much as we all take for granted as they’re limited – these look a lot ready for the world than those slow looking rascals or whatever they’re called I’ll see when flipping channels at 3am – I digress…

Imagine a world where you could actually program your personal mobility device – which of course would be directly controlled by your iPhone, Pre, Android or whatever flavor smart PDA phone is in your arsenal. Restaurant choices? Why not take you towards it while you view the options – it’s better than standing still.

Museum tours – I liked the art exhibit concept – it would be neat to be able to check email and keep up with your e-universe while going directly to the particular parts of a gallery or section anywhere you would want to see. Picture going to a new city and quickly being able to take a tour of some key highlights you only read about on the flight in? There’s a lot of fun applications that come to mind when you look at this.

Would exercise become more or less a part of lifestyles when these become more a part of our lives? Perhaps these could take us to the gym or even better a fun outdoor group exercise event while we’re checking out the details and driving around.

Would we be dating on these devices? Would they create portable mobility rodeos? Would there be a cool portable weird device only lane on the highway? What type of lawsuit driven liability insanity will create industry havoc on these? I just think they’re cool. Maybe it’s the girls in the video keeping my attention – yep, hot girls and technology – damn you, creative advertisers you’ve done it to me again!

OK – if anything this will help to create giant groups of people who are paying attention to little of the world around them as they’re face down into their LCD’s and being essentially transported around with cool devices. I bet they then put up some popup LCD screens with hot women showing me the next latest gadget… Then I’ll blog about it.

I want a Starbuck’s robot – that can make me an Americano right now.

Click here for more info

Social Media of the Future for Business!

The first “online” social networks developed through the phone system. My fascination with social media began in the 1980’s. As part of a group of hackers, known as phreakers – we took over networks to connect with others, including virtual seminars through company test lines.

We would hack voice mail systems to leave recorded audio messages for others to retrieve, reminiscent of today’s podcasts. Let’s take a look into how this started…

Today, you can measure, manage, and maintain relationships with clients using the same tools were previously only available to giant corporations. Businesses have been rapidly embracing the delicate transition from disruptive through enabling technologies, leveraging social media more than ever. Companies not embracing these new social media tools will fall by the wayside.

When planning a professional social media campaign, it’s critical to 1st define your goals. You can use social media marketing successfully within several different aspects of business but you need a plan!  Take time to research different social media networks and consider which ones are most appropriate for what you are trying to accomplish. Take the time to learn who the players are and how people are engaging successfully in your chosen networks. For example:

  • Consider your target audience. This is an important factor to think about initially. Who are you targeting, what do they like and how do they prefer to network? What types of social media tools are your targets currently using? Knowing the answer to this will help you see the best methods that you can use.
  • Look at your competitors. It’s important to see what the competition is doing. Do Do they have any social media presence at all? If they have a large social media presence, what has been the most successful aspects of social media for them?
  • What are your goals? It’s very important to have clearly defined roles in place in the beginning if you plan to be successful with your social media attempts. By defining your goals in advance you can best be prepared to reach them.

Learn about social media tools. There are many different tools – from websites that will allow you to schedule and track metrics on tweets, to tracking sites that will show you where you are strong or in need of improvement in building up your clout, generosity, and overall social currency.

Different businesses benefit from using social media in customer service, sales prospecting and customer relations, marketing of new offerings, and more. It’s crucial to have a plan in place, and to keep it fluid – you will learn quickly and if you are prepared to move quickly can best engage and benefit from the dynamic that is social media. Understanding what your competitors are doing will give you a better understanding of how you can make social media work for you.

It’s time already to have social media working for you. Utilizing social media in business takes a thorough understanding of social media and business communications. Proper use of social media in business is the most powerful and least expensive tool you have!

Over the next several posts, I’ll be sharing more information about how social media for business has progressed throughout history and how to pay attention to trends impacting your professional future. I consider it an honor to share more with you!

(also posted on Social Media of the Future)

Click here for more info

Better Networking – How To Spot a Mingler

There are so many great networking opportunities, but how are you using them to build relationships and connect professionally?

Effective business networking is the bringing together of like minded individuals who, through relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another.

Keep in mind that networking is about being sincere, building trust, and seeing how your relationship can genuinely help others.
  1. Always figure out before you even walk into a room, what your specific goals are in attending each networking meeting.  This helps you to pick groups or associations that will help you get what you are looking for.
  2. Ask open-ended questions during your networking conversations, questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how. Try to avoid questions that require a simple yes or no response. By using this line of questioning you can open us the discussion and show listeners that you are interested.
  3. Become a walking resource centre. When you become known as a strong resource, others remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you at their “top of mind”.
  4. Make sure you have your “elevator speech” prepared and know it like the back of your hand. An elevator speech is the commonly known as the response you would give in the amount of time it would take to reach the tenth floor in an elevator. Always rehearse your spiel and be genuine, so that you don’t sound automated when you relay it to someone who asks what you do.
  5. Always know what is going on in current affairs, if you don’t feel comfortable just rolling into a spiel when you first meet someone, have a back up topic to break the ice until you do.
  6. Never just throw your business card at someone the minute you meet them, you must get to know the person and their business as well as explaining your business before you even contemplate a business card exchange.  Some people will find you rude, pushy and unprofessional which will in turn reflect badly on your business.
  7. Always phone or email your new contacts and let them know that you enjoyed meeting them.  If possible mention things that you discussed on a more personal note (i.e. I hope you enjoyed that movie you were going to see that night.) people will come to know you as someone who listens, remembers them and they will form a trust with you.
  8. The most important thing to remember is to follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given. When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor their trust and your referrals will grow exponentially.

It’s important to pay attention to others’ needs and share our own when we’re looking to create new relationships. Take advantage of the chance to learn!

Click here for more info

Social Media Ethical Greatness

Talking about how we can use new media in a way that helps us to promote our offerings w/o needing to bash others. Let your true light shine through and earn that business!

Social networking involves the grouping of individuals into niche groups for communication online. Social networking may involve grouping communities together, or likeminded individuals, individuals from a certain region, or people with a shared interest. The internet is virtually filled with millions of individuals that are actively looking to meet other users of the internet and to develop business relationships and friendships with these people.

When it comes to online social networking, there are numerous different websites to choose from that can be broken into a few different categories. There are large scale general social networking websites like Myspace and Facebook, there are smaller scale general social networking websites like Orkut and Adult Friend Finder, and there are niche social networking websites, like Library Thing and Ravelry, which cater to specific interests or needs rather than meeting a general need.

Social networking websites are designed to function like a giant online community of people from all over the world on the internet. Social networking is all about socializing with users who have shared interests or characteristics in common. The best way to find these individuals through social networking is to create a profile that is honest and talks about who you are and what you enjoy in life. When other users on the social networking site see your profile, they will contact you if they have something in common with you, and you can begin to socialize.

The friends that you can make and socialize with on social networking sites are only one of the numerous benefits that you can enjoy on such websites. Another one of the excellent benefits that you can take advantage of is diversity, because they allow you to meet people from all over the world. Right now, people are accessing social networking sites from all over the globe, meaning that as a citizen of the United States, you can strike up friendships and even business partnerships with people from countries all over the globe.

Many online communities and social network sites facilitate friendships based on common characteristics and interests, such as same religion, same political views, same business interest or same hobbies. Not only will you be allowed to make more friends, but you can use social networking as a means to learn more about new cultures, new languages, new hobbies, new market places and so much more using these unique communities.

Social networking is an excellent way to meet new people for a variety of purposes. Whether you are looking to make new friends, to learn more about a hobby or a culture, or to build business relationships and reach out to new clients, there is a lot that social has to offer. Take advantage of this community by connecting on a social networking website and see what it has to offer you as you create a profile and begin meeting likeminded people from all over the world.

Ethical social media networking is one of the fastest growing marketing and social tools available to the whole world. Taking the higher ground of sharing what we do and how we provide value is a way to sell effectively in the new economy. To express true business value with social media is a method we’ve been embracing for years and now are able to leverage in ways unlike ever before!

Click here for more info

How SocialMedia201 #sm201 Came To Be

I just had a great call with my friend Mike Whitmore of Fresh Consulting. We were talking about how awesome Social Media 201 next month will be and wanted to share how the idea came to be.

As you saw, this idea which began as friends in a weekly masterminds call blossomed into this incredible event with sponsors including Microsoft and Comcast. This event will enlighten and entertain small business owners with the education and ammunition to conquer the new media marketsphere! Please take a serious look at Social Media 201 – You’ll be glad you did!

Owning your own business of any type is going to require some amount of networking. Networking is a method of building awareness of your business, among people who may be likely at one time or another to use your products, your services or to refer someone else to your business. Networking is all about getting to know other people, and locally your best bet in finding additional network contacts is going to be with other business owners.

You can find many types of networking opportunities around you. Every club and every association that you belong too is going to be a part of your network. From there, every person you come into contact with and every person you talk with is going to be part of your network.

Make a lasting impression
You can make a lasting impression on the people that you meet by talking about what you know best, and by talking about topics that are vital to your business. If you are not sure about a topic that is being approached during a conversation, ask questions. This will show you are part of the conversation and that you still want to know more. Just listening is going to keep you out of the conversation and will not make a lasting impression of you on any one.

Make your voice known
Join local chambers of commerce; join local men and women’s associations. Join the local PTA, the sports boards, and join clubs that interest you. If you don’t find a club locally that does interest you, create one and build your local network from that point. The more people that you can put yourself into contact with is going to increase awareness of yourself, of your business and what you have to offer. Even if you are selling online, you have to be proud of what you are doing, and talk about it as often as possible to build a network of people that will call on you when they need your products or services.

Once you have built a good network it is important that you maintain and set goals for yourself. As you have set goals, you need to keep them. This means, that if you strive to meet one new person a week, or to make it a point to call one person you know each week that is not a current customer, you are going to increase your business. Think about this, for every five calls you make, and only one turns into a sale, that is one more sale than what you had. Increase exposure for your business, and use this for your personal success.

Click here for more info

?>