You’ve heard of time vampires right?

More than likely you are experiencing them every single day. As Social Media proliferates as a social marketing tool, I see more and more business owners getting frustrated.

Is this you?

Many business owners jump into the Social Media fray then stop their efforts because they aren’t seeing results. Worse yet, Social Media and Social Marketing become a “time vampire” for them. Sometimes taking time away from marketing efforts that were working well for them.

Here are a couple things you need to do now to prevent the social media time vampires from affecting you:

1) Your Objective - Before you start Tweeting and Blogging, start with an objective. What do you want your prospects to do? Are you trying to build your list? Or, are you trying to use a one step sales process and sell your prospect immediately. If it is the latter, I would suggest a two step process if you are moving them from Social Media to your website or blog. Bottom line, get clear on what you want to accomplish.

2) Work In Blocks – Carve time out each day and use automation tools like HootSuite.com and Word Press to create and pre-schedule content. Working in blocks of time with an objective will allow you to leverage your time and not get sucked into real time chats and the infamous Facebook wall. Focus on creating relevant content based on your objective, but have a purpose.

3) Be Consistent – Remember in any marketing effort, it is a marathon not a sprint. Don’t blog twice then quit. It will take a time to build a following, but you need to consistently take action and post relevant content and build a layer at a time. Speak to your prospects about solutions, and get them on your list to build more trust.

Go Target, Attack, and Profit!

Do you find yourself wading through useless tweets on a daily basis? Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge Social Media believer, but sometimes I think I think all we have done is given a bull horn to a bunch of folks who don’t understand the foundations of marketing. They are bypassing the fundamental’s of getting a prospect to “Know You”, and are thinking immediately of themselves and what THEY GET, not the value they are providing. As a small business owner, you can’t just go out there using these new Social Media tools yelling, “HEY I HAVE THE BEST WIDGET”.

Your prospects want to get to know you. After they know and like you, then you move to trusting you. At that point, you are safe to make an offer because you have some trust built up. Take an inventory, and understand what problem your prospect is trying to solve. Then, understand what information you can provide related to your product or service that adds VALUE to their day. Then TWEET about it…Pretty easy right?

I am wrapping up a book about one of the greatest Advertising copywriters of all time, Claude Hopkins. A quote in his book “My Life In Advertising” hit a chord…

People will do anything to cure a trouble. But they will do little to prevent it.

As part of your small business marketing and social media marketing system, add some value. Understand your prospects problems and you are sure to see solid leads start flowing into your small business no matter what tactic you decide to use.

Now…

Go Target, Attack, and Profit!

~Matt

As a small business owner, I’m sure you’ve heard the social media buzz. Is this the latest “shiny object”, or does social media really have legs for marketing your business? Over the next few days, I will be addressing social media as both a strategy and a tactic. In Duct Tape Marketing land, you will commonly hear us talking about “Strategy before Tactics”. With social media this couldn’t be more true. There are literally hundreds of platforms labeled “social media”. Selecting the right approach for your business is critical to your success…and your sanity!

I firmly believe that social media needs to be a core component of your 2010 marketing tool belt and overall Marketing strategy. Your business requires a marketing system, and as part of that a social media system that defines the daily, weekly, and monthly social media “tactics’ you implement to get suspects and prospects to “know, like, and trust” you.

Let’s start with the basics…

What exactly is Social Media? The most concise explanation I have seen comes from the Social Media Pro program created by John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing University.
The hierarchy outlines the key components of your Social Media system.

Let’s dive in…

Blogging is the foundation of your social media system and strategy. Writing, reading, and commenting on blogs is critical to a successful to a social media platform. The next step is to aggregate content using RSS technology to re-purpose and re-publish content that adds value to your prospects. Stepping up to the next layer in the pyramid, social search allows small businesses to manage their reputation online for local search with Yahoo and Google. Leveraging social search can get your business on the map when customers search for your products and services. The next layer is Social Bookmarking. Content is king on the Internet. By tagging relevant content you can open up new channels to your own content, as well become a subject matter expert in your field. Social networking is near the top of the hierarchy. Connecting to others on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn can help you build trust with prospects and customers. The transparency and ability to add personality to your product or service is a powerful tool in your marketing system. Don’t get overwhelmed right away. Get started and leverage one platform and start connecting with others. At the top of the pyramid we have micro blogging (Twitter and other services). This is probably one of the most complex tools, but also one of the most powerful as part of your social media tool belt.

Watch for upcoming articles and free webinars we will be offering on social media for small business.

Go Target, Attack, and Profit!

~Matt