Uncovering Google Wave for Small Biz

There are so many technology oriented blogs in the world that it would be stupid of me to break down Google Wave on my own. The steps Google is taking with this new initiative is going to rock the world of marketing and social media. I thought I would give you a list of links to follow that do a great job of breaking down this new “thing” from Google.

Mashable : The Google Wave Guide

IT Blogwatch from Computerworld

Andy Wibbles : Google Wave Obliterates Everything

The Lifehacker Breakdown

SocialMediaToday: What the Internet’s Been Waiting For

I don’t know about you but I am pretty excited for this new tool. Bring it on!

A Week With Whuffie and Parallel Economies

Yesterday I picked up The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt and needless to say… it is a pretty good read! I have been turning page after page over the past couple of hours and thought to myself… SELF you need to write some posts about the book.

I want to officially dedicate this week: WWW (Week With Whuffie) I am going to be writing a post every day this week outlining and disseminating different parts/quotes from the book.

Monday Topic: The Two Parallel Economies

In the book Tara talks about the concepts of the gift economy and the market economy:

“In the gift economy the more you give away, the more… you gain, which is completely opposite from currency in the market economy, where when you give away money, it’s pretty much gone. (pg. 5)”

The concept of the gift economy is rooted in the practices of social media. The more you give away (free content/advice) the more “social capital” you gain in return. She makes a valid point that the two economies are very valid in their own respective corners and they also work together.

“We are dealing with two parallel but valid economies here. Market capital now flows from having high social capital.” (pg. 6)

Of course this is not a new concept. Business has been built by networking and the relationships created between individuals. The idea that high social capital can make way for a currency exchange has been rooted in business since the inception of marketing.

The next couple of years are going to bring an onslaught of social marketing that is going to be focused primarily on gaining social capital. It has already begun.

Do you know your worth in social capital?

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Why Businesses Fail in Social Media

Do you want to know the most important step in implementing a social media strategy for your business? The first step?

Listening and then responding.

What most businesses fail to realize (those who just jump in to social media without a plan) is that the social media sphere would rather be listened to before the communication begins.

The consumer is now in control of the conversation. We are in control of how we respond, interact, and praise/degrade every brand underneath the sun.

Businesses who jump into the conversation and broadcast a message but fail to interact are failing miserably at the art of marketing within social media. It is important to realize the potential of what David Armano calls micro-interactions where you the brand are responding only after you have listened to what your customers are communicating.

Remember to always listen before speaking… respond when necessary and add a little flavor into the mix. Get to know the people you are interacting with.. only then will you realize the full potential of viral growth through social media.

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What Zig Ziglar Can Teach You About Social Media

I follow Tom Ziglar (the esteemed son of Zig Ziglar) on Twitter almost relentlessly. He posts many one lined thoughts from his father and also some of his own musings that get me thinking on a daily basis. Last night he had a “tweet” with the simple line:

“Happiness is not where or when; it is here and now.” Zig Ziglar

It is amazing to me how simple quotes can unlock an amazing wealth of information from your head… forcing you to think past the daily routine… forcing you to realize the potential of your activities.

Of course… being a marketer obsessed with social media… I had to apply Zig’s thoughts with what we talk about on a daily basis.

When we are debating the use of social media in a business environment whether it is product marketing or reputation management… it is important to remember the thought: it is here and now not where or when.

The world of online communication is creating a chasm where you have to understand the concept of NOW marketing. People are talking about you NOW. Your customers are communicating with your company.. NOW.. There is no when or where.

Only when you shift your paradigm to the here and the now…

Can you understand the true potential of using social media for your business.

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Jason Falls to Visit Indianapolis to talk Social Media

Don’t forget, social media expert Jason Falls of SocialMediaExplorer.com is speaking at the Confluence NorthNetwork on Wednesday, May 27 at 3:00 pm at the Blu Martini at 96th and Gray Rd. This is a really big deal for us, because Jason is a nationally-known speaker on social media, and he’s going to be here in Indianapolis for just a few hours.

His topic will be “The Future of Social Media for Corporations.” If you’re part of a corporation or organization who’s wondering whether to get into social media, and what it’s going to look like in the next few years, this is a must-see.

Besides being a social media geek’s idol, Jason is the director of social media for Doe-Anderson, a brand-building agency in Louisville. He is also the co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. Jason is a widely-respected speaker at conferences and special events throughout the country. He speaks about how social media can build corporate brands, and how corporations and organizations can use social media. His blog is one of the leading blogs on the subject of social media.

Registration begins at 2:30, and Jason will begin speaking at 3:00. The cost for the event is $20, and you can purchase tickets at the Confluence website. The event will be at the Blu Martini, at 96th & Gray Rd.

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Sometimes You Should Just Walk Away and Simplify

It is important to understand when to walk away.

There has been times in my short career (3 years) where I have needed to walk away from my desk, from Twitter, from Facebook, from website design and graphic design… to just step away and re-evaluate where I was headed and where I wanted to go. We all work as hard as we can to get ahead in life and yet the best thing we can do sometimes… is to walk away.

The communication and technology worlds are creating an explosive.. fast paced world. Everyone is trying to stay on top of the trends and trying to pull ahead. I want to encourage everyone to slow down and look internally before deciding how to communicate with the external market. Sometimes you need to simplify before you maximize.

I recorded this video last year when Brandswag was still working out of  my apartment. Ahhh the days of a start-up. It talks about simplifying your life in order to reconnect with why you started your business or job in the first place.

Please ignore the spray can in the back.. behind my head.

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10 Reasons You Should Not Be On Social Media

I have been researching, reading, and listening for awhile now to the small business world in regards to social media and blogging. There are plenty of business owners and professionals in the world who accept social media as a new form of communications… and plenty who do not.

I decided to write a small guide for business owners to gauge whether or not they should be in social media.

10 Reasons You Should Not Be on Social Media As a Business

1. You would rather not change your business model of communication. You are content with direct mail and email marketing. You are right, they will be around in 5 years.

2. The only computer you have in your office is the black and green screen MAC.

3. You purchased a dial-up modem to “save money.”

4. You are still struggling with the reply and forward functions in e-mail.

5.  You are convinced that the only people using social media are college kids and pot smokers.

6.  You feel that the newspaper is still a valuable form of advertising.

7. You designed your logo in powerpoint or publisher and all brochures were designed in the same programs.

8. When asked about time commitment you whine about an extra 30 mins a day to grow your business.

9.  Your website was designed pre-2005 and has not been updated.

10. You find that building “trust” in a marketplace is a waste of time.

If you fit any of the following criteria… do me a favor and stay off social media.

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Redefining Your Customers with Social Media

There are many applications for social media when it comes to your business. We can talk about everything from content sharing, increase of qualified search traffic, or content creation. There is still one way that ranks in the top 5 reasons to use social media…

Turning Your Customers into Evangelists

We all hear the term… customer evangelists and to be honest, we have no idea what that truly means. Social media tools and the medium itself has finally created a way to truly reap the benefits of global communication with your best clients and friends.

You have the ability to use social media to empower your customers. You are creating a medium that turns your customers into the sounding board for your business story… and ultimately your business growth.

The next time you start to define your social media marketing plan… remember to include turning your customers into evangelists… one link at a time.

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Social Media Marketing to Increase by 48%

Thanks to Chris Baggott at Compendium Blogware for pushing this data at me. I have seen the graph before but not the updated version. Chris’ post talks about the merit of SEO and email marketing being at the forefront of the increases in online marketing budgets over the next year… I wanted to focus on the third one..

Social media marketing.

It is encouraging to see social media marketing and SEO sliding into the top three spots in the online marketing budgets of companies all over the world. It shows that businesses owners from all over the world are taking a closer look at sites like Twitter and organic search engine optimization in the form of blogging (guessing there).

What does this mean to the business owner?

In my opinion, you should follow the trend or get left in the dust.

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Selling the Hawaiian Breeze

Today’s Guest Post is by Jeff Timpanaro, President of Oberata Consulting. Oberatat Consulting exists to bring businesses into operational, financial, and relational alignment. We do this by providing strategic leverage through relationships, training, and the strength of the Total Integration™ Program.

HOW’S YOUR TONE?

“Your sales pitch should be given in the same tone as you would tell someone about your vacation to Hawaii.“ -Blain Wease, Founder, Provincial Development Group.

Typical sales speak is coercive, and seeks for the right verbal equation to nab you. It makes us feel needy when we’re not, unhip when it doesn’t matter, and irrelevant unless we make the purchase.

Is that how your prospects perceive you? What tone does your ad copy put forth? You may have this down pat; if so, stop reading and click NEXT.

But you may want to consider a review of your tone, especially in your ad copy and web copy. Why? Because these are both “decontextualized” media. There’s no voice inflection, and no obvious tone to convey your message. That’s why you’ve got to be so polite as to almost be ridiculous. The reason is because people (buyers) want security in their purchase.

“People may forget what you said, and they may forget what you do, but they will never forget how they made you feel.” – Carl Buechner

It’s all in how you make them feel. If you were telling someone about your awesome vacation to Hawaii, would there be one ounce of threat? Are you hard selling for the Hawaii Board of Tourism? No, Hawaii has nothing to gain from your account to your friends. All you are saying – with 100% knowledge and confidence – is, “Man, if you go to Hawaii, you are going to LOVE it.”

In my view, this is the ideal communication of your value in exchange for cash, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s because there will always be two things on earth: (1) value, and (2) people willing to pay for it. The way you bring those two together is by trust!

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