What's That You Tweet?

In recent weeks I've gotten more serious about my relationships on Twitter - who I follow and why.  For whatever reason (and I'm truly humbled), I've gained a few hundred new followers in the past few weeks, and that number continues to grow.

What's daunting to me about that is that I take my followers very seriously because, they chose to follow me for a reason and I sincerely hope I can capture their interest and keep it - chances are they have something to share with me as well.

When I get notification of new followers I don't automatically follow every one - even if it takes a little bit of time, I do check out each and every profile of my followers (now it's taking longer than it used to... but I make the time to do it)  

Here's what I look for when I decide whether 

to follow back or not:  (I'm using @jasontryfon as my example)

Step 1 - Review Twitter Bio - If you can sell me in the short Bio I will follow - generally those who say they are passionate about anything I'll follow.  If the Bio is unique and funny, I'll follow.  If your Bio gives me enough sense of your business goals and they relate to me or my clients, I'll follow.

If your Bio is generally a product pitch - I probably wont follow, unless you pass step 2...

Step 2 - Review Recent Tweets - Your Bio may be blank or just not grab me, but you haven't lost me yet.  I will check out recent tweets to see what you are sharing with the world.  I look for personality, humor, sincerity, industry related info (social media, internet marketing), or information that my clients may find useful.  I also look for ReTweets, and real conversations - not one sided tweets.  (Being a Christian is a plus too.)

Seeing followers in conversation with mutual Twitter friends is always a plus too!

If your recent tweets consist only of "buy this", "great deal on this", "make a million dollars an hour working out of your home" and so on... chances are I will not be following you (sorry)

Still not satisfied after reviewing recent tweets?  The game is not over yet - onto step 3...

Step 3 - Review your Site or Blog - I may have already followed you after steps 1 or 2, process doesn't always hit this point, but I will take the time to check out your blog or website for interesting content.

**  If you are new to Twitter, doesn't mean I wont follow - we all start somewhere.  If you have a Bio and a site link that's relevant I will follow you and will enjoy watching your personality evolve!  **

How I introduce myself?  I will most definatley send you a DM referencing either one of your tweets, your Bio, or your website/blog.  I want you to know that I took the time to learn something about you.  I used @jaysontrfyon as my example here and chose an interesting tidbit to ReTweet.

@jasontryfon has it all going on.  His Bio

 is full of information that is relevant to my industry, his profile background rocks, his tweets are genuine, AND what caught me was on this quote on his background "Jason has gamered his acclaim as a noted customer satisfaction evangelist..."  YES!  Now you are speaking my language!  I let him know that too by Tweeting that little qoute :)

I am big on ReTweeting the good info of others and paying it foward whenever I can. (#payitforward).

So if you are following me and have not heard back from me yet - never fear - I need some time to do the real work!

Why do you follow and how do you introduce yourself?  I'd love to hear!

Like this post?  Please RT!  See yah on Twitter my friends!

@SocialPMChick

Personal Media - Nah - Social Media Sounds Better

Tonight on Twitter I was reviewing profiles of new connections made throughout the day.  I always check out profiles of those following me, and read their tweets before following them.  I generally try to RT at least one post for each new person that I follow.  I came across this one tonight:

@joelcomm tweets to @GrowMap "Without personal touch, you limit the social in social media" 

And to that I say... 

Really!  SOCIAL Media... Say that again... SOCIAL Media.  Be personal - be social!

I have to say, I'm very much enjoying really digging into Twitter and getting to know some really fabulous people!  Once you engage others in conversation and take a genuine interest in what other people have to say - rather than what you can get out of it - you'll be hooked!

I almost feel bad - I seem to get out of it, more than I feel I give, but at the same time, others are ReTweeting my goodies, and I got some great shout outs today for #followfriday!  It's humbling and so very much appreciated.  I only hope I can give back ten-fold!

I really don't know what I have to offer, but I know that I enjoy chatting with and listening to what others have to share.  I'm finding the more I listen, the more I am heard.  Amazing really.

Your personal touches can go such a long way in Social Media, so long as they are sincere.  Insincerity in social networking is spotted a mile away!  Maybe you do have something to sell on Twitter, and that's okay - but that will come in time if you are passionate about building real relationships - those relationships will build your brand and drive your business.

A few points I struggle with that I have run into in Social Media networks:

-->  You follow me on Twitter, so naturally I want to learn more about you and what makes you tick, and perhaps what I might be able to share with you - but your Tweets are blocked?  How the heck am I supposed to get to know you?

-->  On LinkedIn... You have a public profile on a business networking site, but when I express a sincere interest in networking with you, I'm told "I only accept connection requests from people I've already done business with" - Now to me that defeats the entire purpose of LinkedIn and Social Media.

--> On Facebook...  I send you a friend request because perhaps we work in the same industry, we have a similar interest, or common connections - and am told "I only connect with people I have met face to face".  Again - Facebook with 160,000,000 users... I use FB for personal and for business.  And I purposely do not keep those profiles separate, after all I am a person, so my personality is personal, and I am who I am personally and professionaly and they are the same person!  Make sense?  Why would you NOT want to connect and get know a potential information sharing source?

I understand the privacy thing - but in some regards, and on some networks, it defeats the purpose of SOCIAL MEDIA.

I will continue to remind everyone to #payitforward in all you do (Twitter and beyond)!  Give more than you want to receive and you'll get far more than you ever imagined possible - but BE SINCERE!

Thanks for the inspiration @joelcomm - I truly look forward to following you!  

Why Me? Why You?

In a recent post @dannybrown asked folks to introduce themselves - so I did.  I read his post on Monday, the same day I wrote my "Pay It Forward" post.  One of the questions he asked was about what blog post defines you - Ironically it was the post I wrote that very day.  I live my life on the premise of paying it forward.  If you haven't read it yet - it's a must read!  :)

@ChazAtCaz and I discussed this today in the office as well - it's just too true!  We reap what we sow, I cannot say that enough.

So I ask you this...  Why Me?  Why should you connect with and get to know me?  

Because I care.  Show me that you care and I'll promote the heck out of you.  Show me what you are passionate about and I'll share your passion with everyone I know!

My areas of expertise include internet marketing, project management, web development, living a Christ centered life, parenting (not really an expert, more of a work-in-progress), and am in the process of working my way up in the ranks of the social media arena.  I am passionate about all that I do, and all that I am.

We all have something (lots of things) to learn, and I know that I can learn from you!  What can YOU teach me?  Though there are too many to list, some of my recent "teachers" include @auctiondirect, @dougmcsorley, @markfrisk.  I am always learning from @chazatcaz!  I hope to return that favor one day.  To them I say thanks!  To you I say - thank you in advance!

To build on what Danny did, I say to you - what can we learn from each other?  Please leave me a comment with answers to the following questions:

What are you passionate about?

Who are you favorite Tweeps and why?

What can I share with You?

Where can we connect?   FB, LinkedIn, Twitter, Other?

Paying it Forward

I have to say, that I generally don't pay attention to TV commercials.  If I am to buy something, it is because a friend recommended it, or I've done the research (more than likely online).  Tonight, this commercial captured my eye...  I watched all 60 seconds of it.

What I love about it is not what they are selling, but the message in general.  I passionately believe that we reap what we sow, and if this commercial is any indication of how Liberty Mutual treats their clients, then it's a product worth having.

A fantastic ad, which should be applied to every business.  I live my life this way, letting the person go in traffic before me, holding the elevator, or pausing for a few seconds to hold the door for someone whos a few steps behind.  These little gestures can go along way, and that chance encounter and the smile you bring someone - will more than likely be shared with someone else, and so on and so on.

Just a few weeks ago I was pumping gas, and this adorable elderly man was cleaning his headlights, windows and windshied at the next pump.  I jokingly said "hey when you're done with yours you can do mine" with a big old smile.  When I came out from paying for my gas, there he was washing my windshield.  He informed me he had not done his good deed for the day.

The world needs more of this!  THAT I am passionate about.  So when you do find yourself a few steps ahead, take the extra 15 seconds to hold the door... And do it with a smile, inside and out.

Save A Tree: Advertise Online

With the environment and global warming becoming more and more of an issue, and with recycling - direct mail is becoming a thing of the past.  I have a customer, who just last year spent $10k during 2008 for 4 direct mail campaigns (total cost for the year).

Let's break that down  - $2,500 per Quarter - roughly 50,000 pieces mailed each quarter, and out of each mailing he probably generated 20 leads, maybe 10 of those turned into qualified leads, and a portion of those maybe then converted to a sale.  

The widget he sells ranges in price from $3,500 on up to over $10,000.  When he signed on with Cazbah he was still running these direct mail campaigns, and didn't really think twice about continuing them.  As his new site was built and launched, he moved over to my care and control where I quickly learned what his spend was on direct mail.

When I refer to direct mail - this particular product is the cellophane wrapped postcards that come in packs.  I personally don't believe I have ever opened one of those mailers that has come to my home, they have all ended up in the trash.  

Well my line of thinking is this... let's first save a tree by not doing the mailer, less garbage, less recycling... and second, let's save the customer bunches of money that can be put back into his business, and spend a small fraction of that $10,000 and generate more qualified leads on a monthly basis.

Challenge:  Convince said customer that spending $300 a month on something like Google AdWords can generate more qualified leads, then the plastic-wrap mailer you've been doing for years!  People are resistant to change... (But just how many trees is that?).  After much discussion - customer agrees to commence with AdWords for a trial period of one month at a $10/day budget and very targeted ads featuring his product at a low monthly lease price.

Said customer promised to do just one more mailer with direct mail company (against my recommendation) and when I heard of it, said - okay if you are going to mail - push the web site and invite recipients to sign up for email updates and promotions - the mailer went out without that info. So there's $2,500 (or almost a YEAR'S worth of AdWords out the window).

30 days and $300 later - we generated roughly 25-30 QUALIFIED leads, and client received an influx of contact requests through the web site.

Let's compare:  

12 Months - Direct Mail - 50,000 Pieces Per Mailer - $10,000 - Annual Leads Generated = Approx. 80.  (40 Qualified Leads).

12 Months - AdWords - Annual Spend roughly $3,600 - Annual Leads Generated = 360 Qualified Leads.

I would even venture to guess that after further optimization of the AdWords campaign through use of negative keyterms, and other techniques, the number of qualified leads would increase gradually.

Add to this, from the leads generated through sponsored search advertising (or pay per click), an email captured for each lead.  On the leads that do not generate an immediate

sale, you have now fostered a relationship by which you can communicate future promotions and product features via email campaigns.

Consider email marketing and news updates to your subscriber base and or customers rather than mailing them promotions - you'll reach a greater audience, and by sending to an "opt-in" list - you already know you are sending to a receptive audience.  It can take some time to build an email list, but there are ways to get the word out.

What's the punchline?  Spend your advertising dollars in a way that will maximize your return, and   in this age of social media and online awareness.  Save a Tree!  Save Money!

Passionate Women Who Thrive

I recently decided to spend the first 30 minutes of each work day doing some online networking.  One day I might spend time in LinkedIn, the next day searching out new possible friends on Facebook or Tweeting, but the bottom line is I want to continually look for new people I can connect with - not just because we both like artichokes, but perhaps because we are both in the same LinkedIn Groups, or share common networking goals.

One of my goals is to share my passionate attitude about just about everything in life with everyone I come in contact with - the reason I started this blog in the first place.  

This week I was fortunate enough to come across a woman on Twitter who was following me, and upon checking out her info found that we share a common goal.  @karolynhart is the new connection I speak of and her passion is to connect women on beauty, health, life, careers, parenting, relationships and everything in between.

I was immediately drawn to her site, just by the address LiveWithThrive.com - what a fabulous URL! 

The definition of Thrive is "to grow strongly and vigorously" - something I aspire to do both through my relationship with God, and through my career.  One of the ways I hope to do this in my career is by connecting with other passionate and powerful professional women. (Nice alliteration!)

This quote is posted on LiveWithThrive.com as the 'favorite quote' and I can see why:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead 

It reminds me that everyone has something to say, and something to contribute.  Pay attention to your connections, and pursue your passions.  I am very excited about participating in this online community and building new relationships with other professional women who Thrive!

Do you Live With Thrive?

Using Social Media to get IKEA's Attention

I would definitely LOVE to have an IKEA Store in Western, NY. Rochester would be great, but I would settle for Buffalo as well or somewhere in between.  

Currently the closest IKEA store is in Hamilton, Ontario - which is a few hours drive, accross the border and somewhat a pain in the neck.  When I go to IKEA in Canada, it is an all day trip to get across the border both ways, add in the driving distance, and of course the gas expense (especially now) and the time required to browse at an IKEA store.  Something I have complained about for years - every trip taken to IKEA requires much advanced planning...

A co-worker (@fuyukogratton) of mine has a passion for IKEA, and to that end created a blog and online petition in April of 2008 to try to gain signatures and capture the attention of IKEA so they would pity us and build a store in our area.  This online petition currently has 119 signatures (I was 118), and I have been spreading the word about this through my online social activities and face-to-face.

Time to put my creative social media energies to work to raise more awareness - so I have yet another place to shop in Upstate New York.  I love IKEA!

I sense another social media experiment coming on...  If I can find 300+ artichoke lovers in just a few short weeks, I should be able to connect with IKEA lovers out there to help my friend with her blog and petition!

Take a second to sign Fuyuko's petition!  We thank you, and Western New York will thank you!

Speed Dating For Social Media Lovers

Speed Dating - Not just for dating anymore...  This is something I am most interested in (Not dating that is...) but rather speed networking.  

Imagine an event your city or neighboring town.  You show up with a pocketful of business cards and your 1-3 minutes "about me" pitch.  If 50 people show up, the actual "meet" of the event could take roughly 2 hours, with some group networking before and after.

In one minute I could easily tell you in broad strokes about myself and what my passions are related to my career and networking goals.  I venture to guess, most people can do the same in a minute or less.  If I made 50 new connections in 2 hours I would be thrilled - no matter the industry you come from.  We can benefit from each other because everyone has different areas of expertise and though your area may be something like pizza ovens, used cars, or even restoration firearms - there is more than likely a chance that you have something of worth that I can apply to my business, and I to you as well.

I attended a local Twestival event last week and met a few folks there that seemed perhaps "not related" to what I do, but walking away from that and realizing what those have to offer whether it's blog expertise, or a specific benefit they can provide to me and/or my clients - each and every network connection is a win-win.   

I would welcome the opportunity to attend such an event where I could gather up a large group of connections in a short period of time, and have tidbits of information about each to take away - rather than a shake hands "hello nice to meet you".  

And here's my fun tip for how to remember a person's name... People think I'm silly for doing this, but at church on Friday's nights I tend to meet a few new people each week.  When I meet them I chat for a bit, and before I excuse myself I look at them while shaking their hand and say their name 6 times outloud.  Yes - it appears silly, but it certainly works for me!  What's your tip to remember names and other useful information about new connections?

Selling Cars Through Social Media

A month or so ago I got a request to follow a blog on Facebook's Networked Blog- it was the first request of this kind I had received on Facebook.  Having my own blog (of course), I was intrigued by this request - as we are all looking for ways to market our blogs.

The request was to follow Best Used Cars Blog.  And why would I follow this blog if I am not in the market for a car?  Well the answer is quite simple - because it's a good blog filled with good content.

Eric does a great job of putting an interesting spin on his content, he incorporates video, imagery, humor, facts and presents at a level that everyone can enjoy and understand.  He gives the consumer very sound advice to assist in knowing how to buy a car and not get scammed.  Given the state of the auto-industry today, and the economy - his blog should be in its prime with the information he is providing.

He also has a few pieces of content that are unique - Car Dealer Confessions, and a Tweet & Greet Interview asking the users questions about their first cars and their personalities related to their cars - it took me 5-10 minutes to complete and I had some fun with it!

Check out this blog - I do reccommend it.  Give Eric a Tweet-Out at @auctiondirect as well!

As a final side-note I have found that 2/3 of my blog traffic is coming from Facebook through profile links and Networked Blogs, and the other third is coming primarily from Twitter - just a tidbit I thought I'd share.

12 for 12K: Passion to Make A Difference

Getting up early on a Saturday is not a usual thing for me.  Today, however, I have a volunteer meeting at church because I'm going to start giving back to the recovery group that I attend twice a week that has given so much to my life in more ways than I can put a label on.

I generally start my day with some powerful scripture or motivational writings that jump start me with the right tone to make a difference.  I like to start my day with passion and enthusiasm for what I can do in other people's lives.

My day today starts with an email on Facebook from @dannybrown about his 12 for 12k Challenge.  You wanna talk about passion?  Here's a guy who had an idea to use the power of social media and the internet to raise money for charities and do it in a manor that pretty much no-one can say no to!

Watch this video and DONATE - $10 is all he's asking for!  That's one movie (at today's prices) with a soda, it's 3 lattes at Starbucks, who can't give up 3 lattes to make a difference?

Watch this video and visit 12 for 12k to learn more and donate!

I'm in... Are you?

At the very least... if you are unsure - visit 12 for 12k.org and/or follow @dannybrown on twitter to learn more.  There is MUCH to learn.

Internet Marketing - A Piece of Cake?

I had a dinner meeting with a close friend tonight who is re-building her web site and we just chatted through some of the areas she needs to be focusing on to help promote her web site.  

I was astounded to find that the company doing her web site was offering to charge her "x" amount for search engine optimization for 3 hours of work per month (and the dollar amount was way off), and made  a brief mention of email marketing, but the proposal stated nothing about what they covered under the title of "SEO" and what they proposed for email marketing.

So I lend these thoughts -  things to consider when searching for a "marketing strategist" for your web site.  Plain and simple... find someone who knows what they are doing - and pay attention to the details they are providing you.

Internet Marketing has several layers to it.  I will compare it to my favorite dessert - A Triple Layer Chocolate Peppermint Torte!

The bottom layer of the cake... What I consider the

 "technical" pieces of your plan.  This layer includes your search engine optimization, keyterm research, meta tags, page titles, image and file naming conventions, site maps and basically, the aspects that are addressed through your site's code/tags.

The middle layer of your cake... Your content.  Know your customers and what they are looking for and provide the content, products or services in your content that will answer questions easily and help them make their buying decision quickly.  Your content should also be optimized using the information compiled when building the first layer of your cake by building your keyterms into your content allowing the search engines to find it!

The top layer of your cake... Listening to your website and making the necessary adjustments to content and product offerings.  Modifying keyterms, building new content, adding new documentation and information as people your customer are looking for.  Work your site through email marketing, blogging and much much much more!  What I describe here only scratches the surface of working your site and continuously modifying your strategy to marketing your site to meet the ever-changing needs of your customers.

And then there's the frosting...  This outer layer is your brand, your persona, your online  personality.  Working your site by building your brand through Social Media and Social Networking.  Think of it this way...  The frosting on a cake is the first thing you see, and usually the first thing you taste on a cake.  Relate it to your brand or persona - this is the first impression you make - the face of your business.  Professional decoraters take great pride in the details of the impression their cake will leave (as it may result in more business for them in the beauty alone).  The same should apply to you and the effort you put into to building your online personality through social media.  (Cake image shown at right is a creation of Sincredible Pastries in Central NY) 

The frosting does not refer to a flash heavy site with blinking images and glitzy appearances - remember that your site must function effectively and efficiently allowing your customers to find what they want quickly - AND allow the search engines to find your site as well.  Flash has it's place and when used properly can be a very effective tool - but that is a whole separate conversation.

The whole cake... This is just a birdseye view of how I see internet marketing and the layers that lie within.  There are many aspects of marketing your website most of which I haven't even touched on - I would simply encourage you to ask the questions to your marketing strategist and feel confident that you are working your site continuously and getting the desired results.

A note of caution - be sure that the baker of your cake is on the level...  Recently I took on a client at work who was paying a third party company to manage their pay-per-click advertising.  When I took over managing their AdWords campaigns I found that this 3rd party company was charging my new client a flat monthly rate for AdWords and my customer never realized that the amount they were paying was almost 3 times the actual amount being spent on their AdWords activity.  Fortunately for them, we cut their AdWords budget by roughly 60% and they are still getting the same bang for their buck.

Find a strategist who is passionate about internet marketing and who will share your passion for success in YOUR business.  That will surely be a recipe for success!