MLM Traffic Generation 100-Day Challenge: MLM Traffic 100-Day …

In doing so I created a link to the blog RSS feed , to my Youtube channel, to my Facebook group. I also introduced very briefly my new feature called “Ask Perig” where the readers can submit questions to me directly

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MLM Traffic Generation 100-Day Challenge: MLM Traffic 100-Day …

David & Goliath and Social Media Marketing

The epic tale of the ultimate upset is playing out online with countless small businesses leveraging the marketing power of social media.  How are entrepreneurs doing this?  Well, the challenge with social media lies in quantifying return on investment.  Here, the investment is primarily time and effort since the bulk of social networking applications are free.  The following outlines the factors that support how small businesses can exploit online media to gain a competitive advantage over large companies.

Personally – The voice of the company that filters through to social media is all too often devoid of personally.  Research shows that people connect people, not gray text.

Censorship – There virtually is no censorship when it comes to social media.  Small business owners don’t have to worry about being tied up through layers of social media compliance.  Larger companies, by contrast, can be subject to legal approval concerning every blog post or tweet, making it harder to facilitate real-time conversations.

Local Connection – Small businesses can tap into local events, traditions and communities much more easily due to their shared experience with the people.  Once again, people would rather bond with an actual person present at relevant local events.

Implementation – Online resources today allow for the quickest implementation when breaking news occurs.  Situations like these calls necessitate quick action when timing is everything.  The saying “the early bird gets the worm” holds solid validation as many in the general public desire the fastest reporting of news.  This advantage will convert more followers into customers.

Audience – The small business owner only needs to connect with hundreds or perhaps thousands, not hundreds OF thousands or millions.  Doing this yeah yield significant productivity for the small business who often seeking to zero in on a more focused target market.

As a small business entrepreneur you no longer have to remain puzzled about social media’s distinct value for the small guy out there.  You potentially have the huge advantage to trump larger corporations in reaching your desired customers.

Social Media Marketing –The 4 Secrets to Becoming a Powerful Social Media Leader

Social Media Leadership is an evolving process that really needs to be looked at by the social media community. It is critical.

Why?

It determines everything in any kind of social media change, growth, improvement, or marketing. Leadership is the elevator in all business. Especially in Social media. It will determine whether something goes UP or goes DOWN in the marketplace. It will determine Value or determine Emptiness.

I think you would agree, many folks in social media are entrepreneurs with their own business. But yet, many of these folks do not LEAD in social media.

They sell.

They market.

They converse.

They Spend time on social sites.

They buy all the latest “guru’s” CDs and DVDs.

They follow. They follow others in their efforts to find the golden rings of social Media.

Here is a novel idea:

TAKE YOUR OWN LEAD.

Step up to YOUR LEADERSHIP in social media and get out of the wake of people that are trying to leave you behind.

DECIDE to Connect and Embrace YOU – to Your own Leadership in Social Media. There is an INCREDIBLE Leader inside of you-it’s time to RELEASE that Leader.

Start directing people to ideas and possibilities they never knew existed-from YOUR Suggestions and guidance. Start guiding people to what will TRANSFORM them as a person, not just what will create a Transaction. Transform their perception of what is possible. Transform their thinking to a new level of Success. Transform their expectations-with YOU.

There are 4 Secrets to becoming Powerful Social Media Leader and if you operate with these components in mind, you can become social media royalty.

Here are those 4 components:

1) A PICTURE.

Some folks call it Vision. Some folks call it a Destination. In social media, you need to paint a vivid picture in what you can do for a person, as well as where you are going to take them. Picture pages are the most visited pages in social media. That is called a CLUE.

OK. Then using that as a measure, lets’ create s picture of where you are headed, and what that picture has to offer anyone who will follow. Does the picture have a name? Does the picture you paint of your message move people emotionally?

Create what I call a Picture of Promise, and then keep that picture in your Social Media Leadership front and center.

Lisa, a friend of mine, keeps a picture of what a person will look like if they learn about and use here skin care system FRONT AND CENTER on her social sites.She is not trying to sell anything except a possibility. It is a Powerful picture that leads to a powerful place.

2) A PATH.

Folks want a Path they can travel, and most want it in modules, or steps. What does your Leadership Path offer and what are the steps? Have you CLEARLY laid out the path so they can follow with no challenge to where you are leading them? Are the links and any other “doorways” to new ideas working? Are the videos you are doing compelling? Are the pod casts short and to the point and interesting? Are the blogs readable and well written? Are any notes or tweets easy to understand?

All a path is is a series of social media “doorways” that lead to where you want them to go. Call them bread crumbs. Call them arrows pointing to a place. But either way, they first lead a person to a place and activity to be taken.

What does your Path offer and what are the benefits of taking that path? People listen to radio station KIA-AM. Is your Social Media Leadership path tuned into that station?

KIA-AM stands for— Keep It All About ME. Make EVERYTHING about the prospect and what they will receive when thet enter the “Promised Land” you are guding them to.

Make the path they have to travel, click to, or learn about interesting and always point to something they will learn, enjoy, feel good about, and feel glad they took that path with you.

3) A PROMISE.

What as a leader, are you promising anyone that will follow you?

Gain? Increase? Education? Improvement? Answers? Solutions?

Or are you offering them something so of VALUE that not matter who it is, it is too Valuable to turn down?

Promises are a dime a dozen-unless you LEAD people to the promise and DELIVER, and set yourself apart from the crowd with REAL relationships in the social arena, as all leaders build connections and Value in all they do.

Make a Promise- and KEEP IT- no matter what. That is Leadership in Social Media.

4) A POWERFUL CONCLUSION.

Nothing will point to you as a Social Media Leader quicker than a Powerful Conclusion to the Promise. Give them what you said you would. Take them where you said you would. Teach them what you said you would.

But give them MORE than the Picture Promises, and where they think the Path Leads. That is what Social Media Leadership is about.

Leading BEYOND all expectations.

Leading PAST the Promise to More Powerful Conclusions.

Leading In a Way that it is so Valuable, they will follow you anywhere, anytime, with any suggestion of a path.

THAT is one of the missing pieces in developing a social media marketing empire.

LEAD the folks to places they never thought they could visit or conceive, with Social Media Leadership.

Social Media Marketing – Why You Need to Establish Your Brand in Web 2.0

Why Brand in social media?
You probably have asked this question before.
Or maybe twice.
I know I did several years ago-until the “light went on” and I discovered some things that proved to be worth millions in business.
But just what IS branding in social media and how do you participate in it?
Branding is a marketing technique, strategy, method, or action that has the massive potential to elevate your online and social media business to the top. It involves helping your customers every time they think of you to form a recognizable association -mental , emotional, or other-with you.
What can you do to make that happen?
Link your business with a powerful and unique design, logo, slogan, and/or color and observe the positive results and imaging that starts to take place in people’s minds.
It is critical that you take the brnading efforts to a new level and understand that there are 3 things that people look for in branding:
1) What they are FEELING.
Branding is all about emotion and feelings when it comes down to it. Either it feels RIGHT, or it does not. And if it does not, then your brand will be extinct before too long.
2) What people are SEEING on the video screen in their mind.
What picture does the prospect SEE in their mind when they think of your brand? What emotions does that elicit? Is it a picture that you want them to see?
3) What are they EXPECTING.
What is the prospect EXPECTING to happen or experience with your brand? This is critical because your brand must be consistent as well as credible.
Brands create a feeling of recognition, remembrance, and familiarity.
If customers have seen your logo or meme, insignia, or company name, they are more likely to continue to consistently select your product or service. Also, they are more apt to refer and suggest them to others. Referrals through word of mouth can be an extremely powerful form of advertising and it can build your brand and accelerate it.
A brand helps possible customers remember your business as well as the emotions surrounding it. (Nike). People may know little about your life and business philosophy or reputation. However, if they can recognize your brand, the chances are greater that they will do business with you.
Branding creates memory in the mind of the public. we call it “Memory magnet.” Your brand must draw people towards you and your message and product every time they think of it.
When the public remembers your brand and familiarizes themselves and others with it, they will come back. Customers are more likely to remain devoted to your business and are apt to buy further products or services from you based on the brand of the initial product with which they had success.
This called building a book of business you can count on.
People are willing to pay more for products or services that they highly regard. This means that customers are likely to pass up cheaper prices with competitors if your brand has made a positive impression on them. If clients believe in your product, they will pay for it.
That is why you need to brand yourself as the “Premier Provider” in your niche and market, so you can charge what your brand is really worth.
When you have distinguished and set yourself and your business apart through branding, the marketing has the capability of becoming so profound, that little else is necessary. Developing your brand takes time and effort, but after it has been solidified, and after customers have had the chance to identify with it, your sales can increase naturally. You won’t have to spend as much time planning marketing strategies to attract the public in your social media marketing strategies
blessings…doug firebaugh
http://www.socialmediablogster.com

Social Media Marketing Training- The Two Things That Everyone is Looking For in Social Media

When you think about it, there are only 2 things that people are looking for in Social Media. It does not matter if you are in real estate, mortgage banking, insurance, or even in marketing of some type. People are always looking for something.
You just need to make sure that you know what those things are.
Most people in the Social Media arena are progressive thinkers and progressive people. Most are ahead of the curve in the web 2.0 world, and most have a focus of being ahead of the pack. The early adopters of Social Media, which I am one, started on the Social media scene 5 years ago. There as not much there, but what was there, was used as best as it could be used.
People then, and people now, are still the same. They always will be. But in the Social media arena, they are looking for 2 things that will help them.
Help them feel better about whom they are. Help them feel better about what they do. And help them feel better about where their life is going. All people are in some way looking for that forward focus. That is why in the social scene, there are 2 things people seem to be seeking more than anything.
Only two.
1) CONNECTION.
Most people in Web 2.0 ville are looking for Connection. They want to connect with people, information, new ideas, new trainings, new events, new groups, new videos, but whatever they are looking for, they want to CONNECT.
Connection is part of the culture we grew up in. People in real estate understand the person want to feel emotionally connected to a house before they purchase it. People want to feel connected to a car before they decide to buy it. And people want to feel connected to something before they start building that bridge of trust with you. You must make an effort to connect in a way that they will respond to in social media.
IN Social Media Marketing, Connection is NOT Correction as so many people think. They are NOT looking to be told that their life is not any good, or is lacking. They are not looking to be told their home is too small for them. They want to Connect to something or someone that will make them feel better about themselves and where their life is headed. You do that in conversations on twitter, facebook, myspace, orkut, moli, LinkedIn, and the like.
They want to feel GOOD about a conversation with you, no matter the social network. They want to feel FOCUSED ON and Tied into a conversation that will help them feel more a part of something that can increase and enlarge their life and future.
CONNECTING with people is simply reaching out and taking their hand over the internet and letting them feel PLUGGED IN to something and someone that can help you connect to new possibilities and to new destinies.
THAT is simple and the truth. Keep the Connection authentic and real, and they will listen to what your conversation is about and start drawing closer to you and your message.
2) Elevation.
People want to feel like they are being lifted higher in their life. They want to feel like their life is going somewhere and means something. We all do. We all are looking for that special feeling that we are special, and as trite as that sounds, it is the truth.
What can you do to create that feeling that they truly believe they are walking on air?
Life them up by noticing something g they said that has helped you.
Compliment them.
Give them a kind remark about their efforts in what they are doing in Social Media.
Ask questions they might know the answer to show you appreciate their knowledge..
Send them new ideas on their passion.
Notice something about their conversation that you can totally appreciate and let them know about it.
Empower them with encouragement.
Thank them for learning something from them.
WHY?
It will make them glad they talked to you in Social Media. And they will remember you the next message, tweet, or conversation. They will move from the Awareness stage, to the Appreciation stage in Social Media.
As a realtor, you will see that they can start to trust you, and even start referring possible clients to you as people they know are moving out or into – your area.
Remember- it is NOT what you said. But how you made them feel by Connecting with them and Elevating their hope and future in the Social media Marketing arena.
blessings…doug

Social Media Marketing Success – Three Steps on How to Maximize Your Efforts

Social Media.
Social Media Marketing.
THOSE 2 things has been written and talked about the last 2 years a LOT. But believe it or not, not a lot of small businesses or home businesses are using this powerful business and marketing “Zone” yet. Many people, because it is on the internet, shy away for it as if it were the plague.
“I am not a geek” people tell me. Well, we have “ungeeked the geek” for many small and home business owners, and made social media make sense to them
But there are exceptions.
I was talking with a business owner the other day and she made the comment, “I don’t go to those kind of sites. I don’t have time to do that as my business is struggling and I need to go and find more customers.”
That says it all.
That shows a total lack of understanding of what social media/web 2.0 is really about, and what it can do for the average small business and home business -even on a local basis. If people really “got it” about social media marketing, they would be running to the social media zone and staying there.
There is a lot of talk that it is not “proven” as it is too new and the jury is still out on it being a viable marketing process.
I totally disagree. The social media marketer is paving a path for those to follow through a jungle that has never been explored, nor walked. People like proof. People like results. But it is the social media marketer that will create the way that will birth new millionaires with business folks who do “get” the Web 2.0 world. It is not that hard to understand either.
If you can send an email, you can “do” social media marketing. You can master twitter, facebook, myspace, blogs, wikis, podcasts, article marketing, and all the other parts of the new media, if you can send an email. Yes, there is a learning curve, and yes, it does take a little effort-but what doesn’t? We have expanded our business tremendously with social media tactics, and everyday, we wake up with dozens of new leads for our training and consulting business in our email box. How would you like to have that happen to you?
You can. You can tap into an endless pool of leads that will just keep increasing, if you decide to jump into the Social Media zone. And we will be glad to teach you how to maximize for maximum Success with your Social Media efforts.
All you need to do is make a decision that you will take the time and study and learn social media a little at a time, and learn the culture, and the processes of each website.
Here are 7 websites that you must register with to get started in social media if you have a small or home business. Each have “help” tutorials or videos about how to use them properly, and also there is a LOT of information on the web as well on “how to”:
1) http://www.facebook.com
2) http://www.twitter.com
3) http://www.mashable.com (A GREAT website for learning generic social media.)
4) http://www.stumbleupon.com
5) http://www.digg.com
6) http://www.youtube.com
7) http://www.socialmediatrainingnetwork.com’ (A GREAT social website for learning social media tactics for small and or home businesses.)
And then do three things after learning how the site works:
1) CONNECT.
2) COMFORTABLE.
3) CONSTRUCT.
1) CONNECT.
The main thing you need to do is connect with people on these sites, and become a friend with them. Most of these sites have a process to befriend folks. Follow their process. Sound easy enough? But there is a type of friend that we teach that you must become. An “Addition Friend.” This is simply a friend that ADDS to people’s lives, not takes.
On the social media scene, most people are looking to Add, Enhance, Increase, and Enlarge a part of their life. YOU must help them do that with connecting with them and showing them new information about what you do, and how what you do can help them and change them for the better. It MUST not ever be a sales pitch, but simply information that will impact them enough that they may want to connect with you further about that in their life.
If you are a real estate agent, give them info on the 5 Biggest mistakes made while buying a home. If you are a CPA, give them some info on the 3 biggest mistakes made on tax returns. If you are in skin care, give them the 7 best ways to keep your skin healthy. You get the idea. You can find this type of information all over the web. Just send them the web address (url) to the article or blog post with a short note saying you thought of them when you ran across this.
We call it “Connection Marketing” and it WORKS when you allow it to.
CONNECT with the person –> CONNECT with their goals –> then CONNECT them to valuable information that will help them achieve them. Then most of the people Will then connect with your interests and be willing to help you with yours.
2) COMFORTABLE.
You must get the people on the social media sites COMFORTABLE with you.
How?
Talk about them, and how you can help them reach their goals and dreams- either with what you do, or with what you know. We call it “Comfortable Conversation(TM).” You must hold online “conversations” with people and get them comfortable with you, and comfortable with staying connected with you. You do this by talking about what THEY are interested in, and then you PROVE to them you are serious about adding value to their life.
It is ALL about Value in the social media arena. People expect Value in your messages and communication, and if you give them things that will help them in their endeavors, (blog posts on their industry, articles on doing what they do better, etc,) they will get very comfortable with you, and even helping you with YOUR endeavors. They will be moving towards you quickly if you practice that focus in your social media efforts.
3) CONSTRUCT.
Simply, in Social media Marketing, you must Construct a bridge between you and the person that eventually leads OFFLINE and onto the telephone.
THAT is the secret to Success in social media marketing. We call it the “TIO Factor.” Take It Offline and let the personalization begin.
You have connected with the person- in person-at least in voice.
You have gotten them comfortable with you by your interest in helping them achieve their goals.
Now you must construct a path that allows you to say, “What is your contact number? I would love to chat with you for real over the phone.” Then just do that. It may take a few days or a couple of weeks. But if you could pick up 10 new customers with this conversation would it be worth it?
Of course it would be. And how would you do that?
Ahhh–That is another article on Social Media Marketing Success.
blessings…doug

Improve your Social Media Marketing In Four Easy Steps

Internet Marketers from numerous sectors of the industry are flocking to social media marketing as a means to enhance online exposure and traffic generation.  These four easy steps are a solid foundation for any beginner who’s looking to capitalize on social media.

1.Make Tagging and Bookmarking Easy

Including content features such as quick buttons to “add to digg” is just one way to make the process of page tagging easier.  Also make sure your pages have a list of relevant tags and suggested notes for a hyperlink.  This is key since those links will appear automatically when someone tags a site.  You should allow for social bookmarking, not just on your homepage but also on subsequent pages wherever content is posted.

2. Become a User Resource

Seek to enhance the overall value to users by adding outbound hyperlinks that lead to other marketers pages.  When done correctly, you present yourself as a non-bias leader and information source.  This helps social media optimization when others link to your social site and tag is as helpful.  Overtime, your content will become more relevant to large search engines.

3. Reward Helpful Users

The most valuable social media participants are those who actively influence a given community.  They seek out opportunities to assist others by contributing your experience or expertise.  In return, try to elevate them by promoting their business or brand to your following.  A brief email or direct message describing your sincere appreciation and belief in their contribution can go along way in building online relationships.

4. Participate in Content Creation

Social media is a two-way street.  Don’t just rely on receiving information other community members.  Reciprocate by adding value through free advice, recommendations or tools have you.  You’ll find that certain content naturally spreads socially regardless of the industry or product.  Whether it is creating widgets, making people laugh, or writing a term paper, it can be all be accomplished socially.  Know what type of content can work for you and create it.

Conclusion

While the packaging of social media may be in a constant state of flux, these four pervading principles are good rules of thumb by which to operate online.  Remember that text content is still paramount in optimization, however, integrating good content with a more personal and social element is a winning combination.

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