Social Media

As Featured on ArticleCity.com


Yes, there are alot of us that are in business and Social Networking is a great way for us to stay in contact with each other.

No doubt Social Media sites and networking is here to stay. It allows one to be very responsive to their colleagues and customers, and let them know how much they care. Social Media is like viral word of mouth. Although very few use it effectively. An overwhelming majority of Netprenuers are just throwing links out there like nobody's business with no useful content to anyone. And I'd be willing to bet that the ones that are NOT having a lot of success are guilty of this practice. What you should be focusing on is helping others, and the rest will follow. The goal is to project yourself or your company as professional.

You have to remember that Social Networking Sites are for making contact, building relationships, and earning credibility and trust, NOT SELLING YOUR OPPORTUNITY. Your object with social networks is to build YOUR brand. The more people see your logo, tag line or avatar, it builds their awareness of your practice, who you are and the value of your information or opinion. You must establish value, credibility, and trust with those in your circle if you want to be successful with your business. To that end, there is an etiquette that you must adhere to, to make it effective.

Engage in conversation with your contacts. Find out what they lack and/or are looking for as far as info they can use to build their business. Establish yourself as a leader, and people will flock to you in droves. You can do that by selling yourself as a knowledgeable source of information for those you network with.

Contribute regularly in your communities with solid content, helpful links, and generally anything useful. Be consistent in the time you spend on the sites and you will gain a following of others looking for what you offer due to the viral nature of Social sites.

Everything you do MUST be done with quality, and authenticity. You are developing relationships and must stay focused on that aspect.

Through the value of your information you will develop credibility and develop trust, which will turn and observer into a follower, then into a fan. A fan will turn into a lead, then and only then should you think about turning that lead into a customer. After all, a majority of those in your circle already have an opportunity that they are involved in.

Remember, people buy from those they trust, not just because you have the greatest product out there. Heck, ask anyone in business and they have THE best products on the net.

Now then, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of the Social Media:

**Figure out your goal – (Connecting with family or friends, marketing your brand or company, staying on top of industry trends). Write it down. Place it in a visible spot where you can see it every day. Believe me, this works and helps you to stay focused.

**Make social media a tool and not a distraction – (sometimes hard to do with everyone seeming to only plaster their opportunity with no real useful content.) When someone posts some useful content, by all means look at it and read it. It may just be the one thing you have been looking for to give you that boost you need. However, pass on the urge to click on every link posted. Most are just another opportunity, and you should really concentrate on your primary opportunity if you are just starting out.

**Set boundaries – Although it is a powerful business tool when used correctly, it should be focused on in moderation. You can either set tasks to complete or set aside a time block. Take Twitter for example – Start off by replying to direct messages and save clicking on irrelevant links for when you have the time.

**Become an Authority in your network – You can do this by continually learning and passing what you learn on to others. This creates value and develops your credibility. Remember to add quality and substance to your posts.

As always, comments and discussion are welcomed.

PLR Content

I've been doing a lot of reading lately about Private Label Rights (PLR) content. I used to think that it was only for lazy people who didn't want to do their own writing. But as I learn more, I've come up with lots of great ways I can use PLR in my own business.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, PLR is content that you get from the original author along with their permission to use it as your own. So you can get a great report, put your name on it and have your own product to sell or give away!

The first couple of products I created using PLR only took me about half an hour. There have been a few sales so far from them so that was definitely time well spent.

When searching for PLR content to use, I found there were a lot of different types of sites available. Some offered monthly memberships and others offered just one time purchases. So be sure to look around before you decide where to buy.

The site I found that was by far the best was PLRWholesaler. Not only do they have an unbelievable amount of content, but it's completely FREE. Most sites charge an arm and a leg for the amount of content that this guy is giving away.

And although I haven't been through everything yet, what I have read is very good quality. It's stuff you would actually want to use as your own.

Since it's free, I highly recommend that you check out PLRWholesaler and see if they have anything that you can use in your business. There just may be an ebook or audio recording that you could quickly brand with your information and start selling to your list.

Check it out and let me know what you think...

PLR Wholesaler

Placing Ads

Concentration: Don't over extend your ads by scattering them all over the place. Concentrate them in a small few and see if or how they grow. If no desired response, then try other avenues.

Reach: You want your ad to reach as many people as possible, for as long as possible.

Frequency: Absorbtion of your message can only be achieved from repetition (minimum 6 times). Go for several simple messages over one flashy big ad.

Play the competition - Don't try to compete with bigger firms. Instead, narrow your target or create a niche.

Test, test, and test again - Ask people where they saw your ad. Track by key codes if possible. Keep running a winning ad until results are no longer reached.

Stimulous response - It's not what you say...it's what they hear.

Surprise - Ad an element of surprise in your first ad if you can.

Emotion - Use human emotion in your ads if space allows. You'll get higher impact and greater retention among your customers.

Appeal to your customers self interest - Put yourself in your customers place. Leave no doubt about what they get if they choose you.

Marketing Strategies

With the economy changing as it is, we all need to focus on our marketing strategies. Are they working? What's working and/or NOT working? Looking to attract new customers? Worried about losing current customers?

These are questions you should be constantly asking yourself, to keep tabs on how your marketing strategies are keeping up.

The bottom line is, people have to know you are out there. If they don't, then they will never find you. Ok, they MIGHT find you, accidentally, but you should make it very easy for your customers to find you. One way to gain new customers is to give away stuff. E-books, articles, and e-mail courses are just a few things you can give away. You can also allow others to include your article in their newsletter or e-zine, or allow others to link to your free e-book to give away to others. This creates traffic to your site....and without traffic, there are no customers.

To keep the customers you already have, you should constantly looking into what it is they need or want, and find ways to give it to them. One simple way to do that is to ask them to fill out a survey.



Other things that YOU can control is, your website, your brochures, business cards, sales letters, and ads.