A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon was forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we went through all our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly.

Best Regards,

Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

What are Editorial Calendars?

Editorial Calendars create a system to help you schedule content to post each day.  People develop habits very easily. You will find that when you post certain topics each day they will actually look forward to your content. Creating a daily posting strategy will get you in the habit of writing blog posts that are in line with topics for the following week.

Need Content Ideas?

Search for videos on YouTube that relate to your business. Embed these videos into your blog and write a short summary of your thoughts about the video. Look for motivational quotes, industry related tips or facts. Search for funny cartoons that relate to your business.

Additionally, readers come to expect their “Monday Funny” or tip of the day. Consistency helps increase reader loyalty and interest.

As your content strategy evolves, an editorial calendar can help organize your content ideas:

Why Bother?

Editorial Calendars help you think strategically about your overall marketing message and makes sure you give yourself enough time to promote events.

Consistent posting, thanks to an Editorial Calendar, lead to more engaged readers and increased traffic, resulting in new clients and repeat business.

Software

You don’t need a specific software package to create an Editorial Calendar. Our favorite tool is Excel and this can be uploaded into Google Docs and shared with other collaborators. However, social media dashboards like SendSocialMedia.com can help you save time by scheduling your posts in advance.

Get Started With Brainstorming

The process of creating an Editorial Calendar starts with brainstorming topics and ideas. Group brainstorming can lead to many creative ideas that one person alone may not have considered. Instead of a top-down approach, group brainstorming builds a team and gets buy-in from others.

Divide and Conquer

Narrow down the ideas to ones that truly fit your content marketing concept. Assign a date and person responsible for delivering each topic. Follow up with contributors to receive and post your content.

Summary

Creating an Editorial Calendar is an easy way to create an engaging marketing strategy. The point is to draw readers in with content that will turn your blog and/or social media presence into a valuable content resource.

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current owner of a Web Marketing Agency and she offers training for Social Media Certifications. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

Action of the day: Exceed your customers expectations with kindness!

1. Know your customers

Create forms on your web site for customer to let you know what their needs and preferences are when signing up for your newsletter. Link a computerized database to this information so you can retrieve it whenever you need it. This information helps you keep in touch with and serve your customers.

2. Inform your customers

Say you own a wine store and you just received a shipment of Cabernet Sauvignon. Go through your files to see who buys Cabernet Sauvignon and send them an email about it. Reference the fact that they’ve bought this from you in the past, then offer to hold some for them for a few days. Since you’re loyal to them, they’ll be loyal to you.

3. Help your customers

Write a monthly, quarterly or even semi-annual newsletter and post it to your web site to keep customers or clients informed about issues that might relate to them. Changes in the tax code, computer-software compatibility problems, whatever. Give people information they can use and they will think of you as a resource.

4. Surprise your customers

Send your best customers a gift Certificate in the off-season or a useful premium with your name on it. Since they haven’t asked for this and haven’t “earned it” through some points program, they are surprised and delighted.

5. Delight your customers

Send a friendly email to wish them a happy birthday or happy holidays with a nice card personalized to them.

6. Thank your customers

“Please” and “Thank you” may be the most powerful words in the English language. Use them in email. A sincere thank-you letter following up a purchase is always appreciated. Say, “Please let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you,” and customers may take you up on your offer.

7. Reward your customers

Call it a “Membership Card,” take some personal information before you give it out, and use email to take the rewards program to a higher level. Maybe send members of the program a card on their birthday, with an offer of a discount or free gift. The card becomes a symbol of a more personal relationship. How to delight your customers. There was a time when a woman could walk into a store and be greeted with “Good morning, Mrs. Jones. Those jelly beans that Junior likes came in this morning. Should I pack some up for you?”

8. Free Advertising

Ask your members to share success stories, helpful tips or valuable information that you can then add to your web site with a link back to their business.

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

Sometimes as an entrepreneur you can get so excited about the potential you forget about a lot of the planning, “cart before the horse” as they say. So goes my story…

Luckily my friend Michael was there so I told him my plan and how he could help me get this business started. So we both went out to the garden and picked as many vegetables as we could carry: zucchini, green beans, potatoes and carrots. As little kids you can imagine we weren’t able to carry that much but we were determined to get our business started as fast as possible. Now we had our products but still needed marketing. So I grabbed a large poster board and wrote: “Vegetables For Sale” with a big arrow, easy enough! We also needed to set up shop, so I grabbed a large card table and lawn chairs from the garage. After several trips carrying the vegetables, card table and chairs to the small intersection of our gravel road we were ready for business! Proudly we displayed our total of about 10 random vegetables ready for purchase.

Michael and I walked down the long gravel road with our poster board, hammer and nails in hand. Fifteen minutes later we finally made it to the end and proudly hammered up our sign. As we were walking back we started to notice lots of cars were whizzing by our usually quiet dusty gravel road. It was then we realized – they were heading to our vegetable shop! Too bad no one was there to sell them, haha. So we started running down the road to make a sale!

As you can imagine the shoppers were probably expecting a lot more vegetables than our little stock of 10 random ones. Luckily they appreciated our small effort and ended up buying a few! It was one of our proudest accomplishments and we learned what we needed to do better in order to sell more next time!

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

Return everything you borrow.

Stop blaming other people.

Live within your means and within your seams.

Be humble.

Listen more; talk less.

Every day, do something nice and try not to get caught.

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

Be on time.

Don’t criticize anyone for 24 hours.

Be kind to other people.

Be even kinder to unkind people.

Take time to be alone.

Admit it when you make a mistake.

Understand and accept that life isn’t always fair.

Let someone cut ahead of you in line.

Don’t argue.

Know when to say something.

Know when to keep your mouth shut.

Don’t make excuses.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

The question of whether or not social media can result in sales is pretty much as old as social media itself. What we’re seeing recently is an increase in social commerce – where both aspects are able to live happily next to each other and companies can track ROI for time and money invested in social media.

For a number of reasons people now seem to be more comfortable with their social and purchasing behaviour moving closer together, as social technologies work their way into different platforms instead of just living in social networks themselves. This isn’t necessarily commerce as we know it though. The potential for social commerce to transform the way we purchase our products and services is huge. Just as consumers are now social, the products they buy and the companies they interact with have to be as well. It’s not just about having a presence on Twitter or Facebook, but using this to change the traditional purchasing process.

Sony increase sales through Twitter

Sony have proved the power of Twitter with a fairly covert social media campaign that incentivised people to purchase their products. They offered over 1,500 Twitter users the chance to build a customised Sony Vaio laptop, as well as offering them a 10% discount. And it worked, as they reported an increase in Sony Vaio sales from Twitter in that period of $1.5 million. This is a pretty impressive figure and also puts into action this new way of buying – social commerce. Sony offered their consumers a more personliased shopping experience, where they had a real influence on the end product. What I like about this campaign is its simplicity, and the clear focus on sales. While many social media efforts focus on giveaways and competitions, this had a clear sales target at the core that offered something a little bit extra to users – in the customisation of the laptop. The users on Twitter feel privileged because they’re getting something no-one else can, with an added incentive of the discount to complete the purchase.

IBM – sales in B2B

Social media in the business to business sector is rarely written about, and even less so with any evidence of ROI. This is likely due to the higher value of a sale in the b2b sector. One sale could justify hundreds of hours spent on social networks and might not prove a very interesting headline. But IBM have claimed the business case for social media. In an interview, the senior marketing manager at IBM – Ed Linde II claims that they’ve raised millions of dollars through using social media. This is achieved, he explains, by simply ‘listening for leads’. This may sound simple enough, but as the interview shows, it’s not as simple as you think. While many companies now have a permanent social media presence, the person in charge often sits in the marketing department, or customer service team. As Ed explains, IBM have a careful process of using the conversation maker to identify the potential lead and manage the social media part of the process, before the sales team start to drive the conversion.

From what I can see, not many organisations have such a clear strategy in moving a consumer from conversation to transaction. While many are fantastic at brand-building, the co-ordination of the sales team, which is perhaps even more crucial in the b2b sector, isn’t so clear. This is the most fundamental aspect of using social media to drive sales – putting the different skills you have together, and making sure there is a clear communication channel between the two. And there is a very valid use case for social media channels in the b2b sector. Sales Intelligence service Inside View recently announced that their business customers access the social intelligence tool more frequently than email. This shows how sales teams are becoming increasingly interested in social, which in itself is indicative of the huge growth in this area recently.

Foursquare & McDonalds – don’t believe the hype

As much as there are encouraging case studies that prove the point of social media driving sales, we still have a long way to go in determining the accuracy of this. And this often comes down to simply understanding social technologies. McDonalds recently made a claim that a promotion they ran on Foursqure in April had resulted in an increase of 33% in foot traffic to stores. As reported in Read Write Web, this isn’t actually the case. Rick Won, the head of social media at MdDonalds has since clarified that the increase was in fact Foursquare checkins and not footfall. You need to make sure that you understand the metrics you’re reporting on – a 33% increase in checkins is significantly different to a 33% increase in overall footfall. There’s a difference of millions of customers between the two.

Intent to purchase through social media

Encouraging sales through social media is nothing new. Dell’s big announcement that they tracked $3 million in sales through their Twitter account came over a year ago in June 2009. What we are seeing now though, is a shift in user behaviour that shows we’re now more likely to purchase through social media. This is partly due to the fact that companies are making it easier to purchase in social networks- such as Delta Airlines introducing their booking option through their Facebook page. What’s also at play however is users becoming more and more used to social media, trusting it more, and responding to ways it can enhance the purchasing process, such as social shopping or group buying.

A recent study by Comscore found that not only had online retail spending in Q1 2010 increased by 10% from the previous year, but that social had a big part to play in this. They found that users on Facebook and Twitter spent more online, in monetary terms, than average internet consumers. Heavy users of Facebook spent an average of $67 online which outperforms the average spent by an internet user which stands at approximately $50. Now you might argue that a heavy social network user is obviously going to spend more online because of the amount of time they spend on there and how comfortable they will be with the internet in general. But this only serves to prove the point of companies interacting in this space. People on social networks clearly have an intent to spend and the best thing you can do as a company is to be in front of them, encouraging them to purchase your product, albeit in the right way.

How do you do it?

Of course there’s no magic formula to driving sales through social media, it’s a combination of having a good product in the first place, using social media effectively and being able to track and optimise your click-through traffic. It also has to not be the first thing you try and do when you use social media. The trick is to make it easy for yourself. The Sony example above shows that people will be receptive for sales if there’s a good enough offering there, and incentivising your customers is one of the easiest things you can do. If I announce on Twitter that I’m thinking of buying a DVD on Amazon and I get a tweet from them that offers me a 10% discount or similar, the chances are I’ll take it. Of course as the business, you have to think about the strategy behind this and who you want to offer the discount to.

Embracing new social technologies is also key to this. Gap proved the point of this recently when they ran an offer with Groupon that offered users the chance to purchase a $50 giftcard at $25. This earned them $11 million in revenue and while you have to balance this with the potential loss of giving away $25 per user, this has generated them valuable business that might otherwise not have gone to the store, in a low-cost marketing campaign. This proves the case of making your business available through other social channels, and not always forcing the sale through your own real-estate (be it virtual or physical).

Having watched closely the trends in social commerce recently, I really believe we’re getting to a point where this is reaching the mainstream. This isn’t commerce as we currently know it, but commerce.2 which involves the social technologies and capabilities that people now come to expect from an online experience. We’re going to see plenty more case studies coming through and it’s encouraging for companies that operate in this space, as well as the individuals who are a part of the process.

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

1. We all work with one infinite power

2. The Secret is the Law of Attraction (LOA)

3. Whatever is going on in your mind is what you are attracting

4. We are like magnets – like attract like. You become AND attract what you think

5. Every thought has a frequency. Thoughts send out a magnetic energy

6. People think about what they don’t want and attract more of the same

7. Thought = creation. If these thoughts are attached to powerful emotions (good or bad) that speeds the creation

8. You attract your dominant thoughts

9. Those who speak most of illness have illness, those who speak most of prosperity have it..etc..

10. It’s not “wishful” thinking.

11. You can’t have a universe without the mind entering into it

12. Choose your thoughts carefully .. you are a masterpiece of your life

13. It’s OK that thoughts don’t manifest into reality immediately (if we saw a picture of an elephant and it instantly appeared, that would be too soon)

14. EVERYTHING in your life you have attracted .. accept that fact .. it’s true.

15. Your thoughts cause your feelings

16. We don’t need to complicate all the “reasons” behind our emotions. It’s much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.

17. Thoughts that bring about good feelings mean you are on the right track. Thoughts that bring about bad feelings means you are not on the right track.

18. Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming

19. You get exactly what you are FEELING

20. Happy feelings will attract more happy circumstances

21. You can begin feeling whatever you want (even if it’s not there).. the universe will correspond to the nature of your song

22. What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience

23. What you think and what you feel and what actually manifests is ALWAYS a match – no exception

24. Shift your awareness

25. “You create your own universe as you go along” Winston Churchill

26. It’s important to feel good ( ( ( (((good))) ) ) )

27. You can change your emotion immediately .. by thinking of something joyful, or singing a song, or remembering a happy experience

28. When you get the hang of this, before you know it you will KNOW you are the creator

29. Life can and should be phenomenal .. and it will be when you consciously apply the Law of Attraction

30. Universe will re-arrange itself accordingly

31. Start by using this sentence for all of your wants: “I’m so happy and grateful now that…. ”

32. You don’t need to know HOW the universe is going to rearrange itself

33. LOA is simply figuring out for yourself what will generate the positive feelings of having it NOW

34. You might get an inspired thought or idea to help you move towards what you want faster

35. The universe likes SPEED. Don’t delay, don’t second-guess, don’t doubt..

36. When the opportunity or impulse is there .. ACT

37. You will attract everything you require – money, people, connections.. PAY ATTENTION to what’s being set in front of you

38. You can start with nothing .. and out of nothing or no way – a WAY will be provided.

39. HOW LONG??? No rules on time .. the more aligned you are with positive feelings the quicker things happen

40. Size is nothing to the universe (unlimited abundance if that’s what you wish) We make the rules on size and time

41. No rules according to the universe .. you provide the feelings of having it now and the universe will respond

42. Most people offer the majority of their thought in response to what they are observing (bills in the mail, being late, having bad luck…etc..)

43. You have to find a different approach to what is through a different vantage point

44. “All that we are is a result of what we have thought” – Buddha

45. What can you do right now to turn your life around?? Gratitude

46. Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately

47. What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about

48. What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude.. focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for

49. Play the picture in your mind – focus on the end result

50. VISUALIZE!!! Rehearse your future

51. VISUALIZE!!! See it, feel it! This is where action begins

52. Feel the joy .. feel the happiness :o)

53. An affirmative thought is 100 times more powerful than a negative one

54. “What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists.” Alexander Graham Bell

55. Our job is not to worry about the “How”. The “How” will show up out of the commitment and belief in the “what”

56. The Hows are the domain of the universe. It always knows the quickest, fastest, most harmonious way between you and your dream

57. If you turn it over to the universe, you will be surprised and dazzled by what is delivered .. this is where magic and miracles happen

58. Turn it over to the universe daily.. but it should never be a chore.

59. Feel exhilarated by the whole process .. high, happy, in tune

60. The only difference between people who are really living this way is they have habituated ways of being.

61. They remember to do it all the time

62. Create a Vision Board .. pictures of what you want to attract .. every day look at it and get into the feeling state of already having acquired these wants

63. “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein

64. Decide what you want .. believe you can have it, believe you deserve it, believe it’s possible for you

65. Close your eyes and visualize having what you already want – and the feeling of having it already.

66. Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.

67. “Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve” W. Clement Stone

68. Set a goal so big that if you achieved it, it would blow your mind.

69. When you have an inspired thought, you must trust it and act on it.

70. How can you become more prosperous?? INTEND IT!!

71. ‘Checks are coming in the mail regularly’… or change your bank statement to whatever balance you want in there… and get behind the feeling of having it.

72. Life is meant to be abundant in ALL areas…

73. Go for the sense of inner joy and peace then all outside things appear

74. We are the creators of our universe

75. Relationships: Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others .. love yourself and you will be loved

76. Healthy respect for yourself

77. For those you work with or interact with regularly .. get a notebook and write down positive aspects of each of those people.

78. Write down the things you like most about them (don’t expect change from them). Law of attraction will not put you in the same space together if you frequencies don’t match

79. When you realize your potential to feel good, you will ask no one to be different in order for you to feel good.

80. You will free yourself from the cumbersome impossibilities of needing to control the world, your friends, your mate, your children….

81. You are the only one that creates your reality

82. No one else can think or feel for you .. its YOU .. ONLY YOU.

83. Health: thank the universe for your own healing. Laugh, stress free happiness will keep you healthy.

84. Immune system will heal itself

85. Parts of our bodies are replace every day, every week..etc… Within a few years we have a brand new body

86. See yourself living in a new body. Hopeful = recovery. Happy = happier biochemistry. Stress degrades the bod.

87. Remove stress from the body and the body regenerates itself. You can heal yourself

88. Learn to become still .. and take your attention away from what you don’t want, and place your attention on what you wish to experience

89. When the voice and vision on the inside become more profound and clear than the opinions on the outside, then you have mastered your life

90. You are not here to try to get the world to be just as you want it. You are here to create the world around you that you choose.

91. And allow the world as others choose to see it, exist as well

92. People think that if everyone knows the power of the LOA there won’t be enough to go around .. This is a lie that’s been ingrained in us and makes so many greedy.

93. The truth is there is more than enough love, creative ideas, power, joy, happiness to go around.

94. All of this abundance begins to shine through a mind that is aware of it’s own infinite nature. There’s enough for everyone. See it. Believe it. it will show up for you.

95. So let the variety of your reality thrill you as you choose all the things you want.. get behind the good feelings of all your wants.

96. Write your script. When you see things you don’t want, don’t think about them, write about them, talk about them, push against them, or join groups that focus on the don’t wants… remove your attention from don’t wants.. and place them on do wants

97. We are mass energy. Everything is energy. EVERYTHING.

98. Don’t define yourself by your body .. it’s the infinite being that’s connected to everything in the universe.

99. One energy field. Our bodies have distracted us from our energy. We are the infinite field of unfolding possibilities. The creative force.

100. Are your thoughts worthy of you? If not – NOW is the time to change them. You can begin right were you are right now. Nothing matters but this moment and what you are focusing your attention on.

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

Please post any other social media quotes that you absolutely love and want to share with others in the comments below. Enjoy!

1. “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog

2. “Networking is not about hunting. It is about farming. It’s about cultivating relationships. Don’t engage in ‘premature solicitation’. You’ll be a better networker if you remember that.” – Dr. Ivan Misner, NY bestselling author & founder of BNI

3. “The only way to put out a social-media fire is with social-media water.” – Ramon DeLeon, managing partner of six Domino’s stores in Chicago

4. “Social Media is about sociology and psychology more than technology.” – Brain Solis Principal of FutureWorks

5. “Think like a publisher, not a marketer.” – David Meerman Scott, DavidMeermanScott.com

6. “At Twitter, mobile is in our DNA … For us, it’s all about mobile, and it always has been.” – Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter

7. “Social media isn’t the end-all-be-all, but it offers marketers unparalleled opportunity to participate in relevant ways. It also provides a launchpad for other marketing tactics. Social media is not an island. It’s a high-power engine on the larger marketing ship.” – Matt Dickman, technomarketer.typepad.com

8. “Privacy is dead, and social media hold the smoking gun.” – Pete Cashmore, Mashable CEO

9. “You will make mistakes. If you are sincere about helping the community, the authenticity will show and your mistakes will be forgiven.” – Zia Yusuf, executive vice president for SAP’s global ecosystem and partner group

10. “There’s no need to re-create everything from scratch … Look at some of the early adopters, see what they’ve done and see if it makes sense for your organization. And then think about what you need to do to customize it.” – Dave Fletcher, Utah chief technology officer

11. “Whether something brings them joy or pain, when people share and engage in communities, they form bonds and relationships with others who acknowledge their situation.” – Liana Evans, from post on Search Engine Watch 1

2. “Social networks aren’t about Web sites. They’re about experiences.” – Mike DiLorenzo, NHL social media marketing director

13. “What used to be cigarette breaks could turn into ’social media breaks’ as long as there is a clear signal and IT isn’t looking.” – David Armano

14. “Businesses used to have a small suggestion box near the door that mostly housed dust bunnies and an occasional piece of gum. Rarely would someone get back to you. But people can now make a post from an iPhone or a BlackBerry while they’re sitting in your restaurant.” – Charles Nelson, President of Sprinkles Cupcakes president

15. “More companies are discovering that an über-connected workplace is not just about implementing a new set of tools — it is also about embracing a cultural shift to create an open environment where employees are encouraged to share, innovate and collaborate virtually.” – Karie Willyerd & Jeanne C. Meister, HarvardBusiness.org

16. “Twitter represents a collective collaboration that manifests our ability to unconsciously connect kindred voices through the experiences that move us. As such, Twitter is a human seismograph.” – Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks

17. “In some ways, [Facebook] levels the playing field of friendship stratification. In the real world, you have very close friends and then there are those you just say “Hi” to when you pass them on the street.” – Jason Kaufman, research science fellow at Harvard University

18. “Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations.” – Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog

19. “Those who ignore the party/conversation/network when they are content and decide to drop in when they need the network may not succeed. It’s pretty easy to spot those that are just joining the network purely to take – not to give. Therefore, be part of the party/conversation/network before you need anything from anyone.” – Jeremiah Owyang, Web-Strategist.com

20. “The secret isn’t growing a huge fan base. We have 100,000 Facebook fans, but those fans have all come to us organically. We believe the more organic the growth, the more loyal the fans, the more likely they will be repeat customers.” – Cam Balzer, vice president of marketing at Threadless

21. “Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard with your face on it.” – Erin Bury, Sprouter community manager

22. “Much like great products, great content will only find the best people to love it if it’s leveraged well.” – Shannon Paul, PEAK6 Online communications manager

23. “We don’t want to create an army of spammers, and we are not trying to turn Facebook and Twitter into one giant spam network. All we are trying to do is get consumers to become marketers for us.” – Joey Caroni, co-founder of advertiser Peer2

24. “Social media is like a snowball rolling down the hill. It’s picking up speed. Five years from now, it’s going to be the standard.” – Jeff Antaya, chief marketing officer of Plante Moran

25. ‘When there’s a buzz out in the blogosphere that your company has shipped a defective product, is closing its doors, or is under investigation, for example, a press release on the wire is no longer the fastest or most effective way to respond.” – Joel Postman, blog for Social Media Today

26. “The bubble hasn’t popped yet and there’s tremendous value in social media. … But it’s wishful thinking to believe that others on the ‘me too’ bandwagon will survive.” – Peter Fader, marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School

27. “Twitter is like a tragically hip New York night club. It is a cool, easy way for companies to engage customers in social media. But the experience can be loud and crowded.” – Bob Warfield, CEO of Helpstream 28. “What’s required is a kind of social media sherpa, who can find you the audience you seek, who can reach to them on the platforms where they are already congregating, and who can help promote in tasteful ways that fit the sensitivities of the networks where your audiences are found.” – Chris Brogan, author of “Trust Agents”

29. “As social media, or whatever you want to label it, becomes more prevalent, there will be blunders. We’re in experimental mode right now.” – Steve Hall, AdGabber founder

30. “Monitor, engage, and be transparent; these have always been the keys to success in the digital space.” – Dallas Lawrence, Levick Strategic Communications

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

Be relevant. As you build social media presence, deliver long-term value more than advertising messages.

Be competitive. Do some online sleuthing to learn what competitors are up to in social media.

Be kind. Relationships drive customer loyalty and create vocal brand advocates who want to talk about the brands they love.

Be conversational. Blogs are a perfect tool to achieve digital buzz because they’re conversational in nature.

Be real.  Keep your social media sites routinely updated with short entries that are written as if you’re talking to someone over the counter.

Be loyal. If you’re loyal to your customers, they’ll return the favor.

Be interesting. Use social media to talk about more than just your business. Give local perspective and advice outside the confines of your market niche.

Be exciting. Look at the language you use across your marketing communications. Is it bland or does it have a dynamic, knock-your-socks-off energy?

Be daring.  The most memorable brand stories tell the unexpected, speak directly to the heart or dare customers to live life to the fullest.

Be the expert. Tell the kind of brand story that will position you and your company as a leader in your marketplace.

Be genuine. For your business brand to resonate with customers, it must be based on something truly genuine.

Be consistent. No matter what industry you’re in, a strong identity will help you stand out with customers.

Be connected. Great networkers ask the right questions.

Be proactive. Don’t offer your customers products – offer them solutions, connections and satisfaction.

Be proud. Build exposure for your brand by showing off your company’s expertise and top employees in trade magazines.

Key takeaway: “If you don’t brand yourself, Google is going to do it for you!”

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success.

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business

“Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.”

Best Regards – Michelle

Michelle is a passionate Internet Marketer with 10+ years of successful online business development, sales and marketing experience. She holds a valuable Internet Marketing Degree and travels Nationwide providing social media keynotes and in-depth training to corporations. Current contributing editor to “The Social Media Monthly Magazine” and writing a book titled, “The Social Media Magnet: everything you need to know to attract customers with social media”, sharing her best kept secrets to success. 

Contact Michelle for a free consultation to learn how Internet Marketing can help your business