| Shame on the Dutch for attempting to make up for a | | | | for a competition to get 85% sales increase. Sole |
| talent deficit by cheating, bullying, even assaulting, their | | | | trader examples include a £150,000 business |
| more talented Spanish opponents. Whilst they killed the | | | | generated in 2 years using only social media to create |
| spectacle of the final and almost snuffed out World | | | | demand, an online business that grew from 0 - 60,000 |
| Cup fever, as hosts South Africans were the real | | | | customers in six weeks, a small legal firm gained a |
| winners. Now everyone understands football and that | | | | 2700% increase in website traffic in just 1 year, a |
| it takes a full squad of talent acting as a team to win. | | | | dating agency generated £3.5 million of fees in six |
| In business small companies differ from larger ones by | | | | months. |
| not having a complete squad. Often only a goal scorer | | | | I conclude that when applied intelligently social network |
| and a goal keeper. | | | | marketing delivers extraordinary moneymaking results. |
| Out of position strikers, AKA small business owners, | | | | So just what are the key points to success? The |
| try things they barely understand and if they do not | | | | most important understanding is to know that there are |
| work in an unfair trail assume they cannot work and | | | | two types of social network activities, those that make |
| abandon them. This applies particularly to most forms | | | | friends, and, those that make money. |
| of marketing. Social network marketing is a case in | | | | Business is not about social trivia, people who impress |
| point. The logic goes, I tried it and it failed to deliver | | | | in business are not necessarily the life and soul of |
| therefore it does not work. Excuse me, if an untrained | | | | parties. It is the same on the social networks. It is vital |
| person from the street is given access to a jet fighter | | | | that you separate you social and business presence, |
| plane and the opportunity to fly it, are they likely to get | | | | and that you treat them very differently. |
| off the ground? No, so why should an untrained person | | | | On your business presence you need to present |
| attempting to use social network marketing either | | | | yourself in a way that builds trust and confidence by |
| untrained or via a novice expect to experience | | | | sharing knowledge being helpful and appreciated as |
| success? | | | | the best source of knowledge and advice in your field |
| This behaviour, which feels ok in business is like trying | | | | of expertise. Provide top quality information generate |
| to score from defence without your boots on. The | | | | tips and articles provide access to resources and give |
| fact is that social network marketing is, when applied | | | | problem solving advice. Business visitors really have no |
| properly, one of the easiest, lowest cost, and most | | | | interest in your social life, your kitten or your kids. By all |
| effective ways to get noticed to drive interested | | | | means show interest in the social lives of your visitors |
| people towards your business and convert them to | | | | but keep your own to yourself. |
| customers who really engage and bond with your | | | | You do not have to be boring or dull, do add a little |
| business. Bad social network marketing not only fails | | | | personality occasionally but focus on being an expert |
| but can cause damage, done well it is a money making | | | | and avoid trivia. Once social media marketers have |
| machine. | | | | understood the difference between 'business' and |
| Twitter use has exploded increasing tenfold in the past | | | | 'social' the next most important learning is to give |
| two years. Facebook has grown for 100 million active | | | | people what they want. They use the internet to |
| users in the middle of 2008 to 400 million active users | | | | research, understand and gain confidence before |
| early in 2010 already rising through 500 million uses. If | | | | making decisions. So you should provide advice be |
| Facebook were a nation it would be the third largest in | | | | reassuring and helpful. Avoid selling, offering and |
| the world. It has 1.6 million business pages that attract | | | | badgering, all of those things drive people away from |
| 5.3 billion fan visits. Online video use is exploding | | | | you unless they are ready, when they are ready they |
| YouTube viewing has grown from 1 billion to 2 billion | | | | will ask. |
| views per DAY in the last half year with the average | | | | Good social network marketers provide information to |
| daily viewing at 30 million hours. It is not a fad, is not | | | | sales messages in a balanced ratio of 50:1 betters |
| going away and has become an essential business | | | | ones have resisted and moved the ratio out to 100:1. |
| tool, those who fail at this might also find they fail at | | | | Deciding what to say takes just a little thought? The |
| business. | | | | best place to start is to understand who the audience |
| It is perhaps not surprising, but helpful none-the-less, | | | | is and what they will be interested to know. If you |
| Facebook and Twitter users actually spend more than | | | | focus your material you will generate a smaller |
| twice the average internet user online. Over 80% of | | | | audience likely to eventually buy from you rather than |
| social media users, that's 4 out of 5, have received | | | | a larger audience that will never buy. Just measuring |
| and acted on advice over which products to buy. | | | | visitor count is largely irrelevant, for success you want |
| Social media is more powerful than advertising in | | | | to provide that sequence of information that make |
| deciding what to buy because the message comes | | | | followers aware of you, grabs their interest, keeps you |
| from a trusted person. Far from not working, or not | | | | front of mind using additional interesting information and |
| appropriate for your business, it is possible to make a | | | | sets you apart as an expert. |
| lot of money from social network marketing. But, you | | | | The good news is that with only 15 minutes investment |
| do have to do it in the right way. A good question is, | | | | per day you can make £000's per hour. To be |
| how is it done? Because, many have failed and most | | | | efficient at social media marketing you should be both |
| of those concluded it to be a waste of time, however, | | | | focused and organised. I recommend prepare a |
| 35% of all businesses trying had some success | | | | worksheet, write down who you want to attract, what |
| attracting new business and 52% have made more | | | | they will want to know, your number 1 topic and a list |
| money than they invested with it. So 1 out of 2 | | | | of related topics. The list makes your posts easier to |
| businesses that have tried, regardless of their | | | | generate. Next, keep a score of your posts, each post |
| expertise, makes some money from social network | | | | on topic is a successful pass, each sales pitch |
| marketing. | | | | concedes the ball if you get 50 passes before you |
| Prominent success stories include Dell, who gained | | | | lose the ball you score a goal, if you get 100 passes |
| 6.5m customers using twitter, an Airline promotion that | | | | before you lose the ball you'll win the game. The |
| generated 5,000 bookings (and crashed their website | | | | Spanish discovered that it takes a lot of passes and 7 |
| with demand) 85% of which came from facebook & | | | | games to win the World Cup. Congratulations, well |
| twitter, HP who revitalised failed launch using blogging | | | | deserved. |