Boost Your Business Through Social Media

Gone are the days of sky high advertisement costs. Nowadays, businesses, big or small, can turn to social media for not only a cost-effective advertisement but direct interaction with the almost-24hr-present-on-social-media-networks consumers. 

The power of social media is beyond anyone's imagination. With social media, the only people left to wonder of your existence are those without internet and computer access, which is, roughly a small percent of the earth's population.

What's good about this new medium, aside from being cost-effective, is its power to make your business visible in practically any part of the world, making your presence boundary-less. Unfettered by your physical location, your market will surely soar a thousand fold due to your international online existence. 

Think about endless possibilities, faster dissemination, a worldwide market. The list goes on if you know how to connect and bring your business to the eyes of the social media-dependent population. Your employees, which are included in this population, from the janitors to the management team, should be trained and encouraged to use this media for the faster and wider coverage of your business and not banned from using them, which is what is happening right now. 

To prosper, businesses must go with the trend, with the social flow. Use your employees' insatiable hunger for online socialization in the promotion of your product, your business. No man is an island, that's what they say. We need help and we need to address that need, for our business gain. Changing your whole perspective in the use of social media in the workplace, thinking of it as an asset rather than a liability, will surely put you on top of the game.

Whether we'd like to admit it or not, there's a huge difference when people see your active presence on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and the likes. Use that difference to your advantage. 

In these times, who needs a 30-second TV ad when you can flash your coolness to everyone online? From kids to the tech-savvy grannies, your product will no longer just be a local or a state craze, rather, a trending, instagrammable, and pinterest-worthy topic on the internet and beyond.

Which social medium do you think will work best to promote your business? Take your pick, there's a lot of fish in the water.

 Ella Ritalei Panganiban

 Marketing Executive 
 Drive Social Media

Enchanting - minus the fairy tale... (Part 2)

This is a continuation from our previous post, Enchanting - minus the fairy tale part 1 - an overview of Guy Kawasaki's tips on how to be enchanting with social media.

His sixth tip on how to enchant people is to always be disclosing. Be transparent in everything you do. Let everyone know who you work for and your partners are and those you advise. A lot of people may think that this will eventually reduce people's interest in those brands/organizations but Guy thinks otherwise. He says that the logic behind this is that your followers will be even more interested in the brands or companies that you mention because you have mentioned them. It would make them wonder why you've mentioned or complimented them and if they see that you work for that particular company, they will become even more interested to find out why you have mentioned your thoughts. This will therefore create more interest from your followers, making you successfully able to enchant your followers.

On Twitter, Guy says that you must always remember to repeat the good stuff! Tweets sent only once might not be seen by people living in different time zones. For example, if you live in the Philippines, then the US is almost half a day behind from your time zone. This is his seventh tip - repeat your tweets about 5 times a day to ensure that everyone around the world will get to read them. Kawasaki does mention that it might irritate a few of your followers since they would come across the same tweet more than once, but that would only mean that they spend way too much of their time on Twitter.

His eighth tip to be enchanting is to remember to be subtle. You need to earn the right to promote your content. If you have created it - then you have the right to keep repeating it :)

"Twitter is a link economy", says Guy as he describes his ninth tip, which is to always be linking when you tweet - this helps create interest. Now the question is, where do you get content for the links? Guy answers this too by recommending a few websites of his choice:

• Stumbleupon.com
• Smartbrief.com
• Alltop.com 

These three websites are only some of the many good sources for good information for your Twitter 'linking' needs.

His tenth tip is also directed towards Twitter and he says that you must always be monitoring. Pay attention to what your competitors say about you, and what your fans and followers say about you as well. For Macintosh users, he recommends Hibari - a simple yet effective application that blocks unwanted tweets and filters your friends tweets so you can see only what you wish to see.

As Guy describes Twitter to be a link economy, he describes Facebook to be a picture economy. His eleventh tip is if you want to enchant people on Facebook, you must always be taking pictures and sharing them. Don't forget to be cropping your images though, so the unimportant or irrelevant parts of the image are separated from what's important in the picture.

His last tip that concludes his daily dozen for enchanting people is to always be commenting on Facebook. Thank people who have liked your posts and ask them questions; welcome people who have given you thanks.

Do YOU agree with Guy's tips on how to enchant people?

Let us know in the comment box below if you have any questions or suggestions as well ;)

Ayna Gonzales
Marketing Executive
Drive Social Media

Enchanting - minus the fairy tale... (Part 1)

Guy Kawasaki, the author of Enchantment, gives us a few tips on how to enchant people with social media.
 
He says that there are three pillars to observe when engaging with social media and the first of which is to always be a likable, friendly, positive person when talking to your audience. As in the real world, you would pay more attention, or in his terms, be more enchanted by a person you actually like.

Being likable involves an appropriate smile, something like a duchenne smile, as Guy describes it. Another thing that could make you seem more likable is to dress appropriately. Everyone likes looking and talking to people who are smiling and well dressed.
 
The second pillar is to be trustworthy. Show people you can be trusted by showing them that you trust them, and they will in turn, trust you back. A company that Guy mentions here is Zappos, an online retail company that pays for shipping fees for their merchandise, both ways! By having this unique policy, they have earned the trust of many as when their shoppers are dissatisfied with their products, they can simply send it back for free.
 
The third pillar is for all your products and services to have the DICEE characteristics; which stand for: deep, intelligent, complete, empowering, and elegant. To greater emphasize this, let's take a look at Macintosh. As compared to Windows OS, Macs bring out the creativity in someone and don't hinder their thinking with complex applications and tools; in other words, an example of a deep, empowering brand.
 
Another example is the Ford Mustang; it is described intelligent and complete because of their special 'key' features. Certain keys specifically designed for the youth so that the car can only accelerate up to a certain speed that the parent sets for it.
 
Once you have established these three pillars, then you can start taking note of the other key points for enchanting an audience using social media. They are as follows:
 
You should always be answering, especially on Twitter. This is the fourth tip to pay attention to when engaging with social media; it is one of the easiest ways to enchant people. Make sure to reply to everyone, whether that somebody is a nobody or Brad Pitt. Remember that the 'nobodies' of yesterday are today's somebodies! Replies ensure that you pay attention to your followers/fans and make them like/trust you :) The fifth tip that Guy mentions is to always remember to say thank you. Growing up, our parents always reminded us of the simple, yet very powerful act of thanks; the same goes in the lines of social media. A simple thank you to everyone who praises you will definitely go a long way.
 
Are we at Drive Social Media enchanting? We would love to know!
 
More soon :-)

Ayna Gonzales

Marketing Executive
Drive Social Media

20 Great Ways Social Media Can Help Your Football Club

John McGrann

If you are involved with a football club at any level you may be wondering how social media can help your club.
 
We have thought of a few ways and hope you and your club gain some real benefits.

• Grow Your Brand – there are over 800 million users on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and many of them are footy fans!
• Free mini website – yes having a Facebook page is like having a free mini website! The standard functionality and Facebook applications can deliver much of what you get from a website and it’s free!
• Target sponsors – keep your social media points interesting and go find new sponsors. LinkedIn hosts many potential sponsors in your area or globally.
• Sell your merchandise – yes either on your Facebook page or via a link to your website!    
• Promote your match day offers – use Facebook as the hub and Twitter to target prospects in your area!
• Target talent – it’s a global world now so get the feelers out for new football talent! Get fans to upload video of potential talent!
• Target corporate fans – their CEOs etc. are all on LinkedIn! Go connect with them and build relationships!
• Join targeted LinkedIn groups and share best practises, knowledge and ideas about the football industry!
• Leverage your current fanbase and make sure your great content goes viral!
• Bring your club to life online! Engage your fans and followers!
• Connect with local businesses on Facebook and Twitter! Promote each other!
• Great content - post your fixtures, statistics and events!
• Great content – share all your latest news first on your Facebook page and Twitter!
• Great content – share great stories about your club! Share its history too!
• Great content – feature players, staff and fans! Get them on video too!
• Great content – ask questions and ask for help! Your fans will be happy to help!
• Great content – be a Thought Leader in your industry and raise your club profile! Get blogging!
• Great content – host quizzes and competitions
• Great content - Host discussions on forums – create real emotional attachment to your club!
• Great content – video the football action and match interviews of your club and load to YouTube! Then Share it on Facebook and Twitter!

We love the Beautiful Game so please join us on Facebook at:

Football Crazy World and Drive Social Media  

   

     

We would love to hear your suggestions and ideas so feel free to comment!

  Cheers!

  John McGrann

  CEO Drive Social Media

Prospects will be IN-TE-REST-ED...

John McGrann

“The truth is Mr Client you are so boring!”

That probably sounds a bit harsh doesn’t it? But in some cases it’s true. Some businesses are boring and lifeless. My guess would be less than 5% of them. They are in industries which attract little interest. I wouldn’t care to name them though. 

As for the rest, they have no excuse. They are interesting to many of their stakeholders.  Their products, services and people are interesting. So why do many of these businesses still complain that people are not interested in their Facebook page or LinkedIn group or blog, for example? In other words they are boring!  In fact, they appear boring – although in reality and offline they can be very interesting. Simply, they are boring online only – it is just their online content that is boring.

Great content is essential for success in leveraging social media for business. Yes you need a strategy and you need to be out there in the right places. Growing a large social media network is a must so you can connect with your targeted audience. But connections alone are of little value. You have to engage your connections – talk to them. Great content facilitates that engagement – now we have something to talk about.

Some clients are slow about opening up and that is understandable. They are cautious. That’s fine, as over time confidence will grow. When their content is shared online the benefits can be magnified many times as fans and followers share their content. 

So what is Great Content? Here is an aid my team use to generate it themselves and from our clients.

What do you think?

More Soon!

John McGrann

CEO Drive Social Media

The Final Steps

This is the fourth and final series of posts on business blogging initiated by the blog post:
‘Don’t make your blog a slog!’

The previous blog post shows you how to create your own blog and how to add content to it, but the next question is… How do you attract followers to your blog? You want people to read your posts, but how would you do this?

Always remember that people will be interested to follow you, if they find you interesting.

Writing insightful articles will help people understand what you, or your brand is about, and will keep reading to learn more about it.

Add other blogs from your niche - follow other blogs that you find interesting, and they will hopefully follow you back. Engage with your followers; converse with them so they can get to know you better. You could also refer to other similar blogs in your blog posts, and then comment on their blogs to inform them that you've mentioned them in your post.

RSS feeds, like Google Reader or Outlook, are also very powerful tools you can use to help you generate followers for your blog. RSS feeds (also known as Really Simple Syndication feeds) help you keep track of other blogs and let you know when they've posted new content, so you can easily read them and comment on their posts.

So are there any other ways of letting people know about my blog?

Social Media Sites are also very useful when you want to attract followers. For example, you could let your followers on Twitter know that you've posted a new blog post and encourage them to follow your blog after visiting it.

Use Linked In to update your friends and colleagues there about your blog posts. Don't forget to direct them to your blog by adding the URL in your update as well. Linked In has a lot of groups; join the ones that are in your field of interest and inform them about your blog.

Facebook is also very useful as you can post on people's walls and kindly ask them to share your update with their friends whom they think will be interested in your blog. If you have a Facebook Page, you could post the same message you posted on Twitter and Linked In to keep your fans updated on your blog.

NetworkedBlogs is an application for Facebook that when added to your blog and Facebook page, will automatically pull through your blog feed and post it on your wall. You will have a separate list of followers for NetworkBlogs too.

Another website that's useful for generating followers for your blog is Technorati - one of the most famous search engines for blogs and blog posts. Find and follow similar blogs and promote yours there too.

What are the business benefits of blogging?

Blogging certainly increases your credibility and lets everyone read about your passion and what you're all about. Over time, with an increasing number of followers, people will trust you more and this in turn, leads to an increase in sales for your business.

All your posts will always be available in your archives, so even new users, or new visitors to your blog will be able to go back to those posts to read about you.

Using social media sites correctly will ensure that people will be able to see your blog on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn.. etc. Good brand awareness leads to trust from your target audience and customers.

Any widgets that can help?

Google Friend Connect, LinkedinABox, My Blog Log, Feedburner and Shout List Icons are great widgets to add to your blog to make it easier for your readers to connect with you, so make sure to add a few.

If you have any questions, please feel free to let us know :)

Ayna Gonzales
Marketing Executive
Drive Social Media

Just Step Out!

The words that cause a tremble for young paratroopers the first time they jump from an aircraft. Followed by an encouraging size 11 to their rears!

This is the third in a series of posts on business blogging initiated by the blog post:
‘Don’t make your blog a slog!’

Getting started is all about taking the first step - the hardest step. So how do we get started? Is there any help available? What are those first few steps? For many people the biggest issue is what to blog about.

Start by reading other blogs especially in your industry or area of interest. This will give you ideas for subject material and enable you to follow other blogs and comment on the same. Some bloggers focus solely on responding to other bloggers’ posts.

Think of a name for your blog. Yes you can use your own name if you’re a key person and leader. But for many it is the industry, interest, profession or trade which attract followers. Be inventive and not to serious. It needs to indicate your subject matter yet be interesting. I was quite pleased recently to think of the title ‘Desert Geeks’ for an IT services client in the United Arab Emirates.

Now choose a blogging platform. There are several good ones including these:

• Typepad
• WordPress.org
• Blogger
• WordPress.com

My own preference is for Blogger as I can use my Google login there.

Once you sign up for Blogger, for example, quickly get it configured. Choose a theme and layout. Add your biography and photo which should be your regular social media photo. Add your blog title and define your easy to remember hyperlink. Each blog has its own url link just like a website. There are lots of gadgets available such as social media links, share to Facebook and Twitter etc. So choose some and get some help if necessary. Images and video are powerful too! Now you are ready to write your blog post and get it published.

Ok and ready to go? So what should I blog about I hear you say... Here are a few ideas:

• Write about your passion – it will just flow
• Write something informative – add value to be enjoyed by readers
• Write about your expertise – bear the audience in mind and no jargon
• Write of topics that personalise your business – reveal a few secrets
• Add some humour – write with a smile on your face
• Comment on others’ blogs – start the conversation and generate ideas for blogging
• Tell great stories – we all love great stories!
• Lots of shorter posts is better – keep readers in suspense too
  

If you are getting the same question about your work or interest then write a blog post about it. Then when you asked again simply refer people to the blog post on the subject. It will save you time for sure.

Then paste it in the body of your blog, add a title, save and publish!

Have you done it yet?

Solid Foundations

This is the second in a series of posts on business blogging initiated by the blog post:
Don’t make your blog a slog!

It’s useful to understand some of the fundamentals around business blogging. These are best highlighted in answering a number of questions:
• Can it be used as a marketing tool?
• Are there any personal benefits?
• Who is my audience?
• Is it cost effective?
• What’s the difference between a website and a blog?
• What is a blog?
• Does the Google search engine like blogs?
• What are the common mistakes of business blogging?
• Any good tips?

Can it be used as a marketing tool?

Yes of course. It’s a website and you’re free to promote your goods and services. Some companies have sold their wares exclusively on their blog page. Check out: http://clip-n-seal.com/blog.htm Post content which is appreciated by your target audience and in a subtle way, promote alongside it!

Are there any personal benefits?

Yes you are promoting your personal brand with each and every post. Your posts will illustrate your ideas as a thought leader in the industry. Experiences shared will highlight occasions when you excelled in challenging situations. Your personality may shine through as you relax and write often. Buyers will gain trust in you and prospective employers will see your strengths.

Who is my audience?

Who are you writing for and why? Clearly identify the attributes of your ideal customers and business partners. Then go out and find them on social media sites. They are in LinkedIn groups, on Facebook pages and under the relevant hashtags on Twitter. Include your current clients and peers in your target audience too.

Is it cost effective?

I use Blogger and it costs nothing. That’s not a bad deal. There are lots of benefits including free promotions, new leads, sales, increased brand awareness and personal branding. Is it worth an hour of your time once a week? It should be a big boost to your visibility, credibility and revenues!

What’s the difference between a website and a blog?

A business website is you in your business suit and speaking in a very formal tone. Generally, it is broadcasting in one direction. Your blog is you wearing your smart casuals and speaking more informally. You’re more relaxed and happy for interaction to take place.

What is a blog?

Blog is short for weblog. It is a website in itself with its own web address. It includes special features such as social media links and comments from readers. It offers a great opportunity to get to know customers and partners better too. It can also be one part of a conversation in the blogosphere.

Does the Google search engine like blogs?

Google absolutely loves blogs and all activity is quickly reflected in their rankings. Together with videos on YouTube, blogs are a great way to get great exposure!

What are the common mistakes of business blogging? There are many and here are a few:
• No author bio, picture and comment section
• No social media buttons
• Broken Links
• Stealing blog content from others
• Inconsistent posting
• No personality in the writing
• Not commenting on other blogs
• Posts are too long
• Being a know-it-all

Any good tips?

Yes! Don’t make these mistakes; be interesting; write for your audience; be passionate; and, get blogging!

Next time around we’ll look at getting started as a business blogger. In the meantime check out my latest blog set up for a client: http://it-serve-gcc.blogspot.com

Would you like to be known as a thought leader in your industry?
A simple yes or no please.

Don’t make your blog a slog!

Everybody’s doing it or threatening to do it. Some are personal blogs and some are written about interests or hobbies. These are relatively straight forward and it’s easier to write about things we like so much. Business blogging tends to be dreaded a little more. It shouldn’t be. It’s time to take a more relaxed view. Don’t make you’re bog a slog.

There are five areas to address to overcome any anxiety:
• Fundamentals of business blogging
• Getting Started
• Using a blogging platform
• Attracting followers
• Business benefits of blogging

It’s useful to understand some of the fundamentals around business blogging. These are best highlighted in answering a number of questions:

• Can it be used as a marketing tool?
• Are there any personal benefits?
• Who is my audience?
• Is it cost effective?
• What’s the difference between a website and a blog?
• What is a blog?
• Does the Google search engine like blogs?
• What are the common mistakes of business blogging?
• Any good tips?

We’ll try to find answers to these questions in my next blog post.

The first step is always the hardest. So how do we get started? Is there any help available? What are those first few steps? For many people the biggest issue is what to blog about. We’ll go into more details later. But for now writing about your expertise or those subjects you are passionate about will inspire you more. Tell great stories – we all love story tellers. Also try to answer those issues that commonly arise from customers and employees for example. More later...

Do you need to be a geek to set up your blog? I’ve set up a few blogs at Blogger.com – a popular blogging platform. The answer is no. You can set up a nice design with images, embedded videos and social media links without any technical skills. More later...

Once we have a blog set up and we are posting content how do we get people to follow our regular posts? It’s all about creating good content, interaction with other bloggers, leveraging your connections on social media sites and utilising specialist blog search engines. More later...

Is it all worth the time and effort? As a social media marketing tool business blogging can add value is several ways. The benefits come from the interaction with stakeholders, building trust with prospective buyers, search engine optimisation and sharing with your network. More later...

We’ll have a look in more detail at all five areas to address to overcome any anxiety business blogging in the next few posts.

Would you like to be known as a thought leader in your industry?

A simple yes or no please.

Hello My Friend

We are on holiday currently in Goa in India. It’s a nice place and the people are very friendly. The rain was hammering it down when we arrived 2 days ago but since then it’s been warm and dry. I decided to use the 2 weeks to chill out, keep the plates just about spinning at Drive Social Media and do a little blogging. The best tip I can give on holding the readers’ attention or the delegates’ attention during training courses is to tell stories...people love little stories. My stories are a mixture of wholly true, partly true or made up...and I am confused myself now which is which... J If the story adds a little value or helps someone to be successful or overcome a problem it’s worth telling.

Today we took a taxi and adopted ‘Su’ as our driver for the holiday. Fair play to him he made sure that he had added value to our2 hour taxi ride before he raised the subject. He made sure we were comfortable for the journey. He then pointed out all the local spots we may like to visit. If we liked holy places and places of worship he told us about them with enthusiasm. He fascinated us with his talk on Hinduism. We told him we wanted a supermarket so we could buy some essentials like decent coffee and dried milk – the hotel coffee being rather poor unlike the food which is very good. He waited 1 hour while we did our shopping and had lunch. He asked what kind of things we wanted from the holiday. We enjoy a little sightseeing, nice places for lunch, and a good bar for the football. He advised us on each one. At the end of the trip he said if we needed him, he gave us his card, we should ask the hotel to call his local number. A testimonial from the hotel no less. We didn’t need it. We had already bought....and despite his Manchester United shirt.

The bartender Mallu was friendly enough. He helped us get my laptop powered across his bar so I could catch up on emails. Then he chatted with Genny as I did some work. It had been tough on business for the hotel in the last 2 years. The Europeans and especially the British were coming in less numbers because of the recession. Thankfully, the Russian tourists had filled the gap and kept the hotel busy. He preferred the Europeans. They were friendly and he learned English from them. The Russians didn’t speak English and they didn’t much like the British. They were unfriendly and drank heavily. I suggested he learned some Russian or at least show willing for his guests. He agreed but that led to another issue. He learned how to say “How can I help you my friend?” in Russian. Unfortunately, this was interpreted by Muscovites as meaning they were now preferential guests and started demanding discounts on everything..... Oh dear.

A couple of regular Indian guys today exemplified some great pointers for business people and online and offline networkers.

Listen to your customers and give them some great value. Treat them with respect and they will buy. No need for a heavy sales pitch.

Choose your customers well. Fairness and respect is needed from both sides for a long term fruitful business relationship.

Two sides of the same coin

Is social media networking in conflict with, or complementary to, traditional networking?

The reason I ask is because I have recently joined a formal networking group here in Dubai. I am noting many similarities and some differences with the basics of social media networking. I also sense that generally there is a belief that you engage in one or the other. It’s the ‘old’ versus the ‘new’. But maybe in the future the best way is to engage neither social media networking nor traditional networking alone - but in ‘total networking’.

Social media networking and marketing is the process of promoting your website or business through social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and many more. It is a powerful strategy that will bring you connections, attention and increased amounts of website traffic and ultimately leads for your products or services. It is powerful in building business partnerships locally and globally. Social media networkers need to have a systematic approach to building a large network and targeting their niche audience within it. It includes selecting the best media sites, establishing a presence, growing your virtual network and nurturing relationships. If all that works then keep those plates spinning!

Traditional networking involves formally structured groups meeting on a regular basis with well proven successful processes in place. Most activities take place within the group or chapter. However, connections can be made to other chapters within a reasonable distance. Other members of the group will act as your salesperson generating referrals and new business. Membership is paid annually but should be recouped early.

Both forms of networking generate new connections and new business. They are both based on the premise that we wish to do business with people we know, we like and we trust. They each have a softly, softly approach to engaging connections in our sales process. Strategies are long term and hard sellers and spammers are not welcome.

There are differences of course. Social media sites are free and accessed from the comfort of your home or office. Building networks and targeting audiences is much easier via social media sites. This applies to customers and business partnerships alike. Joining relevant customer conversations, sharing knowledge and getting help is also much easier online. But traditional face-to-face networking is so powerful and nurturing relationships online is THE serious weakness of social networking. The proven structures and processes in traditional networking yield great results too. Social media prospecting without a system can be time wasteful and frustrating.

The way ahead is to engage in both forms as total networking. Using the strengths of each to address the weaknesses of the other seems the way to go. Add some enablers such as Instant Messaging and Online Meeting software to the mix too. So which form of networking is the best? I don’t know - nor do I care.

They are two sides of the same coin

John McGrann

CEO Drive Social Media

Drive Social Media presents a conference

Drive Social Media presents a conference on:

Successful Social Media Strategies

Wednesday 17 March 2010 at 10am at
The Kissos Hotel Paphos

Presented by John McGrann MBA ACMA AIMC


Social Media Marketing is the fastest growing way of generating new leads and business using internet based sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.

Promote your website or business through social media

Support marketing, public relations, and customer service

Powerful strategy to gain connections and attention

Leverage communication and collaboration in your organisation

Generate website traffic and leads for your products or services

More than 400 million potential customers online



Programme:

Social Media Marketing Fundamentals

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

You Tube

Customizing the Success Cycle

Case Studies of Social Media Successes

Blogging & Personal Brands

Time Management & Niche Sites

Measuring Return On Investment - ROI

Social Media trends and predictions

Top 10 Keys for Success

Online follow up training sessions



Info & Register: info@drive-social-media.com

Tel: 96-728265

Website: http://www.Drive-Social-Media.com

Blog: http://drivesocialmedia.blogspot.com