Want A New Idea? Ask Your Social Media Lists

Ever want to get inside your clients heads and find out what they really want? Ever wonder what questions your prospects may have regarding your industry? There’s no better time than now to ask them.

Thanks to the Internet, there’s no more drafting a letter, creating a focus group, and waiting weeks or even months for a response. You simply build up your online lists and ask any time you choose.

Today I was reading an article in the NY Times, Apps That Don’t Exist But Should. With one simple question to people that follow him on Twitter, he began receiving a ton of ideas on iPhone app possibilities. Pretty cool if you were trying to think of new apps to create.

What else can you ask your Twitter, Facebook or even your own list built from your website/blog?

• What do you like about (your industry)?
• What is missing from (your industry)?
• What could make your product/service better?
• What name do you prefer for your new product/service?
• What key benefits make you buy a certain product/service?

While you don’t want to make every post you create a question, you can throw them in here and there, and get a ton of responses to help you focus what your are doing. Then take your idea to the next step, and ask another question. You’ll soon have the perfect product/service built and promoted in a way people love.

Location Based Marketing – Is It For You?

Location based marketing is meant to describe any type of marketing that takes place via a mobile device. It allows businesses and organizations to engage with their audience in an interactive manner through any mobile device or network, says the Mobile Marketing Association.

Location based marketing is the definite trend right now, and one that you’re seeing pop up in all kinds of applications: Foursquare, Looptstar and Gowalla. But will it work for your business? Can you have success with it today?

Just like other types of marketing, its harder than it looks. You can’t simply sign up, get thousands of followers overnight, and have your business double and triple with these new services. It takes thought, time and a lot of work to get this to work for you. Because its new and relatively unknown, you’re still stuck with the obligation of educating your customers on how to use the technology, as well as how to use it with you. And that can be difficult at best.

Ask yourself these questions before jumping into a location based marketing plan.

1. Who is my target audience? The younger crowd is easier to reach with the newest technology, and are more willing to play a location based game for prizes.

2. Are others in my community using location based marketing? Now is the time to join your local chamber, or set up a networking event just for local business owners. Is anyone else trying it? Would they be willing to try it together? You may have more success if a number of business owners in the area are promoting it.

3. Do you know your customers and do they check in with you? If you are on a one to one basis with your customers, and have regular repeat customers, they may be willing to check in with their mobile devices.

4. What would I be willing to offer? If you’re already doing a postcard campaign or incentive programs, what can you do in addition that will motivate people to use their mobile devices to check in?

5. How will this help grow your business? Put numbers down, time limits, and ways to grow within your community. If many of your potential customers have never heard of location based marketing, how are you going to reach them?

6. Is my staff willing to work with this as well? You can’t be in the store all the time. Will your staff by in to this type of marketing, and have fun with it as well? You don’t need to add another chore – this should be something they readily want to play with.

7. What will your time limits be? Every campaign has a time limit. Decide up front how you will build and what you will offer. You may even be able to show past events to get people excited about joining. It should always be about change, and getting them excited to visit and buy from you.

Why Should You Care About Social Media?

Is social media really here to stay? Is social media the way we’ll be marketing our small businesses now and well into the future?

I’m always watching for new videos on YouTube to bring home the reasons why you should have social media in your marketing plan, and this video says it all. Watch this two minute production, and take note.

I guarantee your competitor is.

The 7 Steps I’ll Be Using In 2010 For My Social Marketing Strategy

What’s your strategy for using the top social networking tools for 2010? Have you put your ideas down into an action-filled plan?

The problem with using social media in your marketing plans is the lack of a plan. Without a plan, you tend to not gain results because you don’t know what results to expect.

Instead of running without a plan, this year I’ve decided to implement 7 steps into my overall marketing plan, and use them as I would any other marketing tool.

1. Concentrate my efforts on select social tools. Instead of trying every new program that comes along, or focusing on a program when I feel like it or have the time, I’ve chosen my tools and implemented them into my daily routines. For me, this year I’ll be putting all of my efforts into Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – and of course my own blogging systems.

2. Learn what I don’t know. I’m using each of these tools effectively, and understand most of the principles behind them. But I can’t say I’ve earned one million dollars using any of these tools – yet! So I’m studying and learning from the best, trying to pick up secrets that can make what I do more effective.

3. Schedule time every day to work with each program. Instead of setting aside an hour for “socializing”, I’ve now created to-do lists with specific items for each system. From researching and using different Twitter applications, to buying a book on YouTube for businesses, I make sure I’m specific about my actions, and focus in on one step before applying it, and moving onto another.

4. Thinking about the future too. Even though I talk about focus, and working through each program step by step, I also know the future is changing technology – FAST. Have you ever thought about moving everything you do to a mobile platform? Or how will the new “iTablet” affect our businesses? The only thing for certain is things change, and you better be ready for them.

5. Being more specific towards my target audience. The best way to reach out with social is to be very specific about who you are reaching out to. While focus has become my motto this year, specific is right behind. I want my clients to be able to read everything I do and say – I get it, that’s me.

6. Backtrack. The problem with being a forerunner in technology is you sometimes have to take two steps back before you can move forward. Pages in Facebook are great – but what if you have a huge profile because that’s the way it worked a couple of years ago? How can you undo things now that you worked hard to create in the past? So that you can take a bigger leap forward in the very near future? I love whiteboards, and the ability to lay everything out in front of you to make sure you are heading in the right direction.

7. Seek advice. It’s amazing how much is out there to learn. And just when you learn more than you thought possible, a whole new level opens up to you. This year I’m looking for top mentors that can help me achieve the exact results I’m looking for. Mentors and coaches are the only way to move forward, yet you have to have the right one’s to do it with.

So that’s what I’ll be up to over the next 12 months. How about you?

3 Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back From Business Success

I recently met with a potential client that has seen his business shrink every month over the past year. He’s marketing in the same way he always has. And every time he contacts a potential customer through one of his old methods, he is finding they’ve been contacted by many of his competitors, or simply aren’t interested in what he has to offer anymore.

So I proceeded to spend an hour with him educating him on the benefits of using a strong online presence. We talked about social networking, blogging, and offering a free report for lead generation.

I told him this isn’t a “get rich quick” formula. It does take time to set up and get it into place. But if you plan on being in business five years from now, why wouldn’t you implement a new method that will help grow your business into the future?

He almost became a client on the spot – but he wanted to check in with his business partner first. His business partner had doubts, and they decided to put the whole thing on hold, and continue doing what they’ve always done.

I’ve seen this happen many times before. In fact I’ve gained many clients over the years who come back several months later because their business continues to decrease, and they finally reach the point where they have no choice – either shut it down or try something new.

When it comes to believing in building up your online presence, I’ve found there are 3 limiting beliefs that hold most people back from business success.

1. It’s just the economy, it will come back around.
Have you ever read the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” I love that parody. It spins a tale about two different types of mice: one who will stand by the old way no matter what, believing things will eventually return to normal; and one who understands things change, and sometimes you need to move on and look for other ways of doing things.

Sure the economy has completely changed things over the past couple of years. But its not just the economy. Its also about doing business differently. People simply don’t accept old ways of marketing. They have found ways of avoiding television and radio commercials with things like Satellite radio and Tivo. The more advertising surrounds us, the more we ignore it. Read more

Social Marketing: Where Do The Fundamentals Fit In?

Why are you using social media? What does social marketing mean to your business?

Along with new industry terms comes the misconception of what something can truly do for you.

Social marketing isn’t something new you can implement in your business. It’s not a way of jumping in ahead of your competitors, learning the secrets, and having instant success.

Instead, social marketing is simply a continuation of traditional marketing – with a twist.

Marketing: The Basics
People have basic questions when they are ready to invest their money into a product or service.

• Who are you?
• How can your company help me?
• How can your product/service help me?
• Are you the best choice for me?

The only thing that’s changed over the past 50 years is the way we go about finding out the answers. Take a look at this video:

So ask yourself a question.

Why am I using social marketing, and how will it help me build my business?

Every time you tweet, it should be helping you build a relationship. Every time you create a blog post, it should be helping you build your reputation. Every time you post on Facebook, it should be building up your list of qualified potential buyers.

If not, you’re simply wasting your time.