Seven Valuable Benefits Social Networks Provide and Social Media Marketers Covet

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.

Six Clear Reasons why you should be using Social Media to build your Credibility

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. 

What the best Social Media site for a Small Business.

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 small business. A small business should create a presence all on as many platforms as they have time for.

You need to be everywhere if possible

I tell people they need a presence on all the top platforms. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Google+, 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.

Hector the Connectors Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2012

2011 is gone, and 2012 has rolled in without missing a beat. The social media industry is growing in leaps and bounds. I often hear business people say social networking is like the Wild Wild West! 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.

The buzz you need to know about Google +

Image via CrunchBaseThere 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 overview of some of the cool features that only Google+ provides.

The battle of Social media giants

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.

Image by @superamit via Flickr 

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.

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.

Image via WikipediaHaving 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.

Why Google+

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).

Gmail Subscribers Welcome.

Image via CrunchBaseIf 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.

Circles, Circles Everywhere.

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.

Image by Magnet 4 Marketing dot Net via FlickrCircles 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.

Do you like to Hangout?

Image by colmmcsky via FlickrSpeaking 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.

Did you say you wanted acclaimed games?

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.

Image by quickonlinetips via FlickrSo 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’.  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

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. If you would like to see a video about this subject click here.

That’s my Opinion, what’s yours?

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 http://www.networkersapprentice.com or http://www.60secondstosuccess.com

Related articles

• The Google +1 Button is Here! (vendio.com)
• Do You Have Your New FaceBook Timeline? Here's How! [Sam Borrett] (ecademy.com)
• Privacy policy on FaceBook compared to Google+ (comuq.wordpress.com)

Four Principles That Use Leverage to Market Your Business and Produce Powerful Results

Image by juque via FlickrThere 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.

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.

Leverage Principle #1 Make it easier for people to find you.

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.

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.

Leverage Principle #2 Regular posting raise your ranking.

YouTube videos 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.

Image by thms.nl via FlickrAnything that is posted to Twitter using hash tags or YouTube is added to Google search 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.

Leverage Principle #3 Back Links are like magic for ranking.

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.

Image by Frederick Md Publicity via FlickrEvery 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, LinkedIn, My Space,
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.

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.

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.

Leverage Principle #4 Make your Marketing material Go Viral

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.

Image by The Next Web via Flickr

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.

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.

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.

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.

That's my opinion. I welcome yours.

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.

Three Internet Marketing Techniques That Use Leverage To Produce Great Results

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWe 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.

Leveraging Technique #1 Link Your Networks

Image via WikipediaUse 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 LinkedIn, Twitter, Face Book, MySpace, 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.

Leveraging Technique #2 Use Aggregator Software

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 Tweet Deck and Hoot Suite. Both are available as free downloads of as commercial applications.

Leveraging Technique #3 Make it Easy for People to Find You

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 URLs 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.

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.

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.

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.

That's my opinion. I welcome yours.

Image via WikipediaHector 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 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, 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. Friend us on Face book by clicking here.

Related articles

• What the best Social Media site for a Small Business. (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)
• What tips would you give a new business owner who wants to get their business off on the right foot? (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)
• Leverage Social Media To Show Your Expertise (viralblog.com)

How to win friends and influence people in the 21 century

Image by Cristiano Betta via FlickrEvery 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.

Discovering the Magic Formula

Image by mvellandi via Flickr

As a businessperson, and 25-year veteran of word of mouth marketing, I live and breathe the concept of "Givers Gain". 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.

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.

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.

Were to use the Magic Formula

Image via Wikipedia

Most social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Ecademy 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 Merchant Circle or Angies List, make sure you post your recommendation there.

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.

For example, in Face book 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.

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.

Image by sitmonkeysupreme via FlickrFoursquare 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.

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.

Increasing the Magic Formulas Effectiveness

Image by Cristiano Betta via FlickrMy 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.

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.

A few last notes on providing testimonials, recommendations and referrals

Image via WikipediaMake 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).

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.

That's my opinion, what's your.

Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur 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 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, Internet Marketing and Word of Mouth Marketing visit http://www.60secondstosuccess.com or the Networkers Apprentice Workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector, write him at hecisneros@gmail.com

Five Powerful Techniques That Attract Twitter Followers

Image via WikipediaYou 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 social media as a big part of your marketing plans. I like using Twitter 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.

Powerful technique #1, Tweet Often But Relevant

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.

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.

Powerful technique #2, Check and Double Check Your Posts

Image via WikipediaAlways 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.




Powerful technique #3, Leverage your tweets
Image via WikipediaAny time you post a tweet, also post that tweet to other social media venues. Link (or post) your tweets and re-tweets to Facebook, LinkedIn, 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.

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.

Powerful technique #4, Make Your Content Searchable
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.

Powerful technique #5, Use Thank You Tweet to Increase Re-tweets
Image by bertboerland via FlickrSpeaking 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.

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.

That’s my opining, what’s yours?

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 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, Internet Marketing and Word of Mouth Marketing visit http://www.60secondstosuccess.com or the Networkers Apprentice Workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector, write him at hecisneros@gmail.com

Six Simple Yet Powerful Rules That Help You Build Your Twitter Flock.

Image via WikipediaAs a professional advertiser for an online marketing company, I am often asked, how can they can get more people to follow them on Twitter. When asked this question, I usually answer it with this question of my own. "Who are you looking for as follower", (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 cardinal direction 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...

Simply Powerful Rule #1
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.

Simply Powerful Rule #2
Now let’s look at simple rule number two; always follow the followers of those who lead the field. Simply put, “following other like mind subscribers so they will in turn follow you”.

Image via CrunchBase

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.

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.

Simply Powerful Rule #3
Image via WikipediaThis 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.

Simply Powerful Rule #4
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.

Simply Powerful Rule #5
Image by juque via FlickrSimple 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 URL 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.

Simply Powerful Rule #6
The last simply powerful rule I will mention in this article is; to be sweet, re-tweet. Another way to give a gif
t to your followers is to Re-tweet 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.

Image via CrunchBaseThere 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?

Hector Cisneros has been an entrepreneur for 30 year, a veteran of BNI 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 Businesses in Northeast 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 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.

That’s my opinion, I want to hear yours.

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 http://networkersapprentice.com or my book website at http://www.60SecondsToSuccess.com

Related articles

• The Best Free Twitter Tools (dreamgrow.com)
• How to share video on Twitter (marketing.yell.com)
• 4 Ways to Measure Social Media Success With Free Tools (socialmediaexaminer.com)

Three Common Mistakes Business People Make When Using Social Media

Feel lost about using social media as a marketing tool. Are you afraid of violating net etiquette. Are you worried that these mistakes can ruin your reputation or brand? Do you want to avoid the most common mistakes business make when using social media? If so, read on and learn about how to avoid three of the most common mistakes.

Common Mistake #1 Posting commercials on the pages.

The most common mistake I see is business owners posting commercials on their face book pages. This is also a common problem in other social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. This ranks high on my mistake list because it violates one of my cardinal rules of social media marketing. The rule I'm referring to is "give people what they want". I don't know anyone who signed up for Face Book, Twitter or LinkedIn to be bombarded by your infomercials.

Social media is about being social not selling. The best way to sell on social site is not to sell. Social media is best used it to build your credibility, understand your customers and to connect with them. Do a good job for your customers. Get them to follow, friend, or connect with you and have them promote your business, product or service for you. This is usually done by asking them to provide you with written recommends or testimonials. When you say something about your business, product or service it a commercial and most people are jaded by all the hype they're exposed to each day. When a friend, customer or follower says something good about your business, product, or service, it's viewed as true. Don't hesitate to ask for endorsements. Make sure your don't ask publicly on your social media pages. Write your customers and follower directly. If they feel you have done a good job they will respond in kind.

The best place to post a commercial about your business is in the detail section of your profile. Many social media site also offer the option of setting up separate business pages. Put your infomercials on these pages instead of posting them to your wall.

Common Mistake #2 Posting too often.

Another big mistake I see is when a business post too often to their site. This is usually easy to spot. You will see two, three even four of their post before seeing one of their followers posts. Make sure your posts are spread out. If you do all your social media posting at a specific time of the day, use an aggregators program to schedule your post to show up at different times.

Two of the top aggregators programs are Hoot Suite and Tweet Deck. These programs will allow you to spread out your posting by scheduling them at different times. I usually keep at least an hour between my scheduled post, just encase traffic is light that day. Remember the last thing you want to see on your wall is all of your post. Leave room for your followers and they will like your site even more.

Common Mistake #3 Posting inappropriate material.

The last item I will mention in this article is posting the wrong kinds of material. I know what your thinking. Who died and made me the content czar. I may not be the content czar but I am a prudent businessman. I am smart enough to always be respectful of my customers feelings and ideas. I am willing to post links to controversial articles in areas that I am passionate about, but I do set very specific limits on what I feel is appropriate. I make sure anything I post is on worse than PG. I avoid sexually oriented material. I also avoid any material that uses vulgar or racially explicated language. If kids can view my pages and post without being offended, I am happy.

Along these lines, I also monitor the followers and friends who are posting to my pages. If their posts violate my sense of what is appropriate I hide their post. In some cases, if they consistently post items that violate my sensibility I un-friend them. If they are on Twitter, posting in a negative way or being vulgar, I un-follow them. If your site is showing content that you or your customers feel is inappropriate, make sure it's gone, otherwise you are giving tacit approval to those posts and you will lose customers.

That's it, we've covered three of the top mistakes that businesses make when using social media as a marketing tool. As a summary, remember this. It's important to avoid posting commercials to your sites. Social media is not about selling. It's about fun, friendships, entertainment, connecting and useful information. Instead, take care of your customers and encourage them to be your raving fans by posting recommendations and testimonials on your pages. Post all commercial information to a dedicated business page or in your profile detail. Next, avoid posting too often. Your post should only show up interspersed between your followers posts. Use scheduling software to spread out your posts so they give your followers space. And lastly, avoid posting inappropriate material. Links to controversial articles can be OK, but stay away for sexually suggestive, negative, racially oriented or post using vulgar language. This goes for your followers as well. If they are stepping out of bounds, you need to either hide their post or un-friend/follow them.

That's my opinion, I welcome yours.

Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur/businessman with over 25 years experience, is a 17-year veteran of BNI, and was BNI Director for 6 years. Currently he manages 3 businesses, writes and coach's business people in the art of Word of Mouth and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth marketing, 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. To learn more about Social Media, Internet Marketing d Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector write him at hecisneros@gmail.com

Related articles

• 10 social media mistakes to avoid (marketing.yell.com)
• 5 Common social media mistakes and their solutions (publicrelationssydney.com.au)
• Be Social - The two most common social media launch mistakes (marketing.yell.com)

Success Secret for Social Media Connecting

Would you really like to connect with your friends, family, co-workers even customers? Do you want to avoid your followers un-friending you because you inadvertently broke a secret social media rule? Do you want others to like you and take the time to learn about you or your product? For a business, being "followed" and "liked" is a necessity. With social media the rule is simple; no followers, no business. If you want to stay connect to the world through social media read on and follow these four secrets of successful social media connecting.

Image via Wikipedia

Success Secret #1 Be a giver not a taker.

 If you want people, friends and customers to like you give them a reason to do so. If you find a person with a magnetic personality you will usually find someone who give freely of themselves. They share their knowledge and give away the secrets for their success. People who are givers act like magnets. People follow them because they have something to offer. If you are offering (i.e. posting) useful articles and information, fun and entertaining links, posting personalized photos and connect by replying and engaging your connections, you too will become magnetic.



 Success Secret #2 Be proactive Reach out to others first.

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeIf you want to catch the worm you have to be the early bird. Most importantly, you have to be the proactive bird. Be proactive when connecting with your followers and friends. Don't wait for them to contact you. You be the first to extend a hand. Remember their birthdays if you have it. Send those old photos from school or others events. Send them articles directly without posting it to your site. Proactively make things personal and actively engaging. If you wait for others to connect with you, your results will be poor at best and not very satisfying. This goes doubly for businesses. Thanks your customers for following you, send them discount coupons (or links to some), on their birthday and anniversaries. Be proactive and you have a real chance of making your friends and customers happy they know you.

Success Secret #3 Be positive

Image via WikipediaSocial Media follows' life's rules very well. If you want to attract others, be positive. Nobody likes a social curmudgeon. Don't be telling the world your problems, at least don't air your dirty laundry and gossip on your pages. This will give you the kiss of dead and get you un-liked and un-followed faster than you can say face book. If life has dealt you a bad hand, take this time to figure out a way to turn your problem into a positive experience. Add related causes to your face book page. Start a non-profit fund raiser. Start tweeting about how others solved their problems and connect with like mind individuals in the online community. I'll bet that your search for a positive outlet results in something that turns your attitude around. Being positive never hurt anyone. On the other hand being negative has scared more people away than most natural disasters that have occurred. Be positive and attract followers.

Success Secret #4 Give credit where credit is due.

Image via WikipediaHave you ever done a good job for someone and nobody said anything about it? Not even a thank you! Here is another great place where you can stand out and get noticed. Take time and recognize others. Helping others is easy. If you know someone who did a great job on something, post an Atta boy about that accomplishment. If someone did a great job for you make sure you post a recommendation or better yet a testimonial for them. This is critical if your in business and have strategic partners. Taking care of your partners should be one of your highest priorities. There are dozens of occasions you can congratulate your connections. Wedding, birthdays, graduations, promotions, successful events, vacations, you name it. The list could be endless. Do yourself a big favor and think about all those individuals and businesses that have helped you out when you needed them. Now go to their social media site and let them know how much you appreciate them.

In this article, I have listed 4 of my secrets for successfully connecting with my social media world. I first pointed out the importance of being a giver and not a taker. To be viewed as a giver you must actively provide useful, fun and entertaining material. I also expressed the importance of being proactive. You can't wait for others to come to you. You have to be the person who actively reaches out to connect with them. No one reaches a high level of success by waiting for the right things to happen. Third, I talked about the importance of being positive. It's a fact. Normal folks run from those who act and speak in a negative way. On the other hand, most people are attracted to those who portray a positive outlook. It is said that positive people attack and negative people repel. Be positive and attract followers. The last item I talked about is the importance of giving recognition to others. This is extremely important for businesses that want to be successful with social media marketing. A businesses connection with the outside world is built on taking care of the customer. Making the customer feel good about themselves is a sure fire way to get them to say good things about you. Take every chance you get to reap praises on your followers, especially your strategic partners. Use these secrets wisely. Not following their universal principle will reap massive amounts of bad karma in your direction. Avoid the fall out by following these not so secret rules and grow your following.

That's my opinion I welcome your.

Hector Cisneros is an entrepreneur/businessman with over 25 years experience, is a 17-year veteran of BNI, and was BNI Director for 6 years. Currently he manages 3 businesses, writes and coach's business people in the art of Word of Mouth and internet marketing. He has several intl. published articles covering word of mouth marketing, 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. To learn more about Social Media, Internet Marketing and Word of Mouth Marketing visit the Networkers Apprentice workshop at http://networkersapprentice.com/ To contact Hector write him at hecisneros@gmail.com

Related articles

• Success Secret for Social Media Connecting (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)
• How to win friends and influence people in the 21 century (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)
• The buzz you need to know about Google + (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)
• Four Principles That Use Leverage to Market Your Business and Produce Powerful Results (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)
• Six Simple Yet Powerful Rules That Help You Build Your Twitter Flock. (networkersapprentice.blogspot.com)