Getting Better Referrals – Part 1

Q: Are you finding that you’re just not getting the number of quality referrals you want from your clients?

Chances are you said yes; well….you are not alone.  Sure, we all have some clients that will give us referrals; the majority, aren’t nearly as generous. In both cases is so often the referral we get isn’t much better than pointing at a name in the phonebook at random.

The reality is that clients really don’t know who you’re looking to business with and most of them just don’t have a real incentive to invest the time and energy to come up with a great referral for you.

Since you’re the one with the need; and you’re the one with the desire; and you’re the one who knows who makes a good referral for you, why would you rely on anyone else other than yourself to come up with the referral? So because you should know who is a great referral for your business,  you should certainly be willing to invest the time and energy to find a great referral.

So…

Q: How can you guarantee that you get great referrals?

A: Make sure the client gives you a great referral by finding the target customer for them, rather than relying on them coming up the referral.

Here are 3 steps to guaranteeing you get great referrals from your clients:

1. Get Your Client On-board to Give Referrals.

Most sellers wait until after the sale has been completed before they bring up the idea of referrals.  Bad idea. Most clients need time to get comfortable with the idea of giving referrals, so bring up referrals early in the relationship.  Don’t ask for referrals; just let your client know that your business is built on referrals and then drop referral seeds as the sale progresses.  Since your prospects and clients aren’t stupid, if they hear you mention referrals often in a casual manner, they’ll get the impression referrals are important to you and they will be expecting you to ask for them at some point.

2. Find Out Who Your Client Knows.

We’ve already established that in order to get great referrals you have to do the work for your client. Your job is to be a detective and to uncover the relationships they have with people or companies that you know you want to be referred to.  The more you learn the more quality referrals you uncover.  So how do you find out? In general, through small-talk (who do they mention in conversation they know); more specifically by paying attention to your customers and prospects environment (social networks,  professional associations, business communities); researching their background (former businesses, colleagues,) and their work (what vendors and suppliers they interact with).  Chances are you have competitors; do they know people who do business with them?

3. Don’t Ask for Referrals, Ask for THE Referral.

When it comes time to ask for referrals, you don’t want to be like every other seller and ask a weak question such as, “Donna, Do you happen to know anyone else (or another company) that might be able to use my products or services “? You want to get introduced to David. You know she knows David.  You have reason to believe David is a good prospect for you. So instead ask for a specific referral:  “ I’ve been trying to connect with David Jones for some time without success.  You mentioned that you’ve worked with David for several years, would you be comfortable introducing me to him?”

Referrals can be the foundation of your sales business if you just develop the skills necessary.  Referral generation is a PROACTIVE process where you do the work, not your client.  It’s your business, not theirs.

Adapted from  ‘Creating a Million-dollar-a-year Sales Income: Sales Success Through Client Referrals‘ by Paul McCord.

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Every Little Helps….Tesco

As the advert says ‘Every little helps’……but who exactly.

With the boom in online grocery shopping, Tesco have pulled what looks like a clever move in their service offering to solve a problem.

As most of us in business who provide service differentiation, bending over backwards for the customer to provide flexible and competitive services is not always easy to manage. However putting the customer first, does not mean the customer is in control.

The problem……? People that are too busy to shop in-store and wish the convenience of online shopping are also likely to be too busy to wait on their weekly shop being delivered.

By innovating and implementing a known service offering; The Drive Thru, Tesco has taken back control of the customer relationship. Much as despise them, I admire the creativity and boldness to bat the responsibility back into the customers court….and charge them for the privilege. In  implementing the age old customer collection cum drive-thru, Tesco has in 1 fell swoop..

• Solved their customer delivery problem
• Increased the customer shopping options
• Decreased their overheads
• Lowered their carbon footprint

Love them or loathe them, Tesco continue to innovate and take control.

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Top tips for Twitter

Ive found a few videos on Youtube on Twitter

Twitter in Plain english

Getting Started

Twitter Tools

How to use Twitter for Business

Check out our low-down on Social Media

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8 Reasons not to do Social Media

Everybody always talks about why social media marketing is so important…It can be a compelling argument but it would depend on your objectives and knowing your customers well enough. So inevitably there are reasons against social media marketing. Consider the following points not to do social media before you dive in.

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• You don’t have the basics right.

Your business model is ill-defined to non-existent. You don’t have a tested product. You dont have a plan for any kind of marketing. You don’t have a goal for doing social media. Your website hasn’t been updated for over 18 months. If this is the case, social media marketing comes last.

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• Your boss isn’t on board.

No matter how much you LOVE social media and think it could turn the business around, it doesn’t matter unless your boss is on board. Even if you are able to get some traction, your boss will pull the plug if he or she wasn’t sold on the idea from the beginning. And lets be honest its massively indulgent for the vast majority of businesses and difficult to justify the time investment ahead of the basics (Point 1) which will deliver nearer term results (Point 5)

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• Your employees aren’t on board.

If you need your employees to execute the tasks and invest the time to deliver a social media campaign then make sure they understand the objectives and see the value first. More importantly why wouldn’t you as the business leader be central to all activities …similarly to any other marketing tactics.

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• You want a short term solution.

No one is going to say “ooh look! a business on twitter. I want to do business with you!” Social media is NOT a short term solution. It is, more or less, a lifetime (at least business-wise) commitment.

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• You want to see a direct impact on ROI.

Will it impact your ROI? Yes. Will it directly impact your ROI? No. The bigger the piece of business, the more touch points a business needs. For instance: Someone is referred to your website or they find you on a social media site. They sign up for your newsletter. Six months later, they hear you speak somewhere. They continue to follow you on Twitter. Another month goes by. They decide they need their website optimized or to entirely outsource their marketing. They call. They are ready to buy. Did social media impact your ROI? Not directly. But, did it create a channel for you to keep in touch until they were ready? Absolutely.

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• You don’t have time.

Social media like all marketing activities takes time….and quality time. Its also true that things that interest you or get you excited spill over into your personal space. So will Social Media. But is that such a great concern? Lets face it social media is great way to receive news and information you want. How much of your day do you spend reading newspapers or magazines where someone else has decided what you read. The point is when most people say they don’t have the time its usually not true. But if you really don’t have the time then don’t.

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• You don’t want to work within a changing landscape.

Social media yesterday was blogging. Today it is video. Tomorrow may be location based social networking. If you are truly interested, you have to keep up. Or, you have to assign someone to keep up for you…or its not for you.

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• You don’t have something to say

This is perhaps the most important reason. Social media is a channel. It is NOT a substitute for the message. When you mistake the medium for the message, you get inane status updates like the weather and what you’ve just eaten? Just because you now have a megaphone means when you use it, the message needs to mean something to whoever you are trying to communicate with. You need to have something to say and somebody interested in hearing it.

Credit Marketing Zen Group

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Developing your Social Media Strategy: 6 Lessons from Kodak

SUMMARY: If you are lucky enough to have consumers talking about your brand in social media channels, you need a strategy to engage in these conversations. Ignoring them – or jumping in without a plan – is a missed opportunity.

Below are the six lessons a team at Kodak learned from more than two years’ worth of social marketing efforts. Includes advice on when to engage in conversations, how to add value, and the importance of creating and sharing your company’s social media policy.

Why?…

Well according to Kodak themselves there is a lot of online discussion around Kodak — about 470 million brand mentions on Twitter last year alone. That kind of discussion can’t be ignored, so Kodak decided to join the conversation

When they started listening to and engaging in social media conversations, they noticed many consumers had a vague familiarity, at best, with Kodak’s products. They also noticed their competitors were mentioned more often than Kodak in certain categories. The team worked hard to reverse those trends, and in the process developed a comprehensive social media strategy.

Kodak’s direct sales and online share-of-voice are now on an upward trend, due in part to the team’s social media efforts.

Below, are six lessons the team learned about using social media to shift brand perceptions and increase online sales. Consider them as you develop you own social media strategy:

Lesson #1. Listen before you speak

Listening and researching your market are well-known prerequisites to entering social media. However, once you’ve entered the space, you should keep your ears open.

Kodak recently hired a “Chief Listener” who monitors daily social media activity around Kodak and their industry. Who should perform this in your company?…You if you’re reading this I suspect.

The Chief Listener monitors the blogosphere, forums and other social outlets for opportunities to bring Kodak into conversations and to assist and enrich conversations already involving Kodak. How?….

- Study market sentiment

Listening to social channels gives Kodak insight into the market’s reactions to their brand, products, competition and trends. It also can guide the team’s response to negative feedback.

For example, Kodak saw that many consumers were raving online about their new Zi8 Pocket Video Camcorder. However, they also found a review that liked the product but said it had a terrible name. They responded by launching an online contest to name their next pocket camera, the Playsport.

- Use social monitoring tools

Monitoring social networks and blogs manually is not practical. Many tools have sprung up in the last two years to help marketers keep track of online conversations related to their brand or industry keywords.

Kodak uses a paid tool for their efforts. If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to get started however free tools work such as:

• Google Alerts
• Technorati
• TweetDeck
• Seesmic

Lesson #2. Add value when joining conversations

Kodak looks for opportunities to add their input to relevant conversations. Here are examples of how it attempts to add value:

- Discussing related topics

Kodak’s brand is relevant to many related topics, including:

• Scrapbooking and photo crafts
• Digital printing
• Digital camera history
• Film

Kodak developed resources to help people interested in such topics. When the team finds a group of people online discussing a related topic, they often add Kodak’s point of view and share a link to their online resources.

- Comparing products

People often compare products in forums and blogs, or wonder aloud in social channels which product they should buy. In these cases, Kodak respond with third-party reviews and sample photos or videos from their products. The key is to provide information to help the consumer decide — not to barge in and offer a discount.

- Complaining

Kodak often responds to social media complaints about a product with links to potential solutions. For example, the team will send a person complaining about a Kodak printer links to the printer’s manual and to customer service contact information.

“Some of the most powerful words you can say in social media right now are ‘How can I help you?’”.

- Correcting misinformation

Kodak also listens for misinformation surrounding its products and services. They are quick to dispel myths, such as a rumor that a product might be discontinued.

When the team finds these cases, they respond as quickly as possible. Using tools that monitor real-time conversations is a must for quick response.

Lesson #3. Don’t be intrusive

Knowing when to refrain from joining a conversation is just as important as knowing when to add input. Avoid being a stlaker by not reaching out in these situations:

- One-to-one conversations

A conversation between two people, such as on Facebook, is not a good place to add your company’s point of view. Doing so would be intrusive and could upset them. Places such as public forums and blog posts are much more appropriate places to add your commentary.

- Simple mentions

Comments such as “I bought a Kodak camera today” and “I’m loving my new Kodak printer” often do not require a response. At most, the team might write “That’s great. Thank you,” in response.

- Offering promotions

Kodak also avoids pitching promotions in social media, because “barging in with offers” does not fit with their strategy of listening and adding value.

Lesson #4. Use real people behind the brand

Kodak strikes a balance between having social media participants speak for the brand and having them show their personality.

For example, their Chief Blogger’s Twitter profile features her picture above the Kodak logo. In the feed, she maintains a personal tone, but everything she says is with the knowledge that she is representing the company.

Showing real people behind your brand is important:

- First, no one wants to talk to a logo. They want to speak with a person.

- Second, if someone is angry, they’re more likely to tone down their language when dealing with a person.

Lesson #5. Treat consumer and business customers differently

Although consumer purchases make up the majority of Kodak’s transactions, 60% of their revenue is attributable to businesses customers through Kodak’s commercial printing, high-speed ink jets, printing plates, and other products, so they interact differently with business customers. They strive to raise awareness and establish thought leadership by:

• Creating relevant content, such as whitepapers or blog posts
• Contributing to relevant conversations online
• Referring commentators to their educational content

According to Kodak it’s about a deeper engagement in terms of the kind of information you share… not about a Facebook wall post.

Lesson #6. Transparency is paramount

When engaging in social media, any member make it easy for consumers to identify who is speaking. This transparency engenders trust.

The company created a formal social media policy for all employees. They have taken transparency a step further by publicly releasing a social media tips book which contains this social media policy .

Their guidelines include:

• Uphold Kodak’s values
• Be transparent and be yourself
• Protect confidential information
• Avoid unsubstantiated product claims
• Be aware that linking to another site may imply endorsement of its content

Publishing this information shows consumers that Kodak has nothing to hide in the social space. The document also features social media tips and industry information, which helps establish the team’s thought leadership in the category.

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Selling to Big Co.

Without a doubt selling your innnovation is CRUNCH time. Not only must the product be right, but have you the savvy and strategy to make the technical success a commercial success.

I came across a resource from those clever people at Xplane some while ago, and thought I’d share my experiences to the series of challenges as portrayed in ‘Selling to Big Co’; so…

Welcome to BigCo, land of the complex sale, where each meeting could be your last. Each step in the sales process can move you forward or torpedo the business for good.

All along the way, the people of BigCo will have numerous conversations about your product; with each other, with their leaders and managers, with consultants – even with your competitors.

HOW CAN YOU BE SURE YOUR SOLUTION WILL BE FULLY AND COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD, EVEN WHEN YOU CAN’T BE THERE YOURSELF?

Here are some of the challenges you will need to be prepared for….

• Your well-meaning but bumbling champion miscommunicated your value proposition.

You invested at considerable risk to your business in an idea you all think is a winner. Will the value be so obvious to the customer you wont need to sell it?; ‘if we build it – they will come’. If the answer is no (and it will be!) then why put it into the hands of someone who is not prepared, or does not have a stake in its success? Sound outrageous? Its done every day with distributors and agents, sales people with improper incentives and/or the wrong tools.

• Frontline managers and workers couldn’t see how your solution would help them to do their jobs better.

Consider this.. on the whole people don’t like change, especially if they don’t have to, so what would persuade them to change vendor or adopt a supposedly better solution. Whats in it for me!!

In order to address this, sell benefits..not features. How does your offering make your customers job easier, faster, better, cheaper, more productive etc etc? OK then prove it…show me the data, demonstrate it.. here…now!!

• A competitor used technical jargon as a ‘smokescreen’ to confuse buyers about your solution.

You know who your competitors are (I hope), put yourself in their shoes and think about how they would claim a superior proposition or attempt to expose your weaknesses where they have strengths. Be prepared for such a rebuttal have data, facts and evidence as per the last point.

• A consultant who has ties to your competitor recommended against you, and nobody knew enough to disagree.

Technical businesses will work with academics or leaders in their field of chosen work. They often perform private consultancy and therefore have allegiances to companies they have worked with in the past. Who are influencers in your field? Who do they work with? Consider trade association, societies, conference organising commitees, speakers and chairs, researchers. Make sure you get the opportunity to sell the merits of your solution. Work with your own sectoral gurus and develop them into advocates.

• The VP of NO, who must approve all purchases over £100k didn’t understand your solution.

A Power player can make the decisions about how dollars are spent. Period. Sometimes referred to as the “VP of No,” they don’t have to ask permission, and they care primarily about results.

By the time you talk to a Power Player, you’d better understand the company and the problem and you’d better have a solution to offer ideally advocated by other organisation members, but mmost importantly demonstrating a results based benefit. Power players make their decisions and move on quickly, so be prepared to move fast if this person says yes.

• The gatekeeper didn’t understand how you were different, so you never got to meet the commercial people

And don’t underestimate Gatekeepers like Secretaries, PAs and potentially anyone else meant to be organise and control. Their job is to manage the traffic moving in and out of the organization. They are responsible for keeping the “wrong” people out and letting the “right” people in. A Gatekeeper can be a powerful ally who can put you in front of the buyer — or, if alienated, they can be a powerful foe.

• The buyer skimmed your proposal, but didn’t understand the key differentiator you had worked so hard to establish.

By this time, you have hopefully many advocates and developed a tailored argument specific to the benefits your product will bring. However you must be able to communicate all all levels and prevent creating your own smokescreen with jargon. Dont forget the buyer is concerned with Quality, Cost and Delivery. How do you stack up, this might be a differentiator if your competition fails to deliver on-time and has unreliable product; even if they are cheaper.

Know your stuff, know your customer, know your competition and be prepared.

Getting the appointment

Without a doubt business development is a challenging aspect to your business. In most cases however you will be able to identify who your prospective customers should be. In a B2B scenario its a case of doing the missionary work…but be smart about how you introduce yourself. No one likes a cold caller, so you will often have to ensure the customer has heard of you. Most importantly you need to find a way to get in front of your prospects.

I came across a resource from those clever people at Xplane some while ago, and thought I’d share my experiences in getting the appointment.

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• Getting the Appointment

Most executives have a system of filters and gatekeepers designed to keep salespeople out.

Here’s what you can do to get past the gatekeeper.

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• Don’t expect it to be easy

A gatekeeper’s job is to keep you out, with one exception: If you have something of value to offer the decision maker, the gatekeeper’s job is to let you pass. Chances are you won’t get the right person first time so you may have to play a long game ….so don’t be put off by your first rebuttal.

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• Do your homework

First, research the company and the decision maker. With very little effort Google and other media channels can deliver amazing insight into your potential professional networks. Be sure you know how your product or service will benefit the prospect.

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• Establish credibility

Introduce yourself and your company to the prospect with a personalized mailing expalining how you can deliver value to them in their marketplace. Remember this is your opportunity to get their attention; but you don’t have to be flash to be memorable.

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• Bypass the gatekeeper if you can

If one of your customers has ties to the prospect, a direct referral might get you in the back door. This is where Linkedin comes into its own in finding how you are…‘Linked in’.

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• The back door

When using a referral, reveal only what is necessary to show how you created value. This is difficult as the value you deliver the customer may consider as their competitive advantage and proprietary; however if you are unknown to the prospect, track record and credentials are important…so describe in general terms .. The number 1 in semiconductor lithography tools

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• Get a personal introduction

Ask your existing customer to personally call the prospect to make the introduction. Then call or email the prospect to sell the appointment.

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• Getting past the gatekeeper

If you can’t get a referral, you’ll have to deal with the gatekeeper. Remember, you’ll still want to research the prospect and establish credibility.

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• Tap into the gatekeeper’s brain

Ask open questions to gain inside knowledge about the company and win the gatekeeper as an ally. Remember ..they will be interested in how you can you solve their problems…so first you’ll need to understand their industry and challenges.

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• Talk benefits, not features

Talk about how your product or service can benefit the decision-maker and the company. How can you solve their problems, reduce their costs or give them a leading edge; its not enough to be ‘Me too‘. Make information relevant and specific, to show you have the company’s best interest in mind.

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• Be firm and use contingencies

Listen carefully and be polite, but make it clear you need to talk with your prospect in order for anything beneficial to happen.

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• Anticipate obstacles

Prepare responses for standard obstacles. When the gatekeeper says, “He’s on the phone,” ask when the prospect will be available, or where they will be available. Sell the appointment via email if needed, or call after hours, when the gatekeeper is gone. Don’t give up.

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• Sell the appointment first

You’ve made it past the gatekeeper, now zero in on the prospect. Remember you are trying to get an appointment so don’t sell the product. Your value proposition should be so compelling they will want to see you. Focus on getting the appointment and save selling the product for the meeting.

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• The meeting

Once you’ve landed the meeting, be prepared to make your business case in five minutes. Decision makers have filters because their time is valuable, and if you don’t get to the point quickly you’ll lose the sale. So arrange an appointment at their convenience but on your terms. 5 mins in the staff canteen is all you might get so be prepared to adapt to the circumstances…don’t spend 4mins fumbling with a laptop.

See here for tips on Selling to Big Co

How do you create customer loyalty?

Question: How do you create customer loyalty?

It takes people skills to create relationships…

It takes selling skills to create customers. However…

It takes strategic skills to turn those customers into loyal customers

So where do you start?

1. Establish Common Ground

• Positive relationship starts with a positive attitude. Relationships fizzle without trust and support.
• Know your customers before your meeting. Explore how their problems or goals with with your capabilities and solutions

2. Facilitate the transaction

• Send your prospectus information that is useful to their business.
• Present your best solution and your best alternative.
• Positively influence all stakeholders involved in the decision.
• Make it easy to say yes to your offer in the shortest time possible.

3. Build the Relationship

• Don’t disappear after the transaction. Learn more about your customers’ business and establish more points of contact.
• Show a personal interest in your clients. What do they do outside of work. Allow genuine relationships to establish naturally.
• Show appreciation, send handwritten notes, remember anniversaries. Uncommon courtesy is the ‘cement’ that bonds business relationships.

4. Form lasting loyalty

• When your clients go through difficult times, offer support. Out of difficulties grow new opportunities to serve.
• Resolve differences with tact and understanding. Accept responsibility for mistakes and correct them quickly.

Answer: Lasting loyalty is the result of your steadfast commitment to excellence.

Can you think of examples where you’ve done really well or screwed up with customers ? Well those clever people at Xplane have a poster especially for your bedroom wall. You can Download here.

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Is your website killing your conversation?

I came across a great article from Khristen Zhivago at Revenue Journal and have summarised the salient points below…

News Flash……If They Don’t Buy Your Content, They Won’t Buy Your Product

Its kind of obvious but before someone will buy your product, they have to “buy” your content. Your content is actually your first product, and should be viewed that way. If the don’t like your free content, they won’t pay for your product.

A website will probably be the first contact point that the customer has with your company; so give it the status it deserves.

The most informative content – if there is any – can be buried under confusing navigation and billboard images created by self-important advertising & design agencies whose egos are inhibiting the customer’s buying process, rather than supporting it.

Advertising, PR, and other attention-getting devices are the “attraction“. Your website is the “conversation.” Customers come there to engage, to take the next step in the interaction. So is your messaging getting in the way of the conversation?

Too many larger agencies would like your websites to look sexy, when in fact, the higher the sex appeal, the harder it is to do anything on your website, including finding what you want and buying it.

Carefully ensure that your agency does not waste a third to a half of your home page on a billboard that says nothing and does nothing to help the customer and can in fact a barrier to the sale.

So how can you make the cool and classy “marketing stuff” does not get in the way? There are a few basic ground rules

1. Your content is your part of the conversation

When someone comes to your website, they are on a mission. They want to get a question answered (or a series of questions), so they can buy your product. They are probably already “sold” on the idea of your product. Their questions and their quest are their part of the conversation. They saw you – one way or another – perhaps through your “attention” tactics. So don’t keep trying to get their attention….Answer their questions!!

2. What do customers want to know when they come to your website?

They want to know the following….

• How your product is going to work, after they buy it,
• How you’re going to treat them, after you have their money.

Those who write your content should be in the mind of the customer before they start writing. That way, the content will be relevant to the buyer/decision maker and will speak to their actual intelligence and experience level, and critically ….use the words and phrases they would use.

3. What do customers want to do when they come to your website?

• Get their questions answered, and then buy;
• Find out how to use or fix your product when something goes wrong;
• Find out where you are and how to get there;
• Find out who you are and if they can trust you;
• Order additional things associated with your product.

So…how easy is it for them to do these things on your current site? Back when the web first emerged, my navigation rule was “two clicks to the payoff.” How many clicks and confusing menus do you make them suffer through before they get to the payoff? When they get to the payoff, is it really the payoff, or do they just hope it’s the payoff – only to be disappointed once they start reading or trying to apply the information?

If you’re making it difficult – and most companies do – you’re losing sales you should be making. They’re not “buying” your content, so they’re not buying your product – or getting best use out of it. They may also be getting very frustrated, and sharing their frustration with all their friends in cyberspace.

2 keys to starting your online marketing

Right… we need to be on Facebook, Twitter and blog like our business survival depended on it. Don’t we?!?

All the time businesses jump headfirst into online marketing, whether it be social networks, blogs, micro-blogs (like Twitter) and numerous other online channels.  The problem is many times the shared communications seem canned, the tone is a bit off, the message is not cohesive and the approach, at times, can be rather aggressive.

So First things first:

The world of online marketing is different than the world of traditional marketing.  Although they have many things in common (target markets, communicate messages, distribute collateral, market research) the approach is vastly different.

The difference is social networks and online communications are not just pushing the message through the channel…they are about building relationships and having conversations.

So… brand new and desperate to see what everyone is talking about…here are 2 principles to keep you honest and if you have been entrenched in social media marketing for quite some time, then these tips will keep you fresh.

1. Listen, Watch and Monitor the Activity Before Joining the Discussion

The mistake many of us make is that we don’t listen before we leap.  Our gut instinct is to stick to the same communication style as our email blasts, corporate website or to “business speak.”

I’m not saying its a bad way to go, my point is that if you are going to talk that way then you better make make sure everyone else is speaking your language.

Go onto sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and look around.  Go into the groups section on LinkedIn and Facebook and use the search function to find groups relevant to your professional interests.  Join the groups and sign up to follow the discussions and how people are conversing in each topic.  Anyone providing links to video or audio?  Click, watch and listen. For tips on how to use LinkedIn, click here

Twitter is more tricky, my tip is to download TweetDeck.  It is a third party platform that helps you listen in a fast and efficient way.  You can search for people talking about relevant topics to your business, your company and even you!  Save your searches and browse the conversations.

2. Plan Before you Dive In

Stop and think for a minute.  Would you execute a branding or PR initiative without at least a plan outline? Sit down and identify what you want to get out of this. This can be the hardest step.  Without full knowledge about what you can expect, it is hard to identify what your goals should even be.  Be realistic, honest and take into consideration what the medium is all about.

Q. What is your objective?

• Position youself as an expert!
• Increase visibility to you and/or your brand!
• Build relationships that will in turn build your business and more!

Q. Who are you communicating with?

• What do they hear?
• What do they think?
• What do they say?
• What will they do?

Q. What do you have to say?

• What do you stand for? Authenticity, Fun, Local, Seasonality, Quality, Reliability?
• What’s your story or heritage?

Think about your purpose, what you are an expert in and what value you can offer.  Once you pinpoint that, you can identify the sites you want to focus on, the methods you want to employ and targets you want to hit.

Summary

Learn where your market is, what they are saying and then plan how you are going to join the conversation.  THEN start talking…..but do start

Credit: Chris Tompkins

PS Click here for the low-down on Social Media tools