Business Social Networking | Business Networking Life

Stop Masturbating with Social Networking in your Business

Business Social Networking 34 Responses »

Jan 012012

beasts fuzzy dice2 Stop Masturbating with Social Networking in your Business

You must read on to understand why dogs are dressed in dice costumes...

That’s right! I figured out a way to combine two of the most popular online activities into a useful and enlightening post to help grow your business through social networking.

Let’s face it the internet and social media is where it is today partially because of all the porn sites that were some of the first sites making billions online back in the day.

Now let’s get to the topic of how the hell this relates to your business and your social networking.

I think it is pretty hard to argue with the fact that LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and social networking in general have become the technology de joure of the past few years, and will remain that way for the next few as well. Ten or even twelve years ago it was like “Wow! This internet thing is awesome I need to get myself a website.” Then everyone and their mother went and spent whatever it cost to get a website to highlight their business.

Now websites are more important and less expensive than ever, but if someone asks you, “Are you on Facebook?” and you say “No,” the only thing most of us can say to ourselves is “Seriously?”

Yes, for the most part every business that is planning on actually growing into next year is jumping on the social media band wagon, and rightly so. “Bandwagon Marketing,” is what I have termed this wave of businesses utilizing social networking for their marketing efforts. Why? Because everyone and EVEN MY MOTHER is all over it!

Back to the point of the post, how and why you must stop masturbating with your business social networking. Just because you have 50 social networking profiles set up and you got yourself a blog doesn’t mean it is time to sit back and watch the sales roll in or that it is time to alert the world to every product, service, special offer, coffee break, or bowel movement someone in your company has.

The purpose of business social networking isn’t to pleasure yourself, it is to make more money and grow your business.

6 quick tips:

1. Posts and status updates must provide a pleasurable experience of some kind for the audience whether educational, inspirational, or entertaining. “I just had the best cup of coffee ever!” does not cut it!

2. Learn how to optimize your profiles and websites with information your readers can relate to, that is useful, and has a call to action.

3. If you are getting a few hits to your website and either aren’t tracking things accurately or are just not converting anyone this is NOT the time to invest in SEO to get more traffic. Sharpen up the site, do some testing, make some sales, then work on getting more people to the site.

4. Spend your time wisely online. Set up your action plan and stick to it. You are running a business it is time to treat it like one.

5. Don’t post the same thing 15 times 15 different ways throughout the day. If people didn’t take advantage of your first crappy offer posting the same offer phased differently every 15 minutes for the rest of the day isn’t going to be any more effective.

6. Be unique. Just because you jumped on the bandwagon doesn’t mean you can’t throw some fuzzy dice on the rear view to make yourself a more noticeable. Do your best NOT to be like everyone else. Those who stand out make the most money.

Thanks so much for reading! Stay tuned as we are going to be getting into some of the “how to” behind the strategy and highlight some great case studies over the next few weeks.

Please share with our fellow readers the best internet marketing tip you have ever received, and how it helped you grow, monetize, or benefit your business.

Have an awesome day!

Professional Networking: Are you a Professional Meeting Attender?

Business Social Networking 14 Responses »

Dec 072011

There is without a doubt a surplus of professional business networking events to attend as well as an increasing number of trainings to help business owners with social networking going on across the country. But, take a moment to think about your actions… Have you become a professional meeting attender??

(Yes, I am aware attender is not a real word, but attending meetings for a living isn’t a real business.)

After hosting networking events and trainings for the last 5 years it is both exciting and frustrating to see the waves of people come in and out. Everyone is “trying” to grow their business, they go out and attend everything imaginable, which is the exciting part. However, it seems like a crazy high percentage of people never implement anything at all!

Whether you are at a professional networking event or are starting to take part in social networking for business purposes the philosophy behind your objective is universal; connect with and help as many people as possible and then you will make more money. This is not rocket science.

Surely those of you who have been to a live professional networking event have encountered those obnoxious people who walk in with a stack of business cards and their only objective is to get rid of all of them, because “that’s marketing.” Is this really so different than logging onto Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or any of the other hundred social networks you are trying to use for your business and seeing the guy who thinks posting, “Hey, this is what I do! Check me out and let me know if I can help you.”

How self centered are we to think that anyone cares about who we are or what we do?

Whether live or online the interaction that will turn into a potential business relationship looks like this:

Introduction (Meeting and learning about one another, no pitching or looking at people like they have dollar signs shooting out of their head.)
Identifying ways to help your new friend accomplish something in order to get them closer to a goal that they have. (Helping other people may very well help us advance our business as well… WOW, who’d a thunk it?!?)
Then it is really all about staying on each others radar. Having a meeting every now and then, communicating online, checking in to see how everything is going. (You know, developing a friendship)

(Yes, I am also aware I am being very condescending. My objective is to show you how simple the process can be if you allow it, and also to save you hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars “trying” to figure it out.)

These 3 basic principals work, and they work at live professional networking events or online when messing with your businesses social networking.

How much time should you spend networking online and in person? Well that really depends on just how friendly and resourceful you really are.

Meetings, trainings, and events are great, but when do you get to the point where you stop “trying” and start “DOING!”

I wish for you the greatest amount of success with both your professional networking efforts and in your business social networking.

Have an awesome day!

Get the “T” Factor and Have Visitors Saying “I’ll be back!”

Business Networking 47 Responses »

Nov 042010

“T” factor? Who do I Terminate? My business’s social networking plan doesn’t address this!

Think for a moment why people would come back to your site. Needless to say great content is a must, but are you creating a personal experience?

The “T” factor helps you terminate your competition and portrays you as a more approachable resource. What I am referring to is Transparency.

Transparency in your online and offline business networking efforts is what humanizes your audience’s perception of you. All of these “new” ways of marketing seem to have people thinking that; 1. They really are new ideas, and 2. The more money they throw at it the more ROI they will make.

Let’s clarify this and give you some strategies to implement that will help you become more valuable and expand your viral growth.

None of these new age techniques are new. The internet is a new player, but the game is still the same. I just started watching the show “Mad Men,” it is about the early stages of advertising companies in the 60’s. Very cool show, but their objectives are the same as today’s advertisers.

Get your audience talking and raving about you!

Word-of-mouth is and always has been the strongest form of advertising known to man. How does this relate to being transparent? Well, would you be more likely to refer someone to contact, website, or business that has a persona of being stuffy, serious, always business, and almost seems scripted in conversations?

Probably not.

You would however, refer someone with personality, friendliness, and an openness to help? In a heartbeat!

Even the standard term “business networking” has evolved into “business social networking,” or “social business networking.” Social is the key word.

How are you incentivizing and socializing with your audience to make them raving fans? Spending more money on banner ads and commercials will continue to show a smaller and smaller ROI. Investing in customer communication and customer gratitude will exponentially increase your earnings.

Top secret tip of the day:

Ok, I just implemented this and it has already shown to be an easy, and awesome way to grow a group or fan page virally. It starts on your website.

1. You have your opt-in box giving something of value on your website. (If you have one and nobody is taking advantage of your offer… Change it!)

2. The next page, for me, is an email confirmation page.

3. Once email is confirmed you are sent to a “Welcome and Thank You” page that has a contest with instructions that most people will take advantage of.

My page looks like this:

Welcome and Thank You for subscribing to BNL’s email list!

Every month we are giving away a $25 Visa Gift card!

Please see details or watch short video tutorial below

To get involved all you need to do is:

Become a fan of BNL on Facebook
Tag BNL in a post sharing this link http://businessnetworkinglife.com (To “tag” someone put the @ directly before typing someone’s name)

If you need a little visual watch the video.

When completed your post should look something like this:

Now I have captured somebody’s email with an offer of value, and made a secondary value offer for a chance at $25 to share something they have already seen value in. Even if you have 1-3 people a day doing this is it worth $25 a month for 30+ people talking about why everyone should check your site out?

Business social networking will continue to evolve and it is imperative for you to share your personality and humbleness to your audience while providing incredible value.

Let us know one super awesome strategy that has helped you in your business.