How you can create a Worldwide Rave about your business - ISSUE 18 - 1/19/12

You are probably wondering how you can make it big in business and how you can make your business go viral? There are some best practices I would like to share with you that will assist you in the process, but I can only show you the door; it's up to you to walk through it. You must be dedicated and consistent with your efforts because whether you like it or not, there's someone out there willing to do more than you.

First of all, you have to forget all the old methods of marketing (for now) and adopt new age marketing tactics. The old rules were simple: you buy attention, you beg for attention, or you bug your way in by selling. How many times have you dropped everything to buy something you saw on a commercial? How many times have you answered the phone when you knew you were being called by a Telemarketer? How many times have you let the guy at your door stand and talk about his product for thirty minutes? I'm willing to bet that the answer to all of those is simple... you haven't! If you won't give them the time, why would you waste your time beating a dead horse?

The old ways of marketing focus time and energy to nameless, faceless people. While this has worked in the past, it no longer holds up. You must focus your marketing efforts on those "Buyer Personas" or "Real People" who you are trying to sell to. You have to figure out how to connect with those people on a personal level and you have to appeal to their wants and desires, not yours.

Now, let's take a look at the new ways of marketing. You must "Earn attention by Publishing your way in." You heard it. You have to become a writer! If you don't like writing, you have to become a Reporter. Either way, you have to become known as the expert in your field within your community. Remember from a previous blog, I said that a community is any place that people gather.

You may already know of many ways to become Published, but if not, here are some examples:

• Write a blog
  • Blogger
• Write an ebook
  • Free-ebooks.net
• Social Networking
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
• Video Blog
  • YouTube
• Online Workshops
  • Suited Marketing Business Development Center

A great way to get started with your Buyer Personas is by interviewing those people who you want to sell to. Ask them what they're interested in. Ask them what they want. Ask them what their questions and concerns are. Ask them how they feel about your product and service. As we have said time and time again - it's about them; not you!

If you are still uncertain how to go about asking your Buyer Personas, just look at what other people are doing in your industry. You may want to start by writing a blog or you might want to call your current clients over the phone. Ask them for a few minutes of their time and let them know that their opinions are really important to you. Not only will this 'Wow' them, but don't be surprised if you begin to see more sales, more clients, and more growth because of it. You will be getting very valuable information and at the same time, exponentially increasing your Public Relations perception. Be creative in your efforts - find multiple ways to connect with your clientele.

Most business owners make the mistake of always talking about themselves and their products. People don't care about you and your product. Instead, they are selfish and only care about themselves and how your product or service can benefit them. An example of this can be found on the websites of most Hotels. Take a look. You will see that almost all hotels show you the same "stuff." They show you the rooms, the fluffy pillows, the food, the swimming pools, the bar, etc.

What they need to be showing you is how you can connect to them. A great way to do this would be to have a portal with multiple people engaged in some sort of activity. They could have a businessperson on the phone in the lobby with his laptop. Or, they could have a picture of a couple organizing a wedding outside on the beautiful grounds. You get the picture... I hope.

The benefits of creating a Facebook Fan Page and a LinkedIn Group - ISSUE 17 - 1/17/12

Now that you know how to be successful with Social Networking from our previous blog, we would like to focus your attention on two specific social networks you are probably already familiar with - Facebook and LinkedIn.

Facebook

Although Facebook was originally designed by college students to connect with one another and to socialize on the web, it didn't take long for businesses to catch on to the idea that they could also socialize and connect with other people and potential customers via the web. In the beginning, there wasn't such a thing as a Facebook Fan Page specifically for a business to promote their product or service, but now that there is, you probably should have one.

A fan page is one of the best ways for a business to connect with their current and future customers because almost everyone has Facebook and this connectivity allows for customers to rave about their experiences and to express their questions and concerns not only real-time, but in front of the eyes of everyone else connected to this page.

I remember one time in particular where I had a bad experience with a company's bad customer service. I wanted to maintain their service but wasn't able to because of the location I was moving to. I pleaded with multiple people to waive my early termination fee, but they wouldn't budge. I loved their service but I was livid and swore that I would never do business with them again in the future. To say the least, you bet I was on their fan page letting them have it. I finally gave up because I knew I couldn't win, but they lost a customer for life because they weren't a little flexible and didn't listen to the customer.

Another great way for a business to utilize a fan page is by reaching out to its followers to get customer feedback about a specific product or promotion. For example, let's say a toothpaste company just launched their latest and greatest toothpaste. This toothpaste makes claim that it will not only whiten your teeth beyond the leading competitors, but it will also guarantee that you will never have to go to the dentist again. First of all, WOW! Don't we all wish?! But, second of all, this would be such a fantastic opportunity to learn whether their claims are holding up in the eyes of the public.

After the first thirty days, the company decides to ask its followers via their fan page whether they feel and/or believe the product is living up to its hype. This can be done by posing an open-ended question or by conducting a poll, although the highest response rate will most likely come from creating a poll.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is another social media website which is for business owners and this is an area you should definitely focus as much time as is cost effective for you. In fact, all Fortune500 CEOs have LinkedIn accounts.

By creating your LinkedIn page you are creating a public and more formal profile whether it be used for potential clients or even possibly to get a job. You can post all the professional imagery on the site as you wish as well as writing the words to create your brand. I say formal because most people are on LinkedIn to network for business purposes rather than personal purposes. It tends to be a more formal atmosphere the way you would conduct yourself within your profile and when connecting with other people.

When you are looking for those connections via LinkedIn, you will also want to ensure only to befriend those who will provide value to you. Don't request people just to connect. There's nothing wrong with networking, but make sure to engage the other person in conversation and connecting with them as much as possible in a professional manner.

And lastly, LinkedIn can allow you to exponentially grow your business if you conduct the right behaviors. Always look to answer people's problems and questions, and pose your own questions, as well. Become known as the authoritative figure in your domain. Attract people rather than chase people. Always remember that.