Social Media Marketing

We can talk about branding consistency across all social sites as much as we like, but until you have taken the time to define social networking for your business objectives, we’re wasting our time. Of course, there’s the need for a consistency of look, but not necessarily the same message on every platform. Let’s step back a bit and define what social networking is.

The two biggest mistake I see my clients and associates make: they try to populate all networks with the same messages at the same time, and second, they try to be all things to all people.

This is understandable, social media interaction and creating connections and then building relationships is a time-consuming process. Most things worth having do take a certain amount of commitment, persistence and good cheer along the way. So why do we assume that social networking will be any different? Because people make it look so easy? It is easy. But it takes time.

Here are 5 things to keep in mind -

1. Social Networking Is The Art Of Being Gregarious
Not giddy, but upbeat, happy and delighting in the success of others… is how I see gregarious in this sense. Encouraging others, helping whenever you can, sharing great ideas and opportunities, caring. Mari Smith is the best example here, and look at the following she has amassed.

2. Some Social Media Sites Allow People to See The Whole You!
Perhaps not on LinkedIn, but certainly on Pinterest, it’s perfectly normal to have a thing about blue shoes or ducklings or even typography! Your inner competitor can come out in the Facebook gaming options and your customer service woes are best aired on Twitter: that’s where customer support really hangs out. if you call the 800 number you are only going to reach a non-native English speaker who will apologize gracefully and do nothing to solve your problem. On Twitter, you get top attention and FAST!

3. Use a Different Tone Of Voice In Every Room
Just like we don’t all shout when transacting at a bank, so we need to amend our behavior to fit the platform we’re on. You may not have teenagers that you love to embarrass by singing harmony to the muzak in the grocery store, but I guarantee that the friendly way you greet the Fruit guy is different from how you greet the receptionist at the dentist who’s going to ask you the same dumb questions about insurance every time you go in there and can’t be bothered to remember your name even though she’s looking at the darn file! I digress. Your concise “check this out” on Twitter doesn’t play well on Facebook. And you need to keep it tight and focused with a good photo or video on Google+. THAT community gets more male by the nano-second! It’s like a Gentlemen’s Club from London’s 1800s for 21st century internet elite. I doubt very much that Google will allow that thing to morph into something else; it’s like a G-plex cafeteria.

4. Since Your Can’t Be All Things To All People, Don’t Even Try
Pick a different customer profile for each social platform and keep your tone and content for that person unique to their favorite hangout. By narrowing your focus, you will widen your appeal. I know it sounds insane, but it’s how it works. That was the big lesson we all got from the 90s — I wrote an article about it somewhere. Oh, it’s in my free report above. Well, I’ll have to publish that separately. you can get it right away by opting in, above!

5. This Know, Like and Trust Factor Business
One more person tells me “it’s all about good content” and you have to get potential customers to know, like and trust you before they’ll buy from you! Oy! What does that really mean? The good content thing is totally subjective and for me means your perspective on the wisdom you’ve gained from REAL EXPERIENCE!! This Know, Like and Trust thing…is it about being nice, being sycophantic, “sharing” unwanted criticism even if it’s accurate? I don’t think so. I believe it’s being authentic, honest about what you know, sharing what you’ve gleaned from observation and experience and then helping people as altruistically as you can afford. More than that, it’s about sharing your success in a humble, compellingly interesting way. Yes, like Frank Kern’s “I was a dope, into dope and then decided to stop being a bum and learn something. I figured out how a specific piece of marketing works, on the most fundamental level, and became the best at it that I can possibly be such that I’m now worth $40,000 a day for private consulting!” D’you know that he actually charges $150,000 plus 10% of that business revenue for life if he’s the man doing the initial launch, copywriting, etc.? He’s humble, funny and full of f-bombs. It works for him

What works for you? That’s what you’ve got to figure out when it comes to branding yourself online. Come join me for the free preview call on Monday– May 21, 2012 at 1:00 p.m.

http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=29056323