Social Media Series - Linked In Follow Up

Back in June, I wrote about Linked In and I committed to giving it a shot. Well I did, and I thought I'd share what my experiences are to date.

I uploaded my GMail address book and was astonished to find just how many of my contacts were also on Linked In. I sent them a request to add them to my network and am delighted to report that 100% accepted and added me to theirs.

So then what?

Well, next, it's a really good idea to take the time (remember... budget your time for social networking or you'll get sucked into the abyss!) to visit each and every ones' profile pages to see what they're up to these days. Also, the power of social networking lies in the "2nd tier" connections. Who your connections are connected TO. Go through their list. Is there anyone where there may be a potential business opportunity? For you OR your own connections OR someone you may know. This is important. This is how you network.

So that's where I am right now as I delve back into Linked In. I have to follow up and follow through. I have to budget my time to go through my connections to look at their connections.

And perhaps catch up with old colleagues along the way!

Care to share Linked In success stories? Leave a comment letting us know how you found success using this powerful networking tool.

Social Media Series - Linked In

LinkedIn. The first social network I joined professionally. I had such high hopes. Yet I was extremely let down.

Because I didn't use it.

LinkedIn is a wonderful tool for many reasons, I'm sure, but these three are what struck me:

• You're in a corporate setting and want to keep up with people from organizations you used to work for
• You're looking for a new job
• You're an entrepreneur and want to connect with other like-minded individuals, old colleagues, and/or potential clients.

For all of the above however, you've got to put in some leg work.

Here are some quick tips:

1. Import your address book from whichever email client you use.
2. Connect with colleagues and classmates from past jobs/organizations/schools
3. Join groups (there are TONNES!) that are in line with your goals, objectives, interests.

The power of LinkedIn lies in your connections. Don't be shy. Social networking doesn't work if you're shy or a wallflower.

Scenario #1:

You're old college classmate has a connection in the industry you are trying to break into. Great! Now what?

Simple: ask him for an introduction. See how easy that was? You'd do it in "real" life, so make sure you do it online as well. The hard part is starting a dialogue with this new contact you wanted to meet. That is up to you. I usually start with asking for a few pointers or their opinion, or perhaps checking out their profile and visiting their blog and leaving a few comments (if relevant).

BUT BE AUTHENTIC. Don't mess around. You don't need a bad online reputation. Be authentic. I can't stress this enough. You want to meet them for a reason, so let them know that, but be authentic. Play nice. Be genuine.

Scenario #2:

You've found a group that is totally your target market.

Join it!

And hang out for a bit. See how it works. See what they're talking about. And jump in! Introduce yourself. Join the conversation. Add connections this way. Engage. Discuss. Again, if relevant, ask for opinions and advice, and OFFER opinions and advice! Be the expert in your field that you are. Don't be shy. Major piece of advice for you? Don't shop your business 24/7. Not "in your face" anyway. Be subtle. Be polite. Nobody likes someone knocking on their door every day, selling their wares. So don't do it in social networking either.

If you're like me and belong to a few networks, pick and choose times/days for networking. Otherwise you could be on them all day. Perhaps you'd take 45 minutes every three days for LinkedIn and another 45 every two days for another one, etc etc. (But always have Twitter running on your desktop!) Seriously, social networking can be addictive, so budget your time accordingly!

As I'm now dedicated to increasing my LinkedIn profile, feel free to connect with me and help me build my network!

Social Media Series - Facebook

Facebook.

200 Million people can't be wrong.

Two. Hundred. Million.

200 million people that you have immediate access to. To share your business with.

Simply by building a page.

And it really is simple.

They used to be pretty much a static brochure but recent changes have helped Pages to be more interactive; to engage the user. To get people engaging each other on your page.

It's fantastic. I have alot of work to do on my own page, and alot more work to do to get fans and to get them interacting... but that's the fun part!

If you have a personal profile already, Facebook Pages has been redesigned to be more like that profile. With the Wall, Info, Photos, etc, all tabbed separately. Users can therefore find information quicker with easier access. You can also choose which tab you would like to be the landing page! You can upload video, photos, notes (my blog is automatically fed to my Facebook Page, which is a bonus! Saves me time, and gets to my fans pretty much yesterday!).

The options are endless and I'm STILL finding new ways to use the page, to update it, to make it more engaging to fans... the list really does go on. The opportunities with Facebook Pages are pretty mind boggling.

I'm only just skimming the surface myself and I can't wait to totally jump in!

Read through the stats. Read a bit of the press. Discover what Facebook Pages can do for you. Discover how it can increase your reach. Stick a button on your website. Get fans. And get them talking. About you!

Give us a jingle, let us help you out with it all!

Social Media Series - Twitter

It's all about Twitter these days. We all knew it wouldn't be long until Hollywood jumped on board and now that they have, well, everyone's all-a-twitter (sorry, couldn't help myself!).

Let's start by following me (@scratchpadsteph). That's what you do on Twitter.

You follow people.

See what they're up to. See where they're going. See where they've been. See what they had for breakfast, and what they're planning for lunch.

Follow people in your line of business. Follow your competition. And then check out who they are following. And so on and so on.

See what they're saying. See what conferences are coming up. See who's attending. See who's speaking. See who's giving away passes. See the latest news in the industry. As it happens.

Because it's all happening. And all in real time.

The people you follow will probably follow you back. That's what Twitter users do. When someone follows them, they follow that person back (most times that is. There is something to being choosy about whom you follow... that's for another post).

So have something to say.

In 140 characters or less.

It's microblogging at it's finest.

You can twitter breaking news (ie: plane in the Hudson).

You can announce a new blog post and link to it.

You can twitter a promotion (Twitter Tuesdays! 20% off first @reply!).

(By the way, @reply is how you respond to someone. @scratchpadsteph is me. If you want to, for example, provide an answer or opinion to something I've tweeted, you start with @scratchpadsteph and it'll get my attention. Actually, you can use @scratchpadsteph anywhere in the tweet and it'll get to me. Everyone else who follows you will see it also though, so if it's something you wish to be kept private, you can send a DM (direct message). See.. there's so much you can do!)

You can twitter a question and get instant feedback, instant answers or opinions - FROM THOSE WHO KNOW! Yes, follow the experts in your field and you'll get expert opinions and direction.

In real time.

It's the place to be. So jump in, participate (send an @reply to things/twitterers that interest you!), and enjoy. But remember, tweet about both professional things AND personal. Throw your personality in there. Personally, if someone is only pushing their latest product and nothing personal or funny , I unfollow immediately. We want to get to know you!

Go to Twitter. Set up an account. Follow me.

I look forward to your tweets!

Social Media Series - Biznik

Biznik. The little (growing) social network that could.

I love Biznik. Love Love LOVE Biznik. It's easy to navigate. It's easy to communicate with other members. And they're welcoming. And helpful. And intelligent. You can learn alot from the good folks on this one.

Biznik is great for small businesses, especially one-man operations. There are quite a few business coaches and authors, but there are also many many other professionals showcasing their businesses/professions.

Other reasons why I like Biznik:

• Search: You can easily build your profile and search for others in the same category, OR search for members you'd like to become familiar with or do business with. The search option is very intuitive.
• Articles: You can write articles and post them almost immediately. I say almost because they must be approved first, but they are very quick to approve and post. Very quick. Members are quick to comment on your articles as well, which is great to build relationships, brands, and communication. And you might learn a thing or two as well!
• Networking: You can contact people in so many ways, it's fantastic. Simply send them a message that you'd like to add them to your network, send a referral, or attend a live and in person event in your local area (live and in person? Imagine!), etc, the list goes on. I find Biznik members totally open to meeting and communicating with each other.
• Promotions: there is a place on your profile where you can list any promotions you are having. They are also listed on Biznik's main page - if you are a paid member they show up first, if you have the free membership, they are further down on the page. But they're still there.

The founders of Biznik are social media junkies who really want to see you succeed. They're here to help you out any way they can (and they even talk to you!), and to see your business grow and to help you build your network. It's an intuitive system, very user friendly and the help forums ROCK. Any time I've had a question and posted it to a forum, it's been answered in a matter of an hour or so. You don't get that anywhere else that I'm aware of.

These are only a few of the reasons I love Biznik. The possibilities are endless on how to network on this site, I've only myself scratched the surface, but it is definitely one I'd recommend - and do on an almost daily basis.

Join Biznik, and join my network!

Hope to see you there!

Social Media Series - The Start

Hold on to your Social Marketing horses!

We're about to start a six-part series on social media and how to get involved. How to use it to build your client base. How to use it to network with like-minded individuals, or the not-so-like-minded individuals.

This series will be for you if:

• You want to start a Facebook business page but are overwhelmed (or just too busy)
• You're hearing the growing buzz about Twitter but don't really get how it can be used professionally
• You'd prefer to network with professionals in the same industry as you but don't quite now how to find where they gather online
• You want to add Social Media Marketing/Management to your own list of services
• You want to add to your client base
• You simply want a quick and easy tutorial into the world of social media.

Over the next three weeks, we will be covering social sites such as Biznik, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ryze, Twitter and the concept of forums and list serves. So add us to your feed/reader below and get ready to get your feet wet in the world of social networking!

Psst... Have you heard...

...about this thing called the internet? It's not going away. It's always there. It doesn't sleep.

And it never forgets. (Marty Fahncke has a great example.)

What's your brand reputation? Do you know? Do you google yourself to see what the masses are saying? Do you know that doing just that, googling yourself, is part of marketing? (Here's something to get you started: sign up for Google Alerts. Put your business name in as the criteria and see what ends up in your inbox each day.)

You can spend big bucks on big agencies to advertisie your product. You can spend massive dollars on focus groups, pilot projects and traditional marketing campaigns. You can spend years trying to tell the world how your product is different than your competition's. The thing is, you're no longer in control. This isn't traditional media. It's the "new" internet. It's Web 2.0. It's social. It's collaborative. Consumers aren't just sitting back believing what the masses are telling them. They are the masses. They're connecting with others, networking online, creating and sharing information - on Facebook, on Digg, Twitter, forums and message boards...the list goes on.

It's a shift from advertising to PR. It's consumer-driven. It's fascinating. It's exciting.

We find it thrilling!

Shake it up. Do things differently. See where it takes you!

Let us help you, this is what we love, this is where we shine!

Don't just think out of the box. Step out of the box.

Blogging for Business

Are you not getting the attention you deserve? Do you need to get a new product in front of a crowd? Have an announcement to make but don't know how to tell the world? Don't even know how or where to start?

You need a blog. And we can help!

A blog is like an online dairy. It can be about, and be used for anything at all. It can be used for personal thoughts and opinions, news, reviews, keeping in touch with family... but we're talking about Blogging for Business.

Quite simply, it's a method of quickly updating content on your website. And the search engine spiders LOVE eating up fresh content! It automatically increases your exposure.

Automatically.

There are many ways to get your blog seen and read by people, not just via the search engines. There's a whole new world out there, Web 2.0, where people are collecting information and sharing it with their friends, contacts, etc. It's a digital word-of-mouth. And you know you can't pay for word of mouth.

At Scratchpad Secretaries, we can set up a Blog for you. Better yet, we can update it for you if you're too busy to write yourself. We can submit it to social bookmarking sites. We can add the RSS Feeds. We can make it happen for you.

Make sure you get noticed. Call us for your free 30-minute consultation!

Social Networking

Facebook. Ryze. Linked In.

Networking associations. Trade publication memberships. Online forums.

So much to do!

But what exactly is it? What is this buzz that is Social Networking. Social Marketing. Social Media?

It's networking.

To infinity.

Six degrees of seperation.

The concept is you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who may be interested in your services. Right from the comfort of your own home/office.

Globally!

You set up a profile, people visit, you add each other as contacts, connections, fans, friends, or whatever it may be called in that particular medium (pretty much, you're making business contacts). Next thing you know, one of their contacts peeks at your profile and adds you as a connection, friend, etc, and we're back to the basic concept of knowing someone who knows someone who knows someone!

There are also various groups you can join within the social networking group (for example, with Ryze I joined multiple groups: Women Business Owners, Small Business Owners, Small Business Think Tank... the list goes on!), and now, what do you know, you're connected to all of this particular groups' membership base. You're shopping your business, globally, from the comfort of your computer and you haven't had to balance appies, wine, business cards... you get the drift.

Perhaps it may just be that you meet alot of interesting people doing interesting things. You grow your network, in whatever way, shape or form you choose. The boundaries are simply not present that exist with traditional networking (and you don't have to suffer the embarrassment of having 1/2 of an appetizer stuck between your teeth!)

You may learn new tools, not just make new business contacts. You learn of new technology. New associations. The latest trade publication. The list goes on. Everyone is wired in. And it's global! It's 24-7. I might pop into one of the groups I belong to on a Thursday night at 11pm, and I'm online with many, many people who are plugged in, starting their day or 1/2 way through their day on the other side of the world.

It's a global marketplace. It's a global community. It's fantastic! It has unlimited potential, and we're just at the tip of the iceburg. How exciting!

I can see why there are virtual assistants who are offering Social Media Management as a service these days. It can be terrifically time-consuming. You can get lost in the networks, groups, profiles, connections.... give me a couple of weeks to delve further, and I do believe I'll be offering it as a service as well. It's not just the latest trend, it may very well be the future.

Won't you be my friend?