3 Steps to Business Blogging Success on the Internet

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Trying to attract sales on the Internet? Business blogging and social media is an effective way to make it happen. Step one is to know how to use it.  Simplicity is the key at first. There are 3 steps to effective Business blogging and social media.

Connect. Converse. Share. 

Connect

The first step with any social media strategy is going to be collecting and connecting. You want to start by attracting prospects, potential customers and contacts and essentially building that base. This one is pretty obvious. You can’t converse or share unless you have someone to converse and share with.

Here’s an example: I run a business and I have a lot of connections. Over the last 15 years, I’ve built up even more online. About a year ago, I connected with a fellow named Doug. I didn’t know him, he just found me on Twitter and started following me. I thought, “okay, Hi Doug,” followed him back and left it at that. We connected.

Converse

The second part is conversing and this is really going to depend on the medium. The tone of conversation on LinkedIn, for example, is drastically different than the tone on Twitter.

So, find a way to talk to this audience that’s both appropriate and engaging. And remember, the verb here is “converse,” not “speak.” Social media is a two-way street.

And what about Doug? Well, a week later, Doug replied to one of my posts with a great question. I retweeted it, responded and we started talking. It turns out that Doug’s a pretty cool guy. And so, we conversed.

Share

Doug was asking about blogging for business, so I referred him to an article on my blog. What do you know? I have some expertise to share.

Let’s say you’re a musician. What should you be doing with social media? Sharing your music. Now, let’s say you’re an accountant, what should you be doing? Sharing your accounting expertise. The point being, you don’t have to be a rock star to share your talents. If you have experience in a field, then start blogging about it and start sharing it. (As an added bonus, the more you share, the more you’ll learn, and the more of an expert you’ll become.)

Sharing is really linked into conversing and it’s also a great way to reach out and attract more connections. Why? Because those connections want your expertise or talent. In the end, this creates a nice feedback loop.

Today, Doug’s both a friend and a client. Not everyone you connect with, converse with or share with is going to become a customer, obviously. But Doug is one of several clients who “found” me this way. So, yes, lead generation and sales can be done online, but you need a strategy

And it doesn’t get much simpler than: Connect. Converse. Share.

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into business blogging, social media and search engine optimization.

Are blog services overrating Twitter

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Twitter has become an important part of any blog services strategy. If you you are using a blog writing service, are they helping you grow and build your Twitter following?

Twitter isn’t in the Oxford English Dictionary yet, but more than 175 million people have added it to their vocabularies and use its 140 character posts to answer the question “What are you doing?”

Inventing new words may be part of the game with Twitter, as people have adopted a whole new language. Twitter people are Tweeple. A Twitter meetup is a Tweetup. And on and on.

InTwigued? To put Twitter’s 4 million users in perspective, when Facebook was getting similar attention, its ranks numbered 24 million. So is Twitter overrated or as valuable as its fans claim? And will it be around long enough to make it worth our time?

Time is one feature that Twitter boasts. It offers users real time connection, an instant, short glimpse into all the moments between emails and blog posts. Friends could find these momentary updates useful when we’re looking to join the party or running late for lunch, and businesses are beginning to employ Twitter marketing to announce short-term specials, like the deal of the day. Twitter even scooped more traditional media with first news and instant updates of recent earthquakes,rocket attacks, and plane crashes. We all hope catastrophes are few are far between. So do the many people or businesses who have news that’s noteworthy enough to fill the moments between blog posts and e-blasts.

For many, Twitter is truly like a micro-blog, like using only the status section of Facebook. Fans say this feature inspires conversation and connections. It can also provide the curious spark that drives “followers” to blog posts, Facebook pages, and more in-depth web presences. When Barack Obama used Twitter during his presidential campaign, some argued that his tweets got followers to visit more than just web sites. Either way, the voters visited the polls.

And while Twitter users may number just a fraction of other online social networks’ crowds, Facebook did float a $500 million stock offer to bring Twitter into its realm. That’s 500 million reasons that Facebook thinks Twitter will stay and grow.

Several Twitterers we know admit to feeling like they were in their own foggy Twitter bubble (Twubble?) when they first joined the network. John H. suggested new users should be warned with a disclaimer, something like, “Warning: During your first 30 days of using Twitter, you will have no idea what the heck is going on. Only after 30 days will you begin to understand its value.”

Several other users confessed to giving up within those first 30 days after tiring of the useless updates and the time wasted. It seems most of us are Twittering and following tweets to be part of the experiment, to learn to tailor the Twitterers we follow to accomplish our own information goals and to enjoy the simplicity of short, quick updates.

So is Twitter overrated? Our opinion is no, it’s got nowhere to go but up. But maybe you think differently. Is Twitter is an endangered species under the pressure of larger social networks? Leave your comments (even with more than 140 characters).

It matters what you say in business blogging and social media

Business blogging and social media are becoming an important part of marketing today. Blog writing services can help you navigate the dangerous waters of trouble with experience in online communication that helps your brand. Sometimes people make mistakes in social media and get in trouble for it.

It’s interesting how many people think that what they say in the big conversation either is or should be exempt from consideration when big decisions are being made – like the decision to hire you or contract your firm. Setting aside politics for a moment, simple emotional outbursts like this have great impact:

Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.

To see what happened to this poor twitterer, there’s more to the story here:How to Tweet Your Way Out of a Job « I’m Not Actually a Geek

Or take what happened to this poor FedEx employee from Ketchum who decided to trash Memphis on Twitter when he got to town. This poor guy got crucified and he didn’t even say the word Memphis:

True confession but I’m in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say “I would die if I had to live here!”

The result was everyone in this poor guy’s chain of command was told about the incident and how little they appreciated it. (there’s so much more to the story – Be Careful What You Post)

So, if people are that fickle about fairly harmless statements, what happens when you say something a little more emotionally charged?  Ask this 19-year-old resident of Athens Tennessee who found himself charged with inciting to riot for an emotional outburst on MySpace (Top Stories: MySpace.Com Death Threats – www.newschannel9.com).

The moral of the story is that you have to remember that no matter if it’s Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or a local Ning group that what you say is recorded forever and very public. That freedom of speech thing does not protect others from using what you say to make decisions, especially the ones that affect you personally the most.

 

Sexy social media - how is it done?

A Social Media Expert can be sexy?

Blow out the candle and turn off the Marvin Gaye. We’re not talking about that kind of sexy profile. Social media campaigns have gone far beyond e-dating. Now we’re e-networking: fishing (and casting) for jobs, getting (free) expert advice, and keeping track of who knows who we know (you know?). We’re all within six degrees of separation. These days, it’s more like six buddy lists. Business blogging can play an important part in your e-networking.

To make the most of this wide-spread web and the social network profiles that bind us, we have to represent our genuine selves attractively. The challenge is putting our best e-foot forward within the limitations of a social media profile with a tiny thumbnail of a profile pic.

First, take advantage of the old adage that a picture’s worth a thousand words. Company presidents, executives, and managers agree that profiles that include a picture lend more credibility to any words on the page. Yes, it’s tempting to use that hilarious lamp-shade-on-the-head photo from the last office party or maybe even Fido’s most adorable pose, but keep in mind that we’re looking to make a connection for ourselves, not our pet or our party skills. The folks who wield paychecks, contracts, and years of experience say a flattering head shot in a professional setting is more attractive than swiping a pic of our favorite celebrity.

Next, use your words. The completeness of a profile also gets the attention of big fish in this web pond. Fill in as many profile blanks as you can and keep the information accurate with regular updates. If you’re on multiple social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, Facebook, etc.), make sure all your stats jive so that potential connections won’t get conflicting messages about your experience.

And remember, get creative but don’t brag. Social media profiles shouldn’t be e-resumes. Make your profile as interesting and dynamic as you are, but don’t oversell your talents. No one wants to sit next the guy who can’t stop talking about himself, and it’s just as much a turn off to visit a profile page that screams “It’s all about me, wonderful ME!” Let your personality shine through—maybe with a quote or tagline about an experience in your life—and think about representing more than just your professional career.

Social media networks are a relatively new aspect of how we communicate. But their influence is growing, and businesses are becoming more aware of the benefits social network profiles can bring. Posting our most compelling profiles now and developing them as these social media outlets grow is sure to keep our message the most attractive news we’ve heard on the grapevine. (And…cue the Marvin Gaye once more.)

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into business blogging, social media and search engine optimization.

Why are joining a social media network?

Is your social media expert helping you identify which networks to join?

Understanding the audience you are trying to reach is half the battle in social media marketing. If you are trying to reach soccer fans, chances are you are not going find many in the baseball forum. For that matter, if you want to discuss how great Ayn Rand is, you will not make much headway with readers of Micheal Moore.

There are three major types of social networks - business, personal and communication. Notice I didn't say "marketing?" Some may combine aspects of all three (Twitter) while others are more singular (LinkedIn).

And even though you may call yourself a social media marketing guru, that doesn't mean you can "market" your way across all three types in the same way. In fact, every network has a point or a purpose and if you're missing it, then you're missing out.

Business

Social networks that focus on business are your LinkedIn's, your Biznik's and all of those local listservs and forums that people participate in as part of their online business networking.

The purpose here is to do business, not to share pictures of your kitten or that fantastic dancing robot video you found on YouTube. It's also not the place for relentless marketing. In other words, don't spam people.

Personal

I would describe Facebook as an example of a personal network. Some people may use it for business networking, but that's not the point of it or the purpose.

Instead, it's private and most people create Facebook accounts as individuals, not businesses. Basically, it's your space to be yourself, talk to your friends and family and share those kitten photos. If you're using Facebook to bombard your "friends" with product announcements and sales pushes, you're going to find yourself very friendless, very fast.

Communication

This is where it's all about sharing what you know and your take on what you know and what other people you know know (have I lost you yet?). By definition, Twitter would fall into this category though the micro-blogging platform has evolved to embrace aspects of all three. Blogging would be another example.

Remember, the onus here is on the communication. So, if you don't have anything valuable to share or you waste your audience's screen time with pitches and spam, you'll lose them quickly. Go ahead, make a post about your new product, but also share that interesting industry-specific article you read last week.

Social networks weren’t designed for marketing. They were designed for networking and each designed for a specific type of networking. Approaching all of them with the same marketing strategy is like trying to build a house with a Leatherman – sure, all of the tools are there, but that doesn’t mean it can be done.

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into business blogging, social media and search engine optimization.

Stay on topic in your business blog

You have your business blog and are writing - STAY ON TOPIC!

If you are trying to attract new customers or position yourself as a thought leader in your industry, business blogging is about staying focused. Remember, web users are a selfish lot. They want content that is relevant to them. So, keep your business blogging on topic to stay focused.
I read a lot of small business blogs (and big business blogs) and one of the things I've been noticing recently is a massive influx of businesses getting online, starting to blog, and then failing to stay on topic. I think it boils down to people simply not understanding why they're blogging and what these blogs are actually supposed to do.
You'll see business blogs with personal posts covering everything from family finances to the game last Sunday. The thing is, if you're blogging on your business's website, it's critical that what you're telling the world (because you are telling it to the world) is in line with what your company does and the image you're trying to project.
The Conversation Should be With Your Market, Not Your Grandma
Why are you blogging? To engage your customers and attract new ones to your business. By that logic, you should be talking about your business, not your favorite Turducken recipe.
Of course, strip a blog of all its character and personality and you're left with a site drier than a saltine cracker.
The Golden Ratio
If you want to go off-topic, keep those personal posts to about 15-25% or no more than one in five posts. Oh, and make sure you try to keep those off topic, personal posts on topic.
In other words, you can talk about personal topics, but can you bring it back around to your business? Could an afternoon spent opening a first bank account for your daughter be parleyed into a personal, yet apt post for an accounting firm? Could the basketball game last night be turned into a sports analogy for your consulting strategy? Or could that Turducken become a metaphor for sales ladders? You get where I'm going with this.
Style vs Substance
There's one last catch, just because that other 75-85% of your posts need to be about your business, that doesn't mean they should be void of personality. It's OK to put a personal story in context if you can stay on topic and still have a sense of humor, yes, even if you're talking about carpet cleaning.
Write in the first person, keep it friendly, stay casual and you'll end up with posts that are professional, on-topic and still engaging.

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into business blogging, social media and search engine optimization.

Business blogging and Twitter - content first

 Social media campaigns should have business blogging as the hub of their activity. Often, we talk to prospects starting a B2B Social Media or B2C Social Media campaign with no content. Why? They don't have to the time to do it. Hire a ghost blog writer! Simply put, it is hard to participate on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook with no content.

When I was in college, you could always tell the freshmen at a party because they'd be the ones hanging around the stairs talking about how cool the party was. Meanwhile, the upper-year students would be heading for the keg and, well, actually enjoying the party.

Twitter can be very similar. You've got a rush of new people hanging out, talking about how Twitter is such a great tool and sharing news stories on how many more millions have joined the feed. And then, over there in the back, there are a few people who are actually using it as a tool.

Unlike Diamonds, Twitter Isn't Forever
The thing is, Twitter won't be around forever. True, it may seem like everybody's on it and it's the place to be, but guess what? So was Friendster. Three years ago, Twitter didn't exist. Five years ago, Facebook was a burgeoning idea on a Harvard campus and six years ago, everybody had a MySpace. The point is, things move fast and tastes can change even faster.

Which is exactly why though Twitter can be a useful part of a comprehensive marketing plan, it's not the be all and end all.

So, What's Next?
If I knew, I'd be calling my broker. Seriously though, if you were to pin me to the mat, I'd have to say niche communities.

Sure there are big providers out there like Facebook and LinkedIn, but there are also a lot of smaller, more niche-focused social networks popping up. For example, Identi.ca, which is a Twitter clone. That particular community is made of predominantly open source software developers and fans and, as a result, has a distinctly technical feel to it along with a great tech sense of humor.

As messageboards and listservs grow up and enter the social realm, you'll see more niche-focused networks appearing. Then again, maybe not.

In the meantime, party with us on Twitter:

Paul Lorinczi
Erik Deckers

Paul is the President of Professional Blog Service. PBS works with clients making strategic investments into business blogging, social media and search engine optimization.