"Referrals" + Social Media = $

The best part of waking up is Referrals in your cup!  I can't think of a more powerful selling tool.

Fact or Foe: People would rather do business with people they know--or know of--than with strangers. When you're introduced to a prospect through a personal recommendation, that prospect has a vastly higher comfort level than, let’s say, a potential prospect you find through cold calling. After all, few things are more reassuring than a positive endorsement from someone you know and trust. 

So why is it that, while we all long for referrals, yet we don't pursue them as much as possible? I think it is because relationships aid in the development of good referrals.  If you lack integrity, trust, drive, or even motivation, why would somebody give you a recommendation…I wouldn’t.  Referrals are like a badge of honor, they represent something, something that stands for a code, ethics, brands, etc.  Without them you are dead in the water!

Imagine your business as an infinite web of relationships. Each of your business contacts has the potential to connect you to a gateway of other contacts. The relationships are out there, but they'll likely remain out of reach unless you actively pursue them, but yield some strategy. It may never occur to your current contacts to broker an introduction. It's up to you to put the idea in their heads.

Don't feel uncomfortable about asking for referrals because it is a sign of strength and a willingness to help others. People won't give you referrals unless you deserve them. In fact, getting a referral is the highest compliment you can receive. Again, it’s similar to a brand…you I mean.

I know one entrepreneur who built a successful business almost solely on referrals. How could that be possible you might be asking? From the moment of time that he was an eager young sales apprentice, his manager mentored him well. Every time he glanced at his cell phone, which occurred every few minutes, it meant it was time to ask for a referral. Eventually, it became second nature.

Below are tactics or positioning statements you can use to help drive a referral base:

• "When I do a great job for you--which I will--you agree to give me “x” number of referrals."
   
• "I'm so pleased you're happy with my work. Do you know anyone else who can benefit from my services?"
   
• “I know our meeting is over, which I must say I am very pleased and by the look on your face you are too, however, as you can see I thrive on helping others, who have you spoken to that may need my services?”

Below are strategies to keep you on point:
 

• Set a weekly goal for yourself. Keep track of the number of referrals you ask for each day. You don't need to limit your requests to clients; you can also ask business associates, acquaintances and prospects.
   
• Make the most of every networking opportunity. Step out of your comfort zone at networking events and set a goal to talk to at least three new people. Plan in advance what you might say. We're all drawn to interesting, enthusiastic people.
   
• Always be specific when asking for a referral. Looking for high net worth individuals? Say so. Interested in midsize companies? Let them know. If you don't tell your contacts who your target customer is, you'll waste time pursuing leads you can't use.

Below are examples of how to ask for referrals in Social Media:

• Facebook/Google+: The Facebook/Google+ message should sound like your advocates are speaking to their friends directly. It’s the advocate’s rationale on why they are personally sharing the offer with their close network of friends. Using an @Brand within the Facebook share message will also help with SEO initiatives
   

• Twitter: The Twitter message is more of a message to the world at large—people you don’t necessarily know. It should be less personalized, condensed, quick and to the point. The message can be no more than 140 characters in length, including the URL. It’s also beneficial to use an @TwitterHandle and the name of the brand within the post to increase SEO and social tracking value, as well as a hashtag (#) attributed to the social referral program
   
• LinkedIn: Ask for your connections to give you recommendations or endorse your skills set.  Don’t be generic.  Guide them to the information that you want them to disclose about you.  This is a strategy and a smart tactic.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you” …give them generously yourself. Whenever you have the opportunity to refer an associate or bring two contacts together, do so. And when you're attending the aforementioned networking event, make a point of introducing people to one another. Most people will appreciate the referral, and it may inspire them to respond in kind.

One last thought: Always thank someone who has given you a referral. Send them a note, keep them informed of your progress and remind them how valuable they are in your connected relationship with them.

So, stop reading this and start asking for referrals…I could be the first you ask one from.  Just post a comment or sending me an email @ travis.rothstein@gmail.com.

Social Networking takes on Psychology?

Do you ever ponder the thought, "How smart am I really when it pertains to Social Media"?  Well if you are like me it is a common thought, concern, and phobia that I think a lot of people have.  As I have been reading "Midas Touch", by Donald Trump, these thoughts forced me to do some research because the book speaks to Intrapersonal vs. Interpersonal Intelligence and I wanted to share my rationale with you about how I believe the two blend together, inevitably forming "Social Networking".

Intrapersonal intelligence has to do with “knowing thy self” as I like to put it; being in touch with your own thoughts, feelings, independent, and someone who makes decisions based on what’s right for them and doesn’t necessarily follow the pack. Those with intrapersonal intelligence (ADHD as it appears to me) love to daydream, reflect, and analyze their own strengths. They are definitely in touch with their emotions, and often enjoy seclusion.

In my opinion, intrapersonal intelligence is the most valuable of intelligences. Aside from my own opinion, people who rank high in the area of intrapersonal intelligence are highly motivated. They make great business owners and entrepreneurs. They also make great philosophers, thinkers, writers, poets, scientists and so forth.

For example, someone who has a high level of “interpersonal intelligence” (the opposite of intrapersonal) may decide to be an expert in Social Networking. They get to interact with others and are constantly meeting new people. To them, there is no better way to spend the day. They love people. They love interacting with people and are extremely sociable. The quality of their experience in life can then be attributed back to their level of interpersonal intelligence

How do we blend the two together to allow for effective Social Networking?

“We have grown addicted to minding the business of others,” says Kirt Hale (age 33), former behavior therapist and founder of ThinkProbability. “Where’s our ‘me-time’ when it comes to the internet and social media?”

Intrapersonal networking is self-defined by Hale as, “a relationship structure centered upon responding to the behaviors of an individual who serves as the head of a network.” So you might be asking yourself how does this differ from social networking? Social networking services tend to focus on individuals building interpersonal relationships with one another; whereas, an intrapersonal network would focus on the individual building relationships.

Social networking is changing our relationship styles in several important ways and distresses several different factors.

·         It allows us to connect with more people more rapidly

·         It’s easy to overestimate the level of intimacy of our online relationships

·         It makes us more susceptible to a sort of social media impurity effect, which means you may possibly start adopting behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs from those within your social network

·         It facilitates comparing ourselves with others, which may have positive or negative effects

Below are strategies you can practice to ensure you’re benefiting from your social networking relationships:

·         Limit the time you spend on your social networks and ensure you're getting a measureable ROI

·         Be cognizant of your online interactions with negative content

·         Establish goals and strategies that cultivate the right individuals in your social circle

·         Find your balance between your online and offline relationships



If the wind blows is your "Social Platform" prepared for a Social Crisis?

It often feels that the tendency for a crisis to occur varies in proportion to how well a business is prepared for it. But the fact is, no matter how unlikely you think it is to happen, social media marketing can have a huge impact on your reputation if you are not prepared.  2015 is almost over and in 2016, burying your head in the sand and ignoring social media is simply not an option.

Social media is the current hype, especially Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. However, without proper preparation and organization of your digital marketing presence, social media marketing can lead to disaster. Don’t look at social media marketing as an isolated “channel”, but as a crucial component that integrates with your overall business marketing strategy.

A few important tasks for social media setup are:

·         Set up social media sites

·         Set up reasonable automations

·         Set up analysis to support performance measurements

·         Definition of responsibilities and communication guidelines for you and your employees

·         Technical integration of your social media communication into your customer support service

You want to be available when your customers contact you, wherever they are!

This reminds me of a story I was once shared about being prepared and it has stuck with me throughout my career. 

Here is how it was told:

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.

To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

MORAL of the Story: When you're prepared mentally you have nothing to fear….things will happen but you can’t sit back and wait…you have to deliver!

Can you sleep when the wind blows when you end each day?

The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm.  He was planned and prepared…are you?  Better yet, is your "Social Media Marketing"?

Sales Made Easy...3 Steps to Increased Number of "Sales"

I know you all have been in sales for different variations of time, but I did want to put in my two cents if I may here.  Sometimes it seems we get so focused on the number of sales we are “supposed to make” that we forget what gets us there.  Too many times we focus on the numbers rather than the actions.  To make clear the point I’m trying to make I’ll say it this way, the product doesn’t make the sale, the price doesn’t make the sale, the appointment with the customer makes the sale! 

The more appointments you make the more sales you make and it’s that simple.

I still live by the same three rules each and every day that brought me loads of success:

1.      Break sales down by the numbers

2.      Give the customer a reason to buy

3.      Be persistent

I’ll break these down even further.

One: Sales need to be broken down by numbers, and I don’t mean the bottom line. 
Example: One sale is made for every 3 appointments.  3 appointments are made for every 6 decision makers you talk to.  6 decision makers are found for every 25 businesses you call on (walk in or telephone).

With this in mind if you want one sale a day, you need to visit 25 businesses a day to try to talk to the decision makers and complete 3 appointments.  Sounds like a lot, but keep in mind you are talking to 25 businesses for no more than about 5 minutes just to make the 3 appointments, so really your day wouldn’t be overwhelming.   Anyway, the numbers may not be exact, but from what I’ve seen and experienced one sale per 3 appointments is very doable with our products and services.

The reason I’m pointing this out to you is that sometimes we get so focused on the sale that we forget what gets us there. If you do this, the sales will naturally follow.

Two: Give the customer a reason to buy.  Simply put this means, you may be able to think of a hundred reasons why the product is a great product, but if none of those reasons are important to the customer, they don’t matter.  Selling is taking control, teaching, and tailoring the message (Become a Challenger), finding out what the customer needs figuring out the problems they face and offering a solution that fixes those problems.  When you find that one thing the customer needs, you’ll make the sale.

Three: Be persistent.  This means, when they say maybe later don’t say ok, and then call them back a week later. Challenge their decision making on the spot!  Remember a “NO in sales simply means you haven’t given me enough information to make me say yes.  So just because they say “not now” don’t give up, keep challenging them with new ideas until you find the one that makes the sale.  (Personally I wouldn’t go so far as to have them need to get a restraining order, but you get the point)

Lastly...ask for "referrals".  I can't think of a more powerful selling tool.  Referrals lead to customer retention.

Sales Pride with Purpose!

What is pride to you?...rhetorical question.  Let me tell you what PRIDE means to me especially when it comes to leading a sales organization.

The word PRIDE looks simple but it serves different purposes in life. In layman term, it means pleasure or satisfaction taken in achievement or the opposite as arrogant or disdainful conduct. In our day to day life, pride at times drains our energy but sometimes we really need it to excel.

Pride has nothing to do with ego or vanity, far from it…not that there is anything wrong with a “Sales Person” who has an ego.  Pride is setting a personal standard, excellence in all things, and holding to that standard. It comes from your willingness and your ability to stand against the surge, and to do what is right in your heart.

"Temper gets you into trouble. Pride keeps you there."…Unknown

Pride is about character.  It’s about integrity. It’s about discipline and will. It’s the visible demonstration that you will not do what is easy over what is right, or what may benefit you over the short term at the expense of the long term.

Your sense of pride indicates to others that it matters to you very much who you are and what it means to be you.  It’s the reflection you see in the mirror.  Your pride in your personal standard and in your work translates to honesty, integrity, and credibility, and these translate to trust. Someone with a sense of pride can be trusted to keep their word. They can be trusted to deliver the results that they promise; their pride won’t allow anything less.

Pride is also important because it demonstrates that you will not accept less than what is possible, less than your best.  Your dream client wants someone who is going to go the distance to help them get the results that they need, even when going the distance isn’t going be easy. Especially when going the distance isn’t going to be easy…long roads ahead with frequent turns!

To your future clients, your sense of pride means that if you put your name on the sale, you will be there and you will do what is necessary to ensure that the experience is as good as it can be. It means that you won’t stop trying until it is that good.  In fact, until it is great!  It means that you will strive for excellence and not settle for second best.  Winning is fun and losing stinks...Take Pride!

"Is Social Media more hype than hope?"...ask a Social Media Maven

A Maven (according to Wikipedia) is a trusted expert in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others. The word maven means one who understands, based on an accumulation of knowledge. 

A Social Media Maven is socialite who identifies valuable or trending content and shares it with a large online network, group, or individuals. The term Social Media Maven is sometimes applied to people who are adept at using social media for commercial purposes, such as spreading a particular message about a product or service. As with mavens in other areas, Social Media Mavens are seen as being more advanced, and have a more thorough understanding of social media than the average population.

Social Media Mavens should maximize your business growth by doing the following 7 key strategies:

·         Appear higher in search results

·         Accumulate increased followers on Social Networks

·         Write meaningful blogs for your target market to read

·         Distribute video & photo content of your business

·         Increase comments, posts, and stories about your business

·         Reach new & untapped audiences

·         Dominate your product or service in your industry

The real fact is this; More than 1.6 Billion potential customers use the Internet every month. Does your business have an effective online marketing strategy to claim your piece of this pie? In today’s business world, having an online marketing strategy is no longer optional. If you are like most small business owners (#SMB) you don’t have the expertise to create an effective website and online marketing campaign – and you need an expert to help you achieve success…RIGHT?

Question: How do you identify the right Social Media Maven?  What do you need to look for to ensure they are truly skilled enough to be an expert for your business?

Answer: a true expert Social Media Maven needs to do the following: manage the social aspect of your business: digital marketing, social media marketing, social media consulting, web and networking strategies. Including, but not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogging, Videos, Photography, SEO, SEM, Electronic Publishing, Web Design and Web Development.

In essence, Social Media Mavens act as an extension of your marketing department. It does not matter what size your business is, they should have an offering for you.

If you need assistance finding a Social Media Maven for your business then post a comment to contact me directly.

Isaac Newton's Law of Social Media

I want to start off by discussing Isaac Newton’s “Three Laws of Motion” but only focus on two in particular (1) Newton’s First Law of Motion & (3) Newton’s Third Law of Motion:

·         First Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it

·         Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

You might be sitting there wondering where I am going to go with this but stick with me because this is going to get really good as you continue reading.

Do you know the difference between a “good” social marketer and a “great” one?-Motion

First Law of Motion applied to Social Media:

You can’t get anything done unless you are constantly moving.  You can’t gain “Social Momentum” by applying the brakes to your social strategy for one day.  If you’re not building your “Social Momentum”, then who is?

I realize that it’s a very tedious process to really commit to building a “Social Momentum” to where you need it to be to make money.  But until you get external forces interacting with your social strategy to keep it in motion, ie, tweeting about it, Google +1′ing it, etc. you are still at rest with your “Social Momentum” and will remain at rest.

The main idea is to eventually get people talking about your social strategy, sharing your content, and linking back to your articles.  When you can do this, outside forces are interacting with your site to bring it to the motion that it needs to be at.  Until that happens, your social strategy will remain at rest, and the only action that it will get is when you pick it up and run with it.  That is why it’s so important to be able to maintain “Social Momentum” all the times.

Third Law of Motion applied to Social Media:

Newton stated, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  So does that mean if I share someone’s post it will create an equal reaction from that person?  Well… probably not right away, but it will create opportunities that you will enjoy in the future.  There is one important aspect of social marketing that you can’t forget:

Share other’s articles more than your own

Try these three actions to get an equal and/or opposite reaction:

1. When you share other people’s #SocialSociety consistently you are definitely going to get them to notice you. Getting people to realize that you’re out there is what’s important.
2. When you share others #SocialSociety you create a space for a relationship, discussion, opportunity with that person.  
3. When you share other posts you put other people before you…don’t be selfish but play the kids game of show and tell.  Don’t get me wrong, you want your content shared just as much as you are sharing other people’s, but you have to actually build these relationships before consistent sharing comes your way.  Better put like Jerry McGuire stated, “Help me, Help you”!

What do you plan to do?

I would like to hear your opinion on sharing other people’s #SocialSociety? Does it affect you in any way? I can’t wait to hear about it!

"Social" Spring: Plant your "Social" seeds now

It’s spring time which is an early or flourishing stage of development and it’s around the corner. Nearly every business in the world has considered using social media for their business (or at least been told by someone to do so). It’s an important concept because social media has all of the characteristics of an excellent set of venues for getting out a brand message – popularity, ease, reach, and interactivity. The challenge is that with so many businesses doing it, many ideas start with great intentions and end up falling on deaf (aka nonexistent) ears. 

Why do I bring up spring time?  I like to refer spring and "spring time" as the "#SocialSeason", and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth.  It’s a time that a business can create new ideas and take chances again.  Let’s look at 4 ideas how this can be accomplished for your business in the “Spring”:

• “Social Messaging” can take a message and spread it out over time (these can be daily posts, tweets, blogs, etc.)
• “Blogs” can diversify the message and “chop it up” into individual components (this blog is an example because topics are chosen on what readers are looking for)
• “Creativity” plays a monumental role in the social media channels; remember that the competitors are reading this too and taking notes so the key to creativity is diversification
• “Social Channels” are important and require a presence at the least and domination at best to be truly successful

The most common mistake that companies make when trying to create “Social Messaging” is that they simply pick the wrong topic. It may seem impossible; how can the topic be anything other than obvious? The reality is that time and time again businesses focus on the wrong portion of the news because they go after what is most important to them rather than selecting something that will resonate properly through social media to the consumers to make them take action.

“Blogs” make for a lot of work but it can be rewarding if done properly. For example, one might post a full article on their blog, shrink it and link to it from Tumblr, shrink it further for Facebook and Google+, then truly reduce it down to its bare minimums for Twitter and LinkedIn.

“Creativity” is a matter of reach. While hundreds of millions of people are on Facebook, not everyone uses it often. More importantly, the network is designed to be closed based upon preferences, so building a presence through a page or a profile requires reciprocation. If Facebook takes the bulk, the "leftovers" can be found on the other 3 major social networks.

Twitter, LinkedIn, and now Google+ are the other obvious sites that individuals and brands need to be on if they want to be leaders in social media. Many have ignored one or more of these, believing that they can extend their personal or business brand without them. This is a mistake.

People love videos. Whenever the talent and time are available, (“Social Channels”) videos should accompany much of the content that people post if they want to become social media leaders. One does not have to be a strong video personality to utilize videos.

Well we have come to the end and I know that this process isn’t nearly as easy as putting together a “Spring Time” release and pressing it through the proper channels. It’s not designed to be easy, and that’s a good thing. Your efforts will be greater than your competitors’. You results will be greater as well. Put in the effort…it will pay off!

Is your Social Media "Built to Last" or "Built to FAIL"?

Is your Social Media "Built to Last" or "Built to Fail" in your everyday life whether it is work, relationships, or simply your own personal life?  I ask this because one of the two will take place depending on how you approach the way you interact with these outlets daily.

It takes 21 days to effectively develop a routine and make it a habit.  If this is the case that means that it takes daily...I said...daily work to effectively ensure a great response then from Social Media to determine a frame work whether you will chose to make it "Last" or "Fail".

I believe that every Social Media "ANYTHING" needs some sort of a plan and a plan only works when you have 3 essential things:

      Effective Planning:

• Desired outcome with the steps you will take to get there
• Way to measure the effectiveness
• Time frame in which you will achieve this

Companies large and small are rushing to understand and get involved in social media. But most of the agencies and consultants who are being paid to establish social media campaigns for corporations are afraid to tell their clients three things they don’t want to hear.

But more than that, this lack of internal collaboration and contact makes any kind of social media involvement virtually impossible.
A company that hasn’t learned to listen to its own employees, and encourage them to collaborate internally, is not likely to succeed in integrating social media tools into its marketing mix, no matter what agency or consultant they hire.

Follow these 3 simple rules:

• Everybody must work together
• Everybody must be on board
• Don't expect overnight success

Realizing that employing social media in the marketing mix is a long-term commitment to change, the best way to start is to pick manageable, measurable goals.

• Pick a small number of social media goals for the coming year. Some possibilities:Turn the company newsletter into an internal blog and give all employees the ability to contribute
• Establish a social media policy for employee participation in social media on company time and beyond
• Let employees vote on the best ideas suggested by other employees
• Resolve to respond to customer service issues within three hours, via social media

Don’t try to do all of these things at once. Pick the ones that are most likely to be possible for your company to start and sustain.

Is your Social Media "Alive" or "LIVE"?

 I have been around the marketing and advertising block a time or two, and I've seen some changes -- some great and some not-so-great changes. However, with the advent of social media, I have seen a series of trends I find revitalizing, engaging, and highly entertaining.

A new format of advertising is finding a gap within more traditional marketing techniques in our country. It is called LIVE ADERTISING and consists of live performances offered in public spaces to passing by spectators, TV viewers, mobile users, and Social Media enthusiasts. Therefore it is a combination of a spot and real time media.

Live advertising gets the message out there, it entertains and surprises people and it’s a third of the cost or even FREE. These ads are cheaper than traditional print or TV work and can generate as much or more attention. But because their success is dependent on outside forces..aka...USERS, the risks are high if you are not involved as the company because you will lose the attention of your viewers if you are highly involved and interactive but there rewards are IMMEDIATE when your consumers are engaged!

Think about Content Marketing as one example of this. It's being in places when consumers need you, and seek you out with relevant, educational, helpful, compelling, engaging and sometimes entertaining information...Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, "Text Marketing".

Let's review a social platform called Pintrest.  During the recent Super Bowl during the "blackout" allowed LIVE ADVERTISING to kick into gear.  Companies where heavily driving SOCIAL MEDIA awareness but where they prepared for this event...NO....but guess what...the social USERS where.  Take a look at this:

.

Reports also suggest that buyers referred from Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy than those who arrive from other social sites, and 70% more likely than those from websites.

With all this said here is my recommendation:

1. Today’s opportunity market is to target the mobile/tablet buyers. Throw out the old playbook. You must integrate time, location, rich media and social interaction. 
2. Tie in social, but more than just the ‘Like’ button. Have features integrate in a deeper manner.
3. The future of marketing is sophisticated lifestyle and workstyle content.  Some marketers will become profit centers beyond profit centers.

Social Me-di-ahhh it's so early

Your alarm goes off and it's 4:00 a.m. (most likely your cell phone and not a real alarm clock) and what is the first thing that you do?  If you are like me, you are most likely crazy for waking up at 4:00 a.m., however, I have an hour and a half commute to work each way because of the traffic in our Metropolitan area.  But "YES" you guessed it...I check my Social Media updates. Who has the latest "Tweet", who did what on "Facebook", who read my "Blog", who LinkedIn me, and who gave me a +1 on Google+.

I’m able to think clearly first thing in the morning. After a long day at work paired with an evening networking event or dinner plans, I come home EXHAUSTED, both physically and mentally. Often, the stresses of the day weigh on me and I’m in no place to write (or even go to the gym and run). But in the morning, after a solid night’s sleep, my mind is clear.

Half of social media users are so involved with Facebook and Twitter that they check the sites first thing in the morning — 16% say this is how they get their morning “news”.

iPhone owners use Facebook and Twitter more often and in more places: 28% of iPhone owners visit Twitter or Facebook before getting out of bed in the morning, compared with just 18% of all social media consumers under age 25 and 8% of those age 25+. Similarly, 26% of iPhone owners check in with Twitter or Facebook before turning on the TV, compared with 17% each of all social media consumers.

So what does this mean to marketers?

Any time you share content to a social network, whether its an update, a picture, or a link to your recent blog entry, that post is occurring on a specific day of the week and time of day. What you may not have realized is that each social network has peaks and valleys in usage. Ideally, your post would go out during a peak usage time, enabling you to achieve the maximum amount of exposure for your update.

Not only do we want to look at what times are getting the most users on the more popular social networks, we also want to look at the times that have the least usage, and avoid wasting time trying to be active during those periods.

Follow these simple rules and you will be fine:

Facebook

-The best time to post is from 1pm to 4pm, and the worst time is between 8pm and 8am.

-Traffic builds after 9am, and the peak time is Wednesday at 3pm. Traffic fades after 4pm and avoid posting on weekends.

Twitter

-The best time to post is from 1pm to 3pm, and the worst time is between 8pm and 9am.

-Traffic builds after 11am, and the peak time is Monday through Thursday. Traffic fades after 3pm and avoid posting after 3pm on Friday.

LinkedIn

-The best time to post is from 7am to 9am or 5pm to 6pm, and the worst time is between 10pm and 6am.

-Traffic builds before and after business hours, and the peak times are Tuesday through Thursday. -Traffic fades during 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm, and avoid posting on Mondays and Fridays.

Google+

-The best time to post is from 9am to 11am, and the worst time is between 6pm and 8am.

-Traffic builds after 9am, and the peak time is during work hours. Traffic fades after 5pm and avoid posting in the evening.

Pinterest

-The best time to post is from 2pm to 4pm or 8pm to 1am, and the worst time is between 5pm and 7pm.

-Traffic builds after 12pm, and the peak time is Saturday morning. Traffic fades after 5pm and avoid posting in the late afternoon.

Good luck and let me know what works best for you!

Social Media "Hedgehog"

“Hedgehog” concept, doing one thing and doing it well. In the book Good to Great, by Jim Collins, he uses the parable of the clever, devious fox and the simple hedgehog. The fox keeps coming up with new ideas to eat the hedgehog, but the hedgehog handily defeats him by doing his one trick: rolling into a thorny ball.

The concept requires the intersection of three answers:
1. What are you passionate about?
2. What can you be the best at?
3. What can actually make you a living?

And the answer must meet all three criteria.

“Passion” has become one of those buzzwords in the online world. Your blog must express the passion out of your heart and then out of the hearts of your readers. Your tweets must be borne out of passion in simple characters. Your Facebook status updates…well, you get the idea.

“Best”! There are three things a small business needs to think about when venturing into social media for the first time: Your personnel, targeting the right audience, a social platform. Approach these in the right order for maximum affect. Without the right socially engaged people on your staff, it doesn’t really matter where you plan on "playing" or what your website says. The engagement and return won't be there.

Living or $Money$ Social media and social networking websites can be very beneficial to its users. Social media is not only providing its users opportunities to stay connected with rest of the world, but it is also helping them making money. Yes – People are making money out of social networking websites. You just need to know how to do so. It requires some time and effort but it is definitely worth it.

So let me ask you this…Can you apply Jim Collins “Hedgehog” concept into your business with a Social Media twist?  Are you already doing this?  Do you know where to start?

Discipline x Social Media = $ Growth $

Question: How much time do I need to invest every day to ensure I am found organically? How much time do I need to invest to ensure I am capturing the right business? How much time do I need to spend to make money of my Social Media campaigns?

Answer: Discipline

How many hours do small business owners or employees dedicate to various social media activities, from finding and sharing content to blogging? What tasks take the most time, and what platforms are small businesses most active on. How much is your marketing and social media budgets, and how much money is spent on tools to manage and analyze social media efforts?

Let's break it down:

-SMB's spend more time daily on attempting to figure out Social Media and struggle.
-SMB's spend the majority of time on Facebook and Twitter but are forgetting the other outlets.
-SMB's realize the value of content but can't afford time and DISCIPLINE.
-SMB's find value in paying companies to manage this for them but who do they choose?

Here’s the big deep dark secret about using social media for business; you’ve got to have discipline.
People tell me numerous times a day that they can’t make time for social media. I agree it’s hard, but when you look at how much time it takes to cold-call a customer, visit their office, buy them lunch, walk their dog and take out their trash to get their business it’s nothing.

You don’t have to be on every social media network in the universe. Keep your networks limited to what is truly useful. If a network just doesn’t work for you just move on. Maybe the crowd you want isn’t there or maybe you just hate the interface. Don’t worry, there are plenty more where that came from. I tell clients to pick one network you like. Learn it, study it, and let your followers tell you where the next network you need to use is. Go where the potential is not where the social media gurus tell you you “gotta be”.

With all this said let me ask you this, "Do you know what you are doing, if not, do you know who to go to that you can trust and get the answers"?  If that answer is NO, then post a comment and I will point you in the right direction.