Welcome to the Social Media Marketing Success Series! There are 4 things you have to do in order to be successful in using social media to market your business; you have to Build a Web Presence, Build a Brand, Build a Base, and Ask for the Sale. We’ll go over each of these this week and give you everything you need to succeed in social media marketing!

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 4 – How to Ask for the Sale

A couple of years ago I worked as a technology specialist in Officemax. It was my job to sell the latest computers, printers, and other gadgets to meet customer needs. I remember an older lady coming into the store needing help finding a printer. After about 45 minutes (yes, 45 mins!) of explaining the different features of my top printers she said, “Young man, you’re a good teacher but you’d be a great salesman if you’d just ask me to buy one already!”

I didn’t realize it, but I spent so much time explaining the different features of each printer I never really “sold” her either of them. The mark of a great salesman is asking for the sale. Explaining the feature set of my best printer then asking her, “would you like to take this one home with you today?” could have saved me 45 minutes of my time and hers.

What Category Do You Fall Into?

When it comes to social media marketing many entrepreneurs either;

• Ask for the sale too often – Aggressively pitching a product or service over social networks.
• Don’t ask for the sale the right way – Come across as “pitchy,” forced, or non-caring.
  or,
• Are too scared to ask for the sale – Constantly giving but scared their market base will rebel against them if they offer a product or service.

You CAN make sales with social media marketing!

Hopefully, after this post, you’ll be empowered to ask for the sale and never again fall into one of those three categories. Keep these things, about social media marketing, in mind and you’ll be on your way to success;

a. The Bible says, you have not because you ask not - James 4:2 (King James Version),

b. Social media marketing is all about “giving to get,”

and

c. What’s the point of building a marketing base if you’re too afraid to market to them?

There are 3 steps to asking for the sale in social media marketing, you’ve got to warm-up your market, lead them into your sales funnel, and ask boldly for the sale. Let’s review each step and I’ll share some power tips with you along the way!

Step 1: Warm-Up Your Market

Is Your Market Warmed Up?

You can’t just ask your Facebook fans, Twitter followers, or blog readers to buy your product or service if you barely engage with them on a regular basis. You have to “wake them up” if their asleep, give them more reasons to share your content with their friends, and get their friends to follow you if they don’t already. Here are some ideas on how to do it;

• Consistently share articles, news, podcasts, videos, and tools related to your product or service across your social media channels.
• Create a blog, video, or podcast series that addresses a common problem for your followers.
• Start a guest blogging contest to get some interactivity going on your blog.
• Use giveaways and sweepstakes to generate interest in your blog and get people ready for “what’s next from you.”
• Guest blogging is a great way to bring awareness to your blog and generate new life blood.

Step 2: Lead Them into Your Sales Funnel

Do You Have a Sales Funnel in Place?

Once you’ve got people’s attention and the traffic is flowing on your blog, then it’s time to drop a bomb and get them into your sales funnel. Before executing any of these ideas, be sure to have your payment automation system in place. If wouldn’t make sense to have a market ready to buy but you’re unable to accept payments now would it? I recommend starting out with Paypal’s business merchant services. The fees are small and the service is great. You can even get a virtual terminal for taking orders via phone, fax, and mail! Ready for some sales funnel ideas? Here you go!

• Launch a free e-book and include links to a product or service sales page at the end.
• Offer a free seminar or workshop based on your most popular content. This is an excellent way to position yourself as a “thought leader” and expert. Be sure to sell a product or service at the end of each session!
• Launch a webinar and provide your best advice for free and offer an exclusive 1-on-1 session afterwards.
• Did you create a video series of “How-to’s?” Put them together in a DVD package with a “special offer” at the end.
• Conclude your blog series with a final blog post that offers a product or service to solve your reader’s problems.
• Promote your “sales funnel project” via email, newsletter, blog, and all your social channels.
• Offer exclusive coupons and discounts to your newsletter subscribers or Facebook fans.
• Announce your project at peak times throughout the day and remember to engage, share, and connect while you do it!

Step 3 – Ask BOLDLY for the Sale!

Are You Asking for the Sale?

You’ve established a web presence, built a solid brand, established a marketing base, warmed-up your market, lead them to your sales funnel, and now the moment of truth is upon you. It’s time to ask for the sale. You’ve come this far so you might as well go all the way! Here are some tips to help you succeed;

• Make it easy to buy your product or service. Use “buy now” buttons versus links, large and bold type, and visible “calls to action” in your sales copy.
• Make your case! Don’t just explain what a product or service is, illustrate the benefits of using it, and the value of having it.
• Show the quality of your work with testimonials. If you don’t have any from past clients offer a limited free trial or sample in exchange for freshly written testimonials.
• Make sure your sales copy is tight! That means; no typos, grammatical errors, and etc. Edit like you want to make a sale.
• Make a simple offer and don’t ask for the whole world. Offer between 1-3 products, services, or package deals at a time. Giving too many options confuses people, overwhelms them, and they’ll just leave your sales page.

If you’ve warmed your market up and got them into your sales funnel with a helpful project, then you’ve earned the right to ask for the sale. Don’t miss your opportunity to make the money you’ve always wanted to online. It’s not hard and it definitely isn’t easy, but it does take a little work. I hope you’ve gained a better understanding of social media marketing and what it takes to truly be successful.

Don’t go too far, because, tomorrow I’ll be making some major announcements (what kind of success coach would I be if I don’t follow my own advice?). It’s something that I think will bless your business tremendously so stay tuned. I’d love to get your feedback on the blog post and the others in the Social Media Marketing Success Series. What did you think? Did you learn anything? What will you take away from this series? What would you like more information on? Sound off in the comments below!

The Social Media Marketing Success Series: Build a Web Presence, Build a Brand, Build a Base, Ask for the Sale

Rod

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Welcome to the Social Media Marketing Success Series! There are 4 things you have to do in order to be successful in using social media to market your business; you have to Build a Web Presence, Build a Brand, Build a Base, and Ask for the Sale. We’ll go over each of these this week and give you everything you need to succeed in social media marketing!

Ready to get started? Let’s Go!

Part 1 – How to Build a Web Presence

Need to Build a Web Presence?

If a potential client looked for you online what would they find? Embarrassing Facebook pictures, a negative article written about your business from the local paper, a website that hasn’t been updated since it launched, or nothing at all? Of course, no one wants to fess up to any of those answers, but a lot of people fall into these categories;

A. Their web presence consists of their personal social media accounts,

B. Their web presence consists of what other people say about them,

C. Their web presence consists of a website that still has a “splash page” back from 1998,

or

D. They don’t have a web presence at all.

If you subconsciously raised your hand then you’re reading the right article.

Having a web presence is defined as having an Internet footprint. It’s more than just having a website where people can read about your company, see your services, and order from you. It’s how a person finds, follows, and fellowships (connects) with you online.

There are 4 things you have to do in order to build a web presence for your business. You have to secure a domain name, get online with a web host, launch a blog, and get social!

Step 1: Secure a Domain Name

Domain Name

The web address of this blog, The Success Center, is www.rodkirby.com. Why did I choose my name for a domain name? Because, I wanted people to find me when they looked for success (It’s a part of my brand – we’ll talk more about branding tomorrow). Here are a few tips in helping you choose a domain name to start your web presence;

• Keep it as short and simple as possible!
• Don’t include numbers.
• Use your real name, nick name, stage name, or pen name.
• GoDaddy.com is a pretty good place to secure a domain name.
• Be sure to select private registration. This keeps your personal information safe from data miners.
• Securing your domain for multiple years in advance rates well with search engines. It shows stability and let’s them know that your site will be around for a while.
• Some web hosts such as Fused Network (aff link) will register your domain name for you if you get a hosting package.

Step 2: Get Online with a Web Host

Web Hosting

Web hosts come a dime a dozen, but great ones offer excellent customer service and give you more for your money. The Success Center is hosted through Fused Network (aff link) which I have had for over a year now. Needless to say, I love their service. Here are a few things to look for in choosing a web host;

• Shared Hosting – A shared host refers to a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. You’ll find the most bang for your buck with these services.
• Dedicated Hosting –  A type of Internet hosting in which the client leases an entire server not shared with anyone. More expensive but is great for sites that get extremely large amounts of traffic.
• Shared Hosting vs. Dedicated Hosting – My advice is to start with a shared account and as your site grows, scale it to a dedicated account.
• If you already have a website up, look for a host that offers free data and email migration services. It’ll save you tons of headaches in the future.
• A host that offers free WordPress installation and theme set-up is definitely a plus.Speaking of WordPress . . .

Step 3: Launch a Blog

Blogging

The key to building a web presence is to have a hub where everyone can receive updates, news, content, and other information about you and your business. This is where blogging comes into play. For most people a blog is simply an online diary with a couple of pictures chronicling their recent trip overseas. However, for the successful, a blog is the pulse of their online community. I could cover blogging for days alone, but for now, I’ll just hit the “high notes;”

• Install a WordPress blog for maximum stability, support, and functionality.
• Purchase a high quality WordPress theme to give your blog a unique look. I highly recommend Woothemes (aff link) as their themes are custom made and give you great support as well. If “free” is best for your budget then check out Smaching Magazine’s 100 Free High Quality WordPress Themes collection.
• Enhance WordPress with free plugins. Among my favorites are;
  Disqus Comment System – Great commenting system that adds user avatars, sharing, and more!
  FT Signature Manager – Adds an “about the author” box at the end of each post.
  GD Star Rating – Lets readers rate articles with stars and more!
  Page Links To – Links any page to any website. So you can have an “About Us” link directly to your Facebook fan page as an example.
  WordPress Mobile Edition – Generates a beautiful mobile version of your blog. Perfect for smart-phone readers.
  Sexy Bookmarks – Adds beautiful social bookmark and sharing options to your blog.
  Tweetmeme RT Button – Allows readers to share your posts on Twitter.
  Facebook Share Button – Allows readers to share your posts on Facebook.
  Note: Get more of my WordPress plugin recommendations from my Resources page.
• Define your blog’s niche – Start with your industry, break it down into categories, then topics, and get your creative juices flowing from there.
• Create a Plan – You’re not going to get very far unless you have an idea of where you want to go. Start with a name for your blog, niche, topics you want to blog about, who you want to read your blog, how often you’re going to update your blog, and what kind of content you’re going to create (articles, videos, podcasts, or all of the above).
• Create an Editorial Calendar – It doesn’t matter how often you update your blog . . . as long as you do it consistently. Having a schedule is a great way to keep content fresh and updated on a regular basis. Watch this video to learn how.
• Want to take your blog to the next level? Watch my PowerPoint presentations; Treat Your Blog Like A Magazine and Take it to the Next Level! and 4 Pillars To Building A Successful Blog.
• Check out the “Best Of” page for more of my best advice on blogging.

Step 4: Get Social!

Social Media

If your blog is the hub of your web presence then Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube are your outstations. The greatest marketer in history was Jesus Christ. He didn’t give salvation to only those that were in a church, he went where the people were! You have to do the same. Potential clients and customers are waiting to connect with you outside of your blog and that’s where you have to go. Here are some tips on maximizing social media to enhance your web presence;

• Facebook – A Social network with over 500 million users. Great for building deeper connections with blog readers, followers, and potential customers.
  - Create a Facebook Fan Page to centralize your customers and help them engage with your brand, business, and content in new ways.
  - Customize the look of your fan page to keep your brand consistent and unique (more on this tomorrow).
  - Share exclusive content on your Fan page such as videos, podcasts, and etc.
  - Install the Networked Blogs app to automatically share your blog posts on Facebook.
• Twitter – Twitter is a social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time. It’s great for sharing useful content (news, articles, special deals, etc.), generating blog traffic, and building community.
  - Start by searching for keywords related to your niche and “listening” to conversations.
  - Follow thought leaders, influential types, bloggers, and others who are related to your industry.
  - Engage by sharing related content, commenting, and promoting others.
  - Share what’s happening in real-time at events, conferences, and other places of interest.
  - The more you share the more followers you’ll build up!
  - Don’t forget to download a free copy of my e-book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Twitter Success!
• Youtube – YouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. It’s an excellent network to reach customers, generate web traffic, and have content “go viral.”
  - Search for videos related to your industry, product, service, or blog niche. Use these to start a “video hub” of content.
  - Upload videos of tips, best practices, advice, and how-to’s.
  - Create your own web TV show and upload video interviews of people related to your niche.
• Tip: You don’t have to have an account with every social network. Only the ones you know you’ll be able to update consistently. There are many more social sites you can be a part of, just remember to go where your potential customers are!
• Use tools such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to update and manage your social media accounts at the same time.
• Create a Social Calendar – similar to an editorial calendar, except, include when and how often you’re going to update your social networking sites.
• Be sure to check out the Best Of page for more advice on maximizing social media.

Your web presence is the sum of your digital footprint that leads people from your hub (blog) to your outstations (social networks) and vice versa. The domain name and web host are only the formalities permitting it all to be found and branded in a unique way. Come back tomorrow for part 2 of the social media marketing success series as I show you how to build a brand. What do you think of the series thus far? What tips or advice would you add to building a web presence for your business? Leave your comments below!

Rod

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How private is your data online?

Social media superstar, Chris Brogan was in my neighborhood last month, speaking on social media marketing for small businesses. I remembered him saying, ”Privacy is dead because of the internet” and that statement really hit me. It’s not hard to see privacy go down the drain, especially with the transparency that social media demands and Facebook’s privacy woes as of late.

Small business owners have a lot to loose to breaches in privacy online. Social networks that keep photos, contact data, and other information on their servers even when you’re not active can be dangerous if stumbled upon by outsiders. (Imagine your client finding old photos of you partying in a chicken suit on New Years Eve on Facebook. Get the picture?)

How Can You Combat Your Privacy Concerns?

Chris did mention a way to combat the privacy issue. He said to “Win by having as much volume & value as u can” (paraphrased). My only issue with “having as much volume & value as u can,” is that it only covers up what’s beneath the surface. Barack Obama may have been the most “socially aware” presidential candidate in history, but his volume and value didn’t hide the controversy around the authenticity of his birth certificate (Wikipedia article).

In order to effectively combat the privacy issues of social media, online networks, and the world wide web in general I believe you have to take a more direct approach and fight them head-on. Here are some tips on how to secure your data across the web. Remember, the only way you’re going to get 100% privacy is by not using the internet at all. But, these tips should help you clean-up your tracks, protect your current data, and prevent further misuse of it.

Use Fancy Email “Ninjary” (Forms, Plugins, and other Useful Tools)

A couple of weeks ago, Facebook introduce new and simpler controls for privacy. According to Facebook your privacy settings weren’t changed, just how you access them. Here are a few tips and suggestions on how to maximize the new settings;

If you’ve made any previous privacy changes they’ll carry over to the new privacy page as Custom settings. If you would like to tweak these in a granular style click the customize settings link towards the bottom left-side of the page.

The big news for the new settings include more control over applications, games, and how they share your information. Here’s how to fully protect yourself while using the site;

1. Click the Applications, Games, and Websites link at the bottom of the page.

2. Check out the What you’re using section first. This section displays every Facebook app, game, and website associated with your account. Click the remove link to delete applications from your account.

3. Move to the Info accessible through your friends link. This section shows you what information your friends’ apps can access through their profile (that’s right, an app your friend uses can access your information). I recommend you deselect everything to keep other apps from getting, using, or abusing your data.

4. The Instant Personalization setting gives you the option to let Facebook partner sites use your data to “personalize” their websites for you when you visit. I recommend you deselect this option to keep your information secure.

Linkedin

What kind of privacy issues could the business networking site have? According to many users, plenty. If you’re using the site for your business then continue to use your business contact information. If you’re looking for a job you may consider setting up a special email and contact number (Perhaps a Google Voice number?) for job inquiries.

Once you’re logged into your profile click on “settings” in the top right-hand corner.

You’ll see the typical settings for your profile, email notifications, groups, and more. I would suggest tweaking your personal information first.Next, head over to privacy settings.

The most notable settings to tweak are Linkedin’s authorized applications, partner advertising, Nytimes.com customization, profile views, and research survey settings. Tweak each to meet your privacy needs, save your settings, and you’re done!

Twitter

Your Twitter profile is stripped of the exessive profile information of most social networks. This gives everyone the opportunity to get down to the “social” part in social media. However, this is the internet we’re talking about and in that regard nothing is 100% private. With that said . . .

• Be careful with what you share! Use common sense and don’t let people know when you’ll be away from home. Sure, it’s common sense, but you’ll be surprised how many people let their guard down and end up on sites like pleaserobme.com.

Rod

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Want to Automate Your Blogging?

Note: This post comes from my “Success Tips!” Newsletter archive. I’ll be relaunching it soon so I wanted to give you a taste of what’s in-store from future editions. Sign-up for the newsletter and get ready to succeed!

Today, I’m going to give you the routine I follow to automate my blogging. Before we go any further let me explain one thing, I don’t use nor promote using automatic blogging software. It’s out there, but it highly undervalues the effectiveness of your blog.

Why?

Because the content it generates is either someone else’s or has nothing to do with the niche of your blog.

What I do to automate my blog is simple, straight-forward, and still requires you to put in time and effort into building a successful blog; but it makes things easier for you in the long run.

Let’s get started!

Step 1 - Start an Editorial Calendar

Keeping a calendar will help you brain-storm post ideas and keep you organized. A few things to keep in mind when putting together your calendar;

• Decide what day(s) of the week you want to post.
• If you’re going to post once a week then plan out a month’s worth of blog posts. 2 or more times a week then plan for at least 1 or 2 weeks.
• It’s ok if you don’t stick to your calendar every once in a while, it’s there to get you serious and organized about your blogging!

Watch this video I put together below. It’ll show you how to do it, the tool I use, and even my blogging strategy for the Success Center. (Run time: 17 mins.)

Step 2 – Write Your Blog Posts in Advance

Sorry, but there’s no magic pill that will help you put together good content. You just have to put your hands to the plow and get to work! Here’s some advice;

• Pick a day where you won’t have as many distractions, get comfortable, and write! My day is Sunday.
• Devote at least an hour or two of time with no technological distractions (IE. Turn off your phone, no TV, etc.)
• Disengage – Social media is a huge distraction when trying to be productive, log off of Twitter and Facebook for a while.

Step 3 – Schedule Your Posts

If you’re a WordPress user you can schedule your articles to “post” on a later date. As you edit a blog post, look for the ”Publish” tab, go to ”Published On,”andclick edit. Select your future date and time (Time uses the 24 hour clock standard so be careful) and you’re good to go.

Step 4 – Schedule Promoted Tweets and Messages using Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a great social media tool that allows you to manage multiple accounts at once. It’s greatest weapon is the ability to schedule messages.

First, locate the Permalink for your article. It’s the link that WordPress gives to every article you write. You can find it directly under your article’s title.

Select and copy the permalink.

Next, open Hootsuite, craft a message letting everyone know of your new post, paste the permalink into the ”link shortener” box [which is below the main message box], hit ”Shrink it”, click “Send Later,” and schedule your message around the time your blog post is set to “post.”

A few things to note about scheduling messages;

• Schedule the messages in “rounds” – I usually schedule messages to post to Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin every 20 minutes. You don’t want to “turn people off” by over-posting.
• Switch up your message style – On your first message you might start off with “New Post” but, on the second, give a short description of your article. This keeps your messages fresh and non-repetitive.
• Schedule your messages for up to an hour or two and engage with your social networks in between the automatic postings.
• Find different things to share within your rounds to keep social content fresh and engaging (IE. quotes, other articles you find useful, etc.).

Having your blog run on automatic still requires you to put in a little work – if you want to build a highly valuable, community-driven, and successful blog. If not, then get some software and steal other people’s content. If you stick to the tips here you’ll be able to have your blog posts written and ready to promote days before it’s time to post. This frees you up to handle other things.

What things do YOU do to automate your blogging? What tools, techniques, or strategies can YOU add to this list? If you’re a beginning blogger, what questions do you have in regards to this? Let me know in the comments below.

Rod

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Want to Cook Up Social Media Success?

On Saturday, I was called to work a flight to Pensacola, FL (if you don’t know by now, I’m a full-time flight attendant by day and internet junkie by night). Using Foursquare I announced my where-a-bouts which tagged my location as being at the Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport (PNS).

What’s Foursquare?

If you’re unfamiliar with Foursquare, it’s a location-based social game that let’s you check-in to different venues. The more times you “check-in”, typically with an app installed on your mobile phone, the more points you rack-up. Check-in enough times and you become “mayor” of the venue. Whenever I traveled I would usually use, Ping.fm to let everyone on Twitter and Facebook know where I was, but Foursquare makes it easy since it sends a message for me automatically.

Note: If you decide to join Foursquare, be sure to add me as a friend!

Back to the Story!

Shortly after Foursquare let everyone know my where-a-bouts, I received a Twitter message from, Boomerzzz.

At the #BroganMemphis event last week, Chris mentioned that small businesses missed a great opportunity to “take his money” when he asked [on Twitter] for things to do around Memphis. He received a couple of replies, but, no one really reached out to him to offer anything of value.

However, as soon as I stepped foot into Pensacola’s regional airport, I received a message offering me a free beer. Now, in Memphis’ defense, lots of small businesses are starting to adopt social media marketing. But, if I was a beer drinking man (and wasn’t working) I would have stopped by Boomerzzz for a free cold one.

And, of course, I wouldn’t be able to just have one beer . . . I would have at least paid for some nachos and whatever else my little heart desired. But, that’s the point of their promotion – to get me in the door and let their social kindness do the rest.

The Recipe for Social Media Sales Success

With that being said, I want to offer up a simple recipe for making real sales using social media. I’m not talking about lead generation, building a marketing list, or some other typical social media marketing measurement.

I’m talking about dollars in the cash register, converting a fan/friend/or follower into a client, and etc. You ready? Here we go!

Secret Ingredients

1 Cup of “Target”

2 teaspoons of “Listen”

1 pound of “Engage”

1/2 tablespoon of “Ask”

Directions

Step 1 – Target Your Market

Know who you want to buy from you and where you can find them. For me, I know that my target market consists of small business owners, Christian entrepreneurs, and they can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Last year, I put out a survey using Constant Contact (Aff Link; if you sign up you’ll receive a $30 credit into your account!) and now I know the medium age, sex, employment status, and education level of my market as well. This information allows me to further narrow my scope and get the right message to the right people.

Step 2 – Listen to Your Market

Once you’ve found where your market is online (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) it’s time to listen! By listening you are wait for key words, conversations, or any mention of your product, service, or brand to occur.

Many times (especially on Twitter) you’ll get people or companies that broadcast their marketing messages overwhelmingly to their followers. This generates more social “noise” than quality content and forces people to block, filter, or not follow these people at all. Had they listened first before broadcasting they would have more success.

Here are some suggestions on listening within social media;

• Using Twitter Search – Look for conversations involving your brand name, product/service keywords, or mentions in real time and jump in!
• Using Monitter – This is a great tool that brings in conversations about specific keywords for you automatically on Twitter.
• Creating a Facebook Fanpage (here’s mine!) – Round-up supporters of your brand or business and offer unique content to them. You won’t have to “listen” to hard because they’ll already be engaged with your business.
• Join Linkedin Groups – Joining a specific group that caters to your interest or market is a great way to narrow down your search grid for customers.
• Set-Up Google Alerts – This tool emails you whenever it finds anything regarding keywords that you set-up from around the entire world wide web.
• Use Polls, Surveys, and Questionnaires on Your Blog – An excellent way of gathering information and really listening to your community.

Step 3 – Engage with Your Market

Listening is a continuing activity, it never ends because people’s conversations, needs, and wants change. However, as you listen you have to engage with your market. Let them know that you’re interested in the same things they are and you can be counted on as a reliable source for information, ideas, and resources. It’s actually not very hard to engage, here are some ideas;

• Share useful tips, advice, information, resources, and articles on Twitter. [Don't forget to share and "talk back!"]
• Give exclusive content, promotional discounts, and specials to Facebook Fans.
• Teach members how to best achieve a desired action by utilizing the Linkedin Q&A tool.
• Produce useful content on your blog, post consistently, and reply to feedback given in your comments section. My best advice is to use an editorial calendar. Here’s a video that will show you how to do it!

Note: For more ideas on engaging with your market check out, The Used Car Salesman’s Guide to Social Media Marketing.

Step 4 – Ask for the Sale [or Make an Offer]

Once you have engaged with your market it’s important to ask for the sale or at least make an offer.

Why?

Because, you’ve earned it. Pretty simple huh?

It’s important to note that prior to me landing in Pensacola, Boomerzzz was not engaging with me on Twitter. As a matter of fact, they probably found out I was in Pensacola because they were already following me or picked up my use of Pensacola as a keyword in a search.

Even though they skipped out on step 3 they still would have gotten me in the door because of their free beer offer. That’s the difference between asking for the sale and making an offer. If you’re going to ask me for money, you better be sure I know and trust you. However, the rules change slightly if you’re offering me anything for free whether it’s a consultation, free sample, or beer in your establishment.

Get it?

Recipe Wrap-Up

Remember to target, listen, engage, and ask. This is the recipe for sales success in social media. Chris Brogan’s final tweet of wisdom from #BroganMemphis was to “stop collecting recipes and open a restaurant.” We can’t just continue to gather information, go to seminars, listen to experts, and not implement what’s been said. So, my hope is you’ll take this recipe and go make a large success pie. What say you?

Note: Want more of my best advice on maximizing social media for your business? Check out the “Social Media” section on the Best Of page!

Rod

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Me and My Twitter BFF

If you are following me on Twitter then you know that yesterday I was tweeting live at #BroganMemphis. That’s right, I had a front row seat to the biggest nerd-meet-up [cough - I mean, business meet-up - cough] in Memphis’ history! Speaker, author, blogger, and social media ninja, Chris Brogan was in the house delivering fantastic information on how businesses could maximize social media.

Shout Outs

Big thanks to Amy Howell [follow her if you don't already, she rocks my socks!] for inviting me, Thom Rigsby for making sure I didn’t embarrass myself, everyone who looked like their Twitter profile pic, and  Chris Brogan for sparing a moment to give us some advice in the video below.

Tweets of Wisdom

After the quick video you’ll find my tweets from the front row. I’ll also be updating my Facebook Fanpage with another video and pics so be sure to head over there once you’re done. There’s a ton of wisdom in these 35 tweets. So, bookmark this page, save it in Google Reader, and share it with a friend or two because I guarantee it’ll tickle you silly how awesome they are!

By the way, if you’d like to read other awesome tweets from yesterday’s event, type #BroganMemphis in Twitter search to get in on the conversations. Let me know if any of them hit home with you in the comments below. Enjoy!

35 Power Tweets for Social Media Success

#1. Everyone is in sells and everyone is in customer service. If you’re not powering “human business” you’ll end up unemployed.

#2. Social media can be used for awareness, lead generation, education, sales, crm, and community.

#3. 3 Major Buckets of Social Media; listening, connecting, and publishing. Spend 30 mins a day doing each 4 success.

#4. Have a media company mindset – think production, distribution, engagement, and two-way communication.

#5. Definition of “Human Business” – it’s sustainable, relationship-minded, and value-driven. (no shady marketing!)

#6. At the core of Social Media marketing is your database – grow it, feed it, and manage it with care.
listening is a HUGE human-business boom. [tap into it and make use of social media to listen!]

#7. Best way to make a sale is to “be there BEFORE the sale” – get to know people, earn trust, engage!

#8. 12:1 rule: tweet and share 12 times as much as you do about everyone else and then make your “ask”

#9. Don’t count your [blog] “views” as value at the end of the day how much you have in the cash register is what counts.

#10. Don’t use social media tool measurements, use money, number of sign-ups, and generate REAL action.

#11. Human Branding – use real names on social networks, real faces, promote others, get into conversations!

#12. Blog Advice; make sure you have real goals don’t just have a blog to “have a blog.”

#13. Blog Advice; build a content catalog, use an editorial calendar. Need help? Here’s a video http://bit.ly/2BcjB6

#14. Blogger Outreach; start making friends (genuine, friends, not based on how many followers they have)

#15. Measure social media success with tangible goals – not views, but sales and sign-ups!

#16. Human-Business Success; 30 mins of listening, 60 mins. of producing content, 30 mins of responding

#17. Social Media Marketing Success – share! “Free” is a very powerful tool.

#18. Start thinking of a mobile strategy – beyond phones as well (ipad, etc.)

#19. Affiliate Marketing is a great way to make money online. [Offer products you stand behind and don't push them!]

#20. If you’re going to start social media marketing, give yourself 3 months to get into the groove of things.

#21. Damage Control Plan – be “socially chirpy” during the good and the bad times. Response time is less than 24 hrs.

#22. Damage Plans – people who don’t have relationships with their communities won’t be as successful in controlling it.

#23. Linkedin questions and answers is really powerful, groups are amazing. [Don't discount it!]

#24. Posterous is a great tool for posting emails that come out like a blog on the other end. [Very powerful for quick posts!]

#25. Video bridges the generational gap in social media [very powerful tool 4 marketing]

#26. Apps are a real opportunity for digital publishers. Trick is to create useful content. Not just advertise.

#27. Privacy is dead because of the internet. [Win by having as much volume & value as u can]

#28. People don’t look [for services] until they have a need. Use listening tools to reach people BEFORE they need you.

#29. Best way to get companies who aren’t using social media on board is to not confuse them with the “nerd-o-logy”

#30. Twitter has changed the dynamic of how we get our news. We get real-time news faster than regular news channels.

#31. Media Company Advice: get out of the circulation game and get into the “action-game.” They have to adapt.

#32. The new value for media companies online is not subscribers but content/reader engagement. [social currency]

#33. Quick Fact: chrisbrogan starts his day by listening, reading other posts, publishing a few posts, and interacting.

#34. When sharing, share things that you really like. Not just “anything.”

#35. Don’t just “collect recipes,” open a restaurant. Put what you collect into action.

Rod

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How Scalable is Your Blog?

Scalability, as it pertains to blogging, is a measure of a blog’s money-making potential. If your blog is scalable then it has the capability to not only be a marketing tool . . . but, a business platform. It’s important to note that simply having a blog does not make you money. It’s the value that you create from it that does. David Risley explains that concept further in his post, Reality Check: A Blog Is Not A Business. I highly recommend giving it a read when you get done with this one.

I first mentioned scalability in my presentation, 4 Pillars to Building a Successful Blog. Blog scalability can be broken down into three main categories; products, community, and branding. Let’s explore each area and in the process think of how each applies to your blog.

What Products or Services Can You Create from Your Blog?

Does your content have the potential to be turned into an e-book, e-course, magazine, an actual book, and etc.? One thing you’ll notice about professional bloggers such as Darren Rowse, David Risley, and others like them, is their ability to turn their content into products. How can you turn your content into a product or service? Here are a few suggestions;

• Re-purpose Your Content: Take your most popular articles (the one that got the most comments, tweets, and social shares) and use them for the basis for e-books, webinars, workshops, etc. My e-book,  The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Twitter Success was created as a result of the wild success of the article of the same name.Resources: Need some help creating your own e-book? Check out 7 Lessons Learned from a Successful E-Book Launch, 10 Steps to Success with E-Book Publishing, and 6 Ways You Can Make Money with E-Books .
• Define Your Delivery System – What delivery method would best serve your community who will transition into your customers? Would they rather have one-on-one coaching, a tele-seminar, or a tangible product?Keep in mind that no one delivery system is universal. It’s best to diversify the delivery or spread the product through different mediums if possible. For instance, If you wrote an awesome article on how to bake a cake, why not turn it into an e-book, video presentation, and workshop? Diversification not only gives your customers options but it multiplies your income as well.
• Ask for Feedback – I issued a 10 question survey to my blog community and social networks late last year. It was the best thing I’ve ever done when it comes to market research. The biggest break-through was the fact that people wanted products and services to help them solve their biggest entrepreneurial problems. What problems can you solve for your community? Get their feedback and let them tell you!Resources: As many of you know, I use Constant Contact (Aff link – if you sign-up you and I will both be given a $30 credit!) for my survey delivery system and I stand by their services 100%! You can also use the Polldaddy, WP Polls, or Surveys plugins if you have a self-hosted WordPress blog.

How Can You Increase the Value of Your Blog for Your Community?

The reason a business is able to capitalize from their blog is because of the community that thrives there. You see, the more eyeballs that you can attract to your blog and keep engaged while there, the more successful you’ll be. Feeding your community’s needs is only part of the process. Here are a few other tips that should help you increase the value of your blog;

• Post Consistently – Give readers a reason to come back!
• Use Comments in Your Posts – include reader thoughts in future posts!
• Set-Up a forum, message board, or social network – Give Buddypress for WordPress a try!
• Create Multi-Media Content – Use video and audio and engage readers on all new levels. That’s what I do for my Inside the Success radio show and recorded show.

What Other Mediums Can Your Blog’s Brand Take You Into?

The key to scalability is to think of your blog less as a blog and more as a media property. I explore this concept in greater detail in my presentation, Treat Your Blog Like A Magazine and Take it to the Next Level.

Where can your blog take you? Can you start a web show based on the popularity of your content? What about a magazine? Radio show? Here are some tips to help you in venturing into new territory;

• Narrow Your Niche – Your blog may be about a particular topic, but if you don’t get specific you’ll lose new fans.
• Expand Your Reach – Are you making strong connections on Linkedin, Facebook, or Twitter? Use them! Reach out to anyone that might be able to help you.
• Focus Your Content – When you produce a radio show or Television show you have to pump out highly focused content to keep audiences engaged.
• Seek Advisors – It’s always a good thing to have someone in your corner that you trust and will give you sound advice.
• Seek Sponsorships & Partners – Once you have a solid idea of where you want to take your blog bring your ideas to a negotiating table with partners that can make it happen. Remember to have them sign-off on confidentiality agreements before you spill all the beans.
• Launch a Pilot Program – Testing a new market is wise and will give you plenty of room to make mistakes and adjustments.

I hope, by now, you have an idea of how scalable your current blog is and you’ve got some ideas on scaling it to all new levels. There isn’t some magic formula to making a butt-load of money from a blog. The key is to work your butt off and create value that can scale it beyond web 2.0 and last. What are your thoughts? Given the criteria, is your blog scalable? What areas of your blog do you need to work on and how can I help you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Rod

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Editorial Calendar

Note: Originally published in November of 2009

Back in July of this year I quickly explained what an editorial calendar is, why it’s important, and how to create one with this short video. I’ve been getting a lot more inquiries as to the specifics of it and so today, I present to you, a 17 minute video on creating one step-by-step. I’m eager to hear your thoughts on it in the comments below. By the way, if you would like to get more tips, tricks, and one-on-one advice from me, subscribe to my “Success Tips!” newsletter by inputting your email address in the box below. Enjoy!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Rod

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Magazine or Blog?

This week is a very special week. We’re going to be exploring blogging and how you can make more money, build a better blog, and more all week! To kick things off I want to show you how to see your blog not as “a blog,” but like a magazine.

Why?

By treating it like magazine and taking it serious you transcend the typical “social media” boundary and rise to media property heights. If this sounds cool to you then go through the slides below and let’s chat about it in the comments below.

Tomorrow we’ll explore the idea of scalability as it pertains to blogs. You’ll like it, I mentioned scalability in my latest presentation, 4 Pillars to Building a Successful Blog. By the way, this presentation was made during my session at last year’s Social Camp Memphis. Also, the concept stems from these articles;

• 8 Magazine Strategies that add Value to Your Blog

• 3 Magazine Advertising Strategies for Blogging Success

Rod

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Here’s a great video made my Mr.ProBlogger himself, Darren Rowse explaining the concept of the blog being your “home base” and having social media “outposts” that generate traffic. It’s a great illustration and I think it’s fitting with our exploration of social media this week. Once you watch the video, share your thoughts and strategy for promoting your blog with social media in the comments below. Enjoy!

Rod

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