You should know, I'm launching another blog! If you haven't already done so, subscribe now to my Social Media Marketing Tips newsletter. Of course, when you do, you'll also get access to my free eBook: Social Media Marketing Essentials Guide For Small Business Professionals.
What's Going On?
Just so ya know, when you click the video above, your browser will redirect to MelAclaro.com. That's where the rest of the "Taboo" series, will be posted moving forward. Don't worry, I'm not shunting you off to someone else. I'm the same guy at both sites. I just wanted to let you know about that before you clicked. It's a precaution in case you're like me and one of my two cats: move our food bowl and we become immobile with confusion. ;)
I'll post a follow up article soon about about the new site I'm hosting at MelAclaro.com. (a.k.a. VideoMarketingRoadmap.com)
Is BusinessCasualBlog.com Shutting Down...?
I'll explain more about what's up in a follow up article. Soon. I promise.
This video is one of the dozens of free social media marketing video training and "how to" modules on Jara University. It's packed with hours of free social media marketing training for business. It includes social media marketing tips for: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, a whole videoBook, eBooks and much more. You can register now for free by downloading the (also free) Social Media Marketing Essentials Mini Course and newsletter.
In this week's series ("Day 2"), I'll be covering two main topics:
The Big Picture - Hub and Spokes
The Big Picture - Lead Generation (tomorrow)
The gist with Hub and Spokes is basically presenting a framework for beginners and organizational departments to think about how to approach a plan for social media marketing.
At the core -- the hub -- is a place to which you'll want to invite visitors where they can have a better sense of what you and/or your business is about. What's your value proposition? What's your expertise? Do the quality of your services and product offerings match the things you speak about?
And, it's for all those reasons is why you want a blog (typically) at the center of your social networking / social media framework. Now, that may not necessarily always be the case. I've actually seen some interesting marketing efforts using Facebook as the hub. It can work. But, for most of us, a blog will offer the most flexibility and Google-juice. (Why give any more of it to Facebook?) With a blog at the center of your hub and spoke framework, it'll make sense to keep the juice for yourself so you can increase revisits to your lead capture form and marketing funnel entry points.
Your Turn
Thoughts? What tactic do you use today? Do you drive traffic towards a central blog? Or, is Facebook or some other platform what you prefer to drive traffic to? And then, when traffic does come, what type of media do you tend to use there? Text? Pictures? Video? Audio?
I'd love to hear your thoughts about what makes your brand. Is it your trademark or logo? Or, would it be more appropriate to view it as the pool of knowledge and expertise that rises out of your values, interests and your passions?
If you believe it's more like the former, then you'd probably agree that a well-designed logo and tagline are probably worth spending some time with right at the start of your business. If, on the other hand, you believe it's closer to the latter, then by the same token, you'll probably find value in taking some time to really understand what your values, interests and passions are first all about.
If we've spoken before then you know I clearly come down on the side of your brand being closely related to the latter. At about the 0:40 point in the timecode for the social media marketing video above I mention another video where I talk about defining your purpose statement. I actually dedicate a whole section to it in the Social Media Marketing Essentials Mini Course; it includes a link to the video about Purpose Statement.
Also, don't let it throw you when, at about timecode 2:00, it almost sounds like I'm saying (I'm paraphrasing here) hey, don't worry about the sales and revenue... it'll take care of itself if you just focus on the stuff your passionate about. Eh...kind of yes. But...no. Listen further.
Passion and an understanding of your niche and your purpose statement (a.k.a., mission statement) go hand-in-hand with the marketing processes and systems you use in your business. The point is, one gets folks to the door; but your processes and systems should also help usher them forward towards a call to action or point of sale in a respectful, value-added and trustworthy manner. That's your marketing funnel. And, it's through that funnel is where I think your values will carry the day.
This video is one of the dozens of free social media marketing video training and "how to" modules on Jara University. It's packed with hours of free social media marketing training for business. It includes social media marketing tips for: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, a whole videoBook, eBooks and much more. You can register now for free by downloading the (also free) Social Media Marketing Essentials Mini Course and newsletter.
I actually have a lot more to say about relationship-building than the 'lil bit of 2:12 I gave it in this social media marketing video. Feel free to join me and friends on Jara University to discuss it more. But, clearly relationships are the crux of social media activities -- whether those activities be related to business development or not.
"It's not so much WHAT you give..."??
One thing you'll hear me say in the video is something along the lines of "...it's not so much what you give, it's the thought behind it." (Really? I said that? It's at about time code 1:20.)
Well, I'd be curious to know what you think about that statement?
For my part, I actually wish I could re-record that segment. I mean, yeah, I meant it. But, the context didn't quite convey the intent of my meaning. The fact is, despite my having said it, what content you share with those in your community does also make a difference. (If there's any doubt about that in your mind, try sharing one of those cheesy viagra emails or some other similar spammy tweet with me and see how quickly our relationship-building comes to an end.) ;)
At the time of the video recording, I was still really focused on the whole "giving" theme. (Remember, this section was shot in the same set as the previous two vids on New Media Philosophy and Content Philosophy.) The thing is, my intent is really to say that you want to put some deliberate thought behind the act of sharing with those in your community. That's how you gain relationship capital in the economics of the social web.
But, like it is in the capital markets, the value of the financial instruments you keep in your portfolio is in part due to the type of instrument you hold. Some are worthless and convey little or no value.
In the same manner, I think part of the deliberate thinking that goes behind sharing content with others should also be a consideration about the "what" aspect of the thing you're intending to share. That, after all, will have an effect on the way you are perceived by others in your community.
What do you think?
This video is one of the dozens of free social media marketing video training and "how to" modules on Jara University. It's packed with hours of free social media marketing training for business. It includes social media marketing tips for: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, a whole videoBook, eBooks and much more. You can register now for free by downloading the (also free) Social Media Marketing Essentials Mini Course and newsletter.
In this morning's Social Media Marketing Tips post about Content Philosophy, I made it a point to say that content attribution is important when you redistribute content. Don't misread me, re-distributing content is okay; after all, we content creators love having our online content passed around the social web. But, don't forget to give attribution to its source!
Don't be like this guy: where's the attribution to the source?! That's just bad form in the social sphere. (I've lined out the offender's site name because I don't want to give him anymore link-juice than he's already trying to take credit for.)
But here's what just frosts my butt...
...at the bottom of his page is the audacious claim of this...
What do you think of that?
Get my free mini-course: The Social Media Marketing Essentials Guide For Small Business Professionals. Packed with hours of free social media marketing training for business. Includes social media marketing tips for: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, a whole videoBook, eBooks and much more. Downloading this free guide is also the path to gain free access to all the free training on the invitation-only membership site at Jara University.
Heads-up: At about the 1:42 point in the timecode for the social media marketing video above, I mention a few folks whom I recommend you follow. These folks are great sources of content and knowledge sources. It's obviously not an exhaustive list. Here are a few more folks to follow from my Jara University Mentor's Twitter list: http://twitter.com/melaclaro/jarauniversity-mentors.
Original Content Creation vs. Content Redistribution
"Content is king," as they say. But just as kings come in different sizes and quality, so does content tend to differ from one type to the next.
I'll have more to say about the added value of being an original creator of what I call Consultative-type Content in a later video. But, for now, suffice to say that Consultative-type content creation is the kind that seeks to give guidance from your own business expertise--and which you create from scratch. It's a key component of any serious list-building/marketing strategy. But, when you're first starting off, it's also the type of content that can be most intimidating to create. That's why in this video, as we're just starting off, I like to make a distinction that you don't have to focus on being an original creator of "full-length" consultative content for now. Rather, you can be just as relevant and helpful to those in your community by becoming a distributor of content.
Being a distributor of content is important because, just like the capital markets, it aids in liquidity. Only in this case, it's informational liquidity that we're talking about. For the most part, online content creators want their creations to be re-distributed. And, provided you give proper attribution to its source (and barring specific copyright restrictions against redistribution), you're actually encouraged to spread the wealth so it gets in the hands of many people.
And, even though you may not be the originator of that content, your online reputation can still benefit by virtue of the type of content you choose to share.
So, before retweeting a post on Twitter or sharing a link on Facebook, make sure to vet the piece of information first. Take a look at it and make sure it fits with the type of information your community network will appreciate.
This video is one of the dozens of free social media marketing video training modules I created for Jara University. Packed with hours of free social media marketing training for business. Includes social media marketing tips for: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, a whole videoBook, eBooks and much more. You can register now for free by downloading the --also free-- Social Media Marketing Essentials Mini Course and newsletter.
This social media marketing video is part 1 of Day 1 in a 7-day series I did for Jara University. The main points in this social media marketing tip Day 1 video series is to set the stage for beginners that, it's okay to think about doing business online. There's more acceptance these days of marketing and business / lead-generation through social media marketing than there used to be. But, that's not to say that we can all now do a "free for all" and start hocking our inventory online for a few bucks. There's still an underlying philosophy that you have to bear in mind. That philosophy is still based on principles of trust. (Not a bad way of conducting business, if you ask me.)
In this social media marketing video, I hit on the points under New Media Philosophy. In follow-on vids, I'll hit on Content, Relationship building, and Brand Building.
This video is one of the dozens of free training vids I've created for Jara University. The whole site is jammed-packed with hours of free training content, including: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, the whole videoBook and much more. You can register now for free by signing up for my free newsletter: Social Media Marketing Tips. AND, when you do, you can also get the 133 page / 20-video mini-course on Social Media Marketing Essentials For Small Businesses. (Um, also free.)
When you first start off with a new account on Twitter, the number of followers you have initially can be a bit depressing. But, it doesn't have to stay that way.
In this video, I show you 6 steps we can all take immediately to begin getting visibility with lots of others on Twitter. These tips help you NOT have to resort to spammy tactics or blind automation to attract followers. In other words, you'll be building the best kind of followership: organically.
This video is one of the dozens of free training vids I've created for Jara University. The whole site is jammed-packed with hours of free training content, including: LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Blogging, Content / eMail Marketing, professional/expert seminars, the whole videoBook and much more. You can register now for free by signing up for my free newsletter: Social Media Marketing Tips. AND, when you do, you can also get the 133 page / 20-video mini-course on Social Media Marketing Essentials For Small Businesses. (Um, also free.)
I saw a YouTube video where Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook states that email is "probably" going away.
I know that claim has been bouncing around the 'net for a few years now. Pretty much since social networks got a foothold and continued evolving. But it seems to me that a lot of those claims are being supported by snapshot observations about what the Millenials ("Generation Y") are doing today. As the rationale goes:
"...in the world of consumer technology, if you want to know what people like us (presumably old fogies) are going to be doing tomorrow, you (have to) look at what teenagers are doing today."
And, since the "latest figures" indicate that only 11% of teenagers email daily (presumably a mis-application of Pew Internet's study about Teens and Mobile Phones), it therefore follows that email is probably going away.
Really?
Does the Generation Dictate Usage? Or, Does Context Dictate an Age Group's Choices?
I wonder, is it really the case that the whole generation is defining how email will be used in the future? Or, is it more simply the case of an age group (which will eventually grow into new interests over time) reacting to the social and economic context they find themselves in? I mean, when all these talented young guys and gals grow into the business managers, department heads and C-level execs of the future, do we really believe that they will expect to be texting business proposals, meeting minutes and draft reviews, or pasting them onto "walls"?
On the flip-side, I can say that although I have a preference for eMail when sending proposals, meeting minutes and draft reviews to my business colleagues, I can also say that mobile texting or even some social networks are my preferred channels of communication when I'm "out and about" and coordinating a rallying-point with my friends. In short, my choices seem to be dictated by the context I find myself in at the time. Sometimes it's eMail; other times it's texting and social nets. My hypothesis is that it's that way, too, for the Millenials.
What do you think? Is eMail going away?
For my part, I think e-mail is still going to be around for a while. And, claims of email going away shouldn't dissuade you from continuing to build your e-mail lists. Don't get me wrong, I think social networks and social media will be around for a while. (By the way, isn't email a form of social media, too?) And what's more, both email and social networks can be used in complementary ways to build warm relationships that offer opportunities for your contacts to give their permission to receive additional email-based content from you.
The questions is, once they give that permission, does the value of the content you deliver via email change in quality? Does the trust you build diminish? Do you still carry the relationship?
If you give me permission, I'll be happy to eMail it to you. ;)
If you're new here and you liked this, or any of the articles on this site -- subscribe! If your organization needs help leveraging social media for skills improvement or transforming classroom-based training for the web -- contact me. (Social media? Camtasia? Articulate? Captivate? Final Cut? Yeah, I do that.)
Above is a short vid from that little soap box. I also went into a little more detail about my thoughts on that piece of the presentation over at the JaraUniversity website.
Your thoughts? What do you think? Are we still shifting? Or are we now in a new status quo?
If you're new here and you liked this, or any of the articles on this site -- subscribe! If your organization needs help leveraging social media for skills improvement or transforming classroom-based training for the web -- contact me. (Social media? Camtasia? Articulate? Captivate? Final Cut? Yeah, I do that.)
