It’s Blog Day

Ok, one more post about social media!

Thanks to Kyle Lacy I found out it is Blog Day. This world wide celebration is designed to introduce great bloggers to each other, and novice bloggers to some of the best writers and thinkers on the net.

Kyle has already commented on some of my favorites:

Mike Fruchter at My Thoughts on Social Media:

Erik Deckers. The Laughing Stalk.

The Marketing Technology Blog by Douglas Karr.

They would all be in my top five, but the point of this activity is to introduce new blogs, so check out Kyle’s description of those, and then here are some others that make my top list.

1. Kyle Lacy – Ok, so I am not sure I would even know what a social network was if it wasn’t for Kyle. An avid, possibly compulsive web junkie, he is continually trying out new sites, and sharing his opinions. Which may include humor, attitude, and more than a little sarcasm.
2. Louis Gray - Who describes his blog as a Silicon Valley Blog for early adopters, technology geeks, RSS addicts and Mac freaks. Ok, so I have to admit, sometimes I have no idea what he is talking about, but his write ups, and favorite picks are a great way to learn about what is new on the net.
   
3. Patric Welch – Alias Mr. Noobie boils down technology for the very, very novice. I love his sense of humor when he describes his battles with technology. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Louis, but equally fun to read.
4. Is This Stupid? – Tina (aka stupid blogger) defines her site as an outlet to poke fun at some of the stupidest things she comes across. While much of the posts are about tech she doesn’t stop there. As she says, the Internet doesn’t have a patent on stupid. whether she is taking on Monkey Spankers or people who want to follow their houseplants on Twitter, she does it with attitude and a great sense of humor!
5. Ok, I’m done.. I know I should have another one, but honestly, by the time I am done reading these four, and the three above.. misc posts on SI and FriendFeed the day is over!

So join the fun.. what are your favorite blogs?

It’s Blog Day

Ok, one more post about social media!

Thanks to Kyle Lacy I found out it is Blog Day. This world wide celebration is designed to introduce great bloggers to each other, and novice bloggers to some of the best writers and thinkers on the net.

Kyle has already commented on some of my favorites:

Mike Fruchter at My Thoughts on Social Media:

Erik Deckers. The Laughing Stalk.

The Marketing Technology Blog by Douglas Karr.

They would all be in my top five, but the point of this activity is to introduce new blogs, so check out Kyle’s description of those, and then here are some others that make my top list.

1. Kyle Lacy – Ok, so I am not sure I would even know what a social network was if it wasn’t for Kyle. An avid, possibly compulsive web junkie, he is continually trying out new sites, and sharing his opinions. Which may include humor, attitude, and more than a little sarcasm.
2. Louis Gray - Who describes his blog as a Silicon Valley Blog for early adopters, technology geeks, RSS addicts and Mac freaks. Ok, so I have to admit, sometimes I have no idea what he is talking about, but his write ups, and favorite picks are a great way to learn about what is new on the net.
   
3. Patric Welch – Alias Mr. Noobie boils down technology for the very, very novice. I love his sense of humor when he describes his battles with technology. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Louis, but equally fun to read.
4. Is This Stupid? – Tina (aka stupid blogger) defines her site as an outlet to poke fun at some of the stupidest things she comes across. While much of the posts are about tech she doesn’t stop there. As she says, the Internet doesn’t have a patent on stupid. whether she is taking on Monkey Spankers or people who want to follow their houseplants on Twitter, she does it with attitude and a great sense of humor!
5. Ok, I’m done.. I know I should have another one, but honestly, by the time I am done reading these four, and the three above.. misc posts on SI and FriendFeed the day is over!

So join the fun.. what are your favorite blogs?

Blogging for Business of Every Size

It seems many of my posts lately have been about blogging.   Maybe I am spending too much time with Kyle Lacy, Doug Karr, and Erik Deckers, or maybe this is just the most important thing small business owners have to understand right now.

The more I read on the subject, the more I believe it is the latter.  Business, even traditional B to C business is going on line.   Blogs create a forum for an on-going conversation with your customers and prospects, a platform to help you share your knowledge, and establish yourself as a subject matter expert.

With the availability of great free blog software platforms, cost is no longer an issue.  And the simple user interfaces have removed the skill barrier as well.

If When you add your blog here are a few rules to keep in mind:

1. Post often – short frequent posts (at least several times a week) give readers a reason to return -
2. This doesn’t have to be a chore divide the workload, invite your employees to blog.
3. Don’t make each post an advertisement for your services – If the blog provides valuable content, your readers will associate the expertise with you
4. Link to others – - In today’s Web 2.0 world, you are judged by the company you keep. I read The Church of the Customer Blog by Ben McConnell almost daily and frequently quote his ideas because they are worth sharing.
5. Invite others to participate – Ask questions, even send links to friends, peers and customers inviting them to participate.
6. Don’t give up -Even if you have few or no comments, the fresh content is attracting visitors.  Many people will remain spectators.  It doesn’t mean they don’t like what they see, they just don’t feel the need to comment. Keep writing

So no more delays – it is time to start writing – and when you do… invite me to post!

Blog Log, Technorati and More

In the ongoing process of building traffic to my website, I am joining all sorts of aggregating and rating services, like Technorati , digg, and Blog Log.  The question is do any of these work?  I would love input from folks who use these tools regularly.

Which do you like best, and why?  Which have the biggest impact on the effectiveness of your small business strategy?

Free Trials Add Up to Profits!

Whenever I go to the mall, and walk by the food court, there is always that guy, handing out samples of the Chinese chicken.  Why? Because if you don’t know what you are hungry for, very often a little taste is enough to convince you to buy an entire plate.

That same try before you buy strategy works in many industries, particularly when the product or service is really unique or radically different from competing products.  For example networking – At Rainmakers our first big growth curve occurred when we started offering “free passes” to our events.  Our model is so different, we have never been very good explaining it on paper or on-line. It is one of those things you just have to experience.

The result of our free trial program – We lost some revenue at the door, since guests no longer had to pay the first time they attended, but we had way more guests.  With the average event seeing an increase in guest count from 5 to 15.  Since our closing percentage (guests who became members) remained the same, we tripled the number of new members each month.

FREE TRIALS! Have you figured out how to use them in your business?

The inspiration for this blog came when I read this post by John Jantsch about Jott moving to an optional paid model.  That’s the key.. use free trials to introduce the product, build a loyal fan base, and offer an option for more services of a reasonable fee. It the value is there, you wil have no trouble earning the fee.

Don’t Make Naked Sales Calls!

Sales expert Jeff Gitomer has written a terrific post about what to “wear” to a sales call.   He is not referring to your suit or your tie, but what you take with you, how you prepare.    On his “fashion list”: information from their website which includes:

1. Things your product or service will impact
2. Identifies leaders and decision makers
3. Information you don’t understand, so you can ask good questions.

Read more

Don’t Make Naked Sales Calls!

Sales expert Jeff Gitomer has written a terrific post about what to “wear” to a sales call.   He is not referring to your suit or your tie, but what you take with you, how you prepare.    On his “fashion list”: information from their website which includes:

1. Things your product or service will impact
2. Identifies leaders and decision makers
3. Information you don’t understand, so you can ask good questions.

Read more

The 3M’s – Market, Media and Message

Ben McConnel shared the story of the computer company who hired Blogger Robert Scoble as their spokesperson, and then were disappointed when the sales didn’t follow.

The reality is in their rush to hire a spokesperson, any spokesperson, they lost sight of the 3M’s (no, I don’t mean they forgot their post it notes) but the 3M’s which may very well be replacing the 4P’s

• Market
• Message
• Media

For any campaign, now more then ever these three  elements must be in alignment.  You can’t be successful trying to sell to everyone, you don’t have the budget – so begin by focusing on a slice of the pie.  Select a profitable niche to be your market.

Next, ask yourself, what is important to your customer, what keeps them up at night.  Craft a message which addresses their concerns, not what you want to sell.   I once had a finanial planner tell me what his customer wanted was choices.  I had a hard time imaging many consumers laying awake at nigth worry about not having enough choices. … This was an important element to him, but not his clients.  What keeps them awake?

And finally, where are your customers going for information.  Select your media, based on the ability to reach a large concentration of your target.  To do this, you have to really understand your target.

Where did the computer firm go wrong?  Not all IT people are bloggers, and not all bloggers are hardware junkies..   Robert Scobel was the perfect fit for a campaign to promote blogging software, but not the hardware that runs it.

So what about your marketing?  Do you have your 3M’s in alignment?

Read the rest of the articlel

And for other opinions on this topic go to: Marketing Ninja

The 3M’s – Market, Media and Message

Ben McConnel shared the story of the computer company who hired Blogger Robert Scoble as their spokesperson, and then were disappointed when the sales didn’t follow.

The reality is in their rush to hire a spokesperson, any spokesperson, they lost sight of the 3M’s (no, I don’t mean they forgot their post it notes) but the 3M’s which may very well be replacing the 4P’s

• Market
• Message
• Media

For any campaign, now more then ever these three  elements must be in alignment.  You can’t be successful trying to sell to everyone, you don’t have the budget – so begin by focusing on a slice of the pie.  Select a profitable niche to be your market.

Next, ask yourself, what is important to your customer, what keeps them up at night.  Craft a message which addresses their concerns, not what you want to sell.   I once had a finanial planner tell me what his customer wanted was choices.  I had a hard time imaging many consumers laying awake at nigth worry about not having enough choices. … This was an important element to him, but not his clients.  What keeps them awake?

And finally, where are your customers going for information.  Select your media, based on the ability to reach a large concentration of your target.  To do this, you have to really understand your target.

Where did the computer firm go wrong?  Not all IT people are bloggers, and not all bloggers are hardware junkies..   Robert Scobel was the perfect fit for a campaign to promote blogging software, but not the hardware that runs it.

So what about your marketing?  Do you have your 3M’s in alignment?

Read the rest of the articlel

And for other opinions on this topic go to: Marketing Ninja

There is a Recession Going on, But I have Decided Not to Participate!

For the last six months I have been reading about the recession and how it is affecting businesses of all sizes.  And despite what I have read, I have decided to not to participate.  It doesn’t really sound like all that much fun.

And based on a report from the Harvard Business Review, I may be in very good company.   Author Greg Vanourek writes:

During our interviews with 55 successful business and social entrepreneurs worldwide, we were struck by the fact that many had started their enterprises during a recession or in the wake of one. …

Many people assume that entrepreneurs are allergic to recessions. It turns out that downturns can be times of tremendous opportunity–and, yes, profit–for entrepreneurs. But only if they play their cards right.

So what does playing your cards right entail?   For me, it is about ramping up marketing activites – more pr, more blogging, more visiblity at local networking events.  We even added a little direct mail to the mix.   And the result …

Sales are good, we are about to close our biggest deal, and possibly hire another person later this fall.  Yes our costs are higher, but so are our sales.   We expet t out last this recession, and we will be ready when the economy turns around.  How about you?

Do You Have Mavens, Salesmen and Connectors in your Business Circle

Picked up a copy of the Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell recently.  I have read it before, but was flipping through again, and am always fascinated by his ideas on how to create a social epidemic. It begins with three types of people: Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. Ultimately you need to have the support of these three groups of people to bring your ideas to the market place.

Also, think about the strengths your bring to the table.  Are you a:

• Maven – with a specific area of subject matter expertise
• Salesman – with the ability to spread ideas to others
• Connector – with a broad network of contacts through which you share new ideas

Seek others who fill the gaps in your skill set to complete your circle and create a “Tipping Point” for your business.

Where do you meet them?? Start networking; Rainmakers, the Chambers, Network of Women in Business can be a starting point for your own social epidemic.

For the opposite perspective:  Not everyone loves the Tipping Point – Olive Thompson in this article for FastCompany Magazine pours a bit of water on Gladwell’s ideas.

Time to Blog is Now!

There is a conversation going on at this very minute.  Are you a part of it?  The conversation, among your customers and business associates is occurring on-line with or without you.

According to the folks at Duct Tape marketing, it is not enough to have a nice website.  According to the author:

if you’re not participating in social media, you’re not really online.

To substantiate their opinion, they shared a few statistics from a comprehensive research project developed by Universal McCann.

• 73% of online users read a blog
• 57% join social networks
• 45% have started a blog
• 83% have viewed a video online
• 39% subscribe to RSS feeds
• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

Source: Universal McCann Wave3 research into social media

So the question is what are you waiting for?   Not a writer that is not an issue..  Your customers and business associates are not looking for elegant prose.  The research indicates they want to hear from you.  Share current information, inside scoop, industry trends, simple, relevant information and they will come back for more.

No more excuses!  if you have a website, it’s time to add a blog.  If you don’t have a website, create a blog, anyway!  Or at the very least start following and commenting on other blogs!

And if you need more convincing - check out Kyle Lacy’s latest blog.. In response to those who are still sitting on the sidelines, Kyle does not mince words.  He says:

“it is important to remember to be IN the conversation. If your demographic frequents any social network GET INVOLVED. This might mean hiring a part time employee or spending some extra time yourself. SUCK IT UP.

Honestly, you don’t have to suck it up. Maybe I was a little harsh? You could keep on ignoring the conversations and drive your brand into the ground. Your choice. I’ll buy you a shovel but don’t expect me to help you dig.”

Time to Blog is Now!

There is a conversation going on at this very minute.  Are you a part of it?  The conversation, among your customers and business associates is occurring on-line with or without you.

According to the folks at Duct Tape marketing, it is not enough to have a nice website.  According to the author:

if you’re not participating in social media, you’re not really online.

To substantiate their opinion, they shared a few statistics from a comprehensive research project developed by Universal McCann.

• 73% of online users read a blog
• 57% join social networks
• 45% have started a blog
• 83% have viewed a video online
• 39% subscribe to RSS feeds
• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

Source: Universal McCann Wave3 research into social media

So the question is what are you waiting for?   Not a writer that is not an issue..  Your customers and business associates are not looking for elegant prose.  The research indicates they want to hear from you.  Share current information, inside scoop, industry trends, simple, relevant information and they will come back for more.

No more excuses!  if you have a website, it’s time to add a blog.  If you don’t have a website, create a blog, anyway!  Or at the very least start following and commenting on other blogs!

And if you need more convincing - check out Kyle Lacy’s latest blog.. In response to those who are still sitting on the sidelines, Kyle does not mince words.  He says:

“it is important to remember to be IN the conversation. If your demographic frequents any social network GET INVOLVED. This might mean hiring a part time employee or spending some extra time yourself. SUCK IT UP.

Honestly, you don’t have to suck it up. Maybe I was a little harsh? You could keep on ignoring the conversations and drive your brand into the ground. Your choice. I’ll buy you a shovel but don’t expect me to help you dig.”

Better Blogging Made Easy

The internet is changing, rapidly.  It is not enough to have a pretty website, with lots of flash.  If you want visitors to come back again and again, you have to have content – fresh, interesting, informative, content!

And one of the easiest ways to create content is to add a blog to your site.  But if yoiu blog, you must blog frequently, preferabley daily, but at least several times a week.

And sometimes you just run out of steam!  I found this list of 5 Tips on How to Create Content Quickly

1. Share you favorite links
2. Create a top ten list
3. Interview someone
4. Ask your readers a question
5. Answer a reader question

I think the suggestions are really good. Especially for a small business owner, who is writing a blog as a sideline while he/she tries to focus on core business.  As long as your posts, even top ten lists releate to your core business, you are creating value for your readers, and your business.

Special thanks for this link to Patric Welch (alias MrNoobie), I found this post because he “dug” and I like to follow his content on FriendFeed!

Friend Feed and Other Social Networks

While I have been enjoying reading the stream on FriendFeed, and keeping up with my friends locations on Brightkite, and the minutia of their day on Twitter, it isn’t very productive.

For example, I spent about two hours today, reading content, posting content, and commenting on other people’s content, which would have been fine, except I probably should have been doing client work instead.

So the question is, where is the balance point?   How do small business owners know when they are spending too much time on social networks?  My excuse?  It is research, I am trying to find out which tools will work best for my clients.  But the truth is, it is also fun so I am going to keep looking for a small business application to justify the time I spend.