Last Friday I went to the Memphis Business Journal’s “Grow Your Business Expo” and had an opportunity to chat with Doug Watson. Doug was one of 2 keynote speakers for the day presenting on social media for business. In this clip Doug shares some valuable tips on maximizing it for business.
It was a really great interview and I’m super glad (phrase of the day kids) that I met him and had a chance to talk with him. If you’re ever in the Memphis area and you need some career or corporate training, Doug and the Lab Four team can definitely help you.
Enjoy the video. Run-time is only 3:46 but it’s jam-packed with power tips to help you maximize social media for your business. When you’re done let me know what your top social media marketing do’s and don’ts are in the comments below!
Rod Kirby helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and organizations
take advantage of social media marketing and new media through his company,
Kirby Enterprises.
Follow Rod on Twitter here.
Have you ever tried to put together a 1000 piece jig-saw puzzle by yourself? You’ll either find it extremely relaxing [and fun] or extremely frustrating [and painful]!
Starting a business, marketing your brand online, or taking a blog to the next level can be the same way.
Coaching is your ultimate GPS tool when traveling on the road to success. When we meet, I’ll show you the best route [not just the fastest!], teach you how to make the most of your current tools, and guide you turn-by-turn.
So, what are you waiting for? Get the help you need and let me become your personal Success Coach!
About Rod Kirby
Rod helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and organizations take advantage of social media marketing and new media through his company, Kirby Media Productions.
I have found that Rod has a genuine compassion to help others succeed. He provides detailed social media and business coaching to help you get started as-well-as excel in your endeavors. Rod is energetic, focused and hardworking and a joy to work with! Buffy Griffin,Owner, EnVISIONed Works
Rod is one of those people you don’t meet often. An expert in his field, but kind enough to lend an ear and a helping hand. Rod has shown his expertise throughout our relationship. I highly recommend him and his services. Richard Byrd, Owner, RealSource Marketing, LLC
Rod is exactly who he says he is- The Success Coach. he has taught me much about social networking, marketing and brand identity in the past three weeks. I took a few business courses at a university but he really has me “on fire” with practical tips from his success tips newsletters. I love the fact that his foundation for success is based on Christian principles. I highly recommend Rod. Trina Dionne Tilson, Owner, Rooster Sox Small Event Catering
Rod provided an accurate coaching session for me. My marketing skills are limited. I needed a basic understanding and plan developed for marketing my product over the social networking possibilities. I must say, Rod nailed it on the head. His presentation was invaluable. He explained all possible options and recommended which ones best suited me. Rod’s skills also excel at being an excellent communicator. His explanations and answers to my questions left me totally confident in the plan I want to develop. Rod adjusted to my needs. He thoroughly reviewed my situation and came prepared. I would have no doubt using him again or recommending him to others, which I already have. WHEN YOU NEED A PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL NETWORKER, MARKETER, RODRICUS KIRBY IS YOUR MAN. Bob Bennett, Author & Blogger at Lifeundergrace.com
Rodricus Kirby is OUTSTANDING! Success Coach is an understatement! He is the WIZARD! If you follow his lead Success is INEVITABLE! Nicole Gates, Owner, More than a Memory Events
F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What happens once I submit a payment via Paypal?
A: Once we receive confirmation of your payment via Paypal, you’ll receive an email from me scheduling your coaching session.
Q: What’s your refund policy?
A: If you have second thoughts or mistakenly use your rent money, we can issue a refund before your scheduled coaching date. Refunds are not given once you’ve been coached . . . you can’t refund valuable information now can we?
Q: What if I need to reschedule my coaching date?
A: No problem! Just send us an email at least 12 hours in advance of your scheduled coaching time and we’ll gladly reschedule you.
Q: How will the coaching session be delivered? A:Typically, sessions are through Skype (for voice or video chatting), but we can schedule a phone consultation too.Want to meet me in person for your coaching session? There’s an affordable solution for that as well, just call and let’s set-up a meet date in your city!
Q: What will I need for our coaching session?
A: I’ll give you a short questionnaire to help you get ready for our session. Other than that, you’ll need pen & paper, and an eagerness to learn!
Q: What if I need more than 2 hours of coaching?
A: No, problem! We can set up monthly coaching [4 sessions a month] at discounted rates as well! My goal is to make sure you truly walk away with the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of how to be successful in your business [or with your blog]; so if you need more one-on-one time, just ask!
Q: Is there any kind of follow-up after our coaching call? A:Yes, there is! After our call, I’ll send you a few notes and a brief overview of the advice I gave you [as well as any links to online resources I point you too as well]. I also like to check-up on clients via Twitter or Facebook from time to time too.
Q: I have a question that isn’t listed here, how can I reach you?
A: Send me an email using this form or call me M-F between 10 and 5 pm [CST] @ 1-415-ROD-KRBY [1-415-763-5729]. If you happen to call after hours, feel free to leave a message and I’ll send you an email shortly after.
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!
Social media marketing gives your business the opportunity to carve out a unique niche across the web. How are you going to represent yourself, business, services, or products? What image, feeling, or emotion do you want to convey whenever someone thinks about you and your business? This is the basis for branding.
In this short clip I’ll show you the 5 elements to building a brand for your business. As you watch, reflect on each and come up with a plan to take your business and brand to the next level. Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below once you’re done. Once you’re ready, head on over to the next lesson and learn how to Build a Marketing Base for your business.
Note: I recorded the video in a different format than usual – call me adventurous – There may be some audio sync issues. Sorry.
Rod Kirby helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and organizations
take advantage of social media marketing and new media through his company,
Kirby Enterprises.
Follow Rod on Twitter here.
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 Kirby helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and organizations
take advantage of social media marketing and new media through his company,
Kirby Enterprises.
Follow Rod on Twitter here.
What if Facebook decided to shut down and close shop on all of it’s 400+ million users? What if Twitter could no longer serve up it’s 50+ million tweets a day? What if YouTube’s servers were shut down and could no longer host over 120+ million videos? What if the social media marketing machine finally stopped because the social media well ran dry?
Good-Bye Free Social Web
Ning, the social platform that lets anyone create their own social network, announced that it was shutting down it’s free operations to focus 100% on paid accounts. That’s thousands and thousands of social networks, videos, forums, conversations, photos, and blogs that will be shut down. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy business decision to make, but a business decision none-the-less.
Note: If you have a free account with Ning and want to back-up your network give SaveMyNing.com a try. They even have a few suggestions as to where you can migrate your network to.
Hello New Web
What if this current social media bubble we’re in burst much like the “dot-com bubble” of the early 90′s? Many would argue that we’re not in a “bubble” because of the stability of dot-coms like Amazon, Ebay, iTunes, Facebook, etc. But, like everything in life, no one thing lasts forever.
I find it interesting that major corporations are finally jumping aboard the social media marketing band wagon after seeing it’s small business counter-part’s success. Marketing online has never been as open, easy, and more valuable than it is now [mainly since people want to share, engage, and are less concerned about privacy online].
But, what if the unthinkable happened and this entire social media “thing” died and millions of people migrated to a different online ecosystem. Hypothetically, what if the system was more akin to China’s where the government controls what its citizens interact with online? No Facebook, no Twitter, no blogs to keep us all connected and engaged online. As a small business owner, what would you do?
Scary thought?
Sure.
So, What Would You Do?
I’ve got some ideas as to what I would do, but I want to open this discussion up first before we explore it more in a later post. Imagine, if you will, starting a business in this new closed internet economy – how would you market your products or services? How would you reach the masses? Remember, you don’t have access to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin. YouTube is shut down and so are many of the social platforms/tools that you would of had access to prior.
The ball is in your court. Let’s explore some ideas in the comments section below and share this with as many people as you can so we can get some great feedback. I’ll compile as many suggestions as possible and use them for a follow-up post.
Rod Kirby helps entrepreneurs, small business owners, and organizations
take advantage of social media marketing and new media through his company,
Kirby Enterprises.
Follow Rod on Twitter here.
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