Marketing Your Business Online, Social Media & StomperNet

For so long, I resisted the siren call of Stompernet – mainly because of the pricetag attached to it…. however, when they opened up The Net Effect and the StomperNet Insiders DVD of the Month, I subscribed right away. I won’t deny that the ‘pricetag’ on Stomping The Search Engines 2 with the bonus of 1 month of  The Net Effect and the Insiders DVD was appealing – however, once I got my package I was hooked.

I still pay for The Net Effect and the Insiders DVD – I reckon it’s the best investment I make each month.  I haven’t got to this months Net Effect yet – but this, I watched the Insider DVD – and I’m going to watch it again.

As many will know, I’m all about Relationships – even in selling.  Making a connection with my visitors and converting those who want my services to customers, even life long customers.  I’m also ‘into’ the Social Marketing scene.

What a pleasant surprise I received today when I put my Insiders DVD on, and found Dan Crowther talking about Social Media Techniques to Build Your Small Business.

This months DVD is about 6o minutes worth of GREAT STUFF about using the Ladder of Intimacy:

• Association – you’re part of a group
• Draws Attention – being assoicated, you notice others that you may be ‘attracted to’ or who may be ‘attracted to’ you
• Observation – You watch them, They watch you
• Initial Attraction – Where you acknowledge your interest in ‘them’ and vice versa
• Increase Knowledge – You research and find out more about the other person, from acquaintances, other business people, even the person themselves
• Share Experiences – You share your experiences with the other person, do things together and create a greater bond
• Relationship – over time that relationship depeens until…..
• Request For Commitment – you ask for an order!

Looking at this ladder – when it starts, there is no trust on either side.  Trust develops as you know more about each other and then make a commitment to progress to the next step.

This is where so many salespeople and marketers fail!  Instead of developing the trust, and then the relationship, they will take you from a paid ad (adwords ad, if you like) to a sales page, straight to a checkout page…. What have they given of themselves? What have they chosen to learn about the person they want to do business with?  Where is the trust?

It is a reality – people will generally buy from you, when they Know You, Like You and Trust You.  As marketers and sales people, we have our work cut out – we really have to give people a reason to Trust Us.

With the advent of Social Media, the ability to give our potential clients reasons to trust us has exploded.  Through Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, plus a host of other sites and the ability to blog, our potential clients are able to find out a lot about us.

However, are we making the most of these opportunities? What does your Social Network strategy say about you?

For each Social Media channel, consider what your community expects of you; and how you are interacting with your community.  Some of us may be a little amazed to see that we aren’t really interacting with our community, but broadcasting a whole heap of ‘buy me’ messages – rather than building the value of what we are doing.

Take some time out and write out a strategy for each of the Social Media engines you are using. This strategy should include what value you are going to provide and how you’re going to provide it as well as how you’re going to market your products or services.

I know that some of my readers are going to be saying – but I’m on too many Social Networking sites! If that’s the case, you really need to consider how much benefit you are getting by spreading yourself so thin – and probably wind your sustained activities down to a handful of places.  I recommend Twitter, Facebook and Linked In as three engines for my clients to work with but that all depends on the niche and the results you want to achieve.

Once you’ve written your strategy for each network, review your current behavior on those networks and see how that behavior fits with your strategy.  This was a bit of a shock for me.  Not having a written down strategy for each of my networks, I found I had lost focus on what I wanted to achieve!

If you find  big disparity in the way you have been interacting on a Social Network to your strategy, you may find it best to acknowledge this with your community, and keep moving forward.

Listening to this months DVD of the Month from Stompernet has definitely helped me gain clarity around my social networking activities.

On a side note, I received notification today that Stompernet will be re-opening their Formula 5 program (simple plug-in-and-go Formulas)  soon. As part of the launch, Stompernet are giving away great content – that anyone can take, use and benefit from.  To start the ball rolling, check out the 4 Part Video Series called “Cash Boosters” – it was created by Paul Lemberg, the genius behind Formula 5, as a “primer” for the key principles that will be at work in a FormulaFive “Success Story” business.  I’m just starting on the series myself!

Make the most of this post:

Here are some quick action points that you can take away from this article today.

1. Review your social networks and rationalize if necessary
2. Write your strategy for each of the social networks you belong to
3. Review your current activities on each network against your strategy
4. Revise your activity and act in a way that supports you Social Network strategy.
5. Grab the 4 Part Cash Boosters Video series
6. Share your experiences here, help others learn and learn from others.