Get people talking!
Networking tips
Should I create a Facebook page, Part II
1827 days
by Peter F.
in Networking tips
Had a conversation with a client today who had this attitude toward Facebook:
“My topics are very different from the personal ‘newsfeed’ that I see on Facebook (which I think is rather idiotic and a waste of time)…”
How many of you business owners feel the same way?… I mean it, raise your hands, I know you’re out there.
Hate to break it to you, but if you’re serious about maintaining and growing your income, you need to rethink your views. If Skittles and FTP Flowers are paying attention to Facebook (in a big way), you should too. Why? Because that’s where the people are!
Why use a Facebook page?
- Familiarity. Just using the name Facebook starts building a relationship of trust. People immediately think ‘I’m on Facebook, too! Add me!’ Some call it namedropping. I call it ‘Borrowing clout’.
- Build your community. You can start building a fan base immediately. Adding fans is as easy as a click of a button. People like popularity. They like community even more. They love to see that their friends are your fans, too.
- Convenience matters. Even if you don’t like Facebook, others do. In the end, that’s what matters. There are certain blog feeds that I wouldn’t follow if they didn’t have their feed on Facebook — simply as a matter of convenience. How many people are you missing out on because you didn’t make it as easy as possible for them to connect with you?
- Networking 24/7. Personally, I don’t care when my friends post that they’ve just entered a McDonald’s. But they care. And in the end, that’s what matters. When you show interest in others, they’re reminded to see what you’re up to. Find the things they post that you can relate to, and comment on it. You can do it anytime. I tend to do mine in the evenings when I’m relaxing in front of the TV.
- Automated, duplicated efforts. Facebook is more for networking than marketing, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do both. Add your blog feed to your page. Remind your friends to become a Fan. Most will gladly do it. Then they’ll see your blog posts as they pop up automatically. Remind them to tell their friends. Many will also do that, and your fan base will grow.
- It’s free. Can’t compete with Skittles’ budget? Facebook levels the playing field for you!
Again, go where the people are. Multi-million dollar corporations are moving away from television, radio and print JUST to focus on Facebook marketing. That means it’s working. It means it’s a better use of their time and money.
New networking feature on Facebook
1851 days
by Peter F.
in Networking tips
You may have seen this fairly new little feature on Facebook. If you’re not networking on Facebook, whether you’re an individual or a multi-million dollar corporation, you probably should be. Facebook networking has been getting more and more attention from businesses, and rightfully so.
This tip is simple, yet powerful. It allows you to link other people’s or business’s pages through a regular status update.
Why should you do this?
Networking is completely different from marketing. Marketing is all about you, you, you. People are only so interested in that. What are they interested in??? THEMSELVES! There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just human nature. If you show interest in others, they like that. Well, what if you are talking about someone (their new book, blog post, or product, whatever) and your friends want to learn more?
Link to them! Make it just that much easier for your friends and colleagues to find each other. It could make the difference between someone being found or not. And guess who’s going to be grateful to you for sending more traffic their way? Your friends and colleagues.
Chances are they will DO something to reciprocate. It’s called a cooperative business structure, rather than being competitive.
How to link to others on Facebook
When you are creating a new status update, type the @ symbol, then start typing the name of the friend or business page. Facebook will automatically start listing possible candidates you can choose from.
That’s it! Simple. Start trying it, you’ll be glad you did, and others will appreciate it.
How to use Twitter for your Business
01061 days
The market is constantly changing. You will find that things that worked for you before no longer do. So you must keep tabs on your market, and adapt.
Twitter is a great tool for helping you do just that. Research has shown that more and more people are turning to online social networking, even people 50 and above (Reuters). Beyond that, many people are connecting with brands through online networking (eMarketer).
What does this mean for you? It means you cannot ignore online networking as a means of reaching your market. But, you already knew that, right? You’re probably wondering, “Where should I go?”, “Which network should I use?”, and “How do I use it?”
Well, if you ever wondered about Twitter, hopefully this article will help you decide whether Twitter is for you. First, go to search.twitter.com. Do a preliminary search for keywords or phrases that pertain to your industry (self-help, public speaking, life purpose, whatever). What are people saying about your topic?
Next, consider the characteristics of Twitter and its users.
Twitter is fast-paced. You might say Twitter is Facebook on ADHD. It has a VAST number of users. So depending on how many people you’re following, posts could come and go like greased lightning. Some find this discouraging, but read below, there’s plenty of solutions.
Messages are very short and to the point. The maximum length of a tweet is 140 characters. Some refer to this as mini-blogging. And while it will never replace blogging, it allows you to get in there, say your piece, and get out without having to spend lots of time agonizing over content. BUT, if you’re loquacious, you’ll have to be creative about how you say what you want to.
Posting is real-time. As soon as you or someone else posts, that post is made live to everyone in the Twitter community, and anywhere your feed may be posted.
Users are listable. This means you can follow as many people as you want. But if you follow a lot of people, and want to follow just a few, you can categorize them into lists. It’s a great way to clear the clutter, and zero in on the people you want.
How do I use Twitter?
For me, it depends on the type of site and product. Most often, I use it like a news feed, and embed the feed on my site. Anyone following me on Twitter, or visiting my site(s) will see recent updates pertinent to the topic of my site. What’s the value? Well, first, people see what I’m all about in a glance. Second, I do the work of “weeding out” bad or unintresting articles so my followers don’t get bogged down with useless information.
On some sites I also use the news feed to recommend products that I am promoting. Sometimes I do this in a general manner, other times I feel the pulse of real-time tweets, and recommend my products to specific users. You can’t understimate the power of talking to people around the country in real-time. Another value is that when people visit my site, they are also presented with my offerings and see that I am actively engaged in my community.
When listing people, I have two main categories: People to whom I can market to, and People from whom I can learn. The first is for obvious reasons. The latter keeps me up-to-date, ever learning, and ahead of the game for my clients. Hey, I owe it to my clients, and to my own business! how to use Twitter for your business
Social conversations. Ask yourself, Who doesn’t like eavesdropping? Who doesn’t have an opinion? Twitter’s a great way to start some buzz about a topic. Or, join someone else’s buzz. While people are clicking around, they will see your ID on other people’s feeds, and may become curious. What’s that translate into? More traffic for you!!
Why is Twitter so great? how to use Twitter for your business
1) It allows you to constantly be in front of your market’s faces with marketing nuggets or networking.
2) You can recommend products, and people don’t feel threatened, because of the relationship of trust you’ve built.
3) There are plenty of tools out there to let you manage your tweets and time wisely (Tweet while you sleep!)
4) It is a real-time tool that let’s you see what is going on in the world and market — right now. how to use Twitter for your business
TwitterBuilding.com
01286 days
Unfortunately, we have to list our very first “Two Thumbs Down”. We don’t do it lightly. This Twitter Review is dedicated to “Followers Train”, found at TwitterBuilding.com.
Let us preface by saying that this is actually a fantastic idea. Very simple and straight-forward. It’s something akin to what you’ll find at WeFollow.com, but much more basic.
The synopsis is that you create an account, and hang out online — the idea being that everyone online sees each other and follows each other. This is a spaghetti-on-the-wall approach, NOT intended to help you find a targeted market. But let’s face it, people like to follow people with lots of other followers. I mean, if they have lots of followers, they must be doing something right. Right?
Well, the thumbs down comes for the following main reasons:
- poor graphics & layout
- very few followers (and few of them are online at any given time, meaning you have to hangout online for a long time just to get some followers
- google ads spackle the site, making it difficult to read & navigate, and…
- the #1 reason is that they take over your Twitter account and post annoying, automated messages on your account at least once a day. Often several times a day.
We had to cancel our account to get the daily auto-tweets stopped. (Well, we hope that did the trick). Let us not be totally down on this site. It has some potential. But even if they had put in a TINY bit more effort, the overall effect would have been better, and I think that’s the most perturbing thing.
UPDATE: This post now includes www.twtexpress.info. We wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same people pulling of the same half-hock operation. Two thumbs down “Get Followers”.
Happy Tweeting!
The iTeam
