Social Marketing Tips: Where do I Start?

We learned about the different types of social marketing and why they are so important to building business relationships. But what next? Where do I start?

Well, I suggest that you start with one. There are different platforms which focus on different opportunities. There are platforms to create unique, valuable content. There are platforms for networking and getting to know people. There are platforms to keep track of people. There are platforms specifically geared to rating good and bad content.

Pick your favorite. If you have lots of great content sitting around, create a Squidoo Lens and start posting some of your content online. Digg is a great place to link to your content/blog and ask people to rate it.  If you are lacking in physical content because it’s still in your brain, then set yourself up on one of the networks. I find the Facebook is a great place to start. There are lots of extra applications you can take advantage, but don’t get too distracted by all the “fun stuff”.

The very first thing you must do wherever you start is create your profile. Make sure you save this information because you can tweek it for each of the other environments you get involved in. Include your bio, your goals, your hobbies/interests (people want to know you as a person) and don’t forget your picture. It is usually preferable to use a nice business photo, but not always. I use a picture of me on my cell phone for my twitter profile (since I usually do my updates from my cell anyhow).

Also, a number of these platforms allow you to connect with your other networks. DO THIS! Make sure you have your MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. profile links handy as many people will find you on Facebook and want to Twitter you, or Digg your content, etc. This is helping this “new media” spread like wild-fire and become viral. And viral marketing is our goal! Let the world spread the good news about you and your products/services!

And do NOT start pushing yourself and your products/services onto the people you connect with. These social environments are about building friendships. So treat them like you would any other relationship. You start with a courting process where people get to know you. You share information about your self and your knowledge. You only share opportunities with them when you know they are engaged in the relationship. Or they will be irritated and go away.

For more information about social marketing, joint venturing and creating profitable relationships, connect with MaryPat Kavanagh at http://www.QueenofMarketing.com. Make sure to include your comments on her blog at http://www.Queenofmarketing.com/blog. One of the most appropriate venues to learn more about successful relationships is to become friends on http://www.myspace.com/queenofmarketing

http://www.queenofmarketing.com/socialmediatelesummit

Carl Logrecco will be the speaker for the July 14 Shared Vision Business Development/Networking Luncheon.  Here's a taste of who he is and what he speaks on......

6 Strategies for Creating a Lucrative Money Making System
by Carl Logrecco

Entrepreneurs who wish to succeed must learn the strategies the wealthy use to create a moneymaking system that produces cash consistently.

Having personally coached hundreds of doctors, coaches, multi-level marketers, top executives, and small business owners, I’ve discovered why the top 6 percent attract all the necessary resources and make all the cash they need, while other dutiful entrepreneurs, despite their best efforts, continue to struggle in “survival mode.”

Clients ask me what the top 6 percent are doing differently: Are they better suited for success?  Do they have more skills or experience?  Is it a matter of luck?  What must I do to rank in the top 6 percent?

The reason isn’t so much that they are doing something different; rather, the way the pinnacle players show up, present themselves, and think is vastly different.

Strategy #1:  Sell Yourself First

Above all else, truth and conviction sell. While most might be thinking they are in alignment with their own visions, especially the experienced entrepreneurs, very few truly are.

When you are in complete alignment with your principles and thoughts . . . when your words and actions, products and services are synergistically one . . . you effortlessly create a confluence of energy, a perceivable vibration that imbues yourself and others with belief. If you are simply trying to manufacture faith or simulate this phenomenon, you will fail because there is some aspect of your vision or promise your prospects just doesn’t trust. They don’t have to know what it is, or why; if they don’t trust you, you won’t make the sale.  

When you attain this mastery level of conviction, people naturally begin to believe and trust you – they buy without having to be sold.

Massive amounts of money and opportunities are LOST by not embodying this first pure performance strategy. It pains me to see people work so hard and fail to get what they want or deserve just because they have never learned Strategy #1.

Strategy #2:  Always Be on Purpose

Once an entrepreneur embodies this strategy he or she will have total control of their wealth and business. He or she will become the creative source and conductor of their life, instead of the reactor or victim. Shift your limitations, and your business will be driven by this cohesive power all the time. 

When you have removed mental obstacles and are in flow, your energy stream becomes endless – you’re a veritable vortex of positive energy. A vortex has no “off” switch. In other words, you are constantly generating, attracting and manifesting continuous opportunities, money, and energy toward your business.  Everything you do is on purpose, all the time.

This strategy is a critical to making money.  Even the best and most personalized system can only operate at the level of the most powerful leader of that business. Having designed amazing sales systems for other authors and companies, I’ve seen first-hand how real this is. When a system works partially, it isn’t the system, but rather that the source – or business owner – has not sold him or herself first.

A system, pattern, or habit is always subject to its internal and external structures. What structure drives your business? Or life? Is it scattered, or consistently clear? Have you fully integrated conviction and purpose into your vision? Have you mastered pure performance?

Strategy #3:  Sell the Difference

If you’re in business, you are selling something. The challenge is the crowded field. With so many products and services available, far too many businesses are operating the same way. Consumers are not always able to discern between YOU and your product or service from that of another.  This can be confusing and overwhelming, and it is likely hurting your business. Your prospects are constantly searching for the clear distinction, and they buy the one that’s unique. They want the difference, so sell it to them. Exploit your differences – make them immediately known.

Let’s look at an example. Two real estate agents are attempting to sell a buyer the same house. Agent 1 knows his uniqueness and demonstrates it with conviction and enthusiasm, builds great rapport, and has no agenda but the best interest of the client. Agent 1 puts his client first. Agent two, on the other hand, is not sure how he’s unique is. While he does create a connection with the buyer, he has a clear agenda: to close the deal.  Which one gets the sale?

Strategy #4:  Utilize Your Skills and Leverage the Rest

You cannot do it alone, nor can you be great at everything. Find the right people who believe in you and your business’ purpose and vision. Attract talented individuals with the skills and brains you don’t possess. 

Learn to recognize the strengths and shortcomings within yourself and others, embracing each nuance – we’re all here to grow, in business and in life. Put your ego and insecurities aside in order to create a dynamic team.  This step will also prove both enriching and challenging. The best and most experienced entrepreneurs know when to ask for qualified help.

Creating gifted alliances can drive your business exponentially faster than you could ever accomplish alone. Get connected and utilize your resources.

Strategy #5:  Clearly Define Your Sales Strategy

When you have 100 percent conviction, you constantly radiate passion. That is what I call keeping your power button on, 24/7. Now what is the model that drives sales for you, yet does not require you to work 24/7? 

Want a hint?

Wealthy successful entrepreneurs have a system, and so should you. I call it “multiple streams of people.”

Study your market! Know where the people you want to sell to congregate, what they read, the Web sites they visit, where they shop. This sounds elementary, but far too many entrepreneurs sink themselves because they fail to implement this simple strategy. Do your homework, and find creative ways to meet the people who are YOUR prospects!

Strategy #6:  Reality Check Time

Taking time to clear your energy and have an honest reality check will keep you on top of your business. I often meditate for 10 minutes every hour during the business day, and am fascinated by the effect of this personal exercise. One thing I notice is that everyone around me is also impacted in a positive way. This practice raises not only my company’s overall performance, but all of our perspectives, as well.

Easily, I began to visualize my business from a distance to see the bigger picture. Rarely do I get stuck in any sort of mental quagmire to the point where I lose my passion or creativity. A question I ask all my clients, without exception: Are you taking the time to breathe and see clearly?

With these “6 Strategies for Creating a Lucrative Money-Making System,” you have a great place to start designing a business that is built on passion, energy, and heart. The moment you decide to set these strategies in motion, you will instantly ignite the Law of Attraction and manifestation that will drive your wealth for a lifetime of profits.

Are you ready to begin?

Carl Logrecco is a sales coach who specializes in teaching entrepreneurs of every level to achieve and exceed their business and financial goals by integrating innovative money systems into their businesses. Learn more about his coaching practice at www.coachcarl.com. Logrecco will be the featured speaker at the Shared Vision Phoenix luncheon on July 14, 2008. Register: http://preview.tinyurl.com/3e8tl9.