social media marketing

I spent New Year’s Eve with my parents this year.  My dad is recovering from open heart surgery and had a tough year overall.  Our New Years’ toast went something like,

“To hell with 2009.  May we never see your like again.  To a bright new future in 2010.”

We weren’t alone in that sentiment.  2009 was a tough year!  But it wasn’t all bad.   And sometimes the good gets forgotten.  We set our New Year’s Resolutions on what we want to improve, but we forget to pat ourselves on the back for the goals we did accomplish.   

Personally, I achieved two huge goals in 2010. 

1. I moved my family across the country to a location where I wanted to live.
2. I launched a second business, The Art of Online Marketing, focused on one-to-many marketing training. 

What did you do that WORKED this year?  What went right?   Is there a way that you can continue to capitalize on what you did?  By focusing on the positive and reinforcing your ability to create what you want, you just might be inspired with the confidence you need to make other changes.   In marketing.  In life!

By the way, if one of your goals is to figure out this “social media stuff,” we have an intro training session coming up on January 20^th at 10:00 a.m. PST.  Find out more at http://www.theartofonlinemarketing.com

Do you podcast?  Should you? 

 For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Wikipedia’s podcast definition is this:

A podcast is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and downloaded through web syndication.  (Read rest of podcast definition.)

I was having a conversation with John Jantsch, the author of Duct Tape Marketing, at our coaches conference a couple of weeks back.  He and several of my Duct Tape Marketing colleagues were raving about the effectiveness of small business podcasts.  I haven’t added this tool to my marketing mix (yet), but I am considering it. 

I like the freedom that a podcast brings.  Your listener isn’t chained to their desk.  They can be walking the dog, driving in their car, at the gym, and filling otherwise unproductive moments with your business wisdom.  They are getting to know, like and trust you in a deeper way, because hearing your voice is more powerful than just reading your words. 

So I guess my question is this.  Do you subscribe to podcasts?  Why or why not? 

If you’re just not sure where to find podcasts, here are a few “top 15″ lists to get started.

• 15 Podcasts That Will Make You Richer by Business Pundit
• 15 Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter by College Crunch
• 15 Podcasts Every Geek Should Listen To by Make Use Of

Being a smart, rich geek.  I’d be OK with that!

This video is proof that B2B company videos don’t have to be boring!  Companies can create something that people want to share — and they can get their core message across at the same time.

By the way, thanks to Robert Lesser for sharing his Direct Impact Now blog on LinkedIn, which linked to the Bnet Sales Machine blog that posted this YouTube video.  I bet Kadient gets more mileage and more customers from this video than from 1000 hours of telemarketing.

But social media marketing doesn’t work for B2B companies, does it?  Oh, it does?  Huh. 

Are you part of the Orange County Duct Tape Marketing Group yet?  Our March topic is Blogging for Business!

If you’re not blogging about your business, you are missing out on one of the most effective and affordable ways to promote your business online! Blogging is the foundation of social media marketing, providing fresh conversations. In this meeting, you will learn why blogging is should be a foundational part of your marketing mix. We’ll also discuss:

• Why blogging is an extremely effective marketing strategy for small businesses right now.
• Finding keywords that will bring the most traffic from search results.
• How to develop persuasive, compelling content in just minutes.
• Leveraging your blog to influence friends in online social networks.
• How to develop persuasive, compelling content in just minutes.
• Etiquette, tips and tricks that make you look like a pro!

Why should you attend?

Blogging is an easy and fun way to promote your business – BUT if you don’t have your blog set up right, you won’t be getting the full business benefits.

Register to learn about Blogging for Business

MEETING AGENDA:

5:30 Welcome and Networking – Appetizers Served
6:00-7:30 Marketing Meeting
7:30-8:00 Wrap Up

Come mingle with other small business owners, marketing and sales professionals as you learn how to apply Duct Tape Marketing’s principles to your business. Veteran marketing professional, Adrianne Machina of Tornado Marketing, an Authorized Duct Tape Marketing Coach, will facilitate a discussion on the practical steps you can take to market your business affordably and effectively.

No.  Well, sort of.  But not really.

If you just read my Tornado Marketing blog, you’d probably think I devoted 24/7 to social media consulting – but that’s not true.  I actually don’t consider myself a social media consultant.  I consider myself a marketing consultant. 

Social media is just ONE tool in the metaphoric marketing toolbelt – one that my customers, readers and friends are trying to make sense of right now. So even though I write a lot about social media, it’s  because social media new and it’s changing the marketing game. Smart businesses need to start paying attention to social media marketing – but not at the expense of everything else.  

I don’t want my customers or my readers to forget about the basic blocking and tackling of marketing, like:

• Do you know who your ideal customer is?
• Do you have a way to communicate with them?
• Are you able to articulate your differentiation?
• Are you marketing consistently?
• Is your material educational, persuasive and smart? 
• Do you make it easy for people to do business with you?
• Do you provide good products and services?

Marketing has never been about doing “one thing” right.  I hate to tell you this, but there is no magic bullet that will transform your business overnight.  Marketing is about doing lots of things right, learning from everything you do, and marketing your business consistently and professionally. 

Yes, you should have social media as part of your mix. Yes, you can call on me for social media consultation if you need help.  But I just don’t want you thinking that social media is the end-all be-all of marketing.  When you call, I’ll ask you to take a holistic look at your business and your marketing practices – and then we can talk about how social media marketing can work for you.  Fair enough? 

While marketers remain firmly convinced of the value of social media marketing, executives in the C-Suite may not yet be convinced.  So how do you speak their language, and help your CFO, CTO or CEO understand how social media marketing can help you grow your business?

Well, shoot, I couldn’t say it any better than this:   http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/how-to-sell-social-media-to-cynics-skeptics-luddites-tips-resources-advice/  Robin and John have compiled a list from social media experts who explain:

• 8 Tips for Selling Social Media to CFOs
• Selling Social Media “Up” to Management
• How to Champion Social Media at Work
• 12 Ways to Sell Social Media to Your Boss
• 10 Common Objections to Social Media Adoption
• And so many more great articles about Social Media Marketing!

The benefit of social media marketing isn’t always immediately obvious.  It can look like too much fun to be “real work” – and I’ll be the first to admit it can be a collossal waste of time if you aren’t doing it right.  

Like any marketing strategy, you need to decide whether social media is an appropriate tactic for you, and if it is – how will you execute?  How, who, when and where will you engage with social media marketing?  How will you justify the time spent to your CFO?  How will you measure your ROI? 

Thanks Robin and John for that great list of How to Sell Social Media to Your Boss!  Keep up the great work!