Last week we talked about how stimulating it can be when different clients approach us for their online marketing strategies as well as how important it is to be up to date with lots of industries.  This week I would like to focus on another campaign we are currently working on.  This is the campaign for Joe Symmon who is running for Governor of California. Anna is a political science major at Cal State Fullerton and she is a key contributor for this account. I sat down with her to discuss how she spearheaded this project.

Marieke Hensel: How familiar are you with political campaigns?

Anna: I follow national campaigns pretty closely, but I have to admit I am not as knowledgeable about local campaigns.  I am personally very interested in studying what shapes the way people vote, such as religion, socioeconomic status, gender, or level of political interest.  I am excited to see if the conventional wisdom for a national campaign works locally.

MH: What did you do to get more information?

AF: The internet is my primary resource for information about campaigns. I read various articles from the Drudge Report, Huffington Post, Daily Kos and others.

MH: How do you stay informed on current political hot topics?

AF: My primary source of news is podcasts.  I know people aren’t really familiar with them, but they’re amazing.  Podcasts are like radio shows that you can download as a file and put on your iPod or MP3 player.  You can listen to them whenever you want, usually commercial free.  You can pause, rewind, fast-forward, everything.  And what’s great is you can ’subscribe’ to podcasts and the new shows will automatically download into your iTunes.  I listen to podcasts from CNN, NBC, NPR, and independent news and commentary organizations like The Young Turks. I usually listen to one or two hours of political news and analysis every day, but if I listened to all of it I could be spending four to five hours getting all the news I want.

MH: If you could have lunch with any political figure, dead or alive, who would it be? Why?

AF: It is almost impossible to just pick one political figure to chat with, but the one that comes to my mind first is President Lyndon Johnson.  When he was president in the 1960’s, there was a big progressive push in the country, and LBJ was able to capitalize on that energy and pass a huge amount of legislation that our country loves to this day.  Programs like medicare, medicaid, food stamps, work-study programs, and others are very popular today, though they faced harsh opposition when they were first passed.  I would love to talk to LBJ about President Obama’s current problems with health care legislation, hyper-partisanship, and the War on Terror.  I think President Johnson could have some sound advice for the 21st century.

MH: What’s the hardest part about this job?

AF: The hardest part about this job is educating myself and the campaign about the issues voters care about.  The issues Californians face are very complex, and I firmly believe that everyone who wants to run for office should be extremely educated about the issues.  There is a lot to learn, but I am eager to learn alongside the other people on the campaign team.

Google LBC allows you to post your hours, phone number, address, menu options and/or many other details your customers might find relevant. Google even lets you put coupons in your listing.

By doing this, Google compiles information about your web traffic. This is helpful to determine how customers are finding your business online and where they are coming from geographically.

Spend a few minutes today updating this information. Let us know your results in the comments.  Keep in mind, the changes won’t be immediate, but over the course of a year, you might be surprised at what you find.

Visit Google Local Business Center to get more information and watch a video about other perks.

Branding Personality is far from your average marketing company. No two accounts are alike and neither are the campaigns associated with them. It’s important that Branding Personality roll with the punches, so to speak, and manage the different companies, goals and industries for each campaign. Sound exhausting? Well, it may be to some but for BP, we thrive on the challenge.

So, how does BP stay on top of the trends and varying accounts that come it’s way? This month, we will focus on a specific campaign, and talk about how Branding Personality is able to work with Jack Kenefick, a personal trainer from Orange County, and his company, Balanced Life Fitness. We sat down with Kimberly, our social media expert who handles this campaign.

Marieke Hensel: Kimberly, you are responsible for the Balanced Life Fitness blog. How familiar are you with fitness tips and tricks?

Kimberly: I like to think I’m pretty knowledgeable on this topic because fitness is a passion of mine. This blog came pretty easily to me. Plus working with Jack opened up my eyes to some new ways of doing some exercises.

MH: How did you prepare to be informed on this topic?

KK: To keep current, I read lots of fitness blogs and also learn from real life experience. I subscribe to lots of different blogs and read tons of articles on this topic. Fitness ideas vary from day to day even. One supplement that was labeled to be the next big thing, will be proven to be ineffective, or even dangerous, the next day. It’s important to not get caught up in the hype, so I, like Jack, tend to stick to tried and true methods. Eat less, move more! It’s an easy concept that’s not as easily executed.

MH: What’s the hardest part of working on this campaign?

KK: Not being able to try out or implement all the tips that Jack provides. Jack is very creative with his workouts. I get excited to try them once I see them post to the blog.

MH: What is your favorite fitness tip?

KK: Keeping a food journal. It sounds so basic, but it has been the most helpful tip to help with my fitness goals. When I see everything I eat written down, it really makes me think twice about eating those brownies after dinner!

MH: Any last thoughts?

KK: My main focus in preparing for any campaign is being accurate and detailed. Whether it’s a fitness blog or an art school, Branding Personality is responsible for delivering results so it’s important to be factual and provide a quality service.

Most celebrities use a team of people to manage one account. A good example for this is Britney Spears. Britney Spears is not the only person writing content on her Twitter account, she has a team of people that provide content continuously on Twitter, people including her social media manager, her PR person, her personal assistant and of course Britney herself. Her account is managed by a total of 5 people.

When you are managing a Twitter account with multiple people, these people should sign the account with their signature. Like we do on the Twitter account for this webhosting company. Employees sign on that Twitter account with ^Rutger and ^Robert. To make it shorter you could use initials, when I write Twitter content for my clients, I use the signature ^mh. The ^ symbol is used to show the signature in the Tweet.

Using a signature helps in keeping the credibility of the account high. For example, If I tweet for one of my client “I am at this great event”, and then suddenly my client is in Traffic, or something happens, and doesn’t make it to the event. Readers (followers) may find out, and it makes the account look not credible, and therefore looses authority.

Guy Kawasaki gives great insights about his Twitter management strategy in a blog.

A great tool to manage a Twitter account with multiple users is CoTweet. Several people can easily manage one account. And you can see which Tweets have been responded to and which haven’t.

Other than that, set up keyword searches, like “looking for -your service-” and related, so that you can join in that conversation to create opportunities. And of course keyword searches on your brand, so that you can respond and know what your fans and friends are talking about.

BNI is a great way for businesses to experience growth by maximizing their marketing efforts through word of mouth. BNI generated over 5 million referrals for member businesses in 2008-referrals which generated over $2.3 billion worth of businesses for its members.

BNI was founded in 1985 by Ivan R. Misner, Ph. D., author of The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret, Seven Second Marketing, Business by Referral, Masters of Networking and Masters of Success. “Our style of networking is based on the philosophy ‘givers gain’, – if I help you, then you’ll help me, and we’ll all do better in business,” says Misner.

The Anaheim Plaza Hotel is located at 1700 S. Harbor Blvd. Cost for the meeting is $5. The meeting is open to anyone interested in attending. It is highly recommended for participants to bring plenty of business cards for networking. For reservations contact Marieke Hensel, 877-747-3263. For additional event information or to learn more about BNI, visit the BNI website or our local region’s website.

If your potential customers are people interested in a specific thing (i.e. wine for a wineshop), than connecting with people who share that passion is a great step forward in building a relationship with your potential target market.

There are a couple of websites where you can find people based on location, business or interest.

1. http://twellow.com – Directory of Twitter users, with a multitude of options to find people you could connect with. For example on geographic area, keyword search.

2. http://twitr.org – Another directory, not as extensive as Twellow, but you can find people based on the most popular tags.

3. http://geofollow.com/ – Geographic directory of Twitter users. Look for city, state or country combined with keywords.

4. http://twtbiz.com/ – Find entrepreneurs, businesses, investors and media peeps on Twitter based on a keyword search.

5. http://justtweetit.com/ – Easy overview on the homepage of categories from which you can find people that share your interest.

6. http://listorious.com/ – Last but not least. The new way of searching great people on Twitter, is by checking out the lists that people create of interested Twitter users. Now everyone can make their own fave directories, ro what they are now called Listst. And Listorious is a directory of lists on Twitter – to find great people recommended by others that fit your keyword or geographic search.

Finding people is the first step. But don’t forget to listen to their conversations, and join in when you have something valuable to share. That’s how conversations start and it is the beginning of a real conversation starting to take place.

FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA – Social media has become the quickest and easiest way for restaurants to attract and keep a steady stream of customers. While just a few years ago restaurants were able to rely upon print publications to get the word, today most people use the internet to find tonight’s dinner. But with so many options available, how can restaurant owners make the most of social media marketing?

On November 2 16, 2009 online marketing expert and best-selling author Marieke Hensel will present a special 2-hour workshop for Orange County restaurant owners on “Social Media Strategies for Your Restaurant Business.” Participating restaurant owners will learn how to:

• Reach people when they’re hungry and looking for a place to eat
• Increase profits by rewarding loyal customers and attracting new ones
• Use their brand personality to their advantage
• Build relationships with customers and potential customers
• And much more

Registration for this Fullerton, California event is limited to 50 attendees and costs just $29.00 per person. Restaurant owners can register online at http://www.BrandingPersonality.com or by calling 1.877.747.3263. In addition to the 2-hour workshop, attendees also receive a workbook and the opportunity to participate in a follow-up teleconference two weeks after the event.

“From Google and Yelp to Facebook, Twitter and everything in between, when it comes to social media marketing restaurant owners have an array of options,” explains Ms. Hensel. “It’s no wonder so many restaurant owners are overwhelmed before they even begin! Participants will come away from this workshop with a solid grasp of how to use social media strategies to build their restaurant traffic, as well as the basis for an online marketing plan.”

Successful online restaurant marketing goes beyond advertising the menu and location. Workshop participants also learn how employee personalities influence the dining experience – and how to use these personalities to establish relationships with both customers and prospects online.

Marieke Hensel is the co-author of Business Wise, the number two best-selling business book on Amazon.co.uk in May 2007, for which she wrote on “How To Attract Your Target Group Online.” In 2007 she founded Branding Personality, the online brand strategy agency in the U.S.

Generate profits by rewarding your loyal customers and attracting new ones.

Do you want to discover…
…how to generate traffic to your restaurant?
…how to present your restaurant online?
…how to use social media to your best advantage?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you will love this Action Workshop.

Date: Monday November 2 16, 2009 – between 2 – 4 pm
Location: downtown Fullerton

ONLY 50 ATTENDEES ACCEPTED, SO HURRY!

Social Media Strategies for your Restaurant Business
Generate profits by rewarding your loyal customers and attracting new ones.

Although this presentation is geared towards restaurants, other businesses who want to learn more about social media and online branding definitely take away nuggets of knowledge.

Date & Time:
Thursday, October 22nd
7:30 am – 9:00 am

I would like to invite you as my guest at:
The Anaheim Plaza Hotel
1700 S. Harbor Blvd
Anaheim

The Hotel is located on the corner of Disney Way and Harbor Blvd, right across the Disneyland entrance. Let us know if you are able to attend, so I can put you on the guest list. Sign up by sending an email to fullerton@brandingpersonality.com or sign up on Meetup.

Are you ready to work with new clients? Then I have an easy-to-adopt business strategy for you, that makes a big impression in your regular business.

I start off saying: Focus! You can’t do it all, so choosing a strategy that is easy to implement and doesn’t take much extra time helps you achieve your goals faster.

1. Get ready. Dress yourself representable and have ample business cards with you.

2. Pick and choose 2 networking events every week. These could be in the early mornings, during work hours or after work. Whatever suits you best. Find networking events where your target market is.

3. Make your appearance consistent. Not everyone was expecting your arrival at that networking event. So attend a couple of events in a row, so people can get to know you and see that you are reliable.

4. Talk to people, don’t be shy. You are making the best impression if you ask a lot of questions. People like to talk, so if you let them talk they feel they had a great time. ☺ The other good thing is, that you can always prepare good questions. Asking what they think about the weather, doesn’t steer you in the direction of potential business; therefore, ask them about business goals, how do you network, have you been to this event before and why have you decided to attend? Let’s hope its not just for the free snacks or drinks. ☺ Always end your conversation with a thank you and ask for their business card. Don’t take too long to talk with someone, you are networking, leave the good stuff for a next appointment to talk some more.

5. And then… you arrive home with a pile of business cards. The first thing you do, is enter your business cards in an address book on your computer (Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, etc).

Before you are ready for step 5. I want to make sure:

A. Are you on LinkedIn?
B. Are you on Facebook?
C. Are you on Twitter?

You might have heard from one of them, if not, all of them. Make sure your profile is there and it’s a decent and filled out profile. You need to provide enough information so that it adds to your credibility, and so that people recognize you. Does your profile on these websites have the same information as is on your business card? Upload your picture, this is not optional.

6. Just to make sure you’re not skipping this: Set up your profile on the Golden 3!: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

7. When you have setup your profiles, you can go to each of these networks and import your address book. All these networks have a tool for it, and it will find the connections you have in your address book that already have a profile on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. Find your connections and connect with them. This is a 3-step process. So you are done in 5 minutes. You are connecting with them, because they might be able to give you business, but far more important – they can lead you to the right sources that give you business.

8. Send each person you connected with a personal message on each of these networks. On Facebook and LinkedIn you can do this when you are making the connection with them. On Twitter you can send a separate message.

Normally the effect of visiting an event is over in 2-4 weeks. When you are connecting with people from events on online websites as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, the effect is as long as you keep your profile active. In searches your name will pop-up. If you update your latest projects all your connections will be notified, even people you have met on events years ago.

9. Follow up on those: “I need to make an appointment with him/her” by email or phone. If there is potential business, take care of it.

10. A great way to not only keep the relationship in tact, but see if there is more (potential) interest in your company (maybe later on) is in offering to send a newsletter. Send that request out about a week later and you have another contact moment with your new connection. If they like you or are interested in your business/services, they want to sign up and stay updated.

Marketing is all about relationships: having enough connections with the right people while making the right impression. Online networking websites give the leverage to networking events that you are already attending.

These 10 tips get you the best of local networking events and give a great introduction into online networking. A combination of using local events and online networking websites adds to your credibility, it makes you approachable and gives you more impressions with people you meet than you would otherwise have.

Marieke is an international published author on How to Attract your Target Market Online (Collaborative book: BusinessWise). Businesswise is the second best selling Business book on Amazon.co.uk in May 2007. Marieke is the founder of Branding Personality, which sets up profiles for clients on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and produces daily content for clients resulting in new business generated through these new media.