tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62406049366000371392024-03-18T05:11:04.903-04:00The Net Workers Apprentice Work ShopThe purpose of this Blog is to help those individuals who are striving to become great "word of mouth" net workers grow their businesses. If you want to learn how to provide superior 60 second commercials (sale manager minutes), do great 10 minute presentations (show case presentations), get the most out of your 1-2-1 meetings and be able to work a room like a pro, then this blog is for you. Explore enjoy and tell us what you think. Let us know how we can help you!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-78541146119671403022017-11-10T13:35:00.000-05:002019-05-30T12:55:13.553-04:0015 Ways Social Media Can Build Your Business and Credibility<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCKilgIX1uMgCFQP3HgodXtEL-Q" href="https://pixabay.com/en/social-network-tree-app-structure-426454/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">pixabay.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">By Hector Cisneros</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Social Networks are the fastest evolving media in the world. In less than a dozen years, it has gone from relative obscurity to internet dominance. Today, any business that ignores <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social media">social media</a> does so at its own peril. Social networking and Social media have become integral to internet marketing, business and social communications. Most importantly, it has changed the dynamic of what advertisers can say, do and get away with. No longer can businesses get away with touting poor products as the latest and greatest. Businesses can’t continue to provide poor customer service and expect to keep it under wraps. Today social networks allow consumers to spread good or bad news at the speed of the internet. Businesses have to be proactive using social networks to stay ahead of the competition and any bad news that may escape into the social “network-sphere”. This article will provide 15 reasons why every business needs to proactively be using social media to win the hearts and minds of the consuming public. They will be listed in descending order of importance (as chosen by me) to help you see the big picture. So let the countdown</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"> begin.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCMTT49D1uMgCFQLSHgodwzsPbQ" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jasonahowie/8583949219" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>15. Social networks are mobile friendly!</b>Most of the top social networks have apps to allow users to interact and engage in mobile social networking. As a matter of fact, the mobile market accounts for 60 percent of all internet traffic. Add to this the fact that most mobile social apps are phone friendly. If a mobile user wants to inquire or buy something, it’s just a touch away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>14. Social Media provides back-links to your other web properties.</b> This helps your <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Search engine optimization">SEO</a> efforts by providing relevant and current backlinks to your websites. Social posts that are keyword optimized, relevant and timely, will improve your ranking if they are positive, commented on and shared. On top of that, every post counts as a separate backlink! These links can also rank high on search engines, especially if they are optimized for evergreen subjects or topics that are trending. All posts made to social nets (<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Twitter">Twitter</a>,<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn,</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Facebook">Facebook</a>, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="YouTube">YouTube</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogger_%28service%29" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Blogger (service)">Blogger</a> and many others) all produce backlinks for your websites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>13. Social Networks can improve Organic Search Ranking.</b> For the most part, Google keeps secret its organic search ranking algorithms. However, they often talk in general terms and have publicly stated that social media plays a very important role in their ranking system. Google’s own spokesmen and several studies, bear this out. We believe that out of the top ten ranking factors, a majority of them involve social networks in some way shape or form. This is especially true when you realize that every social post is a backlink to your web properties. It also falls in line with the understanding that social rating, sharing, and commenting all play a factor in producing the “best user search experience”, which is what google say’s is the ultimate goal of their search engine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCJi98pz2uMgCFUhWHgodBUoFwQ" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/luc/1659321885" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>12. Social Networks can also produce traffic independently of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Google">Google search</a>.</b>This traffic can be created both organically or through Pay per Click. Many businesses advertises via Pay per Click marketing, and even though this works well for many businesses, it’s no longer the only game in town. You can engage in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_per_click" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Pay per click">PPC marketing</a> right in most of the top social networks. These include Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter etc. Most importantly, your social site can produce traffic directly to your landing pages. Social post and provide marketing messages directing prospects and clients to web pages that provide detailed information or even sell a product or service. All social networks allow you to insert URL links diverting traffic from the social site to your designated landing page.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>11. You can sell directly on your social sites.</b> Let’s make this perfectly clear. Social sites are websites! Whether it’s Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Blogger, social sites are also websites and many today allow you to program then in ways that allow you can add links to your shopping carts or have shopping carts embedded directly on the social pages. The primary difference between selling on your “website” and your social site is that you don’t own or pay for the use of the social site. You may own the content, but in most cases you are not paying rent to Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogger or any other social site for hosting. There are some technical limitations on social sites but those restrictions, no longer prohibit selling on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCNCC1OH2uMgCFci4HgoduEEJxQ" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/toprankblog/4618683399" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>10. Social post can show up in organic search – quickly!</b> One of the most amazing things about a social post is that it has a life of its own. Most are familiar with the term going viral. Going viral often starts with a social post showing up on page one of Google search. This then leads to trending which in turn feeds the cycle into going viral. We have seen many comments and post from Google+, Blogger, Twitter and LinkedIn show up on page one of Google search. A high quality, well keyword optimized post can often outperform other types of web pages in organic search.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>9. Social networks have become the go to platform for new product launches.</b> Many of the automobile manufacturers, movie production companies, music artists and large manufactures all announce their latest products on social media. They do this because, they can reach a huge number of people quickly and for the most part, at a low cost. Obviously they also do press releases, run PPC campaigns and a whole horde of regular media ads, but the initial launch often happens in social media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>8. Social media is the go to platform for major public announcements.</b>Most, if not all political candidates make major announcements via social media. Sometimes these announcements are posted during simulcast live events, but more often than not, they tweet to Twitter or post to Instagram just before they make the TV announcement. Also, many of our emergency announcements are broadcast on social media and most news outlets leak announcement’s in social media while providing links back to their regular media websites to create traffic for their stories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCP-0i5X4uMgCFcReHgodiIANKQ" href="https://pixabay.com/en/photos/logo/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">pixabay.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>7. Social media is a subtle form of touch marketing.</b> Staying in contact with your clients and prospects on a regular basis with helpful tips and useful information is a great way to build trust, credibility and strengthen the relationship. Clients and prospects learn to look forward to your communications. By providing useful, interesting, funny or entertaining messages via your post, you stay top of mind with clients and prospects. And because you are providing the most useful information, it will allow you to sneak in an occasional subtle commercial without ruffling your follower’s feathers. Since these prospects are connected via your social network, you have access to their contact information. This also allows you to engage in none social network touch marketing vie newsletters or even snail mail. Because you have built trust by providing useful information, all of your touch marketing will be much more effective. If you respect your follower’s time, interests and privacy by providing them with high quality, useful information that they care about, they will reward you with loyalty and patronage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>6. Social media provides real client engagement; no other media does this so well. </b>There is no question that social networks provide the best way to engage your clients and prospects. No other media can provide such a quick and direct way to communicate with clients. When a customer makes a comment on one of your posts, you can quickly speak directly to them by answering or commenting on their post. You can even see if they are online and invite them to chat with you outside of the news feed. You can even invite them to take part in a private phone conversation. There are other chat and direct response services out there that can help improve this kind of interaction. Few are free to use and are not part of the built in culture of Social Networks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="http://tubking.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Tubking.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>5. Using social media provides a way to encourage positive ratings.</b> Positive ratings are very important to Googles search ranking algorithm. There is no better way to quickly improve your ranking that to garner a bunch (a couple of dozen) of five star ratings from your happy customers. If you’re not encouraging clients to post their positive rating to Facebook, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, Yelp, Merchant Circle and other sites, you’re missing the boat. Make sure you have a process in place to encourage clients to take the time to post positive ratings. Also, don’t forget to create a way to deal with negative posts as well. Sooner or later, it will happen and if you have a procedure that turns limes into lemonade, a negative post can turn into positive stories that garner more customers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>4. Social networks provide psychographic and demographic information on your target market!</b> Facebook provides psycho-graphic and demographic profiles on its followers. To a great extent you can target prospects on LinkedIn with great precision. Subscriber profiles on Twitter and many other social networks allow you to search for and target specific industries’, zip codes, interest and much more. Your ability to target subscribers via their profile is one of the main differences between a social media Pay per Click programs and a search Engine pay per click program. With search engine targeting, you are selecting a specific demographic and keyword. With social media you are targeting their psychographic information and keyword. This can be much more specific and powerful. Also, when a person likes, favors or follows your social page, it's a tacit, if not an overt endorsement of you, your product or company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://pixabay.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Pixabay.com</a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>3. You can build a highly targeted audience. </b>Since you have so many targeting options in social media, you can cater to and build a very target audience. No shotgun approach needed here. Want to target fly fishing aficionados, people who love river cruises, or those who are Marvel comic fans. You just fire up your psychographic targeted pay per click campaign and invite them to follow your social site. Once there, you offer up content that is specifically designed to fill their industry specific, ideological or psycho-social object of their affections. When they land on the social site of their dreams, they will follow without question and you will in turn capture their contact data with ease.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>2. Social networks provide a huge fishing pond to prospect in! </b>Facebook is the number two destination on the internet. With 1.2 billion+ subscribers that cross all walks of life. If you added all the subscribers for Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Blogger and YouTube, you would end up with a number that probably comes close to half the population of earth. Ninety eight percent of all social networks are basically free to use. Granted, there is some overlap, but even a conservative estimate of users would still be more than 2 billion people no matter what!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCJDItan3uMgCFcfSHgodzbwGKg" href="http://garysteinblog.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">garysteinblog.blogspot.com</span></span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><b>1. Word of mouth marketing is number One!</b>Ask any business owner what’s the best form of advertising and they will say word of mouth. They will say that there is nothing like a customer’s endorsement of their product or service. It's the number one way to share and build real credibility. When any advertisement runs, it’s recognized as a commercial. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Today the average person believes that ads provide exaggerated claims and are deceptive in nature. On the other hand, when a person mentions how great your product or service is, that endorsement is considered a testimonial. Word of mouth is perceived as the absolute truth and is priceless! Here's the bottom line - Social Networking is Electronic Word of Mouth. It puts word of mouth on steroids, where both good and bad news travels at the speed of the internet. Both good and bad can go viral and both good and bad messages can create a life of their own!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Social media marketing is extremely powerful. Yet many businesses don’t engage in it because it is labor intensive and needs to be managed on a daily basis. Social media marketing is relatively simple, but it isn’t easy. Monitoring social post for mentions, researching curated content, writing and publishing authoritative content, engaging and managing followers is a full time job. Having said this, it's common knowledge that word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising there is. Social Networking is all about word of mouth. It's word of mouth at the speed of the internet. It can provide exponential growth and sales for those companies who are willing to take on the challenge! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">In this article I have shared 15 powerful reasons why you should be engaged in Social Media marketing. It’s becoming a vital part of every businesses internet presence. The truth is this; even if you’re not using Social Media, your clients and prospects are, and they are talking about your product or service whether you know it or not. Social word of mouth can help you grow or kill you dead, quickly. If you are not managing this part of your marketing, you’re vulnerable, and it can have a life of its own! If you want to have a semblance of control and the ability to steer your brand message, you will have to be proactive with your social marketing, your audience and your brand. Not using social media today is like being an ostrich with its head in the sand, just before the lion waltz’s in for dinner. This article was first published in the blog called <a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">That’s my opinion, I look forward to hearing yours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">If you found this article useful please share it with your friends, family and co-workers. If you have a comment or a different opinion, join the conversation by adding it to the comment section below. I recommend checking out "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/01/understanding-difference-between.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Understanding the Difference Between Branding, Marketing and Advertising</a>" or "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-to-create-your-unique-selling.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Create Your Unique Selling Proposition (AKA USP)</a>" and " <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-ideal.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">The Ultimate Guide to Creating an Ideal Customer Profile</a>". You can also search for other related articles by typing in “social media or social networking” in the search box at the top of this blog.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</span></i>Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com411Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-53004650232207026842017-11-03T13:30:00.000-04:002019-05-30T12:55:29.638-04:00The Magic of Using a Cloud-Based Calendar<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpktWa0NQEsnzXWcoS_Fq9c4H_sjOuSf6KEWwvR4fiW2jISszjwfG965nuBSflvv4XIEl7oMLNiUWSIDlNmQIDYAIJAQ-poyKyybm-a5yrD9amTIq6k_X06-7ixjKENa1ZQ-1PQ6bzGIF/s1600/Event_Wall_Calendar+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpktWa0NQEsnzXWcoS_Fq9c4H_sjOuSf6KEWwvR4fiW2jISszjwfG965nuBSflvv4XIEl7oMLNiUWSIDlNmQIDYAIJAQ-poyKyybm-a5yrD9amTIq6k_X06-7ixjKENa1ZQ-1PQ6bzGIF/s200/Event_Wall_Calendar+%25281%2529.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a><b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">BY Hector Cisneros<o:p></o:p></span></i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If you could find a tool that would increase your efficiency for work, add more to your play time and just make your life better. No, it’s not your smartphone, (although you have an app for one), it's a calendar. The magic of the calendar has transformed human civilization from unorganized tribes to a civilization that builds city and nations. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore how calendars have allowed humankind to organize itself into a civilization of 8 billion souls. We will explore how a calendar can help you organize and communicate better in business and your personal life. We will look at some of the best cloud-based products and provide tips on how to make the most your calendar. So, let’s get started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendar#Modern_reforms" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Short History of Calendars</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">For the most part,</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> calendars evolved because people began recording the lunar and solar <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span style="color: blue;"> <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjy4aHykMzQAhXMSSYKHaezBugQjB0IBg" href="https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;">Wikipedia</span></a></span></td></tr>
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cycles to track and understand when the seasons would change. The first recorded calendar goes back to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">bronze age</a> when writing and metallurgy were first developed. Over the years there have been many types of calendars including the mostly lunisolar of the Babylonian, Zoroastrian, Hebrew, Hellenic, Hindu, and Roman. Julius Caesar was first to set a calendar based on an algorithm that added a leap day every four years. Today’s calendar is based on the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Gregorian calendar">Gregorian calendar</a>introduced in 1582.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">So why is a calendar so important.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Without the invention of the calendar, we would not have developed many of the things we identify with modern human existence. Agriculture, commerce, seasonal celebrations. Calendars have been an important tool of humankind for thousands. It allows us to plan our time, task, events and much more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Today using a cloud-based calendar makes it much easier to organize, share and communicate your schedule than ever before. Let’s look at some of the top players in the marketplace today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Top Group Calendars you can use.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiMgMGWkczQAhUDKiYKHdjLDikQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobiaseigen/2544822408" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/2465776?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Google Calendar</a> - Google ‘s Calendar is part of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Google">Google’s</a> G suite of Googles Cloud products. It is highly integrated with Google Drive, is feature rich and a mature product as far as cloud products can be. I am a strong proponent of Google’s G suite of products. I love Google’s Calendar because it can do so many things. It can be enhanced by many third party apps and plug-ins and is, in my opinion, the top product in its class. Having said this, I want you to know that Microsoft’s Outlook and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc." rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Apple Inc.">Apple’s</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICloud" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="ICloud">iCloud</a> are both considered top of category products by many. They are also feature-rich, and both have many overlapping features and benefits. I suggest you use my list of Google Calendar features as a checklist for any calendar system you're looking to adopt. Also, make sure you take the time to vet any add-ons and that you do your due diligence by reading the additional articles linked here. Articles I recommend reading are <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/google-calendar-tips#sm.001h82pz213f4erds0v1jl9hg79fv" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">16 Little-Known Google Calendar Features That'll Make You More Productive</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">, </span><a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/awesome-google-calendar-features/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">10 Awesome Google Calendar Features That You Should Try</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"> </span>and <a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/9-google-calendar-features-using/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">9 Google Calendar Features You Should Be Using</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">.</span> The last article I would like you to read is one by Melanie Pinola. In her article “<a href="https://zapier.com/blog/best-calendar-apps/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Beyond Google Calendar and Apple Calendar: The 18 Best Apps to Manage Your Schedule</a>”, Melanie Pinola list some of the best plug-in apps for enhancing your calendar. Check it out and also look <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/p/radio-show-notes-week-of-1242012-social.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">at the notes page </a>as I have listed over a dozen articles on using and enhancing your calendar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Short List Google G Suite Calendar Feature</span></b></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It’s Highly integrated with Google G suite and the Google <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Address_book" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Address book">Contacts manager</a>.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Create Multiple Calendars for different parts of your life (personal and business). View them all together or selectively.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Share Your Calendars with Others both publicly and privately.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Schedule meetings with groups using "Find a Time" or "Suggested Times."</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Setup Appointment Slots so that others can get appointments with you.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can set up Auto-reject meeting and appointment for non-approved timeslots.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Add a Google Hangout to your event to eliminate windshield time.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Add an event location with a Google map that works with your smartphone's GPS</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Set up a world clock so that appointments can be set up with partners around the world.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Add attachments so that this information can be shared before and during the meeting.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can set it up so that the names of those you're meeting with show up in the Calendar.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can invite guests to meetings and events via Gmail, and they can confirm attendance.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Browse interesting calendars like holidays and events from other countries.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can Setup a custom view of your Calendar (not just a day, week, or monthly views).</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Email a reminder for your meeting – including the use of gentle notifications.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can get apps and other plugin's<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> to enhance its capabilities from Google and third parties.</span></span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Google regularly releases experimental add -on’s you can use to add features.</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">It integrates with <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Customer relationship management">CRM</a>’s like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/zoho" rel="twitter" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Zoho Office Suite">ZOHO</a>, Salesforce, and other non-CRM programs</span></li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WFtfncnyIY" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiJ7q6Ck8zQAhVNySYKHVBBDZUQjB0IBg" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clintonemail.com_Outlook_Web_App.png" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Wikimedia Commons</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Calendar-in-Outlook-on-the-web-for-business-5219c457-d1fe-4c2f-9032-1a816b88e936" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Microsoft Outlook Online</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> – There is no doubt that Microsoft is one of the top players in the world of online computing. They have a cloud network that is second to none and their Outlook product should be considered, especially if you are an office 365 user. To review the features and benefits of their Outlook product, check out the articles and links below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogs.office.com/2015/08/04/new-features-coming-to-outlook-on-the-web/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://blogs.office.com/2015/08/04/new-features-coming-to-outlook-on-the-web/</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://itservices.usc.edu/office365/calendar/owa/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://itservices.usc.edu/office365/calendar/owa/</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-com/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-com/</a></li>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202835" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Apple iCloud Calendar</a> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">–<b> </b>Apple has one of the most loyal followings in the world. This is </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjv44m9k8zQAhWC6SYKHdVIBaUQjB0IBg" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/apple-desk-working-technology-5103/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pexels</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">because they produce some of the finest and most useful products in the world. If you’re an Apple loyalist and not using iCloud, something is wrong. If you are looking at moving to the Apple platform, then iCloud make the straw that makes that move a no-brainer for you. Check out the following links to explore the many Apple calendaring features and benefits.</span><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/08/22/10-of-the-best-ios-calendar-apps/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/08/22/10-of-the-best-ios-calendar-apps/</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2672?locale=en_US" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://support.apple.com/kb/ph2672?locale=en_US</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202835" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202835</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/calendars/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/calendars/</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.cultofmac.com/223342/five-awesome-tips-and-tricks-to-master-os-x-calendar-feature/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.cultofmac.com/223342/five-awesome-tips-and-tricks-to-master-os-x-calendar-feature/</a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/best-calendar-app-for-mac/" style="color: #888888; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;">http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/best-calendar-app-for-mac/</a></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Make sure that your calendar is available across all devices and platforms, as this will give you maximum flexibility and access. Also, see if it integrates with the latest Artificial Intelligence assistants like SIRI, OK Google, and the Amazon Echo.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WFtfncnyIY" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjb2oz3k8zQAhXH5yYKHe2UCcMQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132053576@N03/18721001439" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There are a lot of apps that can plug in with your calendars. Do a search in your app store to find which one’s work with the calendar of your choice. We use Google’s G Suite calendar, and it can be integrated into CRM programs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Tip for Managing Your Calendar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">To make your calendar usage is the best it can be, make sure you follow these simple tips. Create a routine. This will get and keep you in the groove of organizing your life. Whenever possible group calls and meeting. Make sure you set up appointment slots and block out time for networking, social media posting, making calls, and to read email. Also, make sure you setup email filters, plan your personal time, setup time slots to tackle the important tasks. Don’t forget to set priorities for meeting, events, and tasks. And lastly, break big tasks into subtask and give each a time slot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Managing Your Social Media needs a Calendar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjSs4GnlMzQAhWJYyYKHVxGDBMQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132604339@N03/22935491423" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Make sure you add your social media work to your calendar tasks. This will help you track performance and make sure you never miss an important date or deadline. Social media can be a black hole for time. Your calendar can help make sure you manage your social media time; help keeps you from spamming accounts because of overlapping post and make sure that your blog post gets written and published on time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Your Networking Needs a Calendar<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If you’re into face to face networking, your calendar is your friend. As a consummate Networker, you need to schedule your time to maximize your results. Make sure you block out time for network meeting and events. Make e sure your calendar time for writing and practicing your elevator speeches and short presentations. Never eat lunch alone. Invite <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span style="color: blue;"> <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/99329675@N02/9441218415" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwi_ppnGlMzQAhXH4SYKHUmyDyEQjB0IBg" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi_ppnGlMzQAhXH4SYKHUmyDyEQjB0IBg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F99329675%40N02%2F9441218415&bvm=bv.139782543,d.eWE&psig=AFQjCNERog2csdT6caVwHXkcMfYXV-Pnww&ust=1480446693444178" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: isolate;">Flickr</span></a></span></td></tr>
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referral partners to lunch for 1-2-1 and get more referrals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> If you’re not currently using an online calendaring system, you are hurting your productivity and stealing from your personal time. Take the time to try several of the calendars mention in this article. Adopt one of them and get organized. You will quickly learn that a cloud-based calendar is not only an indispensable tool, but it will also add more personal time and enhance your life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">That’s my opinion; I look forward to hearing yours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">In this article, I have discussed the importance of using a cloud-based calendar to enhance your ability to organize, share and communicate your business and personal events and tasks. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Doing so will increase your efficiency and give you more time to do the things you want to do versus the things you must do. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;">Detail and links have been provided for the top three systems, including Google’s, Apples and Microsoft calendar systems. This article was first published in the blog called </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com.</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If you’d like to read more articles like this, enter the term “Success” in the search box at the top of this blog. I recommend reading<span class="Heading1Char"><span style="line-height: 13.992px;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-avoid-stress-burnout-of-social.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">How to Avoid the Stress & Burnout of Social Media Management</a> and <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/07/top-18-tips-that-can-maximize-your.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Top 18 Tips That Can Maximize Your Content Marketing</a> for starters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</span></i><br />
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Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com6Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-11735594781448469672017-10-27T13:25:00.000-04:002019-05-30T12:55:45.267-04:00The Secrets to Building an Audience for Your Business<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">By Hector Cisneros</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwic9aWohejSAhUJRCYKHShsD7wQjB0IBg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/meeting-addis-ababa-ethiopia-hall-83519/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pixabay</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We are now more than a decade into the 21</span><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6255e068-0835-44b2-9876-9afd7e21768e" id="6e1abf4f-6006-40c5-8c75-0f6dd91e919e">st</gs></span></sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d56c8e9d-3e7a-4cec-8933-5b62caf7a1f3" id="689d9c3a-e2f9-4132-bb5c-cfb426f0fea3">century</gs>. Our world has evolved from one where the dominant communications medium was unidirectional, to one that is bidirectional. We have moved from a world that was market driven to one that is now consumer driven. Businesses today must not only cater to a target audience they must develop a fan base that is willing to follow and share their message and show their loyalty by consuming their products and services. To ensure their survival, a business must either build their own audience or <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="26e28eca-1c78-4a05-b47c-25aea537583d" id="0ca155a5-cbd9-416d-986b-34da83882f5c">buy</gs>exposure to someone else’s audience. The good news is that the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_network" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Television network">network TV</a>, Radio and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Mass media">Print media</a> don’t have exclusive control of the internet. More importantly, the internet allows anyone who is willing to spend their blood, sweat, time, money and tears to build their own audience. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the secrets to building a strong internet audience. One that can not only sustain a business in good <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="f50bb5f3-4073-463f-8f31-41b700222115" id="15325817-560e-4956-8bc8-ab53185372de">times but</gs> one that will allow a business to grow and flourish even in a down economy. This article will provide you with an understanding of the prerequisites needed for success along with more than a half-dozen detailed tactics to grow your fan base. It will also provide links to dozens of articles that will broaden your understanding of the 21</span><sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 6.5pt;"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="cf88b1c7-7de8-40da-b2f5-02f19e3f3bdd" id="5ea438f7-9a1e-4e06-8fbc-23d4518b5189">st</gs></span></sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">-<gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="36923681-c595-458a-a2b3-08b0ef3e1e39" id="c17edbe0-9106-49ab-805c-8617162a5186">century</gs> opportunity.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieh07NB05XbqaHCggqkC63qDom7lsK2o-q9WRJCtphS4zKhnqwtC_DVPKWBIE4HOQ0LriehJdEitVD5A9cH1aUzpdDrxeQuxpuTBB8K1H3QoFXAYmZJn62jWLSujhLm49JQF64eetga4jo/s1600/Internet_users_per_100_inhabitants_ITU.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieh07NB05XbqaHCggqkC63qDom7lsK2o-q9WRJCtphS4zKhnqwtC_DVPKWBIE4HOQ0LriehJdEitVD5A9cH1aUzpdDrxeQuxpuTBB8K1H3QoFXAYmZJn62jWLSujhLm49JQF64eetga4jo/s320/Internet_users_per_100_inhabitants_ITU.svg.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The rapid growth of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Internet">Internet</a> as a dominant part of our lives brings with it many opportunities. For more than 50 years the broadcast networks dominated our lives. Today, internet giants dominate our lives, but with one big difference. The internet is a universal broadcasting station riddled with hundreds of ways to broadcast your message, many of which are no cost or low cost to get started. There are already many examples of companies achieving meteoric success in arenas that were dominated by well-entrenched mega corporations. Think of Gillette and Schick versus the Dollar Shave Club or Harry’s Razor Company. Think <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/Netflix" rel="twitter" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Netflix">Netflix</a>versus <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Broadcasting_Company" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="American Broadcasting Company">ABC</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="NBC">NBC</a>, and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="CBS">CBS</a>, or the hundreds of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="YouTube">YouTube</a> shows that have started with organic audiences that eventually led to broadcast network buyouts. Many shows have also made it completely without the networks as well. Another great example is blogging. For most of the public, reading blogs is today's Goto news media. Blogging has supplanted all print media to become the dominant news medium. In fact, most of the major online magazines and newspaper corporations now use a blogging format for their digital publications. Today, anyone who is willing to learn how to create, prepare, publish and distribute high-quality content, can stake a claim to their own fame and fortune. The most common problem I see is that businesses give up too quickly before they discover their own secret sauce by experimenting and measuring their efforts. Read my article called: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-get-fish-to-jump-in-boat-social.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Get Fish to Jump in The Boat - A Social Media Analogy</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> for some insight to this issue.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Today any internet entrepreneur can harness a multitude of content providing platforms. This includes, blogging, podcasting, internet radio, internet video, digital books, internet subscription services, (for games, story content, music, help/support content, advertising, and news) and these are mostly free avenues. Imagine the world without Facebook, Instagram, Blogger, YouTube, Twitter, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%2B" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Google+">Google Plus</a>? There are literally hundreds of social media opportunities for publishing your authoritative content for free. There is also a horde of pay to play venues to get found, build a following and distribute your content as well (including your marketing message).</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwi6vp-AhujSAhWI5SYKHZ4NDwkQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/84593672@N05/8652291172" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">There are several elements that all publishing mediums require for success. We call these, “the prerequisites for<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_marketing" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Content marketing">content marketing</a> success.” If you want to tell a compelling story or deliver a compelling marketing message, your content must meet these minimal standards.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Quality is first.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Your content must be of a high caliber. Whether it's a writer whose prose is dynamic, eloquent and concise or your video comes with high production value, or your podcast is useful and entertaining at the same time, your quality must be high. Spelling and grammar must be clean and tight. Lighting must be great; sound must be clean and clear. Many say that content is king, but the reality is only high-quality content is king. I recommend reading; </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/07/top-18-tips-that-can-maximize-your.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Top 18 Tips That Can Maximize Your Content Marketing</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">, if you want to get a great overview of what is needed.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Relevance is second</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. Your content must be relevant to your targeted audience. The broader your target audience, the greater potential for growing a huge following and fan base. Your content must be relevant to your potential audience’s needs, wants, and desires. If it doesn’t give them what they crave, you will be irrelevant.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Timeliness is third.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Your message, article, podcast, music or show must be delivered in a timely fashion and at the right time. Shakespeare wrote that timing is everything, well it may not be everything, but from a marketing and audience building perspective, it's next to oxygen.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU4iBVxizIi9CwkkYq3QPLLDWnjJuObi9-UzSAqWCvEFoJWEyFZunTSV8LWaifUBxDLyMWnWh4WTEN1SgflLLfEnv5bO6KudFJ1gA-XjaBX6075UeV82KUWZyX3ULKp9fQVDogBVIfpqf/s1600/Content-Marketing-Strategy-1920-x-1080.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU4iBVxizIi9CwkkYq3QPLLDWnjJuObi9-UzSAqWCvEFoJWEyFZunTSV8LWaifUBxDLyMWnWh4WTEN1SgflLLfEnv5bO6KudFJ1gA-XjaBX6075UeV82KUWZyX3ULKp9fQVDogBVIfpqf/s1600/Content-Marketing-Strategy-1920-x-1080.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="e3936e1a-d74b-4970-910b-c771e5be4f14" id="8fef7c91-62d0-48f7-beba-dce0e9ae4ce3">Courtersy</gs> of<span style="color: blue;"> <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjSsqOrhujSAhWMSiYKHfbtB3sQjB0IBg" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Content-Marketing-Strategy-1920-x-1080.png" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;">Wikimedia Commons</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Fourth, is Creating Evergreen content.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> There are many pundits who say that you should only publish unique and new content. However, this idea has several flaws. First is the fact that evergreen content has value that lasts. It is not only more useful than just new or unique content; it can be used by virtue of providing everlasting principles. On top of that, it can be re-published many times. Think of your favorite old but great re-run TV shows or the classic books that are required reading for high school and college. Heck, think Dr. Seuss, who has served six generations of families and their kids! Check out: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/12/learning-tricks-of-trade-part-2-of_4.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Learning the Tricks of the Trade – Part 2 of Blogging 101</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Fifth is Providing a Consistent Product. </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">All successful content channels (i.e. TV, Radio shows, Magazines or Newsprint columns) have a high level of consistency associated with them. They are all either broadcast at the same time and day of the week, or they are published at the same time and day. They have a consistent look, feel and quality associated with them. If the content is not delivered with the same consistency - the same look and high quality and unique feel - it will lose as much audience as it gains. Read: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/12/marketing-your-blog-in-21st-century_19.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Marketing Your Blog <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="42283b80-7f25-4eb8-bdeb-418289a140ca" id="017d3514-d259-446a-a909-7b249bb8a026">in</gs> the 21st Century – Part 3 of Blogging 101</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Sixth is Providing the Right Frequency and Delivery</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. For your content to succeed today, it needs to come out at the right time that the target audience wants. Some social media venues have a high <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6f9110df-ba34-4aa9-aa13-02f730fa6f60" id="f9857c8f-8257-4d4e-adbb-62e2eeaf3a0c">viewership</gs> on weekends, others on Monday mornings, still others on different days or spread across several days. It is important that you measure readership to discover the best days and times to publish your content. Experimentation helps, but I would also recommend maintaining a consistent publishing schedule as well. I recommend reading: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-write-stuff-how-to-blog-make-profit.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Write Stuff – How to Blog & Make a Profit</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCD9_v3WIBWr1yjwjzybI8xu1-11gJxIoAaUg6pAnAzRYHuWRRrpF7fV0yLUoSOtJ978h5p2F1zZfrl0xjOGTew84WGhaJpIbow96EzkzGwyVxKO4VRuJdyYid1BsNBezXYVfvS_p4HBzo/s1600/16703717985_21f9c0cc6f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCD9_v3WIBWr1yjwjzybI8xu1-11gJxIoAaUg6pAnAzRYHuWRRrpF7fV0yLUoSOtJ978h5p2F1zZfrl0xjOGTew84WGhaJpIbow96EzkzGwyVxKO4VRuJdyYid1BsNBezXYVfvS_p4HBzo/s320/16703717985_21f9c0cc6f_b.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwj7-NPMhujSAhVDwiYKHSHfAiAQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/129767087@N03/16703717985" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Seventh is Branded with your Unique Slant</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. If you want to be successful, you can’t create a me-too product or service. Only a few companies will be able to copy a leader and ride their <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="2d36aca2-2779-46bd-9fe7-1e1317749bd8" id="0c52075b-dcef-44b8-a9c7-87d765170bec">coattails</gs> to achieve success. The rest of us will need to show our own special slant on the world. We must deliver content that has our own unique voice, style, look, feel and format. This allows you to build a brand, stand out from the herd and become a leader of the pack, not a me-too content provider. Make sure you read: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/01/understanding-difference-between.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Understanding the Difference Between Branding, Marketing, and Advertising</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Beyond the Prerequisites</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Along with these seven prerequisites for content marketing prowess, there are strategies and tactics that need to be employed to achieve success. For example, we have created our own blog, internet radio show and live streaming video formats that we produce every week. Check out our articles called: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-guide-to-working-web-universe.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Guide to The Working The Web Universe</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-make-money-with-internet-radio.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">How to Make Money with Internet Radio and Podcasting</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">for a detailed description of how we create our shows. If you’re a blogger, your articles can take the shape of a multitude of formats. For example, your article can be an interview format, a <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c292cec3-f0ec-407d-bd4f-4e7fe68d6ad5" id="3a125498-660d-43d3-b388-d97be6d1aa66">comparison</gs> format, a good vs. <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="3726668c-4946-41ba-b9b0-96096ec8c485" id="11e29e7d-220c-4d78-8499-a712a96db33d">bad</gs> format, a holiday format and so on. Some companies like to publish their content once a week; others may publish ten times a day. How often you publish will depend on how much high-quality, evergreen content you have in your library and how often you publish new material. Check out our hit article called: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/08/how-to-triple-your-blogs-views-in-60.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Triple Your Blogs Views in 60 Days or Less</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. It provides a great example for growing a blog following.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Managing the Throes of Development</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydkUD9347b9FUEtShyphenhyphenQYquP014nr8DuaTJicO1n8jCT6qMfp4aEodvnOzO59A5ycb7l57LrZ4K1370y0OORdM_vm5vmff3K9V4M9HZSDadqBvBz6k9moUhNlZ7QaSO0qA-7W9CJftsWHH/s1600/14683524180_f368b1409b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydkUD9347b9FUEtShyphenhyphenQYquP014nr8DuaTJicO1n8jCT6qMfp4aEodvnOzO59A5ycb7l57LrZ4K1370y0OORdM_vm5vmff3K9V4M9HZSDadqBvBz6k9moUhNlZ7QaSO0qA-7W9CJftsWHH/s320/14683524180_f368b1409b.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjW8cT0h-jSAhXLLyYKHb5vBYgQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rahulrodriguez/14683524180" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">When you’re in the throes of developing your publishing platform, make sure you have setup analytics to measure your efforts, experiments, and marketing results? Neglecting this is equivalent to flying blind! Read our article called, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/03/dont-pull-trigger-for-advertising-with.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Don't Pull the Trigger on Advertising with Your Eyes Closed</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-keep-your-new-years-business.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Keep your New Year’s Business Resolution in the 21st Century</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. On top of everything mentioned so far, you also need<b> </b>patience, stamina, commitment and financial wherewithal to go the distance. We have seen many companies quit when they were winning. This was either because they ran out of money too soon (they signed up for a year’s commitment, but only had six months of money) or they lost faith because they did not see rapid results that they mistakenly envisioned (even though realistic goals were set for six months and a year). Check out: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-magic-formula-for-blogging-success.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Blogging 101 - Part 1: We Start With Commitment – It Succeeds When Talent Falters</span></a></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">.</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">There is no doubt in my mind that many who are reading this article are thinking, that’s too much work, or I don’t have time for all that”. Well, it’s true, most entrepreneurs don’t have time for audience building. They are too busy fulfilling<gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="cbdf6ad6-1a0c-4ed9-a299-eef5f20afded" id="b220745c-98d9-4bea-89d9-9ff2565c4579">production</gs>. However, you can buy access to an audience. That’s why businesses still buy radio and TV ads; it gives them a pre-made audience to share their message with. However, the internet offers a multitude of ways that you can buy an audience. You have Pay Per click, both in the Search and on Social Networks that are available for starters. You can advertise on internet video channels like YouTube and Facebook, internet radio channels like BlogTalkRadio, advertise in banner networks, in the Apple and Google play <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="ba7ece65-320d-4844-ae5e-3b8182e91e0c" id="7619e65b-fe0c-4bae-8dea-9a08a30f5f58">stores</gs>, engage in email blasts and e-newsletters and much more. You can even hook your caboose to a social media celebrity by paying for endorsements or by having a company like ours share your content to our 100,000+ social media followers. You can also build strategic alliances with other like-minded non-competing companies <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6f0a52a5-4982-43ce-b809-b4b643bb9ac3" id="fd5325cb-d064-47cc-b019-c3b96c3b4c4e">to engage</gs> in banner and link exchanges.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Don't forget the Social Market</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJg_gzjXC5xrA2hik6yGQ2bYnYyVx4O37Dzc731e4VYysGkmxFaeNRABctN7ripj6QEGyhWJreC_6S_cVc50b3I5e3KxV-PgMWgzfMXrMLfzE5QoRe6BMIzpM65T8YtZWSRcPNKzWSIYh/s1600/22935491423_c98039fb1f_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJg_gzjXC5xrA2hik6yGQ2bYnYyVx4O37Dzc731e4VYysGkmxFaeNRABctN7ripj6QEGyhWJreC_6S_cVc50b3I5e3KxV-PgMWgzfMXrMLfzE5QoRe6BMIzpM65T8YtZWSRcPNKzWSIYh/s320/22935491423_c98039fb1f_b.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjYhPaWiOjSAhVMSSYKHY82DJ8QjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/132604339@N03/22935491423" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Let not forget social media marketing. You can build your own social networks by actively inviting and following a targeted audience, and you can solicit social media<gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="04b2e28d-04ba-46aa-a0df-f6bb704a7e2d" id="6534f4b0-8fbd-4b46-9a10-89d9f423c790"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="04b2e28d-04ba-46aa-a0df-f6bb704a7e2d" id="6534f4b0-8fbd-4b46-9a10-89d9f423c790">influencers</gs></gs> in your industry to share your content and messa<gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="7baaf300-66c2-444b-902d-8c91a75ae66e" id="a4586dc4-87f9-411d-ba42-039f13f2bcba">ge. My arti</gs>cles called:</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/02/social-media-tips-tricks-and-best.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Social Media Tips, Tricks and Best Practices from the Pros</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">and </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-grow-your-twitter-flock-14.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Grow Your Twitter Flock – 14 Surefire Tips for Explosive Organic Growth</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> spell this out. Both are good reads if you’re looking for new ways to grow your social following. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">From a guerrilla marketing standpoint, you can also engage in face to face word of mouth networking. Although this requires you to commit to spending time developing this network, the trust relationships you build through word of mouth is strong and can provide referrals that have a much higher closing rate and loyalty than leads that come from other marketing methods. Check out; </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/11/best-practices-of-social-networking.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Social Networking Secrets & Best Practices - Part 2 - The Givers Secrets</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and the </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/11/social-networking-secrets-best.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Social Networking Secrets & Best Practices: Part 3 – There is no Substitute</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> for a bunch of word of mouth tips and tactics.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Here is a partial list of additional articles we have written that provide even more information to feed your need <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="93e1b95d-9f07-4e90-9d53-2dd07dcc6c2c" id="c2e95d54-5aed-46f1-bc44-3add4fc017a0">for</gs> know-how and success. You can also find more by searching our blog just by entering your search criteria in the search box at the top of the blog.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">General Content Marketing</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/12/internet-marketing-lessons-learned-best_31.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Internet Marketing: Lessons Learned & Best Practices Part 4 – Content is King</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-use-storytelling-to-save-day-3.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Make Money with Internet Radio and Podcasting</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/09/is-blogging-for-business-write-stuff.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Is Blogging For Business The Write Stuff?</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-evolution-of-touch-marketing-in.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Evolution of Touch Marketing in the 21St Century</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Strategy and Tactics for Success<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jo9MX50aCW9wJ3kmxcl6M4URszwatO0RI5XPOy9tKYlpSVHrAhRs9d1orm-FrDHl6tW0xIIEiiI1hlHYK4Xx_mxqKIt_OtTK4VWdAtlTUjiIA18aatfRiKScB6rSb0ny301q5mVLa0ZE/s1600/chess-1709604_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jo9MX50aCW9wJ3kmxcl6M4URszwatO0RI5XPOy9tKYlpSVHrAhRs9d1orm-FrDHl6tW0xIIEiiI1hlHYK4Xx_mxqKIt_OtTK4VWdAtlTUjiIA18aatfRiKScB6rSb0ny301q5mVLa0ZE/s320/chess-1709604_960_720.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 11.7333px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwje1d7IiOjSAhUCeCYKHdSYD1cQjB0IBg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/chess-strategy-game-king-board-1709604/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pixabay</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/07/seven-habits-of-highly-successful.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Seven Habits of Highly Successful Internet Marketers</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-attributes-of-successful.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Attributes of a Successful Entrepreneur</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/01/how-to-keep-your-new-years-business.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Keep your New Year’s Business Resolution in the 21st Century</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/11/what-every-business-needs-when-it-grows_7.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What Every Business Needs When it Grows Up</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Marketing in General Success</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/12/marketing-101-what-you-need-to-know.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Marketing 101 – What you need to Know before Buying Advertising</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-to-create-your-unique-selling.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Create Your Unique Selling Proposition (AKA USP)</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-ideal.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Ultimate Guide to Creating an Ideal Customer Profile</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/09/an-irresistible-offer-that-lets-small.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">An Irresistible Offer That Lets Small Businesses Compete</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-three-phases-of-successful-marketing.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Three Phases of Successful Marketing</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-physic-of-marketing-analogies-for.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Physic of Marketing - Analogies for the 21st Century</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-four-ps-of-online-marketing-success.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Four P's of Online Marketing Success</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It is my hope that you will share this information with your friend’s, family and co-workers. Today, more than ever, businesses have an opportunity that only comes once or twice in a century. Building an audience, a loyal following and an enthusiastic fan base is a time and money consuming endeavor. However, it is well worth it when you compare the cost that must be spent when you rent an audience by advertising on TV, Radio, Newsprint or even Pay Per click. If a business is dedicated to audience building and starts today, they could have a large audience of 5 to 10,000 loyal fans by the end of a year. They could have a blog with 5000 monthly page views, and a live video stream on Facebook or YouTube that is receiving 2000 views a month. The links listed throughout this article can provide the reader a wealth of useful and current information on audience building. If you feel this is too much work, then, by all means, give us a call, we can make this process cost effective for most companies’ budget and needs.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">That’s my opinion; I look forward to reading yours.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">This article provides more than a dozen tips and tactics that a business can use, to build an audience, following or fan base. It provides a complete list of success prerequisites along with other proven tips and techniques you can implement to reach your audience building goals. It also provides links to other valuable articles that teach you how to grow your audience. This article was first published in the blog called </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/</a></span></span></div>
Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com6Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-84647064612024993432017-10-20T13:18:00.000-04:002019-05-30T12:55:59.643-04:00Is Social Media More Powerful Than Face to Face Networking<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq4vznHxq07AcjrdujhIUVx-ASYL_cCqkMYRnMSqjSIyL8N_FAqeklnGfZdQSZggIO5fxYllu54yN00-rzNyAPX0lCcmUQH3ec__kAseaEf4NPyGjlU_d_97ikG1lsLWEtD7_0OexWfPx/s1600/word+of+mouth+visualized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipq4vznHxq07AcjrdujhIUVx-ASYL_cCqkMYRnMSqjSIyL8N_FAqeklnGfZdQSZggIO5fxYllu54yN00-rzNyAPX0lCcmUQH3ec__kAseaEf4NPyGjlU_d_97ikG1lsLWEtD7_0OexWfPx/s200/word+of+mouth+visualized.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjks-TH24jTAhVDziYKHYvECs4QjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/126052185@N03/14438873379" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>By Hector Cisneros</i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Most people are aware that social media shares, comments, and ratings have the biggest impact on the reputation of products and services provided by businesses today. Yet there are many who believe that social media will never replace face to face networking. I believe that most of us would agree that word of mouth is the most valuable form of advertising, right? Well, what if you could maximize your social media word of mouth by systematically using the tools that social media provides. What do you think would happen to your sales, reputation and the growth of your business? In this episode of Working the Web to Win we will explore how to use social media tools and techniques to maximize your positive word of mouth and grow your business. We will answer the questions of why this is important, how you go about building trust and credibility and how to use social equity to get more sales. We will also try and answer the question of which is the most powerful form of word of mouth marketing. So, get ready and fire up your <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Facebook">Facebook</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/twitter" rel="twitter" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Twitter">Twitter</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a> engines as we explore the many ways to maximize word of mouth in social media.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In the Beginning</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - Back in 2007, when social media was just starting to take off, I had an online conversation with an associate who was very excited about social media. His position was that social media would soon replace face to face networking and all word of mouth would move to the web. My position was very different. I felt that social media only enhanced networking and word of mouth marketing. It was my opinion that it would never fully replace face to face word of mouth efforts because humans are highly dependent on nonverbal communications. Online communication severely limits your nonverbal message, and because of this, it is not as effective. Back then social media did not fully support <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streaming_media" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Streaming media">video streaming</a>and chat, so most of your message could be lost or misconstrued. On the other hand, online communications (i.e. <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="7a7800e6-dbad-4bcd-b758-203383675507" id="21844e37-00fb-4a9e-af6a-88974c4db02c"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="fff251cc-eeaa-4c6e-bb4b-fa3431813251" id="861c9511-ddd7-4c21-b3f3-2b11ddde8a4e">social</gs></gs> media) allows you to connect to a lot more people at the same time. It allows you to push out a message to many people in an instant. Some say that the ability to connect and send a message to large numbers of people makes up for the lack of nonverbal communications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span style="color: blue;"> <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiJ9LyZ3IjTAhXC3SYKHV5LAwAQjB0IBg" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Social_media_effect_info_graphic.png" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;">Wikimedia Commons</span></a></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Why Use <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social media">Social Media</a> - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">We all know that word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising, right? Or is it? If face to face word of mouth is so powerful, why use social media at all? Why would a business choose to use <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="4f044edc-5274-4f59-944a-6ce94fccf9ee" id="27c60ca7-6d9c-4372-b6b5-17f07b48f59a"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c7bc726f-0118-4ea8-ba15-18741d89d3bb" id="69444273-dc21-4458-a816-ef26addf44b0">social media word</gs></gs> of mouth instead of going to network meetings? Well, there are many good reasons. First, going to networking meetings is time-consuming. You have significant windshield time and time spent in the meetings. Second, there is a real cost involved in being a member of any network. This includes meeting and meal fees, gas and auto maintenance and more. Third, you a have a relative limit to how many people you can meet and engage during face to face networking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Don’t get me wrong; I am a proponent of face to face networking for word of mouth marketing. But <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social networking service">social networking</a> does have several benefits that elude a face to face venue. First, there is zero windshield time. There is significant screen time, but that time can be <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="04136ed1-4c91-4a57-a974-6617141e5bd7" id="e446a91c-bbc4-48b2-8256-56cf438f22c9"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="dc914b6d-9010-4627-879c-e641c2797f38" id="9f2177d2-4cc7-47d0-b813-5d5056ae4284">mostly</gs></gs> productive if you manage your time properly. Second, there is little cost to social networking. You must learn how to use video streaming software and chat apps, but even these applications in most cases are free. And third, your audience potential is huge! Not only can the audience be huge, but your reach can also be all the way around the world. Your webinar could be streamed live to thousands of people. More importantly, this content marketing provides you with leverage. Even if thousands of people don’t see your streamed event live, these events are usually recorded and can be used repeatedly which is a huge time and money saver. Last, but not least, social media allows you to provide more regular touches, than face to face meetings. Most Face to Face networks <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="c84344f5-5e26-4707-b66e-e35b33b551f1" id="a676c0a8-f3e0-4f18-9583-b01f15c88f7b"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="80163904-4875-4110-aed5-281376076025" id="74f8f242-8c37-475b-b4eb-e97a95ccc0f0">only meet</gs></gs> either weekly or monthly. Your social media network can deliver touches on a daily and even hourly basis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjSkqz43IjTAhXGWCYKHQuSCsIQjB0IBg" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_intelligence" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Wikipedia</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Evolution Continues - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Over the year’s social media has evolved to include video messages which allow <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Nonverbal communication">nonverbal communication</a>to take place. Having said that, I still believe that live face to face meetings will always be more powerful that online communications. This will be especially true when referring to small groups of people. Once trust and credibility are established, online communications can be as effective as face to face, but that trust must be built first.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Sharing is Growing - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">One of the things that social media <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="41627280-2ce7-4538-9bb6-1b54af8cfecc" id="400fb92e-1198-49dc-8c49-a11b54547214"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="889f00e0-a60d-476a-adb4-a66105dcc7ce" id="4d8f7e4d-5892-4380-aa7e-bdf38b39e49b">has always provided</gs></gs> is the ability of followers and friends to share their opinions and comments about your products and services. If your customers are singing your praises, you’re doing many things right. But how do you systematically get friends, followers, and customers to share their positive opinions about your business? Just as important, how do you keep a disgruntled customer from blasting you with negative comments, shares and one-star ratings? You do it by having a “<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNI_%28organization%29" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="BNI (organization)">Givers Gain</a>” attitude towards your friend’s, customers and prospects. You also must systematically engage them with regular positive strokes that help them remember to share their positive comments about your business</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Here are the Prerequisites -</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Before we get into the tools, remember these prerequisites. First off, no one ever joined a social network to be sold to. Don’t post ads in the timeline; it tends to piss people off. Second, remember the importance of providing high quality, relevance, timeliness and useful content. Remember, your success is dependent on your ability to build trust and credibility. In social media, it is your primary mission. Sales are secondary. Although you can sell <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="1e070bb1-c0ea-40f8-b3f2-fa4ae2ae136c" id="c757295a-ef05-42e1-a30a-19e4ebb80028"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="bcf8c023-4d96-4c9b-80cf-4d20a6cd8ece" id="a018111b-010c-4215-bf41-977a03e07aeb">using</gs></gs> social media, it is primarily a branding mechanism. Most of your sales will come from either from referrals or from boosting posts and ads in the timeline and sidebars.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Let's look at how you use social media tools to perpetuate this positive engagement. You can post your comments in many ways to the timeline. You can share pictures, videos, podcasts, articles and a multitude of other types of content to the timeline and you can advertise, both in the timeline and on the sidebars. And you can use the built-in marketing platforms most social media networks have in place to reach billions of people.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwitkKXA3YjTAhVIfiYKHQDeCz4QjB0IBg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/social-media-interaction-abstract-1233873/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pixabay</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Organics Need Size - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">For organic marketing to work, you must have a large following. Without a large following, your organic message won’t reach enough people. Having 232 Facebook followers, 327 Twitters friends and 405 LinkedIn connections won’t cut it. You need to grow your audience into big numbers if you want to see dramatic results from your marketing efforts. What do I mean by large numbers? How about 5000 followers as a start. You can build your numbers in two ways, organic daily inviting or use pay per click (asking people to like your page). Today I am telling customers to use both. In Facebook, paid inviting is the fastest. Therefore, it’s important to learn how to use the built-in marketing platforms that most social networks offer. Don’t have time to learn them, outsource the management task. In most cases, it will cost you between 15 and 35 percent of your total media buy. We charge 20 percent as our management fee, and in every case so far, we have saved our clients’ money and gotten them more traffic compared to what they were doing before.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Growth is the Name of the Game - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I have written many articles about how to grow your social following. Your daily mission is to invite new prospects, referral partners and <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="7edb5647-00b5-4c6f-ba9c-7002647fda66" id="09be921f-d074-48cc-bb42-c608f68a473d"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="af36f8dd-f705-4f35-ae74-5692584ea9ef" id="146b784d-6c43-4a42-b0fa-6f790bcf8dfa">influencers</gs></gs> to follow you. To entice them, your social site must provide value-added content, that they feel is helpful to them. Writing useful, quality, timely and relevant articles on a blog site is the perfect fodder for your social sites. The same is true of videos and podcast. White papers, checklist, and other list documents can also be used as value added enticements. Check out: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-secrets-to-building-audience-for.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Secrets to Building an Audience for Your Business</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and other articles listed at the end of this one for more helpful information.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It is my recommendation that your social sites (all of them) receive no less than one curated post a day and if possible one authoritative post a week. This means you must search for non-authoritative articles, videos, pictures and podcasts from other quality content producers that you will then curate and share. Your ability to share high quality, timely and relevant content is your best way to provide value added material to your social media presence. It is also this ability that will keep followers loyal. It will also (along with daily inviting) help you grow your audience.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfePPSYVWjpwSMY5s-P_Loj7HfKtKLRoZBIssm6uCUu2YILwj-5vRzbYAa-Gy_oUcEbYMjWdtrVqYUUZ14nnPh08u2bbCfdlYhv1YFwlX6TjrMthdgwfIbR1a1iy5l9C7ndZLAsIYHSHf/s1600/download+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfePPSYVWjpwSMY5s-P_Loj7HfKtKLRoZBIssm6uCUu2YILwj-5vRzbYAa-Gy_oUcEbYMjWdtrVqYUUZ14nnPh08u2bbCfdlYhv1YFwlX6TjrMthdgwfIbR1a1iy5l9C7ndZLAsIYHSHf/s1600/download+%25283%2529.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjgqrHq3YjTAhXHYyYKHV6AADsQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/coolinsights/18077136395" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Now not all followers or fans are equal -</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">People who know you, like you and trust you are more willing to help you than those who are new or just curious. Ask these people for your help. Ask them to share your message and to invite others to check you out. On top of that, it’s important that you invite and connect with <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="04292ff8-b582-4997-a245-31125ca2c243" id="10b0eecd-a127-4cd2-991f-32e2c0f551b7"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="9c256fa4-55a0-4837-a416-ba760a328573" id="d66e1054-0b6c-458c-b753-7c0a80b70f44">influencers</gs></gs>. These are people who have a large following in your industry and are willing to share your message with their audience. You must earn and cultivate these relationships if you want them to help you grow.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">More Ways to Grow - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">These aren’t the only ways you can use social posts to build trust, credibility and grow your business. You can connect with fans, friends, followers, clients and prospects by providing them with engaging posts. These can include; “Thank you posts,” “Congratulation posts,” “Consoling posts,” “Happy birthday posts” and “Help or Training Posts” just to name a few. In fact, direct engagement is a great way to deal with disgruntled customers. By directly asking them “how you can help them” and then “asking them to take the issue off the timeline,” you will be able to turn an unhappy customer into a raving fan. Too often I see business people dig in their heels because they feel they are “right.” But the truth of the matter is that in almost every case, it's better to make the customer happy. Give the disgruntled customer the chance to say how you helped them by helping them. If you make them a loser, it will ensure that they will go after you in a very public and <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="5e4ce2bd-8ce1-4197-a218-e0ed9c7c5980" id="79c9a35b-c18e-467a-9c88-36e088224946"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="cdaa5fb8-bbc4-4b01-b57d-d8e6c4d102f9" id="defc339b-119e-46ab-8400-c386a6d17e36">vitriolic way</gs></gs> on every social media channel they have access to.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Now let’s talk about testimonials and ratings. If you’re not currently implementing a program that ensures your customers share positive ratings and testimonials with you, you’re making a big mistake. We help our customers develop methods and procedures that garner more consistent five-star ratings, positive rankings, and testimonials than the competitors do. We teach all of our campaign clients how <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="11438fca-71e0-4462-bfdc-e8196e15317f" id="a9c34946-89b5-476c-a5b7-f39e5b216468"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a26ea303-3bdb-4faf-970a-9d8365135523" id="7e84e787-28b9-4c2d-ad0a-0aa5c5fd448e">to do</gs></gs>this as part of our ongoing weekly communications brief where most other companies charge a fee to developing these testimonials. On top of that, we recycle all positive ratings, rankings, and testimonials across all their social channels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Social Media Keeps Evolving - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Social media's ability to evolve is amazing, but also frustrating at the same time. The rapid changes bring new features and benefits. But they also rearrange the functions making it hard for users to use their platforms. Early on in this article, I mentioned that social media word of mouth was handicapped because we humans rely on nonverbal communication for much of the meaning of our messages. Well, within the last few years’ social media sites have been moving more towards a video format. Most major social sites allow video posting and sharing. Many are now adopting live streaming videos and several use video chat as their primary means of communication. In fact, <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="60da7781-5d49-4d2f-b479-9950683bce11" id="66165a77-0400-4ae4-8291-6af111c93d85"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="57e589fb-f89e-498c-94a3-2daa842b5391" id="179a14e3-4d23-4d55-b71e-a0271cc2f536"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6bb67d10-c3a9-45ed-b083-5f6c6b0a7c9b" id="a683528b-57fe-41a2-8e6c-2388e35cb549">smartphones</gs></gs></gs> and many software vendors like Google (with Hangouts), Microsoft (with Skype) and Facebook have made face to face video messaging an easy to use means of word of mouth communication. Add to this the fact that anyone can buy video communications software packages like Go to Meeting, WebEx and many others and you start to see a shift from Face to Face meetings to social media networking.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqvX5DhcYqqVNXEAc4VG-qIqIvxmMz2xsu_w7Xtu1T-KI9OUnA6QdUwYwIuitHZltQlZzLPwmPHXqxhrbVrW9vjC8QrdQtX7lBkbLZQCjMvNLC77YDZwc0er0oosL8BjvjbnghUjSycvI/s1600/recycling-1848723_960_720.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqvX5DhcYqqVNXEAc4VG-qIqIvxmMz2xsu_w7Xtu1T-KI9OUnA6QdUwYwIuitHZltQlZzLPwmPHXqxhrbVrW9vjC8QrdQtX7lBkbLZQCjMvNLC77YDZwc0er0oosL8BjvjbnghUjSycvI/s320/recycling-1848723_960_720.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwjg6aac3ojTAhUK2SYKHcNXAbUQjB0IBg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/photos/recycling/?image_type=illustration" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pixabay</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Don’t Forget to Recycle -</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Also, remember you can record video events and then use them over and over again! Not only can they be used in the news feed and timeline, but they can also be recycled on other social nets. These videos can be used as part of a paid marketing campaign as well. You can always boost any post in Facebook, use videos as part of your pay per click campaign in Adwords or sponsor them on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, just to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In time, it is my belief that video chat will become as common as making a regular phone call is today. It will become the defacto way to communicate. At that time, social media word or mouth <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="885210b6-0bc9-476f-9e35-aebc67b4b1ad" id="72ff2d56-3610-48be-bce6-b8ecda0bebff"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="d4e394fc-f4b4-467b-9f74-293e6b03e72a" id="1eeda7fc-c05c-46d2-9376-679c77ce4280">will supplant</gs></gs> the power of face to face word of mouth.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So, what does this all mean? It means that if your company is going to take advantage of this opportunity, it’s going to have to master the use of video streaming and video chat technology. Your ability to recycle your content will give you real leverage that is almost impossible to reproduce in a Face to Face networking event (unless you stream it live on a social media network).</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">It is my hope that you decide to grow your social network and to use it as a means of word of mouth marketing. It is important that you take the time to learn as much as you can and understand that social media is always evolving. If you feel that it is too much trouble or time-consuming to engage in, then outsource this effort. We would be happy to bid on your needs. It can pay big dividends to your company, and the cost is far less than TV, Radio or Print.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGSZ0aP6SOy8rNoE_y-FVzurSWfZJpDVXmU_c9kq8hAAOVKYuna-_cRwOt6dvfmGkNdLFl9MCZfm2q6w9gRJ1tCgYZ9CpNWFvYzZNRc1Q6vJmfQFoKrdIHyPZ8Kg86psKu2RXNts5pwNk/s1600/social-media-552411_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGSZ0aP6SOy8rNoE_y-FVzurSWfZJpDVXmU_c9kq8hAAOVKYuna-_cRwOt6dvfmGkNdLFl9MCZfm2q6w9gRJ1tCgYZ9CpNWFvYzZNRc1Q6vJmfQFoKrdIHyPZ8Kg86psKu2RXNts5pwNk/s200/social-media-552411_960_720.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiTx6iO34jTAhVGQyYKHeL8BMQQjB0IBg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/social-media-personal-552411/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pixabay</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I have taken the liberty of listing several articles we have written that I believe will help you maximize your return on your social media word of mouth marketing efforts. Here is my short list of articles. There are more on our blog, just type social media marketing in the search box to find them. I thank you for taking the time to read this article, and it is my hope that you succeed in your social media word or mouth efforts.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i>That’s my opinion; I look forward to reading yours.</i></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Social Media Word of Mouth Marketing Reading List</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-secrets-to-building-audience-for.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Secrets to Building an Audience for Your Business</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-dozen-easy-ways-to-grow-and-market-to.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">A Dozen Easy Ways to Grow and Market to Your Facebook Fan Base</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-to-grow-your-twitter-flock-14.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Grow Your Twitter Flock – 14 Surefire Tips for Explosive Organic Growth</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2017/02/how-to-leverage-latest-changes-in.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Leverage the Latest Changes in LinkedIn</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/07/top-18-tips-that-can-maximize-your.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Top 18 Tips That Can Maximize Your Content Marketing</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-linkedin-for-sales-and-lead.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Use LinkedIn for Sales and Lead Generation</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/10/15-ways-social-media-can-build-your.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">15 Ways Social Media Can Build Your Business and Credibility</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-evolution-of-social-media.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Evolution of Social Media Networking & its Imminent Future</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/02/social-media-tips-tricks-and-best.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Social Media Tips, Tricks and Best Practices from the Pros</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/12/internet-marketing-lessons-learned-best.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Internet Marketing: Lessons Learned & Best Practices Part 3 – The Social Media Dynamic</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In this article, we have provided insight as to what social media tools you can use and how to use them to maximize your social media word of mouth marketing. We also address the question of which is <gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="6b4fdb39-f9ae-446e-a7e5-dc52a49c1522" id="74c85c79-96e0-4379-9d01-f5cb9b7b5268"><gs class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark" ginger_software_uiphraseguid="a7b202a8-b3ff-4e09-906d-d10ffb824ab6" id="f1cb7d70-ba00-45f3-bc99-e84878a48126">the more powerful</gs></gs> form of word of mouth, face to face or social media. We have also listed ten articles that we feel will help the reader move towards social media word of mouth mastery. This article was first published in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">the <a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">workingthewebtowin blog.</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</i></span>Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com5Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-49546391597341118142017-10-13T13:11:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:43:13.578-04:00Top Tips and Tools to Make Your Next Online Presentation Sizzle<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">By Hector Cisneros<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Have you ever wanted to know how to expand your reach, audience and customer base? Most of us who engage in word of mouth networking know that doing a presentation in front of your networking group is a great opportunity to educate the crowd, expand your reach and obtain leads and new customers. What if you could do that same thing without any drive time, gasoline cost or having to set up in an unfamiliar room? Well, you can accomplish this by providing your presentation online. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will cover the basics needed for any good presentation, then explore several of the best online presentation tools, plus provide some useful ideas to make those presentations work overtime for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So why listen to me? I’m not new to Presenting</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - I have been engaged in live presentations for over 30 years and online presentations for more than ten. I have written a book on presenting. It’s called </span><a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">60-Seconds to Success</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> has been purchased by people from all over the globe. It’s in its second edition and </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">available on Amazon.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052&itm=1&usri=60+seconds+to+success" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Barnes and Noble.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. Plus, I have also written several articles discussing how to make your 60-second presentation and posted them to The NetWorkers Apprentice Workshop. There you will find all kinds of articles on Word of Mouth Marketing. Check out: </span><a href="http://networkersapprentice.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-make-your-60-second.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">How to Make Your 60-Second Presentations Sizzle</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> and </span><a href="http://networkersapprentice.blogspot.com/2011/01/minding-your-networking-ps-and-qs.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Minding</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> your networking P's and Q's</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> for specific tips and techniques.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">There are Three Parts to This Story</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> – The principles of good communications, understanding different types of online conferences and the products you can use for your presentations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Part one, The Principles of Good Communications.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Any presentation worth its salt will be focused, timely, relevant, useful and entertaining all rolled into one. Your carriage, demeanor, dress, attitude and delivery are all very important elements. Do poorly in any of these and you hurt your credibility. Do well and you capture the audience’s hearts and minds. These must be appropriate for the venue at which you are presenting. You should practice your presentation multiple times before the presentation day, and it’s a good idea to get feedback on your presentation from a referral partner before you take it to the general public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwi0nZK_nuHTAhUB2SYKHUtHDHAQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjornmeansbear/4662232392" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Principles You Need to Follow</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - Now to make your presentation focused and timely, you need to narrow the subject matters to no more than three items for every ten minutes of presentation time. I break my presentations down into three segments. The method I used has been called; “Tell them, then tell them more and then tell them again.” I start with a summary of what I am going to talk about. I essentially summarize the three topics in my presentation (if it’s a ten-minute presentation). The intro takes about a minute. Then I take each of my three topics and present them in more detail. Each topic receives about two to three minutes. Then I end with a short summary of what I have presented and then open the floor for questions, if that is allowed. If I have more time, I just add more topics (at the rate of 1 topic for every 3.5 minutes).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Presenting online is not so different than presenting live. The main advantage is that you don’t have the crowd staring at you, which is the main cause of stage fright. You can do almost as much online as you can live, except you’re presenting via online conferencing software. You can allow questions online, but try to take them in-between topics or at the end of your presentation. The primary difference between doing a face to face presentation and one online for me is that if you’re presenting face to face, you need to control your mannerisms and delivery. When presenting online, you will normally switch to a screen view, so most of the audience will be focused on the presentation and not on you. Also, when presenting online, you have to master whichever technology platform you're using. The last thing you want is a mistake or glitch to ruin the presentation for your audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Why Present Online?</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - If you have been doing live presentations for a while and feel good about your presentation skills, make sure you record all future presentations. These records can be used in multiple ways to boost your business presence online by posting them to your social nets, showcasing them on your web pages and also using them as part of an online presentation. So, if you're successful doing live presentations, why would you want to do them online? The answer is simple. It expands your reach from local to the whole world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Features and Benefits</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - Now online presentations come in a variety of forms. You can stream live presentations on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. You can email recorded presentations, and you can provide online conference presentations using applications that take advantage of VOIP technology. Prime examples include WebEx, Goto Meeting, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Skype, Join Me, and Free Conference Call. These packages allow the user to utilize almost anything you can bring up on your digital device's screen. That’s right; you can engage in a presentation on a smartphone, tablet or computer. These applications allow you to stream video, Power Point slide shows, demonstrate software applications, even share documents by letting the audience download them. You can also allow members to chat and upload documents as well. These presentations can be recorded and then made available as recorded events for future use by anyone you deem a good candidate. Some people use them as training programs, while others use them as online commercials for their products. These recordings are also great fodder for your social nets. Their use is only limited by your imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">In today’s global marketplace, businesses and professionals are using online presentation tools to expand their markets and service their clients faster and better. These tools allow business owners to gain more prospects and close more deals without the expense of travel. I have personally used all of these products and believe they each have a niche that will suit most users. One of my favorites is Goto meeting because it’s simple to use. However, I have interacted with many clients who swear by many of the others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkh24Yg3BJShFHh2FaF-WWX32TKrLHISESTU3HC1ACdUatJfbZeJ0AGdPbc8zioDI2c1fMXK2buRoTPtK8k4ybG-2kfcRBPdMvtA_KcSfBl8YrggJPbR_ELDbJwsMLPHtfN4pKuj7hFpD/s1600/200px-Cisco-webex-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzkh24Yg3BJShFHh2FaF-WWX32TKrLHISESTU3HC1ACdUatJfbZeJ0AGdPbc8zioDI2c1fMXK2buRoTPtK8k4ybG-2kfcRBPdMvtA_KcSfBl8YrggJPbR_ELDbJwsMLPHtfN4pKuj7hFpD/s200/200px-Cisco-webex-logo.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.webex.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.webex.com/</span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Reviews Start Here</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> - Some of the most common features included with this product </span><a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388678,00.asp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">can be viewed here.</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Most provide full video conferencing, session recording, screen sharing, applications running for demonstrations, slideshows, telephone sharing, calendar integration, social media integration and much more. Some even have interactive collaboration whiteboard capabilities; operator assisted, multinational toll-free numbers, cloud storage, and multiple language support. Almost all have a free trial version, and many have a minimal user free version. The differences in price range from free to several hundred dollars a month depending on the number of features, how many can join the meeting simulations (audience size) and how many users are licensed to use it. Now let’s talk a little about each of these online conferencing products.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387928,00.asp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">WebEx, by CISCO,</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">comes with a 14 day free trial for the premium plan, with no credit card needed for Signup. Its paid version starts at $24.00 a month for eight users and $49.95 for 25 users. It is a full-featured product that works well, but it is a bit pricey when you start adding a bigger audience. The Free plan only supports three users.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I learned about </span><a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2387935,00.asp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Goto Meeting</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">while using Goto My PC many years ago. It is simple to use, inexpensive (10 participants run $19/mo. and 50 participants runs $29/mo.) but is not as full featured as some of the others in its class. However, this company also offers other products like Goto Webinar and Goto Training to address these needs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWKKdU3HcIubT7YVssjPBp77qxu0yWMSJFIY0mpzzj1c79Q7DgNFn1omG4X1mnKITi05W0obevshTytxQ8KiUu7r6SBbAM2KqcHCbNDn75TUjRQ7grAzm0_FMEDrEOQeXkXTFUP4O8t0a/s1600/7221714864_54d3eedb00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWKKdU3HcIubT7YVssjPBp77qxu0yWMSJFIY0mpzzj1c79Q7DgNFn1omG4X1mnKITi05W0obevshTytxQ8KiUu7r6SBbAM2KqcHCbNDn75TUjRQ7grAzm0_FMEDrEOQeXkXTFUP4O8t0a/s200/7221714864_54d3eedb00.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwiJgKTJouHTAhVKKiYKHdD2DTAQjB0IBg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/topgold/7221714864" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Flickr</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I love using </span><a href="https://reviews.financesonline.com/p/google-hangouts/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Google Hangouts</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">on my Smartphone. It makes a face to face conversation easy to do. This product has evolved since its launch as part of Google+. It is a feature rich product and was included free with Google+ and Gmail. However, to take advantage of all of its features, you would need to subscribe to Google’s G2 platform (Google Drive for business). This is a great product for collaborative conferencing, and it allows employees on the system to easily video conference between each other. The only thing its missing is the “record your session” feature, which can be fixed by using any screen capture software.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2384989,00.asp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Skype</span></b></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> has been around for a long time. It was recently purchased by Microsoft. Skype’s claim to fame, in my opinion, was that it allowed you to make calls all over the world via VOIP. These calls could even be made to landlines and cell phones as well at a very low cost. Today’s Skype is a full-featured video conferencing package and is one of the few that include live translations and bots to do fun and work tasks. Since Microsoft purchased it, some of the free features have been moved to the paid version, and from what I read there are lots of people who are unhappy with the new transition product released under the Microsoft name. Having said that, it reviewed well and comes bundled with Windows 10.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Most of the marketing sales reps who call us, use “</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2487376,00.asp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">join me.com</a></span><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">” </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">as their platform. It is a top-rated product for small business, that is very easy to use and is also feature rich. Its main drawback is that it does not support toll-free conferencing and a few applications had problems during screen sharing. Having said that, it was still rated as second overall in a field of 10 of the top players in its field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwJsj7oWcWAfqWzLV-EiGT5o1Rnukk06-Z4Q3xKScixnoNskq86jyr58DSlsktxziy4ycouPsG3uEfzy3xWLkowhRhoEDDtFCwihVo6FQEkvjj9Ch61QJMWY0KpfyzYoBBj_w2oVlVDsb/s1600/video_conferencing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwJsj7oWcWAfqWzLV-EiGT5o1Rnukk06-Z4Q3xKScixnoNskq86jyr58DSlsktxziy4ycouPsG3uEfzy3xWLkowhRhoEDDtFCwihVo6FQEkvjj9Ch61QJMWY0KpfyzYoBBj_w2oVlVDsb/s200/video_conferencing.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.freeconferencecall.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">freeconferencecall.com</span></a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.g2crowd.com/products/freeconferencecall-com/reviews?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters%5Bnps_score%5D%5B%5D=1&filters%5Bcomment_answer_values%5D=&order=g2_default&show_filters=false" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Free Conference Call</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">started out as a free landline conference service which made its money by routing calls through exchanges that paid them for that service. Today it's still free and offers a full-featured online conference capability. You can also purchase their business grade service as an upgrade. That means that is not free when you add these features. This is a great product at a great price. It allows for collaborative conferencing with screen sharing. The sound quality is good, but I have experienced dropped calls on several occasions and sometimes getting on was a problem. Also, you can only mute the group, not individuals, (but what do you expect for free).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Here are links to all these products websites</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> that I have discussed in this article. Also, check out the reviews on the links listed with each product and the additional article links listed below. Understand that I did not necessarily discuss the best of the best packages out there, only the ones I am directly familiar with. You will read </span><a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388678,00.asp" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">PC Magazine's opinion by going to its link by clicking here</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">. Also, understand that these products are always evolving (sometimes devolving) and it's always best to download the trial version and give it a spin. Here are the links to the vendors' websites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqnhGx4Y4ysi9vX0rc9MDggrR1Uw4_uY7LFbhY4n8znLsSpIJ7eGUfXC_yx_5KG6qlAq0i3dLkVL-fdtswz7WbFuLqBbpH0qdVSENLWOxQnh31Ya-lMUY4qShafs1TXR9naqjpZloMpv6/s1600/links-310132_960_720.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcqnhGx4Y4ysi9vX0rc9MDggrR1Uw4_uY7LFbhY4n8znLsSpIJ7eGUfXC_yx_5KG6qlAq0i3dLkVL-fdtswz7WbFuLqBbpH0qdVSENLWOxQnh31Ya-lMUY4qShafs1TXR9naqjpZloMpv6/s200/links-310132_960_720.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwi87cfVo-HTAhXCRyYKHYUDCicQjB0IBg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/links-chain-red-white-blue-metal-310132/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Pixabay</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.webex.com/</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.join.me/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.join.me/</span></a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.skype.com/en/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.skype.com/en/</span></a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://zoom.us/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://zoom.us/</span></a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.gotomeeting.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.gotomeeting.com/</span></a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://gsuite.google.com/products/hangouts/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://gsuite.google.com/products/hangouts/</span></a></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.freeconferencecall.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">https://www.freeconferencecall.com/</span></a></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">If you are planning to engage in online webinars, conference calls, and presentations, you need to do your due diligence and find the right product for you. This article provides all the resources needed to make that decision. <a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/p/show-note-for-jan-2017-to-dec-2017.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Our notes page</a>also has links to more than a dozen articles discussing the top online presentation, webinar, support, training application and other types of collaborative conferencing software. </span><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/p/show-note-for-jan-2017-to-dec-2017.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Check the Notes Page out for a comprehensive overview</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> of the market today. It is my hope that you find the best application for your needs and that you use them for your companies benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">That’s my opinion; I look forward to reading yours.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">In this article, I have provided three important parts to any online presentations. A basic understanding of the principles that goes into a great presentation, an overview of what’s software elements are involved in providing online presentations, (including common features and capabilities) and an overview of six of my favorite online conference products along with links to their reviews by PC Magazine and others. This article was first published in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">workingthewebtowin blog</a>.</span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</span></i>Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com41Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-59976172963166643272017-10-10T13:50:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:43:25.389-04:00Networking Secrets & Best Practices - Part 2 - The Givers Secrets<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">WorkingtheWebtoWin.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><b><i>By Hector Cisneros</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Have you ever wondered why some networkers are phenomenally successful and other struggle to even get one referral? Why is it that many are attracted to a few seemingly special networkers and others are shunned? Could it be that there is a secret that these few Super Networkers know, that others do not? <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/10/social-networking-secrets-best.html" style="color: #888888; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Part one of this series </a>shows the relationship between face to face and online social networking. In this second part of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_practice" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Best practice">Best Practices</a> of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social networking service">Social Networking</a> Secrets series, I will cover what those Super Networkers know - the secrets that makes Super Networkers magnetic. The secret that brings them followers and referrals far beyond the average business Networker. The magical secret of Giving! Giving you say? It can’t be that simple. Well, I didn’t say it was simple or even easy, but yes, giving is the magical secret. I<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/11/social-networking-secrets-best.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">n Part three of this series</a> we will explore another secret that demonstrates that there is no substitute for proactive participation. But in this article we will expose Giving in all its glory. We will explore what has taken me a lifetime of learning. Now let’s explore what I mean by giving, so that you can use it to produce massive positive result for you and your business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0ahUKEwinmO7TxtzWAhUKSyYKHXUzAaEQjB0IBg" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNI_(organization)" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" rel="noopener" style="cursor: pointer; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" tabindex="0" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; padding-right: 2px; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">Wikipedia</span></span></a></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(1) Giving is the Secret </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">- The secret to Word of Mouth marketing is giving! It’s about giving first, not getting first.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s more about serving others to the best of your ability. It’s not about <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quid_pro_quo" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Quid pro quo">quid pro quo</a>. It’s not: “I helped you, now you owe me”.<span class="apple-converted-space"> That’s creating a debt and resentment as you become a creditor. I am talking about the Law of Reciprocity. What members of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNI_%28organization%29" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="BNI (organization)">BNI</a> call “<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Givers%27_gain" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Givers' gain">Givers Gain</a>”. It’s been called many things. My mother use to say to me. What goes around comes around. In this instance we are talking about giving without the expectation of quid pro quo.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_law" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org</a></td></tr>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(2) The Law of Reciprocity is a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_law" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Natural law">Law of Nature</a></span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. It cannot be measured on a one to one scale, nevertheless it rings true if you follow its principles. It's more like the natural interactions of symbiosis. I breathe out carbon dioxide, </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">the tree absorbs the carbon dioxide, and in turn, it produces oxygen. However, I did not target a particular tree, nor did any tree pick me individually as a recipient of its oxygen, either. It just happens we both benefit from the action! Just the same, the benefit happen as a consequence of giving without the overt expectation of receiving. Receiving just happens!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(3) Givers attract like magnets</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. - Others are attracted to people who have something worthwhile and perceived as valuable for their success. But don’t just take my word for it. Stand in the middle of a room and pull out a $10 bill and ask a question. The person that provides the best answer gets the money as a prize. How many takers do you think you will get? The same is true if you can provide valuable information, knowledge, techniques, products or services. The difference is that a giver provides more value than the perceived cost. Their knowledge is a bargain, their efforts are accepted as gifts, regardless of the price.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(4) Givers are credible because they are consistent.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> – Super Networkers are congruent in all their actions. Everything they do and say, everything they provide exudes credibility, not through authority, but through being congruent. They are very consistent in their behavior, professionalism, knowledge and in being a giver!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCMfOlvS-8sgCFQLqJgodSdoI4w" href="https://pixabay.com/en/ball-networks-internet-social-419199/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">pixabay.com</span></span></a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(5) Make sure you use the platinum rule of business.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">– Not sure what this rule is? Its “do unto others as they would like it done to them, not as you would like it done to you”. Networking is all about helping the members in your network; not your business. They are there for their own reasons, just as you are there for your reasons. If you provide the members of the network valuable services or useful information (referrals, testimonials helpful information) that is perceived as having greater value than it cost, it will raise your standings among those members. It will build your credibility and make it easier for you to ask for referrals. Help them look smart, help them generate business, and in turn, the Law of Reciprocity will bring you new business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(6) Giving is not enough! - </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> In order to really help your referral partners help you, you need to educate them on what an ideal referral is for you. You need to teach them what a “bread-and-butter” referral is - (i.e. everyday good referral), what a “cream” referral is - (a great referral that makes your month), and what a “dream” referral is - (a phenomenal referral that makes your year). You need to be as specific as humanly possible. There’s a BNI saying that goes “Specific is Terrific”. Your referral partners need to know the trigger words that they can key on. They need to know what to tell the prospect when they see the prospects targeted behavior. They need to know what a referral looks like. What a prospect would say, and what your referral partner needs to do when they see this behavior. Does your referral partner tell the prospect a specific story or give a testimonial? Does your referral partner need to give them your card? Do they call you right then? Do they setup a meeting for the three of you? Exactly what do you want them to do for you! The more specific you are, the easier you make it for your referral partners. The more you help your referral partners understand your business, the more referrals will come your way. If you want to be a receiver as well as a giver, you must make it easy for others to give you what you want.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCN6Dt6_D8sgCFcNJJgodKeYCtg" href="https://pixabay.com/en/social-network-logo-icons-structure-489536/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">pixabay.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(7) Social Network Posting Rules</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. – If quality content is king, then your social posts need to be geared towards providing high quality content geared to what your audience wants. Posting endless content about what's going on in your business is often boring. Posting lots of specials or coupons gets old quickly as well. Figure out what your followers' and referral partners’ interest are, and then provide that type of content for them often (at least once a day). By the same token, you need to educate your followers and audience as to what an ideal customer is, without directly selling to them. A great way to do this is to consistently provide authoritative posts via quality blogs and/or articles that you write. This shows you’re giving spirit because you are providing your expertise freely. It establishes you as an expert in your industry. See my article <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-twelve-secrets-of-social-media.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">12 Secrets of Social Media Success</a> for more details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP1LkLa2lxPf6hucQDQLelG4Wq0ItZebIiKj_JdNYKUSNP3hMWSOYSwX-t2bLqVt4OkQyfxlRH5QelrEX9_WbyrjGsxVV3myGS80EYCIESN-Hpj1k3TtXfotxKW92skfkeLovJMgt5hj7/s1600/written+testimonials.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeP1LkLa2lxPf6hucQDQLelG4Wq0ItZebIiKj_JdNYKUSNP3hMWSOYSwX-t2bLqVt4OkQyfxlRH5QelrEX9_WbyrjGsxVV3myGS80EYCIESN-Hpj1k3TtXfotxKW92skfkeLovJMgt5hj7/s200/written+testimonials.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Hector Cisneros</a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(8) Testimonials are worth their weight in gold</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> - To get more credibility, provide more testimonials for others. Do this in writing whenever possible. This turns your testimonial into a gift that keeps on giving. It also makes the testimonial more credible and valuable to the person it was written for.<span class="apple-converted-space"> This gift must be done in a professional manner. Spelling and grammar check and polished. If you want to receive a lot of testimonials, you have to give a lot of testimonials yourself. As a general rule, you need to give at least three testimonials for everyone you could expect to receive. Also written testimonials are the best because they<b> </b>can be used on your social nets. They can be recycled and also cross-pollinated </span>to all of your other social networks. They can be put in picture albums on your social networks and video galleries. They can then be posted as part of your “thank you” awareness campaign. Also publicly thank those who provide you testimonials and/or high ratings. If you want them to continue this behavior, you need to thank them as soon as their endorsement occurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(9) You must differentiate yourself from the pack</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. - Being professional and providing good service is the starting point, however, you have to go beyond good service and professionalism because this is expected. Nobody ever asked to be provided bad service! Being prepared is half the battle. You must know your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), your ideal customer profile, your competitive advantage etc. You then must market these distinctions to brand yourself in a deliberate and congruent way to gain market share. Blogging on a regular basis about your industry will help a lot. Make sure you provide quality articles pertaining to your industry at least once a week. This is a great way to differentiate yourself. Posting quality blogs to your social nets are worth three to ten times more in value than posting others curated articles. When at networking events, make your articles available to those networkers that your information might be valuable to. Mention the free handouts during your short presentations or bring them up when talking with people in small groups. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(10) The Rule of Three – Giving three referrals in the same week is absolute proof! <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Giving is the proof that you are working in someone else’s interest. If you want them to fully understand and believe you’re working on their behalf, give them three referrals in the same week. The easiest way I know to do this is to carry three of your referral partners' business cards in your keys pocket, until you give those cards out to qualified referrals. You keep them with your keys on the dresser at night and put them back in your pocket the next day until you successfully acquire three qualified referrals. Receiving three qualified referrals from a partner does 3 things. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were working for them, it proves you’re a credible Networker and three it creates social equity. The feeling that they need to reciprocate, even if they can’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(11) The Rule of 10 applies to many things in networking. </span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">– Bad things have much greater impact on your company or efforts than good things you do. For example: bad behavior, lack of professionalism, or breaking the rules of the group, has a weight of negative 10. Whereas good behavior, such as following the rules, being on time, providing great curated post, giving a referral, etc., only has a positive weight of one. You can be great all week and help lots of people and no one will say anything, but fall down by being late or not returning a call and that news will spread like wild fire. Another rule of 10 has to do with distribution and sharing. You have to talk to 10 networkers in order to get one who is interested. You have to give 10 testimonials to get back one or two in return. More often than not – you have to give 10 great referrals in order to get one great referral back! However once you build up enough social equity, the rule of 10 begins to shrink towards the rule of three. It’s even possible to reach a point where you receive more referrals than you give.<br /><br /><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">(12) Word of Mouth and Branding go hand-in-hand. </span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> - Word of Mouth or referral <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCJeu0pfI8sgCFchNJgodEGYHIw" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/findyoursearch/4711899689" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></span></td></tr>
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marketing</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> is similar to marketing to build your brand (branding). It’s about educating others, especially your strategic referral partners. They’re your adjunct sales team, so to speak. It’s not about direct selling. It’s about educating others about your unique propositions, your special skills, your exceptional service, honesty and integrity. It’s also about showing others how much you care about them, not just their money. Remember: no one ever joined a social network or went to a networking event to be sold to!<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>The joined to be more connected and get more business. To get their attention, help them get what they want, be consistent and also portray your brand professionally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">In this article I have provided 12 best practices and social networking secrets that show how giving is the fastest way to influence others, build a following and get more referrals, testimonials and more. The 12 best practices in this article show the reader why giving is so powerful. They clearly show how giving leads to receiving, what the relationship between the two are and how to go about being and effective giver. It also shows how being a giver, helps you to get ready to become an accepting receiver. This article was first published in the blog called <a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i>That’s my opinion. I look forward to hearing yours.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">This article is a part of a three part series. I recommend reading parts one and three as well </span><br />
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to make sure you get the big pictures along with fine detail. If you found this article useful please share it with your friends, family and co-workers. If you have a comment or a different opinion, join the conversation by adding it to the comment section below. I recommend checking out "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2012/09/six-cardinal-rules-for-success-in.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Six Cardinal Rules of Social Media Success</a>" or "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2012/11/seven-secrets-of-social-media-magnets.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Seven Secrets of Social Media Magnets</a>", “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-twelve-secrets-of-social-media.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">12 Secrets of Social Media Success</a> “ and "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-win-friend-and-infulence-people.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How to Win Friends and Influence People inthe 21st Century.</a>" </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">You can also search for other related articles by typing in “word of mouth or social networking” in the search box at the top of this blog.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</span></i><br />
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Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-30789115816749413262017-10-06T13:07:00.000-04:002018-08-26T10:26:13.135-04:00Networking Secrets & Best Practices: Part 3 – There is no Substitute<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaMl0T52AxKhISKH3c0AR9VEt5K98iNxiXEikg5SPa7WxA6Du6_TFUsQe1rMpyZjE_5h0iwVZofeQv4wm-eVBDlthq6WTPXsAlPMwKo4FK1sNNfs8eTNIHsW6IDoZzqJIxUXvw8K9FQzb/s1600/Its+network.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #33aaff; float: right; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaMl0T52AxKhISKH3c0AR9VEt5K98iNxiXEikg5SPa7WxA6Du6_TFUsQe1rMpyZjE_5h0iwVZofeQv4wm-eVBDlthq6WTPXsAlPMwKo4FK1sNNfs8eTNIHsW6IDoZzqJIxUXvw8K9FQzb/s200/Its+network.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><i>By Hector Cisneros</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have been actively networking in a number of organizations since the early 1980’s. In fact, I have been a BNI member for 25+ years. A Member of the local Chambers of Commerce even longer. My experience, tells me that most people get out of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social networking service">social networking</a> what they put into it. People often come up to me after a speaking engagement and ask, what is the magic formula for networking success. How can they become successful as a social Networker? My answer is always the same, it’s not a magic formula, although many perceive it to be a secret, a powerful principle or other hidden system of techniques. My answer always state that the secret is in plain sight. Look at the word “network” and the answer is in the title itself. The <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/10/social-networking-secrets-best.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">first parts of this series </a>addressed the relationship between face to face networking and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social media">social media</a>. <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2015/11/best-practices-of-social-networking.html" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;">Part two addresses </a>the secret aspects of Giving. In part three of this series, we will discuss the habits that must be acquired and followed, in order to become a consummate Networker. We’ll be looking at 15 important habits which will guide and drive your success. So let’s get to work and begin by dissecting the term Social Networker.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span> <b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(1) Its Net Work!</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – The term <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Social network">Social Network</a> is made up of three words. Social, Net and Work. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of mouth marketing</a> means that when you go out, its net “work”, not net “sit,” “eat,” or “socialize.” I don’t mean being unfriendly or uncordial, but you have to be focused. Is your conversation about football or the evening news or is it about networking? Ask questions related to networking. Ask questions like: How can you help them out? What are they looking for? Who are you looking for this week? Who are they working on this week? What's the biggest challenge you faced this week? Likewise, let them know who you’re looking for when they in turn say – what are you looking for? By the same token, if you are engaging in social networking online, you have to stay focused. Don’t get distracted by all of the posts. Do your work first. Thank your referral partners, influencers, and testimonial givers first. Post you’re curated and authoritative post before socializing with your friends and family.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAdAt57WbLVrlLVPZNokqWXbd2vKeu-4kVedvhCfx_cVjPfshjmSHfeatBi-EHmywHXU4vkKIZJBW_UEoUJAQ6C0LEWIvysG4LlyJ0H_0rYXn3hz-ZQspsX0TI6vSRAVovBblt2CtIA_b/s1600/least+effort.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; float: right; font-size: 13.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAdAt57WbLVrlLVPZNokqWXbd2vKeu-4kVedvhCfx_cVjPfshjmSHfeatBi-EHmywHXU4vkKIZJBW_UEoUJAQ6C0LEWIvysG4LlyJ0H_0rYXn3hz-ZQspsX0TI6vSRAVovBblt2CtIA_b/s200/least+effort.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a><b style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(2) There is no such thing as “least effort, most gained.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - In networking, most effort equals most gained. Even when you have leverage, like when speaking to a crowd, you still have to be prepared. Cutting corners, skipping meetings, winging your short presentations, dressing inappropriately, wearing wrinkled clothes, being late, etc., won’t help you be successful. Being successful requires effort. Not only right effort, but attention to detail and consistent effort. There is no substitute for serious effort.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(3) It's Not a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meeting" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Meeting">Meeting</a>, its Marketing</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – Remember, word of mouth is marketing, not just a meeting. You have at least four opportunities at most networking events to network with others. The first, open networking before the event begins. The second is when you get to stand up and give your short presentation. The third is when you are a spotlight speaker, and the fourth is after the networking event where more open networking takes place. Don’t waste any of your marketing opportunities.<br /><br /><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(4) Everyone is not your potential referral partner or client</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - Another myth about networking is that you have the potential to pass referrals to every business in the group and likewise also receive business from everyone in the group. The reality is you can probably do lots of business (about 70% of your referrals, passed and received) with only a few members of the group. This is usually a select few, around seven people that you meet regularly with. The rest of the group will at best provide about 30% of your referrals (both passed and received.) Even if you have a product or service that “is used by all”, it doesn’t mean they are your potential client or referral partners. They may already have pre-existing relationships that will preclude them from doing business with you. The only way to find out for sure is to put in the time necessary to meet all the members of your group and explore how you can help each other. </span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(5) Meeting with people one on one is the best way to get more referrals.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Listening to <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCLmUq93T_MgCFYQ8JgodU-4JYQ" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minnesota_Lt._Governor_Yvonne_Prettner_Solon_and_Duluth_Mayor_Don_Ness.jpg" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">commons.wikimedia.org</span></span></a></span></td></tr>
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other short presentations and discussing current needs during open networking is helpful, but it’s no substitute for a one on one face to face meeting to explore how you can help each other. The face to face meetings also need to be focused both on education and on<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Learning">learning</a> what's important to each of the parties present. You not only have to learn about each other’s <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Business">businesses</a>, you also have to learn what drives each of you to get up in the morning, what motivate each of you to succeed. Both the business education and the personal motivators need to be explored if you really want to help each other. Lastly, it’s important to learn about the personal aspect of your referral partner’s lives. Things like their kids and spouse’s name, hobbies and past times they like to engage in. Learning these aspects and then taking them into account when interacting with your partners also helps to strengthen the relationship. This is why I think so many sales are made during golf outings.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(6) There are many <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_networking" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Business networking">Networking</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skill" rel="wikipedia" style="color: #888888; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Skill">Skills</a> that need to be mastered</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. - Being skilled at working a room or presenting will not take you to the top two percent of all Networkers. You need to have a givers mindset to start with and a willingness to do whatever it takes. You also need to learn other skills as well. First, you also have to have good communication and selling skills. I don’t mean closing tricks or techniques, but solid business consulting, listening and solution-designing skills. You also need to ask for the order. Another way of giving is being active in the management and production of the network itself. What I am referring to here is being active in the group’s leadership. Serving the group gives you more visibility, and this can eventually lead to more referrals. However, doing a poor job in a leadership position can also lead to less business as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnQ6TuDW_ETrhCZeuQa4Y_LhfloC2xfp1V9H5LRRXZ6GLTzRZDt4M80WGpL-QFkum3YIC96spfouxJKMYjRGUFU6v-Wm6-hEruhGVuIhufd1bSDLdYhzhW1gVA02blJY4O0MkC6_bcPmi/s1600/being+specific.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: #888888; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMnQ6TuDW_ETrhCZeuQa4Y_LhfloC2xfp1V9H5LRRXZ6GLTzRZDt4M80WGpL-QFkum3YIC96spfouxJKMYjRGUFU6v-Wm6-hEruhGVuIhufd1bSDLdYhzhW1gVA02blJY4O0MkC6_bcPmi/s200/being+specific.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(7) Specific is Terrific.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - When presenting at a meeting or online, being specific will increase your results drastically. If you’re asking for a referral, being specific can be the difference between failure and success. It can mean the difference between an easy qualified referral and a referral that not only is a lead, it’s a bad lead. Being specific is most effective when you have already built trust among the members of a networking group. However, it can also help you find what you need when posting on your social networks. I often see Networkers ask for a specific referral by name and then another members of that network respond by saying, “I can connect you with that person.” This is very common in BNI and on LinkedIn. By the same token, if you post a question asking for help with a specific issue on a social network you will almost always get that help. Even if you’re asking for one more sale to reach your goal. Again, this assumes you have taken the time to build trusting relationships with your social networks.<br /><br /><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(8) Practice Improves Performance.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - You would never pay a radio station or TV company to “just wing” your commercials. So why do so many Networkers’ just wing it when doing their short presentations? Spend time every week writing down and practicing aloud your short presentation. This should be a “Must Do” item on your networking checklist. I spend about 20 minutes writing out my 60-second presentation for BNI. Once written, I then practice saying it aloud. I then practice it again the night before and the morning of the meeting, each and every week. Practice is an easy way to improve your performance. Don’t be lazy, the practice will improve your ability to get more referrals.<br /><br /><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(9) One-sized Presentation don’t fit all Networks.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - Every Networker needs to create and practice a 30-second, a 60-second, a two-minute, a five-minute, and even a 15-minute presentation. There are many networking opportunities and each group has its own rules. Being prepared gives you a leg up on the competition when it comes to building your credibility among the other members. By having these five different presentations ready to go at all times, you will be able to step in with short notice and take advantage of more speaking opportunities.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCIn18f3U_MgCFUvpJgodqrgEDw" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_040605-N-6633C-002_Commander_Naval_Reserve_Force,_Vice_Adm._John_G._Cotton,_is_silhouetted_in_front_of_a_Powerpoint_slide_mapping_out_the_Naval_Reserve_Force's_future.jpg" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">commons.wikimedia.org</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(10) Presentation Necessities</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. - Make sure your presentation includes your name. It should also have some type of “hook or catch phrase.” Consider telling a compelling story, adding an offer, and/or a call to action. I like to tell my referral partners to remind their prospect that I’ll provide them with a web analysis worth $600 for free, if the three of us can schedule coffee or lunch meeting. Also make sure all your contact information is listed on your handouts and at the end of your power point presentations.<br /><br /><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(11) To be the best, you have to PROVIDE the best.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – Always deliver the best product or service you’re capable of for the money being paid. Most companies provide “just good enough” products or services for the money they receive. Exceeding your customers' expectations should be your goal. I’m not saying to give away the farm, but to be considered the best, you have to provide the best. This, however, does not mean you charge the most for your product or services. It means you provide the best value for the money spend. People shop value not price. Be more valuable!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(12) Networking as a team works best.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - When attending networking events, it’s best to team up with another referral partner where you both know each other’s objectives; this allows you to “split the room” to work it more efficiently. Let each team member know who you're looking to be introduced to and vice versa, be ready to help your partners find their and introduce prospects to them. I generally set a goal of finding one or two new prospects/referral partners every 10 to 20 minutes. My goal is not to sell anyone anything but instead to set up meetings at a later date to have a more meaningful conversation that allows us to find mutual benefit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCMjz-uvV_MgCFUdDJgodlqEDTw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">en.wikipedia.org</span></span></a></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(13) Track and measure as much as possible.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - It’s important that you track your actions and engagement. Both face to face and social media Networking can be tracked, measured, and the results can be predicted. Word of mouth marketing is quantifiable. It can produce predictable results. If you know how many events you plan to attend each year (approximately) and you track how often you meet with referral partners, and track the results of the referral (i.e., close ratio to referrals received), you will quickly learn what your average weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual sales results are. I know that I received about two referrals a month from my BNI chapter, and I usually get four referrals when I am the spotlight speaker. I know that if I get in front of qualified referrals, and actually provide them with a business proposal, I will close about 57% of them. By the same token, I know on average home many followers read our blogs based on the number of social post published each day. I also know that the more quality interactions I engage in raises the number of social leads I receive as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(14) Always bring your networking tools with you</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Never attend a networking event without a name badge, something to write with, your business cards, a list of potential prospects, and a how can I help you attitude. On the social media side, always make sure your profile is complete, answer all engaged followers, help all influencer and provide useful, relevant and timely content, preferable your own authoritative material daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(15) You should calculate what your time is worth.</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> - If you understand the time value of <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: right; margin-left: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCOCF4-zW_MgCFYFIPgodf5UI6Q" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wmjas/103733285" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); color: #888888; cursor: pointer; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></td></tr>
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money, you can better measure how effective you are when spending your time at networking events. You can come up with this figure in many ways. I look at my annual production rate in dollars and divide it by the number of working hours that I spent to produce that dollar amount. Some people take their annual pay and divided it by the amount of time they spend networking. Others look at the total cost of networking activities (including drive time, parking fees, meal, meeting fees and organization fee, etc.), add that to the hourly value of the time they spend networking to come up with a figure. If you do this exercise you will realize the word of mouth and social media networking are not free. First of all, it’s not cheap because there are hard cost (membership fees, meal fees, parking and other travel cost), and lastly, they actually consume a considerable amount of time and energy (which also equals money)! That means you have to be efficient as a Networker, otherwise, you’re throwing your money away. This will make you understand the importance of delivering a polished and practiced short presentation. It will make you realize the value of effectively engaging in meaningful one to one meetings. It will also make it perfectly clear the value of leveraging your long presentations when you get to deliver your message to a large group of networking enthusiast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In this article, I have provided 15 specific Social Networking Secrets & Best Practices that will elevate your social networking performance to new levels. These 15 best practices will provide the reader with an effective way to increase their networking efficiency and improve their social networking effectiveness. Yes, it will help you get more referrals. It shows how teamwork, practice and planning can mean the difference between coming up empty handed and walking away with several referrals and new referral partners. this article has been republished in this blog and was first published in <o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">workingthewebtowin blog.</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s my opinion. I look forward to hearing yours.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</span></i><br />
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Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com2Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-15640704296877804752015-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:43:50.564-04:00Social Networking Secrets – Part 1<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><i>Two Sides of the Same Coin</i><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCODf49_E4MgCFcuWHgodvxILFg" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/-paulh/4462521381" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); cursor: pointer;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></span><br />
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<i><b>By Hector Cisneros</b></i><br />
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Have you ever wondered what the relationship is between face to face networking (aka <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_mouth" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Word of mouth">word of mouth</a> marketing) and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Social media">social media</a> marketing? Have you noticed all the similarities between these seemingly very different marketing venues? I mean, come on, with word of mouth you’re having a one to one meeting at a coffee shop and with social networking you’re posting current events in your industry, right? How could these two very different venues have any similarities at all? Well, in this series I will cover over three dozen similarities that these marketing systems have in common. It is my hope that once you understand the commonality of these venues, you will start to use them synergistically to gain more followers, prospects and long term loyal customers. In part one of this series, I will cover how these two systems are two sides of the same coin. In part two I will cover how both use the “Secret of Giving” and in part three I will explain how both require proactive engagement for your ultimate success. <br />
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The following dozen bullet points cover the best practices and secrets that show the direct overlap of these two venues. Each one provides an explanation of why and how word of mouth and social networking overlap. Some will be readily apparent, others may require a different perspective so read each one a couple of times to see if the light bulb goes on. If you disagree, you will always have a chance at the end to vent your beliefs. So let’s get started.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="http://www.bni.com/" target="_blank">BNI</a> & <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCMrU443G4MgCFYm4Hgod7j0DIw" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BNI-Logo.png" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">commons.wikimedia.org</span></span></a></td></tr>
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<li><b>Word of mouth marketing and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Social networking service">Social Networking</a> have specific rules </b>that need to be followed to be successful. Concepts like “<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Givers%27_gain" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Givers' gain">givers gain</a>” (from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BNI_%28organization%29" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="BNI (organization)">BNI</a>), tell instead of sell, cultivate instead of hunt. When it comes to delivering an effective message, consistency, quality, professionalism, follow through, and follow through are all important. See my article the “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-twelve-secrets-of-social-media.html">12 Secrets of Social Media Success</a>” and “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-win-friend-and-infulence-people.html">How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century.</a>” The laws of reciprocity are always in play in both venues. Others judge you more by your actions than by what you say, how you say it, or post it. Being congruent is very important. </li>
<li><b>All the rules that apply to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of Mouth Marketing</a> also apply to Social Networking</b> (a.k.a., social media marketing). I wrote a couple of articles worth mentioning here. The first is the “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2012/09/six-cardinal-rules-for-success-in.html">Six Cardinal Rules of Social Media Success</a>” the second was “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2012/11/seven-secrets-of-social-media-magnets.html">Seven Secrets of Social Media Magnets</a>”. Also the above two articles from item #1, also reinforces what I’m saying here. They can be found on our blog at “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com./">WorkingTheWebtoWin.blogspot.com.</a>”</li>
<li><b>Social Media is <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_marketing" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Social media marketing">Electronic Word of Mouth</a></b> - Social Media is an electronic version of Word of <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCPaC9K7F4MgCFUIlHgodi7gKWg" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB1qFQoTCPaC9K7F4MgCFUIlHgodi7gKWg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSocial_media&bvm=bv.105841590,d.dmo&psig=AFQjCNHfKFkm38I_Nr-_-7Du3ikaH2gfHg&ust=1445962782955655" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: start;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">en.wikipedia.org</span></span></a></td></tr>
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Mouth Marketing (a.k.a., social networking). From here on out almost everything I say about networking also applies to social networking. The only real difference is that the digital version of social networking makes things happen faster, goes further and has a bigger and wider impact. As a matter of fact, word of mouth networks and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Social network">social networks</a> work hand in hand every day. You can always find a word of mouth network spreading its message on a social network and you can find social networks spreading the word about the next networking event. Since business networking (a.k.a., Word of Mouth) works in conjunction with social media, make sure you coordinate your efforts so that both your face to face and your social networking are spreading the same message. Remember, both are viral, but social networking can spread your message faster, farther and over a longer period of time. This is a double-edged sword because it can spread both Good and Bad messages.</li>
<li><b>(No one ever joined a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_networking" rel="wikipedia" target="_blank" title="Business networking">Networking</a> group to be sold to</b>. - They joined to connect with others, build strategic partnerships, to get help, learn and to get referrals from others. They often forget that to get referrals, they need to give referrals. Social networking is the same thing; except the message moves faster and is potentially more viral. People joined to get connected, find useful information, build relationships, and in some instances, to be entertained. Many businesses join because they want to make sales, get referrals and connect with other businesses. No business joined to be sold to either! Networking (face to face or digital) is all about them; not you. They are your referral partners, clients and prospects. Make them happy to earn your loyalty and trust. The same is true of social networks. People joined for their own reasons, which has nothing to do with your reasons.</li>
<li><b>Connect with those you're with</b>. - When networking, make sure you connect with the people sitting around you. Ask them to connect with you on social media. Take the time to engage in meaningful conversations. Share with others what you learned and be ready to help them connect with others as well. Take the time to introduce your new connections to people you already know. This will pay big dividends later on, as you will see.</li>
<li><b>For Networking, Influencers are the Key </b>- If you’re posting to your social nets, provide high<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPstR6ksIzMhkb356ukuz7ZLK17Isk0sA1ArIYWgMSbwIZd-abTYYwzdkS6sQikaPUvpJ2WPMs8UPkbLFbYo7K7DuASLAs7-xpxeEHpxlZgUeDbpzP-cH7mU1_v4j4NwkVh44RsVmiYCR/s1600/staeofinfulencertheory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPstR6ksIzMhkb356ukuz7ZLK17Isk0sA1ArIYWgMSbwIZd-abTYYwzdkS6sQikaPUvpJ2WPMs8UPkbLFbYo7K7DuASLAs7-xpxeEHpxlZgUeDbpzP-cH7mU1_v4j4NwkVh44RsVmiYCR/s320/staeofinfulencertheory.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCOCYiozH4MgCFYGTHgodr-0MYA" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoliv/5931664162" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></span><br />
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quality content that your audience is interested in. Minimize selling directly to your audience. Engage in fun, indirect selling by running contests, getting your best customers to provide testimonials, and engage influencers by helping them with their needs. Share the information that influences provide. If you’re in a face to face meeting help them with what they have going on. It won’t be long before they also come back to help you.</li>
<li><b>Be proactive; help others first. </b>- In both Word of Mouth and Social Networking, help others first, if you want to be helped. If you are waiting for others to bring you referrals, you’ll have a long wait. Be proactive and extend a helping hand. It doesn’t mean you have to buy their product or service, however, it does mean that the help you provide them needs to be of “real perceived value” in the eyes of the person being helped. If you can provide referrals to a member first, it gets the Law of Reciprocity in motion and then it’s just a matter of time before it comes back to you. This is also true for social media. Help others learn the ropes about using social media. Help them get connected to others. Show them where free help videos are etc. They’ll become loyal followers, friends and advocates for your business.</li>
<li><b>Trust comes before any business takes place</b>. - To build a strong network that creates referrals, you need to focus on building trust and strong relationships. That is your primary mission when networking, whether it's by word of mouth or social networking. When meeting with people, it’s just as important to learn about them personally, as it is to learn about their business, product or service. Trust and strong relationships are not just based on business-oriented partnerships. As humans, we have emotional factors that are stronger than just logic or financial interests. Learn and remember the personal aspects of your referral partners and customer’s lives, it will bring you both closer together.</li>
<li><b>Networking is about building relationship not selling products</b>. - A common myth of <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilo9aq67VBlP8SeBwgHj95XQ5BJkuj0u1BaDOVihJWL3ZdBrKbVpPdhh9eB0uo-vH4Ukg5IsaZTbAGjUR0Y4sSKoCCmvOTpUkHhQ0WWi30RzPLbJvNKJP3AMesWGxSkdh6Qz5t2AHEy-rr/s1600/trust-lier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilo9aq67VBlP8SeBwgHj95XQ5BJkuj0u1BaDOVihJWL3ZdBrKbVpPdhh9eB0uo-vH4Ukg5IsaZTbAGjUR0Y4sSKoCCmvOTpUkHhQ0WWi30RzPLbJvNKJP3AMesWGxSkdh6Qz5t2AHEy-rr/s320/trust-lier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCLCG7urH4MgCFUHWHgodiUIPSQ" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/prabakarant/20312007548" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue;">www.flickr.com</span></span></a></span><br />
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networking is that your primary goal of the meeting is to sell to the businesses attending the meeting. The reality is you're there to build trust, credibility, forge strong relationships and create strategic partnerships. Once others trust you, they will buy from you if they need your product or service. However, having said that, you also need to make it easy for them to bring you prospects and to buy from you as well. Educating referral partners and prospect is a skill that cannot be brushed aside.</li>
<li><b>Prepare in advance who you’d like to network with</b> - When attending a networking meeting, it’s a good idea to have already decided who your target market is. I like to target two or three specific categories of businesses when attending any event. For example, my plan may include meeting a restaurant owner, a retailer with two stores, and a multi-location chiropractor’s practice. It makes it much easier to ask for a referral if you know who you’re looking for. Notice I did not mention I was intending to sell to them. My goal is to get introduced to them, engage them, and then set up a second meeting where we can find out if we can mutually benefit each other.</li>
<li><b>Being there is half the battle</b>. - If you miss a networking meeting you not only lose referral and opportunities to meet people, you lose top-of-mind awareness and credibility for commitment. If you want to be successful in word of mouth or social networking, you must be present to win. Being there in person is mandatory for word of mouth marketing. Social networking requires a daily commitment to social interaction. Word of mouth and social networking are active forms of marketing. If your mouth is not presenting at a networking meeting, it’s not delivering your message. If you skip a day of social posting, you fall off the timeline. In essence your message is not running. </li>
<li><b>We have two ears and one mouth</b> – The full use of these two to one ratios will directly affect <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsnaph-1dfAlMfuKmeXJrRHqmupxOE1rufCVWbGPPbQaL0-GJIjmu5H-M072VT3zM6BvMcTIlnHT3H1ZbL7efLODUY_ORBZ1sA0V9DmS6GYG3JIMC0pXOrfaUZe4TIDmXMml_k2hi7QwZ/s1600/powerfullistening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsnaph-1dfAlMfuKmeXJrRHqmupxOE1rufCVWbGPPbQaL0-GJIjmu5H-M072VT3zM6BvMcTIlnHT3H1ZbL7efLODUY_ORBZ1sA0V9DmS6GYG3JIMC0pXOrfaUZe4TIDmXMml_k2hi7QwZ/s200/powerfullistening.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of </span><span class="_r3" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><a class="irc_hl irc_hol i3724" data-noload="" data-ved="0CAYQjB1qFQoTCJ_Fnf_I4MgCFQTYHgod-7MCdA" href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/category/leadership/feed/" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); cursor: pointer;" wotsearchprocessed="true"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: xx-small;">www.speedofcreativity.org</span></span></a></span><br />
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your networking success. That’s right “two ears and one mouth”. I first heard Steven Covey say this in the 1980 I believe, yet most act as if the opposite were true.” Listening is very important. Without good listening you will miss referral opportunities, both for giving and receiving them. More importantly, you will miss opportunities to help others – which in turn won’t come back to help you.</li>
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In this article I have provided 12 specific secrets and best practices that show how word of mouth marketing and social networking and just two sides of the same marketing coin. The 12 best practices list provides the reader the top reason why these two venues are directly related. In essence, it is my belief that word of mouth marketing and social networking are just analog and digital version of networking. The main difference is the leverage, additional tools and speed that the internet provides. This in turn amplifies the word of mouth marketing message.</div>
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That’s my opinion. I look forward to hearing yours.<br />
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This article is a part of a three part series. I recommend reading parts two and three as well to make sure you get the big pictures along with fine detail. If you found this article useful please share it with your friends, family and co-workers. If you have a comment or a different opinion, join the conversation by adding it to the comment section below. I recommend checking out "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2012/09/six-cardinal-rules-for-success-in.html">Six Cardinal Rules of Social Media Success</a>" or "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2012/11/seven-secrets-of-social-media-magnets.html">Seven Secrets of Social Media Magnets</a>", “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-twelve-secrets-of-social-media.html">12 Secrets of Social Media Success</a> “ and "<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-win-friend-and-infulence-people.html">How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century.</a>". You can also search for other related articles by typing in “word of mouth or social networking” in the search box at the top of this blog.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Hector Cisneros is a partner, COO and Social Media Director for the award-winning, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet">Internet-based</a> marketing firm, <a href="http://www.workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>, in Jacksonville, FL. You can connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts">Google+</a>, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hector-e-cisneros/6/425/a79">LinkedIn</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main">YouTube</a>. He’s also the co-host of BlogTalkRadio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>,” where he and Working the Web to Win’s co-founder, Carl Weiss, make working the web to win simple for every business. He's a published author of three books, "<a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm">60 Seconds to Success</a>"(available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/60-Seconds-to-Success-ebook/dp/B005OLF81G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1316642978&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/60-seconds-to-success-hector-cisneros/1102590716?ean=2940012849052">B&N</a>), and "<a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>," which you can get by filling out the form above. He’s also the co-author of the new book, “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J9VXVJI">Working The Web to Win,” which is now available on Amazon.com</a>.</i></span></div>
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Hector Cisneroshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04255670636628647262noreply@blogger.com28Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-88863205922876462442013-04-30T15:37:00.001-04:002017-10-19T14:44:15.545-04:00How to Make Friends and Infulence People in the New Century - Another Look!<div style="text-align: right;">
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>The last 25 years have ushered in sweeping changes in our society.</b> </span></span></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/84484862@N00/2386230724" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="My Cyber Social Map" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2319/2386230724_5db7e5f911_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="170" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">My Cyber Social Map (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/84484862@N00/2386230724" target="_blank">frankdasilva</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Personal relationships have been devalued to some extent by the introduction of
social networks. We have gone from a society of people having a face-to-face
relationship to a society that spends a large amount of time in virtual
relationships. We have many cyber friends we don’t even kno</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">w. Younger people
spend more time text-ting each other than actually speak to each other. Often
they are even in the same room (or in the same car). Facebook is now
running commercials showing that people would rather be on their Facebook
phones, reading their news feed, than interacting with their families at the
dinner table. The fact is, we live in an internet-enabled world, and all of us
need to take responsibility for building real relations based on trust, mutual
benefits, proven performance and credible results . So, in this article I am
revisiting and update my view on what it takes to build strong relationships in
business and in life and how to make friends and influence people in the 21st
century.</span></span></span><br />
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<b>Take One!</b> </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32625013@N00/4101164083" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="YIP Day 305 - Dale Carnegie" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="133" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/4101164083_4122da6841_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">YIP Day 305 - Dale Carnegie (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32625013@N00/4101164083" target="_blank">Auntie P</a>)</span></td></tr>
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A couple of years ago I wrote an article called <a href="http://networkersapprentice.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people.html">“How
to win Friends and Influence People in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century.</a> In that
article I emphasized the law of reciprocity. The law that states what goes
around comes around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means if you
help others, they will in turn help you back. I clearly stated in that article
that this was my magic formula for growing my business, my reputation and for
building trust amongst my customers. I also stated that I was providing others
with testimonial letters, as well as referrals and recommendations long before
the advent of social networks. Word of mouth marketing is built on your
reputation. It depends on building trust and credibility. More importantly, it
relies on the cultivation of trusted referral partners and loyal customers to
sing your praises and to spread your message to others.</div>
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<b>Electronic Word of Mouth</b></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wordofmouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Word of Mouth (TV series)" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2b/Wordofmouth.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 284px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Word of Mouth (TV series) (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wordofmouth.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
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Social networking is an electronic form of word of mouth
marketing. It allows your referral partners and happy customers to sing your
praises to a world audience, an audience that can spread that positive (or
negative) message quickly and to a very large number of people, far beyond your
customer base.</div>
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In my previous article I also mentioned that my social
networks have built-in functions to pass along recommendations and
testimonials. LinkedIn, Ecademy and FourSquare were the examples I gave. Since
that writing LinkedIn has added an additional endorsement function where you
can just click on a person’s skill to recommend them. However, I still prefer
that you write a genuine testimonial letter and upload it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will carry more weight than just
clicking on someone's skill set as an endorsement. </div>
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<b>A Rule By Any Other Name.</b> </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rules_Don%27t_Stop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Rules Don't Stop" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/44/Rules_Don%27t_Stop.jpg/300px-Rules_Don%27t_Stop.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Rules Don't Stop (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rules_Don%27t_Stop.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
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As a general rule, the more work you do to help someone, the
greater the value and weight your efforts carry, (i.e.…the better the referral,
testimonial or recommendation).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
limit your recommendations to just one social network. Post your recommendations
on as many networks as possible. I often post my recommendations on the top
five social networks. This includes Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Twitter and
LinkedIn. But don’t stop there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Posting
to other networks like Merchant Circle, AnglesList, Google Local and YollowBook
also helps. I also like making recommendations on blogs and websites, if it has
the facility to allow you to rate them there.</div>
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<b>YouTube Can Be your Best Weapon.</b> </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58145764@N07/5346010308" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="youtube_logo" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="150" src="https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5281/5346010308_3d6c5161d4_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">youtube_logo (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58145764@N07/5346010308" target="_blank">leti_valde94</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A quick note about YouTube; many people don’t think of
YouTube as a social network, however it has all the features of a true social
network. You subscribe to it. You can follow other accounts, build a following,
make and receive recommendations and leave comments on a person’s posts. More
importantly you can create a video testimonial for the person you’re trying to
help. In today’s world, nothing is better than a video testimonial from a happy
customer. Commercials are full of actors faking their endorsement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But a customer’s eyes rarely lie. Today,
videos are the king of testimonials. More people would rather watch a short
video that read anything. This is especially true of your testimonials.
Unscripted, spoken from the heart words of praise are priceless marketing
weapons without equal. Do everything in your power to help your customers
provide this valuable service for you and your company. This can include
providing incentive for the completion of a recommendation etc.… However, the
law of reciprocity only works if the testimonial that is given is genuine. You
must earn their recommendation by providing them with good service or a valued
product.</div>
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<b>Visuals are Worth a Thousand Words. </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14347196@N00/4538799794" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Worth 1000 - 2nd Edition" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2729/4538799794_3192a9772c_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Worth 1000 - 2nd Edition (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14347196@N00/4538799794" target="_blank">spcbrass</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Many social networks allow you to upload pictures and or
videos. Note that written testimonials, referrals and recommendations can be
saved as PDF and JPG files, essentially turning them into pictures and downloadable
documents. This is another way you can upload testimonials to social networks
like Twitter, Google + and Facebook. Don’t forget to upload your video
testimonial to these channels also. This includes other rating sites like
Google Maps and Google local. As a matter of fact many “Local Directories”
provide a place for you to upload pictures and videos. Use these to your
advantage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would be willing to bet if
you do, you will be one of the few that use this strategy and it will give you
a big advantage.</div>
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<b>Do What Smart Companies Do! </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49233110@N00/5888862640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Help Desk" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="123" src="https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5888862640_5f2be7b49c_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Help Desk (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49233110@N00/5888862640" target="_blank">Michael @ NW Lens</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Smart companies today are using social networks as a new
kind of help desk and or customer service venue. They can watch for customer posted
complaints, then connect with these disgruntled customers, and head off problems
before they become big PR issues.</div>
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<b>Come Get your New Tools.</b> </div>
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Today there are also lots of tools that make it easier to
post your recommendations and testimonials. These tools provide leverage so
that you can post to multiple networks simultaneously. You can even schedule
post asking people to read your testimonials’ and recommendations. There is no
rule that says you can’t post this type of request more than once. Just don’t
do it too often or you risk alienating your following. My favorite tool is
Hootsuite and it is free at Hootsuite.com.</div>
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<b>Don't Spoil the Post!</b> </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avoid_the_Noid_Coverart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Avoid the Noid" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/73/Avoid_the_Noid_Coverart.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="134" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 256px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Avoid the Noid (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Avoid_the_Noid_Coverart.png" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
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Make sure that you don’t spoil your efforts by providing
poorly written testimonials or recommendations. Your spelling and grammar must
be perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Double check the spelling of
the company or the business name. Nothing can spoil a great testimonial,
referral or review like spelling and grammar errors, (especially if you get the
name wrong)! </div>
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<b>What Not to Do!</b> </div>
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So far I have told you a lot of things you should do, but I
haven’t spent much time telling you what you need to avoid. Make sure you
maintain a positive attitude. Being positive draws people to you. This is transferred
into your writing and show up in your post. Avoid negative expressions and
conversations. They do not help you in your quest to grow your business. Also
avoid cursing, crass and salacious language. This kind of language never makes
you look professional. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t get into
arguments with people on social networks. These networks are public and you don’t
want to air squabbles and dirty laundry in public.</div>
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Other things I would avoid is trying to use tricks or
techniques like mirroring and matching or NLP. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These can be useful when face to face but they
really lose something when translated into writing. Plus if a person figures
you are trying to manipulate them your relationship is all but lost. It's
important to be yourself. Especially your better self. Leave your ego at the door
when trying to help others. </div>
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<b>The Reciprocity Experiment </b></div>
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I have spent the last 20 years of my business life following
the law of reciprocity and it has served me well. I have dozens of
recommendations and a clean online reputation. I keep my
reputation clean, not by tricks or hiding bad news with massive PR
campaign that pushes bad news off page one. Instead I follow a simple rule, "do what is right"! I concentrate on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>helping my cusotmers from there point of view. If I make a mistake, I go out of my way to make it right. Doing the right thing never hurts your reputation. And helping others first just amplifies your status.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Magpend_friction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="infulence of friction on a magnetic pendulum." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="133" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Magpend_friction.jpg/300px-Magpend_friction.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">infulence of friction on a magnetic pendulum. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Magpend_friction.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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If you don’t believe me, try this experiment. Pick a number of
referral partners, (I chose 30 when I did this experiment) and write
testimonials for them. Post them to the top five social networks, (or whichever
ones you’re on) and then let them know that you provided this service for them.
Ask them if they could reciprocate by doing the same for you. You will find
that your reciprocity rate will be between 30 and 50% most of the time. If you
do this experiment three or four times you will have helped a lot of people and
in turn helped yourself by gathering a handsome number of recommendations to
boot. Keep in mind that this will only work if you have built trust and
credibility with others. If they don’t know, like and trust you, asking them
for a recommendation is not going fly either.<b> </b></div>
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<b>A Few Last Words.</b> </div>
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<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Word_Gets_Around.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Word Gets Around" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cc/Word_Gets_Around.jpg/300px-Word_Gets_Around.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Word Gets Around (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Word_Gets_Around.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A few last words to remember. Today, your reputation
(individual and business) extends far beyond the boundaries of your business.
Anyone can research your reputation and they believe what they read and view.
Social media has become the great equalizer. It some cases, it has also become
the spoiler. This is especially true if a competitor is trying to soil your
reputation. The viral power of social networks allows a reputation to be passed
around the world quickly (good or bad). It behoves you to make disgruntled
customers satisfied. Making things right is the best way to turn a bad
situation into a positive recommendation.</div>
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In this article I have covered the law of reciprocity and
how it allows you to win friends and influence people in the 21<sup>st</sup>
century. I have discussed how you can use this principle on a variety of social
media including the top five social networks and others like Angieslist,
Merchant Circle and Google Local. I have included suggestions on how to
leverage your time and given insight to using YouTube as a social network and
testimonial tool. If you have enjoyed this article pass it on to your friends.
If you have other ideas, thoughts or comments on this subject share them with
our readers in the comment section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I
or my company can be of any service, call, email or write us and we will
contact you personally.</div>
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That’s my opinion. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look forward to hearing yours.</div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px;">Hector Cisneros is COO and social media director for <a href="http://www.w2mediagroup.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">WSquared Media Group</a>. Connect with him on <a href="https://twitter.com/w2mediagroup" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/w2mediagroup" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114696092816044504320/posts" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Google+</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/wsquaredmediagroup?feature=results_main" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">YouTube</a>. W Squared Media Group is based in Jacksonville, FL. He is also co-host of Blog Talk Radio’s “<a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Working the Web to Win</a>,”
where he and Carl make Working the Web to Win simple for every
business. Hector is a syndicated writer and published author of two
books, including <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/60secondstosuccess/default.htm" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">60 Seconds to success</a> and <a href="http://wsquaredmediagroup.com/" style="color: #888888; text-decoration: none;">Internet Marketing for the 21st Century</a>which you can get free by clicking on the link.</span></i></div>
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<b><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14px;"> </span></i>Related articles</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.893676799999998 -82.301097999999982 30.7706908 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-21458246047043940812012-08-28T16:00:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:44:30.782-04:00Making Sense of Internet Marketing<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>By Hector Cisneros</b></div>
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Have you ever entered a
conversation about marketing and became instantly perplexed by the terminology
being bantered around? Did you get confused trying to follow the how, what,
when, and where in the marketing plan? At the end of the conversation, did it
seem like an epic tale spoken in Greek? If this is where you are with regards
to internet marketing then this article is for you. This article is part of a
series that is designed to cover basic terminology and actionable elements, as
well as give specific steps for developing your own marketing plan.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Part I: The basis of
search engine marketing and social media. </span></b></div>
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</div>
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<br />
This series will take you through
all the internet marketing venues including; Landing page layout, Search Engine
Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Blog/Article Marketing, Pay Per click
Marketing, Email Marketing and Direct Mail Touch Marketing. It is meant for a business
person new to internet marketing, but the techniques covered will work as well
for the seasoned veteran. The series as a whole will tie all the elements
together and provide you with a plan for internet marketing success. Stay tuned
and tighten your belt because this will be one fun and productive ride into the
world of internet marketing.</div>
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marketing can be rendered in two ways</b></div>
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To start off, marketing can be
implemented as a one-off advertising event or as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">a campaign</b>. As a general rule, campaigns are longer term
commitments that need to be planned out. By nature, campaigns in general
produce far better results than one-off advertising purchases. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Campaigns are broken into two types: Strategic and tactical</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Strategic</b> refers to all the long term aspects of your overall
campaign goals. They should align with your company’s unique selling
propositions (USP), your mission statement and the principles your company
follows. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tactical</b> refers to shorter
term goals, along with specific elements used as part of a daily, weekly,
monthly or quarterly campaign. </div>
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For example; You may have a long term
objective to land 1,200 new monthly subscribers of your product/service in one year.
Your tactical plan will include specific marketing elements (different type of advertising
like Pay per click, Blogging, Social Media Contest) that will run on either a daily,
weekly, monthly, quarterly or on an annual basis. </div>
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Annual agreement should always be
part of a cohesive strategic campaign. Examples of these types of programs would
be a Social Media Development campaign, (i.e. Growth to say 1,200 fans) or Search
Engine page Ranking campaign, (i.e. Reach a page one position). These two items
generally take some time to achieve. Trying to engage in this type of marketing
as a short term proposition usually doesn’t work.</div>
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From a digital marketing perspective,
organic efforts are usually set up as part of a long term campaign. For the most
part your individual elements will be set up on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual,
or annual basis, but the contracts themselves are usually annual. This is due to
the fact that reaching long term goals usually take longer to achieve. An exception
to this is pay per click which usually runs until your money runs out. We will talk
more about this later.</div>
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Some of the marketing elements you
chose may not seem to change much. For example; Social network development or Organic
Search Engine marketing efforts are usually annual contracts. You would normally
pay a monthly fee to a company that is providing some guaranteed growth or rank
position, not running ads. However, if the companies you contract with are worth
their salt, they will constantly change what they are doing in order to meet the
growth targets or reach your page rank goals. Contrast this to individual pay per
click ads running on Google or Facebook and you will notice you are managing (or
having someone manage) specific tactical ads that are usually geared to taking advantage
of event driven circumstances (seasonal or other promotion etc…). Pay per click
ads usually have a shorter in duration play, have a finite run and a finite budget
that may or may not last a year.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The promise of Pay Per Click</b></div>
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Now let’s define a few more terms
that are bantered about. We’ll start with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pay
Per click</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>PPC as it is often referred
to, means that you are running specific ads on one of the search engines, directories
or social media sites. Typically Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook or LinkedIn. Each
time someone clicks on your ad you are charged a fee based on the highest bid for
the keyword. Winning the bid will trigger the appearance of your ad in a specific
location. This will differ between the specific medium you choose (i.e. Google Search,
Facebook etc.…) But with all of them the person that bids the most gets the best
placement.</div>
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In many contracts some services charge
for each view whether a person clicks on the ad or not, (aka <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">pay per view</b>). Generally you are charged
per thousand views/exposures. In most cases PPC is better than PPV because you only
pay for an actionable event. A click through to your site.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Search Engines Vs. Social Media</b></div>
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Before we get too far into PPC, let's
define <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Search Engines</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Social Media</b> a bit more. Search mediums
fall into two categories, search engines and directory listings. The primary search
engines are Google (which has 81% of all search traffic), Yahoo, Bing and a few
others. Secondary Search mediums include directories like Merchant Circle, City
Search, Search Local and thousands of others. Today the line is becoming a little
blurred as Social Networks have gotten so big that they also provide search services.
Facebook has 900 million subscribers. Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google+ exceed
a billion subscribers. </div>
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</div>
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All social networks provide some form
of search function and the top five also provide PPC, PPV and sponsored ads. A search
on a Social net is different from a Search Engine search in that it’s targeting
is based on a subscriber profile (which can include geographic, demographic and
psycho graphic information listed in a person's profile) as opposed to keywords.
</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Social Networks defined</b></div>
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Now let’s define <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">social media </b>or more precisely <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">social networks</b>. A social network is a free
subscription service that individuals and businesses join for their own reasons.
Many individuals join to connect with family, friends and coworkers. Others have
joined because it’s the new “in” thing to do. Many businesses join because they
want to connect with prospects and clients to sell and support the products/services
they offer. </div>
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</div>
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As a rule, people join social networks
for one of four reasons; to connect with others, find useful information, be entertained
or learn interesting facts. Another important rule to remember is that nobody joins
a social network to be sold to. Businesses on the other hand join because they want
to sell and connect with prospects and clients! They want to sell to the millions
of subscribers on these social nets. But rest assured that if you try a direct sales
approach you will lose many of your fans. </div>
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Selling on social nets is done by
word of mouth, testimonials, recommendations’ and a little bribery. Yes, you can
run PPC and story ads and yes people will buy from those ads, but that’s not their
primary reason for being there. If you ONLY run commercials, your fans will be turned
off and may block you. The best way to sell anything on a social network is to let
your happy customers become your raving fans. Let them tell your story and reward
them for promoting your products or services. In my article called the <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Six-Cardinal-Rules-for-Success-in-Social-Media-Marketing&id=6144475" target="_blank">“six cardinal rules for success in social media marketing”</a>,
I lay out six guiding principles worth following. If you're interested check it
out. It will provide some useful insight into an approach that works.</div>
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</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is Organic better than Paid?</b></div>
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</div>
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Another term related to Search Engine
and Social Media Marketing is the term Organic. Organic in search engine marketing
refers to a company’s listing position that was reached based on that search engines
criteria, (verses a paid position). For example; Google’s primary determining factor
for organic position is being “Relevant, Current, and Useful.” Relevant means how
well your content matched the keywords being searched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Current means it is timely and fresh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And content refers to information that is useful
to the user. Ads are not very important item on the list!</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Organic</b>, when used in a Social Media circles usually referrals to natural
growth of your connections (followers, fans and friends etc…). Natural growth means
you did not buy or bribe the follower/fan by giving them gifts or holding contests.
</div>
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</div>
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However, the most important aspect
of your social network growth is not whether it was achieved by organic means or
by bribing them to follow with gifts. The most important factor is how loyal they
are to you and your brand. As a rule, fans who follow you naturally are usually
more loyal than those who were bribed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
the difference in loyalty long term is based more on what you do with these fans
once they are connected to you.</div>
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The last marketing element I want to discuss in
this article is audience size. Market size is very important. The primary reason
that TV, Radio, Newspaper and the Yellow pages dominated most of marketing for so
many years is that they had the largest market share.</div>
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Today, traditional advertising mediums
are all losing market share rapidly. The average person is moving into the digital
age where TV, Radio, News Print and Yellow Pages are being transformed into their
digital replacements. Google is the new Yellow Pages, YouTube, NetFlix, Hulu and
others are becoming internet TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many online
newspapers and periodical subscriptions exceed their paper counterparts in size.
Traditional advertising media were measured in cost per thousands and the maximum
number for reach was in the millions. The Internet’s primary means of measurement
is still cost per thousand but the reach is potentially billions!</div>
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This transformation is taking place
because the internet is ultimately so much more personalized, convenient and user
centric than traditional media ever was. As a medium for content the internet offers
more choices, allows the individual to engage on their timeline and it gives them
the ability to truly interact and communicate with the advertisers and their peers
directly. This is something that traditional content mediums like TV, Radio and
Print could never hope to match. On top of that, the digital world is truly global
whereas conventional media was, (and still is) almost always regional at best. This
new global reach also means that your market is now the whole world!</div>
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As a business owner it’s important
to recognize the additional advantages that digital marketing provides over traditional
media. One of the biggest problems with traditional media was it only offered minimal
tracking capabilities. You could create a special tracking phone number or use a
tracking code on a coupon, but for the most part it was much harder to attribute
specific sales to specific ads. Conversely, digital marketing can track specific
actions in many more ways. Clicks, views, requests, forwards, re-tweets, posts, comments,
calls and more can all be tracked directly to an individual online ad. More importantly,
prospects can be targeted geographically, demographically and psycho-graphically.
</div>
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With the advent of email and social
networks, your cost for staying in touch with both prospects and clients have plummeted.
Engaging in meaningful communications and distributing information can now happen
with the press of a button.</div>
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<br />
In this article we have explored many
digital marketing elements. I defined and compared strategic and tactical perspectives.
We defined, compared and explored the boundaries of Search Engines and Social Networks.
We explored the difference between pay per click, and pay per view as it pertains
to search engines and Social Media marketing. And last but not least we defined
the importance of audience size and the transition fr<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1612812666924996849" name="_GoBack"></a>om traditional
advertising to the age of online marketing. Future articles in this series will
explore the many aspects of online marketing. I hope you have enjoyed and learned
from this article. If you have a different perspective, comment or thought, share
them with us.</div>
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That’s my opinion, I look forward
to reading yours.</div>
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</div>
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hector Cisneros is COO
of W Squared Media Group, a prominent online marketing company based in Jacksonville,
FL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is also co-host of Blog Talk Radio’s
“<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a>,” which airs
every Tuesday at 4pm Eastern. </span></i></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-2537716210482381542012-07-12T22:09:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:44:53.474-04:00Seven Valuable Benefits Social Networks Provide and Social Media Marketers Covet<br />
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Today I was asked the most important question encompassing
the subject of Social networks and social media marketing. The question I was
asked is; What is the value of social media marketing, that is what are the
benefits of social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Although
these social networks are diverse in nature, they have common values both to
subscribers and business people alike. That’s right, even though these networks
operate in very different ways, their users often have very different
motivations, different backgrounds and personal needs. They all provide these seven
values to all that use them. Read on and find out why social networks and social
media marketing is changing the face of the internet from what we know to what
it will become.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70637691@N00/5542183559" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Social Network - Copertina" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5298/5542183559_a4ca259a29_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 168px;">Social Network - Copertina (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70637691@N00/5542183559" target="_blank"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="44a5c50ed58280e9e3fef55abf6e2d34b87c7fbe" grtype="null" id="GRmark_44a5c50ed58280e9e3fef55abf6e2d34b87c7fbe_marcomassarotto:0">marcomassarotto</span></a>)</td></tr>
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In order for any commodity, service or phenomena to grow on
the internet it must provide value. These
benefits must be based on un-changing principle for large scale growth to take
place. Short term fancy fads will come and go, but massive growth the like that
which has taken place on Facebook, Twitt<br />
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="dd091dc52b677b1f05c08ace2a2e9933cbf71893" grtype="null" id="GRmark_dd091dc52b677b1f05c08ace2a2e9933cbf71893_er:0">er</span>, LinkedIn and Google+ are based on
providing unique benefits to their subscribers. The dominance of Google is also
based on the principle of providing massive amounts of value to its users. Any long
term internet phenomena must also provide a monetary value for it to be
self-sustaining. If you want to prosper
from the internet today you can’t ignore social networks. In fact, you need to
insure that your efforts are in alignment with the benefits these networks
provide and you must follow the principle that they are built on. The principle
I am referring to can be stated like this; any endeavor or entity that provides
massive value to large numbers of people will occupy massive amounts of human
kind’s time. Now let us look at these benefits.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #1, Your network's ability to help you build
trust and credibility</b>. </div>
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One of the main reasons people use social networks is
because they are interacting with like-minded people. Indeed, they are interacting
with family, friends, co-workers and acquaintances whom they know, like and
trust. It’s the principle of trust that I believe is the most important factor.
We live in a world were hyperbole if not outright lies are the norm. People
want to interact with people they like, know and <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="760a81070914717ebc944b77b24a91f1d423bd3e" grtype="null" id="GRmark_760a81070914717ebc944b77b24a91f1d423bd3e_trus:0">trus</span><br />
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</div>
t. It's part of our human
nature. Social networks allow this to take place in a very democratic and
dynamic way. You can organize friends, followers and connections into groups
based on trust (amongst o<br />
<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/021J60t3WNgQF?utm_source=zemanta&utm_medium=p&utm_content=021J60t3WNgQF&utm_campaign=z1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 03: (L-R) Comedians Jim ..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="101" src="https://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/021J60t3WNgQF/150x101.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="150" /></a></div>
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="fec3a2c44733509c438becbad3e071dd0da39843" grtype="null" id="GRmark_fec3a2c44733509c438becbad3e071dd0da39843_ther:0">ther</span> things) and you can immediately un-trust, block,
de-friend, or disconnect anyone you feel is unworthy of your time and
attention. On the flip side is you maintain behavior that is friendly,
courteous and provide content that is deemed valuable, you become trustworthy. As
someone who is deemed trustworthy, you now have their ear, eyes and time. Most
importantly you also can use this trust to build your credibility vicariously
through the eyes and ears of your social network connections. Again, Trust is a
greatly valued commodity that is in high demand in the world today. Gain it and
it opens many doors that no other method can provide.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #2, Your network's ability to help you connect
and influence others.</b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50356126@N00/5186214992" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Klout Influence Score Analysis" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="120" src="https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5186214992_efbb6d49db_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="c82b71eef4fafe87ef0767e87470aa26212d08c4" grtype="null" id="GRmark_c82b71eef4fafe87ef0767e87470aa26212d08c4_Klout:0">Klout</span> Influence Score Analysis (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/50356126@N00/5186214992" target="_blank"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="c82b71eef4fafe87ef0767e87470aa26212d08c4" grtype="null" id="GRmark_c82b71eef4fafe87ef0767e87470aa26212d08c4_kristiewells:1">kristiewells</span></a>)</td></tr>
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Ask anyone what is the best form of advertising and they
will usually say word of mouth marketing.
Social networking allows you to connect to massive numbers of people,
(especially customers and prospects). This ability to connect with large
numbers of people is powerful. Unlike other types of media which for the most
part a<br />
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="ed4f8d7946d897083bc12f00d589c9d56b42aa7f" grtype="null" id="GRmark_ed4f8d7946d897083bc12f00d589c9d56b42aa7f_re:0">re</span> unidirectional forms of communications. Social media allows you to
directly speak to your social partners. I call them partners because they have
as much power as you the seller does. Treat them right and they will sing your
praises. Mistreat them and they will share your shortcomings faster than you
can say bad reputation. Now using any social network is predicated on the fact
that you have built one. What I mean here is that you have to build up a
sufficient number of connections in order for your network to produce the
results you want. Most people are familiar with the sales rule of ten. The rule
that essentially states that you have to go through ten suspects to fine one prospect
and you have to go through 10 prospects to find one who will like become a
customer. Following this logic, the greater the number of people you connect
with, the greater the chance of selling them something. Well your social
network also works along these lines. However, I suggest that you view the
numbers a little differently. If you only have 100 connections you probably
only have 10 people who see your message because they are monitoring their
social news stream. On the other hand if you have 10,000 people in your network
you probably have 1000 people viewing your message at any point in time. Bigger
is always better, especially if you have taken the time to grow your
connections in an organic and a value proposition way. So the point I am making
here is start growing your network, be committed to real, steady and organic
growth. You can’t buy trust or loyalty. It has to be earned.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #3, Your
network's ability to help you quickly disseminate a message to others.</b></div>
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If you have taken the time to build a decent size network,
you’re now ready for benefit number three. Lightning fast message
dissemination. What is a decent size
network you may ask? For me it<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70588596@N00/3406867014" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Viral Video Chart List" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="240" src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3406867014_def120a88d_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 192px;">Viral Video Chart List (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/70588596@N00/3406867014" target="_blank"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="64ba0be9f3a4e7dea2ccb10a7d86a43b7eace57f" grtype="null" id="GRmark_64ba0be9f3a4e7dea2ccb10a7d86a43b7eace57f_jjprojects:0">jjprojects</span></a>)</td></tr>
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<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="6d2cca3c0f48cc4a3cf17e111ab9d4cca9de0fb4" grtype="null" id="GRmark_6d2cca3c0f48cc4a3cf17e111ab9d4cca9de0fb4_is:0">is</span> a minimum of 1000 connections. At 1000
connections at least 100 people are viewing your message within an hour’s time
that it was posted. You will also have another 2 or 300 viewers before the day
is out. Now imagine you have built a very large network of 25,000 connections.
Your message would now command the eyes and ears of 2,500 people almost
instantly. If you had 1 million plus connections like then Senator Barrack
Obama had prior to being elected president you would have commanded the
attention of 100,000 people immediately. You get the idea, the greater <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="317b8931895451abeb7b532a291e3f77d8803f66" grtype="null" id="GRmark_317b8931895451abeb7b532a291e3f77d8803f66_the number:0">the
number</span> of connections in your network, the greater its potential to create an
immediate wave of action. My message to you here is this. If you want to be
able to generate immediate response to your marketing needs, you have to take
the time to build a large network. By large I mean 10,000 plus connections. Do
this and your message will be effective and will produce swift results. You
still can’t violate your networks primary needs for trust and value so make
sure your still delivery what you promised. Having said that, know that a bigger
social network equals faster and more effective results.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #4, Your network's
ability to support all your other advertising and marketing efforts.</b></div>
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One of the most amazing phenomena you see happening today is
the massive migration of all media messages pointing at or emphasizing social
media. You know what I’m talking about. Watch TV commercials, TV news, TV
programs, and they are all telling you to connect with them on Twitter,
Facebook or other social medium. Look at any magazine, newspaper or listen to
any radio commercial. You can’t go more than a few pages or five minutes
without hearing the words, “go to our social media page” or seeing a social
media symbols in their ads. This is for very good reason. Social media provides<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46602640@N00/1368124486" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="I Support Compliments" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/1368124486_6b3bf9c180_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 180px;">I Support Compliments (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46602640@N00/1368124486" target="_blank">LexnGer</a>)</td></tr>
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<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="9ef52b8e26ef2caf2616d1d5e73518a6af08d7fa" grtype="null" id="GRmark_9ef52b8e26ef2caf2616d1d5e73518a6af08d7fa_the:0">the</span> missing element that other advertising mediums have always been missing.
Traditional advertising has always been unidirectional. A one way conversation
where the commercials are speaking at you instead of speaking with you. What’s
different is the fact that social media provides your side of the
communications. So my message for you here is this. Social media can only
improve your customers faith and interaction with your company. It gives your
prospects and customers another and often better means for them to communicate
with you. Ignore this fact and you risk alienating your prospects and customers.
Not being accessible via the top social media networks is akin to not being in
the yellow pages 20 years ago. I can assure you that your competition is well
aware of this fact. If you ignore the importance of social media and how it can
help all your other marketing efforts, that’s ok, but don’t ignore your
competition. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #5, Your
Social network's ability to provide <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="a93cc8bc603d4c240618ca1084879804d0714e7d" grtype="null" id="GRmark_a93cc8bc603d4c240618ca1084879804d0714e7d_you:0">you</span> valuable feedback.</b></div>
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One of the most valuable aspects of any type of internet
marketing is this. If you set it up properly it provides lots of feedback with
respect to how well it is performing. You can measure any number of <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="9a8c17d2b314246f379248bd356c2979fc6104e1" grtype="null" id="GRmark_9a8c17d2b314246f379248bd356c2979fc6104e1_ty:0">ty</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Optical-feedback-2-short.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Example 1. Optical feedback" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="120" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Optical-feedback-2-short.gif" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 160px;">Example 1. Optical feedback (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Optical-feedback-2-short.gif" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
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<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="efff66501a3939637c1ad0a4e207c9857d7e053b" grtype="null" id="GRmark_efff66501a3939637c1ad0a4e207c9857d7e053b_pes:0">pes</span> of interactions
including number of clicks, likes, comments, retweets, mentions, sign up,
visits and much more. Conventional advertising does not offer such luxury
unless you pay for special tracking phone numbers, require ads be brought in
for redemption etc.… Social media's
ability to measure most aspects of user interaction is very valuable because it
lets you know if your marketing is working. It provides this feedback very
quickly. This immediate feedback allows you to change and or tweak your
marketing message. It allows you to choose which message is best, to improve a
specific message or just stop a program that is just not working. The best social
media marketing agencies constantly monitor and tweak your message to produce
the maximum growth or result. You hear the saying that feedback is the
breakfast of champions, well it’s also a vital necessity for any marketing
campaign that produces positive results. So the takeaway here is this. Make
sure you require feedback reports showing exactly what your marketing efforts
are producing. Most social networks have
many built in reports and the owner of the account <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="a7df1cda7bc52c1be9fef1cf7b8ab4df9c6a7c9d" grtype="null" id="GRmark_a7df1cda7bc52c1be9fef1cf7b8ab4df9c6a7c9d_has:0">has</span> direct access to
them. However if you never look at any of the reports, you're giving up one of
the most valuable benefits that social media provides any business owner. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #6, Your
networks’ ability to provide low cost direct & measurable marketing.</b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58428285@N00/3290848235" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="ROI Webinar" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="86" src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3290848235_6b1f76f145_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;">ROI Webinar (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/58428285@N00/3290848235" target="_blank">cambodia4kidsorg</a>)</td></tr>
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Another great benefit of the internet and especially social
media marketing is its relative low cost. Almost all social networks are free
to join, setup and use. In most cases the only thing you will be paying for is
the creation of custom pages, backgrounds, forms, connection development,
connection management and connect<span style="background-color: white;"> engagement. Even if you hire a company to
manage all aspects of your social media, your overall monthly cost per network
will normally not exceed $400 a month. As a general rule, the more accounts a
company manages the lower your cost per account. This is not always true for
other types of advertising. So with social media you not only save on setup and
usage (which except for the labor is mostly free), you also have lower cost of
ownership because building custom pages, and other types of commercial
functions cost less on social networks. Now add to this the fact that you can
also engage in pay per click/view marketing on many social media networks
directly. This can be done for as little as .59 cents a click and you have a
recipe for low cost advertising. As a matter of fact your cost per hour of
labor for social media will be well below the cost of most other forms of
advertising, period. So the take away here is this. Social media development
and marketing is a very low cost alternative to most other types of marketing. Use
it and save money.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benefit #7, Your
ability to build a social base for touch marketing.</b></div>
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The last benefit I want to talk about is that utilizing and
building a social network is a great way to also develop your very own database
of customers, prospects and clients. All you have to do is capture the
information you have been given access to. This aspect of social media is often
overlooked<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8802289@N07/5169786034" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Customer Touch Point Map" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="170" src="https://farm2.static.flickr.com/1204/5169786034_b379f42259_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;">Customer Touch Point Map (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8802289@N07/5169786034" target="_blank">Jen Beever</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
by businesses engaged in social media marketing. The lowest cost type
of advertising you can engage in is repeat marketing to your existing customers
and prospect base. Direct email and newsletter marketing is a very low cost
form of marketing. On top of that you
can also use this information for telemarketing and direct mail marketing, both
very effective forms of marketing. This is especially true when you are marketing
to your established network of customers and prospects. Do yourself a favor and
don’t neglect this benefit of social media marketing. Use it and enjoy the
benefits of many repeats and upgraded sales. </div>
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There you have it, seven core benefits that social networks
provide and social media marketers covet. Whether you desire to grow a
following of 5,000 or 5 million, sway public opinion, build positive buzz or
you just want to sell your product to the millions on the internet, you know
you can’t ignore social networks. The
growth of large social networks is changing the marketing landscape of the
internet every day. This article provides the reader seven unchanging benefits that
social networks provide. You can take advantage of these benefits to achieve business
growth and obtain marketing goals. Learn these principles that these benefits
are based on. Better yet align your strategies and techniques so they
principles remain unbroken. Break these principles by ignoring social networks
and you could be relegating your company to a dying breed that ignored <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="1f54ff5f1d8672e15f080842ef771bc98d1d5d73" grtype="null" id="GRmark_1f54ff5f1d8672e15f080842ef771bc98d1d5d73_rapid change:0">rapid
change</span> in the pass. Besides, social media marketing can be some of the most
cost effective marketing you can do today. Be patient, provide value, useful
content and embrace the steady growth. If you do, you will enjoy the benefits
while others are scratching their head trying to figure out what you’re doing
right.</div>
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That’s my opinion, I want to hear yours. </div>
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<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Hector Cisneros is the director of Social Media Marketing at<a href="http://www.w2mediagroup.com/" style="color: blue;" target="_blank"> W Square Media Group</a><span style="color: blue;">,</span>
a writer and author, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years,
is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five
years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of
Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville,
Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online
advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is a
principle partner in W Squared Media Group and the president of Website
Know How, Inc. <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="cd67c3758ae8c5d84d4c32faa7aaca8fa0bc7d28" grtype="null" id="GRmark_cd67c3758ae8c5d84d4c32faa7aaca8fa0bc7d28_a:0">a</span> holding company for several of his business ventures
that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate
holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and
wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60
Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from
word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn
more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of
Mouth Marketing visit Hector's profile on<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: black;"> </span></span><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hector_E._Cisneros" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: blue; font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">EzineArticles.com</a><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> Networkers Apprentice workshop<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: blue;"> </span></span><a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: blue; font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">http://networkersapprentice.com</a><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>or my book website at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: blue; font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL 32216, USA30.2906907 -81.570610930.2358472 -81.6495749 30.3455342 -81.4916469tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-80409228304094773342012-06-29T17:00:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:45:14.947-04:00Battle of the Browsers, Internet Dominance and Why Your Choice Matters!<div style="text-align: right;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">The internet is an ever changing landscape the creates long
term </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="95c306a934b6aaf1d1420454db65f858b490db57" grtype="null" id="GRmark_95c306a934b6aaf1d1420454db65f858b490db57_evolutions:0">evolutions</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> in the way we think, act, work and play. Every so often a
milestone takes place that has great significance. A very recent change that
took place was that Google Chrome displaced the Internet Explore as the number
one browser in the world. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer held the </span><span style="background-color: white;">reins</span><span style="background-color: white;"> for 14+
years. Now a Microsoft rival and Internet corporate giant has taken the lead. In
this article I will tell you why this is an important milestone in our lives. I
will also share with you some of the features which I believe explain why
Chrome is now number one and why the Internet Explorer has fallen behind. Read
on and learn why we are in the Google Chrome era.</span></div>
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<b>Battle of the Browser
Giants!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95562896@N00/127133543" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Browser-wars" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="180" src="https://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/127133543_cef80330ee_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;">Browser-wars (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95562896@N00/127133543" target="_blank">_redheat</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I clearly remember Bill Gates stating that the Internet was
a passing fad in its early years. Back then Netscape rose to the top of the browser
wars even though you had to buy it. Microsoft was one of the first companies to
offer its browser for free. This eventually led to the Internet Explorers 14
year reign as the dominant player. Microsoft accomplished this by giving away
its browser as part of their operating system. It took Microsoft several years
to displace Netscape because in the beginning it had an inferior product and
free was not enough to make people give up Netscape. However once the Internet
Explorer reached par on features the war was over. It's worth noting that
Microsoft was sued for its monopolistic practices during this time frame. It lost
that lawsuit and had to pay millions in fines. In the meantime, AOL (another
corporate giant) buys Netscape and then dismantles it. Some believe AOL’s
purchased Netscape to be used as a bargaining chip with Microsoft to reduce
their dependency on the Internet Explorer. Regardless of the reason, AOL’s eventual
dismantling of Netscape lead to the creation of the Mozilla project that has spawned
Firefox and other web applications today. This all started in 1998.</div>
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<b>Why is This Important? </b></div>
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It’s important because whoever “owns your eyes” as you use
the internet directly affects how you use the internet itself. It’s also
important because Chrome was born in this environment that year. Its heritage started
with Netscape and in part, to the code from the Mozilla project. A browser's functionality directly affects how
a website will look and feel to the user. A programmer designs websites prim<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19365001@N00/93819906" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="eye of the beholder" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="https://farm1.static.flickr.com/23/93819906_3b46df18d9_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="05f2bcbacc37b9498c2434824570165f7433f082" grtype="null" id="GRmark_05f2bcbacc37b9498c2434824570165f7433f082_eye:0">eye</span> of the beholder (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/19365001@N00/93819906" target="_blank">limowreck666</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="6912391a7a5a4d2570d1714d6a927e8f8c1a2a2d" grtype="null" id="GRmark_6912391a7a5a4d2570d1714d6a927e8f8c1a2a2d_arily:0">arily</span>
for whatever the dominant platform is at that point in time. Yes, they will
tweak their website so they generally work with most browsers, but often they
will have to make compromises to make sure the dominant <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="a3fc647f9774aad9e0a3b402eb824ef02a8832e9" grtype="null" id="GRmark_a3fc647f9774aad9e0a3b402eb824ef02a8832e9_platforms:0">platforms</span> needs are
met. It’s also important because whoever controls the majority of Internet
properties also feed the majority of users what they see. So in essence, the
general population is always in danger of being swayed (i.e. <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="4da4c40115fab5abeb0a02a515ecfd722cce3b19" grtype="null" id="GRmark_4da4c40115fab5abeb0a02a515ecfd722cce3b19_censored:0">censored</span>) <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="4da4c40115fab5abeb0a02a515ecfd722cce3b19" grtype="null" id="GRmark_4da4c40115fab5abeb0a02a515ecfd722cce3b19_by:1">by</span>
whomever the dominant player is. In the early days the dominant players were
kept in check by somewhat of opposing forces. First it was Yahoo and Netscape,
then it became the Internet Explorer and Yahoo, then Internet Explorer and
Google and now, it’s just Google! I am not one of these conspiracy buff who
thinks that every giant company on the planet is out to rule the world. I
happen to like Google and Chrome. I am just pointing out that there is always a
danger when one company controls most of any one aspects of our lives.</div>
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<b>Why Chrome – What Propelled
Them to The Top!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Chrome was launched as a free browser in September of 2008 (as
a beta). It has steadily grown in features and maturity over the past14 years.
Today, Chrome is still free, owns 31% of the worlds browser market (<a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-daily-20120101-20120628">from
statcounter.com</a>) and is the dominant player on the internet. Google is one
of the largest corporation’s in the world and it owns Chrome. It’s not a coincidence
that Chrome has finally reached the number one position. Its parent company Google,
controls 81% of the search market (<a href="http://www.w3counter.com/features/tour">from StatOwl.com</a>) and about a
1/3 of all internet traffic as a whole. Because Google owns so many high usage
internet <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="0fd38dad54a82d15870a7025a6511a91b44e97b4" grtype="null" id="GRmark_0fd38dad54a82d15870a7025a6511a91b44e97b4_prope:0">prope</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chrome_Logo.svg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Logo used from the start of the Chrome project..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="256" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d0/Chrome_Logo.svg/256px-Chrome_Logo.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 256px;"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="771452b6022e0c937f5f5697b0202d783e17cf05" grtype="null" id="GRmark_771452b6022e0c937f5f5697b0202d783e17cf05_Logo:0">Logo</span> used from the start of the Chrome project until March 2011 (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chrome_Logo.svg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="248d389954b5d45c5528f716ba253164b09c2dc2" grtype="null" id="GRmark_248d389954b5d45c5528f716ba253164b09c2dc2_rties:0">rties</span>, it has been able to learn what a user wants and in turn,
incorporate those features into its now dominant browser. It can also provide
massive advertising to promote Chrome since it owns the huge portion of all internet
destinations. Destinations like Google Search, YouTube, Picasa, Analytics,
AdWords, AdSence and a lot more essentially make it easier for Google to get
users to try Chrome. On top of that, Google has started selling Chrome only
notebooks, (Chrome Books). These notebook use <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="4b70c216a0e80556c0d1ff5ad214e84ed6e13647" grtype="null" id="GRmark_4b70c216a0e80556c0d1ff5ad214e84ed6e13647_Chrome:0">Chrome</span> is the operating system, which makes them
low cost and fast. Nevertheless, the real reason I think Chrome has become
number one is that it provides more people with the features they want. It is
fast, highly customizable and integrates well with many of Google’s internet
properties. In addition, since Google controls most of the internet traffic, it
makes sense that their browser would eventually become number one.</div>
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<b>My Favorite Features
and Benefits!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Google Chrome touts itself as being the fastest browser on
the internet. Google also states that it is feature rich and very stable. I can
verify that it is fast, but so are Firefox and several other browsers. However when compared to the Internet
Explorer, the prior browser leader, it feels really fast. Internet Explorer
also takes a long time to start where Chrome's start-up time is fast. Google has
concentrated on making sure it’s browsers performance is top notch. Therefore, when
measuring a return on this feature, Chrome’s speed is very good and makes it a
top performer. You will spend a lot less time waiting for your pages to
download and you will get more done in less time. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="037166f49b8205542607e355c4a4c0d1f7ef3ab5" grtype="null" id="GRmark_037166f49b8205542607e355c4a4c0d1f7ef3ab5_Is it Feature:0">Is it Feature</span> Rich?</b></div>
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As far as being feature rich, it does meet this criterion
too. However, I would give the edge to Firefox for having the most plug-in’s
and add-on’s. Speaking of cool features that a browser can have, Chrome has
several unique native features. The first one worth mentioning is voice
recognition in Google search. That’s right. If you have a laptop, cell phone,
or tablet with Google Chrome, you have voice search capabilities. The second
feature is how Chrome has a lot of native support for all the other Google
properties and applications. This list can be extensive and include YouTube,
Google+, Google Play and m<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mp_400_sport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img 400="" alt="A " border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" compact="" gerber="" height="200" multi-...="" multiplier="" sport="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bb/Mp_400_sport.jpg/300px-Mp_400_sport.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="148" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;">A "Multiplier 400 Compact Sport" Gerber multi-tool, in the open position, with all tools partially opened. (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mp_400_sport.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="06f573caa58ec2259ac54451ff45de9168666ad5" grtype="null" id="GRmark_06f573caa58ec2259ac54451ff45de9168666ad5_any:0">any</span> more. If you go to the Google Chrome store, you
will find many wonderful apps that will make your Chrome browser more powerful
and friendly. Again, this is also true for Firefox and other browsers but some
of the implementations are better on Chrome. For example, I love a Grammar/Spelling
checker called Ginger. Ginger is available <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="21453d2a53f7cadc9c8c769849090185d121a09d" grtype="null" id="GRmark_21453d2a53f7cadc9c8c769849090185d121a09d_for:0">for</span> many browsers, word processing
and email client platforms. Ginger provides support for MS-Word, Outlook,
PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. However, its spell checker integration
in Gmail on Chrome is phenomenal. Don’t get me wrong, this plug-in works well with
all the programs they support. Having used the pro version of Ginger in MS-Word
for quite some time, I was impressed at how seamless Gingers spelling check
works in Gmail (on Chrome verse Gmail on Firefox). On the other hand, many of
the pro features are not yet available on Chrome (or Gmail <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="8998a8577de8bf81e9a5131d0eaa6e9e13304966" grtype="null" id="GRmark_8998a8577de8bf81e9a5131d0eaa6e9e13304966_on:0">on</span> Chrome) so I am
not ready to give up MS-Word yet.</div>
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<b>How does Stability Compare?</b></div>
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The last items is stability. Chrome is very stable,
especially if you are using relatively new hardware (3 years old or newer). It
also helps to be using a newer 64 bit operating system like Windows 7 or Apple
latest OS. Follow these rules and you will not be disappointed. However if you’re
trying to hold on to Windows XP as your operating system you may be
disappointed. I have seen XP
unexpectedly reboot<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26983785@N02/6966635424" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Peacekeeper Benchmark Comparison (Firefox 12 v..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="79" src="https://farm9.static.flickr.com/8142/6966635424_0d1d42b5e6_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;"><span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="90295df771c73081e80c78c4ad5d4a3747f2e2e5" grtype="null" id="GRmark_90295df771c73081e80c78c4ad5d4a3747f2e2e5_Peacekeeper:0">Peacekeeper</span> Benchmark Comparison (Firefox 12 vs Google Chrome 18) (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26983785@N02/6966635424" target="_blank">Squidooer</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="6b363b72e00d8943c45fc5402dd029dae3c43221" grtype="null" id="GRmark_6b363b72e00d8943c45fc5402dd029dae3c43221_when:0">when</span> using Chrome. Microsoft is generally phasing
out all support for XP and I have not seen anything that has fixed this
XP/Chrome stability issue. I have not had this problem as often with Firefox or
Internet Explorer on Windows XP. I have also had very few Chrome issues with
Windows Vista, again it is very stable except in the oldest of systems. The
good news is that new computers are cheaper and faster than ever. With Quad
core Windows 7 laptops being sold for less than $400, (including tax), there
are few reasons to have to keep dealing with the limitations of old systems.</div>
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In summary, Chrome is currently the number one browser used worldwide,
(with Firefox and IE not too far behind). As a website owner, it is important
to note which browser platform dominates the market place. These browser platforms
affect your design element choices, and the final look and feel of your
website. Chrome is a fast, stable, powerful and customizable browser platform
that is feature rich and mature. It is my opinion that it will continue to be a
dominant player in the browser wars for many years to come. One reason for
holding this belief is because it is owned by Google and Google is the dominant
player on the internet stage. Download and try several browsers, especially
Chrome. I know you will like the voice search feature. I also think you will
like its speed, versatility and its ability to use third party and Google
plug-ins. You may also, as I have, choose it to be your go to <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="0019e4f84e91bab00a0b8656fac04cb96b3d0be0" grtype="null" id="GRmark_0019e4f84e91bab00a0b8656fac04cb96b3d0be0_browser:0">browser</span>, for now
and the immediate future.</div>
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That’s my opinion, I want to hear yours.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Hector Cisneros is the director of Social Media Marketing at<a href="http://www.w2mediagroup.com/" style="color: blue;" target="_blank"> W Square Media Group</a><span style="color: blue;">,</span> a writer and author, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is a principle partner in W Squared Media Group and the president of Website Know How, Inc. <span class="GRcorrect" grphrase="926f68456559953668384ec165bf230158dd8238" grtype="null" id="GRmark_926f68456559953668384ec165bf230158dd8238_a:0">a</span> holding company for several of his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing visit Hector's profile on<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: black;"> </span></span><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hector_E._Cisneros" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: blue; font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">EzineArticles.com</a><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> Networkers Apprentice workshop<span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: blue;"> </span></span><a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: blue; font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">http://networkersapprentice.com</a><span style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>or my book website at<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/" style="background-color: #fff9ee; color: blue; font-family: Times,'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; orphans: 2; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL 32216, USA30.2906907 -81.570610930.2358472 -81.6495749 30.3455342 -81.4916469tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-46021288406270332002012-05-06T22:06:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:45:42.853-04:00Six Clear Reasons why you should be using Social Media to build your Credibility<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">An Ad agency client asked me the other day to provide them the
primary reason why their clients should use Social Media as part of their
advertising mix. Specifically they were talking about Facebook, Twitter and
Angieslist. The answer to this question is often confusing and misstated. This
article provides six concise reasons why Social Media is so important
today. Reading this article will make it
easy for the reader to see why Social Media has risen so quickly in advertising
circles and it will help them prosper from using it. Here are a few reasons why they should use Social
Media as part of their marketing mix. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.</b><span style="color: #222222;"> <b>Word of Mouth is Number
One!</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80388528@N00/3427749387" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Word of Mouth - Visualized" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="173" src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/3427749387_162d4d9138_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Word of Mouth - Visualized (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80388528@N00/3427749387">mvellandi</a>)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Ask any business owner or advertising agent
what’s the best form of</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;"> advertising and they will say word of mouth. It's the
number one way to build real credibility. When you run an ad it’s recognized as
a commercial, and the average person believes that ads exaggerate and are
deceptive. When a person mentions how great your product or service is, or how wonderful
your installers were, it's a testimonial. Word of mouth is perceived as the
absolute truth and is priceless! Social Networking is Word of Mouth on Steroids. Make sure your clients are posting
testimonials on your social media pages.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">2.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">Social
Media provides a Huge Number of Potential Prospects!</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Billion_reasons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="1.4 Billion Reasons presentation." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="159" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Billion_reasons.jpg/300px-Billion_reasons.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">1.4 Billion Reasons presentation. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Billion_reasons.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Facebook is the number two destination on the
internet. It has almost a</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><b><u><span style="color: #222222;">"billion"
</span></u></b><span style="color: #222222;">subscribers that cross
all walks of life. Our local area has more than 500 thousand Facebook
subscribers! If you added all the subscribers for Facebook, Twitter, (which has
around 400 million) Google+, (which has around 300 million) Angieslist, YouTube
(with 3 billion views a day) and LinkedIn (200 million business users), you
would end up with a huge number of potential prospects. Of these services only Angieslist
charges members to subscribe. This means that 98 percent of all Social Networks
are basically free to use. Granted there is some overlap but the number of users
would still be more than a billion people!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">3.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">You
can get Psycho-graphic as well as Demographic Information on your Target Market!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Facebook provides psycho-graphic and
demographic profiles on its followers. To some extent you can target prospects
on LinkedIn and Twitter with their profile information also. Your ability to target subscribers via their
profile is one of the main differences between a Social Media Pay Per Click programs
and a Search Engine pay per click program. With a Search Engine, you are
selecting a specific demographic. With Social Media you are t</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">argeting their
personal profiles. Needless to say this is very powerful. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SNA_segment.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A segment of a social network" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="78" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/SNA_segment.png/300px-SNA_segment.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
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</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">A segment of a social network (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SNA_segment.png">Wikipedia</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Also you can target someone via who they
are connected to. When a person likes your page, their friends will see them
listed as liking your page when your ad is running during your pay per click
campaign. Thus your ad is displayed to matching profiles and appears as being
endorsed by their friends at the same time. In other words their friends will
appear to be providing a tacit endorsement of your product/service. Their
friends will be perceived as saying that they like your products! This only
occurs when you’re engaged in pay per click ad and or story ad campaigns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">4.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">Social
Media Provides Real Client Engagement, no other Media does this so Well.</span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32119772@N03/3901247773" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Social Media Brand Engagement Curve" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="187" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/3901247773_d8229727bc_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Social Media Brand Engagement Curve (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32119772@N03/3901247773">Intersection Consulting</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">It's a great way to engage your clients and
prospects. No other media has </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">a way of directly communicating with clients.
When a customer makes a comment on one of your posts, you can quickly speak
directly to them by answering or commenting on their post. You can even see if
they are online and invite them to chat with you. There are other chat and
direct response services out there that can help provide this kind of
interaction, but few are free to use and are not part of the built in culture
of Social Networks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">5.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><b><span style="color: #222222;">Social Media Provides Back-link Support for
your SEO Efforts</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56367751@N00/2341913983" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="exchange-links" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="39" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2341913983_aff88375db_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 240px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">exchange-links (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56367751@N00/2341913983">vaXzine</a>)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Both Twitter and Google+ post provides
backlinks that are current </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">and relevant. Because these posts are current, they
receive high rankings. On top of that, each post counts as separate backlinks!
These links also rank high on search engines especially if they are recent and
match the keywords of the search. This is also true to some extent for
LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook. I have also seen review posts act in this way
and I always encourage my clients to ask their customers to post
recommendations and testimonials. LinkedIn actually has a special section dedicated
to show casing recommendations. These recommendations are used extensively by
LinkedIn users. Facebook has a slew of add on applets that allow users to
connect with each other and make recommendations in somewhat different ways.</span></span><br />
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</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">6.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><b><span style="color: #222222;">Using Social Media is a Great Way to Provide a
Subtle Form of Touch Marketing</span></b><span style="color: #222222;">. </span></span></div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24552655@N07/3451724218" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="TOUCH ME ATARI GAME 1980 HANDELD ELECTRONIC G..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="200" src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3617/3451724218_c595198d66_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" title="ATARI GAME 1980" width="150" /></a></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Atari Game 1980</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">There is no question that if you stay in
contact with your clients on a regular basis with helpful tips and useful
information they would learn to look forward to your communications with them. If
you are providing useful, interesting, funny or entertaining messages via your
post, clients and prospects will pay attention. This type of interaction builds
trust over time. It will also allow you to sneak in an occasional subtle
commercial without ruffling your follower’s feathers. After a short period of
time you will be able to provide direct response mail offering your current
specials without being added to the spam list. If you respect your follower’s
time, interests and privacy by providing them with useful information that they
care about, they will reward you by staying engaged with your company.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">I don't want to
oversimplify why Social Media marketing is so powerful. I also don't want to
imply that it's easy, because it's very labor intensive. Having said this, its
common knowledge that word of mouth is the most powerful form of advertising
there is. Social Networking is all about word of mouth. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">It's word of mouth with exponential growth and speed potential!</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;"> When you say something about your product or service, it's perceived
at best as hyperbole. On the other hand when a customer (and their friends)
praises your product or service on a Social Network, it’s a testimonial. Because
of the nature of Social Networks, that message can become viral very quickly,
spreading a positive message, so fast that it makes face to face word of mouth
marketing seem like watching grass grow. This also means that Social Media can
be a double edge sword. It can make you look good and help close the deal or it
can hurt your chances when you don't compare well against your competition.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">In this article I have
shared with you 6 potent reasons why you should be engaged in Social Media. It’s
becoming a vital part of business marketing. The truth is this; even if you’re
not using Social Media, your clients and prospects are, and they are talking
about your product or service whether you know it or not. Social Media word of
mouth can help or hurt you quickly. If you have no direct input, if you’re not
engaged you are vulnerable! If you want to have any semblance of control, any
ability to steer your message so that it is positive, have any perceived value
as being useful, as being engaging and compelling, then you need to be engaged.
Not using social media today is like being an ostrich with its head in the
sand, just before the lion waltz’s in for dinner.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">If you use these six
principles in your advertising campaigns, your efforts will produce greater
results and more positive long term effects. Ignore these principles and you
will have to deal with the long term consequences of your inaction's. You will be
left behind while your competition surges ahead and stakes a claim to your
customers. Take advantage of Social Media marketing, it’s mostly free and there
for the taking.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">I have written several
other articles covering how to use social Media effectively. See my syndicated articles
covering social networking on Ezine magazine online. Especially read these
three; #1, Success Secrets for Social Media Connecting, #2, Three Common
Mistakes Business People Make When Using Social Media and #3, Six Cardinal
Rules for Success in Social Media Marketing. Here is a link to my
articles. </span><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hector_E._Cisneros" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; line-height: 115%;">http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hector_E._Cisneros</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">That’s my opinion I
love to hear yours.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">That’s my opinion I
love to hear yours.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hector Cisneros is the director of Social Media Marketing at W Square Media Group, (http://www.w2mediagroup.com), a writer and author, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30
years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for
over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the
philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in
Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine
art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth
marketing. He is a principle partner in W Squared Media Group and the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding
company for several of his business ventures that include online advertising,
word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit
training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales
and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches
business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by
using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector
Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing
visit Hector's profile on <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Hector_E._Cisneros" target="_blank">EzineArticles.com</a> Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" target="_blank">http://networkersapprentice.com</a> or my book website at <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/" target="_blank">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a> </span></div>
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<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://newmediaandmarketing.com/a-marketers-guide-to-social-medias-most-important-questions/social-media/">A marketers guide to social media's most important questions</a> (newmediaandmarketing.com)</li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565129.8936258 -82.287365000000008 30.7707418 -81.023937tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-27521182114159682802012-04-25T17:05:00.004-04:002017-10-19T14:46:41.594-04:00What Does the Public’s Uncontrollable App-etite Mean to You?<h4 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
<i><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is a great blog written by my friend and partner Carl Weiss. He allowed me to post this blog on my site because I asked him if I could share it with you.</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Read and enjoy, this is really great and informative stuff.</span></b></i><br />
</h4>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“There’s an app for
that.” How many times have we all heard
that phrase during the past couple of years?
Allow me to put it into better perspective for you. During the last week of 2011, 1.2 billion
apps were downloaded, with 242 million apps being downloaded on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas" rel="wikipedia" title="Christmas">Christmas day</a>
alone. While that number may seem
staggering, it is even more so when one considers that less than 11 billion
apps were downloaded in all of 2010. Add
to that the fact that it is predicted that the number of mobile apps offered by
companies will increase by a factor of 10 in 2012, and it is clear that the
public’s App-etite is clearly uncontrollable.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">FACT: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As of December 2011, there were nearly 1
million applications available to the public, with nearly 2,000 new apps being
published on a daily basis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While some apps are pay to
play, where consumers are charged a few dollars to download and use them, a
vast number of them are given away for free. ..or, are they? While an app may be free to download, that
doesn’t mean the app developer isn’t looking to cash in. </span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11762101@N00/2251266697" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="facebook" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="84" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2171/2251266697_5304abac74_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center;">facebook (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11762101@N00/2251266697">sitmonkeysupreme</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">For example:<i> A recent Wall Street Journal article <span style="background-color: white;">that examined 100 of the most popular
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://downloads.zdnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=4107413&promo=100200" rel="zdnet" title="Facebook Chat IM">Facebook apps</a> found that some apps seek not only the email addresses, current location and
sexual preference of users, but also of their
<a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/facebook?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Facebook">Facebook</a> friends. One Yahoo service powered by Facebook requests access to a
person's religious and political leanings as a condition for using it. The
popular Skype service for making online phone calls seeks the Facebook photos
and birthdays of its users and their friends.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">What
the article didn’t reveal is that the WSJ isn’t immune from this phenomenon,
since its own app, WSJ Social, collects data from its subscribers, including
profile information, email address and the ability to post an update whenever a
subscriber reads an article.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/google" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="99" src="https://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0002/9578/29578v7-max-450x450.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 5.75pt 12pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">While you may
recall the recent firestorm raged over <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/google+inc.?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Google">Google’s</a> new privacy policy, no one seemed
to mind that other <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_search_engine" rel="wikipedia" title="Web search engine">search engines</a>, social networks, affiliate marketers and app
purveyors were busy at work collecting, analyzing and selling our personal
information as well. Perhaps the reason
that so many journalists were asleep at the switch with regards to sweeping
changes taking place in cyberspace is due to the fact that until recently the
ability to collect and control vast amounts of personal information about every
man, woman and child online was a non-starter.
Of course, this was in a time before most people were wired to the web
24/7 via a host of devices capable of transmitting information at will.</span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 5.75pt 12pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Let’s face it,
capitalizing on personal data has never been easier or more lucrative. Facebook, which is slated to go public in May
to the tune of $100 billion or more, is hip deep in turning personal data into
gold. When it comes to collecting
personal information, social networks in general and Facebook in particular are
king. From the get go when you sign up
for a social network, you are asked a myriad of questions concerning everything
from your age and sex, to likes, dislikes, movies and books you have seen and
read, photos, videos and much more.
Then you are encouraged to share even more personal information on a
daily basis about yourself and your friends.
Last but not least, you are expected to willingly proselytize the
network to friends and family. That in
effect is the very essence of social networking. It is also the source of the network’s
revenue, since their profits are derived chiefly via advertising.</span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 5.75pt 12pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;">With the
growth of mobile marketing, it wasn’t long before social networks began to break
out of the box and onto our phones.
Getting back to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wsj.com/" rel="homepage" title="The Wall Street Journal">the Wall Street Journal’s</a> examination of the 100 most
popular Facebook apps, <i>“ The app that
sought the widest array of personal information of the 100 examined,
"MyPad for <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/apple+ipad?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Apple iPad">iPad</a>," has a two-paragraph privacy policy that says it is
"adding Privacy settings shortly." Privacy policies that describe how
they collect, use and share data are required by Facebook. The app maker
couldn't be reached for comment.”</i></span></div>
<div style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; margin: 0in 5.75pt 12pt 0in;">
<span style="background-color: white;">The article
goes on to state that, <i>“By virtue of its
size and user base of 800-million-plus people, Facebook is at the heart of the
personal data economy. Popular apps can quickly go "viral" there and
gain millions of users—but can also flame out just as quickly. This explains
why some apps seek to cash in by gathering as much data as possible and hoping
to find ways to make money from it.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While apps are technically
required to ask permission to access uses Facebook data, the way in which the
permission is couched, namely in a way that would make the app virtually
non-functioning if you deny access, makes it a sure bet that users will almost
always grant access. One of the items
that the app makers don’t tell the public is the fact that while Facebook
tries to restrict app makers from sharing the data collected with any company that
hasn’t signed an agreement with Facebook, this isn’t always the case. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/doubleclick" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Image representing DoubleClick as depicted in ..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="52" src="https://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/4634/14634v3-max-450x450.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 156px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“<span style="background-color: white;">Data
obtained from <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.privacychoice.org/" rel="homepage" title="PrivacyChoice">PrivacyChoice</a> show that several dozen widely used apps are using
unapproved companies, most notably Google, the biggest online ad company. That
means app users can be tracked within their apps by Google and others. Google
said advertisers using its <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.doubleclick.com/" rel="homepage" title="DoubleClick">DoubleClick</a> ad services agree to terms that prohibit
the collection of any <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personally_identifiable_information" rel="wikipedia" title="Personally identifiable information">personally identifiable information</a>.”</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While the WSJ article
concerned itself with Facebook apps, if the world’s largest social network and
the world’s largest search engine are not above breaching each other’s privacy
policies, what is the likelihood that many of their smaller and hungrier
brethren in the world of online advertising are above bending the rules?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Multinational corporations
for one have seen the light when it comes to the advantages of apps. The popularity of mobile apps is now seen as
a major player in driving revenues.
Given the fact that within two years more people will be surfing the web
via mobile device rather than PC, is it any wonder that companies large and
small see mobile marketing as their ticket to easy money, especially since most
people haven’t got a clue as to how to prevent their personal data from being
mined.</span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hey, I’ll bet there’s an app
for that!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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</div>
<b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Carl Weiss is president of <a href="http://w2mediagroup.com/">W Squared MediaGroup</a> and co-host of the weekly online radio show <a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin">Working the Web to Win</a>. Since 1995 he has helped hundreds of
businesses improve their visibility and results online. </span></i></b>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-89100413416628897792012-03-28T22:42:00.000-04:002017-10-19T14:47:10.637-04:00What tips would you give a new business owner who wants to get their business off on the right foot?<br />
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There are many issues that a new <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" title="Business">business owner</a> must tackle during startup. These items generally fall into 3 categories. </div>
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<li><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span>Things that must be taken care of now (either because they are legally required or must be in place before the next item can be handled). </li>
<li><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span>Things that need to be taken care of soon, like creating show term marketing plans, creating a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unique_selling_proposition" rel="wikipedia" title="Unique selling proposition">unique selling proposition</a>, ideal customer profile and goals </li>
<li><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span>Longer term issues like creating operating procedures, having a growth plan, detailed <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_plan" rel="wikipedia" title="Marketing plan">marketing plan</a>, an <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_handbook" rel="wikipedia" title="Employee handbook">employee handbook</a> and more are last on the list. </li>
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Obviously my startup list is very short and leaves out many items that must be addressed. The focus of this article is not about all the myriad of items and details a new business owner has to tackle. No, this articles purpose is to guide a new business owner in finding help and support that will expedite their businesses growth. That’s right, growing their business and getting help at the same time. We will be killing two birds with one stone.<br />
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<b>Every New Business needs a team.</b></div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BPA_logo.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Business Professionals of America" height="115" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/BPA_logo.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="195" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 195px;">Business Professionals of America (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BPA_logo.jpg">Wikipedia</a>)</span></span>Every new business needs a team of professionals to help them get off on the right foot. They need <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_advice" rel="wikipedia" title="Legal advice">legal advice</a>, accounting help, plus banking, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Marketing">marketing</a>, and insurance advice. You name it, they need it. A great way for a new business to get this help is to join a successful networking group in their area. For most areas in the world, this means joining a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bni.com/" rel="homepage" title="BNI (organization)">BNI</a> chapter. This is not to say that there aren’t other networks a business owner could join. As a matter of fact, almost every city and town in the US has a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_of_commerce" rel="wikipedia" title="Chamber of commerce">Chamber of Commerce</a> ready and willing to help. In <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.3194444444,-81.66&spn=0.1,0.1&q=30.3194444444,-81.66%20%28Jacksonville%2C%20Florida%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Jacksonville, Florida">Jacksonville</a>, where I live and work, we have about a dozen viable and successful network organizations that a new business owner can join. I point out BNI because it is one of the oldest, most successful and profitable organization for its members. BNI is not for everyone, but for those businesses that like structure, a well organized leadership team, a punctual timetable and growth through referrals, BNI is hard to beat.</div>
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<b>So when asked?</b></div>
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So when asked the question, “what do I recommend that a new business owner do to get their business off on the right foot”, I always say, join a BNI chapter. It’s the fastest way I know to build your credibility in a new location. If they are new in business and new to an area, joining the Chamber and a BNI chapter is a must. It’s extremely important to be proactive if your business is new to an area. Building credibility in your new community starts with meeting lots of other business people and members of that community. They must see and get to know you first before they will trust you.</div>
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I like to steer business people towards BNI because I feel it provides the most benefits for the money and time they will invest. Becoming a BNI member provides them with several benefits. </div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>First they can build a referral partnership with the members of their chapter. Everyone knows that referrals are the best kind of business you can get, and BNI is all about referrals. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>Second they will receive training on how to improve their <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">word of mouth marketing</a> skills, a valuable skill needed by all business owners.<span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>Third, they will gain access to the BNI members’ clients, thus expanding their influence and customer base. </li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol";"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span>Forth they will become a member of a much larger organization connecting to much more than just their chapter. BNI connects you to thousands of members worldwide. </li>
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Because of the bond they have as members of BNI, they will be able to connect and meet with any BNI member in their region. A BNI member’s common culture and camaraderie are second to none. If you ask any BNI member what is the motto of the organization, every member will immediately say, “Givers Gain”. Name another organization where every member immediately knows the organization's motto! This corporate culture of “Givers Gain” makes connecting easy for BNI members throughout their region, indeed even throughout the world! In the Jacksonville area, there are more than 600 BNI members. This means you have access to a large group of businesses to network with immediately.</div>
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<b>Hidden benefits</b></div>
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The last benefit of BNI is almost a hidden one. A new business would gain access to the expertise of the members in their chapter. As they build trust, credibility and yes friendships too, they will also learn from their referral partners. They will learn lots of useful and necessary business skills that will help them grow their business. They will find business people they can trust to get things done right. They're fellow referral partners can help their new business in a multitude of ways. They will find all the professional help that a new business normally needs when starting. They will find; CPA’s and accountants, payroll specialist, website builders, computer technicians, marketing specialist, insurance agents, sales trainers, legal counsel and much more. These are the professions that every new business already needs help with, yet in BNI they get so much more. It’s great to get referrals to grow your business, but it’s also great to get help to grow it the right way too. This is why I say joining BNI is like killing two birds with one stone. </div>
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Yes, my first advice would be to join a BNI chapter and take advantage of all that it has to offer. When I have recommended this to proactive business owners in the past, they have always ended up thanking me. This is not to belittle any other organization that can also help. Nor am I trying to slight the many important matters that have to be taken care of during startup. It's just my opinion that joining a BNI chapter is a great place to start, find help and achieve real growth. It’s also a place where proactive entrepreneurs stay and prosper. I have been a member for almost 19 years and can’t think of a better organizational decision I’ve made during that time. If you’re not a member of BNI, check out a chapter and see if it’s for you. If your area doesn’t have a chapter be proactive and start one. It will be the best growing experience you can get without having to pay a consultant.</div>
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That’s my opinion, I want to hear yours.</div>
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Hector Cisneros is a writer, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" target="_new">http://networkersapprentice.com</a> or my book website at <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-55737141614402331202012-02-12T17:12:00.000-05:002017-10-19T14:47:34.754-04:00What the best Social Media site for a Small Business.<br />
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A common question I get is; what is the best social media site for me to be on? Alternatively, they will ask; what social media site will bring me the most internet business? My answer to this question may surprise you, but here it is. There is no such thing as "what the best" social media site for a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_business" rel="wikipedia" title="Small business">small business</a>. A small business should create a presence all on as many platforms as they have time for. </div>
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<b>You need to be everywhere if possible</b></div>
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I tell people they need a presence on all the top platforms. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/facebook?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Facebook">Facebook</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/" rel="homepage" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn,</a> Twitter, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.youtube.com/" rel="homepage" title="YouTube">YouTube</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/google+inc.?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Google">Google</a>+, etc.... More if they have time to set them up. These connections will all provide back links and traffic to their website which most businesses already have.<br />
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<b>Goals, USP's, ICD's and more</b></div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/82794063@N00/264250038" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unique's???" height="158" src="https://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/264250038_86f5501885_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Unique's??? (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/82794063@N00/264250038">sporkwrapper</a>)</span></span><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/264250038_86f5501885_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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However, using a social media site as a marketing platform is a different matter. This requires some planning, some analysts, a predetermined budget (either money or time) and the understanding of what their USP is (a unique selling proposition) and who their ICD is (Ideal Customer Demographic). On top of this, they should set goals. Goals should be SMART in nature and of one of three types; goals for network development, goals for positive interaction and goals for closed business.</div>
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<b>In the beginning you need this!</b></div>
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In the beginning, it is easier to setup and achieve network development goals (i.e. grow your following). Having a decent size following will help you with achieving positive interactions (buzz, viral messages spread ...) And be able to close more business. It's much easier to get a response from a marketing message when you send a message to 1000 or 5000 people than it is if you send your message to 124 followers, regardless of whether it's an email, tweet or Facebook post. </div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Science_rules.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Science rules" height="192" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/00/Science_rules.jpg/300px-Science_rules.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="320" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Science_rules.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span> </div>
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The rule of ten follows here. Ten in a hundred suspects will have an interest, and one of the ten interested prospects may purchase. Therefore, it's better to start with 1000 suspects who will yield 100 interest prospects which, in turn, will yield 10 possible customers, than to start with 100 potential suspects and get down to 1 possible customer.</div>
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<b>Instant Gratification</b></div>
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If a business wants instance gratification, it should invest in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_per_click" rel="wikipedia" title="Pay per click">PPC</a>, (pay per click) on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and other sites. This type of marketing will produce more click to your landing page right away. Of course this assumes you have a compelling message, a decent offer and a strong call to action. If not, the clicks on your site may bounce faster than a tennis ball at Wimbledon. Even with pay per click, planning, testing, measuring and adjusting are part of a winning formula.<br />
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<b>Ready, Aim, shoot!</b> </div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9242564@N07/4929302647" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Archery World Cup" height="192" src="https://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4929302647_b909aafa8f_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Archery World Cup (Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/9242564@N07/4929302647">IntelGuy</a>)</span><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;"> </span><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;"> </span></span></span>People who are successful today start by creating a <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_plan" rel="wikipedia" title="Marketing plan">marketing plan</a> first. They make sure it is measurable, testable and executable, all within their budget. Most small businesses can afford to pay for consulting help if they don't know where to start. A marketing consultation can usually create a plan for about $500. This is a terrific deal if the consultant is not selling you, the service, and they have provided you a plan that can be bid out.</div>
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<b>People on a Shoestring can do it too.</b></div>
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For a person with no budget but have time on their hands, need to plan even more! I suggest that they create a schedule and stick to it. They should also invest in some tools that will let them create a message post conveniently (tablets, smart phones, etc....). I also recommend they use aggregation software (like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://hootsuite.com/" rel="homepage" title="HootSuite">Hoot suite</a> or <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/" rel="homepage" title="TweetDeck">Tweet Deck</a>) which will allow them to post to multiple platforms simultaneously plus schedule their post on future dates. If they do these three things, they will be able to create a social media campaign on a shoestring budget.</div>
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So there you have it, my answer to what is the best social media site for business. Businesses that approach <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" title="Social media">Social Media</a> Marketing by first creating a plan do much better than businesses that use the, "shoot, ready aim approach". They set realistic smart goals, purchase the tools needed to make sure they can be efficient and effective, and they carry out their plan. They make sure to test, measure and adjust their plan as needed, and they work within their budget. The best way to be successful in any kind of marketing program is to plan, test, refine and execute, doing so always insure your money is well spent.</div>
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Hector Cisneros is a writer, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" target="_new">http://networkersapprentice.com</a> or my book website at <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-59132253905303242832012-01-05T17:36:00.002-05:002017-10-19T14:48:00.558-04:00Hector the Connectors Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2012<br />
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2011 is gone, and 2012 has rolled in without missing a beat. The social <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media" rel="wikipedia" title="Mass media">media industry</a> is growing in leaps and bounds. I often hear business people say <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service" rel="wikipedia" title="Social networking service">social networking</a> is like the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_wild_west" rel="rottentomatoes" title="Wild Wild West">Wild Wild West</a>! So answer this question for me. Would it be valuable if you knew the future social media trends for 2012? How wonderful would it be to know what trends are in store for the coming year? Could you adequately prepare for this rapidly changing industry? In this article, I provide my 2012 predictions for the evolving trends in the social-networking industry. It's always gratifying when my predictions come true. My predictions are not based on any kind of special powers. They are based on my industry research, what I read and what I see happening every day in my work. My accuracy rate in the social media industry has been about 97 percent. However, even when I’m wrong it's only because my timeline ended up being longer than I thought it was going to be. I have a knack for spotting social media trends. And this article lists four powerful trends unfolding right now. You can profit from what I say or ignore me, the choice is yours. Either way these trends will unfold as the year progresses. So read on and heed my advice. Prepare your social media marketing campaigns to take advantage these trends for 2012 and beyond.<br />
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<b>Prediction #1) <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" title="Social media">Social Media</a> Networks and Marketing will continue to grow at an<u> </u>alarming rate. </b></div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11127460@N00/1812771271" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Relative size & growth of Facebook vs Open Soc..." height="160" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/1812771271_fc1a037684_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11127460@N00/1812771271">davemc500hats</a> via Flickr</span></span>Last year <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/facebook?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Facebook">Facebook</a> grew from around 600 million to 800 million users depending on whose numbers you believe. <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" title="Twitter">Twitter</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/" rel="homepage" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn</a> also both showed growth and added many new features, (not to mention that they both acquired several new partners and internet assets). Add to this, Google started Google+, and Microsoft is said to be in the works of building their own social network. The adoption rate of small business will lead the way, but expenditures by large corporations will exceed that of both small and medium-size businesses. My first advice to you is; create and implement “an employee social media use policy” to control business hour usage. Second, create a social media marketing plan to reach and engage this enormous market. Combining both engagement and pay per click campaigns work best.</div>
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<b>Prediction #2) One of the largest players in the social media arena will make a “miss step” in 2012.</b></div>
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I believe that one of the top four Social Media <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network" rel="wikipedia" title="Social network">Network</a> companies will make a costly mistake causing them to lose significant market share. Right now several of the larger social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all share one crucial flaw. They try to make it almost impossible to communicate with them. Take Facebook, for instance. They do not list any contact information other than a Facebook page. Sure they have lots of help pages. Yes, Facebook has a blog, lots of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.youtube.com/" rel="homepage" title="YouTube">YouTube videos</a>, but provides no phone number where you can call and talk to a human being? They do have a Facebook page you can enter suggestions on, but that’s it. What happens when you get a strange message from Facebook, or you’re having trouble with your account? You post a message and never get a reply! Twitter and LinkedIn are not much better. They don’t list a contact phone number or address either. However, I have found that they do reply to your email and posted messages, although it sometimes takes as long as seven days to get a reply. </div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/43301585@N00/1926360536" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Big Mistake" height="112" src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2405/1926360536_8daafdde64_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/43301585@N00/1926360536">williamhartz</a> via Flickr</span></span>In my opinion, of the top three social media companies, LinkedIn provides the best service. Google is new in this game. It’s not as easy to lump them in with the rest of the social media giants yet. However, I can tell you that Google has a notoriously poor customer service reputation. It’s been my experience with Google that the quality of service you receive depends on the person you get on the phone. The good news is that you can get someone on the phone! Google does list contact numbers. My advice to any business is easy, be ready to make changes to your social media campaign if need be. Furthermore, if you’re using any of the top four social media services, make a backup of your data. This is in case you decide to make “the switch” and ditch one of these players. </div>
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<b>Prediction #3) Google+ will become one of the top 3, in the social network arena by the end of 2012. </b></div>
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<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Google%2B_logo.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I know I’m going out on a limb here, but I believe this is inevitable. Google’s share size and current customer base will allow Google+ to grow at a much faster pace than other social media sites. The exact number of Gmail users is not public, but we do know that it is huge! I have read estimates ranging from about 190 million to 250 million accounts. Furthermore, Google owns so many internet properties, that they can easily integrate the use of these properties into their social network. This adds value to their social network. Add to this, the fact that Google owns Google Search, Google <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zdnet.com/topics/google+inc.?tag=header;header-sec" rel="zdnet" title="Google">AdWords</a>, YouTube, Blogger and Picasa. Are you starting to get the picture? Google is gigantic. Google controls the lion’s share of internet traffic and advertising dollars. </div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Google%2B_logo.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="English: Google+ wordmark" height="60" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Google%2B_logo.png/300px-Google%2B_logo.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Google%2B_logo.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Google has also been able to produce a social-networking product that is easy to use, search engine friendly and innovative. These qualities’ have made them the internet leader they are today. I am not sure that they can keep this frantic pace forever, but for 2012, it’s a done deal. My advice to you is to review where you are spending your advertising money and see if it makes sense using any of the Google properties. If you're an individual, and have been waiting on the sideline with Google+, stop what you’re doing and take the 10 minutes to set up a Gmail and Google+ account. If you already have a Gmail account, this will only take you about 5 minutes. The bonus here is you can also set up a Google+ Brand page without a lot of fuss.</div>
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<b>Prediction #4) More businesses will start using blogging and article marketing to build trust.</b> </div>
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You may be asking the question; what does blogging and article writing have to do with social networks? The answer is straightforward. Both blogging and article writing create a following, and they both encourage fan interaction. These followers will leave comments on the blog/article sites and interact directly with the authors. Now that I have established that blogging and article marketing is social in nature, let’s discuss building trust.</div>
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There are many ways to build trust with people. Here are just a few ways that a business can build trust; receiving word of mouth and written testimonials, consistently providing a good product or service, providing written guarantees and making it easy for your customers to communicate with you.</div>
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39776840@N00/137951057" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blogger" height="140" src="https://farm1.static.flickr.com/51/137951057_2134142cb8_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39776840@N00/137951057">kuribo</a> via Flickr</span></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39776840@N00/137951057" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Today, writing articles is creating a new powerhouse for trust building. Any business that receives expert status from writing about their industry niche will garner instant credibility. According to the website “numberof.net," the number of bloggers in 2007 was around 23 million. The same source predicted that, by 2012, U.S. bloggers would reach 35 million. Guess what, this year's articles in Technorati and Blogpulse both listed worldwide blogs to be around 164 million by the end of 2011, almost five times the original predictions given in 2007. I guess the adoption rate for blogging has far exceeded what was once looked upon as a strange new type of website forum. </div>
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We live in a society where the published word has high value. This is truer today than ever. Savvy businesses are taking to blogging and article marketing as an exciting new way to distinguish them from their competitors. What, you say you can’t write? Ghost writers are a cost-effective alternative. They are readily available and well worth looking into. My advice to you is straightforward, create and use a blog for marketing. Your blog articles can also be used in article marketing by submitting them to article databases. They can also be integrated into your website. Your blog post can easily become part of your website “current content strategy." If done well, blogging will build your reputation as the go to expert in your particular business field. As an extra bonus, you will be able to engage prospects and clients in a way that builds trust, a commodity that is vastly absent in today’s business climate.</div>
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In this article, I have discussed four powerful trends emerging in the social media industry. In the past, I have kept my prediction secret, and used them as part of my own marketing strategy. This year I decided to make my predictions public. My accuracy over the last five years has always been exceptionally high. I have sometimes missed the mark on the timeline, but I have rarely been wrong at predicting what will eventually take place. These four social media predictions should make sense to you. My predictions are based on my reasoning, research and experience, not some mystical power. My work leads me to believe that these trends will continue to grow at unprecedented rates. I have always had an uncanny ability to spot trends before, but anyone willing to look can spot these trends if they take the time to look. By heeding my predictions and adjusting your social media strategies, you will engage and garner more customers this year. Take the time to develop and put in place all the necessary elements needed to implement your social media strategy. By doing this, you will profit from social media like you never have before.</div>
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That’s my opinion; I look forward to hearing yours.</div>
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Hector Cisneros is a writer, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" target="_new">http://networkersapprentice.com</a> or my book website at <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a> </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-46689817465535897352012-01-02T17:36:00.000-05:002012-01-02T17:36:07.477-05:00Hector the Connectors Website Marketing Predictions for 2012<div class="MsoNormal">2011 is over, and we're now in 2012. Wouldn’t it be terrific if you could predict the future? How fantastic would it be to know what <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet marketing">website marketing</a> techniques will work this year? Would having that knowledge allow you to prepare and maximize your return on your advertising dollars? In this article, I provide my 2012 predictions covering website marketing trends. Adjusting your marketing plans to take these trends into account should translate into profits. Historically, my predictions have come to pass about 98 percent of the time. It's always gratifying when my predictions come true. I have always had a knack for spotting trends. In this article, I list four website marketing trends that are unfolding before our eyes. So read on to see my advice and get your website ready for 2012 and beyond.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<b>Prediction #1) <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization" rel="wikipedia" title="Search engine optimization">Search Engine Optimization</a> will continue to provide top ROI for internet marketing.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/youtube" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing YouTube as depicted in Crun..." height="125" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0004/3409/43409v5-max-250x250.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/youtube" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and posting service will continue to be the most productive for converting internet prospects into customers. SEO has always been the bread and butter of online marketers and businesses. This is because search engine users place a high value on organic placement. I believe that SEO will continue to be rated as the most cost-effective means of attracting visitors to your website or landing page. For several years now, SEO has shown to be unmovable as the best way to get clicks to your website. This includes search clicks where somebody “actually” purchases something from your website. Several research studies in 2011 reported that more business traffic was generated by organic key word Searches than other types of internet marketing. Of course, you still have to have a compelling landing page and a desirable product, but this has always been the case. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Secondly, the aforementioned studies also listed organic ranking as being the most trusted by consumers with regard to the legitimacy of the ad listing. There is no doubt in my mind that this trend will continue in 2012. My advice to you is this; if you’re selling products on the internet, make SEO the centerpiece of your internet ad budget. If you want to make the phone ring, it starts with organic ranking. I’m not saying all your internet advertising money should be in SEO; that's unwise, but SEO should be part of your mix. Leaving it out would be a tremendous mistake.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<b>Prediction #2) <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website" rel="wikipedia" title="Website">Websites</a> will be upgraded in unheard of numbers!</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18090920@N07/4564119072" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="website ideas" height="69" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/4564119072_123ffce235_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18090920@N07/4564119072">Sean MacEntee</a> via Flickr</span></span>It has been my experience that business owners, (especially small businesses) are usually slow to make website changes. For an internet business to be profitable today, it must embrace change as part of its everyday marketing strategy. Around the middle of 2010, many businesses started to update their websites. This trend started for two extremely important reasons. First, many businesses have ignored their websites for several years, (5+ years in many cases). Many businesses are cyclical, and the website creation industry is one of them. We are entering a time where many websites have been stuck with an early turn of the century look and feel. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Now businesses are moving towards a more current and active content look. A look and feel I call current content centric. Most businesses amortized website expenditures over a five-year period. If they are not amortized, they are still looked at as five-year assets. My company saw a significant increase in the amount of website refresh work during 2005. We started seeing an increase in this type of work again in late 2010. I believe businesses were holding back because of the slow economy but are now faced with websites that are not producing results. Most are moving to either totally recreate their websites look and feel, or they are opting to create multiple landing pages that address individual issues. I look forward to seeing businesses finally making the plunge to refresh, rebuild or create new landing pages that convert prospects into customers. My advice to all businesses is to refresh your website in 2012. Even if it’s just a color and wording refresh. If you choose to do-nothing, beware, your competition will be making these changes, and they will be taking your market share.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<b>Prediction #3) <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet">Internet</a> usages will become more mobile than ever before. </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cover_mobi_03.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Cover_mobi_03.jpg/300px-Cover_mobi_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="English: Cover of Mobi Magazine released 03.2009" border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Cover_mobi_03.jpg/300px-Cover_mobi_03.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="141" /></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Cover_mobi_03.jpg/300px-Cover_mobi_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cover_mobi_03.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Cover_mobi_03.jpg/300px-Cover_mobi_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>The number of websites converting to mobile formats is soaring. This is for a good reason. The number of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone" rel="wikipedia" title="Smartphone">smart phones</a> capable of taking advantage of full browser functions is shooting through the roof. Add to this, many smart phones have a faster internet connection than you have at home or in the office. Most people carry their <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone" rel="wikipedia" title="Mobile phone">cell phones</a> with them all the time. This allows them to use their cell phones for all kinds of functions. One of these functions, cell phone internet browsing, is growing at an alarming rate. Soon, cell phones will replace many of the current gadgets that many of us love to use today. Cameras, GPS devices, MP3 players, portable game consoles and yes even laptop sales will start to shrink. And as these items lose their inherent value, the smart phone will become invaluable. The number of internet cell phone users will continue to climb. People use their cell phones to blog, access their social networks, get directions via <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System" rel="wikipedia" title="Global Positioning System">GPS</a>, listen to their music, purchase items online, make web searches, watch TV, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube" rel="wikipedia" title="YouTube">YouTube</a> and more. The list goes on and on. This list will continue to grow! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
You’ve heard people say the phrase, “there’s an App for that." With more than 250,000 smart phone apps out there, smart phones will just continue to get smarter. As smart phones acquire more functions, our dependence on them will grow. In the year 2000, there were only 250 million internet users and about 500 million mobile subscribers. By the end of 2011, there were two billion internet users. It is also estimated that in, 2011, the number of cell phone subscribers reached more than 5 billion. When smart phones become the de-facto type of cell phone, cellular internet users will far exceed the number of stationary internet users by a large margin. My advice should be a no brainier for any business. Make sure your website is mobile enable now and start taking advantage of this enormous untapped market. If you don’t heed this lesson now, you will regret it sooner than later.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<b>Prediction #4) YouTube will become a new power broker for small business marketing in 2012.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Today, the number one visited destination on the internet after Google's search is YouTube, (also owned by Google). Websites that have videos on YouTube receive an additional ranking consideration versus websites that don’t. Many studies have shown that people prefer video’s over text by a large margin. Internet studies have shown that more people will click on a video before text or audio listings for the same information, even when text and audio are ranked higher. Other studies show that seventy percent of our population has a preference for pictures. The remaining 30 percent prefer either audio, touch or the written word.<b> </b>The internet is full of Cinderella stories about startups that have made it big with internet video. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/youtube" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing YouTube as depicted in Crun..." height="71" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/0724/10724v1-max-450x450.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="194" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 194px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/youtube" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Large companies usually don’t use videos to explain their product or service. They devote a full website for that product to explain it instead. The vast majority of YouTube videos are created by amateurs. This hasn’t stopped people from watching them. Again, YouTube garners a billion visits a day. Savvy companies are now running to create YouTube videos that are short, succinct and touting their wares. Small businesses are creating YouTube videos in record numbers. This is helping them garner prospects and customer loyalty. My advice for any business is this; don’t be left behind. Start making useful, informative or funny YouTube videos about your products. Most laptops and cell phones have built in video cameras. Good video cameras are relatively inexpensive! If you feel you’re not up to the video production task, hire a professional. They will be able to help you create your library of YouTube videos that show off your products or services. Not sure what to say or do in your videos? That’s OK. There are numerous internet professionals who can write, create, and produce an outstanding internet video for you. On top of that, video production costs are down by a factor of 10, compared to what it was just ten years ago. Mark my word, video is already a big deal, make it part of your strategy and win big too. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
In this article, I have provided four website marketing trends that I believe are unfolding before our eyes. In the past, I have used my predictions as part of my own marketing strategy. My accuracy over the last 30 years has been exceptionally high. I have sometimes missed the mark on the timeline, but I have rarely been wrong at predicting what will eventually take place. These four predictions should make sense to my readers. I have provided my reasoning and my research addressing why I believe these events will take place. I trust my research, and I trust my ability to spot trends. It is my uncanny ability to spot trend's before “they take off " that has undoubtedly paid off for me in the past. By taking advantage of these predictions and by adjusting your strategy, you will win more customers and beat your competition to the punch. Get some help to develop your marketing plan if you feel you need it. Put in place all the necessary elements needed to implement your strategy. If you do all these things, your website will produce profits like never before.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
That’s my opinion; I look forward to hearing yours.</div><br />
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">Hector Cisneros is a writer, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30 years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" target="_new">http://networkersapprentice.com</a> or my book website at <a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"></a><a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=26f38c3f-b11c-46fa-8767-5ee9de603583" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-27351595825019028512011-10-05T17:29:00.002-04:002012-01-16T14:54:05.732-05:00The buzz you need to know about Google +<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/google" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc..." height="79" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0002/9578/29578v7-max-450x450.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span>There is a lot of hype on the internet, and every product launch brings its advocates and critic’s. The launch of Google+ is no exception, (read as Google plus). I am a huge advocate of social media and online networking. When a giant internet player like Google says, they are launching a social media platform, my ears perk up, and I pay attention. This article provides a quick synopsis of what Google+ brings to the table. It will show what is different about Google+ verses the current leader Face Book. It will also give you an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0XdPi4cglI&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">overview of some of the cool features</a> that only Google+ provides. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>The battle of Social media giants</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">First, Google+ is new, and new services from a giant internet player like Google are always news and always require some level of attention. Google is a powerful rival of Face Book, and this new entry will be a direct competitor to Face Book and the other social network contenders. Face Book is currently more than three times the size of it’s next competitor. In my opinion, competition is healthy for any industry. Google+ has the real potential to compete in the social network arena. Google is one of the world’s largest corporations, and they change the rules of any sand box they chose to play in.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48600091327@N01/544323946" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Facebook Notifications Management (Mark as Spam!)" height="180" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1001/544323946_997e79d2e2_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48600091327@N01/544323946">@superamit</a> via Flickr</span></span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Don’t get me wrong, I like using Face Book, LinkedIn and even Twitter. I joined these social media networks early on when they were at the beginning stages of widespread distribution. I wanted to see if they could rival the face-to-face networking I had been engaged in for many years.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, it has been my experience that when companies mature and reach high profitability, they stumble. They enter a period of naive thinking that lends itself to a culture of arrogance, and the belief that they can do no wrong. Face Book has been implementing many changes to their network over the last six months without consulting their subscribers. These changes have angered a lot of it members.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Growth_in_Social_Network_Patent_Applications.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Social network" height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/07/Growth_in_Social_Network_Patent_Applications.jpg/300px-Growth_in_Social_Network_Patent_Applications.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Growth_in_Social_Network_Patent_Applications.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Having said this, Face Book is still on top. Any current disillusionment that has surfaced hasn’t slowed the rush of people who continue to join Face Book in record numbers. In fact, I recently read that they had reached the 750 million-subscriber mark this year. That’s up about 250 million subscribers in about a year and a half (depending on whose numbers you believe). I am only bringing this up because member disillusionment may be the kink in Face Books armor. This discontent may give Google+ the chance to make inroads into social networks market place. Something that Google has not been able to do in the past.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Why Google+</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Whether Face Book is showing weakness or not, here are several reasons why Google+ will make inroads this time around, (even if it’s only taking market share from other networks). First, they have made Google+ very easy to join and use. If you are a Gmail subscriber, it’s a matter of a few clicks and filling in your basic profile info. You are not required to fill out your complete profile. This process only takes a few minutes to complete, (especially if you are cutting and pasting from face book).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Gmail Subscribers Welcome.</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/product/gmail" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Gmail as depicted in CrunchBase" height="59" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0001/2806/12806v21-max-450x450.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="130" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 130px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span>If you’re a Gmail subscriber, some of your contacts will automatically be imported for you, and you don’t have to have any technical knowledge of CVS files or data exporting. Some of names in your contact list will automatically show up and begin the process of creating your circles of influence. You will simply drag and drop people from your list into predefined circles or create circles of your own.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Circles, Circles Everywhere.</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of circles, one of the coolest features of Google+ is their circles grouping feature. It seems much more intuitive and easier to use than the one provided currently by Face Books. This interface allows you to organize your contacts into groups that appear as circles, literally. There are a few predetermine groups, but you can customize them all you want and people can belong to as many different circles as you desire.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41942445@N08/6076488268" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google+" height="106" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6202/6076488268_92a643b5c8_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/41942445@N08/6076488268">Magnet 4 Marketing dot Net</a> via Flickr</span></span>Circles also allow you to filter your news feed (called the stream in Google+) so that your circle selection becomes your stream feed control. In other words, the circle you select can determine whose post your watching. It can limit your view of which posts are streamed into view. Changing your view is easy and intuitive. Some of the clean simplicity that Google+ demonstrates is by design. Some of its clean and uncluttered look is because Google+ is new, and it is unencumbered with all the trappings that come with a mature social media site. Either way, I appreciate the clean, easy to use, and fun interface Google+ has to offer.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Do you like to Hangout?</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8166986@N04/6186804885" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="I'm doing the family Google+ Hangout from work..." height="150" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6186804885_62aee7cc1c_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8166986@N04/6186804885">colmmcsky</a> via Flickr</span></span>Speaking of other fun features, Google+ has two worth mentioning. The first is Hangouts. Google+ provides a video Chat room for groups of people. You can video chat, share You Tube videos, invite others and have a real online video conversation with several people. This is a face to face conversation. You need a video camera and microphone attached to your computer to use this service effectively. I believe this will be a standard feature on most if not all computers. Most laptops and tables computers come with this as a standard item so that the user can engage in video chat. This is a cool feature which I am sure it will get lots of use. I believe the maximum number of people that a Hangout session will hold is probably limited by your screen size and the speed of your internet connection. I believe between six to nine people will probably work well. After that, it will probably seem crowded. I suggest you check this feature out and start thinking of all the cool ways you could use this service.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Did you say you wanted acclaimed games? </b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Another feature that I genuinely like is the games Google+ includes. Unlike the games used with Face Book, Google+ has a game's menu built in. The variety of games they offer is extensive. It includes 18 games like Anger Bird, Bejeweled Blitz, City Ville, Diamond Dash, Dragons of Atlantic, Crime City, Sudoku Puzzles, City of Wonder and Zynga Poker just to name a few. All of these games are designed to be shared socially. Even Angry Birds, let you share your score so you can play against your friends.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48800610@N02/6214195565" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Plus One stickers" height="150" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6214195565_d28ff99ff0_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48800610@N02/6214195565">quickonlinetips</a> via Flickr</span></span>So there you have it, a quick overview of the buzz surrounding Google+ and how it compares to Face Book. Google+ is still extremely new, and it currently does not offer the number of subscribers, features and maturity that Face Book or LinkedIn offers. Having said that, Google+ is extremely user friendly, easy to navigate and provides several new, innovative features’<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 204, 153);">.</span> Features like circles, hangouts and the integrated games provide a high cool factor for most users. Add to this all the other Google applications and </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">properties you have access to, (Google is prodigious), and you have the beginnings of a social media contender. It may not be a Face Book or LinkedIn killer yet, but its innovative approach and connections to Google’s vast library of applications and internet properties will help it to receive rapid adoption and meteoric growth. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0XdPi4cglI&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">If you would like to see a video about this subject click here.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">That’s my Opinion, what’s yours?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 25 years, a veteran of BNI for 18 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Internet advertising, Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. A holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, health and wellness product sales, consulting for non profits and Adventure sports. To learn more about Social Media, Internet Advertising and Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://www.networkersapprentice.com/" target="_new">http://www.networkersapprentice.com</a> or <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/" target="_new">http://www.60secondstosuccess.com</a></span><br />
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<div class="zemanta-related"><h6 class="zemanta-related-title" style="font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0pt 0pt;">Related articles</h6><ul class="zemanta-article-ul"><li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.vendio.com/vendable/2011/06/01/the-google-1-button-is-here/">The Google +1 Button is Here!</a> (vendio.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=167913">Do You Have Your New FaceBook Timeline? Here's How! [Sam Borrett]</a> (ecademy.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://comuq.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/privacy-policy-on-facebook-compared-to-google/">Privacy policy on FaceBook compared to Google+</a> (comuq.wordpress.com)</li>
</ul></div><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=bb3ed319-9b2a-46ae-a086-c42ca9a9dbdb" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-8799662290762674542011-09-14T07:50:00.007-04:002012-01-09T17:06:37.413-05:00Four Principles That Use Leverage to Market Your Business and Produce Powerful Results<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71277117@N00/350786064" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="twitter y macworld" height="127" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/350786064_77645f4db3_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 0px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71277117@N00/350786064">juque</a> via Flickr</span></span>There seems to be a huge cloud of mystery that surrounds the whole industry of social media marketing and Internet networking. I see business people flailing around with all manners of marketing techniques that are supposed to help them grow their networks. However, most people are attempting to "go it alone" without investing the time needed to learn the basic marketing principles that will provide them with success. In this article, we will focus on the principle of leverage. We will cover how it is used to make your work easier yet help you produce great results. By using leverage properly, you will receive results that exceed the sum of time, effort and money you invest. The dictionary says that leverage "produces a mechanical advantage". As a business owner, you want this advantage. It also defines leverage as, "The power to influence a person or situation to achieve a particular outcome." In essences, leverage is a means by which you can multiply your work and amplify your results. In marketing, we mean that leverage produces a result far beyond its intended run, even when the original advertising has ended.<br />
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I often hear business people say that they can't keep up with social networking because it is too time consuming. This is true, if you're not using leverage. It's very easy to get engrossed with social networking. You are busy inviting friends, answering post, uploading your latest information and posting your own messages and pictures. It is common to hear someone say, "I sat down at 8 o'clock, and before I knew it, it was 3 AM." It's no wonder that business people say that social networking consumes too much time. This article will provide you with useful marketing tools and techniques that will leverage your time, efforts and resources. These techniques may seem simple; however, they will save you many hours of work and increase the shelf life of your marketing message. Use these to develop your social network, get more leads, receive more referrals and grow your business.<br />
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Leverage Principle #1 Make it easier for people to find you.</b><br />
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If you use twitter, always use hash tags within your post to extend your reach. Hash tags make any word that is tagged searchable. By tagging specific words with hash tags, you make it easier for 200 million Twitter subscribers to read your message. Hash tags turn your words into key words. That's right, instead of it just being shown to your 283 followers; all 200 million Twitter followers can look it up by just typing in your key words.<br />
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An example could be where you tag the words ecology and green in your post that said something like "check out the newest #green technology, it helps the #ecology." The hash tags will turn the words ecology and green into key search words that can be found by millions of subscribers. No doubt sending a message to potentially 200 million subscribers is a great example of leverage. It's definitely would provide more leverage than sending the same message to just 283 people.<br />
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<b>Leverage Principle #2 Regular posting raise your ranking.</b><br />
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<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.youtube.com/" rel="homepage" title="YouTube">YouTube videos</a> and Tweets show up in Google's searches! They also have high organic ranking in many cases because they are often current and relevant to someone search. Most businesses today have a website. One of the biggest concerns of any businesses is that people won't be able to find their website. Their concern is that the Internet is so vast, that it will be lost in the crowd. I have heard customers say that their website is like a billboard in the desert. A good way to make sure people can find your website on the Internet is to leverage your social networks by having all of them linked to your primary online presence.<br />
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/81203773@N00/2821859479" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Chrome" height="162" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/2821859479_2f2070bf89_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/81203773@N00/2821859479">thms.nl</a> via Flickr</span></span>Anything that is posted to Twitter using hash tags or YouTube is added to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://google.com/" rel="homepage" title="Google">Google search</a> mix. If you often post consistent messages to YouTube and Twitter, your post will start to show up on page one organically in Google and other search engines, (assuming the prospect types in your key words for their search). People like their information to be current, short and relevant. Tweet and videos are often current, short and relevant. Tweets are 140 characters or less in length, and most videos average five minutes or less. They also include many current events. If your prospects search key words match the key words in your short marketing message, (i.e. your tweet or video), your message will rise to the top of the search page listing. Google pays particular attention to key word matches being exact, current and relevant. It also places an emphasis on video since Google owns YouTube. It is no wonder that YouTube is the number one destination on the Internet today.<br />
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<b>Leverage Principle #3 Back Links are like magic for ranking.</b><br />
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Creating "back links" to get exposure and to increase your organic search engine position is a powerful method that only requires an investment of time. A back link can be defined as any link on the Internet to leads back your website. Google places a high emphasis on back links. The total number of back links pointing to your website will have a big impact on your page placement.<br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31036313@N04/5924340343" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Webmaster Tools Shows 12,041 Inbound Li..." height="120" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/5924340343_1580d7f588_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 200px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31036313@N04/5924340343">Frederick Md Publicity</a> via Flickr</span></span>Every location on the web that contains your business name should list every primary URL you own and all your contact information. This will make it much easier for people to find you. It also increases the number of links pointing to your primary website. This includes Face Book, Twitter, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/" rel="homepage" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn,</a> My Space,<br />
Four Square, Google +, Merchant Circle, the Yellow Pages online, profile websites and literally hundreds of others not mentioned here. These links are a type of back link to your primary web address. Don't forget review sites. Review sites that list what people are saying about you, your company, your product or service also count. These can be extremely valuable, especially if your customers are providing you with recommendations and testimonials. Review sites can also hurt you if you're not taking care of your customers.<br />
<br />
Link exchanges are the best-known type of back links. You can create lots of these types of links by participating in link exchanges. Contact like-minded companies and agree to exchange links with them. By participating in link exchanges, both businesses will benefit and improve their reach and search engine rankings.<br />
<br />
Another type of back link is a URL link listed as part of a bio for an article that gets published on the Internet. This includes articles published on your blog or in article database like EzineArticles.com. Most article sites provide a place where readers can leave comments on the articles they have read along contact information for the person leaving the comments. This contact information usually includes your name, email address and a web address. These comment areas become back links to the URL you list on them. If you read lots of blogs and online articles, make sure you leave lots of comments and always include your website URL.<br />
<br />
<b>Leverage Principle #4 Make your Marketing material Go Viral</b><br />
<br />
Use effective web links in all online marketing material. This includes Internet ads, banners, directory listings, articles, blog post and eBooks. By including links to your landing pages and website, you increase the chances that your marketing piece will go viral.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/82298325@N00/3346248321" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="twitter logo map 09" height="200" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3346248321_259f26a0fe_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="125" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 150px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/82298325@N00/3346248321">The Next Web</a> via Flickr</span></span></div>Make sure that the URL listed is a landing page designed to close business or capture prospects information. If the URL is just your home page, it will not have a big impact. If you don't provide a reason for the customer to leave their contact information, they just will move on to their next destination. Give them a reason, a gift so to speak for visiting. Your landing page will be ten times more valuable to you if it's more valuable to them. How much does it cost you to buy their cooperation? Is it a free white paper, eBook, discount coupon? Find out what will persuade them to provide you with their contact information, and you will really start to take advantage of your online presences.<br />
<br />
A great way for your message to take on a life of its own is to produce a marketing piece that has lots of useful content in it. Give this item away as a gift. Make sure you include lots of back links to all your web URLs, especially landing pages. This will allow you to close more business and more capture leads. The item you give away could be a useful document, an educational video, audio recording, a white paper, a donation to their favorite charity or any item that is perceived as useful and valuable, etc.... It can even be a combination of things. Get your gift out to as many people as possible. If you make your content useful, entertaining, and easily copied, it will be passed around even more.<br />
<br />
People want information that's entertaining, relevant to them and ultimately meaningful in some way. Your gift must have intrinsic value. Anytime, you provide a gift, make sure it is designed to allow others to re-gift to their friends. Doing so will ensure that it will be copied repeatedly. The pasting of your gift from friend to friend will create a viral message that can often produce a flood of new business. Viral marketing is a great tool for social networking. Just make sure your message doesn't look like any kind of scam. It must provide some form of value to your prospect. If your gift has no perceived value, it won't be passed on to others. If it looks feels or smells like a scam, it won't produce anything at all. It must provide a gift of knowledge, fun or other useful information. If it does, it will produce big results with little effort on your part.<br />
<br />
There you have it, four principles that use leverage to market your business. This article has introduced you to four marketing principle that did not exist before the beginning of the 21 century. These leveraging techniques will make it easier to do business on the Internet and with your social networks. Use these techniques every day to minimize your work and time investment. Use them to amplify your message and use them to create marketing messages that acquire a life of their own. By doing so, you give up working late, and losing sleep. On the other hand, gain the profits and marketing results, you seek.<br />
<br />
That's my opinion. I welcome yours.<br />
<br />
Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 25 years, a veteran of BNI for 18 years and was a BNI director for over five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of Internet advertising, Networking and Word of Mouth marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. He is also a partner in a new company called Successful Campaigns LLC. This company provides training and support for nonprofit organizations helping them with their marketing efforts, growth, retention and sustainability. To learn more about Social Media, Internet Advertising and Word of Mouth Marketing read my other article on the Networkers Apprentice workshop. To visit my companies website visit http://www.Websiteknowhow.com. To get a free preview or find out about my new book http://www.60secondstosuccess.com.<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=84c340a6-ad76-4eff-a85a-3cd3670dbe02" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-2576619539892875302011-09-07T08:00:00.043-04:002013-07-15T20:49:13.225-04:00Three Internet Marketing Techniques That Use Leverage To Produce Great Results<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/06PZ5zMb4Cd4B?utm_source=zemanta&utm_medium=p&utm_content=06PZ5zMb4Cd4B&utm_campaign=z1" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="SAN ANSELMO, CA - JANUARY 27: In this photo i..." height="98" src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/06PZ5zMb4Cd4B/150x98.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="150" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 150px;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com/">@daylife</a></span></span>We all know that internet marketing is vital for the sale of many types of products and services. It is also very important for the growth of many businesses. We live in a society that is seeing rapid change with completely new market segments cropping up in what seems like over night. As a consultant and small businesses owner, I need to keep up with these rapid changes. A marketing, management and learning principle I have always adhered to for staying ahead of the game is leverage. The principle of leverage allows you to do something once and then repeated it several times without having to add more energy. In essence, it allows you to do more with less effort. This article will discuss how to use the principle of leverage on the internet and in social media. Although there are numerous ways to use leverage for internet and social media marketing, this article will focus on three examples that any business can implement. Although this article will only provide three examples, it will become a nice down payment for understanding and using leverage to get results from your social media marketing.<br />
<br />
<b>Leveraging Technique #1 Link Your Networks</b><br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Linkedin3.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="linkedin" height="112" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Linkedin3.jpg/300px-Linkedin3.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Linkedin3.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Use the linking applications built into most social networks. These applications are usually free and are often included in the setting section of social networks like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/" rel="homepage" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn,</a> <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" title="Twitter">Twitter</a>, Face Book, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://myspace.com/" rel="homepage" title="MySpace">MySpace</a>, Google + and others. These applications let you automatically share the same post on multiple networks without you having to retype anything. These applications are free and usually have the approval of the social media host providers. They also work even when you are posting via your smart phone, table or web browser. Enter your post once and it is share to multiple social networks.<br />
<br />
<b>Leveraging Technique #2 Use Aggregator Software</b><br />
<br />
Another way to achieve leverage is to use third-party aggregator programs that are not directly connect to the social media networks. These applications allow you to post to several networks simultaneously just like the "built-in apps" but the also allow you schedule your post at some future time. Another important feature of aggregator programs is that "you can pick and chose" which social networks sites receive your posts at the time you make your entries. The "build-in apps" generally don't allow changes after the fact. It's an all or none type post. Again, this allows you to leverage your communications, your work and your time. You can actually enter two dozen post today that are scheduled to be released over the next three or four weeks. Two good examples of these are <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/" rel="homepage" title="TweetDeck">Tweet Deck</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://hootsuite.com/" rel="homepage" title="HootSuite - Social Media Dashboard">Hoot Suite</a>. Both are available as free downloads of as commercial applications.<br />
<br />
<b>Leveraging Technique #3 Make it Easy for People to Find You</b><br />
<br />
Any time you're in the public eye, make sure these potential customers can connect with you. If you're posting information, make sure you include some kind of contact information. It can be your phone number, business address, your web URL, or email address. Email and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Locator" rel="wikipedia" title="Uniform Resource Locator">URLs</a> are easiest to remember so I often include these. Now this is not appropriate for all social network sites posts. For example, both Face Book and LinkedIn users would frown if you posted your contact info with every message. They already have your contact information as part of your profile and it is not necessary since your connection is automatic.<br />
<br />
Having said that, all your email communications, business cards, brochures etc... should include your contact information. All your printed ads should include references to your social network URLs, website and more. In other words, all your regular advertising should invite people to connect with you through whatever means they like.<br />
<br />
I use Twitter quite a bit. It definitely lends itself to including URLs in every message. Your web address can be used as a mere link, or as a push link with an added enticement. The point I am making here is this. Always make it easy for people to find and connect with you, the way they prefer to communicate. The more way a person can find you, the higher they likely hood they will.<br />
<br />
There you have it, an introduction on how to use leverage in social networks. These three techniques are just the tip of the iceberg when compared to all the different leveraging techniques you can implement today. The sole purpose of using leverage is to do more work in less time and these three techniques deliver by multiplying your message and amplifying your work it in a viral way. By doing so you give up the countless hours of late night posting and prodding of tweets and comments that so many entrepreneur complain about and trade them in for a good nights sleep while your marketing leverage works for you.<br />
<br />
That's my opinion. I welcome yours.<br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BNI_logo.svg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Business Network International" height="94" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/55/BNI_logo.svg/300px-BNI_logo.svg.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BNI_logo.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 25 year, a veteran of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bni.com/" rel="homepage" title="BNI (organization)">BNI</a> for 18 years, and was a BNI director for over 5 years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Givers%27_Gain" rel="wikipedia" title="Givers' Gain">Givers Gain</a>. He is the owner of several Businesses in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=30.3194444444,-81.66&spn=0.1,0.1&q=30.3194444444,-81.66%20%28Jacksonville%2C%20Florida%29&t=h" rel="geolocation" title="Jacksonville, Florida">Jacksonville, Florida</a>. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of internet advertising, Networking and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of Mouth marketing</a>. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, books sales, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. He is also a partner in a new company called Successful Campaigns LLC. That provides training and support for non profits organizations. To learn more about Social Media Marketing, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet marketing">Internet Advertising</a> and Word of Mouth Marketing explore The Networkers Apprentice workshop or visit us at http://www.Websiteknowhow.com or http://www.60secondstosuccess.com. <a href="http://goo.gl/PFMdD">Friend us on Face book by clicking here.</a> <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-80520299333818732962011-08-31T07:00:00.006-04:002012-04-25T19:02:00.435-04:00What's The Difference Between Conventional Advertising And Internet Advertising<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/87762368@N00/1439671814" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Advertising" height="133" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1353/1439671814_b5a456f971_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/87762368@N00/1439671814">Wrote</a> via Flickr</span></span>Sometimes, my correspondence with a friend or coworker yields interesting information about our rapidly changing world. This article was created from an email sent to a friend who was confused by all the changes going on in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising" rel="wikipedia" title="Advertising">advertising</a> today. He was especially troubled with how <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Social_media" rel="wikinvest" title="Social media">social media</a> could fit into his advertising strategy. Here, is the answer I gave my friend who asked, "What's the difference between conventional advertising and internet advertising?" I hope my answer to him helps you, as well.<br />
<br />
<b>My Answer</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:How_to_Get_Ahead_in_Advertising.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How to Get Ahead in Advertising" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/58/How_to_Get_Ahead_in_Advertising.jpg/300px-How_to_Get_Ahead_in_Advertising.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="133" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:How_to_Get_Ahead_in_Advertising.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></div>
We live in a world, which is in constant flux. Rapid change is the norm. I was fortunate because I got involved with computers early on... when our world started to move at a much faster pace. The computer industry has forced me to learn something new every day. It has forced me to embrace change as a way of life. Do not get me wrong, I actually don't like lots of change. However, whenever there are massive changes in society, many opportunities go with it, (and fraud).<br />
<br />
<b>A Viral Factor Speeds thing up</b><br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56866600@N00/2765981920" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wordle Cloud of the Internet Marketing Blog - ..." height="113" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2765981920_61f81eb8be_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56866600@N00/2765981920">DavidErickson</a> via Flickr</span></span>Most of the principles of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet marketing">Internet advertising</a> are the same as other media. One of the primary differences is that Internet advertising has a strong viral factor to it. In regular advertising, we call this factor <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_of_mouth" rel="wikipedia" title="Word of mouth">word of mouth</a>. The viral factor is a free form of advertising where people pass your information on to others. The <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet">Internet</a> was created to make it easy to pass information from one person to another. This attribute of the Internet amplifies the viral factor and greatly increases its results. This also affects the speed at which the message travels. The Speed at which your message is passed on is also one of the big differences.<br />
<br />
<b>Free Venues</b><br />
<br />
Another difference is that the Internet offers many "free venues" for putting the word out on your product or service. Some example offered on the Internet includes your ability to leave comments and web links on articles sites and blogs, (these become <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backlink" rel="wikipedia" title="Backlink">back links</a> to your website). You can also collaborate with other who have a similar customer base by swapping website links, (these are call link exchanges, another type of back link). You can even produce short videos and post them on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.youtube.com/" rel="homepage" title="YouTube">YouTube</a> as a form of free advertising. By adding your website links and contact information, you create even another type of back link to your primary web presence.<br />
<br />
<b><a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service" rel="wikipedia" title="Social network service">Social Networking</a></b><br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Social_Networking.png" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="English: Description: Social Networking Source..." height="120" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Social_Networking.png/300px-Social_Networking.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Social_Networking.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Then you have social networking. In many ways, social sites are "word of mouth" manifested electronically. This venue is all about connecting, sharing, entertaining, and having fun. Social networks are built on trust. If a trust relationship is not established, then no positive transactions take place. However, this does not mean that negative information will not be shared. On the contrary, if you make a customer mad today, their ability to bad mouth, your product or service is amplified and spread at the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light" rel="wikipedia" title="Speed of light">speed of light</a>. People join <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network" rel="wikipedia" title="Social network">social networks</a> primarily to connect with others, share interesting and entertaining information. Your ability to build a trusting relationship with them is based on how well you are fulfilling their needs. If you do a great job, they will refer you to their friends. If you try to "hard sell" them, they will disconnect you from their "friends" lists, and you will lose a customer.<br />
<br />
<b>Pay Nothing or Pay and Expert</b><br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32119772@N03/3406481339" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Word of Mouth" height="163" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3304/3406481339_c5b1da199e_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/32119772@N03/3406481339">Intersection Consulting</a> via Flickr</span></span>Today, a person who has learned how to take advantage of this medium doesn't have to pay anything for Internet advertising. They just have to invest their time by creating back links, entering comments, and posting useful content. Unfortunately, most of us don't have unlimited amounts of time to do this. Instead, we swap money for time and pay others to take care of the "free" advertising medium we have access too. The good news is that with some background checks and a little research you can find people who are honest and will do a great job. For many business owners, this is a trade worth making so they can spend more time with their families.<br />
<br />
There you have it, my reply to the questions; what's the difference between conventional advertising and Internet advertising? Obviously, there are other differences I left out just because of time restraints. There are many books written about these differences. If social media marketing is high on your advertising priority list, go to the library and check out few books on this subject and read them. In the meantime, follow these suggestions and keep on learning, it's your best defense for staying ahead in the 21 century.<br />
<br />
That's my opinion. I welcome your.<br />
<br />
Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 25 year, a veteran of BNI for 18 years, and was a BNI director for over 5 years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" title="Business">Businesses</a> in Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of internet advertising, Networking and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of Mouth marketing</a>. He is the president of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website" rel="wikipedia" title="Website">Website</a> Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, books sales, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. He is also a partner in a new company called Successful Campaigns LLC. That provides training and support for non profits organizations. To learn more about Social Media Marketing, Internet Advertising and Word of Mouth Marketing explore The Networkers Apprentice workshop or visit us at http://www.Websiteknowhow.com or http://www.60secondstosuccess.com. <a href="http://goo.gl/PFMdD">Friend on Face book by clicking here.</a> <br />
<br />
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<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20424875/internet-advertising-revenue-hit-record-31-billion-2011">Internet advertising revenue hit record $31 billion in 2011, study says</a> (mercurynews.com)</li>
<li class="zemanta-article-ul-li"><a href="http://www.bloggingtips.com/2012/04/09/how-to-boost-your-site-traffic-through-social-media/">How To Boost Your Site Traffic Through Social Media</a> (bloggingtips.com)</li>
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<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=21f0eb53-aeb1-4361-babd-f63ae203e02b" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-20578053294671510522011-06-02T06:13:00.006-04:002012-01-09T21:30:52.778-05:00How to win friends and influence people in the 21 century<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/45488928@N00/2460627241" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Social Media Cafe" height="132" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/2460627241_38ecbc709f_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/45488928@N00/2460627241">Cristiano Betta</a> via Flickr</span></span>Every business I know love referrals. In fact, they all say that word of mouth is the best type of advertising you can get. Wouldn't it be great if you could produce that kind of word of mouth advertising on a regular and consistent basis? You bet it would be. What would you do if I could show you a formula that will produce, recommendations, referrals and testimonials 95 percent of the times it's used. Does that sound interesting? Well here's how to create recommendations, testimonials and referral on a regular basis without lying, cheating, or having to give away the farm. Read on and learn "how you to win friends and influence people in the 21st century.<br />
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<b>Discovering the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_formula" rel="wikipedia" title="Magic formula">Magic Formula</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80388528@N00/3427749387" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Word of Mouth - Visualized" height="173" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/3427749387_162d4d9138_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/80388528@N00/3427749387">mvellandi</a> via Flickr</span></span></div>As a businessperson, and 25-year veteran of word of mouth marketing, I live and breathe the concept of "<a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Givers%27_Gain" rel="wikipedia" title="Givers' Gain">Givers Gain</a>". That's right, I believe what goes around comes around. This principle is also known as the law of reciprocity. This principle is the magic that makes my formula work. When I say my formula, I am really referring to the use of this principle. Every chance I get, I go out of my way to provide, you guessed it, recommendations, referrals and testimonials to as many like-minded business people as I can.<br />
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It wasn't but a few years ago that most of my testimonials were in the form of letters, emails, verbal recommendations, thank you cards and short blurbs on business website. I even occasionally rated products reviews so that others could see how I felt about those products.<br />
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However, in the last three years I have discovered that using social media is like magic for helping others. The converse of that is also true. It is also magic when the law of reciprocity works in kind for you.<br />
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<b>Were to use the Magic Formula</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Linkedin-answers.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="LinkedinAnswers" height="128" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Linkedin-answers.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 277px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Linkedin-answers.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span></div>Most social media sites like <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/" rel="homepage" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn,</a> Facebook, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" title="Twitter">Twitter</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.ecademy.com/" rel="homepage" title="Ecademy">Ecademy</a> and Foursquare offer some kind of mechanism for you to easily thank your fellow referral partners. There are literally hundreds of social media venues available to you. If the person you're looking to help uses <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.merchantcircle.com/" rel="homepage" title="MerchantCircle">Merchant Circle</a> or Angies List, make sure you post your recommendation there.<br />
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I don't limit my recommendations to just my referral partners. I also go out of my way to recommend and thank, business associates, clients, family members and the companies I like using. Most social media sites have a mechanism for you to do this, without you having to jump through lots of hoops.<br />
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For example, in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook_%28directory%29" rel="wikipedia" title="Facebook (directory)">Face book</a> you can just post a thank you, a recommendation or even a testimonial. You can upload a picture of you letter of recommendation. Provide a link to a testimonial letter etc... You can also do this for a business Fan Page, as well.<br />
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In Twitter, you can just Tweet your recommendation. You can re-tweet someone's post as a way to thank them. It's also easy to include a link to your testimonial letter or to their website in your tweet. You can also tweet about how great a referral was, all without breaking a sweat.<br />
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11762101@N00/2251266697" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="facebook" height="105" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2171/2251266697_5304abac74_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 0px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11762101@N00/2251266697">sitmonkeysupreme</a> via Flickr</span></span>Foursquare is almost made for recommendations. However, I sometimes see it used as a double edge sword where people dining out do the opposite of recommending the restaurant or it's food. Here, a second principle is at working. The principle I am referring to is the law that states that bad news travels much faster than good news. Bad news use to travel fast. With the advent of the internet, it now travels at the speed of light! Anyway, I digress, back to Givers Gain.<br />
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Ecademy, LinkedIn and some others social media sites actually have a recommendation function built-in them. I use LinkedIn quite a bit. It's built-in recommendation function is designed like a reciprocating tool. When you recommend someone, it in turns ask your recipient, if they will return the favor and recommend you.<br />
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<b>Increasing the Magic Formulas Effectiveness</b><br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/45488928@N00/2461459796" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Social Media Cafe" height="159" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2461459796_c727b08b2a_m.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="240" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/45488928@N00/2461459796">Cristiano Betta</a> via Flickr</span></span>My recommendations and testimonials are usually specific, providing examples of why I am making my recommendations. The same is true when providing a testimonial or when provide a referral. I always mention specific reason why I am recommending that person or business. Being specific carries more weight for the reader than being general. This is because general recommendations don’t risk any ones reputation. They don’t really say any thing about you as a person.<br />
<br />
I also don't qualify or limited my recommendations. I either endorse them fully or not at all. Obviously, you cannot recommend everyone equally nor should you try. Strive to be honest, positive, specific and unequivocal in your recommendation. Finish by providing your contact information if you feel strongly about the value they provided. This sends a very clear "Thanks you" message to your recipient and it makes your gift even more powerful. If you really can't recommend someone, be honest and share with them your reservations. Don't compromise your integrity but also don't try to insult someone who ask for your help. Find a way to help them to fix their issue, so you can then recommend them.<br />
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<b>A few last notes on providing testimonials, recommendations and referrals</b><br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Magic_Formula_Curve.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pacejka Magic Formula Curve" height="159" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/Magic_Formula_Curve.png/300px-Magic_Formula_Curve.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Magic_Formula_Curve.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Make sure your writing is proof read several times and that the spelling and grammar are clean and professional. Nothing dilutes your gift more than bad spelling or grammar. Last but not least, make sure their names are spelled correctly. This kind of mistake will all but make your recommendation null and void, (ask me how I know).<br />
<br />
I have been using the law of reciprocity to help others for a long time now. In turn, this principle has provided me with more recommendation, testimonials and referral than I though possible. I now know that the law of reciprocity is alive and well in the 21 century and that you should use it as part of your formula for success. As a businessperson, it makes sense to follow business principles. Following this principle will increase the number of recommendations, referrals and testimonials you receive and it will help you grow your business.<br />
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<b>That's my opinion, what's your.</b><br />
<br />
Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur with over 25-year experience. He is a 18-year veteran of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bni.com/" rel="homepage" title="Business Network International">BNI</a>, and was BNI Director for six years. He is a firm believer in the BNI philosophy of "Giver Gain". Currently, he manages three businesses, writes and coach's business people in the art of Word of Mouth, Social Media and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth, social media marketing and how to improve your 60-second presentations. His new book "60 Seconds to Success" is aimed at helping business people make great first impressions and make more money through referral and word of mouth marketing campaigns. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet marketing">Internet Marketing</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of Mouth Marketing</a> visit http://www.60secondstosuccess.com or the Networkers Apprentice Workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector, write him at hecisneros@gmail.com<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=8a278f7a-544e-4ad3-bd9f-35078038f6a7" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-2587173750523512002011-05-26T07:20:00.002-04:002013-07-15T20:49:00.984-04:00Five Powerful Techniques That Attract Twitter Followers<span class="zemanta-img separator" style="clear: right;"><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: both; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sm_team_tweets_logo.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="tweets logo" height="68" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Sm_team_tweets_logo.png/300px-Sm_team_tweets_logo.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a>Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sm_team_tweets_logo.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>You hear it all the time. To be successful in today’s economic climate, you have to be efficient with your marketing. This often means using the Internet and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.zemanta.com/is-bloging-still-relevant-media-for-web-audience/" rel="zemantacom" title="blogging">social media</a> as a big part of your marketing plans. I like using <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" title="Twitter">Twitter</a> too quickly reach lot’s of people in a very short period of time. I also like the viral nature of twitter where people re-tweet other post giving your message a life of its own so to speak. In this article, we will explore five powerful yet simple techniques that will attract twitter members to follow your address. Follow these rules and reap the benefits of successful twitter marketing.<br />
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<b>Powerful technique #1, Tweet Often But Relevant </b><br />
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A golden rule of social media is that people look for useful, relevant and entertaining information. Your posts have to fit into these three categories. Even if your selling something, your post has to be perceived as either useful, relevant or entertaining or you’re your gone. Break this rule at your own peril.<br />
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Frequency is also very valuable because it keeps you top of mind. Combining frequency with a steady stream of useful, relevant and interesting tweets, will quickly build a following, just because of all the activity.<br />
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<b>Powerful technique #2, Check and Double Check Your Posts</b> <br />
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P_yes_green.svg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="P yes green" height="180" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/P_yes_green.svg/300px-P_yes_green.svg.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P_yes_green.svg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Always be cognizant of what you write. Once something is posted, it can’t be undone. You can get away with a lot of short hand on twitter but netiquette rules still holds true. Remember that being nice begets nice. Being courteous begets courtesy back. If you post often and useful information you’re following will grow. On the other hand, if you post commercials, controversial links, curse a lot and act in a contemptuous way, expect the same in return.<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Powerful technique #3, Leverage your tweets </b><br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tweets_on_the_screen.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Français : Some many tweets for the Communicat..." height="131" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Tweets_on_the_screen.png/300px-Tweets_on_the_screen.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tweets_on_the_screen.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>Any time you post a tweet, also post that tweet to other social media venues. Link (or post) your tweets and re-tweets to Facebook, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/" rel="homepage" title="LinkedIn">LinkedIn,</a> Google Buzz and any other social site that is linkable. This allows you to leverage your communications and cross-pollinate several social media mediums at once.<br />
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There is one draw back to this technique. Make sure that your tweets are relevant to your audience. Send the wrong or irrelevant information to all of your social media sites at once can cause you to be un-friended and un-followed just as quickly, especially if you are posting your commercials’. Social media participants look for useful, relevant and entertaining information. Break this rule too often and it will cost you. Remember that once something is posted, it live and can’t be easily changed.<br />
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<b>Powerful technique #4, Make Your Content Searchable </b><br />
Another way to get more leverage is to use hash marks. This will allow others to easily find your tweets. Tagging information in your tweets with the # sign, (i.e. hash mark sign) makes that word searchable and increases the number of people who will likely see your tweet. For example if you want the word ecology tagged, you would write it like this, #ecology. Using hash mark tags is a powerful way to reach people out side of your current following. Us them with every tweet and watch new followers flock to your address.<br />
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<b>Powerful technique #5, Use Thank You Tweet to Increase Re-tweets</b><br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57704929@N00/3323683156" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Twitter live search "on" Google" height="108" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3323683156_b43719032c_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 240px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/57704929@N00/3323683156">bertboerland</a> via Flickr</span></span>Speaking of re-tweets, here is another simple yet powerful technique that produces big results. If someone re-tweets your post send them a thank you tweet. If you're using, “Tiny- URL” or “Bit-ly”, you can easily track who is re-tweeting your posts. However, the important part is this; it’s thanking them for re-tweeting that gets you more coverage. The more you thanks people for re-tweeting your post the greater the likelihood they will do it more. This is a great example of how common courtesy, (i.e. thanking people) goes a long way in gaining respect, trust, creates leverage and produces a greater following on twitter.<br />
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There you have it, five powerful techniques that will attract and keep twitter follower without you having to go out and buy some fancy programs or pay a consultant to build your network. Use these techniques often and religiously and you too will soon be seen as a tweet mister worth following.<br />
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That’s my opining, what’s yours?<br />
<br />
Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur/businessman with over 25-year experience. He is a 18-year veteran of BNI, and was BNI Director for six years. He is a firm believer in the BNI philosophy of "Giver Gain". Currently, he manages three businesses, writes and coach's <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Businessperson" rel="wikipedia" title="Businessperson">business people</a> in the art of Word of Mouth, Social Media and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth, social media marketing and how to improve your 60-second presentations. His new book "60 Seconds to Success" is aimed at helping business people make great first impressions and make more money through referral and word of mouth marketing campaigns. To learn more about Hector Cisneros, Social Media, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Internet marketing">Internet Marketing</a> and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of Mouth Marketing</a> visit http://www.60secondstosuccess.com or the Networkers Apprentice Workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector, write him at hecisneros@gmail.com<br />
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=e9150daf-35c5-413f-8a56-588461a5c8a8" style="border: medium none; float: right;" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6240604936600037139.post-44543613945555915572011-05-19T07:30:00.002-04:002012-04-25T18:52:07.200-04:00Six Simple Yet Powerful Rules That Help You Build Your Twitter Flock.<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Twitter-follow-me.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Follow me on Twitter logo" height="132" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Twitter-follow-me.jpg/300px-Twitter-follow-me.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Twitter-follow-me.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></span>As a professional advertiser for an online <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Marketing">marketing company</a>, I am often asked, how can they can get more people to follow them on Twitter. When asked this <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question" rel="wikipedia" title="Question">question</a>, I usually answer it with this question of my own. "Who are you looking for as <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_and_follow" rel="wikipedia" title="Lead and follow">follower</a>", (i.e.…. who do you want to follow you)? The answer to this question will always get you started you in the right direction. This question can act just like a compass does when you’re looking for one of the <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_direction" rel="wikipedia" title="Cardinal direction">cardinal direction</a> points. However, knowing the right direction is only half the battle. You also need to know the rules of the road. Here are a half-dozen simple, yet powerful rules that keep you on track and make sure you don’t stray from the direction you want to travel. Let me explain...<br />
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<b>Simply Powerful Rule #1</b><br />
So here is a simple yet powerful rule to start with; always follow those who lead your field of interest. If, for example, you’re looking for followers who love scientific novels, or those who are environmentally conscience then you go look for the leaders of those fields. More than likely the leaders in any field of endeavor with have lots of follower. In fact, this rule leads to my second rule.<br />
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<b>Simply Powerful Rule #2</b><br />
Now let’s look at simple rule number two; always follow the followers of those who <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lead-Field-Audio-CD-Set/dp/9562911993%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzem-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D9562911993" rel="amazon" title="Lead the Field (Audio CD Set)">lead the field</a>. Simply put, “following other like mind subscribers so they will in turn follow you”.<br />
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<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged" style="clear: both; float: none;"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/twitter" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun..." height="176" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0005/4257/54257v1-max-250x250.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 250px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span></div>
Understand that some will follow you and some will not. In general, many will follow you as a courtesy if you follow them. This is especially true if they are not famous or have few followers. I usually follow anyone who following me unless I dislike what they are saying, selling or doing. However, if they do not follow me back, I have to make a choice whether I want to continue following them. If I like what they are posting, I will probably continue to follow them. However, if they look like they are only trying to sell something or are just looking for followers I un-follow them within a few days.<br />
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Remember Twitter set limits on how many you can follow in a session and how long you can be online. These limits are there to try and keep people from gaming the twitter system and to try and keep the spammer from using the system.<br />
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<b>Simply Powerful Rule #3</b><br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Content_of_tweets_pie_chart.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="English: A pie chart created in Excel 2007 sho..." height="154" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Content_of_tweets_pie_chart.png/300px-Content_of_tweets_pie_chart.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 300px;">Image via <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Content_of_tweets_pie_chart.png">Wikipedia</a></span></span>This leads me to my third simple yet powerful rule; Stay within a 1.5 to 1 ratio of following to followers. You will always need some room to add people you want to follow. In turn, this will also give you room to follow people back who just decided to follow you because of your tweets and not because you just followed them. If your always bumping up against the 2000 follower limit, you will have a lot of trouble growing you’re following.<br />
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<b>Simply Powerful Rule #4 </b><br />
My next cardinal guideline is simple and powerful rule number four; “always thanks people for following you”. You will be surprised how powerful being courteous can be. A simple thank you for following goes a long way. In fact, it’s even better if you show your gratitude by providing a token gift like a free white paper, coupon or cool link, as a little bonus. So this simple rule is just that; give your followers a reason to follow you by offering them a gift. This gift does not have to cost you anything and gifts can go a long way towards initially getting people to follow you when your connection is new.<br />
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<b>Simply Powerful Rule #5 </b><br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71277117@N00/350786064" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="twitter y macworld" height="127" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/350786064_77645f4db3_m.jpg" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 0px;">Image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/71277117@N00/350786064">juque</a> via Flickr</span></span>Simple rule number five is related to number four because it also has to do with giving thanks. When sending a thank you tweets, always include links to connect with your followers via other means. For example, add your face book, website or blog <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Locator" rel="wikipedia" title="Uniform Resource Locator">URL</a> to your tweets. When you combine your other contact URL’s with the gifts I mention early, you have a powerful means of connecting with your new, found follower.<br />
<b><br />
Simply Powerful Rule #6</b><br />
The last simply powerful rule I will mention in this article is; to be sweet, re-tweet. Another way to give a gif<br />
t to your followers is to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" rel="homepage" title="Twitter">Re-tweet</a> something they’ve tweeted. Re-tweeting their articles and links shows them that you feel what they are saying is important, cool and worth sharing. It also increases the chance they will continue to follow you. Indeed, Re-tweeting can be sweet, for you and your business.<br />
<br />
<span class="zemanta-img separator zemanta-action-dragged"><a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/twitter" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Image representing Twitter as depicted in Crun..." height="200" src="http://www.crunchbase.com/assets/images/resized/0005/4561/54561v2-max-250x250.png" style="border: medium none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="195" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 245px;">Image via <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/">CrunchBase</a></span></span>There you have it a half-dozen simple yet powerful rules you can use to grow your twitter following with out spending a dime on fancy programs that try to game the system. Following these simple yet powerful rules will quickly add to your rank of followers. My next article will provide another set of cardinal rules to help you grow my flock. Until then, that’s my opining, what’s yours?<br />
<br />
Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 30 year, a veteran of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.bni.com/" rel="homepage" title="Business Network International">BNI</a> for 18 years, and was a BNI director for over 6 years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business" rel="wikipedia" title="Business">Businesses</a> in Northeast Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine art of internet advertising, Networking and <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word-of-mouth_marketing" rel="wikipedia" title="Word-of-mouth marketing">Word of Mouth marketing</a>. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding company for his business ventures that include online advertising, word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, health and wellness product sales and Adventure sports. He also partners with a new company called Successful Campaigns LLC. This company provides training and support for non profits organizations helping them with their marketing efforts, growth, retention and sustainability. <br />
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That’s my opinion, I want to hear yours.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Hector
Cisneros is a writer, has been an entrepreneur for more than 30
years, is a veteran of BNI for 19 years and was a BNI director for over
five years. He is still an active BNI member and follows the
philosophy of Givers Gain. He is the owner of several businesses in
Jacksonville, Florida. He actively coaches business owners in the fine
art of Online advertising, Business Networking and Word of Mouth
marketing. He is the president of Website Know How, Inc. a holding
company for his business ventures that include online advertising,
word of mouth marketing, real estate holdings, non-profit
training/support, book publishing, health and wellness product sales
and Adventure sports. Hector's new book 60 Seconds to success, teaches
business owners how to get the most from word of mouth marketing by
using great 60 second introductions. To learn more about Hector
Cisneros, Social Media, Online Marketing or Word of Mouth Marketing
visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop <a href="http://networkersapprentice.com/" target="_new">http://networkersapprentice.com</a> or my book website at <a href="http://www.60secondstosuccess.com/">http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com</a> </div>
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