It’s like those holiday buffets where everyone scrambles to be first in line, thinking the food is going to run out. We pile our plates to the ceiling because we don’t want to miss anything. Try as we might, we still end up wasting food. After all is said and done, we ask, why wasn’t I more sensible?

It reminds me of Social Networking which is a lot like all those buffets you are going to encounter this holiday season. So let me offer you a gift to help you get through your holiday feasts and help you navigate Social Networking at the same time.

Social Networking Diet

• Know what’s available – Before you jump into the line, take time to check out the buffet to learn what’s available. Just because there is a feast of Social Networking technology out there doesn’t mean you need to use everything in sight.
• Know what you need – As a diabetic, I’ve done the research to understand what I need to create balanced nutrition. Take the time to learn how your prospects and clients use social networking so you can create a balanced strategy for your organization.
• Make sensible choices – I love jelly beans, but I know they shouldn’t be the main course. It’s okay to sample Twitter, but should you use it as your primary social networking channel?

We are all going to get stuffed this holiday season. Before you have to resort to a crash diet or swear off social networking all together, consider starting with a sensible approach. Do the work, make the effort, earn the rewards.

May your December be Just Another Holiday in Paradise!

Yes, as you suspect, her AOL account had been hacked. You don’t know how many friends you have until you’re hacked. Everyone in her address book received the desperate sounding email, many figured it out. It’s so embarrassing to have to explain. I’m sure she wishes there was some way to take it all back. Well, there is.

What to do if you suspect you’ve been hacked

Contact your account provider by phone or visit their security support page. AOL password support at 1-888-797-3738 or visit the AOL Account and Computer Security page. For Facebook support, visit the Facebook Security Take Action page. At the very least it requires a password change.

How to Prevent Account Hacking

The first line of defense is good locks, locked all the time. Here are tips you can use to avoid public humiliation:

• Develop Strong Passwords – Visit the Microsoft Safety & Security Center to learn how.
• Never Use the Same Password Twice – A single password is like master key, it gives a hacker immediate access to all your valuable places.
• Store Passwords Securely – Leverage technology to hide your passwords in a Splash ID digital safe.
• Shut the Door Behind You – Because most of us work in the Cloud using online apps, always log out to prevent unauthorized access.
• Pay Attention – Checking bank transactions online makes perfect sense. Extend a watchful eye to your sent items folder to check for messages you didn’t send.

The session focused on how to monitize your blog, content generation, Search Engine Optimization. A platform survey revealed a 90%  dominance by WordPress,  half of those hosted at WordPress.com the rest self hosted (WordPress.org).  Here are some tips I found valuable:

• Blog titles are king – Everyone agreed, titles are the key that compells visitors to unlock your valuable content.
• Keyword inclusion across all posts – To sustain search engine visibility, always include your top keyword phrases in each post. One attendee suggested keeping a list in view while composing a new post.
• Build a natural flow – Posts should serve as a waypoint, not the ultimate destination for your visitors.  Timely posts attract visitors seeking current information. Provide them with an invitation to valuable information on your website including articles, products, services and special offers.
• Promote your posts – if blogs are for marketing, social networking is for PR. Promote your blog by linking it to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and anywhere else your prospects hang out online.
• Favorite Links from NSA Bloggers – Alltop, SmartBrief, Copyscape, Hello Bar,  hootsuite, and fiverr.com.
• (My) favorite book – Digging into WordPress.

I’m grateful to all my NSA Blogging Buds for sharing their favorite tips.

eMarketer article
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008306

I was recently invited to visit a Facebook page so I could “Like” the organization. When I arrived I learned I really didn’t have a choice. I was instructed to click the Like button before I would be allowed to access the content.

If my opening question caught you by surprize, I’m not surprized. In most social settings, people like to get to know you before commiting to a “Like” relationship. The same is true with online Social Networking. Many novice Facebook business marketers use the Like button inappropriately. Not only are they unsuccessful, but it’s such a turnoff they lose ground from the very start.

What is Like?

Social Contract

Social Etiquette.

Shared interests

Like behavior, not organization.

If you’re attending, and struggled with the Keurig Coffeemake this morning, here are some helpful tips.

It’s more than an issue of virtual etiquette. It’s a question of business survival. On a recent assignment with EZCarCreditFL.com, we conducted a thorough evaluation of their Earned, Paid and Owned media. We invested in expensive media campaigns, pored over web analytics, and evaluated linking strategies.

The result? The bottleneck to lead acquisition was not anywhere near the web. It was the phones. After brainstorming with the staff, we performed an extreme makeover of the phone system, assigned a specific team member to answer the sales lines, and tracked each and every call.
Sales increased immediately.

 If you’re tempted to ask your customers, “Can you hear me now?” It might have nothing to do with their hearing, perhaps your organization is hard of listening.

Virtual Hearing Test

Is your organization getting the right message to the the right prospects at the right time? Here are some tips to help you clarify your message and improve your virtual communications.

• Check All Channels – How do your customers and prospects prefer to hear from you? Put on your customer hat. Do they call or text, send an email or submit a web form? Check all available communication channels to see if your message not only gets through, but if your organization is speaking with one voice.
• Check Your Culture- Does your communication process build bridges or walls? Are your people using Caller ID to screen callers or anticipate their questions?
• Check Your Results- I can tell you who called last Tuesday, not to mention, when, for how long, what they needed and how I responded. It’s not magic, just a solid Customer Experience Management program called SugarCRM. It’s web-based, so I access it on my computer, iPad and Smartphone. To create success you need to improve the quality of your communication, and quality starts when you measure results.

Suggestions?

Some of the best ideas I’ve ever heard came from listening to prospects and customers. If you have a communication tip, please share it with me, either as a comment below or a voice message at 727-278-9382.

Yes, I think I can hear you now.

Lydia's appearance on WJS.com is neither an accident nor a fluke. It's simply a product of her Internet marketing strategy. It's great to have client testimonials you can publish on your site. It's even better to have them mention you in their blogs or provide you with a Amazon review, LinkedIn testimonial or Facebook "Like". The sweet spot in virtual visibility is when a respected publication elevates your brand from expert to recognized expert.

It's more than just recognition. Whether Lydia is featured in the Journal, Inc, Cosmo, or on NPR, the emails from well wishers are soon followed by subscriber confirmations, orders from new customers and booking inquiries for speaking engagements.

Wish You Were a Media Darling?

Following in Lydia's footsteps is really very simple, even if it's not easy. It requires a commitment to knowing what's going on in the world of business and not being afraid to "tell it like it is".

To improve your "Virtual Visibility, you need to:

• Write about what's going on in your area of expertise.
• Increase the frequency of your publishing and balance it against the quantity of content.
• Be consistent in the words and phrases in your message. Lydia uses my Key Phrase Thesaurus to ensure important words like Polish from her book title: "adding the Polish that Builds Profits" are repeated in the published interview or blog post "lacks polish".
• Seek interview opportunities where your expertise can shine. Reinforce the linkage between your published blog posts, articles, white papers, products and services.
• Create an easy to follow linkpath from:
  • The content distributor, the magazine or network site, which leads to
  • Your published content including "Owned Media" like Twitter feed, Blog posts or Articles which leads to
  • Your product or services landing pages which leads to
  • Your bank account.

Although it's not easy, the interview strategy produces results in a relatively short time. Lydia has accomplished front page status in less than a year.

So when are you going to get started? Give me a call at 727-278-9382 and let me know how you are doing.

Happy New Year I know it's still the 31st in the US, but it's already New Years on Fiji!

Congratulations! You've almost made it through the holiday season. All the presents were delivered, opened and returned. You realize you only need to buy one more container to store those newly acquired decorations.

It's that brief moment of time between the sigh of relief for festivities accomplished and the deep breath of anticipation for a bright New Year. Go ahead, take a moment to reflect on the blessings of the season.

But what ever you do, don't let your guard down.

Come Monday morning I predict a Perfect Internet Marketing Storm is going to bury you in a blizzard of:

• Urgent!
• You Must Act Now!
• Secrets Never Revealed Until Now!

How can so much snow pile up so fast?

As the holiday season comes to a close, let's resolve to celebrate the Season of Reason. This year, let's think twice before accepting all those marketing claims. Let's consider paying attention to our customers instead of paying the hucksters. 

In the spirit of my New Year Season of Reason, here are answers to the 4 most outrageous questions found in the digital marketing offers you are about to receive.

Don't you want to have the latest technology everybody is talking about?

Not necessarily. It's really not about technology, in 2011 it's about connecting. The best way to evaluate the latest technology is get the answers to two questions. Will this new technology help me connect with the right prospects? Will it help me build a better relationship with my existing clients or customers?

I've found it's best to focus first on the task, then look for the right tools.

Is it true that people are making millions on the internet?

Yes, but only those who can convince you to invest in their “How I Made Millions on the Net” home study course. The increase in broadband and 4G wireless have made a tremendous impact on the speed of the Internet. But the speed limit will always be set at the speed of trust*. In 2011, the race to business success will be won at a slow and steady pace. It will require:

• The use of multiple communication channels
• An increase in message frequency
• A decrease in message length
• Congruency and transparency in message content

Why should I invest time and money in a (blog, YouTube Channel, Facebook Company Page, etc.).

Definite Maybe. Who are you trying to connect with? Would they connect with you via your blog, watch your videos on YouTube or “Like” you on Facebook? I recommend using as many digital communication channels as possible, but not all technology is created equal. Make sure you choose from each of the M.A.P.** Categories:
Marketing (M) – Blog Posts, Newsletters, Articles, White Papers.
Advertising (A) – Content Distributors, Autos – AutoTrader, Books – Amazon, Collectibles – eBay.
Promotion – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.

Should I invest heavily in the latest technology to jump ahead of my competition?

No, Fear of getting left behind is a common technology marketing ploy. They will do almost anything to get you to join their revolution. Wait until you see the direction of the inevitable evolution before jumping on board. Blogs started as platform for ranting, then evolved into Newsletter management platforms. Avoid the cutting edge, wait for the bleeding edge.

My New Year Wish… and gift.
My wish is that you have a safe and prosperous New Year.

And my gift?
When you start receiving those wild and crazy technology marketing offers next week, send them to me. I promise to respond with a measured response, a balanced perspective and links to additional resources you can use to make your technology work.

Happy New Year!

Jerry Gitchel
757-278-9382

*The Speed of Trust, by Stephen M.R. Covey, Stephen R. Covey, and Rebecca R. Merrill
**Growing Your Business, by Mark LeBlanc

The post suggests the one of the best ways to combat message distortion is through the use of owned media. Forrester blogger Sean Corcoran defines Owned Media as "channels a brand controls". It's no longer enough to simply publish your story on your website. Each day, blogs increase in influence as they move toward mainstream media. You (and your message) need to be there.

Eliminating Message Distortion

 Here are some steps you can take immediately to to increase the power of your blog posts:

• Connect "Here" with "Now". Blog content changes frequently, compeling Search Engines to index frequently. Composing a post  about what's happening right now improves the search ranking of your post. Including your expertise and insight connects readers to the "here", your products and services.
• Switch to Draft Mode. Insight may appear to be inspired, but rarely is it instantaneous. I've configured my blog software to compose my post in draft mode instead of publishing each time I press Save. Leave room in your blogging process for research, reflection and fact checking.
• Use Just the Right Word. I recommend creating your own personal thesaurus of key search terms. Keep it close and refer to it while composing a brand message for digital distribution.
• Capture "This Just In!" With tools like Google Alerts and or an RSS reader, you no doubt will have plenty to write about. Consider creating an early warning system to alert you when topics aligned with your expertise appear in the news.

 How do you manage to stay on message when publishing blog posts? Please add a comment to share your tips.

Resources

• eMarketer.com – Companies Struggle to Keep Social Media Content On-message
• Forrester blog by Sean Corcoran – Defining Earned, Owned And Paid Media
• Key Phrase Thesaurus -Worksheet with instructions by Jerry Gitchel