Filed under: Facebook, Internet Marketing Strategy, LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | Tags: Facebook, Generation C, LinkedIn, Social Media, Twitter, Web 2.0
I stumbled onto this blog post today about Kristie Lu Stout, an anchor on CNN and mother of a 7-month old, reserving the URL, Twitter ID and Gmail account for her infant child. Talk about forward thinking!
A lot of people I encounter are interested in social media, but have some concerns about jumping in. What reservations, if any, do you have about social media? Some of the common objections I hear are:
a) “I don’t get it–why do I care what someone had for breakfast this morning?”
b) “I don’t have time.”
In my last post, I addressed “speaking the language” appropriate to the social networking site you are on. While it’s true that you may encounter an occasional Cheerios reference on Twitter or Facebook I can guarantee you (with 99% certainty) that you won’t find breakfast-oriented updates on the professional networking site LinkedIn, for example.
Determine where your target audience spends their time online and invest your time there as well. (Quantcast is a good tool to help you understand the demographic make up of site’s users.) Know why you are there and deliver your message sans updates about your dining habits; cut your potential customers some slack if they want to discuss theirs though…
In my Advanced Social Media workshop I show students how to create a social media marketing “system”– I can help you learn to make the most of your time if you will let me. Right now my seminars are offered exclusively in the Northwest Indiana area; however, I hope to have an online (video) training option available soon.
I am looking for 20-25 people to help me with the beta test of the new training site. Check back soon for details or email me at kathy@mysocialmediacoach.com if you are interested in participating.
Maybe you’re not ready to jump on the socia media bandwagon yet. Maybe you never will be, but how would you feel if someone else took your name? It’s food for thought–maybe making reservation isn’t such a bad idea…
Tip: Facebook will soon allow vanity URLs. Claim your spot!
Filed under: Facebook, Internet Marketing Strategy, LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter, Uncategorized | Tags: Business Marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, Networking, social media training, Twitter
When I teach my social media classes, I tell students that each social networking site has different customs and expectations. Different types of conversations are going on in each place, depending on who is there and what they want to accomplish. I find metaphors helpful to explain…
LinkedIn is a little like an executive cocktail party. It’s pretty much all business all the time. People who are on this site are there for the most part to form business connections, period. And you better like blue, because that’s what your profile will look like. Don’t expect to find fancy “skins” that allow you to have a (more…)
Filed under: Decision Making, Facebook, Internet Marketing Strategy, LinkedIn, Networking, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | Tags: Bit.ly, Facebook for Business, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media, Twitter, Valparaiso
Last week I met with a group of real estate agents hungry for information on social media marketing. Besides just learning about it, they were curious to know “how much time is this going to take?” and “what return will I get on my investment?”
An effective social media program does require some time. It’s not a magic machine that you set up once and forget about. By definition, that form of media would not be very social or interactive, which are two of the things that make social media marketing such a potentially effective vehicle for connecting with other people.
The social media marketing tools I showed are free. That doesn’t mean that they come without “cost” (more…)
Filed under: Networking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Tweetup, Twitter | Tags: #nwindiana, Northwest Indiana, nwitweetup, Social Media, Tweetup, Twitter, Valparaiso
Thanks to all who turned out for the 2nd Northwest Indiana Tweetup (#nwitweetup) at Coladas Pizza in Valparaiso last night. Thanks also to Coladas Pizza for providing us with the flower leis (a big hit!) and the complimentary munchies. Those little bread bubbles are highly addictive…and go very well with beer, as it turns out.
Thanks also to Pat and Jerry Yocom from Lake Effect Embroidery (@LE_Embroidery) who donated two more #nwitweetup ball caps. Leanne Hoagland Smith (@coachlee) won the first one and Dave (more…)
Filed under: Internet Marketing Strategy, Job Search, LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | Tags: Chamber of Commerce, LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media
Here are 5 tips I offer for getting more out of networking with LinkedIn. I may offer 5 more some other day and these are not necessarily the 5 most important, but here they are:
1. Customize your public profile URL.
This means your profile URL will look like this:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathylegnersipple
instead of this:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nPr1smt1i994
What’s easier to remember and find? Don’t know how to do it? It’s easy… Log in to LinkedIn.com. Click on “Profile”, then click on “Edit Profile” tab. Scroll down to “Public Profile” (right above “Summary”) and click “edit.” You will be directed to a new screen. Click “edit” again next to “Your Public Profile URL.” Change it to something memorable–I would suggest your full name. Use a middle initial or and underscore if your first choice (more…)
Filed under: LinkedIn, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Tweetup, Twitter
I am grateful and awed at the number of interesting people I have met along the way since launching my social media consulting business about two months ago. This post is meant to serve as an example of just how quickly strong networks can form as well as to credit the contributions of individuals and companies mentioned here. My social media network finds local connections crossing paths all over the place, but at the epicenter, I find a few key players–and we frequently seem to cross paths at Evelyn Bay Coffee Company in (more…)
A week or so ago, I received an invitation to do a radio interview about social media on 89.5 WBEW (vocalo.org) in response to an article in The Times about the Tweetup in Northwest Indiana February 26th. Although I didn’t know much about vocalo at the time, I knew WBEW as the Chesterton, Indiana-based sister station to WBEZ (91.5 FM), the flagship Chicago National Public Radio station (more…)
Filed under: Facebook, Internet Marketing Strategy, LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter, Uncategorized
I want to thank Pat Yocom from Lake Effect Embroidery, a past Twitter 101 student, for inviting me to speak today at her business leads group in Michigan City. There was great energy within the group–it’s nice to see the dynamics in action when a leads group is really working. I suspect that this group can put the following 10 tips to good use. Here’s the recap I promised:
- Web Site and Domain Name for Email
If you don’t already have your own web site and email that uses your own domain name (i.e. kathy@mysocialmediacoach.com vs. kathy@gmail.com), price is not a good excuse (more…)
Filed under: LinkedIn, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Tweetup, Twitter
Remember the story? The shoemaker was busy crafting wonderful shoes for everyone else in the village while his children ran around barefoot? Sadly, this analogy has been all too appropriate for me and my poor blog over the past month…
The good news is that the reason I have been so busy (and not devoting time to updating my blog) is that I have been networking, teaching and consulting like crazy! I added several new clients over the past month, taught 3 classes and launched Northwest Indiana Tweetup (#nwitweetup) last week, which was a big success and got a nice story in The Times (more…)
Filed under: Facebook, Internet Marketing Strategy, LinkedIn, Networking, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | Tags: Evelyn Bay Coffee, nwitweetup, social media training, Twitter 101
I launched a web site this week for my new training and consulting business: http://mysocialmediacoach.com. My mission is to teach small business owners how they can put use the power of social media marketing to grow their businesses.
I have been speaking with some business people one on one, but admittedly, the Valparaiso market is a little behind the curve on social media. I know it will catch on here, but we don’t have what you might call ‘critical mass’ yet for anyone who wants to implement (more…)
