The Progressive Company’s Outlook on Social Media: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em

Like death and taxes, social media are a sure thing and are here to stay.  Corporations are beginning more and more to come to this realization.  It’s been policy for many companies to block social networking sites to prevent their employees from spending company time on Facebook, Twitter and the like, but it’s coming to light that blocking social media sites is nothing more than an exercise in futility.  With all the tech gadgets now at our disposal, one doesn’t need to be on their company’s computer to access their social networking sites while at work.  One need only own a smartphone or tablet in order to bypass their company’s computer security.   And, nowadays, who doesn’t own one of those??              

So, the progressive company is adopting the attitude that ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’.  Some corporations are in fact beginning to recognize the advantages to their employees being able to share and promote, via social media, company news and updates.  Just think of the reach potential of a large corporation of over 100,000 employees harnessing the power of social media to promote that corporation! 

It’s in fact coming to the point where some companies are considering implementing social media literacy and security training to ensure that employees (since they’re going to be on social media anyways) are using social media ethically and advantageously.  Not a bad idea, all things considered. And, why not take it a step further and offer employees training on how to correctly use social media sites to enhance business practices and upgrade contact / client management skills. 

There’s no doubt about the impact that social media now has on the business world – in fact, most would argue that it’s nearly impossible to stay competitive without having your business connected on social media.  So, why not jump on the bandwagon and use social media and, yes, even your employees and their sites, to your advantage!

For more information on social media and how it can be used to the benefit of any business, why not join one of our Social Media for Business workshops?  For a schedule and a listing of convenient course locations, please visit http://escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20.

Your Target Audience: How to Find It on Social Media

Establishing and expanding your target audience is one of the most complex challenges you will encounter in growing your business and developing your brand.  Social media, with its mind-boggling broad-reach potential, is one of the best ways to achieve your goals.  Your objective, however, is not explicitly to reach as many people as you can, but, more specifically, to reach as many people as you can that are going to be fully interested in engaging with your business.  And, this is where the challenge lies – in determining who, or more to the point, where these people are. 

Do Your Research – Thoroughly

Although social media can make your life a lot easier (especially in terms of reaching people via a social media marketing campaign versus reaching people via traditional advertising methods), you definitely need to do your homework.  Knowledge is power and the more you know about your brand’s position within the social media cosmos, the easier it will be for you to find your audience. 

Conduct Advanced Searches

There are numerous social media sites of which you can make use to find out exactly who is buzzing about your brand and what, precisely, the buzz is.  Twitter and Facebook both offer inclusive search functionalities.  Google Blog Search is another appropriate choice.  It’s important to remember when conducting your research, to not just look for your own company, but also search out your competition – both direct and indirect. 

Using Lots of Keywords is Key

Search out industry-specific keywords.  Twitter further provides an advanced search feature that allows you to source out users based on keywords & phrases.  Think words that will generate the best matches in terms of your products and services, as well as competitive keywords. 

Make Use of Groups & Lists

The fundamentals of social media rely on the fact that we, as humans, are just that:  social beings that love to connect and need to feel like we’re a part of something.  The “sense of community” aspect is a central characteristic of each social network. 

Twitter thrives on lists and there are currently thousands of Facebook groups out there, not to mention the LinkedIn groups.  You can easily use keyword searches to access Twitter lists and Facebook & LinkedIn groups to source out people who could potentially be interested in doing business with you. 

Remember, patience is a virtue.  A social media marketing campaign can be a very effective and viable way of turning your business into an exceedingly lucrative venture.  But, it won’t happen overnight.  You need to invest your precious time and some energy into putting it all together - and gaining access to your target audience puts you halfway there.  

5 Steps to a Fabulous Makeover ... for Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn, since its 2003 inception, has been growing by leaps and bounds to become the platform for business networking.   LinkedIn fact:  As of March 31, 2012, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with 161 million members in over 200 countries and territories.

Ignoring LinkedIn can be a marketing mistake, as LinkedIn has categorically become the number one connection-based referral source for business professionals.

 

So, why not give your LinkedIn profile a much-deserved makeover to maximize its truly awesome potential!  Here’s what you can do:

     1. Ensure your profile includes an up-to-date photo of you in professional attire and fully coiffed, so that the image makes a stunning, professional first impression.  It’s actually worthwhile to invest in a professional portrait. This is definitely the time and place to put your best face forward.       

      2.  A vanity URL is always a good idea for your LinkedIn account – it sets you apart, is unique to you and if catchy enough, will be remembered readily by those who check your profile. It’s simple to change your URL.  Just click on the Edit Public Profile settings at right, or simply edit next to the Public Profile in the blue profile box.


     3. It’s imperative that your profile’s searchability be at its maximum potential.  Your profile should be searchable on all search engines as well as on LinkedIn.  A LinkedIn profile commonly ranks among the top five when a search is conducted on someone’s name.  To ensure that your profile is public and to have it indexed, simply click on Settings, Public Profile and then select Full View Recommended.  You can choose which items are viewable by others from the menu list.

      4. Be sure to keep current with respect to your profile and status updates and make certain that any new posts or changes are sent to all of your connections. 


     5. Your summary is one of the most key elements of your LinkedIn profile.  It’s important that it be well put together, succinct and that in its brevity, it does you justice.  Ensure that it captures the essence of the ‘business you’ and that it specifically lets connections know exactly what it is that you can do for them.  The idea here is to make people want to engage with you. Think personal branding – but remember, keep it brief!

With over 100 million people connected on LinkedIn worldwide, it really is worth it to maximize your own profile to its full potential.   Learn how to take complete advantage of everything LinkedIn and its unique features have to offer.  Join our full-day, hands-on Social Media for Business workshops. 

Simply click here   http://escomputertraining.com/socialmedia   for a schedule of workshops in your area and we’ll be happy to help you get “LinkedIn”!

HOW SOCIAL PROOF DRIVES SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Social Proof is perhaps the most fundamental aspect of any social media marketing campaign.  What is social proof, you ask?  A term coined by social psychologist, Robert Cialdini (in his work, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion), social proof stems from the psychology of compliance.  Essentially, people tend to do what they see other people doing.  It’s basically the concept that, ‘If everyone else is doing it, then I should be doing it, too.’  It’s all about conformity.  If you’re walking down the street and come upon a crowd of people looking up at the sky, your automatic reaction will be to look up at the sky as well.  

Cialdini delves into what “psychological principles influence the tendency to comply with a request”.  He terms these principles “weapons of influence”.  Social proof is a weapon of influence.  And, this is where “compliance professionals” come into play.  Compliance professionals are “those whose business it is to persuade us”.                                      

                                                                                     Can it not be said, therefore, that you, as a business professional, using social media as a means of marketing your brand, are, in effect, a compliance professional?  Your main objective is to influence people to use your services – you want to promote your brand – get it out there so as many people as possible are aware of what you can do for them.  You use social media as a means of doing so, and social media relies upon social proof as its very foundation.

How important, then, do you think it is to be as interactive with others as possible on each of your social networking platforms?  If the key is to drive as much attention as you can to your Facebook page, your Twitter account, your LinkedIn profile and your Blog, then it’s essential that you focus on the ways that each of these sites allows you to amp up the social proof factor.

Case in point: Facebook.  If you don’t already have one, it’s high time that you create a Facebook Fan page for your real estate business.  Facebook makes it very easy for you to use your Fan page as social proof through the use of widgets.  Facebook provides you with numerous social widgets that you can install right on your website, and these widgets can be very useful in terms of letting you know, for example, how many people “Like” your site, or how many people have shared your content on Facebook recently.  And, it gets better!  Facebook ingeniously tailors the widgets specifically to the people who are visiting your web page.  Bottom line:  the social proof that the widgets provide makes it much more likely that people will stay on the site longer or perhaps even subscribe to and/or “Like” it.

Twitter can also be used in terms of social proof.  It has the capability to display follower counts & activity feeds, as well as the number of times content is retweeted.

       

With respect to your blog posts, ensure that you include a comments section so that anyone who wants to, can post.  The more comments your blog posts garner, the more influential you become – you become an expert in your industry and before you know it, everyone is looking to your blogs for advice – they develop a sense of trust in you.  Setting up a comments section on Blogger is easy – simply click on the “Comments” tab, then select “Show” and click “Save Settings”.  When the comments are enabled, more settings will appear:  Who can comment – “Only Registered Users”; “Anyone” or “Only Members of this Blog” – the choice is yours, however, bear in mind that you want as much traffic as possible here.  Choose all of your settings accordingly.

On your LinkedIn profile, you can easily add a Polls application so that you simply ask a question and LinkedIn will distribute it to your connections and virtually millions of other professionals who are on LinkedIn.  And, you can even share your Poll via the Facebook and Twitter integrations, or even embed the voting module on your website or blog.

Remember, social proof is imperative to any social media marketing campaign.  As Copyblogger’s Brian Clark puts it:   “… given the way social proof drives social media, the way you frame your initial message is critical. You want the momentum of social proof aligned with where you want to go, not with where things are.” 

SHOPPING FOR A MORTGAGE? WHY USING A BROKER IS BETTER THAN GOING TO A BANK

A lot of people don’t know the difference between going to their local bank branch and hiring a broker when in the market for a mortgage.  As a mortgage professional, you want people to know the difference and why it is truly in their best interests to hire you as opposed to simply going directly to any old bank!  Here is a blog that you can share with your clients on the advantages of hiring a broker and just what it is that your services offer…

So, you’re in the market for a mortgage?  One way to do it is to go directly to the bank at which your everyday accounts are held – that does make things simple, right?  Well, maybe, but it really is in your best interest to contact a mortgage broker because chances are, he or she will be able to get you a better rate.  How? A mortgage broker does all the leg work for you.  Your broker will shop around to ensure that you get the lowest rate and the best deal possible.  A skilled broker will take the time and work to understand all of your requirements and objectives.  Brokers have access to a plethora of lenders that you otherwise would not come into contact with (on your own).  It’s even possible for a broker to present you with loan offers that come from banks and/or other lenders that exist outside of your locale.   

 Brokers can save people hours and hours of precious time, as they work independently and not for any one bank or financial institution.  Brokers are not themselves lenders.  They work for their clients – you and me!  And, it’s in their best interests as well as yours, to get you approved for the best rate and best terms possible.  Brokers represent you and make their money only when a loan closes.  Therefore, your best interests are theirs. 

Not only can a broker find you the best rate possible, but he or she is also able to get you deals on other associated costs that you would not otherwise be privy to and would therefore never have a shot of getting!  A broker is a master negotiator!

One more advantage is that a broker is often able to arrange a variety of different payment options for you, while a bank can only offer the specific payment method(s) that they use.  Furthermore, should you need to refinance you mortgage loan at a later time, your broker is able to offer service here too.  A broker can arrange to refinance with a different bank or financial institution from the original one, if it is in your best interest.  Once again, your broker is able to get you the best rate and terms for refinancing.

Using a mortgage broker for one of the biggest purchases of your life is really win-win.  If you opt not to, you could be setting yourself up to not only lose hard-earned money unnecessarily, but you might not be getting the best deal, not to mention all the perks that you possibly can.  And, why would you do that to yourself??

A Comment on Modern Day Decorum Do’s & Don’ts

I realize that this is a little off the beaten track, but after reading Melissa Leong’s article, You’re Doing It Wrong, in the April 18 edition of the National Post, I thought it might be fun to change it up a little and offer some commentary on its engaging content. 

It seems that with life and technology moving these days at the speed of light, there really isn’t much time for the consideration of decorum.  But, manners and proper etiquette are things that help move us along in our daily lives as well, and should never be taken for granted or lost in the shuffle.  Even the little things like please’s and thank-you’s can make a difference.  Ms. Leong’s article goes further and cites a list of suggestions that we should all stop doing and start doing, as put forth by author & humorist, Henry Alford. 

Among the “Stop Doing This” list, Mr. Alford proposes that we think twice before using the expression, “No problem.”  He contends that it has become a phrase that is not only overused, but grossly inappropriate.  Unless an actual problem is implied or impending, responding with “No problem” to the average statement really is not the way to go.  True, but in my humble opinion, not the biggest deal in the world. 

It gets better, though!  Another of his examples of things we should all stop doing is taking cell phone calls at inopportune moments, unless the sky is falling.  This one, I wholeheartedly agree with!  It never ceases to amaze me how rude people can be when it comes to their cell phones.  As Mr. Alford points out – if you answer your cell while we’re in the middle of a conversation (unless it’s an emergency), you’re essentially letting me know that I and what I have to say really don’t matter at all.  And, don’t even get me started on texting – especially when walking – or even worse, driving.  A woman actually plowed right into me the other day at a mall, so engrossed was she in the earth-shattering text conversation that was taking place.  To add insult to injury, she did not even offer an apology.  She in fact barely even glanced up. And, don’t you just love the guy that answers his phone in a crowded public space and proceeds to talk at the top of his lungs because his conversation is just so important that we all have to be privy to it??  Ever wonder what we did before the advent of the cell phone?

Mr. Alford also cites a less talked about pet peeve, but one that does resonate.  You know when your best friend is complaining to you about her husband and his lack of respect or consideration for her?  Well, hard as it might be, try to refrain from trashing the guy along with her.  Why?  Because right now, she’s pissed at him and her anger is talking.  In a day or two, she’ll be in love again, but if you’ve verbally annihilated him in your last conversation with her, things could get dicey!  So, the point is:  Try to refrain from making nasty comments about others, especially in a situation like that!

And, now for the “Start Doing This” stuff.   The first example of this that Mr. Alford cites is the pre-emptive strike.  His point here is that “…sometimes bad manners beget good manners.”  For example, Mr. Alford writes that his mother, who is hard of hearing, will, at a dinner, share this fact with the people on either side of her so that she doesn’t appear rude if should she not catch everything being said.  Good idea.  I do something similar at home with my family.  If I’m in a particularly down or bad mood, I’ll let them know, so that if I happen to be a little bit short or impatient, they’ll understand why, rather than just think that I’m being ill-mannered.

Then, there’s the obvious stuff.  It’s only proper to stand to the right of an escalator if you’re going to stand still.  Or, if you’re driving slowly in the fast lane and someone comes up behind you, for goodness sake – move over into the slower moving lane so they can get by you!!! It only stands to reason, right?  But, how many people don’t do things like this?  And, how frustrating is it for everyone else? 

The real point is, we all have to co-exist.  Doesn’t it make your day when people are kind to you and considerate?  If we all treated each other with respect and a sense of decorum, what a wonderful world this would be!

FACEBOOK VALUED AT IN EXCESS OF 100 BILLION DOLLARS

“Facebook was just valued at $103 billion in a final private-market trade before the IPO.”

     – businessinsider.com - March 31, 2012

Wow!  I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg had even the faintest idea in October of 2003, when he first wrote Facemash (the predecessor to Facebook) that the little site he was to develop would take the world by storm to become the most prevalent social networking platform on the planet.  Anyone who has seen David Fincher’s brilliant film, The Social Network, can tell you that Facemash was first implemented as a means of comparing photographs of Harvard students to one another to discover who was the “hotter” of the two people in the compared photos.  A little crude?  Yes.  Kind of mean?  Definitely.  Facemash, however, according to Wikipedia, garnered 450 visitors and 22,000 photo views within its first few hours online.  And, once Zuckerberg wrote the code for Facebook in 2004, well… the rest, as they say, is history.                

Facebook today, is a medium that few people do without.  And, from a business standpoint, as any forward-thinking professional can attest to, Facebook is the vehicle to employ.  I’ve heard it said that if you’re not connected on social media these days, you simply don’t exist.  It’s an attitude worth considering in terms of your business, especially given the fact that Facebook will soon be able to pride itself on garnering over 1 billion users across the globe!

If you’d like some help getting started on Facebook as well as the other most prominent social networking sites, we’d love to see you at one of our Social Networking for Business workshops.  We’ll help you to create and/or optimize your social media accounts to best complement and advance your business.  For a schedule of workshops in your area, please click here: http://www.escomputertraining.com/courses/details/industry/2/course/20