Gosh, seem like forever since I wrote here.. apologies for that I am writing lots elsewhere… now back to this journey with the Six Figure Mentor internet training programme… like many online many programmes it have great videos, and promises lots.. but what it doesn’t do is say get rich quick here…

Once inside the system which says

“SFM is a marketing system and training platform that prepares you for every aspect of online entrepreneurship, from laying solid foundations to gaining financial security and growth. SFM delivers world class content taught by top business leaders to thousands of students around the globe. The system itself, as you will discover, is optimized to attract targeted prospects who are likely to be interested in direct sales opportunities and prepared to invest in their education (just like you).”

You have: A dashboard with a Get Started System – 6 training modules to kick you off and you may recognise Tony Robbins, with Frank Kern and John Reese chatting about why people don’t follow through… it’s over 30 minutes but is a great start… it’s about how and why and potential and mindset… and very easy listening… absorb it whilst doing something else or stick your pc or mac on the tv and immerse yourself… with an internet marketer who made a million in one night! The action you take will determine the results you take… which reinforces your belief… all true.. and a great start…

You then to move on to the modules if you fancy… and actually you should…

But of course I don’t do things in the order I should or in order… I started by being excited by driving traffic… using my online profiles… but hmmm what if this doesn’t work do I want to peeve people off… absolutely not… now The Six Figure Mentors may be the best thing in internet working but until I have tested and tried and broken it.. I am not going head first and sharing… so – set up new platforms aaaargh… I have to do what I say I do.. thank goodness I can actually do it… so new twitter account – currently up to over 500 followers since Saturday through picking people who are likely to be interested in the marketing programme, even though I actually like the programme as an add on to my business it is cool to test things on-line.. as who knows I may want to sell my own products… just doing little and often and over the past week I have followed relevant niches.

Now what bits get me?  The unlimited domains set up on wordpress – with easy layout, premium plugins and get going blogging platform… of course we did this the hard way and hosted and created our own… but hey.. you expect that from me.. http://www.thedigitalentrepreneurs.co.uk

The book cover editor (and other products), the graphic creator, the code tracking software, the fact your can add your own products in the system (this bit I love) and the crm system…

Are there revenue streams with this?  Absolutely – from the low entry app products which earn you $20 dollars to the $1,000 (or even $8,000) mentor and training packages… and even better there loads of sales pages set up for you that are set up on auto and if someone comes in to your system then you have do do nothing… it is all handled for you – calls and emails and vetting for the system and they get live webinars and training calls…

Is the content unique?  Probably not – but the training modules are easy to understand and follow and (sorry!) not too Americanised… the training modules for the online stuff is fabulous too… and everything is broken down so even a child could use it.. really!

This 2 hour webinar is all about what you want to do with 2013… so if you want to be inspired and get a freebie then do click through

After the 6 steps you get a 15 minute business call… to get you started.. because the more you do the more you feed in to the system so it is in their best interests to help you succeed…

There are 12 training modules to get you started… starting with an 8 minute video which starts with one on not going out of order and doing things differently to the system… so you get the system working without overload.. woops… apparently it is a marathon not a sprint… and blogging is not until Module 3… /smack hand… having not watched it yet…

Anyway I will get down to all the rest later but what you really want is what results have we had?  Well from facebook ads, a couple of blog posts and some links online we have had 242 leads from around 1650 clicks and 2 sales of $20 dollars of people getting the entry level pack… we have learned first hand how write compelling copy that converts on facebook and online forums and watched the real time software notch up the views… amazing learning in a copy writing course on speed… and I thought I was pretty good to start with but this gets you honed in real time… if you are sad like me and test stuff.. and one we put up had a few views but a mindset change and it ratcheted up a notch to covert 66% of clicks in to leads and generated a sale… in about 40 minutes… so will we use that line again?  Absolutely… and I may even add a picture and make it even more powerful… and just before I gave up for the night we had a second sale.. not bad…

Now I didn’t just accept the invite from good friend and fellow trainer Dave Griffin to go in to this.. I asked him questions, I looked at the system and I spotted they had an elite event just down the road, so I trouped off to find out more.. (read gate crashed) after some gentle digging produced some interesting facts… one of the founders is the nephew of a person I respect and know… so I texted him and told him I was going to gate crash the break and ask some questions… he said I was very brave… so either very brave or very foolish I do generally go with gut feeling and just do things… and seemed like a great opportunity to see them face to face…  sadly I missed him there but did get to meet the founders and a member in the breakaway area  who kindly in

vited me to watch 40 minutes of the training… and they are genuine and hard working.. the training was the spot on stuff  I expect and the room was full of high energy individuals wanting to progress… and obviously doing so quite nicely thanks… so where do we go from here…?

If you fancy checking it out too – grab the bootcamp link and see for yourself.. let me know what you think… oh and don’t forget to share <—I’ll tell you in a week where we are, but right now I have to add to the facebook fans on the page, pin a few blog posts and finish getting my targeted twitter fans to my 1,000 goal by next week… you see I am what it says on the tin socially and need to test myself frequently… and I need to go and pick my new car up (honestly… lol but nothing to do with this… just coincidence or have I already positioned my brain to succeed? lol).

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Given that twitter content is open to anyone to read you would think that you would be circumspect about the content you are posting about – especially when mentioning work – wouldn’t you?  But you would be wrong…

If you are going for your next job, the chances are you will be checked out on-line so what is your digital footprint showing the world?  Think before you press the send button… it may not only save you your current job but also help you get your next one…

These people are sailing very close to the wind in what they are posting on twitter – in full view of anyone listening and as 90% of employers do check social media sources this could be an interesting way of asking for your P45… what do you think?

1     This is a very gentle start – but using twitter in work hours to say you are bored seems to be a common thing…

2    Tweeting when you are late for work – and saying you are already late is not ideal

3.  Saying bad things about your boss is not a great thing to do and language like this is not an accident…

4.  Talking about hating your job isn’t great either…

5.  Neither is saying how nasty you were at work because of being too tired

6.   Nor admitting you are drunk at work….

7.  And saying you’re rubbish at your job is probably not a great CV enhancer…

These were all collected in about 10 minutes with a very simple twitter search…. and if your place of work was watching, your next review at work could be an interesting one.  Now an HR manager is well within their rights to bring up anything you are opening discussing and it takes seconds to screen shot and print and lay before you.  This isn’t tittle tattle or water cooler gossip, it is cold hard facts that are difficult to refute, especially as they are full view of the world.

You will almost certainly have a disrepute clause in your contract and there are plenty more people who would welcome the job you are not doing well.

It is important that companies do their bit too and have a 1 page policy on their wall saying what is and is not acceptable use of social media whilst at work and if anyone needs one to use as a guideline just ask and will be delighted to forward.

So what’s the best way of writing a P45 you have seen?  Share below…

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Social Media has become the magic buzzword in marketing circles for some time now and big brands are starting to take notice and create facebook fanpages and twitter accounts like they are going out of fashion but there is more to social media than being on facebook and they’re not getting it.

To really use social media, and in particular facebook, the brands have to think like the consumer and chat to them like a person… not like a brand.  They need to start a conversation with them and carry it through or they look really rude and not all conversations are pleasant, positive chit chat – sometimes people are upset with you and you have to deal with it – not walk away or try to brush it under the carpet.

On a recent training trip to Poland I checked out my favourite brand facebook pages to see what they were doing and how they were faring to share what is working and what is not for brands on facebook and suggest ways in which brands can get more out of being there.  I like the Evian Water babies advert on youtube which has had an amazing result with significant watches and shares all over the globe… so I searched the relevant fanpage on facebook to see if it had done similar colossal figures there… after all most youtube videos are not found or viewed on youtube they are generally just the host for email and facebook or twitter sharing…. It hadn’t.  But what they had done is to put a very engaging cover picture that instantly pulled in to the page and works very well.

Their style is pictures and some video which elicits comments and shares from their fanbase.  But their numbers are only about 10% of the views on the youtube channel and they missed a marketing trick with the video… no call to action at the end to either subscribe to the channel or visit the facebook page – all of these things are very easy to add after the event as when this was released they were probably not even thinking of using facebook.  A smaller business is much more likely to do this and to add comments on the youtube page with a url linking directly to the page.  Big brands often miss these minute details that with their numbers can have a massive effect.

I also looked up the Dell Facebook page and was horrified to see unanswered unhappy customers…. Now just one comment from a customer saying something negative is the opener for others.  They are no longer the instigator of something that isn’t good on the page and are very happy to pile in and say well actually I am unhappy too and…  Had the facebook community manager spotted the comment that started the ball rolling and posted just a general sorry to hear that comment it may have stopped the post 2 days later that started even more negativity.  Of course some customers will post their bad experiences irrespective of the other comments on the page but they are much more likely if there are others for them to follow.  The worst thing about this is there are at least 3 negative customer experiences in this one thread… and not one response from a page admin.  Yet they have posted other content.  So have they decided on a policy of not responding to negative comments or had it just been missed?

I revisited the page to download the screen shots and found half a dozen more specific negative comments that had been ignored publicly… yes there appear to be more happy than unhappy customers on the brand page BUT the viral effect of those comments is massive… and when you have a choice just seeing the type of comments such as second hand parts used in the machine and within 2 months not working and not being replaced you can see that people will think again about a brand and choose another…  So what should a brand do?  It should have a policy of how to handle them and what to say and should at the very least publicly respond saying we are here to help…

Dell also seem to be missing important things like being asked the price… a very basic business mistake… if a customer or potential one thinks they are being ignored… what do they do?  In this day and age they not only walk away but they also tell everyone – publicly…

One of the fantastic freemium or low cost products on the market is Hyper Alerts which will email you regularly the comments on pages.  So you have no excuse to miss updates on the fanpage or not respond to customers – especially those who have had a bad experience.  A bad customer experience handled well can turn that person in to one of your most loyal fans – handled badly and they can become a PR disaster.

Another very easy win for any company is collecting the email addresses of the people visiting the page.  There are sophisticated data collection techniques that will give you the email addresses of the people who have liked the page but unless you have specifically said you will email them in the app and they are happy with that then you cannot the information.  A better way is to have an opt-in form which is even better if it has an autoresponder sequence of emails behind it with useful and helpful information for those who opt-in and hand over their email – is it not far better to have a list of engaged individuals who have willingly supplied their details to you than scraping the emails of every man and his dog (yes there are dogs with facebook accounts) who has ever liked your page?

This concept of data capture seems to be an issue for some of the bigger brands… and they are really missing out by not using it.  A very simple app on the page will create a very focused list of potential clients for them yet they leave this clever marketing to the smaller companies who are simply transferring the idea from their websites where they have been using it to great effect.

The reward must be worth the effort as more and more places are now trying to get people on their lists so offer something worthwhile.

Recent research is showing that only 30% of people liking your page are there to be associated with your brand… the rest want something… probably a discount.  We are in a very interesting economy now to that is not really a surprise, especially if your brand is a premium one and they want to keep using it but will happily take the discounts if they can get them rather than changing to a cheaper one.

As the rewards are public it is a very good idea to do this as their friends (and maybe even friends of friends) have the possibility of seeing it and may not have even thought about using the brand but the power of their peers may be powerful enough to get them across to the page to take a look and if they like what they see they may be inclined to try it when they want to buy.

If apps are being created to get people to do things, be aware that most people are wise to those very viral apps that spam all of their friends and the backlash from this is not worth creating the app in the first place and the cost can be massive.  Create something simple and to the point to get the message across that gives them the option of turning on and off some sections as facebook will allow them to hide the app activity anyway so why create potential headaches for yourself by opening can of worms?

Many brands think that big apps mean more engagement… this is not necessarily the case.  The more hoops people have to jump through and the less they will.  Simple works best.  The Ford brand page has some simple apps on the page and actually they are not very pretty – but they do the job very well.  By asking people to share their experiences and pictures and posting as the page to thank them they are creating a page people want to be seen on and that is as important as what the page is trying to get out there.

The page works well on several levels, not only is showing how proud it is of their brand but they are also bringing in emotion and people and it has tagged all the people in the cover picture!  We love our cars and showing them off, some of them have been restored and the pride shared with that is incredible and very emotional for some people and also invokes memory of what happened in the past.  These are very powerful tools to use.  The page also encourages creativity and some of the pictures are being shared an incredible number of times which gets more people to see the posts and in turn gets more interested people to come and look.  The more people like and comment on the pictures and video the higher the rank of the page is and the more likely it is that it be seen in the Top News in the feed… which again gives a whole new audience who have the opportunity of joining in.  This kind of post will extend the life of the picture which again increases the rank of the page.  A massive circle is you like that goes through the filters of those it passes and pulls in interested people.

Sadly many brand pages are just not getting this and are simply using the pages as place to sell which if you are a brand such as ASOS you can almost get away with but for most those you have liked the page will very soon turn off the updates from it or even unlike it.  Social media is not a broadcast mechanism it is a place to learn, chat, communicate, engage and virally share content.  When used well it will more than pay for itself on many levels from brand exposure to increases in sales.  When used badly it is a pointless exercise best left to those who will not use it like a 24/7 sales channel or a gym members that they visit when they remember.

Look after those who join in your conversations… it’s easier than you think if you think not only digitally but like your customer.  Oooh and I almost forgot NEVER delete comments UNLESS they contain very nasty language or sexist, racist stuff… you will suffer a massive backlash and if you have an issue with trolls or people you can never ever please no matter how hard you try – set a time limit on their abuse and then ban them… you have been very patient and understanding as well as helpful and it’s time to pull the plug…

Which big brands do you think are getting it right on facebook?  Or is someone seriously screwing up?  Share, we’d love to have a look…

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English: Mashable.com logo as of late 2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well tonight I created a bit of a furore by deigning to say what I thought about a networking event associated with Mashable and Motorola.  Well of course expectations are high when those names are bandied about but when it is more a free bar than an actual event it gets more and more bizarre.

When you get this as the intro ” Message from Mashable:

We’re thrilled to celebrate Mashable’s third annual Social Media Day! We launched the event in 2010 as a way to recognize the digital revolution happening right before our eyes. We invite you to join fellow social media enthusiasts by hosting or attending a Social Media Day Meetup in your area. ”

So what do you expect from this?  Well at the very least some sociable, maybe a bit of tech, a savvy speaker or two and possibly something inspiring and forward thinking.

So find the venue is a good start and the uninspiring metal door wasn’t a good start.. but hey things can look different on the inside… so follow the hand written instructions on a page of A4 and the door is opened by a buzzer.. to be greeted by 102 steps to the top floor (I counted them on the way back down)… and a note I found amusing taped to the wall saying nearly there on the floor below… sign in is a hand written a4 sheet to add your email and name to (all very high tech) and a hi, but despite trying to start a conversation there was no this is here that is there and our format will be… although a nice girl did offer me a drink, which was sadly all alcoholic.

Off to find a bar and wander around and I made a call at the back of the fantastic roof garden.  Despite being in the gods the venue was cool and would love to look at it for a future event.  The bar and nibbles were free and some people took great advantage of this and that seemed to be all they were there for but then that often happens.  I did expect the 100 or so people who registered to turn up, especially when the bar was free but about half did.

The music in the main room was too loud, or am I getting old? People who came in seemed to stay in the cliques they came in or knew someone there, so for those who turned up knowing no one there were quiet corners you can hope to meet people in.  Sadly the garden area was ruined by smokers, I know that is not a thing to say in front of those who are vehement in their right to pollute the air, as you can see I dislike it.  I do agree they should be able to do whatever they wish – just not to the detriment of those who don’t.

I still have no idea who the organisers were as no one introduced themselves.  I did however have a few really nice conversations with some people who were very nice and all seemed to think the same as me, which is always a good thing, but it did have to be forced and some ways of breaking the ice for some people would have been nice.

I have been to thousands of events in the past 25 years or so and organised quite a few too and this was almost bizarre in its oddness. Even worse was the responses to comment I left on the meetup page…

“What a disappointment, for those of you who registered & didn’t bother showing up u missed nothing… probably the oddest most unsociable network event ever, cliquey & not worth the 102 steps to the top (but the venue was fab), loud music in the main arena & smokers dominating the fantastic open space at the rear as a motorola and mashable event it needed to have something other than red candle holders & chocolate… sorry guys… u didn’t help people feel at ease or encourage conversations.”

Being accused of needing to grow up by someone who could have done with the same advice given their (I am guessing) alcohol infused behaviour is interesting.  Having someone say don’t say anything unless it is good and then feedback both good and bad are acceptable is also a little bizarre but hey this is a very strange event so anything seems to go.  Anyway you can read the comments for yourself here and see what others thought and who signed up.

Obviously every event is what you make of it, and I think it is very difficult to have something to please everyone but when you are using one of the most recognised and respected names in the social media world you really should live up to their reputation.

As a free bar goes it worked very well… as an event for celebrating social media day.. well you can tell what I think… what about you?

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Social media is not a magic bullet.  It is not an instant brand builder that will flood your switchboard with customers snatching your hand off for your goods and services.  Like everything, sales take time.  If you think social media will turn around your failing business in an instant then stop using it.

Like all advertising, it takes time… to build relationships between you and your potential customer.  They need to trust you or someone advocating what you do.  They may not even feel ready for your product right this minute… only 3% are potentially in the market now… but… they could be interested in the future.  If you want sales tomorrow you should have started the process some considerable time ago to get yourself in the right place at the right time.

But it is not a platform for you to pump out every product your businesses offers and expect customers to magically appear.  Constantly selling on-line is the quickest way to turn off those around you and will result in few, if any, sales…

Social media helps you do that but you must be using it little and often.  Posting updates, publicly helping people, sharing content from your interest pool and even in your business world and keep yourself in the minds of those around you will all help.

Now you may strike gold and your blog is picked up and turns very quickly in to work… if it is written well and ranks in Google there is no reason you will not be found for your area of expertise and social media platforms can certainly help you get your business blog up there.  But more likley you will need to spend time connecting with people who will become great business builders for you first.

Start connecting with customers you already have as they are much more likely to share their experiences with their peers and give your business a positive boost on-line.  We are much more likely to believe what others say than what a company shouts.  Ask for testimonials on LinkedIn and use them in other places such as your facebook fanpage or on your website and blog.

Use something like commun.it to see which of your connections are the most chatty on twitter and make sure you keep in touch with them.  You need all the friends you can get on social media to share your content and to tell others what they think about your business offerings.  This is a nifty social media tool that shows you interactions and your top sharers.  There is a free and a premium version (but even that is only $5 a month).

You also need to allocate time, just because most social media is completely free time isn’t and you do need to allocate time to update your social media platforms or don’t bother signing up.  There is nothing worse than a completely empty facebook fanpage or a twitter stream that was last updated 6 months ago.  You customers may think you business is no longer trading and you may as well have if you are not foremost in their mind for what you do.

A simple social media strategy and some automation tricks will help you get something out all of the time, even when you are busy and even going on holiday.  Blogs can be scheduled, as can tweets, linkedin and facebook posts, however you will need to interact with people you join in so make sure you can track what is happening.

If you need a hand get in touch, we have a free 20 minute consultation which could help your business get something special using social media for business.

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Word of Mouth – Visualized (Photo credit: mvellandi)

If your customers like what you do they will share with people around them anyway and we all know that’s the best form of advertising – right?  On the flip side if they don’t like it they will undoubtedly share even more… that’s how word of mouth works… with the internet this has a massively magnified effect… so what if you could get them to share more at low or no cost to you?  Try this…

If you have a building that people visit you are absolutely bonkers not using geo location tagging such as facebook places and foursquare to advertise it.  So how does it work?  Well let’s give you a few recent examples… and share how they could have got more out of it…

I went to see Rock of Ages at the Theatre on the 8th with hubby and checked in there.  I also took a picture and when I posted said it was an anniversary present to him.  I have done several things here… I have sown a few seeds about a great present for an anniversary… I have mentioned a theatre trip for an 80s themed event that has current popular celebrities (which also has a film just released to compare it with) and may prompt those musical lovers out there to do a search and I have shared the lot… giving FREE publicity to the theatre and the production to my 1,000 or so facebook friends, 650 or so facebook subscribers and 2,800 twitter followers…  oh and the 700 or so people connected to me on foursquare too… now even if a tiny % of people pick up on something that’s a heck of a lot of potential conversation starters.

So think what could happen if you use the power of #wom or word of mouth marketing and give an incentive?  By checking in on foursquare your customers are saying you are great (unless of course they are checking in to say how rubbish you are in which case you have different issues to overcome…).  If you offer a free drink or a ticket for another visit to the mayor or some other added value service for people sharing with their network do you think they would?  All it takes is a sign up on the entrance or in other easy to spot locations and you will be surprised at just how many people will do it.

Simple reminders of things people have enjoyed are very powerful emotions to stir… and let’s face it – theatre visits are usually uplifting and special so by tapping in to the emotion you have a very powerful stimulant working in your favour which is boosted by the #wom and viral sharing.

Even your staff can help by checking in and sharing with their friends… you would be surprised at the reach they have between them… and you may spot a tendency to become a little competetive as they are most likely to nab the mayor slot… and will want to take it off each other.

You will find that people check in and leave tips – such as the best place to eat around the area or the best view of the stage, join in an answer them – they have started a conversation with you and it’s rude to ignore them.  I am sure they would be delighted to have someone from the venue join in the conversation, wouldn’t you?

I also visited my local gym yesterday and started a week membership to see if I like it.  This is a local business and as  local person it is likely to resonate with those local to me.  There were about 30 people there… and none of them had been encouraged to check in…. if only 10% of the average facebook connections to each of those people saw it that is 13 x 30…. and if it was regular it is like a subliminal message and when someone decided to have a crack at a gym they already know where to go, because their brain has filtered the information that went past and stored it for a later date.  This is also were word of mouth comes in again… if it is good enough for your friend isn’t it good enough for you too?  Especially if you see they go regularly?

Checkins are fantastic ways to grow your business and if you sign up with foursquare you can bypass the wait system by paying 10 dollars – this allows you to start advertising offers and incentives straight away and get your business on the map.. after all when people start checking in at other businesses in the area – yours will show up… it even shows up facebook places too.. so what are you waiting for?  Isn’t it time you supercharged your #wom marketing?

Let us know how you get on and share your thoughts below and if you need a hand – we have a consultant who can help you and here’s a video that will help you get started on foursquare…

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No this is not a spammy, link-filled piece on how to make money on-line using social media… it is a few pointers help you get you and your business found on-line by a few simple techniques and advice so if you wanted a get rich quick scheme…. sorry… there are no magic bullets in social media!

1.  Show the world who you are, what you do and where you are… on Twitter

In your twitter Bio you have 160 characters… have you wasted yours?  Your bio is searchable not only in twitter but also in loads of apps developed to make twitter a better experience.  If you have missed out the fundamental things you are really not making yourself easy to find.  Have a play and see what you can do to improve being found more on this very powerful platform.  Do not forget to add where you are as this is probably the most important thing on there for searches.

2.  Do you come up for what you do and where you are in LinkedIn?

If not, you should have a quick look at this video and see how you can improve this… How many times a day are you coming up in the searches?  How many times are people clicking through and checking you out?  The more times you come up the more chances you have of someone taking a peek and if they like what they see they could take it that step further… and there are loads of businesses partnering up and creating great joint venture partnerships that make you both money.  We see this happening all the time and loads of businesses who have been on our training are sharing great success stories about it.

3.  Are you using your facebook account well?

Forget B2B and B2C you are now P2P, that’s person to person and what is behind every great company?  The chances are some of the people you are likely to do business with are on facebook and in a mood to chat.  No gate keepers, no meeting constraints and no problems if you connect in the right way.  many people have their accounts wide open so the world can see it, mainly because they have no idea how to lock it down.  If you do a quick search of people you want to connect with for business see who you are connected to who actually knows them and see what their likes and interests are.  You may find you have more in common than you thought.  They are much more likely to say yes to a friend connection if you are connected to someone they know and if you take the time to send a personal message to them.  You may even suggest something you think would help them.. like a link to a video that helps them lock down their account is a start…

4.  Foursquare is coming along in leaps and bounds…

You can now get your business listed straight away for just $10 dollars, which means you can start adding offers and incentives to get people to advertise your business to all their facebook and twitter friends when they check in.  That’s got to be worth an added value incentive don’t you think?  We don’t recommend discounting.. but rewarding people is a great thing – especially when they share it to the world.  This may give you a bit more information on how foursquare can help you get more business.  Your business will be found by people checking in at other places and if it has an offer on it – then you get to the top… these people may be out of your network but have just found you… and may even need what you do.. so make it easy for them and for $10 dollars I would be delighted for people using foursquare to share my business with their friends and connections… how powerful is that if you are a local business?

5.  Use video… 

You are much more likely to rank in Google with a video than text – get your keywords right and make sure it says where you are in your keywords and title and go for it… we like video and once you have posted it to youtube you van embed it (like we have here) and share it on other platforms… get people to like what you are posting and they tend to subscribe (which posts your content on their youtube wall…. starting a viral thing going) and it doesn’t need to be expensive… get your iphones and flipcams out and just do it… and if you don’t like being on screen do what I do and use video capture software to record what you are doing or even a powerpoint presentation!  Here is a quick strategy tip for your video stuff…

Now how do all of the above make you money using social media?  Well, if you just do them and nothing else you will get some interest and be found more… which could give you more business… BUT if you make a concerted effort and use your social media platforms better you will soon find your telephone is ringing much more…

do DAILY posts on facebook and twitter – nothing serious and certainly not a link to look at my special offers every 5 minutes… join in conversations and post pictures and videos you think will help people… and watch how many new friends and connections you start getting… the more engaged and audience you have, the wider the reach.  People also have very short memories and unless they remember you they have no hope of remembering what you do.  People are very sociable creatures and naturally share and if they spot someone needing what you do they will… if they have you in their short term memory bank… so make them smile and think and they are much more likely to.

do WEEKLY blogs – get your thoughts together and create a 500 word blog post on wordpress, posterous or blogger and start showing the world you are not only what you say on the tine but also the go to expert in your field.  The competition won’t get a look in within your area (back to location again – I really can’t emphasise just how important this is on-line)… Google loves local references so make sure you get plenty of those in…  If you get stuck on what to write ask someone to guest blog for you…

do a MONTHLY catch up… make sure you have checked your twitter account and followed relevant people who have started listening to you, back up your social media accounts and get shot of the stuff in your inbox that is taking your valuable time… unsubscribe from stuff you are not listening too and focus on what is grabbing your attention.  You will find you now have MORE time to actually do some social media stuff.

Remember social media is not to be used like a gym membership… a mad dash in the beginning and then nothing til a renewal date reminder…. little and often and be consistent… not only in how often you use it but also in what you share and who you – it is much easier to be who you are on-line than pretend because the BIGGEST way of making money on social media is teaming up with the people you have grown to trust and who reciprocate this… and if you are not the person they met on-line you have wasted all that time and even worse… they will share… publicly!

Social media is not a magic bullet but it is a phenomenally powerful platform for you to find people and be found for your business… by what you say and where you say it… as well as the most powerful weapon any business can use… which is word of mouth.  Make a few tweaks and start some conversations and then come and share your wins!  Any issues just ask…

5_DSC7781_3872_x_2592 (Photo credit: foxgrrl)

It may have bypassed you that LinkedIn (the last bastion of business to business old boys networking) had its platform hacked and millions of passwords were revealed this week…  despite making prime time tv and all the newspapers.. with that in mind are you looking after your social social assets the best you can?

With the plethora of platforms on-line it is a very easy opt out to use the same password for every social media site – which is probably not the best thing you could be doing.  We also tend to use the same usernames wherever possible so you are just handing over the keys to your social media safe of contacts and data to anyone who manages to hack just one… if they so desired.

Fortunately I was not one of the ones who received an email suggesting I had been compromised and needed to change my LinkedIn password… were you?  However I have included a video on how to change yours below.

I would suggest a system for creating a password… something at the beginning that only you know, followed by something identifying the site and some numbers.  That makes it long enough to be difficult to guess now of course that won’t stop the hackers who got the lot but it does protect your other platforms as they will not have the same one.

We spend a very long time creating our social connections on-line and I do recommend you back them up regularly but protecting them by something so simple is a real no brainer too.

On twitter you will often see direct messages suggesting there are some nasty videos, blog posts or pictures of you which is a sure sign the sender has been hacked – do not click through on the link or even worse divulge your password as you will be hacked too and have just shared your login with a spammer or hacker… only use oath systems to do it… in fact I would go further to say use twitter’s login system where you have a choice as it is less intrusive and more stable.

If you think you may be at risk, but have no idea where to start then why not look at the videos below to see how to change your passwords… it’s far better to get your security sorted before it is too late.  If your facebook account is hacked by spammers and they go on a rampage you do risk losing the account.

I do wonder what the spammers hope to gain from their mindless madness… after all the majority of content is public knowledge, but I guess they are making us think about security which we should all think about.  Of course we should always be mindful of what we share on-line too in this world of transparency as those with a criminal bent have much more chance of stealing our identities the more they know about us… however that is just scaremongering and I believe we will find more and more activities taking place on-line so we should be thinking more about our on-line security settings and taking the few simple steps suggested to look after ourselves.  It is a pain to have to reset passwords for forgetting them but if we have a system we shouldn’t have too much difficulty… anyone had any massive problems with security on-line?

xxxxxxxxxx facebook to come…

Related articles

• LinkedIn hacked, confirms 6.4 million passwords ‘compromised’(todayonline.com)

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• Hacked? 4 Security Messages for LinkedIn Members(prnewsonline.com)

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Use the internet’s most powerful free tools to build your business!

Not getting social media?
Scared to be on-line because you are not sure what buttons to press?
Not sure how to find the people around you?
Really can’t get to grips with how powerful this is?

Don’t worry – we’ve been using it for over 20 years between us which is more than enough time to see how it has grown in to an amazing place that you can easily handle and use to great effect.

Starting from scratch, Social Media Speakers and Trainers, Dave Griffin and Amanda Hill will share the tips and tricks to get your Facebook Page being used for more than just chatting to your friends, find useful contacts on LinkedIn, position yourself as an expert in your field using blogging techniques and connect with useful contacts on Twitter…

We have picked the top 5 facebook, twitter, linkedin, youtube and blogging to get you started and added in pinterest and geo tagging as well as google and mailchimp…

If you haven’t heard about social media this past year – where the heck have you been?  facebook  is now the first place people are searching for your goods and services so you really should be there!

We will cover the basics of facebook, linkedin, twitter and touch on youtube as well as use a great dashboard to drive them all from…  we have also realised you need help getting started blogging so we’ve added it in the mix to start you sharing your own (or someone else’s) content and talk about what you want to be found for.

This is a hands-on course, you must have a laptop (and don’t forget your charger), lunch is provided.  We will need you to set up your accounts before the lesson as it is a very intensive day. Let us know if you have an specific needs or dietary requirements.

This course has been written by a teacher trained social media user with over 14 years experience so you will be assured of quality learning and classes are limited.  It is aimed at those wishing to get a better understanding of the basics of social media for a role within their own business or for their boss or for those who want to get started in a new business of their own.

On this course you will cover:

The Basics – getting started and overview  on facebook, twitter, linkedin, youtube, wordpress and hootsuite including:

·       The Wall & Newsfeed                                           

·       Business v Personal                                                    

·       Privacy Settings                                                           

·       Usernames                                                                   

·       Notifications                                                                  

·       Finding & Accepting Friends & Pages                      

·       Lists & Groups                                                              

·       Events                                                                           

·       Likes & liking
·       Posting video, pictures & links                                   
·       Scheduling

Twitter bios and their importance, how to be found, how to use #tags, how to delete posts as well as what to talk about and where to find help

How to add your goods and services on the best business to business on-line location and ensure you are found for what you do on there.

Why Youtube is so important in your social media strategy and how to brand it to attract your target market

Why hootsuite is absolutely the best way of getting more hours out of your day and maintain a social media presence even when you are busy

You will learn how to use wordpress and post content, change themes, add social media and plugins… and how to find content to blog about as well as why it is important for your business…

As well as…

* Get you up & running using social media for more than chatting.

* Show you how Local businesses can really benefit from using this powerful tool

* Suggest ways you can top the searches for your niche market

* Help you discover how to find contacts, contracts and collaborators and when they are likley to be on-line

Let’s face it over 900 million people can’t be wrong, can they?  

The Social Media Cafe has helped hundreds of businesses get to grips with using techniques honed over the past 14 years of on-line marketing… these great social media tools really are an asset and only take time and a little savvy know-how to get your strategy started and get you engaging with the market you didn’t know was on your doorstep!  We have helped with the first University degree at The University of Glamorgan and Oxford University as guest lecturers as well as joint venturing with digital and advertising agencies.

Don’t take our word for it… here are a few of our recent students….

These are just a few of the testimonials received at The Social Media Cafe.

Get booked in… places are limited.. to make it easier for you to learn…

If you have any questions get in touch.  Don’t forget to let your friends know about our great training courses… you always need a marketing buddy on-line and it’s much more fun to learn with friends around you.

Look out for our social media strategy course to help you work smarter not harder and develop your social media strategy to a new level.

Related articles

• #freebies @ The business show #businesshow Stand 971(amanda-hill.org.uk)

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This is what we are giving away…

1. A fabulous wordpress plugin for finding creative commons license pics and links
2. A great site to help you colour match your on-line creativitity
3. FREE video production software
4. FREE software to create amazing facebook cover pages and icons as well as edit anything using layers
5. FREE posting software that will post your social media updates at the optimum time for your fans
6. FREE social media management software
7. Amazing accounts software for FREE
8. FREE programme to find out what your customers think
9. FREE Trial of a first class crm programme
10. FREE Email marketing software
11. and our Get seen using Google course…. for FREE

Hope you enjoyed it…

The Social Media Cafe Team