As a chemistry major in college, I spent more time in the lab than I care to remember. Chemistry trials and experiments take time - hours, days, and sometimes even weeks.  But if you expect to prove your hypothesis for achieving a particular result, you have to do the work. 

You have to experiment to learn.  In a business experiment, your laboratory is a marketplace.  Social media allows you to tap into that market to get almost instantaneous feedback.  And that allows you to make adjustments to improve how you serve your customers better. Here are some ideas for doing that.

If you have an hypothesis - an idea, and your customer base rejects it, you have to respond to that.  Is the problem with the validity of the idea, or your ability to communicate it?  Your marketplace will let you know if you ask them.

In my work with social media marketing, I find my ability to communicate is essential.  My small business clients are not prepared to invest as much time into this as I would like.  I have to show them how they can get results with minimal effort.  What is your greatest challenge? 

As with those arduously drawn-out experiments we conducted in the chemistry lab, you have to be persistent to find solutions that work.  Fortunately, the social networks operate with great speed.  This rapid-fire feedback allows you to experiment with multiple possibilities in a short period of time.  

Experimentation is trying new tactics and waiting for a result.  It's a form of listening. Listen well to your customers and they will lead you to the solutions that will make your company relevant - the logical choice.  In most circumstances, this means doing what others are not able or willing to do. 

Life would be great if everything worked out as we planned. But it just doesn't work that way, does it?  If you can be willing to accept failure without emotion, then you are better equipped to move to on what does work.

We have all succumbed to the realization that our genius is not always appreciated.  Get over it.  Find what works and deliver on that.   But don't abandon your genius ideas.  This just may not be the right time for them.  Come back to them later.

This week I hit a home-run with several clients.  Those moments of gratification are the result of losing sleep over the failures that preceded them.  If you believe your ideas are good, you owe it to yourself to stay the course.

Blogging is a perfect example of this.  For years I was asked why I was wasting my time with this nonsense.  Those challenges still ring in my mind from time to time.  While I still occasionally consider them, its up to me to make the final decision.  Sometimes quitting is the right thing to do.  Just make sure you have given your work sufficient time to prove its worth. 

A catalyst is a substance that accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.  On the social media networks, a catalyst for your company may be nothing more than a friend that recommends your work.  

Just because your hypothesis is not working, does not mean it is not valid.  You may only need one customer to prove it for your future customers.  Use this approach to assuage their doubts and catalyze a new mindset.

One of the greatest values of the social media networks is aggregating a community of fans that validate what you do - your price, your process, or whatever else needs to be validated. You cannot do this by collecting thousands of followers on Twitter.  Better to nurture a small group of fans that firmly stand behind you.

Business success is a process.  It's an ongoing experiment.  It take time.  And sometimes it requires a catalyst to jump-start that process to get it moving.

Consider how you can use your social media networks as your laboratory.  Experiments fail - it's no big deal. If you continue to learn from those failures, and you are willing to stay the course, while also courageously realizing when its time to quit a bad proposition, you will more consistently achieve the results you are looking for.

My belief is most small businesses that give up on social media marketing do so because they have not fully considered all of their options. 

Social media marketing is a process. 

Work with it.  It's your laboratory.

Let me know how I can help you with your social media laboratory. Leave a comment and I'll respond.

Photo Credit: tk-link

Google has been on a tear.  In the last year they have:

• Added Google Profile
• Enhanced Google Local
• Launched Google Social Search
• Introduced Google Wave and Google Buzz
• And just this week, they have ramped up Google Apps with Google Marketplace

I'm sure most people are taking a wait and see approach to much of this.  Is that a wise strategy if you are trying to maximize your SEO (search engine optimization)?

Google dominates the Web in terms of search.  They have virtually unlimited resources that allow them to take risks.  Will they come out on top in every one of these situations?  Maybe.  And maybe not. 

However, what you and I have to consider is that this increasingly humanized Web is changing with lighting speed.  While some of Google's introductions and enhancements still leave much to be desired, you have to consider their track record.

Google is a force.  They understand that risk is necessary to stay on top of your game.  While I cannot profess to understand their strategy, I suspect it involves placing tools in the hands of the social media practitioners - that's you and me - to see if we can do something productive with them.

Those of us that have been formally trained in marketing were taught to find a need and exploit it.  While those words seem to be opportunistic, that is how marketers like me were trained to think.  That's old school thinking that takes time and money.  I'm sure Google is more concerned with time.

Everything is moving fast on this Web. Speed is everything.  Google understands if you show up early to the party you have the first shot at the pretty girls.  Better than that is to not even wait for that party, but to be the one that throws it!

Certainly, Google Wave was met with a great deal of dismay, but it is getting better.  We are learning to make it work - slowly.  And there is no doubt Google Wave needs some work.  Google just allowed us to adjust our settings so that we get email notification when changes are made to our Waves. That's nice.

When Google Profiles were introduced I had a hunch that this was intended to create a social media hub of sorts.  So I loaded up a good many of my social media networks to it.  Then I patiently waited.

Then I tried to get comfortable with Google Buzz, which happens to be linked to your gmail account.  For me, gmail is my secondary email platform.  Nevertheless, I activated Buzz to see what's what.  Mostly I just waited.

Even though I didn't completely understand Buzz, I set a means to update Google Buzz with Ping.fm.  Ping allows me to update Buzz along with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other networks - all with one push of a button.

Today I happened upon my Google Profile and noticed a stream of Buzz -links to my daily blog posts. You don't have to be a rocket scientist from MIT to discern that those links are going to introduce your work to people searching the Web.

Stay with me.  Your Google Profile usually lands on the FIRST PAGE of a GOOGLE SEARCH!  Until the introduction of Buzz, this was essentially a static page.  Now it is alive with a steady stream of new links that lead back to you - provided you are using Google Buzz

Show Google some love and they will return the favor.  Take some risks.  Bet on their unproven features and you just may be as surprised - as I was, with the result.

The Web is not a linear game.  That's why all of the left-brain thinkers just don't get it. They are still living in that tired world of Pay-Per-Click.  All they see is a linear game of - do something to get something.  And we all know that's not how love works.

Today's Web is humanized - and it is circular.  You place your bets and maybe you get lucky.  There are no guarantees.  Are you in or out?

You can sit back and wait, or you can show up early to the party and take your chances.  No guarantees.  

I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to continue to show up early and share in the love.  If you join me, we can help each other.  Find me at my Google Profile.

Photo Credit: Laura May

You have a recycle bin on your laptop that you use to discard unnecessary computer files.  You toss them into the recycle bin and empty it periodically. 

Why not do the same with your paper files? 

Instead of anguishing over whether or not to read industry periodicals because you are afraid you will not be fully informed, why not forget about them for a while.  Get them off your desk.  Toss them into a "Feng Shui Recycle Bin" in the back of your desk file drawer. 

Here's what is going to happen.  You will get them out of the way. This frees up your attention - and energy, so that you can now focus on more important matters.  You can do the same with faxes you have recently sent, and so many other documents that suck up your energy through unnecessary attention.

Your Feng Shui Recycle Bin will clear a space that frees your mind, and in the process, increases your productivity.  It works because in the back of your mind you know that paper is there if you need it, but you will find that 99% of the time you never will!   

Do you half-read industry publications because you feel you must.  Stop!  Put them into your Feng Shui Recycle Bin and you will feel safe.  They are there if you need them.  That's the power of this tool.

Just like the recycle bin on your laptop, you can periodically empty this one.  This practice will remind you that you don't need that junk - and that alone will energize you even more.  Amazing, isn't it?

If you are not familiar with Feng Shui, it is a science that helps human beings harmonize with their environment.  You can interpret that in many ways.  In the work environment, this means productivity. 

Since selling my landscape business two years ago, I no longer practice Feng Shui as I did when I designed meditation and healing gardens.  Nevertheless, I still respect and honor these principles that enable me to be more effective in my work with social media marketing.

Some people think of Feng Shui as an esoteric science.  Here's the thing; you don't have to be trained in it to understand it.  It is common sense.  As a landscape architect, I understood that good design was good Feng Shui.

If you are really interested in Feng Shui, I highly recommend The American Feng Shui Institute.  This is where I learned and earned my certification with Master Larry Sang and Chris and Sophia Shaul, - more years ago than I care to mention.

Social media and Feng Shui have one thing in common.

They are about people, and how they interact in a shared environment to accomplish more - more easily.

 Photo Credit: dycmo

You have four seconds to answer.

If you expect to translate visitors into readers, you have to appeal to their sensibilities in a matter of seconds.  To do that, you have to know them well.

Many blogs proclaim to help everyone.  That's not an audience; that's a dream!

I've read blogs that profess to help bloggers, or companies, or worst yet - people!  My question is which ones?  For example, there are business bloggers and bloggers that are just expressing themselves for the fun of it.  Their objectives differ. 

Having fun is a viable objective.  It's an art form.  If that is how you can help, go for it. I suspect it is an under-served niche.

Connect with Their Primal Needs

What are the primal needs of your target audience - the perennial challenges that never seem to go away? 

My target audience is small business owners who typically are wearing multiple hats.  They are starved for time.  For this reason, I have to keep things simple, get to the point, and whenever possible, provide pragmatic examples that show them how.  The don't care about a long-winded perspective from The Harvard Business Review.  They simply want practical tips and advice.

If your audience happens to be more intellectual, then by all means, go ahead and provide 101 tips.  I feel my job is to sift through the rubble to find the gold that my readers are looking for.  That's how I add value.  

My friend shared an interesting insight about blogging.  He said blogging is a form of talking to yourself.  And we all know that people that talk to themselves, while possibly being a bit strange, are quite often very intelligent.  The nice thing about blogging is you can privately talk to yourself.

Seriously, the more you blog the smarter you get.  You develop greater clarity for how you can help your customers, especially if you are taking the time to engage with your readers through comments.  And the more you do that, the better you understand them, and what they really need.

The Challenge

When you can succinctly describe how you can help your audience with their challenges in just a few seconds, you will easily build your readership.  There are many theories for doing this.  However, the one that I always come back to is the simplest - work at it.

Be good.  Be exceptional.  That's right dude, be excellent!

There is no substitute for excellent performance.

If you happen to be a Typepad Blogger, here is a comprehensive page of excellent tips for making your Typepad blog excellent.

I have organized them by category. I hope you find a few you can use.  Most of them are free.  Please leave a comment to share your favorites so we can learn from your personal experience. 

The name of each app will link to the website of the application.  No link means the website is not necessarily complementary, and you should just search from the iPhone app store. 

Other links will take you to previous posts where I have described in detail how the app has been successfully used by me or a colleague.

Evernote - This app is invaluable for capturing ideas on the fly, especially for taking action on ideas from the Web.

Batchbook - You can save a great deal of time by having your contacts readily available on the Web.  Batchbook is my choice.  It is especially geared for those of us who actively use social media.  I've commented numerous times on how I'm using Batcbook to simplify my social media work - most recently to insert a form in your blog.  Use the Google search box on this blog to search for others.

It's one thing to access contacts from the cloud.  It's another to have full access to deals in progress and notes from recent conference calls.

Dragon Dictation - This is an amazingly accurate app for capturing notes when paper and pen are not handy - think bedside and bathtub!  It will transcribe your words very accurately.  Then you just email them to yourself.

Tripit - If you travel much at all, you need Tripit.  Just forward all of those confirming emails for air, hotels, and travel to plans@tripit.com.  It consolidates them into an itinerary that you carry with you on your iPhone.  No more scraps of paper to lose.

You can share your Tripit schedule with colleagues who may wish to meet with you when you are in their area.  In this respect, it is a viable productivity app too.

Google - The Google app brings in much more than search.  This is where I read dozens of blogs by using the Google Reader.  You can also access your Google Docs, Calendar, and most of the other applications Google provides.

RedLaser - Have you ever been ready to make an impulse purchase and wondered if the price was fair?  No problem, Redlaser uses a barcode scan to give you off and online price comparisons.  It costs a few bucks, but is much more reliable than the free apps I have tried.

Siri - This new and free app uses the latest geolocation technology and more to serve as your virtual assistant.  You simply dictate what you need in common language and it serves up appropriate options.  We used it recently while on a family road trip.  It helped me find a Starbucks on one of the upcoming exits.  Nice!

This is the future of apps on this humanized web.  Think of Siri as Google search, Google Maps, UrbanSquare, and Dragon Dictation,  combined with others, and all rolled into one. 

Jeffkorhan -  Are you thinking of creating your own app?  It is easier than you may realize.  I previously described how I created an app for this blog, JeffKorhan.com, so that you can easily access the latest on social media marketing for your small business.

Sharing

Hootsuite - This is my current favorite for using Twitter from my iPhone.  It is especially helpful for accessing your Twitter lists and hashtags.

Documents To Go - I just learned of this powerful app today.  My college roommate is an executive with a Fortune 500 corporation and travels the world to audit financial systems for his company.  He uses this app to have full functionality for Excel spreadsheets and Word docs.

I plan to use this app to do the same with a current project.  I'm co-writing a book with a marketing colleague and we'll be collaborating through Google Docs to hit our 90 day timeline.  You'll need to pay $15 for the premium version, but it is worth the investment.

Facebook - The Facebook app allows you to do most everything you can from your laptop.  And it's free.  I only wish LinkedIn would follow suit and add the same capabilities to theirs.

Typepad - Frequently I notice a typo on this blog while reading a post in the smallest room in my house.  Think privacy and you'll know which room I'm talking about!  Using a few keystrokes and some scrolling I can fix the mistake.

These are my favorites.  How about you?  Leave a comment to share your favs.  And use the buttons below to share these with your networks.

Photo Credit: macmuc

 
Google Alerts are an invaluable tool for monitoring your online presence or a very specific topic. 

The most common use of Google Alerts is staying on top of the Web presence of the most important person in our lives - ME!  And on this increasingly humanized Web, that is certainly a recommended practice to take advantage of positive mentions of your personal brand, and also to manage those negative comments.

The Web is a big place and specificity is the key to effectively using this tool.  Here are some tips for doing that.

Getting Started

The first step in using Google Alerts is to get a gmail address that establishes your Google Account.  Then simply go to Alerts in their menu of services and start setting up the words or phrases that you wished to be informed on.  You have a choice for being informed via email or with an RSS feed to your Google Reader, which you can use more easily with iGoogle.

Use ALL of Your Names

You have more "names" than you may realize.  Traditionally, we think of having a legal name and a nickname.  However, the Internet has created a need for more names that you should also be monitoring.  This includes usernames, addresses, and URL's. 

Because you do not know which name will be indexed, or sometimes which portion, you will be wise to establish a complete system of alerts that aims to go fishing for all them.

Your Name

Mostly I go by Jeff Korhan, but my legal name is Jeffrey J. Korhan, so I have alerts set for both. 

If there happens to be a famous persona that shares your name, use the minus sign to exclude them from the data sent to you.  For example, if your name is Bill Gates.

Set the alert like this in quotes to exclude (subtract) the famous namesake by using an associative term, such as: "Bill Gates - Bill Gates Microsoft." 

Social Media UserName

To simplify your life, it is best to choose one username and stick with it on all of your networks.  Mine is jeffkorhan - which is my name without spaces.  Yet, as far as Google is concerned, that one little space makes a difference.

Twitter UserName

Once again, one little symbol makes a huge difference.  @jeffkorhan is my Twitter username.  The key is to include the @ symbol.

Incidentally, Google is not going to index all of your Tweets.  However, once in a while one gets indexed.  You may as well know which ones those are. 

Website Name

For me this is jeffkorhan.com.  The key is the .com.  Because whether  your URL is indexed as http://, or www, or both together, because they are all contiguous, it is going to be the "yourURL.com" - or whatever extension applies, that distinguishes your site.

Company Name

If you are a small business owner, your personal name and company name are practically synonymous.  Setting alerts for your company name keeps you informed on any mentions on the Web so that you can encourage positive comments, and address any negative  talk.  

Plus, if you happen to have a registered or trademarked name or names, you are obligated to respond to infringing uses to protect your rights. 

Related Names

Related to your work as a small business are the products and services you provide, key customers, your competitors and what they are up to, and industry associations you are a member of.

In this area especially, you will have to discriminate and suspend Alerts if the content gets too overwhelming.  While I do a lot of work in the green industry, there is more content there than I have time to digest, so I discontinued those alerts.

Google alerts just bring you to the trough of water.  It's up to you to take drink.  The important thing is to click through the indexed links and see where they take you.  When appropriate, make a response.  There is one thing other bloggers appreciate, and that is when a mentioned source shows up to participate in the conversation.

For example, I was recently mentioned in a post by the Social Media Club of France.  I discovered the link through Google Alerts and dropped down an appreciative comment, to which they graciously responded.  You won't see the comments in the link above because they have not yet been indexed.

Going beyond analytics to use Google Alerts for human interaction and building community is the highest use of this sometimes tedious work of monitoring your personal and company brands. 

It Works Fast

So, how fast do Google Alerts work?  This post went live at 11:54 a.m. CDT.  As you can see from the image below, at 12:19 p.m. - just 25 minutes later,  this post was indexed and an email sent to me.  Very nice, huh?!

If you have enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below.  Let me know other topics you would like covered and I'll do my best.  And feel free to use the buttons below to share this post with your community.

As most of know, the process of getting better occasionally involves some obstacles.  That's the way life works, but it can be managed.  I've recently been observing an example of this through the conversation surrounding a well-known blogger who has stirred up a small controversy with his substantial audience. 

The issue and the blogger are irrelevant, so I will not mention either.  What is relevant is the fact that if you expect to build a substantial fan base or audience for your blog, you are going to have to take some risks.  And along with those risks comes not just the potential reward, but also the occasional heat or fallout.

Let's look at some ways this can be strategically managed to achieve your small business objectives.

This is a good strategy if you are just getting started with blogging, or possibly if you are at the peak of your career and have nothing to prove.  In both of those situations, you don't need to or want to be controversial.  This may also be the right approach if you work in a small town or a corporate environment.

You have to decide how much risk you are comfortable with. Naturally, we all want to achieve more.  Although, you had better expect to endure some stress in achieving your lofty goals because you will encounter plenty of people who will challenge you - some for no reason at all, and others because they sincerely want to help you.  It can be difficult to discern between the two.

When you Agree to Disagree with someone in your target market, you are basically saying you don't agree with them but you would rather not get into a big tussle over it.  You think you are right, and I think I'm right, but for the sake of doing business together, or at least co-existing in the same market, let's just agree to disagree and move on.

The problem with this stance is its not too far removed from Being Agreeable.  You are taking more risk here and as a result, you will occasionally catch a nice wave.  But the street-smart in your market will define you as spineless - someone who will back down as soon as you are challenged. I would rather be known as a pleasant and agreeable blogger, because while there is lower risk and reward, there is also a nobility to knowing who you are.

This is where most of us are - or think we are.  The true test, of course, is to honestly ask yourself how often you compromise when the current gets a little choppy.  The aforementioned blogger hasn't backed down once.  It doesn't matter if he is right or wrong.  What's important is he has developed a base from which he can back up his position.

That is exactly why this is the wrong approach if you are being controversial just for the effect, which is not uncommon with some youthful bloggers who have scored one success and are emboldened by it.  What they don't realize is the seasoned professionals don't think very much of their irrational exuberance. Why?  The world is littered with one-hit wonders!

Standing the test of time is the ultimate proof.  You will take some heat to get there, but that is also what makes you wiser.  You have built up a legacy through your social media work that backs up your talk. 

Get clear in advance about what is acceptable and what isn't.  Write it down if you have to.  And have a value system that you live by.  When you get get clear about just those two parameters, you will be very comfortable with your chosen strategy - and the risk that accompanies it.

Knowing that most of us want to accomplish more, I made a decision this week to share what I know on this topic by co-writing a book with a marketing friend.  I will keep you informed on the progress.  However, I can already assure you it will be heavily weighted towards taking the apparent risks - to get the real rewards that come with authenticity. 

Sometimes the true risk is holding back.

Take a chance, you only live once.

Tomorrow We'll Be Better

This quote by Google co-founder Sergey Brin says it all. "We knew that Google was going to get better every single day as we worked on it, and we knew that sooner or later, everyone was going to try it.  So our feeling was that the later you tried it, the better it was for us because we'd make a better impression with better technology.  We were never in a big hurry to get you to use it today.  Tomorrow would be better."  

This is not just how I feel about all of my social media marketing, but yours too.  While I believe the content of my blog posts, as one example, have always been good, they are always getting better.   When it comes to social  media, we are all going to get better.  We'll get better at writing, linking, and even search engine optimization. 

The most important thing is that we are here! 

You cannot do anything well if you are afraid of your competition catching up to you.  In the social media arena, that is unlikely to happen.  If you are reading this post, you are in the minority of small businesses that are using social media. According to a study by the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, only 7% of small businesses are blogging.  Those that are using social media, which is estimated at 14%, are mostly working with LinkedIn or Facebook.

Note:  Be careful when you read that article.  Several of us examined the stats through comments on a post at Mashable to discern that social media usage in small businesses is exactly what we have experienced in our work - very low indeed.  You have to understand how the statistics are presented and  crunch the numbers to get an accurate perspective.  That big chart represents the 18% minority (89/500) who have actually taken the first step to try social media marketing.

You have to see that the train is leaving the station and now is the time to get on board to have the opportunity to get better. You can't expect to get better every day if you aren't working at it.  That's the difference.

How do you get better?  Study and work are the two main ingredients that have worked for me.  This combination gives you the experience you need.

If you want to get ramped up quickly, there are those of us that can help you.  Just be careful who you choose to work with.  There are a lot of pretenders out there with a good knowledge of the social networks, yet virtually no business experience at all.  You need both.  Stroll through my Working With Me page and you will be better educated to make better choices. 

As I've said many times, you can do this on your own.  The information is out there on hundreds of quality blogs like this one.  But you have to be willing to study it and work at getting better.  The comforting thing is if you do that, you will develop the confidence of Sergey Brin.

You will be a fearless social media marketer.

Photo Credit:  Claudiogennari

Relationships Selling

When most of us think of using video on the social networks, it is often with the vision of having that video go viral.  Not that we necessarily want to be worldwide celebrities - or do we? 

That's exactly what can hold you back. If it happens, that's wonderful and something to celebrate. Until then, think about what's important here.  You just want to be known in your market.   

Today I was ready to turn a proposal loose to a new client.  At the last minute I realized that taking an extra 15 minutes to shoot a 2 minute video introduction for anyone who might be involved in the decision-making process would be a good idea.  Is it worth that to get the business?  You know it is.  

We're talking about relationships here.  You obviously cannot develop a relationship with a video, but you can help give someone a glimpse into your personality - what it may be like to work with you.  That is something you cannot do in words.  And that is a powerful use of social media.   

When I tried to load up the aforementioned video to YouTube, I discovered (for the first time) that YouTube was down.   So, I strolled on over to Vimeo.  For one thing, I know the quality of a video presentation is better with Vimeo.  It may not have the audience of YouTube, but the quality is exceptional.

What I didn't know is their system of password protecting a video is very nice indeed.  With just one click they will email the link of your video, along with your personal message and the necessary password to view it.

There is tendency among marketers to think bigger - we are trained to reach for more customers.  While social media can help you with that, it also is ideal for helping you to better communicate with that small circle of prospects and customers that know you, that understand you, and are therefore more likely to do business with you.  

There is an energy to marketing.  You know it and I know it.  However, at some point you need to get off of the energy train and focus on the opportunities that are right in front of you.

You understand the tools. Just consider how you can use them to more effectively get results now. 

When we have access to the same tools, and similar skills for using them, it is often creativity that separates us.

You've got that creativity.  How can you use it to differentiate your business?

Photo Credit: Scott Kinmartin

This is a question that I get asked frequently.  Some of them I go out and get and others I take myself and make better with a simple editing tool.  Here are some practices I use that are middle-of-the-road at best, as far as technology goes, yet they are fast, easy and effective solutions.

Picknik

Picnik is a photo enhancement and editing service that can take an average photo and make it look exceptional.  Best of all, no skills are required.  Just upload your photo and click on Auto-Fix and 85% of your work is done.  If you wish, you can experiment with other features like sharpness and exposure to get the image just the way you want it.

While Picnik is a free service, my recommendation is to pay the $24.95/year for the upgraded account.  This gives you full access to all of the features, and that speeds up your editing and enhancement work.  Picnik also integrates easily with Flickr.  However, Flickr is owned by Yahoo and today Google bought Picnik, so we are not sure what the future relationship will look like. 

Creative Commons is a sharing license that allows you to use the quality images of others in return for giving them attribution.  This is what I have done on this post.  At the bottom of this page you will see the link back to the owner of the image used above.

Creative Commons can be found on Flickr by clicking on the Explore tab and then following the drop-down menu to the various Creative Commons licenses.  These different CC categories can be difficult to understand.  However, as long as you provide an attribution link and not use the images for commercial purposes, you should be fine. 

iStock Photo is a source for professional quality images that you purchase and own.  I like to have a supply of quality images for my presentations on social media networking and marketing.  So, I'll pay the price and have the right to use that image as I wish as I wish, which includes this blog. 

It used to be $1.00 for the smallest size, which is fine for use on your blog or Powerpoint presentation.  However, recently I'm seeing more images at $2.00, so shop around on their site for one that fits your budget.  Here's an example of one that I recently purchased for my post on 21 Reasons to Blog

Another service my friend Dr Bill Dean likes to use on his blog is Big Stock Photo. If you buy a lot of images, theirs are marketed as 10% less expensive.

Why Images

In my opinion, a blog post isn't complete without an image or video.  So, get in the habit of taking a few  extra minutes to enhance the experience for your readers.

Another reason is for search engine optimization - SEO.  If you haven't noticed, Google is indexing your images and videos along with your written content.  Be sure to tag them well and you have now helped your future customers find you on the Web!

These are just a few of the many resources available to the PhotoShop challenged.  That's where I'm at now, but in a few weeks I'll be joining the cool kids when I upgrade to a Mac.

Until then, to quote the musician Prince, "Take a picture sweetie, I ain't got time 2 wait!"

Photo Credit:  Arty Smokes

One of the benefits of a form is that you can guide prospects through a process of providing you with the information you need to help them.  While you can use forms as a filtering tool, I find they are most useful for speeding up the process of working together.

Before we talk on the telephone, I like to do my homework.  This means a look at your website and blog is essential.  I also use my form on this blog (above - click to enlarge) to set up a time to talk when I know I will be able to give you my full attention.  This will not be first thing Monday morning!

I have three forms on my blog that were created using Google Docs, Batchbook, which is my customer relationship manager (CRM), and MailChimp , which I use to manage my bi-monthly newsletter.  All are excellent for their intended purposes.  However, in my situation, they are all interconnected

I have created a Working With Me tab on this blog that describes how I work.  This is where I use the form above that I created with in a few minutes with Google Docs to collaborate with those that are considering my consulting or speaking services.  If we decide to move forward, this information can easily be transferred to Batchbook in a CSV file, and from there integrated with MailChimp.

Creating Your Form with Google Docs

If you haven't set up your Google Account, this is your first step.  From there, go to Google Docs and look for the Create New button in the upper left corner.  Then (example above - click to enlarge) name your form and add a subtitle.  Use the Add Item button to insert new fields.  After you have added some fields, use the drop-down menu to select 'text' for a small field, or 'paragraph text' for a detailed response.  These are evident in my Working With Me form.  There are other choices too.

When you have added a few items, you can mouse over them to get the 'cross-hairs' that will allow you to sort them in your preferred order by sliding them around.

Click on the Theme button to find a them that matches the style of your blog.  Google offers you the option of viewing your responses in two formats.  I choose 'spreadsheet' so that I can collect the responses and then download them to my CRM in a CSV file (which is an Excel spreadsheet format).

Managing Your Responses

If you happen to be using iGoogle (I use it as my home page), you can get the Google Docs widget to stay on top of new responses.  Google Docs places a time-date stamp on all of your form inquiries so that you can process them accordingly.  How nice is that?!

The process of adding forms to your blog is as simple as adding a video.  You simply click on the More Actions button to get the Embed code.  Using the Typepad platform, it is a snap for me to plug this in.  I only needed to adjust the pixel width to 370 to fit it to the page on my navigation bar.

What I find exhilarating about this is I don't need a webmaster to help me.  I can adjust my forms whenever I see fit.  And that puts me in control.

This is just one more example of why I believe blogs will replace websites for small businesses.  Of course, you can have your webmaster take care of this.  However, just a limited knowledge of technology puts you in control.

If you happen to use an assistant, either virtual or real, they can also access this information while you are busy running your business.  One of the advantages of Google Docs is the collaboration feature.  All you have to do is give your assistant access to your Google Docs.

If you have found this post helpful, consider subscribing to the feed, making a comment to share your thoughts, or use the ShareThis button to share it with your friends.

One of the basic principles of the social media platform is its use for building community. 

This weekend our family traveled to The Ohio State University campus with our son Zak to take a second look at their business school.  There is one word I heard again and again: Community.

For me, this is both exciting and inspiring.

Community

For most students, college is a microcosm of the the real world they will soon join.  The college or university is its own community, with hundreds of other communities embedded within it.  Like the real world, the college experience presents many challenges and opportunities.  And it is all experienced within the many micro-communities.

Micro-Communities

At most of the colleges we have visited, there are "living-learning" communities that seek to aggregate incoming students into specific dorms according to their common academic interests.  While this could result in a narrow experience, you have to consider that these kids are being thrust into a completely new environment where they may need some help getting focused on their chosen academic discipline 

When I left the corporate world to launch my contracting business, one of my best decisions I made, on the counsel of one of my former customers, was to join a trade association.  This is a micro-community.  It proved to be instrumental in helping me learn my new industry by getting involved. 

Today, I only wish the the associations I am a member of used social media more to extend that experience by adding to its richness.  This is one reason I'm very involved with Engage365, an online community that works to encourage more use of social media to make association meetings and conventions more successful. 

Most colleges have programs for student ambassadors, citizen leaders, and peer advisers.  My daughter Ali is a peer adviser at Indiana University.  I know my daughter, and I am confident she has gained every bit as much from this experience as those students she is assisting.

This is one of the secrets of leadership.  Leaders seem to do more of the work, yet they gain more as a result.  We need more leaders on the social networks. 

When you are in college, you look forward to graduating and having more freedom.  As hilarious as this may sound, it is nonetheless true!  Fortunately, there is an abundance of social communities on every college campus that give students the freedom to express themselves.

How about you?  Are you finding the social media communities that are just right for you?  While colleges create a nice little bundle of hundreds of clubs and dozens of fraternities and sororities, you and I have to go out and find our own.  It definitely takes some effort, but it's worth it.

I have been inspired from this weekend to do more of this.  As you know, that is the challenge with social media marketing.  You have to get involved so that you can exercise your talents.  And if you do that well, you will help others do more, and that in turn helps you in your business.

What I found most interesting during our campus visit was the comment from a representative from Eli  Lilly and Company, who said that they prefer to hire students from Ohio State because the size of the institution virtually guarantees that they will have a great deal of experience working in teams.  They recognize that to prosper in a university of this size (50,000 students), you have to get involved in communities to get things done - it's unavoidable. 

And that is saying something about our business world in this emerging relationship economy.

Learning From This

I believe there is a temptation to use the social media networks to replicate your existing communities.  Unlike wide-eyed college students, we may resist this because we are set in our ways.  We have found what works, and that may be holding us back.  Instead of replicating your communities, you should be growing new ones that will enable you to grow, both personally, and as business owners.

What will help you most?  A  Ning group may help you work more closely with associates in your industry that share similar goals and objectives.  I'm planning to experiment with this to enhance learning with a group of speakers here in Chicago. 

A Facebook presence may help you to develop a better understanding of what's important in the lives of your friends and associates.  That what I hear most often.  Now I'm experimenting with how this can work better using some of the new technologies.

You have to work at this to make it work better for you, just as a college student is responsible for their own success.  Whatever you do, consider how community is becoming more relevant to our personal and business lives.

The reason they do not understand the process is they do not trust it.  They don't trust it because they cannot see how it works.   When you cannot see, you get impatient.  And the more impatient one gets, the more you fight for control.  Before long, you stop fighting and quit.

The Hidden Element

During the early days of computing we referred to computers as a black box because we could not fathom what was going on inside of that unit.  All we knew is that mysteriously something called software made it work.  We had to trust that software to do its job.

The blogger is the software. 

That human element is what makes it work.  And for it to work, you have to trust it.

Successful bloggers will tell you that their success took much longer than they expected.  Yet, they persisted because they believed in what they were doing.  They accepted the fact that they might only help a few people.  Then  somehow it all magically started to click, seemingly overnight.

There is a tipping point to every blog.

All of your work is cumulative.  You have to keep building value for your market until you hit that critical mass.  Progress will be slow, but if you keep learning working, you'll get closer.

With virtually every form of traditional marketing, including Internet marketing, size seems to matter.  Size and power combine to create a desire to control.   Blogging resists every effort to control it.  Sure, you can control the technology to some extent, but it is that human element again that dictates whether or not your message will go viral.  You have to coax that.

Blogs are like flowing water - difficult to control, but very powerful once they get moving.

The way I see this, you have three choices.

1.  Quit

2.  Resist

3.  Trust the process.

If you choose number 3, you will join the tribe that smiles when it blogs, because they know. 

In this time of information overload, you have to grab information when you see it- so that you can take action when you need to.  These are my favorite tools for applying what I learn from the social networks - or any source.  I hope you find them useful in your business.

Checkvist

Checkvist is one of my favorite tools for staying focused. It's an online, collaborative tool that is easy to use.  And most importantly, it's simple and fast.  That's why I like it. 

You all know what a checklist is.  Checkvist is more than an online checklist that you can access from any computer, including your iPhone.  It's really a means of instantly cataloging all of those ideas that you must get done now, should get done soon, or will get done when you get around to it.  I maintain a list for each one of those categories.

My favorite Checkvist tool is their bookmarklet in my Firefox browser toolbar.  One click opens a small screen that allows me to plug an item into the appropriate list for taking action later.  You don't even have to wait the few additional nanoseconds to open the list, but that is an option.   

Imagine a project you have to complete next month. As ideas randomly come to mind, just tuck them away in a list for later action.  Then when you have to get the job done, its a snap. Here's a post that will explain how I use Checkvist to collaborate with clients.

Evernote grabs urls and even complete Web pages with one click.  You use tags to organize these notes, and that makes them easily findable.

Evernote also has an iPhone app that makes your notes portable.  This works outside of business too.  When I go to my favorite sushi restaurant, I note which of their creations I enjoyed most so that I can enjoy them again.  Maybe you can remember Mango Tango, Green Turtle, and Tokyo Style maki, but I can't. 

Today Problogger posted a great page on SEO for blogs.  I'll study it when I have time, including all of the associated SEO links.  For now, it's safely tucked away in Evernote.

The social networks move fast.  If you see a useful idea, save it.  On Twitter, just make full use of the favorites option.  Click on that star beside any Tweet and you have secured a resource that you won't have to spend 20 minutes searching for when you need it.

I'm not sure what is available on Wordpress, but here on Typepad I get analytics that I can click through to see who is appreciating the work I put into this blog.  My action step is to acknowledge that through a Tweet or Facebook comment. Now I've not only made a new friend, but have also learned what is resonating with someone in my target market.

Yes, I'm serious.  This may seem old school, but often we learn of a great book from the social networks.  Then our thriftiness kicks in and we fail to take action.  You don't have to buy every book you read. Take advantage of this free resource to learn more about the experts in your field.

I can take action with my local library by placing an online hold on a book. Think of this as another bookmarking tool that captures a valuable resource that you can explore later.

I've saved the low-tech solution for last.  Ideas are transient.  You need to keep a journal of some kind with you at all times to capture inspirational thoughts.  Today I spoke with Trent, an honors student at my alma mater who connected with me through the Miami University LinkedIn group.  He asked me how I maintain a steady stream of ideas for my daily blog posts. 

My response was from daily conversations with customers - and people like him.  I jot them down into my Moleskine notebook.  They have countless styles and sizes, and all of them are very affordable. Plus, writing is an action itself that tends to imprint a seed of an idea.  You can not only make notes, but draw, associate, and otherwise let those ideas grow.

The only thing left to do is to take action.

Photo Credit: seanmcgrath

Today I had a conversation with a new client that gave me some insights into why there is resistance to blogging as a means for being findable on the Web. 

How Good Can It Be If It's Free

Our Western society tends to associate value with a price tag.  We don't want to believe that something we can do for ourselves could possibly have the same value as what we pay for.  In addition to blogging, time proven disciplines like meditation and exercise also come to mind.

Certainly, it helps to learn all of these disciplines from one that not only has extensive experience and training with them, but that also has experience helping others apply them to your specific situation.  That's what teachers, consultants, and  coaches do.

You have been conditioned to lay your money down to get results.  Yet, the truth is you are the best at improving our own condition.  You know your customer better than anyone else.  And that is why blogging is the best way to connect with them by providing the tips and advice that you know they are looking for.

And Google is right there to index your insightful comments, free of charge, so that anyone that is looking for them will find them - and you!

The Internet marketers will say you need a campaign that uses Google Adwords.  They tell you that you need to pay for performance.  Does this sound familiar? 

They set up complex scenarios that may help you, but that mostly are designed to put them in control.  You need them to analyze that data and continuously adjust the campaign.  At least that is what you are told.  They profit while you sit on the sidelines wondering - and hoping, that the money you are spending will produce results.

This is a fear-based system.  Don't buy into it.

You Are The Expert

This is no different than going to the doctor.  With all respect to their profession for helping people like you and me, the truth is physicians know exactly the right questions to ask that will gain your confidence.  You walk in with a sore throat.  They ask if it hurts when you swallow, and you agree.  What a surprise!  Now they can prescribe.

Couldn't you have made that prescription if you had the same access to pharmaceutical reps?   Nobody knows you better than you.

Blogging is the same.  You know what your customers need and want.  Though it helps to ask a few questions to be sure.  And you have the solution to what ails them.  Now you are the doctor. Blogging is a means of communicating how you can help.

When you communicate your expertise through blogging, you will continue to earn the confidence of your customers, and they will tell their friends about you. 

And Google will do the same.  That is what Google search is designed for.

It's free.  But it works just the same.

I could set up a complex system that ultimately promises you results while keeping you tethered to me for support. 

Or I could just charge you you a fair price to build a solid social media foundation, guide you as long as necessary, and then turn you loose to take control of your marketing.  

That's what I do. 

Social Media is Different

The paradox of blogging is that you can learn it and do it on your own.  If you had to pay thousands of dollars to do this, would you value it more?  You may need help getting started, but all the information you need is on the Web - on blogs just like this one.

Social media is different from traditional marketing, and that includes Internet marketing.  It works organically to get you results over time.  If you build a solid foundation, I guarantee you will get the results you are looking for.

You just have to be prepared to do the work.

For one thing, it's so easy even a high school kid can do it.

The New York Times published this article today that shows you that video is becoming a viable communication tool for college applicants.  Why?  It only takes a $100 camcorder, a little bit of ingenuity, and a commitment to getting it done.  Plus, it's fun!

Video is engaging.  It shows us your personality.  And when you combine it with words that elaborate further, you have a rich-media experience that comes awfully close to the real thing.  The video above is one excellent student submission for application into Tufts University.

This my friends is what social media is all about!

I'm not surprised that colleges are accepting videos as part of application process.  In fact, last fall I suggested to my son Zak that he should consider starting a blog so that he could point to it from one of his essays - something to give more texture to his application.  He started alright.  Though, like many others, he just didn't stick with it.  

What's interesting is Zak has created several video and audio pieces for different school projects throughout this senior year that could easily be worked into more descriptive blog posts.  I'm hoping this gives you an idea that social media marketing isn't a project - it's a process.  One that if you get going with it will eventually merge with your daily activities.  That's the idea.  It represents you to your customers - as you really are.

In case you haven't started your blog yet, take a look at Zak's.  It took us 30 minutes to build on Typepad.  That's it.  So what are you waiting for?

The System is Ripe for This

Are colleges and universities ready for this?  I can only tell you that Zak applied to major universities, mostly in the Big Ten, and it still seems that test scores (the ACT and SAT) and grade point averages (GPA) still rule - if not 100%.  He put a great deal of time into his essays, and had a lot of fun doing it, but I seriously doubt they matter just yet. 

If those essays really matter, it begs the question: Why are Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships still based solely on test scores and GPA?   If college is intended to develop well-rounded young adults, shouldn't we be measuring that at the start? 

Kudos to Tufts for at least introducing this into the process.  But, we need to see more participation. 

Think about this; we applaud great film directors, actors, and musicians every year at the Academy Awards and the Grammys, but we still cling to a standardized academic system that largely ignores their emerging talents.

Now ask the same question from the point of view of your customers.

Are they just interested in results, or in a complete experience of working with a company that personalizes the process, makes it interesting, and fun?

Google is proving again and again that they will continue to be a force on the Web.  As a small business owner, I tend to cheer for entrepreneurs and small businesses, not behemoths like Google.  However, as this Web continues to evolve, Google is proving they are very capable at staying in touch with, and occasionally even leading the trends, with the recent introduction of Google Buzz being a prime example.

1. Gmail

Even if you don't use Gmail regularly, it is handy to have a Web based email service, just in case your server or other email services go down. 

Gmail is more than email.  Your Gmail address is essentially your username into the array of Google's services.  For this reason, get in there and claim usernames that match the ones you are using on the other social services.  In fact, I recommend locking several of them up to have a few spares.

I only use gmail for my Facebook account.  So, all of those notices get read separately when I have stepped out of my business mode, or when the work is done.

2. Google Alerts

You absolutely need to be setting Google Alerts to monitor your company's brand, your personal reputation, and your markets.  I use a few paid Web-monitoring services, but this one is completely free.

3. Google Profile

Your Google Profile is practically a mini-website that brings in the feeds of nearly all of your social media networks, while also providing a profile that helps you to promote you and your business using images, maps, links, and more.  And because Google owns it, it gets ranked high in the search rankings.  Here's my profile to give you an example.

4. Google Buzz

This one is brand new.  Some of us are not sure what to make of Google Buzz.  However, it is becoming apparent that it is an emerging social networking tool that will be a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook. 

This makes perfect sense because while Google has tried to play ball with Facebook, they have largely shut Google out.  What did Google do? They set the stage last year by encouraging all of us to add our social network feeds to our  Google Profiles.  Now they have made a strong link between those profiles and Google Buzz.

What's their plan?  To make Google Buzz your social media hub!  I'm still trying to figure out how it can work, but for now it looks like it is here to stay.

5.  Google Wave

Google Wave was the latest Google tool just before Buzz.  While it has been slow getting off the ground, I'm using it more to collaborate with my tech savvy colleagues.

Brian Birch, an executive with the Snow and Ice Management Association and I are using it to brainstorm for an upcoming webinar we will be doing for Engage365, an online community for increasing awareness, attendance, and effectiveness of conferences and meetings.

I think Google Wave is still in beta and you need an invitation to try it out.  I have some, so if need one just leave a comment on this blog with your email, or somehow get in touch with me and I'll send it to you.

6. Google Docs

Google Docs is another collaborative tool where you share documents.  Many prefer it over Google Wave because it has more structure.  It minimizes emails and makes it easy to ensure everyone is working with the one current version of a document - without confusion.  Being Web-based, you can access your docs from any computer.

There is a good chance that once Brian and I flesh out our webinar outline and move it into a Powerpoint format, we'll take our collaboration over to Google Docs.  You can also create forms in Google Docs to capture data from your blog subscribers that goes right into a spreadsheet.

7. and 8.  Google Reader and iGoogle

Google Reader is the easiest way to manage multiple blog subscriptions without cluttering up you email inbox.  iGoogle is a platform that can host most of these Google services, including Google Reader.  I use iGoogle as my home page because it makes the Reader easier to use.  This blog post explains with videos how to use Google Reader with iGoogle.

9. Google Local Business

This service is a must if you have a physical location where you do most of your business.   As other social networks like Foursquare become less about entertainment and more about functionality, Google Local Business will become even more powerful. 

Here's a post that details how to use Google Local Business to grow you business in tight economies like this one.

10. Google Calendar

There are many other Google services that you may find useful.  I also use Google Calendar, which is Google's ical or web-based calendar that keeps me current with my personal bills.  It has a drop down menu that shows what's coming up so I don't get surprised.  Because it's Web-based, I can send it to my iPhone.

There are many other Google services that you may find useful, such as their Talk, Adwords, Analytics, and Voice.  I foresee big things for Google Voice, which is why I reserved my number months ago.  I just have not yet taken the time to explore its use. 

Needless to say there is a lot Google has to offer.  The main thing is to be aware of what's out there. 

If you don't do anything else, at least snag your preferred gmail addresses while they are still available.  If you operate a business, I would suggest Google Alerts is also on the 'must do' list.

Beyond that, just get familiar with these and know they can really help make your business more transportable by making it more web-based. 

Photo Credit:  Tashland

My accountant has taken care of my tax returns for over twenty years.  During that stretch we have been through a lot together.   I did some work for him when I owned my contracting business, and he has done plenty of work for me, including successfully navigating an extensive IRS audit that involved all of my businesses. 

If you are actively involved with your customers, you get to know them well.  We call this engagement on the social networks.  This relationship building process takes time.  There aren't any shortcuts.  It is a process of discovering what works and what doesn't. 

After you achieve a certain level of trust, everything is easy.  You take it all in stride.

When I did that landscape work for Scott's new home, everything worked out great.  Then he hired me to do the maintenance to keep everything looking sharp.  After a few years he just had me deliver materials and he provided his own labor.  Over time, he did it all himself.  I thought he was a bit thrifty, but I figured it was part of his DNA.  He's an accountant!

My landscape and snow-plowing businesses were sold a couple of years ago.  The timing was perfect, as the following year was a tough one for most contractors.  Although, it hasn't been bad at all lately for snow contractors.  It seems everyone is getting snow.

It takes time to shut down a business, but the expenses seem to keep rolling in from longstanding commitments.  That's why I was pleasantly surprised to see this "Recession Discount" on the invoice from Scott for preparing the tax returns.

A year later I am focused on only one business - helping entrepreneurs and small businesses with their online marketing through speaking, consulting and some new information products and services that are in the making.  Despite the recession 2009 turned out to be a year I was proud of, and that was my goal - to the letter.   

This year is shaping up well, so I gave Scott a visit last week to get my 2009 returns done so I can stay focused on work.  Everything went much more smoothly this year thanks to some new relationships and services, such as Shoeboxed, that are helping to keep me organized. 

Nevertheless, and this is most important, I reminded this thrifty CPA to be sure to include my recession discount again.  He did that, while also sending me a message that speaks volumes about our relationship.

How do you know you have a strong business relationship with someone?  When its not all business.  When you can kid around with them as your would any other friend.

Humor is another form of trust.  There is risk with humor, so it is only used when the relationship allows for it.  It doesn't include numbers, but it is a valuable metric that you can have confidence in.

And it makes any relationship stronger.

This is a brilliant way of reminding yourself to get something done.  Here's why.

You Feel Good About Yourself

When you get something done, you feel good about yourself.  This predisposes you to getting more done.

We all procrastinate.  In some cases we do so because we can, and in other cases because we fear consequences, whether we admit to them or not.  Just ship it.

Your Progress is Easier

You may be thinking this sounds a lot like "getting it done."  Yes, it does.  The problem with getting it done, for many of us, is it is negative programming. 

It reminds us of overbearing teachers or parents that pressured us, instead of guiding us to use our own initiative, which would have allowed us to feel good about ourselves. Ship it paints a picture in your mind that makes progress easier.

Tonight I attended my son Zak's banquet to celebrate his achievement of the Eagle Scout rank. That's him just below the keynote speaker with his head cocked and a strange look in his eye!

Zak shared this honor with 357 other young men from the area.  Most people know the Eagle Scout rank is the highest accomplishment a Boy Scout can achieve, and it is the result of years of accomplishments and building skills that they will use the rest of their lives. 

Significant projects, achievements, and other milestones are memorable because hard work was applied that resulted in a positive result.  The final step is shipping.  We forget about the hard work and the challenges, but we remember that we shipped.

The idea of shipping is not mine.  I learned it from reading Seth Godin's latest book, Linchpin.  You've heard me talk about it before.  I promise this will be the last time as I've finished it, and will be starting a new book tomorrow. However, I encourage you to check it out. Here's the link to get Linchpin from Amazon.

I'm sure they'll be happy to ship it to you!

Some people will like your message, and others won't. That's OK, because you are only interested in the ones that do. 

My friend Dr Marc Swerdlick is a brilliant marketer - but his message is not for everyone.  And that is exactly why he is so successful as a marketer, and as a small business owner.  He doesn't compromise.  He doesn't water down his message to attract a larger audience. 

When you know Dr Marc personally, you understand his brash style of marketing reflects exactly who he is.  He's not trying be controversial; he just is.  Many are offended by his style.  And many others laud his pragmatic approach because it has helped them to get results.  Customers choose what they like.

One Size Doesn't Fit All

If you blog long enough, you will get comments that your content is either too general or too specific.  This is the Goldilocks syndrome.  It's never just right! 

You will be appreciated most when you do what you believe is right. That's all you can do.  Great artists like the Beatles and Bob Dylan understood this. That's honesty.

There is a range of capabilities and experience with any group, market, or audience.  And it is easy to respond to that by adjusting your message.  When you do that, everyone loses - both you and your customers.

Yesterday my post gave my 27 favorite blogging tips.  I wrote them for those that were saying I don't give enough practical steps for getting results.  I could have given them 101 tips!  I get them, because when I sit in on presentations by those that do what I do, I am often thinking that while they may know a lot about what works for them, I need to know how to get results with my business. 

One size doesn't fit all.  Having consulted with many small businesses, I can assure you they are all different - different markets, different capabilities, and different goals.  That is why I try help my audience understand the larger picture so that they can then better help themselves - without me, by learning with me.

I can't help everyone and neither can you.  Your style, your message, and your experience will only work with those that you understand, and that understand you.  

Read Seth Godin's new book - Linchpin.  He covers at length those fears that we all deal with that compromise our work.  And he provides some great insights and practical tips for exorcising those demons.

If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner who wants to learn how to use social media well, I believe you are at the right place - one of them anyway.

Stick around for a while.  Subscribe to this blog and I will help you to enhance your Web visibility, enhance your reputation, and attract more of the right customers.

The ones that are right for you.

Photo Credit: Mimax

Ideas, Organization, and Writing (1-13)

Links and Tags (14-19)

Comments and Community (20-27)

1. Don't force an idea.  If it's not happening, that idea is not ready.  Move on to another.
2. Trust yourself and the idea will come.
3. Shorter is always better.  This means titles, sentences, paragraphs, and the entire post.  The more you work at it, the easier it gets.  This gives us a speedier read - pure content!
4. Everyone loves lists.  Just don't fall into the "list-mania" trap. Use it sparingly.
5. Complete the loop.  I like to have my final thought tie in with the initial one.  It feels complete to me, as opposed to being a fragment of a conversation.
6. Start in the middle.  We don't need a long-winded lead in.  Cut out anything that doesn't add to your story.
7. Write with a purpose. My formula is to tell a story that has a learning purpose. 
8. Break your posts into short and easy to read paragraphs.  A fast read is better than none.
9. Keep a log of ideas that you occasionally glance at.  As you know, sometimes you get your best ideas in the shower!  If you have already written the core idea down, your mind will fill in the details over time.  
10. Do it again!  Good ideas never go out of style.  If you can clarify with new information, you are serving your audience, especially the new readers. We all need a reminder once in a while to take action.
11. Change up your how you present your ideas.  Use images, videos, audio, and screenshots.  Try lists, a series, interviews and commentaries.
12. Get emotional.  It humanizes your content.  Just try not to rant, unless that is your thing.
13. Organize your posts into sections or categories to make them more digestible.
14. Ping.fm will post to multiple sites with just one click.  And now that Seesmic purchased Ping, it is sure to become even more functional.
15. Tbuzz creates a shortened bit.ly link with one push from the bookmarklet in your Firefox browser. Or you can use bit.ly to benefit from the analytics.
16. Linking to your previous blog posts encourages more click-throughs.  Set-up a Google search for your site to quickly find the links through keywords.
17. When your create links, be mindful of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  Never create a link that says: Click here.  Use your keywords for the link.
18. Don't use a shortened url for a link when that link is invisible.  My reason for this is you never know if a link a shortened link will work in a few years if the company goes out of business.  Shortened links are for the social media sites. 
19. Tag your posts for your audience and yourself.  It makes finding a post much easier with that Google search.
20. Encourage comments.  Recently Chris Brogan asked everyone who had never commented to do so.  He encouraged nearly 1000 comments, which even for him is easily 10 times the usual!  This has to be some kind of record.  A very cool idea.
21. Read the blogs of people that comment.  It builds community and a greater depth of understanding.
22. Set up an account with Disqus.  This ensures your image and blog or website links are automatically included with you comment on other blogs.
23. When you get an insightful comment, write the next post from that idea.  More community building!
24. Build expectations.  When I started blogging in 2006, I blogged every Friday and included video. Now I blog daily.  However you do it, we just need an idea of when to tune-in to your channel.
25. Subscribe to blogs you enjoy with Google Reader.  Then embed that into iGoogle for a quick - at-a-glance view of what's happening with other blogs in your community.
26. Keep the faith. Google is always reading your blog, which means others will get the same opportunity when they happen upon that link.
27. Blog for your audience.  Show them you understand them, that you care about them, and that your blog is not about you - rather its by you for them.

  Now its your turn to share your your favorites with a comment.

Last week I flew Hawaiian Airlines to a speaking engagement where I was informed that my regulation carry-on bag was non-conforming, but not because it was over-sized.  It didn't fit the weight limit of 25 pounds that is specific to this carrier. 

While I was not a happy camper, I realized this was a brilliant move by Hawaiian Air to manage one aspect of their business better by measuring what I suspect most of their peers are not.

This experience led me to consider how I measure my work with social media.  It may give you some insights.

When everyone is using the traditional measurements, differentiate your company by measuring what isn't being measured. Social media marketers tend to measure the number of contacts, connections, or friends they have on the respective networks.

Are there better ways to measure your social media strength or power?  Sure, their are plenty.  If you work in a tight market you may wish to measure by location.  If you are targeting a specific customer type, then you may wish to think like your customers and measure parameters that are more relevant to your customers, such as the distance between you and them.

The best way to find out what you should be measuring may be to ask your customers.  Find out what is important to them.  You may be surprised.  And it may just help you to find more customers like them.

If you work with businesses, and most of us do, consider expanding your data collection to help you better understand the companies you work with. Why not set a goal to get connected with as many people as possible within the same company.  It should go without saying that this will make you a more valuable resource.

It is easy to sell to owners and executives while overlooking those that may have a great deal to say about whether or not you get hired, or continue to be a trusted source.  This is a smart approach in this relationship economy.

Large numbers are relevant when you are mass marketing or Internet marketing.  However, today most of us are using social media marketing.  Our measures should be more human than just numbers. We should be collecting personal data that we can use to better engage with people to build stronger relationships.

The problem with numbers is they are faceless, especially when they are taken out of context.  Nobody wants to be a number. We want to be your friend.  How can you measure friendship.  It may not even be possible, but it is still worth considering.

Keep it simple.  When did we first meet?  Where did we meet?  This is what we all tend to remember, or should.  It's what humanizes our relationship. 

Measure What Matters

Recently I spoke at a tree care convention.  During one group discussion one member of that association suggested that in his business it is all about finding customers that "care about trees."   Maybe he said that for his company it's about finding "tree lovers."

You get the idea. 

Measure what really matters.

Photo Credit:  Jek in the box

Fans

If you can make your message about your audience, your market, your customers - however you care to describe the target of your communications, then you have a greater chance of building fans.

Fans enjoy feeling like they are collaborators with you.  They enjoy feeling that they have something in common with you.  This is what makes them friends at a distance.

Social media is platform that is closing the distance between you and your fans.  

If I give you information that is valuable, you will appreciate it, but possibly never use it.  If I help you appreciate the value of that information by showing you how it works for me or someone like you, then the context makes it invaluable. 

However, no matter how many pragmatic examples I give you, they don't matter unless I can relate them to you.  And that means I have to understand you. 

Social media is a collaborative platform that is helping people to better work together.

We all identify with what we know.  Local context shapes our lives. We have a tendency to seek what we know based upon where we live - or have lived.   If your local context is like mine, then it is likely we will feel comfortable working together. 

Social media can help you get closer with your client or customer to understand more about how they live - or want to.

Being Relevant

How do you make your blogging or other marketing communications relevant?  You show your audience you understand them. 

My audience happens to be entrepreneurs and small businesses like you - people that work hard because you care about serving your customers well.  I try to work just as hard as you do to earn your trust.

Social media gives your customers subtle clues about why you are relevant to them.

Customer Context

Show your customers you understand them - that you understand their context.  I was a marketer in a corporate environment for ten years.  Yet, I always felt like a bystander.  The context seemed designed to keep a distance between us and our customers. 

As a small business owner for over twenty years, I learned that there are others like me that are willing to put their heart and soul into their work. That I understand, and that adds a great deal of context to the work we do, regardless of how different it may be.

Bill Gates said content is king, and he's right, as long as the context is relevant. 

The more I use social media to accomplish more with my customers, the more I realize its true value is to close gaps, build bonds, and communicate information more effectively, even though there may be physical distance between us. 

Social media is more than a medium, its an environment that makes the work of serving customers more human.

Photo Credit:  C.P. Storm

In many situations, I suspect the response is - huh?

While watching the Winter Olympics I had more than a few emotional responses.  When you see athletes ready to take the challenge and their families anxiously looking on, it is easy to feel what they must be experiencing.  You feel like you are there with them.

Then you watch a commercial by a company like Proctor and Gamble that attempts to evoke that same response.  It shows a manufactured clip of pre-teen children in full speed skating gear that suggests their lifelong dream.  Their mothers are looking on. 

And of course the message is - "Moms."  The same moms that P&G would like to buy their products.

With all respect for the fine products that P&G provides, my response is it's not working for me.  It wasn't as good for me as the real thing. 

P&G could more effectively make that emotional connection with their audience by getting to know these athletes and helping to capture what goes into achieving their dreams.  That is something you cannot manufacture.  It may not always be glamorous, but it is real.

Imagine what US athlete Bryon Wilson feels like after unexpectedly capturing the bronze in the Mogul competition.  And how about Alexandre Bilodeau, the Canadian athlete who in the same competition is the first from his country to ever capture Olympic gold within his country's borders.  That's real.

In this economy, we want to feel what you are feeling.  And the only way we can do that is if we have a relationship with you. 

While amateur sports is becoming increasingly sophisticated, it is highly unlikely these athletes cut their teeth in the manner that is depicted in those slick, traditional commercials. Why not show us the real deal - like what the conversation may have been like from the kitchen table? 

If you want to attract customers, real ones, it should go without saying that real stories about their challenges are what will engage them - and us, with your brand. 

If your message is real, you will know without hesitation that it connected.

You won't have to ask. 

A few days ago I was talking with a new client.   In our brief conversation regarding the social media strategy for his green industry business, he casually mentioned a specific concern that was the inspiration for my previous post on managing negative comments on the Web.

That post generated a surprising level of interest, on a weekend no less, which reminded me to share with you how I use my blog for its highest use.  While I have previously written about what you should blog about, today I will give you specific methods that you are probably familiar with, but that you may not have developed into a productive blogging strategy.

Your prospects and customers are a rich source of information that can help you serve them better - provided you are willing to take action.  Your customers presumably share the same issues, concerns, and problems.  Yet, only a few of them will truthfully open up and share their feelings with you.  This is one of the challenges with direct-selling.

One generally underused means of acquiring this information is through online surveys.  You may be able to get more reliable feedback by experimenting with acknowledging the participants identity and keeping them anonymous.  Compare the results and the response rate. Then compare those results with what your clients are telling you in casual conversation. 

One reason I am an advocate of comparing and tracking is that it is easy for a small business with a generally small client base to make false assumptions.  It's easy to assume the minority of vocal clients represent the whole.  It's also easy to assume all of your clients will tell you the truth.   Why would they lie?  A couple of reasons include protecting your feelings and their ego or reputation. 

Have you ever had a client tell you how good you are and then switch to a competitor without warning?  Often the reason is you were not listening.  Or you did listen but didn't take action.

Use your blog as an extension of your conversations to show your clients how you can solve the problems you believe are the most relevant.  If it is indeed a relevant problem, you have now enhanced your credibility in a number of ways.  You have demonstrated you are a listener who takes action, and you have provided proof of your capabilities to other customers who may share that same problem.

This may even result in previously silent customers stepping forward to acknowledge your wisdom, which builds your relationship with them, and every other customer who happens to be reading.

Your blog provides you with incredibly valuable information that you cannot get anywhere else, and certainly not at the low cost of free.   The beauty of blog analytics is they are more likely to be valid because the audience is invisible  They have no reason to give you anything other than the unvarnished truth.  Look for spikes in your traffic and analyze the heck out of them.  Then look for patterns with the posts that created those spikes.

When you are blogging, you are not going to hit the mark as often as you you will wish.  This is why it pays to blog as often as possible.  I find that I consistently score well with every 3 to 4 posts, and exceptionally well about every 7 or eight.  That means I hit a home run nearly every week, which may be every year or so for the undisciplined blogger.  The simple lesson is you have to both listen and take consistent action.

All of this may seem to be tedious, and it can be.  What keeps me interested is the thrill of the hunt.  I love the challenge of helping my customers and those future customers in my market.  If that is tedious and boring for you, then maybe you should switch from the marketing department to something more exciting like accounting.  :)

Photo Credit:  Zoltan Papp