Biz Tips Blog: Online Marketing, Visibility and Business Blogging Tips

Social networking is a waste of time...

...so says my esteemed business partner, Patsi Krakoff. Looks like we're not quite on the same page with this one! She wrote about this in today's issue of Savvy eBiz Tips (she considers herself a curmudgeon and introvert). Even though we've had quite a bit of success using Facebook to attract new clients and build our mailing list, Patsi still is skeptical.  What can I do to change her mind???

Yes, there is a time issue. Building relationships takes time (remember it's MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS). And it can pay off big time with new clients, new product sales, and new JV opportunities. The quality of the conversations is getting so much better. Sharing information has never been easier or more effective. We asked for feedback from our ezine readers and here are a couple of responses:

Over half of my income (and clients) originate from relationships built from social networking. Most of the time I'm looking for referral partners or people I can JV with so I feel no pressure to "sell" myself or my services. By releasing the want to get clients, I actually have gotten more clients than I could have imagined. They are impressed with the quality of the content I put out there as well as my friendliness. I really like people and love making connections, so social networking is a natural fit for me. Any venue where I can make a heart to heart connection with someone, be it online or offline or appearing in the media, is always a win for my business. I think that making a genuine connection is great for introverts and extroverts alike.

love
Nancy (Marmolejo of Viva Visability)

PS. Patsi, crumudgeons don't wear pink. I would call you "cautious and somewhat skeptical" but never a crumudgeon! :-)

Social Networking: What Is It and Why Should You Care?

On Wednesday we're hosting a teleseminar on how to use Web 2.0 tools and social networking sites to drive more traffic to your sites and as a result, build your business. If you're doing business online, this is essential knowledge to have now.

We asked one of our guests to share some info about social networking to give you a taste of the type of content we'll be covering on Wednesday. The following article is reprinted with permission from the author.

Social Networking - What Is It And Why Your Business Needs It
by Michele PW

Social networking. Social marketing. Web 2.0.

You may have heard these terms bandied about and wondered what exactly they are and (more importantly) what they mean for your business.

So let's dig right in and get some answers. First, some definitions.

Twitter is sucking me in...

I confess. I'm starting to get hooked on Twitter.  I set up a Twitter account almost a year ago after hearing about it at BlogHer Business last April. But I just didn't see the point. I set up a system to sync my blog posts with my Twitter account and left it at that. No participation, no replying to "tweets".

But in the last couple of weeks I'm getting dozens of emails telling me people are "following" me. So I've started checking these people out and in turn following them.

Today, I finally started interacting and had some good quick conversations with a couple of colleagues who I helped out with some info and who in turned helped me when I asked a question.

So, if you like instant gratification and immediate responses to your queries, Twitter is the way to go. If you want to follow me, here's my Twitter profile.

Video promotions for product launches

Have you noticed the trend? Seems like EVERYONE is using video now: for connecting with blog readers, for tips, for search engines, for sales landing pages, for product launches.

Yesterday I learned that Derek Gehl of The Internet Marketing Center is starting a challenge to set up a new online business from scratch in four days. He's inviting people to watch his process via video as he goes from idea to money-making business in less than one week. The videos are free, but you do have to register to get access. I'd be willing to bet that this is the pre-launch for a new product.

Gehl is a savvy marketer and has been around the Web for many, many years. I've signed up to watch the videos because I want to study how he's marketing his product.  Plus the tips he shares about starting an online business will more than likely be helpful as well. I can always learn something new about marketing on the web.

I totally get why people are using video. It's engaging. I find I'm willing to spend more time watching a video, even of a talking head, than I am willing to read a long sales letter. I'll be video is converting better than the traditional sales letter as well.

Teaching Sells $1 Trial Ends on Thursday

I don't usually post so much in one day, but I think you may want to know about this...the $1 trial for Brian Clark's Teaching Sells program ends on Thursday, April 17 at noon Eastern time. You can read my original review here. I don't know what the new fee will be since Brian hasn't announced it.  They are also adding new content at the end of April that covers promoting and launching membership sites.

I've been studying the Teaching Sells model quite a bit in the last couple of weeks because Patsi and I are developing a new blogging program. I'm more impressed than ever with what Clark and his partner Tony Clark (no relation) have created. The program goes in depth on how to create niche multi-media training programs using free and low cost tools and delivering the content through sophisticated membership sites.  The case studies, video, audio and transcript tutorials are detailed and user-friendly.

If you've contemplating moving your training into the membership-style format, spend $1 and check out the system.  You can cancel any time.