“Success, both in business and personally, is something that’s consciously created.” – Robin Sharma, The Leader Who Had No Title

Today’s culture revolves around titles and accolades, accomplishments and scoring the best accounts. We see celebrities praised for blockbuster movies and athletes remembered for show-stopping plays. Society is obsessed with achieving greatness and spending the most money.

“Leaders” are no different. Those in management tend to think that fancy cars and corner offices are the life. Dinners purchased with company credit cards and international business meetings give off impressions of leadership and success.

But true leadership involves nothing mentioned above. In fact, no one needs a title, or fancy car or wads of money, to be a leader. They just need passion, determination, and a commitment to make the world a better place.

Over the next few days, I’m going to be sharing with you how to manage your social media campaign like a true leader. The concepts in the series will be pulled from Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title. You need no title to be a great leader. You don’t need to be chief social media marketer or manager of the IT department. If you are determined to change the lives of others, this is for you.

You and your social media campaigns can have an impact on the world; you just need to unlock your inner leader.

The Title Conundrum

Our culture is obsessed with titles. The person with the best or highest ranking title is usually considered the “winner” and will get praise solely the few words that follow their name. However, titles undoubtedly lead to trouble. When a person is given a high ranking title, they put themselves above everyone else. Instead of being the leader they are called to be, the employee walks around like a king or queen, expecting everyone else to wait on them. All of this because of a title.

Leading without a title means that you put away the notions that one person is better than another and you work to benefit others. You are humble in your daily work routine. Instead of serving yourself, you serve others. Your vision of the world is not clouded by thoughts of self; instead, you think about how you can help the world.

No Title = No Limits

One of the first objections people normally have to the leading without a title concept is the perception that if you have no title, you won’t get the glory and money and benefits of the “titled” positions. This is not the case. In fact, it’s about the furthest from the truth that you can get.

If you are good at what you do, people will notice. If you continue to be good at what you do, people will praise you. If you consistently go above and beyond in the workplace, you will receive accolades that will make others jealous. Your determination means and willingness to help others will set you apart from even the people who have the big titles. Do you know why?

You are committed to making the world a better place, which is something that most corner office residents don’t even think about.

When you have no title, there are no limits on what you can do.

Leading Without A Title in Social Media

Now that you have an idea as to how you can begin to unleash the true leader within you, let’s focus on how you can apply the leader without a title principles to social media and marketing.

First, put your customers and clients before your business needs. Want to impress your clientele? Bend over backwards to serve them. Bring them customer service like they’ve never seen. As Seth Godin states in Linchpin, “Customers…crave the unique, the remarkable, and the human.” Deliver them something that they can’t get from another company–above and beyond loyalty to their needs.

Next, offer your help and expertise to those who want to learn. You are a knowledge base full wonderful thoughts and ideas. Don’t hold them inside; instead, share them with the people in your industry who need them the most. Ideas are copyrighted. Be diligent in serving others because they will return the favor when you need it the most.

Finally, put your new and innovative ideas into motion. Have you figured out an easy and simple method for creating customer Facebook pages of Twitter backgrounds? How about an easy to use program that notifies you whenever someone mentions you on Twitter or writes on your fan page wall? If you have a great idea for process improvement or making your industry thrive, go for it. As a leader without a title, you’re more concerned about the well-being of the world itself than just yourself. Share your resources, ideas, and passions with others.

Action Items

It’s time for you to begin leading without a title and having a greater impact on the the world. Here are a few action items for you to do today:

• List three ways that you can serve your current customer base. How can you “wow” them? What needs could you meet that you aren’t addressing right now?
• Join a LinkedIn Group or message board in order to help people in an area where you are strong. Good with Macs? Join the Apple users group. Really good with web programming? See if you can help solve some code problems on a forum.
• Tease out one idea you’ve been holding inside for a long time. What do you need to do to set it in motion? Whatever it is, do it.

As always, please share this article on the social networking site of your choice. Also, if you haven’t connected with us on Facebook or LinkedIn yet, come join us.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by pnijhuis

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Greetings Folk Media family! Here is another Power Topic from the “Ammo for Your Arsenal” Business Series. This article, “You Believe; They Buy,” is covering the essential steps to ensure you are well prepared to present your product/service to your audience and boost your results.

When you have made a purchase, one that you love, how passionate was the person about their product you bought from? Or, how about when you have chosen a Real Estate agent? Interior Designer? Lawyer? Did they appear enthusiastic, confident, energetic, and excited about their product/service? Chances are if you bought/hired them/etc, they were.

Having conviction and full force belief in your product/service is the way towards increased profits, incredible sales, and a thriving empire. People want to feel the passion you have for your business. They want to hear in your voice, and witness in your expression, the love you feel for your product/service. Many consumers begin their product/service search with speculation and suspicion. Some feel nervous about spending money, others may feel unsure of the necessity of the item of interest, and some may need to feel confident in their choice and you can help them through your guidance. It starts with you! If you believe, they will buy.

So, it sounds simple, right? It starts with preparation. Being prepared before you present, pitch, and articulate will help you bring in more clientele as your confidence will undoubtedly skyrocket, leaving your audience feeling thrilled to partake in your product/services. What steps can be taken to ensure you are confident in your product/service and have unwavering faith that your audience is making the smartest choice buying from you, hiring you, etc. versus choosing a competitor?

Here are 5 helpful steps to empower your presentation:

Research – Know your product, know your service, and know every intricate detail! There can never be too much research or education within your business. Learn about what you are offering your audience, research every angle, understand the lingo, and be incredibly knowledgeable that you are able to overcome any objection and answer any question you are given. Knowing, is half the battle.

Reach out to Mentors/Colleagues – Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. Don’t be! Ask away! Ask those you have seen succeed in your field the questions you need in order to follow the suit of success. Ask your colleagues to hear your pitch, listen to your presentation, and brainstorm with you new ideas. Ask your mentors to sit down with you and review your business plans for your product/service. This is priceless information you can obtain and these people are there for your resource! Ask and you shall receive.

Compare/Contrast – It’s important to review what others in your field are doing and compare your product/services to theirs. What about your business sets you apart from your competition? What makes your business incredibly unique? Why would consumers feel they made the best choice purchasing from you/hiring you/etc? Comparing and contrasting your business to others goes along with point 1–research. This will allow you to gauge where you may want to consider improving, revamping, or updating your current offerings. In addition, when you are informed as to how others in your field are performing, you can utilize this knowledge to help you fine tune your presentation to shine above the rest. After all, you are amazing; it’s time to let your audience feel the same way about your business and your product/service!

Practice Your Pitch – Practice, practice, practice! This is essential as it will help you smooth out your process, catch any errors, and perfect your presentation. I consistently am practicing as I find it helps me to feel more certain of my presentation and, it also helps bring new thoughts/ideas my way to work with as well. Take the time to practice every piece of your presentation, pitch, etc. before you begin engaging with your audience. Think about this: when some of the world’s greatest public speakers, who are experts in their field, entertain an audience of 20,000+ people, rest assured, they have practiced. Even if you feel you have the presentation down pat and can recite it in your sleep, practice! This step will only benefit you from utilizing it.

Passion – This step is one that, through your research, preparation, and practice, will seep out of your pores as you find yourself excited about your product/service. The more you know, the more you will be eager to share your business with others. You will find yourself full of energy and adrenaline, ready to conquer the world and share your amazing product/service with your audience. It is an incredible feeling and will help you catapult forward in your business! If you currently are in a position where you are lacking passion, think about the positive attributes of your job now and what steps you will need to take to reach a career that is evident of you living your passion. Passion is like fire; once it is ignited, it will reach everywhere! This is an amazing thing! Believe in yourself, believe in your product/service, prepare yourself, and you will be unstoppable!

These steps are designed to help you continue to leverage your business forward, regardless of what product/service you have to offer. Focus on your goal, stick to it, and take the time to be prepared. Quality counts and you want to be a showstopper when you are representing your brand. Utilizing the above steps will assist you with empowering your product/service delivery. The more you believe in the worth of your produce or service and are assured of your business, confidence will radiate from you. Your audience will feel your belief in your business and will be there ready, with money in hand! ?

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by

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Small business marketing online can be very powerful when you blend traditional advertising, direct response and public relations.

Most people talk about social media and social networking in terms of community, conversation and relationships. But there is a place for social media in direct marketing.

Let’s first look at the three big communication “channels” used to market.

Traditional broadcast style marketing

These includes radio, TV, newspapers, billboards and magazines. As a small business you should probably shy away from these, unless you have a large amount of money to invest. They are much better suited to big brands like Coke, Nike, Burger King and Geico.

Direct response marketing

Advertising legend David Ogilvy considered direct response marketing his secret weapon. People like Dan Kennedy, Eben Pagan and Tony Robbins have used it to make millions.

The tools of direct response include post cards, sales letters, emails and infomercials. The biggest hurdle business owners have is the perception of cheesiness when using these methods.

The more direct and specific you make your call to action, the more potential you have of making the sale. But many people object to “stooping low” to produce an infomercial or write a simple sales letter.

Public Relations

Instead of paying for ads on TV or mailing postcards to potential buyers, smart marketing professionals use newsworthy stories to attract the attention of the news media. This type of coverage can have a huge impact on getting the word out.

Tools include TV interviews, news coverage and articles written about your business in the newspaper.

Inbound Marketing – best of three worlds

What if you were able to combine the storytelling aspects of public relations with the direct call to action of direct response? And what if  you could package it all with the same look and pizazz of a TV commercial or radio spot?

Then you would be using what I consider the most powerful new form of marketing…. inbound marketing. And thanks to the internet, inbound marketing has made a fortune for it’s practitioners.

By combining the best of the three marketing methods above you are able to:

• Catch people when they are at the end of the buying cycle
• Dominate a niche topic for maximum profits
• Become branded as an expert
• Have the time to educate people (online has no 30 second or one newspaper page limit)
• Build a tribe around your products and services

How to make your plan

Think like a journalist/marketer. Combine your editorial styled public relations with a direct response call to action. You can write “how to” blog posts for example.

This post is a an example of this. I’m writing a “how to” article, but I also invite you to learn more by downloading a free report.

I’ve blended editorial with call to action.

To take this one step further, you can sprinkle in video and audio to simulate traditional broadcast television and radio.

But unlike traditional broadcast mediums, here you have unlimited time to talk about your product. So you don’t have to be salesy and try to pack your message into 30 or 60 seconds. You can spend time teaching instead of selling.

Today’s Action Step

Leave a note in the comments below and let me know three ways you feel that you can blend editorial with call to action online.

For example, you could take a press release (already created) and turn it into a blog post. But rewrite just enough that there is a clear call to action in the post.

Now go take action.

This article is part of the Internet Marketing Basics series where we cover the fundamentals of internet marketing and social media.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by chrismar

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Business executives and coaches constantly debate on the one asset that is needed to succeed in the business world. Some individuals say that charisma is essential, others note teamwork as indispensable. Still, a third group states that each individual situation calls for different leadership styles.

Above all else, success in the business world depends on your network. You can have charisma, the ability to lead a team, money, and heart but if you don’t have a network of connections that can help your business, you won’t make it very far.

Developing or growing your network is easy, especially with LinkedIn. Let’s take a look at how you can use LinkedIn Groups to form a helpful and formidable group of allies in your niche.

What are LinkedIn Groups?

LinkedIn Groups are communities of people with one particular interest or quality in common. There are a wide range of LinkedIn Groups, including groups for marketers, musicians, evangelists, and comic book fans. Whatever your niche or interest, there is probably a group. If there isn’t, you have the ability to create a group in order to build a community of like-minded individuals.

How do LinkedIn Groups operate?

LinkedIn Groups operate like message boards. Members can post topics, articles, or interesting facts and other members can comment appropriately. It’s a great way to spur on communication and to build rapport with people who are a similar mindset or interest.

LinkedIn recently revamped their Groups section and now users can “Like” other posts and a most popular posts feed displays when you first enter the group, giving it more of a Facebook-ish feel. Some Groups also have sections for job postings and promoting your work, which only increases the usefulness of the group.

How can I use a group to grow my network?

There are three ways that you can use a LinkedIn Group to grow your network. First, you can post various articles and opinionated questions in order to generate responses from others. Once members have responded, continue the conversation and build rapport. There is no point to post threads if you’re not going to respond to the insight other people have given.

Second, respond to postings that other members started. This will show that you are an outgoing person and that you don’t mind sharing your opinion. Just as if you were starting the thread, be sure to respond when someone else comments on your thoughts. Generating conversation builds trust and influence.

Finally, you can use the Members tab to see the members of the group and you can strike up private conversations with individuals. If you are looking for individuals in the Chicago area to meet and brainstorm marketing ideas, you might go through the members of various marketing groups and ask Chicago-based professionals if they would be interested in attending. If you go this route, make sure that you don’t come across as a spammer. No one likes people who spam and are only looking out for themselves.

Once you have found some interesting people, whether its through conversation or the membership list, send them an invitation to join your network. If they find that you would be a beneficial part of their circle, they’ll accept.

There you have it–growing your network through LinkedIn Groups.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by tychay

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Believe it or not, most people don’t have an online reputation or if they do, it’s not a very good one. Your online reputation is critical to your amount of influence on other people, including clients, co-workers, and partners. If you have a solid reputation, individuals have a tendency to trust you more and open up to you. Without a solid track record, you are opening yourself up to ambiguity from your clients because of trust and security issues.

Trust is key in the online game and your reputation will help you immensely.

In order to help you with forming your online reputation, I’ve outlined five methods below. Let’s see how we can get you to become an online superstar…

1. Set up a blog – Without a doubt, this is the best way to create a online reputation for yourself. Why? Because everyone uses search engines to find information. If you are meeting with a new client, chances are they have searched the Internet for you to find out more information. If you make it freely available, people find you to be open, honest, and connected. Your blog doesn’t have to be much but it should exist so people can locate you and find out more information.

Tip – When registering for your blog, use your name or the name of your company in the URL. This will make you easily searchable and recognizable.

2. Go tweeting – Twitter has become extremely popular in a short period of time and it doesn’t look like it will be vanishing anytime soon. If you want to create an online reputation, begin using Twitter to share worthwhile information. Once you generate a list of followers, you will begin creating your sphere of influence. This will help you when you’re looking for clients and customers.

Tip – Make sure that you tweet about a variety of topics to show people you know how to “let your hair down.” This helps you become more trusting and approachable.

3. Share links – People crave information and if you happen to deliver the information they’re looking for, you have immediately garnered a reputation. Begin to set up accounts at delicious and Tumblr in order to share links and pages you find interesting. Your information sharing techniques will prove that you are reliable and that you are open to new ideas–two qualities that most people seek out in their relationships.

Tip – The same rules for tweeting apply for sharing links; share a variety of information.

4. Comment – One of the easiest ways to build a reputation is through commenting on articles, pages, and blogs. Most sites have some sort of community and if you can get into that community, your reputation and sphere of influence will begin to grow. Be precise with your comments and make sure that you are engaging and asking questions. This will spark side conversations, which lead to private messages, potential partnerships, and even clients.

Tip – Don’t make enemies on blogs because it WILL come back to haunt you. If someone doesn’t agree with your opinion, keep cool and let it go.

5. Recommend others – You can recommend others in two ways, using your blog or using LinkedIn. If you regularly maintain your blog, give a shout out every now and then to the people who you trust or know provide quality service. This will show your community and potential clients that you are able to give credit where it is due. LinkedIn allows users to recommend other people in various ways and your recommendation will appear on both your page and the page of the person you commended. If you network using LinkedIn, this is a great way to show you’re a team player.

Tip – Keep your recommendations short and sweet; the less fluff the better everyone looks.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by Concrete Forms

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In traditional marketing a company would attach your ad to a piece of entertaining content. I Love Lucy episodes would break for commercials and you would be presented with an array of 30 and 60 second product pitches. Many call this interruption marketing and this practice continues today.

There are problems with interruption marketing

First, It’s expensive. Many small businesses can’t compete at this level. Purchasing TV, radio spots and billboards costs lots of money.

Second, with the internet there are more effective ways to communicate and sell your products and services.

Education marketing is the model for the 21st century

We see Oprah do it all the time. She brings a guest on her show who TEACHES you something about life, love or work. After they spend time with Oprah (going over the ways they overcame weight loss or discovered how to deal with the pain of divorce) Oprah holds up their book and sales start pouring in.

It’s as if the book was an afterthought.

Now imagine if Oprah and her guests acted like Billy Mays and spent an entire hour pitching products.

Would some sell? You bet.

But she won’t create instant New York Times bestsellers like she does now.

She is educating first – then selling.

How education based marketing works

Because the internet is the place people go to search for information, they are primed and eager to learn.

Your job is to create ENTERTAINING pieces of content (text, audio, video, photos) that teach something.

The selling happens after the learning.

The more niche and specific your content the better. I’m reminded of a something I wrote a long time about going Beyond The 30 Second Ad Mentality.

Take what you do and turn it into education.

If you own an insurance company, you could educate people on risk management in a fun and entertaining way. If you sell vacation homes, educate potential buyers on the culture and history of your region.

Get creative.

Today’s action steps

First, develop one piece of education or training that fits nicely into your product and service offerings. Put this on your website, blog or Facebook page.

Next, let me know in the comments what your plan is for creating online educational content. Also feel free to ask any questions.

Now go take action.

This article is part of the Internet Marketing Basics series where we cover the fundamentals of internet marketing and social media.

.

Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by World Bank Photo Collection

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This post is written by guest author Samantha Casey.

Greetings Folk Media family! I feel honored to be guest blogging for you and sharing with you my business series, “Ammo for Your Arsenal.” This series is designed to bring you empowering advice, tips, and tools that will help you in your day to day business as Professionals. Whether you are the CEO or are just beginning in the business world, this series will provide information which will be useful in all arenas. This Power Topic covers the art of Less Promise, Greater Delivery. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery…”

What exactly does that mean? It’s a short phrase yet, encompasses the formula to your success.  For business professionals, regardless of the industry we are in, or position we hold within the company, the critical element to our lifeline is the ability to satisfy our clientele/audience/fanbase. Without them, we don’t exist. We want to provide every essential necessity to ensure they return to us for their services because they Trust and Believe in our business. We want to build relationships; lasting relationships with people who feel they know us, can relate to us, and are comfortable with us as their service provider.

Let’s break this down a little further. Each half is the ammo you will need to continue growing your business, clientele base, and retaining those you already have loyal to you.

Less Promise: aka “Under Promise”

This is where many find themselves in hot water. It is easy to meet a potential client, business colleague, future investment partner, etc and find yourself promising them the moon, stars, sun, and every planet in existence. If you are capable of delivering that, yes, do it! However, it is much more wise to under promise what you will be offering, and wowing your audience when you exceed their expectations by light years. Err on the side of caution here. Confidence is key in how you present yourself and it is very easy to get caught up in wanting to impress your audience, with the result of promising more than you can follow through on, because you are so determined to bring these guys onboard. You can do that without delivering false expectations and your impression will be one that is deemed respectable. This relates to something as simple as when you state you will forward an email or as to when you commit to a project deadline. You want to create commitments which are realistic for your business model and are sure to be honored. Your word is one people will NOT forget–keep it simple; whether in an email or verbally spoken, your word is a contract of its own.

Greater Delivery: aka “Over Delivering”

Over delivering is simply exceeding the expectation you have set forth from what was originally promised to your audience. This is where you have promised a Honda, but have delivered a Bentley. You have committed to a delivery and have executed that delivery by means which are far beyond what your client was originally asking of you.

If you are a Graphic Designer, perhaps you promised your clientele a finished website in two weeks, but have delivered the final product in one. If you are a Recording Artist, perhaps you promised your fans a chat session on Twitter, but have gone live on UStream to interact instead. Over delivering can be appreciated in simple ways but the key to this is: you have delivered MORE than you had committed to. Your audience will thank you, your clients will trust you, and your image will be noteworthy as one filled with integrity. It is critical that your delivery is greater than what you have promised your audience. When you come through, your audience will be awed. Your clients and colleagues will remember this…and this is how you WANT to be remembered! You want to get in there and consistently build a solid reputation!

The Quickest Way To Destroy Yourself

As I know you are aware, the business world is full of many people who cut corners, are dishonest, and talk fast in order to earn a quick buck. Don’t place yourself into that mold due to not keeping your commitments; once in there, you’ll be fighting tooth and nail to get out! Your image will be destroyed. In the long run, more will be coming out of your pocket to salvage all that you have lost along the way therefore; taking the easy road is one that will detour before you reach the road of success. So, steer clear of that mold. Promise what you know you are capable of delivering, and take the time, even a moment, to commit to take it a step further by delivering more. Less promise, greater delivery.

The road to success begins with committing, and following through. Ultimately, this ammo will give you the essential tool to build your credibility and reputation as sound, reliable, and one that is focused on ensuring your clientele/audience/fanbase is satisfied. You do not want to tarnish your word. Negativity spreads like wildfire and it is much easier to be labeled with a sour image than it is to retain a credible one.

Keeping Your Commitments = Keeping Your Business

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery”

Make this your business mantra! Repeat it, use it, and follow it. It is your blueprint to creating a phenomenal and triumphant empire.

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by LarryLens

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Email marketing autoresponders are powerful. But only if you know how to effectively write them. In this article, I’ll show you how to write effective email marketing autoresponders. But first a story…

I know this guy who’s a personal trainer. Let’s assume that he’s invited into a prospect’s home five times over the next three weeks. What would be the best thing for him to do when he visits?

Instead of going into their house and trying to get them to sign up for his services, I’d recommend that he spends time showing them a few exercise techniques and healthy menus. After five visits, the prospect should be very excited to work with him since he’s invested so much into their health.

Email marketing autoresponders give you the same opportunity to INVEST in your prospects

Why autoresponders work

Once you have a prospect’s email address, follow up is the next logical and critical step.

Followup is critical.
It is critical that you follow up.
Follow up. Follow up. Follow up.

Have I mentioned follow up? :-)

Remember that on average, a prospect must see your marketing message at least seven times before making a purchase decision.

What autoresponders can do

The best way to followup is to automate the process. Email service providers, like Aweber, have tools in place that will send out emails to new subscribers at pre-determined intervals. These are often referred to as autoresponders.

You can create a series of marketing messages that you know will communicate your products and services effectively and then have them emailed automatically.

From a technical perspective, autoreponders are simple to set up and use. Most email service providers have this built directly into their software.

The most challenging work for you is to know what to WRITE in your emails.

How to write an effective auto responder email sequence

List the most common problems your prospect faces. Then write out a series of emails that will walk them through solutions to these problems. Focus on “how to” solutions.

For example, if you are a personal trainer, don’t just give your prospect encouragement to eat healthy, give them a weekly menu plan they can use to lose weight.

It depends on your audience and prospects, but a good “rule of thumb” is to have one automated email send every 3-5 days.

Today’s action steps

First, if you found this post helpful, share with your friends and associates.

Next, outline your first five autoresponders. Spend time thinking about five critical problems your prospects are facing and address them.

Then, write these in a personal and helpful way.

Now go take action.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by bijoubaby

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In order to save you some time and effort today, here are some quick hits from around the world of social media…

Facebook has just announced that it will be rolling out a location-based feature called Places, which is similar to Foursquare and Gowalla.

Frank Ryan, former celebrity plastic surgeon, was tweeting from his cell phone when he accidentally ran his car over a cliff in Malibu, CA.

In an increasingly technological society, it’s important to make sure that your name is available when you need it.

An eMarketer project estimates that advertisers will spend over a billion dollars on social media advertising before the end of the year.

If you’re a social media manager, there are a few things that you should probably be eating for breakfast.

Sometimes businesses launch social media campaigns and need to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

The illusion that social media measurement is too “out there” is spreading like wildfire. Check out these three free tools to use.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by Jan Willem Geertsma

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Internet marketing is about content, strategy, community and relationships… but to make all these things happen we need to use platforms and channels.

Platforms and channels allow us to interact

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube, eBooks, podcasts, email newsletters, blogs, websites, forums, membership sites, Flickr, etc are all platforms. They are channels that carry your communication.

I suggest you create a presence on multiple channels for your business, but pick one as your primary communication channel. In his book, The Sticking Point Solution, Jay Abraham calls this your “signature channel.”

Why a signature channel is powerful

By choosing one communication channel to emphasize, you will build a ritual of expectation for your prospects and followers.

Gary Vaynerchuk produces quick and passionate Viddler videos. Chris Brogan writes daily on his blog. Jason Van Orden publishes weekly podcasts to iTunes. Mari Smith is very present on her Facebook page.

Do these people ONLY communicate with one channel?

No.

But they have built a ritual of expectation for their audience using one signature channel.

You can do the same thing for your business. It doesn’t matter if you are a roofing contractor, dentist or a consultant. Think about how you can communicate ritualistically with your audience. What’s your signature channel?

How to choose your signature channel

First, you’ll need to figure out what you’re comfortable doing. Some clients would die a thousand deaths if they had to get in front of a camera. Obviously they aren’t using YouTube as their signature communication channel. Other people are very comfortable and great in front of a camera.

I can remember reading Laura Roeder’s comments on video blogging. She’s found that she doesn’t enjoy writing lengthy blog posts, but video has come easily and was fun. So she’s put her efforts into making videos a huge part of her communication strategy. And it works very well for her and her audience.

It’s really all about your style.

What do you think makes you shine the most? How does your audience/target market typically like to receive communication?

High level business executives in their mid 60s will probably respond better to an email newsletter. College students may resonate with YouTube videos and Facebook updates.

A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT: You don’t have to choose one thing and stick with it forever. Consider everything a test and see what works and what doesn’t. Then keep doing the stuff that gets you results.

Remember, the goal is to connect with your prospects and customers, show that you are a real human that can be trusted and add then create massive value for your prospects.

Here’s a short list of channels that you might consider…

Slideshare
YouTube
Podcasting
Blogging (text)
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Today’s Action Step

Choose one signature communication channel and stick with it for a while to test the waters. If appropriate to the channel, I’d suggest one update each weekday for one month. I’ve found that most online channels lend themselves to daily updates

So – in the comments section below, let me know what channel you’ve decided to try this month.

Now go take action.

This article is part of the Internet Marketing Basics series where we cover the fundamentals of internet marketing and social media.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by shoothead

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