A few months back, Paul McGirt a Realtor in the Virginia Beach area wrote an interesting article in the Hampton Roads Association of Realtors Magazine called Social Media – Because We are Social People.  While going through my archives, I found that mag and it got me to thinking about the social media scene and the ‘experts’ and ‘gurus’ that populate it.

When we see The Social Network and shows like The Facebook Obsession, we get a glimpse of Mark Zuckerberg and get the impression that had he not create a multi-billion dollar, universe altering company, he would be stereotypical computer guy: anti-social.  On top of that, that most computer professionals like IT managers and web developers are stereotyped with similar personality traits, which further distorts the view of what trait a social media consultant should possess.

Before we get into that trait, you must first understand that social media is the fusion of sociology and technology.  Masterful usage of tools like Facebook and Twitter is essential to the art, but the ability to understand and interpret people’s behavior and translating that into how they will make decisions is the magic behind making social media work for business.  And regardless of how many books you read, it is virtually impossible to get to know behavior unless you socialize.

The explosion of social media as a truly organic business marketing tool, has sparked a rise of consultants and so called experts to meet the demand. But when was the last time you saw your social media ‘expert’ at a networking function?

To be successful at consulting in social media, you must be social.  Nationally known experts like PR Sarah Evans and Jeff Turner understand people.  They interact masterfully online, but can also work a room like nobody’s business and naturally attract people.  The social media manager’s job is to convert that knowledge and charisma into online social capital.

What do you think?  Is it possible to manage and teach people social media effectively without being social?

Despite the appearance of a down economy, some businesses are surviving, and even thriving more than they ever could have imagined! It’s no coincidence that many thriving businesses are also aggressively marketing whether they can afford it or not. Though marketing in a shifting economy to sustain and even grow your business isn’t a new concept, the social media revolution is creating a new paradigm in the marketing equation: Organizational Buy-In.

Organizational Buy-In is the absolute faith in/and voluntary adoption of an organizations vision, mission, and policy with the genuine intention of improving and growing that organization by any reasonable means. In other words, you have an organization filled with employees who believe in what you’re doing and are willing to do what it takes to make that happen even if the if the end result means your business will become so efficient their job will no longer exist.

Employees taking pride in their profession and figurative ownership in their company isn’t a new concept either, but until now, marketing has mostly been up to business owners, sales people and in larger companies, the marketing department. The introduction of social media as a business tool adds a new twist to what businesses consider marketing and how they use word of mouth through social media to generate brand awareness and revenue.

Now more than ever, businesses rely on more intelligent, harder working, and loyal employees to stay afloat. Employees that meet this criteria are great for maintaining and even growing a business but inside those people is an untapped wealth of potential: they are your new marketing committee.

When was the last time a ‘behind the desk’ employee actively marketed for your business? Is that even possible? Marketing is hard work, and employees are working hard enough as it is to keep their jobs. Why would they go out of their way to get involved in marketing?

First of all, lets talk about loyalty:

Loyal employees tend to be loyal because of relationships they develop with ownership and/or management. Believe it or not, your employees like you, believe in what you’re doing, and want to help you do it better.

So your employees actually like you! Who knew? But saying they like you enough to start marketing; That’s a pretty big leap. Now before you building a bridge to nowhere STOP! Believe it or not, this is going to be a lot easier than you think! Most of your employees are already using the major social networks like Facebook and Twitter, so getting them to use it isn’t step one, and many of them are already talking about their jobs so that isn’t a major hurdle either. The trick is getting your employees to say and do the right things.  With the right education and company policy, your employees can become your main source of new and recurring business and a constant marketing committee.

I know that you’re excited about educating your new marketing committee and turning them loose on the masses, but before you do, consider this: Organizational Buy-In creates a relationship between the employee and the business that forces a win-win that if left unchecked could have a negative effect on your brand.  Once your employees start talking about your business and how awesome it is, they become an active component on the face of your business.  If you’re afraid of this, its too late, they already are. Their friends family and neighbors already know where they work, but now they are actively posting information that will entice people to your business without selling.  For your employees, this new tool can also be used as a weapon. If you treat them badly, they can use this those same methods of marketing to attempt to damage your brand.   So the win for the business is expanded marketing with proven effectiveness and the win for the employee is the necessity for a better work environment driven by ethics, and fairness and an environment that acknowledges the importance of every team member.  This is refresher of an old principle: treat your people right!

I know this concept sounds scary but the business of today is about internal and external collaboration.  Marketing for small and mid-sized businesses especially, will rely more on the efforts of everyone in the organization.  Start thinking about how your team players fit into your marketing model and how they can be maximized in getting the word out about your business.

One of the most common questions/statements I get from business owners about developing and using social media in their marketing strategy is “how do I generate content” or “I just don’t have any content to share with my fans/followers.”  But with every business I’ve consulted with since starting my business, this has been the furthest from the truth.  Every business has an endless flow of valuable, rich and engaging content, the problem is that many business owners have an advertising mindset, not an engaging mindset, so first of all, lets talk about how to change the way we think about our businesses.

You business is a living breathing organism just like you.  So many things go on inside and and around your business that people (especially your customers or potential customers) would find interesting.  There is a reason people come though your doors, use your services or want to consult with you, and many of those reasons have nothing to do with what you actually do.

1) Think about your regulars:

Hopefully, you have repeat customers.  If you do, ask those customers about themselves.  Everyone has a story, and a background and sometimes those similar backgrounds will lead to similar people who will have a similar need or desire to do business with you. Also, ask them why they keep coming back and talk about that.

2) Think about your business

Businesses are constantly changing.  Be it new inventory, a new strategy, or new people, something changing within your business and people love to hear stories about change.  What else is going on?  Did something funny, happy, sad, odd, or completely mundane happen today? Yes, people find mundane things interesting.  In fact, if you think about the mundane, it’s actually the glue that holds people together.

3) If it moves, it will move

People have been mesmerized by moving pictures as long as they have been around.  With the popularity of sites like Youtube and Vimeo and even the video capabilities of Facebook, people are growing to almost expect businesses and places of interest to entertain them with interesting videos and picture montages that engage, influence and inspire.  Anything, but don’t sell! Start thinking about things you can film and just do it.  If you want an great example of the evolution of a video strategy on Facebook, ‘Like’ A. Dodson’s.  They started slow and are now very good at using video to engage their fans.

As you think about content, realize that before you write something off as boring, ask yourself: “is it boring because I see it everyday, or is it just plain boring.”  If it’s the former, ignore that urge to pass it over and share it.  Its your only way to share the personality of your business with your audience.  Start talking about it, and your brand will grow strong, gain a following, and generate new and repeat business.  Have fun!

Have you ever gotten a friend request from someone you didn’t know?  Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are all about making ‘friends.’  But what is a friend really?  In recent time’s it has translated into a status symbol for popularity.

First of all, Facebook has a “Friends List,” and in my book, this list is a catalog of people who have raise their hand and said “YES, i would like to interact with you,”  It is not necessarily a list of your friends.

The simple Psychology behind ‘Friending’

We all have a natural desire to make friends.  When someone says “will you be my friend,” its hard to say no.  It appears rude in person.  On Facebook we don’t have eye contact but psychologically, we have a similar feeling.  We don’t want to say no and this allows Friend Farmers to use you as a number.

What is a Friend Farmer?

A Friend Farmer is a person who seeks to add as many friends as possible with no intention of engaging them on a personal level.  In most cases, the intent is to generate a list of people to blast messages via posts or messages or  send repeated friend, fan/like page, and event requests.

So what are some types of friend farmers?

“So and so has so many friends, they must be popular“

I always get a kick out of it when I see I have mutual friends with someone so I say, “how do you know ‘so and so’?” And the response is “I don’t, they just added me on Facebook.”  Friend Farmer’s rely on the kindness of humanity and request people to be their friend with no real desire to engage or interact with anyone.

“I’m an Expert: I have (this many) Facebook Friends“

In the social media realm, there are a lot of  ’experts’ around and they are staking their expertise on the fact that they have an account with a lot of friends.  How nice.  Question: If you walked in a room could you recognize most of them?  The answer is usually no, and the reason is that many experts are simply adding friends for numbers to appear more popular.

How to Spot a Friend Farmer

If the purpose of becoming friends online is to engage and interact the the easiest way to recognize a friend farmer is by how engaging they are.

First, when they update their status or post something, how many of their friends actually engage them?  My personal goal is 1 – 2%.  If I have 1000 friends, I would expect 10 to 20 interactions on my postings.  (This is in no way an industry standard, but a good indicator for me of how engaged my friends are).

Second, how often do they engage others?  For every one post, how much time does the person with tons of friends spend engaging (or commenting) on the posts of others?  If you look at someone’s page and all you see is them posting updates and they never comment, in my opinion that’s the equivalent of giving a speech or talking to yourself.

Contrary to popular belief, social networking isn’t about the you.  Its about your connections and how well you engage them.  If your intention is to grow your sphere of influence, be engaging.  Send a personal message with your request, and engage your new friends by commenting on and/or liking what they post.

If your intention is to gain as many friends as possible, remember the popular guy in high school?  Where is he now?

Social Media Meetups, events and seminars have been popping up all over Hampton Roads in the last few months.   These events range from sales pitches to networking events with a little education, but for the most part, social media novices, skeptics, and fans often leave these events feeling like something is missing.  Well look no further because the Young Professionals Network (YPN) of the Hampton Roads Realtors Association (HRRA) has prepared a four-part educational series with a goal of filling that empty space.

As the owner of Guerrilla Social Media, I’m honored that YPN has invited me to share my perspective on the Guerrilla Marketing approach to social media and how it may change the way that Real Estate professionals specifically view social media platforms and their approach to implementing an efficient and effective strategy.

You may think that social media is for kids, or people with a lot of free time, but if your like most, you know that there’s something about social media and that ‘something’ has nothing to do with the fact that everyone is doing it.  This series seeks to redefine social media in a fundamental way.  It’s not about Facebook, in fact Facebook in a business sense may be a proverbial snowflake on the tip of a massive iceberg.  I’m going to take social media way beyond the big three social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter), and expand the horizon into more effective tools for Real Estate Professionals.

If you’re not in Real Estate, don’t worry.  There will be plenty of content that pertains to anyone who has a business interest in social media.  I’m going to get deep into professional social networks like LinkedIn as well as maximizing some of the incredible free tools of Google, free SEO tips and tricks, using Messageboards and Forums to drive traffic and how to make a lasting impression with Multimedia platforms, video specifically.

So mark your calendars, bring your laptops, and make sure your phone is charged up because it’s going to be a fun ride!

Seems like everywhere you look small businesses and large companies have caught the social media bug. Whether they showing early signs with the scratchy throat, or have a full blown case of social-media-isis, everyone is either in the game or trying to figure out how to get in the game.

Companies with the budget to pay for major marketing strategies are turning to their marketing department or traditional marketing firms with questions and requests for social media management. Traditional marketing is billboard, TV commercials, mailers, newspaper and other print advertising and they all have the same methodology and goals in mind: Blast your message to the masses and get your business as much visibility as possible.

Some firms have re-branded themselves New Media marketing but even that is rooted in methods like email and pay-per-click marketing which amounts to online advertising. The problem is that in most cases, social media principles contradict the principles of traditional marketing. When was the last time you clicked on a sponsored link or were happy to open an email from a business?

What's Your Strategy?

Social media is anti-advertising. It’s about building relationships through engaging your audience. People now have limitless choices on who to do business with and you can bet that they wont choose the guy with the billboard on your favorite boulevard, or at the top of your favorite search engine! A lot of marketing specialists are simply taking blast marketing methods and implementing them into their social media strategy and after weeks or months of spamming wonder why they aren’t getting results.

So a few questions to ask your social media manager:

• Do we have a strategy that’s rooted in relationship building?
• Is your social media strategy integrating with your current marketing and not contradicting with it?
• Are you getting the results?

If the answer is no or you’re unsure, consider consulting with a social media marketing firm that stands first on relationship building and then on a proven strategy.

I recently had an intense discussion with a colleague about guerrilla marketing principles and how it applies to Guerrilla Social Media.  Though edgy and unconventional marketing tactics typically define guerrilla marketing strategies, a basic examination of guerrilla marketing boils down to two things, covert and unexpected or undetectable marketing.

A properly implemented social media marketing strategy is both covert and unexpected.  Social media is about permission based interaction.  People allow you and your business into their space.  As the business, you are sharing information, and becoming a source which builds trust with your friends, family and followers.

**JustinSMV Editors Note:   Social Media is defined as using Social Communication in media channels to build open and engaging relationships.   Just to clarify Guerrilla Marketing is not a sneaky tatic just to build trust and then sell, Guerilla Marketing is defined as an unconventional form of marketing that elvoves into being viral without the hard sell of in your face used car’s sales man. **

Did he say trust?

Trust is a psychological guerrilla marketing tactic.  Though in most cases, trust is something we foster as genuinely good and decent people, as a business owner, trust is an unsuspecting open door.

Inform, Interact, Attract

People want to do business with people that they trust above all things and social media helps generate a mystical level of trust between people who have never had face to face interaction.  Sharing your life and valuable info with people attracts them to what you have to say.  Also, saying meaningful things to them lets people know you care and solidifies the relationship.  This breaks down walls of reluctance which makes people more open to at least finding out about whatever you have to offer.

Overtly, you’ve made a friend.  Covertly, “you’re in”!

Once you’ve penetrated the walls of resistance magic really happens when someone is compelled to share you and your business with others.  Becoming known as being ‘worth knowing’ is one of the most important elements of making your business VIRAL!

So put on your camouflage, hit the field and make some friends.  You never know where that might take your business.

Business owners like the idea of fast, easy, and inexpensive (a.ka. cheap) advertising.  They also know however that traditional methods of advertising like mailers, newspaper ads, and billboards to name a few are becoming less effective and remain costly.  So in search of a new way to both advertise and get their business out there, many businesses discover a  fast, easy and cheap method of advertising online by  implementing a pay-per-click marketing strategy.

Before we talk about pros and cons, lets first consider why old school advertising doesn’t work anymore.  There is an old cliche that says people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  What that’s saying is that people are looking to connect with you and with your business on a deeper level, and throwing a mailer at them or blasting a big ad in the paper or via even email simply doesn’t get that done.  Your business doesn’t appear to care so neither do they. Trash can!

We understand that business owners would prefer not to worry about marketing and Pay-Per-Click is the perfect fire and forget strategy.  The problem is you are paying for a click, not a customer.  How often have you clicked on a site, not found what you wanted immediately and clicked the back button? Do you even click in the sponsored links at the top of Google?  The reality is Pay-per-click is an online billboard.

The Social Media Alternative

Social Media is all about relationships.  Through a little consistency and very little money if any, you build meaningful relationships with your clients.  People know you care because they talk to you interact with them and or others regularly.  Bringing relevant info into their lives, not a sales pitch.

When someone comes to your site, its like a warm call or a referral.  The person knows you and is interested in what you do.  They aren’t looking for something specific, they are probing into your business and if you have something relevant to offer and they have a need its likely they will do business with you.

So when it comes down to it, the product or service you provide effects your the strategy you decide to implement.  If you rely on return clients and customers, relationships are key.  Are you using Pay-Per-Click?  If so, how is it working for your business.  Have you considered social media?

What are your thoughts?

Your Thoughts?

For a small business just starting out, budget is a primary concern. A big expenditure in a business’ budget is marketing.  You have to get your name, face and brand out to the masses, and using traditional advertising methods like print, TV, radio, and even new media strategies can be expensive.

Have you considered social media? I know there are a lot of questions out there about social media, how it works and why it’s a good gateway to business marketing, so here are a few reasons why I think it can be a great place to start for a small business.

1. It’s Free: When your on a budget, nothing beats free. The majority of social media outlets are free to use. Though there may be a time commitment, there is a great deal of value in the fact that marketing can be allocated elsewhere while you grow your business.

2. It’s Easy: Most social networking sites walk you step-by-step through the setup process and many even let you know how complete your profile is and what you can do to make it a more complete profile. For Blogging, WordPress has its Famous 5 Minute Install that for beginners can take longer but still very reasonable and straight forward when following instructions.

3. Unlimited Exposure: With Social Media platforms like Facebook averaging 25-30M new followers per month, the possibilities of exposing new potential customers and clients via social media eclipses rival marketing methods in the short and long term. You can’t search a TV or Billboard audience for potential connections.

4. It Builds Lasting Relationships: The sole purpose of using social media is engaging and building relationships. People want to do business with people they have a relationship with. Using social media platforms is an excellent way to build relationships that foster respect with your target audience. Lasting personal relationships, lasting business relationships!

5. SEO Power: When it comes too online presence, SEO is king. Everyone wants the Google Juice that puts them at the top of the charts. Blogging the right way can play a significant role your business’ search engine presence.

So what are you waiting for? Give FREE social media a try today. You wont regret it tomorrow and neither will your business!

Are you using social media to grow your business? I get a lot of questions from business owners and other busy professionals about how to develop strategies for business growth using social media. My goal has always been try to simplify the social networking equation, and through my calculations I have determined that social media can be simply describe down to a three step process that when implemented properly can explode your business online and in person.

Having a well developed social media profile on a website like LinkedIn or Facebook is the first step toward growing your online presence. Before you can attempt to share a single product or service online, you must first be able to sell yourself (branding if you will). Branding yourself as a person first and not a sales robot instantly creates a unimposing medium for your friends and potential customers to become aware of who you are and hopefully what you do.

Blogging is simply a medium for relevant material. And what is relevant is relative to the viewer. First you have to find out what is relevant to your target audience, then you use your blog to convert that material into a format that is attractive to them. The more relevant material you provide, the more your expertise becomes apparent and your popularity grows.

Cycle of Social Media

Finally, you need the website you probably already have. What you don’t know is that unless you have something and/or someone pointing to your website, you’re probably wasting valuable time and money that you put into it. Blogging and social media outlets do the pointing for you. On the surface, they give people a reason to want to know more about you. Beneath, they are a free way to lead the google spiders right to your website.

The key is constantly having your social media trifecta pointing at something of relevance. Your blogs and profiles should always be pointing at your website and vice versa. Constantly be looking for relevant links, events, and other info you can share with your target audience. When they see value in what you have to share, they will also see value in and want to do business with you.